Author:Niall Barr
In late June 1942, the dispirited and defeated British Eighth Army was pouring back towards the tiny railway halt of El Alamein in the western desert of Egypt. Tobruk had fallen and Eighth Army had suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Rommel's Panzerarmee Afrika. Yet just five months later, the famous bombardment opened the Eighth Army's own offensive which destroyed the Axis threat to Egypt. Explanations for the remarkable change of fortune have generally been sought in the abrasive personality of the new army commander Lieutenant-General Bernard Law Montgomery. But the long running controversies surrounding the commanders of Eighth Army - Generals Auchinleck and Montgomery - and that of their legendary opponent, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, have often been allowed to obscure the true nature of the Alamein campaign. Pendulum of War provides a vivid and fresh perspective on the fighting at El Alamein from the early desperate days of July to the final costly victory in November.
Excellent...a sophisticated, compelling and immensely readable account... Thoroughly researched, controversial, convincing... military history at its best
—— Daily ExpressThere is no doubting the author's immense scholarship... He has a first-class understanding of strategy and tactics
—— Simon Heffer , Literary ReviewDeserves to become the standard work on the desert war in 1942
—— Richard HolmesDeserves maximum space everywhere this autumn... poignant and sometimes horrific reading... it is a timely reminder to appreciate our lives and those we share it with
—— The Booksellerprobably the most harrowing book I'll ever read...gripping....its subject matter is something that should never be forgotten
—— Booksellera fascinating, compelling read
—— Ham and HighIn its honesty and earthiness it has quite justifiably been compared with All Quiet on the Western Front... A frest look at life in a front-line trench
—— Good Book GuideAn important, outstanding book
—— Die ZeitKeegan tells the story of war between the industrial North and the agricultural South, and that's very good. But what I loved most, and what Keegan is always superb at, is analysis
—— William Leith , The ScotsmanYou would be hard pressed to find a better written one-volume history of this epic struggle
—— Simon Shaw , GuardianIlluminating
—— Colin Waters , Sunday HeraldA captivating narrative, huge in scope
—— Daily TelegraphCarter deftly interpolates history with psychobiography to provide a damning indictment of monarchy in all its forms
—— Will Self , New Statesmen Books of the YearA depiction of bloated power and outsize personalities in which Carter picks apart the strutting absurdity of the last emperors on the eve of catastrophe
—— Financial Times Books of the YearTakes what should have been a daunting subject and through sheer wit and narrative élan turns it into engaging drama. Carter has a notable gift for characterisation
—— Jonathan Coe , Guardian Books of the YearFacts and figures say a great deal, but the most compelling accounts come from those who featured in the battle. Like any good author, Holland allows the participants to tell the story in their own words
—— The Good Book Guide
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