LIST OF MAPS...... 10
FOREWORD...... 11
INTRODUCTION...... 12

A/ ITALIAN AFRICA...... 13
1/ THE FIRST SHOTS OF THE DESERT WAR...... 15
2/ WAR IN THE DESERT...... 16
3/ AN OPPORTUNITY…TO GO ‘SWANNING’ ABOUT...... 18
4/ TWENTY ACRES OF OFFICERS...... 19
5/ TOBRUK, A FORTRESS TOWN...... 21
6/ COMPLETE VICTORY...... 25
7/ THE BATTERY COMMANDER, HIS BATMAN, AND A COOK...... 30

B/ ROMMEL’S AFRICA...... 35
8/ ORANGES AND LEMONS...... 37
9/ I THOUGHT WE WERE WINNING...... 38
10/ HOPELESSLY INADEQUATE...... 43
11/ OVER WE GO...... 45
12/ WE’LL HAVE NO DUNKIRK HERE...... 48

C/ CRETE...... 51
13/ FERVENT ANTICIPATION...... 52
14/ THINLY ARMOURED PERAMBULATORS...... 55
15/ CONFUSION, PANDEMONIUM AND WAR CRIES...... 60
16/ SOLDIERS OF THE WHITE AND RED ROSE...... 61
17/ A GLINT OF STEEL AND A RATTLE...... 64
18/ AND THEN YOU RUN AGAIN...... 67
19/ THE ‘RED PATCH’...... 71

D/ ROMMEL’S AFRICA, CONTINUED...... 77
20/ THAT TANK COULD REALLY TAKE IT...... 79
21/ THE RULES ARE THE SAME...... 82
22/ A NUMBER OF 88mm GUNS...... 84
23/ QUITE A REMARKABLE TRAJECTORY...... 86
24/ A WELL-TRAINED COW PONY...... 88
25/ A TURRET-DOWN MIND...... 91
26/ YOU MAY BRRREW UP...... 93
27/ EVEN THE ITALIAN 47MM GUN WAS EFFECTIVE...... 94
28/ WHERE THE DICKENS HAVE YOU BEEN?...... 96
29/ WE SHED OUR LIGHT-HEARTEDNESS AND EAGERNESS......100
30/ THE POINT OF A PIN...... 103
31/ BEAUTIFUL TIMING AND WONDERFUL COOLNESS...... 106
32/ 60 OR 70 MONSTERS IN SOLID LINE ABREAST...... 108
33/ WITH LESS THAN USUAL CARE AND GUIDANCE...... 118
34/ A WEIGHT AND QUALITY OF SUPPORT...... 121
35/ A BRAVE AND RESOURCEFUL GERMAN OFFICER...... 124
36/ A PANDEMONIUM OF VIOLENCE...... 126
37/ LED FROM THE FRONT...... 133
38/ MAKE IT SIMPLE, MAKE IT SIMPLE...... 134
39/ TRUSSED UP LIKE A CHICKEN...... 145
40/ A SHARK AMONG MACKEREL...... 147
41/ I’LL SWAN ABOUT IN FRONT OF IT...... 149
42/ THE MASTER RACE...... 153
43/ A SERIES OF MISFORTUNES...... 155
44/ POURING BY LIKE A FLOOD...... 159
45/ NO MORE THAN A PASSING INCIDENT...... 161
46/ A ‘PARADE GROUND JOB’...... 162
47/ I THINK THOSE TANKS ARE HOSTILE...... 167
48/ AN UNKNOWN BRITISH SOLDIER...... 169
49/ IN FULL COMMAND AT ALL TIMES...... 172
50/ THE FLATNESS OF THE DESERT...... 174
51/ THERE ARE NO ENEMY FORCES IN YOUR AREA...... 176
52/ ATTACK!..... 178
53/ GET OUT, AND GET OUT BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE...... 180
54/ A POWERFUL, DEVASTATING BLOW...... 185
55/ THE FIRE CAME FROM ALL DIRECTIONS...... 189
56/ ONE HUNDRED PERCENT WAGNERIAN...... 192
57/ BLISSFULL IGNORANCE...... 193
58/ RISING AT DAWN TO MIX DOUGH WAS ‘BORING’...... 195
59/ LITTLE TIME OR OPPORTUNITY FOR SWIMMING IN THE MEDITERRANEAN...... 198
60/ SCOTLAND FOREVER AND SECOND TO NONE...... 199
61/ A LONG WAY FROM LOCH TUMMEL AND LOCH RANNOCH...... 202
62/ A ‘LAST MAN, LAST ROUND’ JOB...... 205
63/ A SOLID WALL OF ENGLISH TANKS...... 216

E/ NORTHWESTERN AFRICA...... 223
64/ A SIGNIFICANT SUPERIORITY IN FIREPOWER...... 225
65/ WHERE DID YOU AIM?..... 228
66/ COMPLETELY AT VARIANCE WITH DOCTRINE...... 230
67/ THE SMALLER LUGER...... 232
68/ HOW TO BE BOMBED...... 233
69/ I WAS MAD...... 236
70/ SOME COOLHEADED COLONEL...... 239
71/ PROUD AFTER A GOOD DAY’S WORK...... 240
72/ THE INTRODUCTION OF 10 PANZER DIVISION TO THE EIGHTH ARMY...... 243
73/ TANK HUNTING...... 246
74/ A HEAVY TOLL...... 247
75/ DIESEL FUEL AND THREE INCH AMMUNITION...... 248
76/ THE ARMY REALLY GETS AROUND...... 250
77/ NONE OF THEM GOT THROUGH...... 252
78/ LET THE BLOODY BLACK BASTARDS COME...... 254
79/ SO I LOST MY JOB…..... 263
80/ WITH HIS REVOLVER AND KUKRI...... 265
81/ A FINE BEGINNING...... 267

F/ SICILY...... 271
82/ A VERY DRAMATIC MOMENT...... 273
83/ PLANS HELL! THIS MAY BE CUSTER’S LAST STAND...... 276
84/ THE SEVEREST MEASURES...... 278
85/ THE SAME RECOGNITION...... 280
86/ PONTE PRIMASOLE..... 281
87/ SPLENDID FELLOWS...... 282
88/ IT ALL WENT ACCORDING TO PLAN...... 286
89/ FAILED AT A CRUCIAL MOMENT...... 287
90/ NOTHING TO KEEP JERRY’S HEAD DOWN...... 289
91/ THE BATTALION WAS OUT OF CONTROL...... 290
92/ THE ONLY COHESIVE FORCE...... 292

G/ SOUTHERN ITALY...... 293
93/ CAREFUL PLANNING AND THROROUGH RECONAISSANCE...... 295
94/ EXCESS LUGGAGE IN THIS TYPE OF WAR...... 297
95/ A SIGH OF RELIEF...... 298
96/ THE HAND SLOWLY TURNED...... 300
97/ THE TACTICAL EMPLOYMENT OF HEAVY WEAPONS...... 301
98/ BLESSINGS FROM THE GOD OF WAR...... 302
99/ THE WORTH OF THE PIAT...... 305
100/ THE EFFECTS WERE IMMEDIATE...... 308
101/ FIGHTING…HAD BECOME VERY BITTER...... 311
102/ EVERY CONCEIVABLE USE...... 316
103/ WELL, THE ARTILLERY FELL IN FRONT OF US FOR AWHILE…..... 317
104/ SHOCK ACTION...... 321
105/ SNIPING WITH AN 8“...... 323
106/ ZEROED IN...... 325
107/ MEANINGFUL MISSIONS...... 326
108/ WILLIE’S WORST WERFER...... 329
109/ HERE COME THE BASTARDS...... 333
110/ SILENT DEATH...... 339
111/ THE FIRST ROUND ON ITS WAY...... 340
112/ CONFUSION BECAME THE DOMINANT FEATURE...... 341
113/ HAND GRENADES ANSWERED THE QUERY...... 344
114/ BY INJUNCTION AND EXAMPLE...... 346
115/ TO THE LEFT TIT...... 350
116/ A MINOR CATASTROPHE...... 354
117/ CONTRARY TO ADVICE FROM OTHER OFFICERS...... 355
118/ COMPANY F NO LONGER EXISTED...... 360
119/ PROPER ACTION WAS TAKEN...... 361
120/ UPON THE FIRST RAYS OF SUNLIGHT...... 362

H/ NORTHERN ITALY...... 367
121/ AMERICANO!..... 369
122/ CONFUSION…A GOD OF BATTLE...... 371
123/ WE WERE REALLY ENJOYING THIS WAR BUSINESS...... 375
124/ UNFORTUNATELY, THE ORDNANCE TESTS WERE IN
ERROR...... 377
125/ OUT ON THE FORWARD SLOPE...... 380
126/ LESSONS LEARNED...... 381
127/ JERRY, OLIVE TREES, AND CEMETARY DISAPPEAR...... 383
128/ CHIANTI COUNTRY TIGER COUNTRY...... 385
129/ THE WHOLE HILLSIDE OPENED FIRE...... 388
130/ A BONA FIDE PRISONER OF WAR...... 391
131/ HOLD AND CONTROL YOUR FIRE...... 392
132/ AP SHELLS WITHOUT EFFECT...... 393
133/ PURSUIT...... 396
134/ IMPEDING GERMAN MOVEMENT...... 398
135/ COUNTERATTACKING THE COUNTERATTACK...... 400
136/ TAKE THE RIDGE AT ANY COST...... 403
137/ WE MACHINE-GUNNED EVERYTHING...... 406
138/ AN IMPRESSION OF IRRESISTABLE FORCE...... 408
139/ THE LUCKIEST GUY IN THE WORLD...... 411
140/ INFILTRATING THE LINE FORWARD...... 413
141/ HOW CAN I ATTACK THE GOD-DAMN HILL?..... 414
142/ A NIGHTLY AFFAIR...... 415
143/ WE HAD GIVEN THE ENEMY HIS RUNNING SHOES...... 416
144/ EMPLACED AND MANNED BY KITCHEN PERSONNEL...... 421
145/ BATTLE PATROL...... 427
146/ A DECIDED BREAK...... 428
147/ ON EVEN TERMS...... 429
148/ THE FULL MIGHT OF ITS POWER...... 432
149/ A SNARLING WHINE OVERHEAD...... 433
150/ THE D-DAY DODGERS...... 435

INDEX OF SOURCES...... 437