Palermo, M./De Poli, M./Biermann, A.: Breaking Rommel

In July 1942, the Axis advance into Egypt came to a halt. Through the heroic efforts of the British Eighth Armybeaten but not defeated, and supported by the Royal Air Forcethe *Panzerarmee Afrika* was first brought to a standstill just short of Alexandria and subsequently forced onto the defensive. The see-saw battle on the ground was mirrored in the air: both sides strove in vain to gain a strategic advantage that would have secured air superiority over the battlefield, with hundreds of sorties flown daily in the struggle. Ultimately, the air warlike the ground fightingresulted in a costly stalemate. In that month alone, over 200 aircraft were shot down in aerial combatin addition to losses from accidents and anti-aircraft fireand numerous aircrew members lost their lives. This book chronicles that air war and honors the memory of all the airmen and ground personnel who took part in it, and especially those who lost their lives in the process.