Colvin, James Eighth Army versus Rommel. Tactics, Training and Operations in North Africa 1940-42

"Eighth Army Versus Rommel" is a riveting account of the Desert War from 1940 through Montgomery's celebrated battle of Alamein in 1942. Comprehensively researched and rich in previously unpublished material, it examines the undertrained and underfunded pre-war British Army, contrasting its leadership with its opposite numbers in Germany, and demonstrates how and why Eighth Army had difficulties in its first 18 months of fighting the Afrika Korps. This volume also examines the battles from the perspective of the commanders, the decisions they made and how cultural influences effected tactics and decisions of the Eighth Army high command. Ultimately, British commanders were as much the product of their military culture and education as Rommel and his commanders were of theirs, but British military culture and education was, for much of this period, markedly less fit for purpose than the German.

This volume also examines the battles from the commanders' perspective, the decisions they made, and how cultural influences affected tactics and decisions made by the 8th Army High Command. Ultimately, British commanders were as much the product of their military culture and training as Rommel and his commanders, but British military culture and education was significantly less fit for purpose than German for much of this period.