
Pendulum Of War
Three Battles at El Alamein
Niall Barr(Author)
Pimlico (Publisher)
Published on 4. August 2005
Book
Paperback/Softback
592 pages
978-0-7126-6827-9 (ISBN)
Description
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.
Reviews / Votes
Excellent...a sophisticated, compelling and immensely readable account... Thoroughly researched, controversial, convincing... military history at its best * Daily Express * There is no doubting the author's immense scholarship... He has a first-class understanding of strategy and tactics -- Simon Heffer * Literary Review * Deserves to become the standard work on the desert war in 1942 -- Richard HolmesMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Illustrations
8pp plates illustrations/5 integrated maps and diagrams
Dimensions
Height: 200 mm
Width: 131 mm
Thickness: 40 mm
Weight
414 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7126-6827-9 (9780712668279)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
12/2010
1st Edition
Vintage Digital
€11.99
Available for download
Person
Dr Niall Barr is a Senior Lecturer in Defence Studies, King's College London, based at the Joint Services Command and Staff College, Shrivenham. Educated at the University of St Andrews, he previously taught military history at Sandhurst. He has published widely on British military history and has conducted numerous battlefield tours, including three to El Alamein. He is married with two children and lives in Oxfordshire.