Destiny in the Desert

Reviews / Votes

What makes this book so attractive is its crisp and authoritative treatment of the wider context in which this pivotal battle was fought. Dimbleby doesn't pull his punches in assessing the qualities of the main players - Churchill brilliant but brutal, Auchinleck underestimated, Montgomery over-hyped and self-serving. Read this fresh and provocative account and you'll be in little doubt that this was - for Britain - the single most critical battle of the Second World War. -- Peter Snow Covers a broad canvas - as wide as the desert itself. Dimbleby expertly weaves the dramatic events of the desert war together with the decisions and dilemmas of the great war leaders. He tells this story with real pace, drama and insight. -- Dr Niall Barr, author of Pendulum of War: The Three Battles of El Alamein An engrossing read, focusing on grand strategy -- Martin Kitchen, author of Rommel's Desert War Dimbleby persuasively explains why it was the side-show which wasn't a side-show and links his explanation to a vivid portrayal of life - and death - in the desert -- Stephen Bungay, author of Alamein By turns fascinating, thought-provoking and entertaining - and always beautifully written - 'Destiny in the Desert' explodes a number of self-serving myths about the Desert War and its apogee, the battle of El Alamein, while letting the reader appreciate why this incredible story has spawned so many of them. In their place emerges a tale of heroism and sacrifice, told from the point of view of the highest grand strategist down to the lowliest serviceman, which is far more entrancing than any comforting myth. Jonathan Dimbleby lets us see El Alamein anew. * Andrew Roberts * A wonderfully incisive, superbly written history that underlines the key role the Desert War played in Hitler's downfall. What Dimbleby has nailed so brilliantly is what so many war historians miss: the big picture. -- Saul David, author of All The King's Men Dimbleby takes the investigative and narrative approach - superbly paced and expressed - and is justifiably wary of academic certainties. -- Allan Mallinson * The Times * The book is a triumph. I thought I more or less knew it all...and I didn't. The pace of the narrative is tremendous, zooming in from the global perspectives to the personal experiences of the squaddies at the sharp end of decisions, moving from the petty squabbles to the heroic achievements; and the judgments are fascinating, and tough but fair. This is a brilliant effort -- when confronted by work of this quality I get carried away by enthusiasm. * Sir Harold Evans, author of The American Century *