Operation Compass 1940
Wavell'S Whirlwind Offensive
1st Edition
Published on 20. August 2013
96 pages
978-1-84603-528-9 (ISBN)
Description
A highly illustrated, absorbing account of the first battle of the desert war: the British against the Italians.
Operation Compass was originally envisaged as a spoiling attack, combined with a reconnaissance in force to disrupt the Italian forces that had advanced into Egypt in September 1940. Lt Gen. Richard O'Connor launched what amounted to a British 'Blitzkrieg'. In less than two months the British forces swept 500 miles along the coast of North Africa. 7th Armoured Division raced across the desert to cut off the retreating Italians, and O'Connor's men destroyed 9 Italian divisions, and took 130,000 prisoners. In March 1941 General Rommel and the Afrikakorps landed at Tripoli.
Operation Compass was originally envisaged as a spoiling attack, combined with a reconnaissance in force to disrupt the Italian forces that had advanced into Egypt in September 1940. Lt Gen. Richard O'Connor launched what amounted to a British 'Blitzkrieg'. In less than two months the British forces swept 500 miles along the coast of North Africa. 7th Armoured Division raced across the desert to cut off the retreating Italians, and O'Connor's men destroyed 9 Italian divisions, and took 130,000 prisoners. In March 1941 General Rommel and the Afrikakorps landed at Tripoli.
More details
Series
Edition
1. Auflage
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Illustrations
87 b/w; 12 col
ISBN-13
978-1-84603-528-9 (9781846035289)
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
Book
08/2000
Osprey Publishing
€41.03
Shipment within 3-4 weeks
Persons
Jon Latimer was born in Wales in 1964. He attended Swansea University in 1982 and worked as an oceanographer and environmental scientist. Jon served in the Territorial Army for 16 years as an officer in The Royal Welch Fusiliers and 4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Wales. Jon was the author of Campaign 73: Operation Compass 1940 and Campaign 80: Tobruk 1941 for Osprey. He also wrote Deception in War (John Murray, 2001), Alamein (John Murray, 2002) and Burma: The Forgotten War (John Murray, 2004) as well as lecturing part-time with the History Department at Swansea University. His last book, 1812: War with America (Harvard University Press, 2007) was shortlisted for the George Washington Book Prize and won a Distinguished Book Award from the Society for Military History. Jon passed away suddenly in January 2009.
Content
Italy enters the War
Opposing Commanders
Opposing Armies
Opposing Plans
Frontier skirmishes
The Italians invade Egypt
The attack on the camps
Buq Buq
Bardia
Tobruk
Beda Fomm
Aftermath
Chronology
Wargaming Operation Compass
Bibliography
Opposing Commanders
Opposing Armies
Opposing Plans
Frontier skirmishes
The Italians invade Egypt
The attack on the camps
Buq Buq
Bardia
Tobruk
Beda Fomm
Aftermath
Chronology
Wargaming Operation Compass
Bibliography
