The battle of Alamein was the turning point for the British in their World War II struggle against Nazi Germany and the climax of a campaign waged with an unusual degree of ferocity and humanity on both sides. Around the little railway stop of El Alamein in Egypt's western desert at the end of October 1942, there were virtually no towns or villages to be ruined or terrified refugees to be caught in the crossfire. The twelve-day battle was waged over empty desert terrain. However bitterly fought, though, it was conducted according to accepted notions of "fair play" and the rules of war. Each side treated the enemy prisoners -- especially the wounded -- according to the Geneva Conventions, and a curious camaraderie evolved between the armies doing their best to kill each other. This desert war is remembered by its survivors as a "war without hate." Drawing extensively on years of research, John Bierman and Colin Smith provide a compellingly fresh perspective on the see-saw campaign in which the two sides.

Originally published in 2002 by Viking under the title: The Battle of Alamein. List of maps : Overview of North Africa from Tunis to Cairo; Italian Invasion, September 1940; Long Range Desert Group's Area of Operations, September 1940-May 1943; Operation Compass - the Italian Debacle, 9 December 1940-7 February 1941; Operation Sonnenblume - Rommel Recaptures Cyrenaica, April 1941; Operation Crusader, November-December 1941; Siege of Tobruk, 22 November-7 December 1941; Rommel Rebounds; Rommel's Victory at Gazala and the Fall of Tobruk, 26 May 1942-21 June 1942; El Alamein - Eve of Battle, 23 October 1942; Breakout at El Alamein, 2-4 November 1942; Tunisian Campaign, Spring 1943; Ebb and Flow of the Desert Campaign, September 1940-May 1943.

Reunion --Italians -- Enter Rommel -- Crusader -- Enter Monty -- Alamein -- Endgame -- Requiem.