At the height of his power in January 1941, Hitler made the fateful decision to send troops to North Africa to save the beleaguered Italian army from defeat. Martin Kitchen's masterful new history of the Axis campaign provides a fundamental reassessment of the key battles of 1941-1943, Rommel's generalship, and the campaign's place within the broader strategic context of the war. He shows that the British were initially helpless against the operational brilliance of Rommel's Panzer divisions. However Rommel's initial successes and refusal to follow orders committed the Axis to a campaign well beyond their means. Without the reinforcements or supplies he needed to deliver a knockout blow, Rommel was forced onto the defensive and Hitler's Mediterranean strategy began to unravel. The result was the loss of an entire army which together with defeat at Stalingrad signaled a decisive shift in the course of the war.

Nazi Germany and fascist Italy -- Germany intervenes in North Africa -- Tobruk: the first round -- Counterattack -- Withdrawal -- On the offensive again -- Tobruk -- El Alamein: the first round -- El Alamein: defeat -- Torch -- The retreat from Mersa el Brega -- Tunisgrad.