Hitler's Mediterranean Gamble

For many years, historians have argued that the war in the Mediterranean was merely a sideshow to the big events that took place in Russia and Northern Europe during the Second World War. This new and extremely accessible study of the conflict turns that argument on its head. For Douglas Porch, the Mediterranean theatre was absolutely central to the success of the Allies. It was the only place where Britain could showcase its refusal to accept German domination of Europe. It helped draw the Americans into the war, distracted Hitler from his true strategic objectives in the north, and provided a perfect training ground for the Allied troops who would fight in Normandy. Without the Mediterranean, the Allies would never have learned the skills they needed to win the war; indeed, the Alliance itself might not have lasted beyond 1943. This book covers every aspect of the Mediterranean conflict, from the Italian attack on Greece in 1940 right through to the advance on the Gothic Line in northern Italy towards the end of the war. While concentrating on the major battles in North Africa and Italy, the author also covers the less well-documented aspects of the war, some of which have produced strong echoes in our own time: the 1941 civil war in Yugoslavia, Churchill's pre-emptive invasion of Iraq, and the continual threat of an Arab uprising in Palestine. He explains not only the events themselves but the personalities of the leaders behind them, and the motives behind the complex decisions they had to make. The result is a fresh, compelling and comprehensive account of this vital arena of the Second World War.

ISBN 0297846329   DEWEY edition DC22 ISBN13 9780297846321 (What's this?)   Pages 832 Publisher Orion Publishing Co   Weight (grammes) 1362 Imprint Weidenfeld & Nicolson   Published in London Format Hardback   Height (mm) 240 Publication date 10 Jun 2004   Width (mm) 156 Library of Congress D763.M43   Spine width (mm) 55 DEWEY 940.5421   Academic level General

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