Beda Fomm to Operation Crusader, 1940-41

Desert Armour: Tank Warfare in North Africa

By: Robert Forczyk

Narrated by: Chris Monteiro

Robert Forczyk covers the development of armored warfare in North Africa from the earliest Anglo-Italian engagements in 1940 to the British victory over the German Afrikakorps in Operation Crusader in 1941.

The war in the North African desert was pure mechanized warfare, and in many respects the most technologically advanced theatre of World War II. It was also the only theatre where for three years British and Commonwealth, and later United States, troops were in constant contact with Axis forces.

World War II bestselling author Robert Forczyk explores the first half of the history of the campaign, from the initial Italian offensive and the arrival of Rommel's Panzergruppe Afrika to the British Operation Crusader offensive that led to the relief of Tobruk. He examines the armored forces, equipment, doctrine, training, logistics and operations employed by both Allied and Axis forces throughout the period, focusing especially on the brigade and regimental level of operations.

Desert Armour goes back to the sources to provide a new study of armored warfare in the desert.

©2023 Robert Forczyk (P)2024 Tantor

Too many details, not enough context

This is certainly a very detailed account of the desert campaign. Unfortunately, it gives so many details, and without enough context that it becomes hard to remember what's happening in any given battle.

This title really needs maps to remind us where the places are and to show us the units' movements during individual battles.

So, we lose the strategic context of any given battle, and I don't feel there are clear descriptions of who-is-where. Further, the many details around the performance of units and tank-types completely obscure any hope of visualizing an overall picture of what was happening. I feel that each battle needs a preliminary context overview and 'spoiler' of telling us what's about to happen -- then we would have context in which to fit the details.

The narrator does a truly excellent job of wading through the alphabet soup with long strings of letter/number combinations of tank models (e.g. M13/40, M11/39, etc). He does pronounce the Bristol Blenheim as 'blen-heim' but I think that's understandable because 'blen-im' is not actually following any logical rules.

Ok... everyone, but everyone, calls it the "88", right? So it feels pedantic that he continually refers to it as the '8.8cm'. While being mathematically correct, it doesn't convey the same sense of awesomeness that the more colloquial term would have.

The book begins with the rather slow, but important, background of the development of tanks and tank doctrine in each of the major belligerents. For once, he does put their thinking into context and explains how most people were fixated on infantry tactics and didn't really have much understanding of armor warfare.

As others have noted, the author really isn't a fan of Rommel, citing his lack of interest in logistics or detailed planning. The author then backs up these claims with multiple examples throughout the campaign, which bolster his case. We tend to think of Rommel as a daring, take charge, kind of leader. Which is all well and good, but not when that's his primary modus operandi, to the exclusion of caring about the details.

Regarding the overall campaign, I really don't know because it was so unclear:
--Many leaders and most of them not suited to armor operations
--All sides making many mistakes as they try to figure out this new type of warfare
--Some movement around the desert; I have no idea where or how far
--Many engagements but unclear who's actually winning
--It's a desert... what is the strategic objective here? Is it territory, control of specific locations, or just the destruction of the other side?

I don't know -- maybe if I can find another book that gives a clearer overview of the campaign, perhaps I can try again, when pre-armed with a framework to fit all these details.

Detailed information and dispelling myths

Important reevaluation of Rommel and important analysis of armored warfare. Excellent research on armored combat not seen in older works that try and deify Rommel.

The glaring dislike for Rommel

A little boring but very informative. I’ve never heard such a scathing review of Rommel.

Guess he's not on Rommel's Christmas Card List...

Another excellent overview of armor operations, leaving the vast expanse of the Russian front for the sands of North Africa. The work starts a little slow, as we dip back into the inter-war years of the contestants (UK, US and GE, IT) but once we get shipped to the desert things pick up quickly.

No punches are pulled -- the Italian plight, in machines and strategic overreach, is front and center in 1940. The risks and end-result of the "up and back" of the 1941 campaign across Cyrenaica are evaluated under cold analysis. British generalship, outside of Compass, is laid bare. British tankers are given kudos for giving as good as they got.

Those 1 3/4 panzer divisions would have made more strategic sense in the East, and Sonnenblume was simply supposed to block further Allied movements to clear Tripolitania. Rommel wasn't going to languish in a side-show theatre, and ended up losing his table stakes in the process. And, albeit looking ahead, the Germans are going to rebuild that Panzer force twice more in the next volume, only to throw all those additional men and machines into POW camps and hors de combat.

Looking forward to the second volume

Amazing Details

This really shines a new light on the early North African campaign for me. Showing that the British, Italian, and German general accepted notions of the campaign are all mislead and misinformed. I recommend this book a listen if you want to have a true understanding of the early phase of the North African campaign.