Desert War in North Africa

by Stephen W. Sears

A compelling study of the fierce Second World War campaign illustrates why the strategy of the Axis powers failed in the struggle for the North African coast during World War II and profiles the important roles of such military leaders as Rommel and Montgomery. Reprint.

Genres: History, Military History, World War II, War

168 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2006

About the author

Stephen Ward Sears is an American historian specializing in the American Civil War.

A graduate of Lakewood High School and Oberlin College, Sears attended a journalism seminar at Radcliffe-Harvard. As an author he has concentrated on the military history of the American Civil War, primarily the battles and leaders of the Army of the Potomac. He was employed as editor of the Educational Department at the American Heritage Publishing Company.

Sears resides in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy to read overview of the war in Northern Africa, which was one of the most exciting parts of WWII. I read this a long time ago but still remember it fondly.

[Scott L. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easy to read book about the war in North Africa. A lot of condensed information. A huge glaring omission, and one that keeps this book from getting any more than two stars, is the total lack of any mention of United States General George S. Patton. He was only the commander of Operation Torch, and the commander of US II Corps when they recovered after Kasserine Pass. Bradley and Ike are both given mention, but not Patton. Sounds like a personal beef that Sears had with Patton for some reason. Anyway, I would recommend this book for anyone who wants an overview of the African theater of World War II.

[Michael Maciolek · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of the North African campaign. I didn't know very much about it before, and felt that this book gave me a good general knowledge of the overall campaign. This book does not delve into specific details that often, and should be seen as a quick summary or overview of the campaign rather than a definitive recounting of it. I think it served that purpose well. I felt that some of the later sections were rushed though, with not much time given to the post-Torch campaign.