An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943

The best kind of popular history

Filled with elegant writing, I found myself rereading and savoring many passages of this rich, densely detailed, and tragic story. I could read only a few pages at a time before needing time to think about it. History classes I have taken and those I have taught glossed over the North Africa campaign as merely a prelude to the main event in Europe. Now I know better.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

War In The Desert

An Army at Dawn is an extraordinary book. It reminds us that the first Army boot that hit the beach was in North Africa, not Normandy.The book also makes it quite clear that a fighting machine like the U.S. Army just doesn't automatically happen. It takes the courage to learn from mistakes and to be succesful, one must bring maximum force to bear in fighting the enemy. The powerful narrative smoothly moves from the generals to the privates in the foxholes. The research is quite impressive. The book is superbly written. I can't wait for the next volume.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Super read...

I'm only about half way thru this book but it's very, very good at illuminating a theatre in the war that never seems to get the attention that surrounds D-Day and the Northern Europe actions. Can't wait to finish the book but then wonder how long I'll have to wait on volume 2? Recommended

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

An excellent, highly readable, well-documented history

An Army At Dawn is the first full-scale study of the American Army in the North African Campaign of World War II to appear in many years. If less in-depth than the official histories in the Green Book series, it is a far easier read. Atkinson has a gift for shifting from the high command to the impact of war upon the lonely frontline rifleman. He is, moreover, an excellent stylist and his writing is superb. Unlike the increasingly common practice in more popular histories of ignoring notes and sources, both are included. The maps are also surprisingly good, if as always too few in number. Overall this is an excellent book and the only complaint is that the publication schedule for the next two volumes in the Liberation Trilogy means that the wait will be too long!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

It's Worth the Time to Read

It's simply amazing we won the African Campaign. It is a long book to read but well worth it if you are into the history of WWII. The one problem I had was that I purchased the book for my Nook and the illustrations on the maps was useless. Other than that one issue it was a great book. We just simply had luck and fate on our side, along with men and women willing to pay the ultimate price for freedom.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I Can See Why it Was Awarded a Pulitzer Prize!

An Army at Dawn, The war in North Africa 1942-1943, by Richard Atkinson tells about the United States first involvement in World War II under code name, Operation Torch . It deals with the planning, shipping of troops to Africa, fighting and many more aspects of this historical moment of the Second World War. It is a prized read, hence it won the Pulitzer Prize for journalism. This book goes into many details and covers all aspects of the campaign from General Eisenhower to the lowest private. This campaign was an incredible feat and little is known about it to the average American.
November 1942, the United States ships thousands of troops and supplies to the shores of Morocco and Algeria, under Task force 34. The objective was to fight the French and later the Germans in North Africa. The French were fighting under the puppet Vichy government that was loyal to Hitler because he threatened to take over the rest of France if they did not comply. US troops met some resistance and had its share of mishaps, but beat the French quite easily. Through diplomatic channels and negotiations the French quickly switched to becoming our allies. But, this was only a taste of what was to come because the Allies would soon face a well seasoned and trained Axis Afrika Korps under Field Marshal Rommel. Having been badly beaten by Montgomery's British Eighth Army a few months earlier in El Alamein, they were on the move westward to face the Allies.
Early attempts to reach Tunis by the Allies met with little success. Part of the problem was that the Allied Command was disorganized, poorly coordinated and split by rivalry and national chauvinism. Also, American troops were very green, were under poor field leadership, and critical supplies needed were not being delivered. Hence the Axis make gains in Northern Tunisia at Longstop Hill and at Medjez-El-Bab. With the infamous meeting of Churchill and Roosevelt in January of 1943 in Casablanca, pressure was mounting to finish off the Germans so that a new offensive could take place in the spring and early summer to land troops in Sicily under code name, Operation Husky. But it would not be quite that easy.
A bits and pieces war continued in Tunisia for the next two months. Heavy fighting continued at Faid Pass and the Axis made their greatest last attempt to stop the allies at Kasserine. Under operation, Spring Breeze, the Germans were planning, "to go all out for the total destruction of the Americans", General Kesselring declared. They pushed the Allies further back with the aid of their superior Tiger tanks against the weaker Shermans. It seemed like it would be no match. But as they neared the border of Algeria, they would go no further than Thala. Rommel realized that his Afrika Korps, use to freewheeling combat in the open desert had much to learn about this new type of terrain of vulnerable valleys in hill country. Also his supply lines were over extended and they were low on ammunition and fuel. This would turn out to be the high point for the Allies in Northwest Africa. The tide had swung. Torch saved the Allies in the war. It gave the United States a jumping off point to invade Italy, it diverted German air power to that region from others, and most importantly, it deferred a cross channel invasion from England, that would have been a disaster if carried out too early. The taste of war had come to an inexperienced American force that would get much better in the years ahead.
Robert Glasker

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

the battle for north africa

this book was a wonderfully researched book on the battle for north africa. the author deeply researched the book and did a great job on describing the battles as well as the hardships of both germany and the allies in the battle for north africa; telling about the british and how they were trying to keep rommel from getting to the suez canal and the great battles for tobruk and el alamein were terrific. he did a fine job in adding in the interviews with the combatants that were involved in the battle. a great book for any ww ii readers library.

Excellent Historical Narrative

I am a well versed WWII enthusiast and history afficionado, and have read a great deal of books that cover the war, ther era, and the political ramifications. Rick Atkinson is a masterful narrator, and gives broad coverage to both the united states' army and its maturing over the tunisia campaign, and the struggles the allies in general suffered throughout the early involvement of the united states in the fight against Nazi Germany.
Atkinson's ability to move the story forward, and cover the MANY commanders, and important figures, rather than simply the most reknown, makes the book an enjoyable and informative read. I would reccomend this book to anyone seeking a scholarly, accurate, and well written history of the Tunisian campaign.
Lastly, I would fairly warn readers that this is relatively thick reading, and does not read like a memoir, but rather, more like a journal entry on part of the allies as a jointly, and severally.

A View Of The Allied Learning Curve Of WWII.

This book lays out in extensive detail the campaign fought by the Allies in the North African desert after America entered the war. While giving a grand overview of the strategic campaign, Atkinson also brings to light the individual battles that were fought from the soldier's point of view. From early losses and stubborn attacks, to the successful outcome of the Desert Campaign, the author gives you a look into the learning process that the allies went through with the war. The first of three planned books, Atkinson later released "The Day Of Battle", which takes the same approach to the Sicilian / Italian campaign.

An Army At Dawn

An absolutely fascinating book for anyone with a passing or deep interest in America's involvement in WWII. Atkinson covers the "first" major phase of America's involement which was in the North Afican sector. The intricate details are laid out with passionate storytelling. The defeat of the German Army under Rommel in North Africa paved the way for the "second" phase of America's involvement that would take them through Europe's "soft underbelly" a.k.a. the invasion of Sicily (and eventually the Italian Peninsula). I would recommend Jeff Shaara's novel "The Rising Tide" which is a fictional account of the North Africa campaign! Looking forward to reading "A Day of Battle!"

One of the best accounts of the African Campaign

Rick Atkinson's account of America's indoctrination into World War II and his exploration through the infant stages of the African campaign is by far the best I have read. It is both detailed and honest, with a writing style that is captivating.

Sun RIses on Army at Dawn

I first read this as a library book then realized it was a must for my personal library. A must-read for students of American history as our army went on the offensive for the first time in World War II. It was an army that had a lot to learn. No one could accuse Atkinson of being a boring writer.

The Truth at Last!

The lies I heard from my uncles and the news media about this campaign during and after WWII are GREATLY dispelled by this book. Our troops were led by egotistical, stupid CLOWNS. The same thing happens again: Fall 1950, Korea!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

One of my favorites

Richly deserved Pulitzer writer. AAD is an excellent survey of the actions and personalities of the infant stages of US involvement in WWII. Through Patton, Ike and Bradley our Army was transformed from near incompetent to the best fighting force in the world. A must read for those interested in preserving history and the implications of the US involvement in world issues and freedom.

well written

The book sizzles from page one. It moves fast, perhaps a bit too fast, which is why I only gave it four stars. But Atkinson can turn a phrase, that's for sure. And the characters are deep and the story engaging.

...and we were pretty bad

Great insight and background of the beginning of WWII and the challenges and difficulties getting it together. I have read a great many books about WWI and American's battles, but from late 1943 to victory. The author explains very well what rough go it was in the first year. You need to read this book to have a complete picture of WWII.

Army at Dawn fufills its purpose

Atkinson wrote this book to inspire and inform the world of this great part of history. He succeded. I am an avid WWII reader and I would recommend this to anyone interested in learning about our great military history.

Masterful

Never before has a book sucked me in before I even finished reading the prologue! Rick Atkinson has a writing style reminiscent of other journalists/authors such as Cornelius Ryan and Ernie Pyle. This book appeals to the historians looking to broaden the knowledge of the subject, to those just beginning to take interest in military conflict. I can wait for the release of the next book in the Liberation Trilogy!

On the way to Victory!!

Rick Atkinson's An Army At Dawn is a great researched, well written account of the campaign in North Africa from November 1942, to the final battle in May 1943. The book explores the failures and triumphs of the Allies in North Africa; and how they overcame these failures to finally push the Axis powers out of Africa. In the book, we also see the rise of Eisenhower as a Commander of the allied forces. Eisenhower, a man commanding an army of American and British troops that had commanders with more experience than the commander-in-chief himself, made early mistakes, but through those short comings rose to become the leader of the Allies that would ultimatly conquer Nazi Germany. Atkinson does a great job at telling the story of how Eisenhower went through his transition from a typical Army officer, to a Commander of the allied forces, and leader of these forces in North Africa. Atkinson also tells the story of the Rivalries between British Commanders and American commanders; from Monty, Alexander, Anderson; to Patton, Bradley and Allen. These rivalries, thank Goodness, were overcome, and the allies became a fine fighting force in the last month of the Tunisian campaign that defeated the Axis, from the Battle of Mareth, to the Battle of Hill 609(Or Hill 606, after Allen's artillery took 3 meters off).For world war 2 fanatics, it is important to understand the North African campaign, because it was here that the US Army grew into the fighting force that is Today's best Army in the world, and how the growing pains of the US Army in North Africa would lead the Allies to victory in Italy, and Western Europe.

Grown men bahving badly

Finished just in time for D-Day +60. This is a fine book, well-written, carefully researched ¿ and difficult to read because Atkinson elaborates the negatives in such exceptional detail. Because of the negative tone, it is hard to know at times when the sources are speaking for themselves, or when the author has ¿interpreted¿ them. With such stress laid on American (and Allied) mistakes and misfortunes, the North African campaign¿s positives are deeply buried. Did the allies win, or did the Axis lose? The general officers seem almost universally to be nasty and incompetent ¿ perhaps they were. One consolation: as bad as the American and British leaders come off, the French fare far worse. But I do look forward to the next volumes.