An Army at Dawn: The War in Africa, 1942-1943, Volume One of the Liberation Trilogy

Rating:
Summary: The Dawn of an Army
Review:
This is a large book, both in its scope and its 500-plus pages. And for WWII history books of this size, it is affordably priced.

The author has gained some reputation for other works, especially "The Long Gray Line," which I never read and do not intend to. But one of the most notable elements of "An Army at Dawn" is that it was written at all. In my reading experience, this area though one of the most important, is pretty much ignored. So my first comment is one of thanks to the author for not only writing of this area, but of an intended three book coverage.

Another element of any history book for me, is the abundance of maps; in this particular volume, at least 18 maps exist. Even the end covers contain a large map of the "Mediterranean and European Theaters in World War II."

I will place these three volumes on my shelf next to Barrie Pitt's earlier Mediterranean desert warfare two volume series "The Crucible of War" & "Year of Alamein 1942."

Very impressive writing and work. Look forward to the ensuing two volumes.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: Fantastic book. One of the best WWII books I have ever read. Mr. Atkinson brings to the forefront, in novel-like fashion, a portion of the war that few people are familiar with and very clearly points out just how closly we came to losing. My only criticism, when reading this book a person needs to keep a dictionary close by. Other than that, book is great. This is a must read for anyone interested in WWII.

Rating:
Summary: Order, Counter-order, and Disorder
Review: AN ARMY AT DAWN is journalist Rick Atkinson's first volume of his proposed "Liberation Trilogy" and covers American involvement in the North African theater of World War II during 1942-1943. From the army's earliest engagements against French forces in Morocco (one almost forgets we fought the French) to the expulsion of the German army from Tunisia six months later, Atkinson vividly profiles the major players on all sides, the missteps and miscalculations along the way, and a thorough account of events, both admirable and atrocious.

North Africa, Atkinson argues effectively here, is where the American Army learned its deficiencies, its lack of preparedness, and the faults of its leaders but also where it grew up, realized the formidable task that lay ahead of them, and ultimately proved its mettle.

The political maneuverings and intrigues faced by the American commanders (Eisenhower in particular) form not a small portion of this book and are as fascinating as the campaigns and battles themselves. The English, the Americans, the French (once they were on our side, sort of) are equally suspicious of and patronizing to one another and this makes for very entertaining reading.

It is hard to imagine that once this three volume history is completed that it will not form one of the definitive accounts of World War II.

Jeremy W. Forstadt

Rating:
Summary: The Kind of Book They Don't Seem to Write Anymore
Review: Comprehensive yet very fast-moving, eloquent but punchy, cognizant of the big picture yet brings the fascinating small details into sharp focus. A bona-fide classic--why aren't all works of history like this?

Rating:
Summary: "In the night, all cats are grey..."
Review: Another volume can now be added to my personal list of "the best of the best" of history and biography: "An Army at Dawn," Rick Atkinson's Pulitzer Prize-winning account of the North African campaign during World War II. This is indeed a very special book! Employing scrupulous and detailed research, and presented in a lively and penetrating narrative style, Atkinson, formerly an Assistant Managing Editor with "The Washington Post," has provided a thorough and penetrating examination of the Allied and Axis military campaigns in North Africa during 1942-43.

From the outset, Atkinson pulls no punches in establishing the importance of the North African campaign to the overall Allied victory in World War II. In the book's Prologue he writes: "No twenty-first century reader can understand the ultimate triumph of the Allied powers in World War II in 1945 without a grasp of the large drama that unfolded in North Africa in 1942 and 1943."

As Atkinson points out, that "large drama" was certainly a time of tremendous testing for the Allies. Operation TORCH, as the campaign to liberate North Africa from Nazi tyranny was called, began on November 8, 1942. Allied forces (predominantly British and American) made landings at several locations along a several hundred mile length of North African coastline. Even as these landings were being made, many critical difficulties reared their ugly heads. French army and navy forces occupying Morocco and Algeria not only refused to cooperate with the Allies; they actually turned their guns on the Americans and British. Acting under coercion from the Nazi government, which threatened to complete its conquest of France by taking control of Vichy France, French forces in North Africa fought tenaciously against the Allies for the first three days of Operation TORCH.

Other, even more difficult problems beset the Allies. One of the great recurring themes of "An Army at Dawn" is the fundamental schism within the Allied ranks throughout the North African campaign. The British, already at war with Germany and Italy for over two years, resented American General Dwight D. Eisenhower's appointment as commander-in-chief of Allied forces. Eisenhower was considered inept; some of those judgments may have been justified. He seemed to concentrate his efforts on solving American-British-French political rivalries and crises rather than on winning the war in North Africa... so much so, that at one point U.S. Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall cabled Ike to "Delegate your international problems to your subordinates and give your complete attention to the battle in Tunisia."

British and American forces were forced to struggle with internecine resentments and rivalries. They struggled to learn how to fight against a determined foe and how to hate the enemy they faced. By fighting and losing the battles they did in North Africa, British and American forces learned the fighting skills they ultimately used to take the war to its successful conclusion in 1945 the German homeland. Although many of Atkinson's historical judgments seem harsh in light of the ultimate Allied victory, he certainly backs up his arguments with well researched facts.

"An Army at Dawn" is a superb book in every respect. It combines first-class research with a polished, invigorating, and authoritative writing style. Highly deserving of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for History, it is truly an essential work for an understanding of how the Allies gained victory in World War II, and one of the finest books on military history to appear in recent years.

"An Army at Dawn" is the first of three projected volumes of what Atkinson calls "The Liberation Trilogy." The second and third volumes, covering the liberation of Sicily, Italy, and Western Europe, will be published between 2005 and 2008.




Rating:
Summary: Good history for the US army in Africa but .....
Review: The book is easy to read and well written. It depicts a realistic image of the US Army in Africa, with all his inexperience, low morale and leadership problems caused by the quick, huge expansion of the military and lack of combat traditions. Unfortunately, it is not so accurate in descriving Axis and French forces and the Tunisian campaign as a whole. It tends to ridiculise the French and underestimate the Italians often on the basis of dubious facts, not adequately supported by evidence, and common stereotypes you won't expect from a serious history book.

You'll have the impression, reading the book, that the german fought the tunisian campaign by themselves, while the historical evidence, reported by Montgomery itself in his memories, is that the Italians gave a determinant contribution in the campaign especially in the battles of Mareth, Enfidanville, Uadi Akarith, Takrouna and in the battles around Kasserine.

The French are often looked at with contempt, expecially high level leadership and top level generals, and this fails to appreciate the difficult predicament they were in, and the difficult choices they had to make.

"The definitive history of the war in North Africa", is written on my book. Well...this is not quite true. If you are interested in a detailed history of US Army in North Africa, taking into account the historical flaws I discussed above, this is a pleasant and interesting book to read. If you look for a serious book on the Tunisian campaign, balanced on both sides, you'll find this book somewhat shallow and historically inaccurate.

Rating:
Summary: Solid, readable combination of anecdote and factual detail
Review: An Army at Dawn narrates the story of the North Africa campaign in World War Two. Although the work contains many themes present in earlier histories of this era, the author's combination of intriguing "bird's eye" anecdote with play-by-play strategic analysis holds the reader's attention. Some of the "stock debates" from this time period are presented once more--the British/American leadership tension, the preparedness/unpreparedness of the American military for a world war and the curious personalities, from Patton to Montgomery.

Yet the work does not feel like a rehash of other war stories.
Atkinson wisely realizes that he must do more than reach conclusions about the war--he must go further and give the reader a sense of place and time.

This book is a narrative entertainment rather than rigorous history, but for all that, it is sufficiently detailed and sufficiently interesting for either buff or novice. The book is both an easy read and intellectually satisfying--the type of non-fiction all too rare, particularly in this prolific genre.

I recommend this as a jaunty read about the onset of a tremendous war. I look forward to reading the remainder of the trilogy.



Rating:
Summary: Very good book
Review: This was a great book for those who are looking for not only a general history of the North African theater...but also for those generaly interested in U.S. military history. An excelent read!

Rating:
Summary: One of the finest WWII books out there
Review: Atkinson has written a fabulous story with this book: the story of the U.S. Army before it was The U.S. Army, with of the skill and power and prestige that we've come to associate with it. Most people at least recognition of D-Day and the fighting in Europe, but this is a generally untold (or at least underappreciated) chapter of the war that is highly revealing and entertaining.

The book seemed vaguely like one of Stephen Ambrose's larger books: grand in scale and amazingly researched. But Atkinson is not only a better writer (or at least more eloquent), but he tells a story that seems to flow much better and trim the fat where Ambrose might not have. The narrative bogs down every once in a long while, but for the most part, Atkinson manages to tell the good stories and anecdotes without spiraling off into minute details about every grunt. Only the top commanders and some officers are followed at any length, with fascinating results. The personal detail about generals on both sides is illuminating; at last we get to see just how fractious and akward things were within and between armies in the first stages of the war, and how that explains much of the battlefield action.

This is definitely a must-read for anyone interested in WWII history. I have the feeling that by the time this trilogy is done, it will be the standard text of popular history on the war. Can't wait for Volume 2.