The Crucible of War: Western Desert, 1941

xix, 506 pp. The Crucible Of War: Western Desert 1941, is the first of two volumes of author Barrie Pitt's comprehensive and extremely detailed account of the WWII North African campaign. Pitt, a former British soldier who served in both the European and Middle East theaters, reconstructs the campaign in detail, clearly explaining the oftentimes confusing movements of the units involved down to the platoon level. More importantly Pitt is able to convey a sense of how a particular situation appeared "in the heat of battle" by the participants themselves. This narrative is very well written and obviously well researched, with extensive notes. This and the second volume of the set, The Crucible of War: Year Of Alamein 1942, published by Paragon House, are a must have for serious students of the North African campaign.