Summary of Stephen Bungay's Alamein

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The Middle East is a powder keg. It has been the scene of repeated belligerent encounters since men learned to bear arms. The first battle of recorded time took place in what is now Israel in 1469 BC.

#2 The Battle of El Alamein was not like the other battles in the desert war. It was a battle of deliberate attrition, conducted in a way that a veteran of World War I would have recognized. It was fought by the two sides evenly matched, and it was won by the Allies.

#3 Hitler and Mussolini were admirers of each other’s methods. Mussolini wanted to turn Italy into a great power, and he needed a war to do so. He wanted to sweep away his enemies in the Church, the monarchy, and the comfort-loving bourgeoisie.

#4 In June 1940, Mussolini spoke from the Palazzo Venezia about his plans for an Italian empire spanning the Mediterranean. He wanted the young and prolific Germans to give him bits of French North Africa, and the British to allow him to overrun Egypt.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 11, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822514195

IRB Media

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Insights on Stephen Bungay's Alamein

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The Middle East is a powder keg. It has been the scene of repeated belligerent encounters since men learned to bear arms. The first battle of recorded time took place in what is now Israel in 1469 BC.

#2

The Battle of El Alamein was not like the other battles in the desert war. It was a battle of deliberate attrition, conducted in a way that a veteran of World War I would have recognized. It was fought by the two sides evenly matched, and it was won by the Allies.

#3

Hitler and Mussolini were admirers of each other’s methods. Mussolini wanted to turn Italy into a great power, and he needed a war to do so. He wanted to sweep away his enemies in the Church, the monarchy, and the comfort-loving bourgeoisie.

#4

In June 1940, Mussolini spoke from the Palazzo Venezia about his plans for an Italian empire spanning the Mediterranean. He wanted the young and prolific Germans to give him bits of French North Africa, and the British to allow him to overrun Egypt.

#5

The desert war began as a clash between two empires. The British forces in Egypt came under the command of General Sir Archibald Wavell, whose responsibilities encompassed the old commands of Sudan and Palestine.

#6

By 6 February 1941, the Italian Army had lost 130,000 men, the majority of them prisoners. It was practically destroyed. Wavell was to give priority to Greece. Churchill was simply confirming what had already been agreed by the Defense Committee and Wavell.

#7

The origins of this historical amnesia can be traced to 12 February 1941, the day that Churchill confirmed that Wavell’s major effort should be to aid Greece. The British gave the Germans the opportunity to intervene, and they failed to finish off the British when they could have done so.

#8

The British were able to defend Greece, which had been given a guarantee by Britain in 1939, because it was more important to protect the Middle East from German threat from the north. The main reasons for fighting alongside the Greeks were political.

#9

The presence of Hitler in Egypt was not entirely unwelcome to many Egyptians. Political power in Egypt was a delicate balance between King Farouk, the British, and the Wafd. The