This page will provide links to help researchers with their work on the war in the desert, 1940 – 1943.

Maps

• Map of Tobruk, August 1941, including details on fortifications
• Map of Empire fortifications in northern El Alamein sector, 1942
• Map of El Alamein sector, 2 Nov 1942

OOB and Intelligence Informations

• Overview of Empire formations in North Africa by German intelligence, December 1940

Photographs

• Photographs from Major W.H.J. Sale, 3 CLY

Books

• Agar-Hamilton & Turner ‘The Sidi Rezegh Battles’
  Official South African history
• Carver ‘Dilemmas of the Desert War’
  Analysis of why Ritchie was not as bad as he is usually portrayed.
• Carver ‘Tobruk’
  Standard work on the battles for Tobruk, leading up to its fall.
• Clifton ‘The Happy Hunted’
  Biography by NZ Brigadier Clifton who was in charge of the Royal Engineers during the battle
• Cocchia ‘Convoglio’
  Cocchia was an Italian escort commander, and later head of the USMM (historical office of the Italian Navy)
• Crisp ‘Brazen Chariots’
  A must read – Crisp was a troop (platoon) commander in 3 RTR
• Greene/Massignani ‘Rommel in Africa Settentrionale’
  Overview of the campaign with a focus on the Italian side, but not without flaws.
• Hargest ‘Farewell Campo 18′
  NZ Brigadier Hargest was captured when 5th Brigade HQ was overrun, and evacuated from Bardia by submarine. He escaped through Switzerland and France, and was eventually killed in Normandy, while acting as observer to the British forces there.
• Hinsley ‘British Intelligence in World War 2′ Vol. II
  Standard work, including a lot of interesting information on ULTRA and the Y (radio intercept) services.
• Joly ‘Take these Men’
  A superb semi-fictional account of armoured war in the desert.
• Kippenberger ‘Infantry Brigadier’
  NZ Brigadier Kippenberger was badly wounded on Belhamed.
• Kriebel/Gudmundsson ‘Inside the Afrika Korps’
  Kriebel was Operations Officer of 15th Panzer, and wrote this in captivity.
• Loi ‘Aggredisci e Vincerai’
  History of  Trieste division. Not without its flaws.
• Mas – ‘Afrika Korps’ Tome I and Tome II (Tome I reviewed here) Very good overview of the campaign in French, with a lot of research evident and a great collection of photos.
• Montanari ‘Tobruk’
  Italian official history ground and air
• National Archives ‘Special Forces in the Desert War 1940 – 43′
  Reprint of two reports produced shortly after the war.
• Playfair ‘The Med and The Middle East’
  British official history
• Pope, Dudley ‘Flag 4′ on coastal forces in the Med, not directly relevant to the topic of CRUSADER, but a good book.
• Santoni ‘Il Vero Tradittore’
  The role of ULTRA in the Mediterranean uncovered
• Smith, P. and Walker, E. ‘Battles of the Malta Striking Forces’
  Anything by Peter is worth reading. This one deals in particular with Force K (see also my book review at this link)
• USMM ‘La Difesa del Trafico’
  Vol. 7 of the Italian official navy history
• Terraine ‘The Right of the Line’, a one-volume history of the RAF in Europe and the Med.
• Smith, Peter ‘Fighting Flotilla’, on the development and fate of the ‘L’ class destroyers which featured so prominently during Crusader (HMS Lance and Lively of Force K). See also book review at this link.