A History of Warfare by Field Marshal Viscount Bernard Montgomery of Alamein, 1968
Rare 1st edition.
10 x 7.5 x 2 Inches
25.4 x 19 x 5 Centimeters
Vintage original general history book by a professional soldier who commanded great armies in the field.
William Collins publishers: St.James Place, London, 1968.
Comes in original dust jacket; 584 pages.
Hand-signed and dated (1972) on the title page Montgomery of Alamein (1887-1976).
*Note: book itself in overall good condition (dust jacket in fair condition with noticeable tear top left, other issues. See photos.

MORE INFO...

Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery was one of the most prominent and successful British commanders of the Second World War (1939-45). Affectionately known as 'Monty', he commanded the Allies in North Africa and in the subsequent invasions of Italy and Normandy.

Bernard Law Montgomery was born in London in 1887. After attending the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, he was commissioned into the Royal Warwickshire Regiment.

Early in the First World War (1914-18), he was shot through the lung by a sniper during the First Battle of Ypres (1914). His wound was so severe that a grave was prepared for him. However, he went on to make a full recovery.

He saw out the rest of the war as a staff officer, serving in the Battles of the Somme (1916) and Passchendaele (1917). In this capacity, he observed the tactics used by generals like Sir Douglas Haig and became critical of their readiness to accept high casualties during campaigns.

DUNKIRK...

When Britain declared war on Germany in 1939, Montgomery was sent to France with the British Expeditionary Force. He commanded the 3rd Division.

Predicting the operation would be a disaster, he trained for tactical retreat. This proved vital during the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940.

EL ALAMEIN...

In 1942, Prime Minister Winston Churchill appointed Montgomery commander of the Eighth Army in the Western Desert. Montgomery rapidly restored the army's flagging morale and ensured his men were properly supplied. For nearly two months, he continued to train and re-equip his soldiers.

"I want to impose on everyone that the bad times are over, they are finished! Our mandate from the Prime Minister is to destroy the Axis forces in North Africa... It can be done, and it will be done!"

Montgomery effectively organised the defence of El Alamein against the German forces led by General Erwin Rommel. He countered both Italian and German attacks, before delivering the Allies their first major land victory of the war at the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942.

This was a turning point in the North African campaign and indeed the Second World War.
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Fair-Good (book itself in overall good condition, dust jacket in fair condition with noticeable tear top left, other issues. See photos.)

7.5 x 10 x 2 in