Shortlisted for the 2021 Society for Army Historical Research's Templer Medal Operation Crusader, launched in November 1941, was the third and final British attempt to relieve the siege of Tobruk and break the German and Italian forces in North Africa. After tough initial fighting, the British made important gains, only to be countered by a stunning breakthrough overseen personally by Lt. General Erwin Rommel. As the British situation teetered, the commander of the 8th Army, Lt. General Alan Cunningham, was relieved of duty by his superior, General Claude Auchinleck. This decision changed the direction of the battle and perhaps the war itself. Why and how Cunningham was relieved has been the subject of commentary and speculation since it occurred. Using newly discovered evidence, Alexander Joffe rethinks the events that brought about the sudden relief of the operation's commanding officer, including insubordination. The book then discusses how narratives regarding the operation were created, were incorporated into British and Commonwealth official and unofficial historical writing about the war, and contributed to British historical memory. Based on a decade of archival work, the book presents a new and detailed analysis of a consequential battle and, importantly, of how its history was written and received in the context of post-war Britain.

Reconstructing Crusader -- November 23-26: Breakdown and Insubordination -- History takes Shape after 26 November -- The Path toward Rehabilitation and the Genesis of History -- The Evidence of Other Voices -- History and Memory in an Era of Commemoration and Forgetting -- Crusader and the Desert War in the Public Eye -- Crusader Between History and Memory.

The WWII battle of Sidi Rezegh was fought in November-December 1941, part of a campaign to retake eastern Libya and drive the enemy out of North Africa. It was partially successful and achieved the badly needed relief of Tobruk. The New Zealand Division played a major role in this complex campaign. Peter Cox sets the scene for the fighting in Libya, describes the unforgiving desert landscape, follows the stages of the action itself and recounts the often heroic stories of those who fought there.

The World War II Mediterranean sea battles are not well known. Many of our ships were sunk, but Malta was saved. North Africa was cleared and Sicily taken in 1943.

The story of Operation Crusader launched by the Eighth Army on 18 November 1941, against the Axis forces which stood on the borders of Egypt and around beleaguered Tobruk.

From-the-turret story of a British tank division in World War II Follows the division through the Normandy campaign, the liberation of Amiens and Antwerp, flank protection during Operation Market Garden, and the final drive into Germany Raw firsthand accounts from commanders, riflemen, bombardiers, and tank crews Reveals what life was like at the sharp end of the Allies' war effort

Integrating interviews with individuals ranging from senior policymakers to frontline soldiers, a look at the Persian Gulf War shows how the conflict transformed modern warfare.