Disaster in the Desert: An Alternate History of El Alamein and Rommel's North Africa Campaign [Hardcover]

Summer 1942 and the war in the Middle East is in the balance; Rommel’s Axis forces are poised on the borders of Egypt and all that is needed is one last push. For that to succeed, Rommel needs supplies and for the Allies to be denied supplies. With Malta still active and disrupting the Axis shipping routes across the Mediterranean he is denied those supplies. Meanwhile, the Allied build-up continues, and Montgomery holds at El Alamein and then counter attacks. Rommel is pushed back and then, in a double blow, the Allies land in Tunisia. The collapse of North Africa leads to the invasion of Italy and contributes to the final Axis defeat.But what if Rommel had won?In this alternate history, Ken Delve proposes that with a few strategic changes by the Axis powers and poor decision by Allied Commanders, the outcome of could have been very different. In this scenario, the Allied invasion in Tunisia fails, Rommel defeats Montgomery and seizes Egypt, leaving the Germans well-placed to sweep up through the Middle East, capturing oil installations and joining up with German forces in Russia.Summer 1942 and the war in the Middle East is in the balance; Rommels Axis forces are poised on the borders of Egypt and all that is needed is one last push. For that to succeed, Rommel needs supplies and for the Allies to be denied supplies.The Middle East was a central point of British strategy, with a belief that if the Middle East fell them the Empire was doomed.British success against the Italians is reversed with the arrival of Rommel and DAK, the back-and-forth desert campaign hinges on supplies.Malta was the keystone. The invasion of Malta meant that Rommel was able to secure the supplies he needed.Axis control of the western and central Mediterranean leads to the defeat of the Anglo-American invasion of North Africa.El Alamein is the decisive battle; both sides have built-up strong forces; in a hard-fought battle, German tactics and equipment win through; the British Meditel