El Alamein, 1942: The Turning of the Tide (Campaign) by: Ken Ford
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Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Release date: 10th September, 2005
Media: Paperback
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Rating: 
- Three into One won't go...
Whilst this is a clear and concise account of the three battles fought around El Alamein in 1942 it is not a particularly engaging read. Ken Ford is one of the better authors in Osprey's stable and has done fine work on the British and Canadian operations in Normandy and NW Europe. Now lined up to cover the remaining Western Desert campaigns, this is the first of his offerings. The disappointment with this book is that it has too much to do in the 96 pages that Osprey allows for their `Campaign' series. The more famous Second Battle of Alamein is complex enough to warrant a stand-alone book, yet here it has to share space with the First Alamein and Alam Halfa. The net result is something that isn't entirely satisfactory, especially the quality of the maps and battle plans which are not up to the standard expected. On the plus side, the original artwork battle scenes are some of the best seen for a long time.
One has to question the thinking of the Osprey commissioning editors (and I do via their web site) in deciding to tackle this campaign in reverse order. Tobruk 1941 was published in January 2001 which had its self followed on from Op. Compass. Rather than pick up where they left off, Osprey have decided to publish El Alamein, then Gazala and then Op. Crusader. It is unclear whether we will see a book on the Mareth Line 1943 as these lesser known battles tend to drop off the radar leaving annoying gaps in the series. I am certain it would have helped these accounts flow together better if they had been covered them in chronological order which could have avoided the need for so much `set-up' at the beginning of each edition, thereby leaving more space for coverage of the main events.
Overall I'd only recommend to collectors and to those wanting an introduction to these battles.
Rating: 
- A quality Ken Ford as we know it...
Enjoyable read.
Maps seem rather spartan as with many other Osprey books lately.
Ken Ford is a quality name in the Osprey line. As always in his books I do miss personal accounts in the text. Just following regimental numbers through the pages however well researched, doesn't make for very inspiring reading.
Rating: - The average Osprey Campaign Book
I have just recently finished another of Osprey's Campaign Books, the one about Tobruk and by comparison I found this one a tad disappointing. Not that it is bad, far from it - it just dosn't live up to the standards of the previous book.
On the positive side it outlines the three major battles, the first battle of El Alamein, the battle of Alam Halfa and the second battle of El Alamein. In the first the Germans were stopped by Auchinleck, the Battle of Alam Halfa was Rommels last offensive stopped by Montgomery and the last was Montgomery's defeat over the Afrika Korps and their Italian allies. The book covers all of these reasonably well.
What it fails to achive is to make the history living enough, possibly because the scope is so large and it being 3 battles rather than one or simply because of the authors style. The text is dry in the main and the maps are complex and lack interesting detail, especially the birds eye view and one map is even in the wrong chapter.
I would have liked to see more detail on the units involved and possibly some perspective of the fighting man. I found the book informative but not a joyful read.
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