| ||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £1.90
Trade in Auchinleck: The Lonely Soldier for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £1.90, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Plus, get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Book Description
Classic biography of one of Britain's finest Second World War generals.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck was born in India and raised in conditions of near poverty. Yet his talent ensured his career flourished despite his Indian Army background and he was the first Commander of 8th Army in North Africa. Despite great political interference, he stopped Rommel's Afrika Corps at 1st Alamein only to be sacked by Churchill. After a spell in the wilderness he became C in C India during the dark period of Partition and, ironically, had to preside over the destruction of his beloved Indian Army.A private man of great humor and integrity he refused to be drawn into discussing or criticizing his tormentors be they Churchill, Montgomery or Mountbatten. He always argued that history would be his judge.This is a super piece of military biography by one of the most respected post war military historians.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Since reviewing for Amazon I read books a lot more critically. I also look at a larger variety of subjects even those I thought I knew something about.
I read and reviewed a recent biography of Wavell which I liked. It was in a modern style in that it was easy to read and read a lot more like a novel. some militarily biographies can be hard work as they put in far too much information about units dates places and you get lost in the welter of detail that you feel the author has to tell you just because he has researched.
As an avid reader on military matters there are still areas that I knew little about so I am always pleased to have a book throw a light on these areas' As anyone who thinks they know about a subject is aware that there is still alot to learn and it could be a lifetime's work.
Auckinleck was a product of the Victorian period being born in the 1880s so was old enough to serve in the First world war. he served in places like Mesopotamia and so he was able to miss the western front and Gallipolli. He was fighting the Turks of course and the British eventually beat them
He learnt his fighting in India against hill tribesmen and as the book stated and it is true even today " Th ultimate weapon as far as the infantryman was concerned was the bayonet: indeed there was a slogan " the bayonet wins the battle"
By the second world war he was given a collection of duff jobs during the darkest days of the war. He was to defend the UK and met Montgomery who directly countermanded his orders.
the book shows you that being just a great general isn't the be all and end all. He was not good enough politically and was too polite to people.
He had to take orders from Churchill who wanted victories at any any cost and was being outmanoeuvred by upstarts like Montgomery.
He was put in charge of the expedition to Norway which was a fiasco and this was abandoned when the Germans invaded France. It was an interesting episode but showed how badly organised the British were when taking on the might of the German army who had had plenty of experience. You could see why the allies failed in France and were rolled up by the blitzkrieg
He eventually got to the desert and was put up against Rommel who initially he beat. He was replaced by Montgomery who made a big thing about replacing a failed strategy and took advantage of all of Auckinleck's work and as a result beat Rommel.
His later war was in India and Burma. He was regarded by all who worked with him as a great general and he eventually became a Field Marshall . even in India he was eclipsed by Mountbatten
It is interesting to think that running a war and winning a war is like show business . It doesn't matter how good your performance was you have to convince the public you were the best.
If I have a criticism of the book it is that you learn of his loneliness but he doesn't come alive on the page as a person because the biographer doesn't discuss his private life that much. Modern biographies like to really tell the inner life of the subject whereas this is a good war biography.
An excellent read. I finished it and read it again.
I will be moving on to other generals.
I read and reviewed a recent biography of Wavell which I liked. It was in a modern style in that it was easy to read and read a lot more like a novel. some militarily biographies can be hard work as they put in far too much information about units dates places and you get lost in the welter of detail that you feel the author has to tell you just because he has researched.
As an avid reader on military matters there are still areas that I knew little about so I am always pleased to have a book throw a light on these areas' As anyone who thinks they know about a subject is aware that there is still alot to learn and it could be a lifetime's work.
Auckinleck was a product of the Victorian period being born in the 1880s so was old enough to serve in the First world war. he served in places like Mesopotamia and so he was able to miss the western front and Gallipolli. He was fighting the Turks of course and the British eventually beat them
He learnt his fighting in India against hill tribesmen and as the book stated and it is true even today " Th ultimate weapon as far as the infantryman was concerned was the bayonet: indeed there was a slogan " the bayonet wins the battle"
By the second world war he was given a collection of duff jobs during the darkest days of the war. He was to defend the UK and met Montgomery who directly countermanded his orders.
the book shows you that being just a great general isn't the be all and end all. He was not good enough politically and was too polite to people.
He had to take orders from Churchill who wanted victories at any any cost and was being outmanoeuvred by upstarts like Montgomery.
He was put in charge of the expedition to Norway which was a fiasco and this was abandoned when the Germans invaded France. It was an interesting episode but showed how badly organised the British were when taking on the might of the German army who had had plenty of experience. You could see why the allies failed in France and were rolled up by the blitzkrieg
He eventually got to the desert and was put up against Rommel who initially he beat. He was replaced by Montgomery who made a big thing about replacing a failed strategy and took advantage of all of Auckinleck's work and as a result beat Rommel.
His later war was in India and Burma. He was regarded by all who worked with him as a great general and he eventually became a Field Marshall . even in India he was eclipsed by Mountbatten
It is interesting to think that running a war and winning a war is like show business . It doesn't matter how good your performance was you have to convince the public you were the best.
If I have a criticism of the book it is that you learn of his loneliness but he doesn't come alive on the page as a person because the biographer doesn't discuss his private life that much. Modern biographies like to really tell the inner life of the subject whereas this is a good war biography.
An excellent read. I finished it and read it again.
I will be moving on to other generals.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
An insightful view of an under-appreciated WWII general
23 Nov 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Was Auchinleck the likable but indecisive loser of Gazala, or was he the true "victor of Alamein" who laid the groundwork for Montgomery's better-publicized battle three months later? Author Philip Warner definitely takes the second view.
While acknowledging some of "the Auk's" faults, Warner makes the case for his strong leadership qualities and sound battlefield judgment. It is no accident that Auchinleck was the first British general to beat Rommel in the Western Desert, in the Crusader battles and then again in a desperate stand at 1st Alamein. Despite his detractors' attempts to make him appear overly defensive-minded, Auchinleck was in reality bold and aggressive almost to a fault. His downfall probably owed to Churchill's inability to understand a man of the Auk's basic integrity, as well as to Auchinleck's own inability - or unwillingness - to engage in political and public-image games.
While this biography puts its main emphasis on the Auk's World War II experiences, it includes adequate insight into his impoverished early family life, his struggle to obtain a military education, and early, formative experiences in the Indian Army. In World War I he served in Mesopotamia, where he learned the horrors of modern war, yet avoided the stultifying positional fighting that dulled a generation of British generals in France and Flanders. After World War II, Auchinleck served as the Indian Army's last commander, witnessing but unable to stop the rapid breakup of that army as British India crumbled into the holocaust of Partition.
In places this title gives detailed insights into the desert war in North Africa, explaining how the Crusader tank's problems prevented full exploitation of the Operation Crusader victory. It also provides understanding of a leader on whose shoulders rested a huge share of Britain's war effort through some of the toughest times from mid-1941 through August, 1942. The author is objective enough to delve into the charges sometimes leveled against Auchinleck, particularly his difficulties in picking capable subordinates. Philip Warner contends that, when Auchinleck unfairly sacked a general in the Norway campaign it may have plagued his conscience, making it harder to dismiss under-performing generals in later actions. Yet the Auk faced huge problems, including the British Empire's strategic over-stretch, and an army tactically inferior to its German counterpart. And still he drubbed Rommel twice, earning that officer's own admiration.
You must understand Auchinleck to fully appreciate the desert war, since he commanded during the see-saw fighting that saw two of the three largest desert battles. While it lacks some of the narrative sweep of the very best biographies, this title nonetheless gives thoughtful insight into the mind and life of one of Britain's most important World War II generals.
While acknowledging some of "the Auk's" faults, Warner makes the case for his strong leadership qualities and sound battlefield judgment. It is no accident that Auchinleck was the first British general to beat Rommel in the Western Desert, in the Crusader battles and then again in a desperate stand at 1st Alamein. Despite his detractors' attempts to make him appear overly defensive-minded, Auchinleck was in reality bold and aggressive almost to a fault. His downfall probably owed to Churchill's inability to understand a man of the Auk's basic integrity, as well as to Auchinleck's own inability - or unwillingness - to engage in political and public-image games.
While this biography puts its main emphasis on the Auk's World War II experiences, it includes adequate insight into his impoverished early family life, his struggle to obtain a military education, and early, formative experiences in the Indian Army. In World War I he served in Mesopotamia, where he learned the horrors of modern war, yet avoided the stultifying positional fighting that dulled a generation of British generals in France and Flanders. After World War II, Auchinleck served as the Indian Army's last commander, witnessing but unable to stop the rapid breakup of that army as British India crumbled into the holocaust of Partition.
In places this title gives detailed insights into the desert war in North Africa, explaining how the Crusader tank's problems prevented full exploitation of the Operation Crusader victory. It also provides understanding of a leader on whose shoulders rested a huge share of Britain's war effort through some of the toughest times from mid-1941 through August, 1942. The author is objective enough to delve into the charges sometimes leveled against Auchinleck, particularly his difficulties in picking capable subordinates. Philip Warner contends that, when Auchinleck unfairly sacked a general in the Norway campaign it may have plagued his conscience, making it harder to dismiss under-performing generals in later actions. Yet the Auk faced huge problems, including the British Empire's strategic over-stretch, and an army tactically inferior to its German counterpart. And still he drubbed Rommel twice, earning that officer's own admiration.
You must understand Auchinleck to fully appreciate the desert war, since he commanded during the see-saw fighting that saw two of the three largest desert battles. While it lacks some of the narrative sweep of the very best biographies, this title nonetheless gives thoughtful insight into the mind and life of one of Britain's most important World War II generals.
Well done Biography of a forgotten General
4 Jun 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Claude Auchinleck was one of the few "Good" British Generals of WWII. He is,unfortunately, somewhat of a forgotten figure. Not one to trumpet himself, he lost out in the public relations end of the war to lesser figures such as Montgomery. But it was Auchinleck's strategy that made possible the victory in North Africa. It was his generalship that beat back the Germans from Egypt. It was he who as Commander in Chief of forces in India established the system to beat back the danger of a Japanese invasion of British India.
One cannot help but to have sympathy with the man. He was not on the "favorites" list of Churchill. He was not wealthy and he had more than his share of loss. But without his great generalship, the world could have been overtaken by the evil of the Axis. Thus we all owe him a debt.
This is a good read and I do recommend it. That being said, it is not as good a book of History as some on the subject of the WWII. Further, the author did not go into as much depth as I would have liked on certain biographical details of Auchinleck's personality. Thus while not perfect as either a book of history or a biography, it is a very good combination of the two fields and thus is a recommended read.
One cannot help but to have sympathy with the man. He was not on the "favorites" list of Churchill. He was not wealthy and he had more than his share of loss. But without his great generalship, the world could have been overtaken by the evil of the Axis. Thus we all owe him a debt.
This is a good read and I do recommend it. That being said, it is not as good a book of History as some on the subject of the WWII. Further, the author did not go into as much depth as I would have liked on certain biographical details of Auchinleck's personality. Thus while not perfect as either a book of history or a biography, it is a very good combination of the two fields and thus is a recommended read.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Biography > Historical > Britain > Military
- Books > Biography > Historical > Countries & Regions > Europe
- Books > Biography > Political > Britain
- Books > Biography > War & Espionage > World War I
- Books > History > Britain & Ireland > Ireland
- Books > History > Britain & Ireland > World War I 1914-1918
- Books > History > Europe > World War I 1914-1918
- Books > History > Military History > Armed Forces > Land Forces
- Books > History > Military History > Strategy, Tactics & Military Science
- Books > History > Military History > World War I
- Books > History > World History > World War II 1939-1945 > Battles & Campaigns
- Books > History > World History > World War II 1939-1945 > Origins
- Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Warfare & Defence
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
