In the early years of World War II, Germany shocked the world with a devastating blitzkrieg, rapidly conquered most of Europe, and pushed into North Africa. As the Allies scrambled to counter the Axis armies, the British Eighth Army confronted the experienced Afrika Corps, led by German field marshal Erwin Rommel, in three battles at El Alamein. In the first battle, the Eighth Army narrowly halted the advance of the Germans during the summer of 1942. However, the stalemate left Nazi troops within striking distance of the Suez Canal, which would provide a critical tactical advantage to the controlling force. War historian Glyn Harper dives into the story, vividly narrating the events, strategies, and personalities surrounding the battles and paying particular attention to the Second Battle of El Alamein, a crucial turning point in the war that would be described by Winston Churchill as "the end of the beginning." Moving beyond a simple narrative of the conflict, The Battle for North Africa tackles critical themes, such as the problems of coalition warfare, the use of military intelligence, the role of celebrity generals, and the importance of an all-arms approach to modern warfare.

The Battle for North Africa: El Alamein and the Turning Point for World War II (Twentieth-Century Battles)

History

Harper, Glyn

Africa

Indiana University Press

From the dust of the North African deserts and the slaughter in the skies over Europe to the war at sea and in the jungles of the Pacific, the 800 images in this landmark book show New Zealanders at war during the bloodiest conflict in human history.

The Front Line: Images of New Zealanders in the Second World War

Lemish, Susan

Australia & Oceania

Massey University Press

Definitive account of three key NZ battles of the Western Front, WWI. This significant volume represents the culmination of over seven years' writing and research by esteemed military historian Glyn Harper. The book includes the revision and reissuing of his two earlier detailed histories of the New Zealand Divisions' major Western Front battles of World War One - Massacre at Passchendaele (2000), Spring Offensive (2003) - combined with a previously unpublished account of the third major battle of the Somme, at Bapaume, during which several VCs were awarded to New Zealand troops. Dark Journey presents the first comprehensive overview of New Zealand's involvement in World War One by one of our most highly regarded historians. It also provides deep analysis of the NZ war contribution, with startling revelations about the true scale of casualties, consistently under-reported in the past. This is Glyn Harper's master work, bringing together research and resources from his previous books, presenting the full story of New Zealand's Western Front experiences on a deservedly grand scale.

Dark Journey: Three Key NZ Battles

HarperCollins - NZ

The first thematic analysis of the Battles of Monte Cassino brings to light new and controversial ideas and information about some of the most critical battles of World War II
The Allied forces' actions in and around Monte Cassino in Italy remain some of the most controversial of World War II. Adolf Hitler described them as the battles that came closest to the bitter struggles on the Western Front. This reappraisal of the battles brings new information about the events at Cassino to light. This is another campaign narrative but a fresh look at some of the key aspects of the battles—the controversial bombing of the Benedictine monastery, the effectiveness of the commanders involved on both sides, the consequences of the Anzio beachhead, the performance of the Germans, and why four agonizing battles were needed to defeat the Germans at Cassino.

The Battles of Monte Cassino: The Campaign and Its Controversies

Tonkin-Covell, John

Military

Allen& Unwin

Images of War: New Zealand and the First World War in Photographs

HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand

The New Zealand soldiers who left these shores to fight in the First World War represented one of the greatest collective endeavours in the nation's history. Over 100,000 men and women would embark for overseas service and almost 60,000 of them became casualties. For a small nation like New Zealand this was a tragedy on an unimagined scale.
Using their personal testimony, this book reveals what these men experienced - the truth of their lives in battle, at rest, at their best and their worst. Through a comprehensive and sympathetic scrutiny of New Zealand soldiers' correspondence, diaries and memoirs, a compelling picture of the New Zealand soldier's war from general to private is revealed. This is not a campaign history of dry facts and detail. Rather, it examines minutely the everyday experience of trench life in all its shapes and forms. Diverse topics such as barbed wire, the use of the bayonet, gas attacks, rats, horses, food, communal singing, infectious diseases and much more feature in this riveting account of the New Zealand soldier in the First World War. It is the story of ordinary men thrust into the most extraordinary circumstances imaginable.
Written in an accessible style aimed at the interested general reader, the book is the product of a substantial amount of research. The text is complemented by a range of maps, illustrations, graphs and diagrams.

Johnny Enzed: The New Zealand Soldier in the First World War 1914-1918 (First World War Centenary History series)

Exisle Publishing

Produced to commemorate the publishing of one of New Zealand's most important historical works, Johnny Enzed (Limited Leather Edition) is a foundation title in the First World War Centenary History Series. This handcrafted limited edition leather bound book will be a collectors' piece for generations. Just 101 have been produced and all have been individually signed and numbered by the author. Johnny Enzed was published in an ordinary edition hardback to vast critical acclaim. A moving and page-turning account of the New Zealand soldier in World War One.This edition includes a large amount of previously unpublished original material. Includes maps and original photographs. An expert reader has commented: 'No other history of the war, with the possible exception of Robert Graves' Goodbye to All That, manages to convey the ups and downs of actual soldiering so powerfully.'

Johnny Enzed: The New Zealand Soldier in the First World War 1914-1918

The award-winning team of Glyn Harper and Jenny Cooper share this poignant story about a Vietnam veteran and his relationship with his granddaughter. While the relationship is a positive one, the young girl senses her grandfather’s pain and is curious to find out the cause of it. As she innocently seeks answers, she unknowingly opens old wounds and discovers her grandfather’s sadness is a legacy of the Vietnam War and his experiences there. This is a sensitive exploration of the lingering cost of war and of the PTSD so many returned servicemen experience. Released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Khe Sanh (the Vietnam War’s longest battle), My Grandfather's War also sheds light on a war that is not always remembered in the same way that the world wars and other conflicts are. Many who served experience a sense of betrayal at the treatment they received on their return, as the conflict came to be regarded as the ‘unpopular’ war, and this is covered in a child-friendly way in a note at the back of the book.

My Grandfather's War

Children's Books

Cooper, Jenny

Literature & Fiction

EK Books

Major General Sir Howard Karl Kippenberger, KBE, CB, DSO and Bar, ED, was an exceptional New Zealander and one of the truly great military commanders of World War Two. Here Glyn Harper examines his formative years, including his  WW1 experiences, and shows how they influenced his style of leadership and performances on the battlefield. Beginning with the ill-fated Greek expedition of 1941 and the disaster in Crete, the book covers events in North Africa and the Italian Campaign. Known affectionately by the men as Kip, his military career ended abruptly when he stepped on a mine at Monte Cassino and lost both feet. However  that wasn't the end of his story, and he led an interesting and significant career post-war. First published in hardback in in 1997, Glyn Harper's book has become a deserving classic and is now available in a new format.

Kippenberger: an Inspired New Zealand Commander

Biographies & Memoirs

HarperCollins, Publishers

Massacre at PasschEND

HarperCollinsPublishers

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