Eagles Strike. The Campaigns of the South African Air Force in Egypt, Cyrenaica, Libya, Tunisia, Tripolitania and Madagascar 1941 - 1943

(Cape Town: Purnell, 1974) 360001963. Volume IV in the series 'South African Forces World War II'. 8vo; original blue boards, lettered in gilt on spine; pictorial dustwrapper; pp. xii + (ii) + 448, incl. index; plates; maps. Dustwrapper a bit creased and edgeworn, with archival tape repairs to reverse of tear at head of spine panel; bump to bottom fore-corner of upper board; some light foxing to edges and rear endpaper, occasional fox spot elsewhere. Good condition. "James Ambrose Brown's Eagles Strike is practically a blow-by-blow account of the air and land battles fought in North Africa between 1941 and 1943. It shows the South African Air Force in action with the famous Desert Air Force of which it was a vital part. Here for the first time the reader will find a narrative of every great land battle of that period - the saga of retreat and advance over a thousand miles of desert - with, for the first time, the part of the air forces related to the total strategy. Here is the fnal emergence of air power, triumphant over the prejudices of army and navy. From Wavell's early conquest of Graziani's timid host the great battles are all recounted - the struggles for Tobruk, the failure of the 'Crusader' operations, the retreat to El Alamein, the decisive defeat of Rommel at Alam el Halfa and Alamein, the advance to Tripoli with the battles of Mareth, Medenine and Wadi Agarit to the final 'Dunkirk' scene." .