For much of World War II Australia made a subsidiary contribution to the western alliance. In North Africa in 1942, however, Australia provided the hinge on which success swung. Australian forces fulfilled that purpose admirably and contributed significantly to victory, albeit at a heavy cost.


Alamein: The Australian Story relates the role of the 9th Division in the crucial battles around El Alamein in 1942. Mark Johnston and Peter Stanley have drawn on letters, diaries, and other contemporary sources to create a narrative that deftly blends scholarship with action and atmosphere. The result is a vivid account of the desert war from the perspective of Australian soldiers:


"An Australian bombardier who witnessed the German attack ... was struck by the vast tableau, featuring 25-pounder guns firing from all around the coastal sector, the enemy tanks, the smoke and dust, the aircraft that filled the skies, fighting each other and dropping bombs that drowned out all the other frightening noises. These 'Wagnerian' scenes made him feel 'small alone and desperately frightened yet exhilarated.' He could scarcely believe the nonchalance of the 2/48th infantrymen around his observation post. As the deadly battle raged 900 yards away, officers strolled around posts, and two men sat on the edge of a trench, 'drinking beer as though they were at a drive-in theatre."

The story of the extraordinarily modest men of the celebrated 9th Australian Division has never been adequately told. Their sacrifice and achievement deserve to be better known. The book also relates the sometimes uneasy relationship of Australia and Britain as allies, working together to defeat Rommel's Panzerarmee Afrika. Mark Johnston and Peter Stanley are among the first to consult German and hitherto secret British records, especially Ultra signals, thereby shedding new light on the story.