Following the raid on Pearl Harbor and the entry of the United States into World War II; President Franklin D. Roosevelt identified the European theatre as his country's priority. Their first joint operation with the British was an amphibious invasion of French North Africa; designed to relieve pressure on their new Soviet allies; eliminate the threat of the French navy joining the Germans; and to shore up the vulnerability of British imperial possessions and trade routes through the Mediterranean.Operation Torch was the largest and most complex amphibious invasion of its time. In November 1942; three landings took place simultaneously across the French North African coast in an ambitious attempt to trap and annihilate the Axis' North African armies between the invading forces under General Eisenhower and British Field-Marshall Montgomery's Eighth Army in Egypt. Using full-color artwork; maps; and contemporary photographs; this is the thrilling story of this complex operation.
#635664 in Books Osprey Publishing 2015-06-23 2015-06-23Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.87 x 7.87 x 7.29l; .70 #File Name: 147280412096 pages9781472804129
Review
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Day of Days...By HMS WarspiteThe bicentennial of the Battle of Waterloo has prompted another batch of books to add to the mountain that already exists on the topic; while stirring the lingering controversies over the details of the battle. It would be a brave historian that produces yet another book; and author John Franklin wades into the fray with the third book of his trilogy on the Waterloo Campaign for the Osprey Campaign Series."Waterloo 1815" picks up the campaign narrative with the retreats of the Anglo-Dutch and Prussian armies from the battle of Quatre Bras and Ligny; respectively. The Duke of Wellington chose to make a stand at Mont St Jean; based on reassurances of support by his Prussian counterpart. The narrative quickly sketches the opposing commanders and their forces and plans. The heart of the narrative is the actual Battle of Waterloo; a savage collision of three armies finally decided in the twilight hours of 18 June 1815. To the author's credit; the supporting battle of Wavre is also addressed.This book is a decent introduction to the Battle of Waterloo; covering the basic movements of the battle with a readable amount of detail; supported by a good to excellent collection of illustrations; maps; and battle diagrams. The three volumes of the trilogy provide concise but worthwhile coverage of the campaign. The author has in some cases been unable to resist making some declarative statements that inevitably draw fire from reviewers while not adding much that is essential to the story. This reviewer wishes also that some of the many fine illustrations from the Anne SK Brown collection at Brown University has been rendered in larger than postage stamp size; but that is a small thing. Overall; recommended to the general reader as a suitable introduction to one of history's great battles.3 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Well worth the purchase as a introduction to the battle and a map reference while reading more in depth booksBy RickDespite poor reviews elsewhere; this book gives the casual reader exactly what they want. This book offers a short overview of the Battle of Waterloo and Wavre. I have seen other reviews taking the author to task for leaving out numbers such as the number of guns in a battery of the strength of a battalion at the time of battle or editorializing about Napoleon's ambition; but none of that is necessary in this book. The book gives us what we need; graphic maps of the battlefield; great original artwork of the action itself; and paintings of the battle from years past. I use the maps and 3D maps as a companion to other books I read about the battle. I also have Andrew Field's book on the French Perspective of Waterloo and Mark Atkins Waterloo Companion book. If the reader wishes to delve deeper into the battle those books; especially Mr. Atkins book; are what you need next. I still found this book very enjoyable. There were only two reason I did not give the book five stars. First; the 3D maps aren't. Much has been made that the position at Mont St. Jean being chosen for it topography however; the 3d maps do not help the reader visualize what it actually looked like in 1815. The second was that once again Wavre gets shorted in the story of the battle.3 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Very good; with a few reservations!!By DocArgyleThis work is presented beautifully; and is well illustrated with maps and artwork. The orders of battle are extremely useful; as is the analysis of the decisions by the high commanders. However; I have several issues with this book. I grew very tired of constantly reading Willem; Hereditary Prince of Orange Nassau. I know who the Prince of Orange was and I did not need to be reminded that he was the hereditary prince. The next issue is that the author referred to General Kellerman as the Duke of Valmy throughout the book. He was; but not until the death of his father in 1820. In 1815; he was the future 2nd Duke of Valmy. And last; while I realize that Mr. Franklin is a noted historian; and has researched many Dutch records; he seems to absolve the Prince of Orange from several mistakes that have been attributed to him by previous historians; and I would have liked a more thorough explanation. But all in all; a very good read; and a valuable addition to the library of any student of the period.
