A Don at War

The second edition of this account of aspects of World War II includes the revelation of what is called "the Ultra Secret"; the fact that the British were able to decipher German radio messages on the highest Command links even though they were in the supposedly unbreakable cipher produced by the Enigma machine. Sir David has included a foreword for this edition to explain the use made of Ultra during four years campaigning in the Mediterranean. The author draws on his experiences in the desert, Greece and Crete, the commanders on the two sides, including Auchinleck, Rommel, Montgomery, Kesselring, Patton and Leese. To round off the picture, he has added an appreciation of the genius of Alexander, whom both Churchill and Eisenhower agreed in nominating as the greatest of the Allied commanders of World War II.