Operation Crusader and the Desert War in British History and Memory: What is Failure What is Loyalty

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Shortlisted for the 2021 Society for Army Historical Research's Templer Medal Operation Crusader, launched in November 1941, was the third and final British attempt to relieve the siege of Tobruk and break the German and Italian forces in North Africa. After tough initial fighting, the British made important gains, only to be countered by a stunning breakthrough overseen personally by Lt. General Erwin Rommel. As the British situation teetered, the commander of the 8th Army, Lt. General Alan Cunningham, was relieved of duty by his superior, General Claude Auchinleck. This decision changed the direction of the battle and perhaps the war itself. Why and how Cunningham was relieved has been the subject of commentary and speculation since it occurred. Using newly discovered evidence, Alexander Joffe rethinks the events that brought about the sudden relief of the operations commanding officer, including insubordination. The book then discusses how narratives regarding the operation were created, were incorporated into British and Commonwealth official and unofficial historical writing about the war, and contributed to British historical memory. Based on a decade of archival work, the book presents a new and detailed analysis of a consequential battle and, importantly, of how its history was written and received in the context of post-war Britain.

Reviews

A truly fascinating story of battlefield bravery and backroom skullduggery: a most welcome addition to new wave military history. * Simon Ball, Professor of International History and Politics, University of Leeds, UK *
In the North African campaign of 1941, General Alan Cunningham was relieved of his command because of mental breakdownyet he later became High Commissioner for Palestine in 1945. Operation Crusader is an indispensable social as well as military history of wartime memory, forgetting, and loyalty. * Wm. Roger Louis, University of Texas *
Alexander Joffe is a careful historian who makes excellent use of the abundant personal correspondence of the principals as well as recorded statements both public and private. * Michigan War Studies Review *

Author Bio

Alexander Joffe is an archaeologist and historian with specialisms in the Middle East. He is the author of Settlement and Society in the Early Bronze Age I and II, Southern Levant (1993) and Religion, Politics, and the Origins of Palestine Refugee Relief (2013).