The Desert Rats

Tim Moreman examines the creation and deployment of British 8th Army, probably the most famous military formation raised by the British during World War II. Formed in September 1941 from the Western Desert Force, it went on to wage a lengthy, hard-fought campaign against German and Italian troops across the deserts of North Africa. It was composed of British and Commonwealth troops - as well as smaller numbers of French and Polish troops. Additionally, a variety of specialized elite forces came under its umbrella including the Special Air Service, Popski's Private Army and the Long Range Desert Group. This book will provide a fascinating insight into these unconventional troops who became the inspiration for today's Special Forces. It was also the first Allied army to rely on close air support; a revolutionary, war-winning tactic that would shaped combined forces strategy throughout the rest of the war. The Desert War was unlike any other fought by the British Army. The hot, dusty, and unforgiving climate and environment in which its troops lived, moved, and fought was almost as troublesome as the enemy. During its two-year period of service in North Africa, 8th Army underwent major changes in organization, equipment, and training to adapt it to the terrain. Discover the difficulties of desert warfare and how these were overcome by the 8th Army to defeat Rommel and become masters of the desert.

These pocket-format compilations each contain three classic Commando war stories printed the same size as the original comics. Desert Rats features "Fighting Fool!," "Oasis of Death," and "Chariot of War." Tales of courage in the North African desert make this action-packed but handily formatted collection of stories a thrill for Commando fans of all ages.

This is a descriptive account of what it was like to serve as an Infantry Officer with the Desert Army in the Western Desert and Sicily between 1942 and 1943. The author is Major H.P. Samwell, MC, who was unfortunately killed on 13 January 1945, whilst serving with the 7th Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 51st Highland Division. The chapters include: FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF EGYPT AND ITS WARTIME POPULATION * JOINING THE EIGHTH ARMY THE BATTLE OF EL ALAMEIN * THE ATTACK IS RENEWED * IN A SOUTH AFRICAN HOSPITAL (The author was very badly wounded during the fighting, an event he graphically describes - along with lying in a trench, with an injured German soldier, awaiting rescue) AT THE INFANTRY TRAINING DEPOT AND UP THE LINE * FROM SIRTE TO TRIPOLI * EARLY DAYS IN FRONT OF THE MARETH LINE * ROMMEL ATTACKS * PATROLS AND KEEPS * HOSPITAL IN TRIPOLI UP THE LINE AGAIN * RESTING IN SFAX * ENFIDAVILLE AND THE END OF THE CAMPAIGN * TRAINING FOR SEA INVASION (Sicily) * FOLLOWING THE SICILY CAMPAIGN FROM AN AFRICAN BASE LANDING IN SICILY AND MOVE TO MESSINA * PROBLEMS OF OCCUPATION

The cult-y pocket-size field guide to the strange and intriguing secrets of the Mojave—its myths and legends, outcasts and oddballs, flora, fauna, and UFOs—becomes the definitive, oracular book of the desert For the past five years, Desert Oracle has existed as a quasi-mythical, quarterly periodical available to the very determined only by subscription or at the odd desert-town gas station or the occasional hipster boutique, its canary-yellow-covered, forty-four-page issues handed from one curious desert zealot to the next, word spreading faster than the printers could keep up with. It became a radio show, a podcast, a live performance. Now, for the first time—and including both classic and new, never-before-seen revelations—Desert Oracle has been bound between two hard covers and is available to you. Straight out of Joshua Tree, California, Desert Oracle is “The Voice of the Desert”: a field guide to the strange tales, singing sand dunes, sagebrush trails, artists and aliens, authors and oddballs, ghost towns and modern legends, musicians and mystics, scorpions and saguaros, out there in the sand. Desert Oracle is your companion at a roadside diner, around a campfire, in your tent or cabin (or high-rise apartment or suburban living room) as the wind and the coyotes howl outside at night. From journal entries of long-deceased adventurers to stray railroad ad copy, and musings on everything from desert flora, rumored cryptid sightings, and other paranormal phenomena, Ken Layne's Desert Oracle collects the weird and the wonderful of the American Southwest into a single, essential volume.

"Generously described as eco-humor, anything's fair game for Chinle's understated tongue-in-cheek writing."--Back cover.

Strange things start to happen as soon as psychic investigator Mason and his boyfriend, Ned, and their roommate, Peggy, arrive in the high desert. An old friend sends him on a quest to identify an artifact found hidden among his dead father's possessions, and the journey brings him into contact with a series of odd characters—not least the enigmatic Laura, who's camping out on the desert but seems to be up to something else. With the help of a manicurist, a librarian, and a revealing side-trip back to Los Angeles, Mason manages to sharpen his psychic skills and gain insights into Gilbert's artifact—and perhaps even the hidden structure of the world. The second book in the Mason Braithwaite psychic mystery series, The Desert Rats follows Mason as he grows into his new career as an investigator and confronts the paranormal phenomena swirling around in the desert. In the face of Ned's skepticism and some counterintuitive experiences, Mason has to decide whether he can handle this new version of reality.

The exploits of the Desert Rats Based on official records and personal accounts Traces the division's progress in North Africa, Italy, Normandy and Germany This classic and inspiring account of the progress of the 7th Armoured Division from the sands of North Africa to the cold of wintery Holland and the mud of a German springtime. Based on official records, and written by one of the division's key officers, this book is an outstanding testament to the officers and men of an astonishing unit. The division's reputation was born in the desert. It first went into action against the Italians in 1940 and then, subsequently, fought Rommel's Afrika Korps in Montgomery's successful Western Desert campaign. It was during this period of intense fighting that the division won its affectionate nickname of 'Desert Rats'. From there the division was transported to Italy and, later, Normandy and from then on was almost constantly in battle until the end of the war. The Desert Rats was written with official support, and with the help of most of the division's senior officers, and the author has been able to provide a unique insight into the workings of a formidable unit. The book stands testament to the unique morale of the division and is an enduring story of difficulties overcome. Major-General Verney served as a tank brigade commander in World War II and went on to command 7th Armoured Division in Normandy in 1944.