A pictorial history of America’s first major military campaign in Africa during WWII. In November 1942, eleven months after Pearl Harbor, the U.S. launched Operation Torch, a multipronged attack on French North Africa—a region controlled by Germany through Vichy France. Led by Generals Eisenhower and Patton, it was America’s first major offensive against the Germans. Through rare wartime images, this book vividly chronicles the initial landings in Morocco and Algeria and the subsequent desert clashes in Tunisia as American forces battled the German Afrika Korps of Erwin Rommel, the famous “Desert Fox.”

As the Afrika Korps withdrew after a bruising defeat at El Alamein, it became apparent that Axis forces would not be able to maintain their hold over Libya. Rommel pulled his troops back to Tunisia, digging in along the Mareth Line, and turned westwards t

Drawing on a broad range of primary sources, from trade and government publications to interviews, Hollywood Films in North Africa and the Middle East traces the circulation of Hollywood films across the region from the early twentieth century to the present. Originally introduced by French distributors, Hollywood films have been a key component of film culture in North Africa and the Middle East. These films became a favored mode of entertainment during the first half of the century as the major US film studios built a strong distribution structure. After World War II, the changing geopolitical context of decolonization pushed US distributors out of the market. Hollywood films, however, have continued to be favored by audiences. Today, in a landscape that also includes Egyptian and Indian films, Hollywood remains a relevant force in the region’s film culture, experienced by audiences in myriad ways from the pirate markets of North Africa to state-of-the-art theatres in the United Arab Emirates.

When the western Allies decided to launch a second front in North Africa, they carefully considered the anti-British feeling left in France by the ill-advised attack by the Royal Navy on the French Fleet at Mers el Kébir in July 1940. Consequently, the operation was given an American rather than a British complexion, General Eisenhower was chosen to lead a mostly American force into battle and the major Royal Navy contribution was kept as inconspicuous as possible. This operation marked the first time that American troops fought against German forces during the Second World War. They had a rough baptism of fire in southern Tunisia in February 1943, training, equipment and leadership failed in many instances to meet the requirements of the battlefield, but the US Army was quick to learn and revise army doctrines, particularly with respect to the use of armor. The successful campaign created thousands of seasoned soldiers of all ranks whose experience would prove decisive in subsequent campaigns. The next test was only two months away — the invasion of Sicily. In addition, Operation ‘Torch’ brought the French army back into the war. Most important of all, the Allies had seized the initiative in the West.

The 80th Anniversary of the historic final Battle of El Alamein is the ideal time to study the events leading up to General Bernard Montgomery’s famous victory over Field Marshal Rommel’s Panzerarmee Africa in Autumn 1942. Four months earlier after the loss of Tobruk , Rommel’s forces were in the ascendancy. Prime Minister Winston Churchill removed General Auchinleck from Command of Eighth Army and appointed Bernard Montgomery in his place. After the successful defense of Alam El Halfa Ridge in late August and early September ended Rommel’s inexorable advance, Montgomery set in train plans for the set piece offensive campaign at El Alamein which took place between 23 October and 4 November 1942. The stakes could not have been higher. Had Rommel broken through the Allied defenses in Summer 1942 or Montgomery’s forces not overwhelmed the German and Italian armies at El Alamein, Egypt and the Suez Canal would have fallen to the Nazis. Instead, the victory at El Alamein proved to be the turning point of the War against Hitler and led to the victory in North Africa

With victory in North Africa complete, the Allies had a choice. The Americans wanted an early cross channel attack from Britain on North West Europe. Churchill favored invading the soft underbelly of Italy to weaken the Axis forces and gain Italian surrender. With Eisenhowers army and battle-hardened Eighth Army in North Africa, Churchill prevailed.The ambitious Operation HUSKY required meticulous planning. Montgomery's Eighth Army and Patton's Seventh landed successfully although the air landing proved costly. While the outcome was not in doubt the mountainous terrain acted in the defenders favor. The German presence was higher than expected and the vast bulk of the enemy were Italian. In little over a month, the first Americans reached Messina.The strategic plan was successful: the Italian capitulated, Hitler had to reinforce his Southern flank relieving pressure on the Soviets and valuable lessons were learned by Allied for D-Day.

Those who imagined that the arrival of a major American force in North Africa would immediately tip the balance against Rommel's Africa Korps were to be proved badly wrong. In what turned out to be a disastrously over-ambitious plan, the 1st (US) Army sailed across the Atlantic and went straight in the Operation Torch landings in Tunisia. Just how ill-prepared the GI Army and its generals were, became horrifically apparant at the Kasserine Pass.

The Great Gatsby and its criticism of American society during the 1920s, F. Scott Fitzgerald claimed the distinction of writing what many consider to be the "great American novel." Critical Companion to F.

THE JOURNEY OF THE PIONEERS OF IMMUNOLOGY FROM SMALLPOX TO COVID-19 In December 2019 a new virus emerged, one that caused a global pandemic. Millions were infected. In the recesses of their fragile bodies a battle raged: between the immune system and the virus. But what is the immune system? What are its components? How do they work? One way to understand this system, arguably the most complicated in human physiology, is by walking in the footsteps of history, one observation and experiment at a time – beginning with the first written record of the concept of immunity in 430 BCE and travelling through the ensuing centuries, which gave the world vaccines, organ transplantation, novel therapies for cancer and now the understanding and tools to tackle the pandemic virus. An entertaining and accessible work of popular science, At the Edge of Mysteries introduces the reader to a compelling cast of characters, from Edward Jenner and Louis Pasteur to the Nobel laureates of the modern day. This book glimpses into their lives and times – seeking clues to their genius and celebrating their yearning for discovery – and asks the question of what can be learned from the past in the age of global pandemics. 'A unique historical perspective on how the field of immunology developed, told in short stories that will both educate and entertain and which can be read and understood by all. A captivating read' Paul Murray, Professor of Molecular Pathology, Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham 'This book should be in every university library' Neville Punchard, Professor Emeritus in Molecular Biosciences, University of East London 'I found this book easy to read and it’s a great foundation for immunology/medical students' Professor Lucy Fairclough, PhD, AFHEA, Chair in Immunology, University of Nottingham Shantha Perera is a Senior Lecturer in Immunology at the School of Medicine, University of Wolverhampton, U.K. He has taught immunology to undergraduate and postgraduate students for over 25 years and is the principal author of Integrated Medical Sciences: The Essentials. John Wiley 2007.