This was the choice facing many U.S. soldiers during the North African campaign of World War II, and Rick Atkinson does an amazing job depicting the experiences and choices facing young soldiers, officers, generals and theater commanders in his history, "An Army at Dawn".

Rick Atkinson's "An Army at Dawn" is constructed like a well-written novel. It has a story to tell with colorful characters familiar to history, Eisenhower, Patton, Montgomery and Rommel. Yet it also follows common soldiers and officers. The story is about the blooding of a new army in preparation for a titanic struggle on the continent of Europe.

Before North Africa the U.S. Army was confident and cocky, inexperienced and naive. The initial landings in North Africa showed all of these qualities in a negative light. The battle with the Vichy French proved far more difficult than had been anticipated and revealed shortcomings in planning and training that cost the lives of many young men. For example the initial landings in Algiers and Oran called for destroyers with assault troops on board to directly enter the hostile ports. The results were disastrous for the troops involved, with most being killed or captured.

As the campaign progressed, and troops poured into Tunisia, many mistakes were made. The Germans and Italians scored one victory after another. Optimistic projections of clearing out the Axis forces from Africa were soon extended by months and some thought Rommel might even toss the allies back into the sea. Generals were sacked and replacements made. Eventually, it was the tremendous power of the United States and Britain concentrated on this one point, combined with German overconfidence, that finally won the day.

At the end of the campaign, the Americans had learned much about modern war. They were no longer inexperienced and naive, but they were still cocky and confident (now more justly so). Rick Atkinson depicts this progression with anecdotes, clear battlemaps, concise narrative and insightful analysis. This was an essential development, as without it, the trying times ahead for the U.S. Army might have proved too much.

Before the decision to launch the attack on North Africa, the American forces had vehemently argued for an early Allied invasion of Northern France. The British had equally vehemently insisted on a perifferal strategy. Rick Atkinson makes the case that had the American Generals had their way, disaster would have been the result. Inexperienced troops in limited numbers in Northern France would have been destroyed by superior numbers, tactics, experience and interior lines of communication of the Germans.

The North African campaign was a pivotal episode in the history of World War II. It deserves a vivid, intelligent, thoughtful and thorough accounting. It has it in "An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943", by Rick Atkinson. An enjoyable, educational read. ****

This book may be purchased at Amazon.com.