An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943.

Rick Atkinson. 2002. Read by the author. 4 tapes. 7 hrs. Abridged. Audio Renaissance. 0-7435-2715-1. $26.00. Cardboard; reader, author notes. SA

The North Africa campaign of 1942-43, the "dawn" or beginning of a series of events that ultimately led to the Allies' final victory in WW II, should be as well known as Pearl Harbor, D-Day, and Hiroshima. Atkinson, in this first volume of his Liberation Trilogy, goes a long way in rectifying that oversight. He takes the listener from the initial invasion of Morocco and Algeria to the final victory in Tunisia. The American people began to recognize Dwight David Eisenhower, George Patton, Mark Clark and others as capable military leaders. Poorly trained and green American solders received the valuable combat experience that would later stand them in good stead in Italy and France. Allied forces discovered that Rommel's Afrika Korps was not invincible.

The author reads with authority and provides a serious, matter-of-fact narration that is well matched to the text. Serious students may want to consult an atlas to follow the action. Prof. John E. Boyd, Jenkintown, PA