The First Victory: The Second World War and the East Africa Campaign

by Andrew Stewart

Overview

A riveting new account of the long-overlooked achievement of British-led forces who, against all odds, scored the first major Allied victory of the Second World War

Surprisingly neglected in accounts of Allied wartime triumphs, in 1941 British and Commonwealth forces completed a stunning and important victory in East Africa against an overwhelmingly superior Italian opponent. A hastily formed British-led force, never larger than 70,000 strong, advanced along two fronts to defeat nearly 300,000 Italian and colonial troops. This compelling book draws on an array of previously unseen documents to provide both a detailed campaign history and a fresh appreciation of the first significant Allied success of the war.
 
Andrew Stewart investigates such topics as Britain’s African wartime strategy; how the fighting forces were assembled (most from British colonies, none from the U.S.); General Archibald Wavell’s command abilities and his difficult relationship with Winston Churchill; the resolute Italian defense at Keren, one of the most bitterly fought battles of the entire war; the legacy of the campaign in East Africa; and much more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300208559
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	11/22/2016
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Andrew Stewart is reader in the defence studies department of King’s College London, and codirector of the King’s Second World War Research Group. He lives in Oxford, UK.

Table of Contents

List of Maps and Illustrations vi

Acknowledgements vii

Introduction: A Forgotten Campaign x

1 Strategic Miscalculation 1

2 Hoping for the Best 21

3 War Comes to East Africa 48

4 Imperial Defeat: The Surrender of British Somaliland 71

5 Preparing for the Counter-offensive 95

6 The Advance from Kenya 121

7 Second Front: Striking from the Sudan 148

8 Triumph in the Mountains: The Battle of Keren 165

9 A Third Front: The Patriots 191

10 Winning the War, Worrying about the Peace 204

Conclusion: The British Empire's First Victory 232

Notes 249

Bibliography 284

Index 293

Editorial Reviews

Clear exposition based on exhaustive research and informed judgment . . . [An] excellent contribution to World War II historiography.”—Martin Rubin, Washington Times

“The First Victory is that rarity of military history: groundbreaking research combined with first-rate narrative skills. The critical neglect suffered by the East Africa campaign in volumes of popular history is now significantly redressed.”—Steve Donoghue, Open Letters

“A perceptive account . . . astute and highly readable.”—Paolo Morisi, Michigan War Studies Review

“A work of deep archival research with an astounding command of the secondary literature on WWII.”–James R. Brennan, Canadian Journal of History

'Exciting and multilayered, this is a comprehensive account of an overlooked campaign in which an outnumbered imperial army destroyed Mussolini’s dream of a new Roman Empire. Fighting over vast distances and inhospitable terrain, forces from the Congo, Ethiopia and across the British Empire recorded the Allies' first major triumph. With its mastery of archival sources, The First Victory displays Andrew Stewart’s skill as an historian of Second World War campaigns and their political and strategic context. An exhilarating read.'—Ashley Jackson, author of Churchill

‘This is a highly readable account of a little-known military campaign and an important addition to our understanding of the Second World War. The author is to be congratulated on penning an authoritative and well-written book.'—Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC, author of Victoria Cross Heroes

From the Publisher

“The First Victory is that rarity of military history: groundbreaking research combined with first-rate narrative skills. The critical neglect suffered by the East Africa campaign in volumes of popular history is now significantly redressed.”—Steve Donoghue, Open Letters

Open Letters - Steve Donoghue

“A riveting new account of the long-overlooked achievement of British-led forces who, against all odds, scored the major Allied victory of the Second World War… draws on an array of previously unseen documents to provide both a detailed campaign history and a fresh appreciation of the first significant Allied success of the war.”—Andrew Stewart, Army Rumour Service

Army Rumour Service - Andrew Stewart

“Clear exposition based on exhaustive research and informed judgment. . . . [An] excellent contribution to World War II historiography.”—Martin Rubin, Washington Times

Washington Times - Martin Rubin