From Alamein to Austria - The 4 Year Battle of the 8th Army

The experiences of Archibald Buchanan Lumsdon from the beginning to the end of World War 2 as part of the Eighth Army. A contiguous account from the start of the war to the long journey round the Cape and through the Middle East to Tripoli to join the retreat to Egypt and the long fight back against Rommel, through the Western Desert and two successive Invasions of Italy in Sicily then Salerno, through Monte Casino to the surrender in Northern Italy and garrisoning Austria in a stand off with Tito's partisans. Archie worked in close support signals in the front line and was one of XX survivors of his unit of 47 at the beginning of the war.

He presents a holistic version of events including the rapid evolution of tactics and tecnology alongside everyday life, the class problems with often arrogant and incompetent British officers, working with Americans and the sometimes random chances of war, The landing at Salerno against Marshal Kesselring's Germans, not well reported elsewhere, is well worth a read if you have an imagination. These were the supposed .