An Army at Dawn

The War in North Africa (1942-1943)

By: Rick Atkinson

Narrated by: Rick Atkinson

In the first volume of a remarkable trilogy, Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Atkinson provides the definitive history of the war in North Africa.
The liberation of Europe and the destruction of the Third Reich is an epic story of courage and calamity, of miscalculation and enduring triumph. An Army at Dawn begins on the eve of Operation TORCH, the daring amphibious invasion of Morocco and Algeria. After three days of hard fighting against the French, American and British troops push deeper into North Africa.
But the confidence gained after several early victories soon wanes; casualties mount rapidly; battle plans prove ineffectual, and hope for a quick and decisive victory evaporates. The Allies discover that they are woefully unprepared to fight and win this war. North Africa becomes a proving ground: it is here that American officers learn how to lead, here that soldiers learn how to hate, here that an entire army learns what it will take to vanquish a formidable enemy. Many great battle captains emerged in North Africa, including Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, and Montgomery. Atkinson brings these commanders vividly to life. He takes us to the front lines of every major battle -- from Oran to Kasserine to Tunis. In North Africa, the Allied coalition came into its own, the enemy forever lost the initiative, and the United States -- for the first time -- began to act like a great power.
Atkinson casts a clear eye on the dark tragedies that haunt every war. The first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, An Army At Dawn is history of the highest order -- brilliantly researched, rich with new material and surprising insights, the deeply human story of a monumental battle for the future of civilization.©2002 Rick Atkinson, All Rights Reserved; (P)2002 Simon & Schuster Inc., All Rights Reserved, AUDIOWORKS Is an Imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster Inc.

An Army at Dawn (abridged)

Rick Atkinson is a good historian digging out information that gives an insight to how things were on the ground. His handling of the generals is interesting.

History - light

If your looking for a quick and somewhat detailed history of the north African campaign, then this may work for you.
It didn't for me. As an historical work, An Army at Dawn skips over too many details. But as a personal account it gets to dragged down into those same details. It is as if the author wanted to combine both a factual review and oral accounts into a single work. Unfortunately neither part worked that well.

Why abridged?

I thought the story EXCELLENT and the narration very well done, but the abridgment poorly handled. Many of the retained vignettes were brilliant, but they were placed within a bewilderingly choppy historical narrative.

A Very well researched Book of Military History

This reading is for the casual observer of military history. It isn't for someone looking for a major in depth review of the Allied struggle in North Africa. It is abridged somewhat too much, even with a 7 plus hour length. If you really want to know the history of events in North Africa my recommendation is to read the book. Having said that, if you want to get an excellent outline of the North Africa campaign get this reading. Audible should offer the unabridged version.

Excellent Recall of History

Wonderful recall of the men and the battles they fought during the opening campaign of the war in Europe.