Rolf D. The Bloody Road to Tunis. Destruction of the Axis Forces in North Africa: November 1942 - May 1943

London: Greenhill, 2001. - 319 pgs. The Bloody Road to Tunis is a sweeping look at the ejection of the Axis forces from Tunisia by the British and American armies in 1942-1943. Most American readers are familiar with the battles around Kasserine Pass. While these are undoubtedly important for the development of the US Army in World War II, they are but a small part of the overall campaign. Rolf's book, therefore, is a good look at the operational decision making by the Allied top leadership as well as the tactical and logistical issues that faced both the Allied and Axis forces. The Bloody Road to Tunis is comprehensive as well, covering the initial Allied thrust into Tunisia from the Torch landings, the Axis counterattacks (Kasserine Pass was but one), Montgomery's push from the south, and the final knock-out blows delivered in early 1943. Due to the broad perspective, much of the book focusses on operational and tactical decision making. Rolf pulls no punches in assessing both Allied and Axis leadership. There were few brilliant minds in any of the armies doing battle in Tunisia, although each were deficient for different reasons. Most American commanders were inept and/or inexperienced; the Italian leadership suffered from poor operational and tactical flexibility; the German commanders were over-confident and fractious; the British leaders were arrogant and plodding.