The Battle of Alamein was one of the greatest set-piece battles in World War II and the victory for the allied troops was the turning point in the fortunes of war. Within a year of the battle Mussolini had been toppled and the Anglo-American forces had established a firm presence in Italy. The battle was of particular interest as it was a "clean" war. Bitterly fought on both sides according to certain basic ideas of what those involved were not ashamed to call "chivalry", the duel between to remarkable leaders - Rommel and Montgomery - is at the heart of this book. Both had fought and been wounded in World War I, both were personally austere and both had remarkable presence and powers of leadership with their respective troops.