This masterpieces study on strategy documents the intense operational action that took place during the two-year period of 1939-1941, during which Marshal Wavell, as Commander-in-Chief Middle East, led simultaneously five campaigns.

Two of these campaigns are recorded in history as truly great victories, while the campaign in Greece, in 1941, was the genesis of an endless dispute.

Harold E. Raugh, in writing this study, has drawn information from official records, which were previously unavailable to the research community, and has interviewed or corresponded with a wide range of soldiers who served under Wavell’s command.

The author analyzes how Wavell’s early experiences, gained both as a young officer and as an emerging commander, are reflected in the decisions he later made and in his keen military vision.

His charismatic personality, on the one hand, made him loved by all those who served under his command, and on the other hand, earned him deep respect not only from his colleagues but even from the enemy.

However, his inherent caution and brevity brought him into conflict with his political superiors. Despite his magnificent military achievements, during one of the most critical periods in his country's history, Wavell has unfairly fallen into obscurity.

This historical oversight is corrected by Raugh’s excellent book.

General Sir Archibald Wavell, taking on the role of Commander-in-Chief Middle East upon arriving in Egypt on August 2, 1939, and until his dismissal in July 1941, was also tasked with bearing the responsibility for implementing British policy over an area of approximately 9,065,000 square kilometers in Africa, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and Southeastern Europe.