Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck is a study not only of the individual but also of how the British Army, Indian Army and the Empire were transformed during his long military career. Auchinleck was commissioned into the Indian Army from 1904 and served with distinction against the Turks in Egypt and the Mesopotamian campaign, earning a DSO. Between the wars he was involved in the pacification of the Northwest Frontier (now Pakistan). In the Second World War he briefly led a division in the ill-fated Norway campaign before being appointed Commander-in-Chief, India. He is best remembered for his controversial stint in command in North Africa, where he replaced Wavell in July 1941. He halted Rommel at the First Battle of El Alamein but was then replaced by Montgomery and resumed as C-in-C India, where his logistical support for Fourteenth Army was vital to success in Burma. Post-war he planned and oversaw Partition and British withdrawal from India. Here, as in North Africa, interference from his political masters added to the burdens of command. Evan McGilvray appraises Auchinleck's long and varied career in its entirety. AUTHOR: Evan McGilvray was born in Winchester, Hampshire in 1961. He writes mainly about 20th century warfare. McGilvray is a graduate of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, UCL. McGilvray's books already published by Pen & Sword include topics as diverse as Anders' Army, The First Polish Armoured Division, Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck, General Sir Ian Hamilton and the relationship between Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle. Evan McGilvray is able to work in Polish, Czech, French and Russian. Latterly he has been making a study of the Latvian language. He now lives in Pudsey, West Yorkshire, writing and helping to look after his grandchildren. In addition to writing military history, McGilvray also writes plays and loves to walk in the nearby countryside. His website: evanclivemcgilvray.com 16 illustrations
