Introduction

In this monograph, we study the learning culture of the Eighth Army in North Africa by focusing on the following battles: Battleaxe, Crusader (including First Gazala), Second Gazala, First, Second and Third Alamein, Mareth, Akarit and finally Enfidaville-Garci. The focus of this volume is to evaluate innovations or the lack of it in the fields of doctrine, training, tactics and operation while the strategical framework constitutes the background. Equal attention is given to the hardware (tools of trade/war) and to the non-material aspect of warfare (doctrine/conceptualization of combat, training, etc). Since the Indian formations fought shoulder to shoulder with the Australian, British and New Zealand’s military formations, this monograph paints the learning culture of the Indian units in relation with the British and Australian formations