The African Tutorial
- Episode aired 1998
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Learning Curve.
Excellent summary of the air war in North Africa and Malta in the early 1940s. Brief but adequate summaries of the aircraft involved are given by Italian, British, German, and American narrators. The ground war back and forth across the Mediterranean coast of North Africa could have used a few more maps. It's hard to imagine that most viewers will realize the significance of places like Tobruk, Tripoli, Benghazi, and Oran.
The ground war gets just enough attention, with the daring Rommel on one side and the cautious Montgomery on the other. Differences of opinion are explored and the British narration doesn't try to avoid calling Montgomery "irascible" and generally narcissistic.
It was a strange war, hard on both men and machines. Basically, the Germans and Italians were based in the Western area, around Tripoli, and the British occupied the territory of Eastern North Africa. One side would advance until its supply lines were stretched too thin to proceed. By this time, the other side, closer to its sources of supply, would attack and drive its opponent back where he'd come from. The opposing armies were like two elastic bands.
The documentary does mention that the Italian naval code had been broken, though only briefly. Usually it's not mentioned at all. The result was that the British knew pretty much exactly when transports would leave Italian ports and try to reach Tripoli. British air and submarines managed to prevent about 80% of Rommel's supplies from reaching him, including the all-important fuel and water. At the end, he was down to a handful of tanks, draining fuel from some in order to keep others operating.
I should mention that if any viewers find this program interesting, they might take a look at the Mediterranean episodes of a series called "Battlefield," which goes into considerably more detail. I think it's available free on YouTube but I'm not sure.
The ground war gets just enough attention, with the daring Rommel on one side and the cautious Montgomery on the other. Differences of opinion are explored and the British narration doesn't try to avoid calling Montgomery "irascible" and generally narcissistic.
It was a strange war, hard on both men and machines. Basically, the Germans and Italians were based in the Western area, around Tripoli, and the British occupied the territory of Eastern North Africa. One side would advance until its supply lines were stretched too thin to proceed. By this time, the other side, closer to its sources of supply, would attack and drive its opponent back where he'd come from. The opposing armies were like two elastic bands.
The documentary does mention that the Italian naval code had been broken, though only briefly. Usually it's not mentioned at all. The result was that the British knew pretty much exactly when transports would leave Italian ports and try to reach Tripoli. British air and submarines managed to prevent about 80% of Rommel's supplies from reaching him, including the all-important fuel and water. At the end, he was down to a handful of tanks, draining fuel from some in order to keep others operating.
I should mention that if any viewers find this program interesting, they might take a look at the Mediterranean episodes of a series called "Battlefield," which goes into considerably more detail. I think it's available free on YouTube but I'm not sure.
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- rmax304823
- Jan 10, 2014
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