| Popis: |
During the Second World War the North African campaign was unique under many aspects due to the peculiar scenario of the Western Desert which provide an empty stage for maneuver warfare. A careful exam of those battles can underline some elements that are directly linked to very different theories of war: the Cartesian and linear approach typical of Henry Antoine Jomini, mostly concerned with the problem of supply and lines of communication, and the perceptions-based, non linear approach typical of Jhon Boyd. Neither of them can by itself explain what happened in North Africa during that campaign, but the two of them can jointly provide a clear insight in desert warfare. Furthermore the so-called “year of the tank”, as 1941 can be defined, offers the opportunity to appreciate the relative advantage of the combined arms solution, proper of the Panzerdivision, with respect to the “tank heavy” British armored division. Once more the ability to learn, to anticipate and to adapt faster than your enemy proved to be vital in order to avoid catastrophe. Finally it can be seen that, coming from a recent military disaster, the Italians were able to close most of their handicap in terms of equipment and organization, and fight quite effectively during the early summer frontier battles, in the Tobruk siege and through the protracted and confuse melee of Crusader. |
