In October 1942, Britain and its allies were in difficulties Germany and its partners seemed to be triumphant everywhere - in Europe, in Russia, in the Atlantic and were now poised to take the Suez Canal It was in North Africa that the stand was made It was a battle of strong characters the famous battle commander Rommel and the relatively untested new British commander, Montgomery, leading men who fought through an extraordinary eleven day battle, in an unforgiving terrain, amid the swirling sandstorms and the desert winds