Alex Alexaner of Tunis

Unruffled in defeat, modest in success, Alex was the image of a great commander. The last British soldier to leave Dunkirk, he was also Montgomery's C-in-C at Alamein. Twice in Tunisia and northern Italy, he forced the surrender of an entire German Army Group, and he captured Rome. Nicolson analyzes Alexander's campaigns, describes his relations with Churchill and leading military commanders, and discusses many controversial topics of the day. Sportsman, athlete, painter and something of a dandy, Alexander's adventurous life took him from the front-line trenches of World War I to Ottawa as Governor-General of Canada from 1946-1952. "A first rate biography of one of the most fascinating military men of the last century." (Sunday Telegraph)