The General of an Armoured Division sitting beside his Tank

A crucial aspect of the fighting in North Africa during the Second World War was the use made by all belligerents of ‘armour’ – tanks and armoured cars. The speed and heavy armament of tanks made them vital components of strategic breakout and the debrisof desperate tank-versus-tank battles littered many sectors of the Western Desert. The vital breakthrough at El Alamein in November 1942, hard won by all elements of the 8th Army, allowed General Montgomery’s Armoured Divisions to race westwards along the coastal plain and gradually, through 1943, force the Axis powers to retreat into Tunisia.True to his appreciation of the intimacies and informal detail of active service, Ardizzone has opted here not to depict a successful British General in some dramatic pose of heroic action. Rather, the relaxed and seated leader, warmly clad against the cold clear-skied desert, is comforted by a warm drink, the close company of his Staff Officers and the security of his Crusader tanks, presenting a reassuring image of casual but effective teamwork. The General pictured here is Major-General Alec Gatehouse, Commander of 10th Armoured Division.