THE AUTHOR OF THESE DIARIES WAS COMMISSIONED AS A Lieutenant in the Royal Sussex Regiment in 1940 after training as an officer at Sandhust in the late 1930s. He went on to serve with distinction in North Africa, Italy, and Greece, rising to the rank of Captain and taking part in some of World War II's most renowned military battles, including the Battle of El Alamein and the First Battle of Monte Cassino.

As a liaison officer attached to the 4th Indian Division's 7th Battalion HQ, the author's daily tasks often put him in the line of fire in forward positions close to enemy lines, running the gauntlet of artillery barrages, mortar bombs, and machine gun bullets. On numerous occasions he was fortunate to survive and he lost many comrades along the way. His bravery under fire at Monte Cassino would earn him a Military Cross, which he undoubtedly deserved.

His war diary provides a unique perspective from the front lines of both the North African desert war from Alamein to the fall of Tunis and the arduous Italian campaign from Taranto to Perugia, after which the author was assigned to Salonika, Greece, to experience a different kind of warfare in the tense political situation that existed there at the time. He found himself in the firing line once more and his recollections provide a keen insight into the events of Greece's civil war as they transpired.

This book is highly recommended for both amateur and professional military historians interested in World War II events, notably the battles in North Africa, Italy, and Greece.