In this gripping memoir Felix recalls the eight-year period following the Munich Crisis of September 1938. The action takes place in eight countries, mainly in the Near East and North Africa. During nearly five years of life under fire, his 25-pounder Royal Horse Artillery Regiment was part of the Army of the Nile and the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Armies. Felix was one of the besieged 'Rats of Tobruk' during the longest siege in British military history; fought the Italians in the deserts of Libya and Egypt and the Afrika Korps under Rommel; and was part of the Intelligence Section at the Battle of El Alamein. Felix vividly describes the daily life of the troops in desert conditions, their clothing, food, accommodation and leisure. He honestly relates the fear and horrific reality of being under fire from ground and air. Clive Paine - History Lecturer, University of Cambridge