July 1942: Rommel’s Panzerarmee pursues retreating Allied forces across North Africa, targeting Cairo and the vital Suez Canal. Control of these would give Hitler access to Middle Eastern oil fields and potentially decide the war’s outcome. Standing in their path is Montgomery’s Eighth Army, anchored by battle-tested Australian and New Zealand divisions.

Tom Gilling’s Start Digging, You Bastards! chronicles the desperate fighting that followed – brutal hand-to-hand combat, devastating artillery barrages, and massive tank battles culminating in the pivotal clashes at El Alamein. Rich in historical detail and gripping action, this account captures the dust-choked struggle through the soldiers’ eyes.