Eighth Army was formed in Egypt in September 1941. A year later, under Montgomery, it defeated Rommel's Panzerarmee Afrika at El Alamein which led to the victorious end of the North African campaign at Tunis in May 1943.

The controversial landings in Italy in September 1943 followed the short Sicilian campaign. Tenacious German resistance, exemplified by the protracted Monte Cassino battle during the first half of 1944, made the Eighth Army's advance north testing and costly. In April 1945, Eighth Army, now commanded by General Dick McCreery, brilliantly attacked into the plain of Lombardy overcoming the last Nazi defensive lines in Italy.

No less than thirty-four Victoria Crosses were awarded to soldiers of Eighth Army who were drawn from every Empire and Commonwealth country, including neutral Ireland, and nations such as Poland occupied by the Nazis.

Drawing on official records and personal accounts, A Noble Crusade, first published in 1999, is a superb and comprehensive history of the most famous British military formation of the Second World War and, arguably, of all time.