Claude Auchinleck was a british Soldier of the Twentieth Century, and for a while Commander of the Eighth Army in the Middle East. John Connell's biography is extensively researched and well written. Mr. John H. Robertson used the pen name John Connell for this book and his biography of Archibald Wavell another Middle East commander. The pair retain status as the standard biographies of these soldiers. Auchinleck had a successful career in the Indian Army, and was chosen to succeed Wavell in North Africa in July 1941. He drove Rommell back to el-Ageilla, but his appointee Ritchie was not up to facing Rommell's counter attack. Having to weather a good deal of interference from Churchill, Auchinleck managed to stem the german attack at the First Battle of el-Alemain. However, he was replaced by Montgomery before el-Alemein II. Returning to India, Auchinleck supported Slim's rebuilding of the eventually successful Fourteenth army in Burma. He was still C-i-C India until the end of the Indian Empire in 1947. ( )