The Desert Railway. By Brendon Judd. The New Zealand Railway Group in North Africa and the Middle East during the Second World War. In Softcovers small crease at rear, First Published in 2003 This edition 2004, previous owners name on the title page, Black and White Photographs, maps, illustrations, 328 Pages, Published By Penguin Books Auckland. A Very Good Copy. 'This is the untold story of the hundreds of New Zealand railwaymen- shunters, builders, engine-drivers, firemen, engineers- who answered the call to construct and operate a railway network in the Western Desert during the Second World War. Overlooked in other war histories, these men played a significant role in the Allied victory in North Africa. The desert railway became a crucial strategic operation transporting soldiers, equipment and supplies to the front line. The Germans were determined to destroy it. The various challenges they faced, from relentless bombing, to the dreaded fifty-day-long khamseen winds, to the siege of Tobruk, culminated in the second Battle of El Alamein, during which Field Marshal Montgomery stated, 'Well, now it's the railway versus Rommel'. The Desert Railway is a tribute to the courage and enterprise of these railwaymen who kept the trains running no matter what' Hard to find and desirable history.