Operation SALAM L�szl� Almásy�s most daring Mission in the Desert War Kuno Gross, Michael Rolke & Andr�s Zboray belleville ISBN 978-3-943157-34-5 Price (including shipping): United Kingdom: GBP 45 Europe: EUR 48 Rest of the world: USD 75

15 May 1942: The previous day in the dunes of the Great Sand Sea the operation had nearly met catastrophe at the outset. Alm�sy completely revised the plan and plotted a new route during the night. One of his vehicles was unserviceable, another damaged, and two men of his group were seriously ill. All were completely exhausted. He determined to send the two men back to base in the damaged truck, and to continue the operation by the new route. There might be enough fuel and water to reach the Nile, but not to return � and there were the desert patrols of the enemy! 30 December 2008: A definitive account of Operation Salam was long overdue. After some correspondence, the three authors decided to write this book, as a monument to Alm�sy�s achievement. A patient three year research in archives and through personal correspondence uncovered much hitherto unknown information and details, enabling the authors to review, correct and where necessary to refute many of the stories, rumors and legends surrounding Alm�sy and his activities. This is the story of one of the most daring secret operations of the Desert Campaign in the Second World War. A mission far behind the enemy lines, thousands of kilometers through the most arid corner of the Sahara desert, in order to deliver two German spies into the very heart of British-held Egypt. The German High Command did not count on success � but they did not reckon with Alm�sy�s resolve, endurance, experience, and luck. This book provides full details of this operation based on all known accounts, including MI5 files and the intercepted secret W/T messages deciphered at Bletchley Park. Supplementing a nearly complete set of original photographs made during the operation, photos of the authors taken when they retraced the route provide a vivid impression of the dramatic landscapes Operation Salam had to cross to reach its target � and to return. This book is dedicated as a monument to L�szl� Ede Alm�sy, sportsman, aviator, and one of the greatest desert explorers of the 20th century.