THE GATES OF VICTORY: The Alternate History Novel of The Battle of El Alamein (The Malta Fulcrum WW2 Alternate History Series) Paperback – August 26, 2017

Interesting book, I liked the premise and found the plot and its execution a very enjoyable read. All 3 books in this series thus far were quite enjoyable. I did want a bit more detail on the Artic operations and military situation/environment while reading Book 2 however it was still fun to read but a tad short.-- My Vote is for Rommel on the Eastern Front --,After all it does make one wonder how things might have occurred differently if Rommel was not only on the Eastern Front but commanding either the entire Army Group South or just replacing Friedrich Paulus in charge of the Sixth Army. The possibilities and implications are varied and intriguing to say the least!

Scott Ward should be commended for his detailed, dramatic, and alternate historical work on the Battle of Alamein and Field Marshall Rommel's stunning victory over Imperial Britain. Its also refreshing, for myself, to see the German military, aka the Wehrmacht, victorious, please note I know I'm being totally politically incorrect, but I don't give a damn. After viewing movies, like Where Eagles Dare, The Guns of Navarone and The Dirty Dozen, to name a few, where countless German soldiers were murdered to satisfy American audiences, and its political correctness, it is good to see the shoe on the other foot. Also should the German military had been victorious in World War Two there's a good chance Europe, much less the world, wouldn't be facing the challenges they do today, e.g. European nation's becoming Islamic Republics, spread of terrorism, especially the tragic events of 9/11, much less past conflicts such as the Korean War, conflict in Vietnam and the Cold War.For Scott Ward, on his alternatives for his next work on the alternate history of World War Two, I would have Field Marshall Rommel be given command of the Sixth Army as his new command approaches Stalingrad and Southern Russia. I might add by then Rommel would of had a wealth of combat, command experience, as opposed to Field Marshal Paulus, who had a minimum amount of experience in a combat, command. Surely Rommel would have perceived the trap that Stalingrad was and would of protected his flanks, which Paulus did not.In closing, perhaps one should read the editorial by the gifted and great American, Walter Williams: Communism Killed More People Than Fascism!

I vote for Stalingrad, though I'd put Guadacanal second, Gibralter third. Gates was a very good book like the previous two. Mr. Ward is an excellent storyteller, constructs his plot well, and doesn't bloat the storyline like some alt history writers do. His battle sequences are generally excellent, though he's weaker on air battles than on sea and land battles. I'm not sure why he thinks the Bf-109E variant was still in action in July 1942, and the Italians were flying a lot of the Macchi 202s, not the 200s, at this stage; this made them much more competitive with Allied planes. The Ju-52 with retractable landing gear someone else already pointed out. . . Well, you can't get everything right, but Mr. Ward gets the majority of it right, and I'll keep reading whatever he writes next. One of the best alt history writers right now.

This meaty book tells an alternative tale of the battle of El Alamein/Alam Halfa in World Wat II, after the also-fictional conquest of Malta that helped ease Rommel's supply situation, and while the Germans still had the ability to potentially win World War II. This book brings back many of the characters from the first (of so far) three books, the invasion of Malta. The book is written historically accurately, with well developed combat scenes, and an interesting cast of characters. I'm looking forward to reading of one the main character's (Kuno Schact) future adventures on the eastern front. Sadly, it's been several years since this installment of Mr. Ward's efforts, and I see no word on publication of the next book. But this book is definitely worth your time and effort if you're a fan of alternate history novels. Be warned that you need to read the first book (but not the second book) in this trilogy before reading this one. Five stars.

I've read all three books in the series. An excellent WWII what if?/alternate history. Unlike other alternate history books I've read, this tells a story w/fictional characters interacting with real historical personas. Most books I've read of this genre tell the story from a higher perspective --from an army level HQ view. Guys looking at a map and the narrator explaining what's going on in the field and what these guys are thinking and why they made the decisions they did. These books have that as well but much of it is about characters fighting on both sides of the battlefield, trying to survive and win the battle for their side. And these are characters I've grown to care about. These books are all loosely strung together based on the author's premise of what changes in history may have occurred had Malta been captured by Axis forces. That one decision creates larger and larger ramifications as time goes on. Read it and find out what changes occur. I really enjoyed it and it ends with a modest cliffhanger regarding what Major Schacht plans to do with those 60 gold pieces he found in that U.K. paymaster vehicle. Will Kennith ever find Maggie? I've read the author has some kind of vision for other books. That was three years ago. The last book have been written in 2017. Nothing since then. I hope he continues to write more books in this amazing series.