Dust, Desert, and Details – A Mid-Campaign Update
The North African desert has a way of getting under your skin and into everything else. That’s something Tom Archer and his men are discovering in Under Fire and Sun, and it’s been on my mind a lot as I work through the latest scenes. Between sandstorms, water shortages, and unreliable supply tins, the battle is as much against the environment as the enemy.
Convoy of four 2- ton trucks that has stopped on a dirt road in the desert. The crews of the trucks are gathered around the first truck. North Africa (probably). 1942-43
In the last scene I finished, Archer was still brushing grit from the bolt of his rifle two days after a sandstorm had passed, the paint on the trucks stripped almost bare. It’s a small image, but it captures a bigger truth: the desert doesn’t give anything back once it’s taken it.
My research lately has focused on the early months of the desert war, particularly the logistics of keeping an army alive and moving. Water convoys stretched for miles, every gallon rationed, and yet much of it never reached the men in full measure. British supply tins of the time weren’t perfect, seams leaked, caps worked loose, and in the relentless heat, both water and fuel could evaporate before they were needed. A single burst pipe or punctured tanker could halt an entire column under the merciless sun. It’s a reminder that in these campaigns, survival often depended as much on supply chains as on tactics.
From My Desk (and elsewhere)
Away from the manuscript, I’ve been keeping myself busy with a Father’s Day gift that couldn’t have been more perfect, a hefty book of WW2 maps. The kind you don’t just leaf through; you pore over it with a magnifying glass, tracing the shifting front lines and imagining the decisions made in those places.
I’ve also been dipping into The Desert Rats by Major-General G.L. Verney, a first-hand account of the 7th Armoured Division’s campaigns from North Africa to Normandy. It’s naturally heavy on armour operations rather than infantry, but the real gold lies in its precise timelines and movement dates. For me as a writer, those datelines are invaluable, they let me anchor Archer’s fictional journey against the real tempo of the campaigns, ensuring the story feels authentic without becoming a straight history lesson.
I’ve also been dipping into The Desert Rats by Major-General G.L. Verney, a first-hand account of the 7th Armoured Division’s campaigns from North Africa to Normandy. It’s naturally heavy on armour operations rather than infantry, but the real gold lies in its precise timelines and movement dates. For me as a writer, those datelines are invaluable, they let me anchor Archer’s fictional journey against the real tempo of the campaigns, ensuring the story feels authentic without becoming a straight history lesson.
Holiday Time – Kefalonia
We also escaped to Kefalonia recently, where the temperature hit 40°C. That kind of heat forces you to slow down, and it made me think even harder about the men who fought in conditions like these, without the luxury of shade, cold water, or a breeze off the Ionian Sea. It’s one thing to write about it, another to feel even a fraction of it yourself. Of course, the laptop came along for the ride and I managed to get a couple of chapters done between sun loungers, the odd cold beer, and watching the world drift by.
Recent reviews an encouraging start ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5)
It’s been encouraging to see fresh reviews arriving for both Under Fire, Under Command and Under Fire and Fury. Readers have highlighted the vivid detail, the way the characters carry the story, and how the books pull them into the chaos of war.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
One recent review for Under Fire and Fury praised the “good descriptions of the battles and skirmishes attempting to defend a town and break out towards Dunkirk,” while a reader of Under Fire, Under Command described it as a “gripping storyline” with characters that “draw you in.”
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5)
Alongside the praise, some reviews have offered constructive feedback on editing and repeated phrasing. I take that seriously—each book is a chance to improve. I still count myself a novice, part-time writer with plenty to learn, and every project is part of that curve. The mix of praise and pointers is invaluable, and I’m grateful to everyone who takes the time to share their thoughts.
⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (3/5)
The second half of Under Fire and Sun will take Archer and his men deeper into the campaign, beyond the first rush of victories and into the grinding reversals that follow. The fighting will stretch them across long miles of desert, through moments of triumph and sudden loss, and into situations where the enemy isn’t always wearing a uniform. These are the moments that test a man’s resolve in ways bullets can’t, choices made in the dust and heat, when exhaustion and doubt are as much an adversary as any soldier on the other side.
There’s more to come, but for now it’s back to the sand, the glare, and the steady ticking of Archer’s battered watch, a sound that measures not just time, but survival.
As always, thank you for reading, reviewing, and sharing the books with others. Those small acts keep the story moving, both on and off the page.