Shortlisted for the Military History Matters Book of the Year Award 2026
'Gripping' Britain at War
'Deeply informative and entertaining ... Peter Hart is an excellent guide' Military History Matters
In the 1880s, control over northeastern Africa was a political minefield into which Prime Minister Gladstone did not want to step - until his emissary Charles Gordon was besieged in Khartoum, and the city became the focal point for war.
It was the height of European colonialism. Injustices were administered, bloody battles fought and civilians caught in the crossfire. Among the British officers were figures who would later adopt starring roles in the First World War, such as Egyptian Army sapper Captain Herbert Kitchener.
By turns shocking and dynamic, Chain of Fire examines the terrible desert wars using the testimonies of the men who fought there.

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eBook - ePub
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Subtopic
Military & Maritime HistoryIndex
HistoryTable of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Contents
- Maps
- Preface
- 1. The Reason Why
- 2. The Bombardment of Alexandria
- 3. The Advance to Qassasin
- 4. The Battle of Tel el Kebir
- 5. The Rise of the Mahdi
- 6. Battles of Suakin, 1884
- 7. The Siege of Khartoum
- 8. The Starting Gate
- 9. The Desert Column
- 10. All Hopes Fade Away
- 11. Battles of Suakin, 1885
- 12. Softly Softly: The Dongola Campaign, 1896–7
- 13. Forward to Atbara, 1898
- 14. The Battle of Atbara
- 15. One Last Heave
- 16. The Battle of Omdurman
- 17. On, On, to Omdurman
- 18. Aftermath
- Notes
- Acknowledgements
- Images
- List of Illustrations
- Picture Credits
- Index
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Yes, you can access Chain of Fire by Peter Hart in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & Military & Maritime History. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.