The Second World War had many theaters of conflict. Not least, fighting took place in the colonies of the European great powers. In 1940, Italy used its possessions in present-day Libya as a base to attack British positions in Egypt. Germany came to Mussolini's aid, but Commonwealth troops from New Zealand, South Africa, India, and Australia also participated. A desert war lasting more than three years ensued, shaping national myths particularly around the two commanders Bernard Montgomery and Erwin Rommel, and creating some illusions. The series "Wars of Modernity," published by the Center for Military History and Social Sciences of the Bundeswehr, presents the most important military conflicts of the 19th and 20th centuries based on the latest scientific findings and explains their historical causes and political consequences.