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Warriors for the Working Day
Warriors for the Working Day is a novel written by Peter Elstob, published in 1960, with later translations into other languages. The novel is based on events from June 1944, during the Battle of Normandy, to the invasion of Germany in the Spring of 1945. The book describes fighting by the men of a small unit of British tanks during this period, with the focus on one tank crew. The novel is highly realistic, as it is based on Elstob's experience in the war as a tank crewmember.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1961
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About the author
Peter Elstob
27 books3 followersPeter Frederick Egerton Elstob was a British soldier, adventurer, novelist, military historian and entrepreneur. In his writing he is best known for his lightly-fictionalized novel Warriors For the Working Day (1960) and his military history of the Battle of the Bulge, Hitler's Last Offensive (1971).
He joined the Republican Army in the Spanish Civil War, and later served in the Royal Tank Regiment in World War II, in which service he was promoted to sergeant and was Mentioned in Despatches.
He joined International PEN in 1962 and served first as general secretary and later as vice-president for seven years during the 1970s, rescuing the organisation from financial failure; he also secured the future of the Arts Theatre Club in London in 1946.
He prospered as an entrepreneur with a facial product called Yeast Pac, with several partners. In his obituary in The Guardian newspaper, Elstob was said to be:
...one of those people born in the wrong century. With his charm and audacity, his passion for travel, and his love of risk-taking and financial gambles, he would have been more at home in the reign of Elizabeth I.
He joined the Republican Army in the Spanish Civil War, and later served in the Royal Tank Regiment in World War II, in which service he was promoted to sergeant and was Mentioned in Despatches.
He joined International PEN in 1962 and served first as general secretary and later as vice-president for seven years during the 1970s, rescuing the organisation from financial failure; he also secured the future of the Arts Theatre Club in London in 1946.
He prospered as an entrepreneur with a facial product called Yeast Pac, with several partners. In his obituary in The Guardian newspaper, Elstob was said to be:
...one of those people born in the wrong century. With his charm and audacity, his passion for travel, and his love of risk-taking and financial gambles, he would have been more at home in the reign of Elizabeth I.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 11, 2020
By focusing predominantly on the experiences of the five men who form the tank crew – those very much at “the sharp end” of the fighting – the author creates a vivid picture of the reality of living for much of the time in what the Germans referred to as ‘Tommy cookers’ (so-called because of the Sherman tank’s propensity to burst into flames when hit). As the men of One Troop discover, a tank with its hatches closed is like “a blind monster at the mercy of a fast sharp-eyed enemy”, and an enemy with superior fire power to boot. It was even worse for the tank commander in the turret. Despite the fact their head was a prime target for an enemy sniper, it was impossible in practice to command a tank with the turret closed.
The reader really gets to know the individual characters, in particular Brook, and become invested in their feelings and their welfare. Their letters home, downplaying the danger they face and full of hopes and plans for the future, are incredibly poignant especially since the reader is aware they probably won’t all make it. As those higher up the chain of command congratulate themselves on successes hard won by those on the front line, the contrast with the experiences of the tank crews becomes even more stark.
As the book eloquently shows, battle fatigue – mental as much as physical – becomes a major issue, even if the men themselves may not realise it. “Most of them were unaware that anything much was wrong with them, for they were uncomplicated men not given to introspection. They knew they were frightened, but they knew that everyone else was frightened too, and had come to realise that wars are fought by a few frightened men facing each other – the sharp end of the sword…”
Each man at one point or another wonders about his capacity to carry on and whether he has reached breaking point. With echoes of Catch-22, one muses, “He could go to the M.O. and say he had had enough, but as long as you could go and say that you’d had enough you were still able to direct your mind and your body and you hadn’t had enough.”
The men are bound together by an inspiring sense of camaraderie that means even when ordered to advance into dangerous territory and offered the chance to reduce their personal risk, the feeling is “Look, if you’re a tank crew, you’re a tank crew. Either we all bale out or we all stay in“.
As well as being a compelling human story, I learned a lot from Warriors for the Working Day. For example, the different roles in a tank crew – commander, driver, co-driver, gunner and wireless operator – and the recipe for the rather disgusting sounding “burgoo”. (Army biscuits dissolved in tinned milk, slowly heated in a mess tin with treacle or brown sugar, if you’re wondering.)
The book’s title comes from Shakespeare’s play Henry V. (The mention of that play always conjures up in my mind an image of Kenneth Branagh in his terrific 1989 film version or Laurence Olivier in the splendid earlier version made in 1944. Incidentally, the latter was intended as a wartime morale booster and was partly funded by the British government.) Leading his bedraggled army through France, Henry says: “We are but warriors for the working day… But, by the mass, our hearts are in the trim.”
Brook and his crew members certainly demonstrate their “hearts are in the trim” as they endure the close confinement of the tank’s interior and the constant need to stay alert, aware that any moment could be their last. As one of the final missions described in the book ends in disarray and confusion, it illustrates – if further illustration was needed – the futility of war and the sheer waste of young lives it represents.
The following quotation from historian James Holland sums up my feelings about the book exactly. “Few other novels of the war describe the grinding claustrophobia, violence and lethal danger of being in a tank crew with the stark vividness of Peter Elstob… a forgotten classic that deserves to be read and read.”
The reader really gets to know the individual characters, in particular Brook, and become invested in their feelings and their welfare. Their letters home, downplaying the danger they face and full of hopes and plans for the future, are incredibly poignant especially since the reader is aware they probably won’t all make it. As those higher up the chain of command congratulate themselves on successes hard won by those on the front line, the contrast with the experiences of the tank crews becomes even more stark.
As the book eloquently shows, battle fatigue – mental as much as physical – becomes a major issue, even if the men themselves may not realise it. “Most of them were unaware that anything much was wrong with them, for they were uncomplicated men not given to introspection. They knew they were frightened, but they knew that everyone else was frightened too, and had come to realise that wars are fought by a few frightened men facing each other – the sharp end of the sword…”
Each man at one point or another wonders about his capacity to carry on and whether he has reached breaking point. With echoes of Catch-22, one muses, “He could go to the M.O. and say he had had enough, but as long as you could go and say that you’d had enough you were still able to direct your mind and your body and you hadn’t had enough.”
The men are bound together by an inspiring sense of camaraderie that means even when ordered to advance into dangerous territory and offered the chance to reduce their personal risk, the feeling is “Look, if you’re a tank crew, you’re a tank crew. Either we all bale out or we all stay in“.
As well as being a compelling human story, I learned a lot from Warriors for the Working Day. For example, the different roles in a tank crew – commander, driver, co-driver, gunner and wireless operator – and the recipe for the rather disgusting sounding “burgoo”. (Army biscuits dissolved in tinned milk, slowly heated in a mess tin with treacle or brown sugar, if you’re wondering.)
The book’s title comes from Shakespeare’s play Henry V. (The mention of that play always conjures up in my mind an image of Kenneth Branagh in his terrific 1989 film version or Laurence Olivier in the splendid earlier version made in 1944. Incidentally, the latter was intended as a wartime morale booster and was partly funded by the British government.) Leading his bedraggled army through France, Henry says: “We are but warriors for the working day… But, by the mass, our hearts are in the trim.”
Brook and his crew members certainly demonstrate their “hearts are in the trim” as they endure the close confinement of the tank’s interior and the constant need to stay alert, aware that any moment could be their last. As one of the final missions described in the book ends in disarray and confusion, it illustrates – if further illustration was needed – the futility of war and the sheer waste of young lives it represents.
The following quotation from historian James Holland sums up my feelings about the book exactly. “Few other novels of the war describe the grinding claustrophobia, violence and lethal danger of being in a tank crew with the stark vividness of Peter Elstob… a forgotten classic that deserves to be read and read.”
March 15, 2022
The good folks from "The We Have Ways of Making You Talk" podcast have been recommending quality fiction about the Second World War (SWW). One that I had read recently was Tramp in Armor about the exploits of a British tank crew behind the lines as the Germans raced towards the Channel in 1940. That book, though "rollicking", was more of a Hollywood-style thriller than a believable tale of an actual tank crew.
More believable and a far better novel is this book by Peter Elstob - who wrote this thinly fictionalized tale of his own experiences as a tanker (first as wireless operator, then as commander) of a Sherman, later Comet, in the days after D-Day up to the end of the war in Germany.
The dialog seems spot-on except for eschewing of swearing (which could have been a publisher-thing in 1960). The story is rich with characters, not only the five crew members but fellow tankers in their troop as well as the command echelon above. Every man has his breaking point and many don't live long enough to reach even that (or are severely wounded). Officers range from cowardly-to-smart-to-vainglorious. The interactions with liberated civilians leaven the general narrative of advances to contact against German anti-tank and other armor.
There's a whole capriciousness to life that hits you time and again in the novel. British tanks get hit. Some crews die in a flash, others escape from the tank, and everything in between. Which tank was ordered to lead the troop against the unknown defenders of a village or wooded road made a lot of difference to survival. There's a constant stream of reinforcements and replacements. It all rings true of the SWW's industrialization of armed conflict.
And, throughout, there is the intense camaraderie within the tank crew - driver, assistant driver, gunner, wireless operator, and commander. They all depended on each other if they were to have a chance of living. And they all knew that on any given day, they might be dead as they had seen happening to so many other crews.
Readers of this review should not take away that this is a book of despair and hopelessness. No, it is a book that honestly depicts the nature of this form of combat in NW Europe in 1944-45 and the soldiers who performed it - ordinary blokes in civilian life, extraordinary men under duress on the battlefield. The stories of the soldiers on leave are as compelling as the stories of battle or of laagering.
A general knowledge of the course of the war in NW Europe is helpful as there are no maps (e.g. places like Caen, Antwerp, the Ardennes, the Rhine, etc). If you don't know what a Sherman or Tiger tank looks like, Google it. Same for the German 88 mm anti-tank/AA gun used so effectively against Allied armor.
Highly recommended.
This book has been republished so it is readily available (though you may need to buy it - my local library system did not have a copy)
More believable and a far better novel is this book by Peter Elstob - who wrote this thinly fictionalized tale of his own experiences as a tanker (first as wireless operator, then as commander) of a Sherman, later Comet, in the days after D-Day up to the end of the war in Germany.
The dialog seems spot-on except for eschewing of swearing (which could have been a publisher-thing in 1960). The story is rich with characters, not only the five crew members but fellow tankers in their troop as well as the command echelon above. Every man has his breaking point and many don't live long enough to reach even that (or are severely wounded). Officers range from cowardly-to-smart-to-vainglorious. The interactions with liberated civilians leaven the general narrative of advances to contact against German anti-tank and other armor.
There's a whole capriciousness to life that hits you time and again in the novel. British tanks get hit. Some crews die in a flash, others escape from the tank, and everything in between. Which tank was ordered to lead the troop against the unknown defenders of a village or wooded road made a lot of difference to survival. There's a constant stream of reinforcements and replacements. It all rings true of the SWW's industrialization of armed conflict.
And, throughout, there is the intense camaraderie within the tank crew - driver, assistant driver, gunner, wireless operator, and commander. They all depended on each other if they were to have a chance of living. And they all knew that on any given day, they might be dead as they had seen happening to so many other crews.
Readers of this review should not take away that this is a book of despair and hopelessness. No, it is a book that honestly depicts the nature of this form of combat in NW Europe in 1944-45 and the soldiers who performed it - ordinary blokes in civilian life, extraordinary men under duress on the battlefield. The stories of the soldiers on leave are as compelling as the stories of battle or of laagering.
A general knowledge of the course of the war in NW Europe is helpful as there are no maps (e.g. places like Caen, Antwerp, the Ardennes, the Rhine, etc). If you don't know what a Sherman or Tiger tank looks like, Google it. Same for the German 88 mm anti-tank/AA gun used so effectively against Allied armor.
Highly recommended.
This book has been republished so it is readily available (though you may need to buy it - my local library system did not have a copy)
June 5, 2025
‘What is wrong with me?’ he whispered. ‘What the hell is wrong with me?’ He knew the answer, and he forced himself to say it: ‘I’m afraid. I’m afraid. I’m afraid.’ But he felt no better for having brought it out into the open. ‘What can I do about it?’ He knew the answer again– ‘Nothing, nothing, nothing.’
This is an engrossing and moving novel that follows a single tank crew from Normandy to the Elbe. It isn’t a particularly violent book, but mortal danger is a constant presence, and when it comes, the violence is sudden and devastating. Elstob effectively captures the nervous tension and claustrophobic discomfort experienced by Second World War tank crews, who could never know if a camouflaged 88mm or Panzerfaust-wielding infantryman was around the next corner, over the next rise, or lurking in the next copse. The relationships between the crewmen and between the different crews are realistic and absorbing, and when a beloved character is cut down, it feels like a punch in the gut.
Peter Elstob based his book on his own wartime experiences, and the character of Brook on himself. This lends the whole novel an air of authenticity, from the details of life in a Sherman or Comet to the evocative descriptions of the landscape: “The country looked as though it had been spring-cleaned: the leaves, which had been heavy and dull with the dust raised by the tanks, now shone in their young greenness; the heavy Normandy soil in the farmers’ fields was a well- polished black; the crops of new potatoes were splashes of the lightest green.”
This is a book that deserves to be much more widely known than it is and is both a moving tribute to the men who fought their tanks through North West Europe and a poignant reminder that everyone has a limited, depletable bank of courage. If this is a typical example, then I will most definitely be checking out more of the Imperial War Museum Wartime Classic reprints series and recommend that you do the same.
This is an engrossing and moving novel that follows a single tank crew from Normandy to the Elbe. It isn’t a particularly violent book, but mortal danger is a constant presence, and when it comes, the violence is sudden and devastating. Elstob effectively captures the nervous tension and claustrophobic discomfort experienced by Second World War tank crews, who could never know if a camouflaged 88mm or Panzerfaust-wielding infantryman was around the next corner, over the next rise, or lurking in the next copse. The relationships between the crewmen and between the different crews are realistic and absorbing, and when a beloved character is cut down, it feels like a punch in the gut.
Peter Elstob based his book on his own wartime experiences, and the character of Brook on himself. This lends the whole novel an air of authenticity, from the details of life in a Sherman or Comet to the evocative descriptions of the landscape: “The country looked as though it had been spring-cleaned: the leaves, which had been heavy and dull with the dust raised by the tanks, now shone in their young greenness; the heavy Normandy soil in the farmers’ fields was a well- polished black; the crops of new potatoes were splashes of the lightest green.”
This is a book that deserves to be much more widely known than it is and is both a moving tribute to the men who fought their tanks through North West Europe and a poignant reminder that everyone has a limited, depletable bank of courage. If this is a typical example, then I will most definitely be checking out more of the Imperial War Museum Wartime Classic reprints series and recommend that you do the same.
June 10, 2020
Based on Peter Elstob’s personal experience of tank warfare, Warriors For The Working Day is a tale of fear and the horrors of war.
It really captures the heat and aggression of a tank battle, mixed with the claustrophobia of being baked in a flammable tin can with a crew of men all battling their own demons, doubts and fear at the same time.
Incredibly compelling and a must read for any fan of classic war fiction.
Thank you to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour, for the promotional materials and a copy of the book. This is my honest, unbiased review.
It really captures the heat and aggression of a tank battle, mixed with the claustrophobia of being baked in a flammable tin can with a crew of men all battling their own demons, doubts and fear at the same time.
Incredibly compelling and a must read for any fan of classic war fiction.
Thank you to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour, for the promotional materials and a copy of the book. This is my honest, unbiased review.
September 6, 2021
WWII British tank crew as seen from the eyes of a member of the crew who through various experiences and actions eventually commands his own tank, 1944-45. It is late in the war, and includes character studies and a vivid portrayal of combat fatigue. A serious “armored” version of “Catch-22” very much worth the read.
June 21, 2020
I had read a vignette (one which didn't come to light in this book but was based on his time a a tank commander) by Peter Elstob in an old "History of the Second World War" magazine published in the 1970s in the UK and saw he had written a book, this one I am reviewing. I found it in a Kindle version for about $7 and thought why not? First, though, do take the time to read the Wiki on Elstob - what a life! As for Warriors for the Working Day, well, I found it simply outstanding. Elstob is sadly long gone but he has left a true gem and I am very grateful to the Imperial War Museum for featuring it in their series. It is so much more enjoyable to read of this type of very soldier-level narrative from a British rather than an American point-of-view. The writing is crisp, clear and engaging. The story line is factual and believable; after all it is all based on real experience. When I had finished, racing through some pages as the story was completely gripping, I realized Elstob wrote this superb novel without once relying on foul language (that one would expect to read). I don't mind foul language (after a 37 year Army career how could I?) but I nevertheless admire Elstob's carrying it off (in the 1950s, when the book was written), without a word appearing, and with no detrimental result. This is just an excellent novel and I cannot recommend it to you any more highly.
August 4, 2021
Whether because the brief age of the battle tank has passed, or because five men confined together in a metal box allows for close observation of character, or because the evident inferiority of the tanks to the dreaded threat of the Tiger and the 88, stories of British tank warfare in World War Two always seem to be fascinating and of high quality. I'd also recommend Tank! by Ken Tout and the memoir Mailed Fist by John Foley, but Peter Elstob's Warriors for the Working Day is about as good as this topic can be rendered in prose.
Elstob, a tank man himself during the war, draws heavily on his own experience in his novel. There is an authenticity to the combat, the training, the personalities of the tank crew and the sheer terror and mental strain of being a perennial target to an unseen and dangerous enemy. The book follows the fresh-faced Michael Brook – a fictionalised version of the author, it seems – as he takes over command from the battle-fatigued tank commander Paddy Donovan. Marvelling at Donovan's composure before his eventual break, Brook, upon taking command, goes through the same stresses of command, combat and extreme mental and physical fatigue before his own inevitable end point. Bookending this, command is passed on to another junior NCO who steps up, and the cycle continues.
Not only is this evocation of strain and terror told excellently, building throughout the novel, it is also couched in some great storytelling. The book takes us from the Normandy breakout through Market Garden, the Bulge, V2 attacks and into Germany and the liberation of Belsen, drawing us into each event and the grind of warfare without ever becoming samey or indistinct. The characters feel realistic, and often have reassuringly British names like Taffy and Smudger, and when some of them are killed, frighteningly quickly and without warning, as happens in war, it impacts the reader. There are sudden deaths and casual horrors, but also small mercies, such as the meeting with the countess and the Belgian resistance, and some of those great little oddities that every soldier seems to encounter, such as the propaganda officer with speakers blasting music on his van, who doesn't realise that Tigers have broken through and he's right in the middle of the danger. There are a number of memorable scenes well-drawn by Elstob, and the book as a whole is an excellent experience.
Elstob, a tank man himself during the war, draws heavily on his own experience in his novel. There is an authenticity to the combat, the training, the personalities of the tank crew and the sheer terror and mental strain of being a perennial target to an unseen and dangerous enemy. The book follows the fresh-faced Michael Brook – a fictionalised version of the author, it seems – as he takes over command from the battle-fatigued tank commander Paddy Donovan. Marvelling at Donovan's composure before his eventual break, Brook, upon taking command, goes through the same stresses of command, combat and extreme mental and physical fatigue before his own inevitable end point. Bookending this, command is passed on to another junior NCO who steps up, and the cycle continues.
Not only is this evocation of strain and terror told excellently, building throughout the novel, it is also couched in some great storytelling. The book takes us from the Normandy breakout through Market Garden, the Bulge, V2 attacks and into Germany and the liberation of Belsen, drawing us into each event and the grind of warfare without ever becoming samey or indistinct. The characters feel realistic, and often have reassuringly British names like Taffy and Smudger, and when some of them are killed, frighteningly quickly and without warning, as happens in war, it impacts the reader. There are sudden deaths and casual horrors, but also small mercies, such as the meeting with the countess and the Belgian resistance, and some of those great little oddities that every soldier seems to encounter, such as the propaganda officer with speakers blasting music on his van, who doesn't realise that Tigers have broken through and he's right in the middle of the danger. There are a number of memorable scenes well-drawn by Elstob, and the book as a whole is an excellent experience.
June 14, 2020
This is a novel which took me surprise. I was soon engrossed in the story of a group of young soldiers who enlisted midway through the Second World War and who fought their way through it. The pace of the story is most surprising as it reflected the unrelenting pace of the war as events followed on and there was no time to stand back and reflect. Amongst the young soldiers, you get to see what happens to each one as the battles take their toll. The ending is a bit of a shock but fits in perfectly with the direction of the novel.
You are certainly shown the claustrophobic lives of the tank crew as they try to follow orders. Their lives are ones of unrelenting routine as they dream of home and try to support each other. Full of the atmosphere of the battlefield, this is a novel which shows you the effect of war on the ordinary man in the street and at the same time, shows you the heroism of those who seek to do their duty.
In short: A bri;liant retelling of the challenges of war.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book
You are certainly shown the claustrophobic lives of the tank crew as they try to follow orders. Their lives are ones of unrelenting routine as they dream of home and try to support each other. Full of the atmosphere of the battlefield, this is a novel which shows you the effect of war on the ordinary man in the street and at the same time, shows you the heroism of those who seek to do their duty.
In short: A bri;liant retelling of the challenges of war.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book
September 30, 2025
Probably the best account of front line fighting in WW2 I've read, albeit in novel form. Elstob served with the Royal Tank Regiment and the novel is based on his experiences in the final year of war, from Normandy, Caen, the push through France and Belgium, a spectator role watching the assault on Arnhem, a participant in the Battle of the Bulge, then the crossing of the Rhine and into Germany.
Lacking in sentimentality, never shying away from soldiers indulging in commercial sex wherever they can buy it ...and taking loot whenever they can find it (tanks have an advantage over the pockets and packs of an infantryman, there's more room to store stolen property and it weighs on neither conscience nor back.
And an exploration of terror more than valour. I was in the Army many decades ago and was one allowed to peer into a modern battle tank. The experience was much akin to a sardine being shown a tin can - I've never had an desire to actually climb into a tank, Elstob's description of tank warfare confirms my impression that tank crew have to be insane.
Utterly compelling read.
Lacking in sentimentality, never shying away from soldiers indulging in commercial sex wherever they can buy it ...and taking loot whenever they can find it (tanks have an advantage over the pockets and packs of an infantryman, there's more room to store stolen property and it weighs on neither conscience nor back.
And an exploration of terror more than valour. I was in the Army many decades ago and was one allowed to peer into a modern battle tank. The experience was much akin to a sardine being shown a tin can - I've never had an desire to actually climb into a tank, Elstob's description of tank warfare confirms my impression that tank crew have to be insane.
Utterly compelling read.
September 30, 2023
Clearly autobiographical account of a tank crew, first in Shermans, then Comets, from just pre-D Day, through the Battle of the Bulge and on to the advance into Germany, with a particular focus on the almost unbearable stresses imposed on them and the tank commander in particular. Knowledgeable, fair minded and moving. Elstob had a fascinating life, ending as a historian. I'd recommend his second Spanish Civil War book, The Armed Rehearsal, which also benefits from his personal involvement in that conflict
September 15, 2020
While this is a book of fiction, it is based on the author's experiences and that makes it a special book, as he describes the emotional stress that a tank commander faced in Northwest Europe probably better than any biography. For that reason, I think it is an important book for anyone wishing to understand the experience of combat
November 12, 2020
Another excellent novel from the Imperial War Museum based on a soldiers real life experience of tank warfare. As time goes on it will be increasingly difficult to find these first hand accounts as they go out of print, hopefully not in this case.
November 28, 2022
This is an extraordinary piece of autobiographical fiction. The spare but intense descriptions bring to life everything from a tactical exercise at Aldershot to a hunt for a Tiger tank in a north German village. The tension, the exhaustion and the claustrophobia are palpable.
June 13, 2023
INCREDIBLE
Warriors for the working day is a masterful piece of literature that allows you deep into the mind of a tank commander in the Second World War. The horror, the
fear the mental strain and toll. So well written, you understand as well as one can without being in the situation itself.
Warriors for the working day is a masterful piece of literature that allows you deep into the mind of a tank commander in the Second World War. The horror, the
fear the mental strain and toll. So well written, you understand as well as one can without being in the situation itself.
October 25, 2024
Unputdownable. Scene after scene of tension, action and human frailty, all told in clear compelling prose, shot through with authenticity. An absolute gem resurrected from undeserved obscurity by the Imperial War Museum.
April 17, 2022
Really solid. The several memoirs of tank fighting in NW Europe that I've read, have not been as evocative or as moving.
June 8, 2025
A vivid and gripping depiction of tank warfare, with gut punches at every turn of the narrative. I loved the intermissions of the soldiers’ lives back home too, adding real depth to their war.
“The body of the young German who had been killed by the flame thrower was directly beneath him. It was still burning, and Brook saw with horror that the man’s hip bone had made a shallow container in which his fat was gently bubbling. He jerked his eyes away at once, but he knew it was something he would see for the rest of his life”
“The body of the young German who had been killed by the flame thrower was directly beneath him. It was still burning, and Brook saw with horror that the man’s hip bone had made a shallow container in which his fat was gently bubbling. He jerked his eyes away at once, but he knew it was something he would see for the rest of his life”
April 25, 2013
Loosely based on the author's experiences during WWII, this book is an immersive account off what it was like to be at "the sharp end" during the liberation of Europe.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews