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Flame Thrower
Has ISBN: 0-553-24533-3 which is already in use.
From The Normandy Beachhead To Arnhem, Tank Warfare At Its Deadliest
They called them "Crocodiles" - Churchill tanks specially fitted with top-secret flame-throwing equipment. There were only fifty of these devastating weapons in the entire Allied Arsenal - fire-breathing tanks that in a matter of seconds could reduce a fortified camp into a raging inferno of liquid flame. Now, one of the leaders of a "Crocodile" troop, Captain Andrew Wilson, dramatically recreates the scenes of combat that made these fiery monsters one of the war's most terrifying weapons. From Noyers Ridge to the Falaise gap to the final confrontation at the Rhine, here is the complete story of the tanks that struck fear into the heart of the Third Reich.
From The Normandy Beachhead To Arnhem, Tank Warfare At Its Deadliest
They called them "Crocodiles" - Churchill tanks specially fitted with top-secret flame-throwing equipment. There were only fifty of these devastating weapons in the entire Allied Arsenal - fire-breathing tanks that in a matter of seconds could reduce a fortified camp into a raging inferno of liquid flame. Now, one of the leaders of a "Crocodile" troop, Captain Andrew Wilson, dramatically recreates the scenes of combat that made these fiery monsters one of the war's most terrifying weapons. From Noyers Ridge to the Falaise gap to the final confrontation at the Rhine, here is the complete story of the tanks that struck fear into the heart of the Third Reich.
189 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1956
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 22, 2024
A great first-person account through the periscope of a flame throwing Crocodile tank, yet it is brilliantly written in the third person by the author. Andrew Wilson was a young subaltern fresh out of Sandhurst when he joined the Buffs armored regiment. These early days were spent enjoying barrack life before a new commander got them into shape and they were chosen to operate the Crocodiles. His unit was in the first wave of the invasion of Normandy, but it was only days later that Wilson went over as a green replacement.
His description of the actions which followed from the hedgerows of Normandy, to the marshes of Holland and the small towns of Germany are vivid and he really takes you into the turret of his tank with him. He introduces us to his friends and the reader suffers these losses with him, when death constantly stalked these brave men with panzerfausts, 88's and Tigers all along the route to the liberation of Europe.
It is also the story of a young boy growing up fast and learning how to navigate military life while trying to stay alive through all his actions. In the end he exits the war as a man that has experienced all the horrors of war and learned to enjoy the life that was thrust upon his generation. Brilliant read and highly recommended book.
His description of the actions which followed from the hedgerows of Normandy, to the marshes of Holland and the small towns of Germany are vivid and he really takes you into the turret of his tank with him. He introduces us to his friends and the reader suffers these losses with him, when death constantly stalked these brave men with panzerfausts, 88's and Tigers all along the route to the liberation of Europe.
It is also the story of a young boy growing up fast and learning how to navigate military life while trying to stay alive through all his actions. In the end he exits the war as a man that has experienced all the horrors of war and learned to enjoy the life that was thrust upon his generation. Brilliant read and highly recommended book.
September 20, 2023
A humane perspective
I enjoyed this book very much. It's the unvarnished tale of a soldiers role in WW2 and the impact that it had on him as a person. His horror at what he and his tank crew had needed to do, yet how later after being wounded, his happiness at returning to the company of his comrades. Also the chaos and messiness of war. Turning up for a battle and finding that it was all over or they weren't needed or someone had changed the plan. Nothing neat or tidy here. No heroics. Not like the films. Just a job to be done and then God willing,go home.
I enjoyed this book very much. It's the unvarnished tale of a soldiers role in WW2 and the impact that it had on him as a person. His horror at what he and his tank crew had needed to do, yet how later after being wounded, his happiness at returning to the company of his comrades. Also the chaos and messiness of war. Turning up for a battle and finding that it was all over or they weren't needed or someone had changed the plan. Nothing neat or tidy here. No heroics. Not like the films. Just a job to be done and then God willing,go home.
January 6, 2025
In a gruesome war, commanding Churchill Crocodile tanks (equipped with a flame thrower for clearing out German strong points) was perhaps one of the more gruesome tasks. This is, as far as I am aware, the only memoir written by such a commander, but it stands up well against other first-hand accounts from those who fought in the Army at the frontline.
Andrew Wilson’s account covers his military life with from when he graduated at Sandhurst, one of (at that time) several officer training establishments, the short interlude before he joined 143 Regiment (the Buffs) of the Royal Armoured Corps in Normandy (interestingly, he never identifies his regiment) just after D-Day, and his experiences from June 1944 to May 1945.
Wilson’s first ‘battle’ was to actually get onto an operational troop at the frontline, but from there the book follows his trials and tribulations as a troop commander. The book is not long (just over 200 ages) and it does not overdo the detail, but one feels that Wilson has told us all we need to know to understand his experiences. Unusually, he writes in the third person, so ‘Wilson’ is perhaps a slightly more removed character than he might otherwise be, but we hear his inner thoughts, we experience his illness and his injury and we do get to know the inner man. One has the impression that Wilson develops into a capable, young troop commander, who cares for the men in his charge. He provides very short pen pictures of those men, but does not dwell on them. He mentions lost friends occasionally , but does not burden us with these losses. Instead, we are provided with the broad sweep, with the descriptions of specific operations and combats, showing us how the Crocodile units operated. Wilson does not dwell on the horror of his role - indeed, we are told that only once does he investigate the results of his troop’s ‘handiwork’; I suspect that once was quite enough.
Wilson went on to become a journalist and he writes well. Here there is no dramatisation, no ‘Commando Book’-style heroics, but simple, matter of fact description, written in a flowing style. This is a book which is easy to pick up and reads very well.
Men like Andrew Wilson and his troopers, like the millions of other men of the citizen army who fought the Second World War, experienced things most of us cannot imagine. I do not think this book will educate the reader greatly as to what it was like to be a member of that citizen army, but it does provide some insight. As I have said, it is an easy read, well written, on a rather unusual unit, and it is highly recommended.
Andrew Wilson’s account covers his military life with from when he graduated at Sandhurst, one of (at that time) several officer training establishments, the short interlude before he joined 143 Regiment (the Buffs) of the Royal Armoured Corps in Normandy (interestingly, he never identifies his regiment) just after D-Day, and his experiences from June 1944 to May 1945.
Wilson’s first ‘battle’ was to actually get onto an operational troop at the frontline, but from there the book follows his trials and tribulations as a troop commander. The book is not long (just over 200 ages) and it does not overdo the detail, but one feels that Wilson has told us all we need to know to understand his experiences. Unusually, he writes in the third person, so ‘Wilson’ is perhaps a slightly more removed character than he might otherwise be, but we hear his inner thoughts, we experience his illness and his injury and we do get to know the inner man. One has the impression that Wilson develops into a capable, young troop commander, who cares for the men in his charge. He provides very short pen pictures of those men, but does not dwell on them. He mentions lost friends occasionally , but does not burden us with these losses. Instead, we are provided with the broad sweep, with the descriptions of specific operations and combats, showing us how the Crocodile units operated. Wilson does not dwell on the horror of his role - indeed, we are told that only once does he investigate the results of his troop’s ‘handiwork’; I suspect that once was quite enough.
Wilson went on to become a journalist and he writes well. Here there is no dramatisation, no ‘Commando Book’-style heroics, but simple, matter of fact description, written in a flowing style. This is a book which is easy to pick up and reads very well.
Men like Andrew Wilson and his troopers, like the millions of other men of the citizen army who fought the Second World War, experienced things most of us cannot imagine. I do not think this book will educate the reader greatly as to what it was like to be a member of that citizen army, but it does provide some insight. As I have said, it is an easy read, well written, on a rather unusual unit, and it is highly recommended.
September 8, 2023
Damn good read.
I enjoyed the human aspect of the book. The emotions and struggles the fellas had to deal with, but as a model builder, I really enjoyed the technical aspects. The explanation of the workings of the vehicle were very interesting. A very good book.
I enjoyed the human aspect of the book. The emotions and struggles the fellas had to deal with, but as a model builder, I really enjoyed the technical aspects. The explanation of the workings of the vehicle were very interesting. A very good book.
July 25, 2011
This war autobiography had more reflection and uncertainty than other more purely descriptive accounts I've read. He captures life defining experience that the war was for these men.
June 27, 2025
Flame Thrower covers the wartime experiences of Andrew Wilson, who served in a specialised flame-throwing Churchill Crocodile tank.
This book was not exactly what I had expected. Firstly, instead of a collection of diary/journal entries from during the war, it is instead written some time after the war. It is also written in the third person. Wilson, in his introduction, states he had considered changing it to first person, and I believe this would be a good decision, as I was not a fan of this stylistic choice. Perhaps because of Wilson writing this book many years after the war, it is not as detailed as one might expect. For example, I don't think he mentioned the name of the regiment he served in, and details of his troops' movements and dates are lacking.
However, Wilson's account does show the remarkable experiences he went through during WWII. It was also quite introspective about his and the other soldiers' motivations during the war, largely downplaying any patriotic and idealistic notions in favour of camaraderie and necessity.
I also enjoyed his account of his first impression of the Crocodile Tank. At the time, he and the rest of his regiment were required to sign non-disclosure contracts as the tank was still a secret. When he saw the tank, he was struck by the power and speed with which it flamed its target. The tank would go on to serve not only a practical purpose but also as a fearsome psychological weapon.
Overall, an interesting memoir on Wilson's time as a crocodile tank commander during WWII, which at times lacks a bit of added context and detail.
This book was not exactly what I had expected. Firstly, instead of a collection of diary/journal entries from during the war, it is instead written some time after the war. It is also written in the third person. Wilson, in his introduction, states he had considered changing it to first person, and I believe this would be a good decision, as I was not a fan of this stylistic choice. Perhaps because of Wilson writing this book many years after the war, it is not as detailed as one might expect. For example, I don't think he mentioned the name of the regiment he served in, and details of his troops' movements and dates are lacking.
However, Wilson's account does show the remarkable experiences he went through during WWII. It was also quite introspective about his and the other soldiers' motivations during the war, largely downplaying any patriotic and idealistic notions in favour of camaraderie and necessity.
I also enjoyed his account of his first impression of the Crocodile Tank. At the time, he and the rest of his regiment were required to sign non-disclosure contracts as the tank was still a secret. When he saw the tank, he was struck by the power and speed with which it flamed its target. The tank would go on to serve not only a practical purpose but also as a fearsome psychological weapon.
Overall, an interesting memoir on Wilson's time as a crocodile tank commander during WWII, which at times lacks a bit of added context and detail.
January 7, 2025
A serviceable war account but completely lacking in characterizations. And almost every character is only definable by their ethnicity. Some harrowing moments and observations about the futility of war don't amount to a memorable book, and the actual experience of driving claustrophobic tanks with massive flamethrowers is not described with much vivid detail. Sometimes, it seems the soldiers could just as well be driving jeeps in certain chapters. There's also very little time devoted to explaining how the protagonist feels after being wounded in battle, then immediately returned to combat.
May 5, 2024
You would think that going into battle in a tank gives you a greater chance of survival.However it gives you a greater chance of being burnt alive.
This is an excellent and absorbing tale of a tank commander in the 1944Normandy campaign.With the added frisson of carrying behind you a truck full of napalm.
This is an excellent and absorbing tale of a tank commander in the 1944Normandy campaign.With the added frisson of carrying behind you a truck full of napalm.
March 20, 2024
This must be one of the most detailed, first-hand accounts of what it was like to be part of a tank crew during WW2. Well written and gripping; it reads like a novel. Wilson chose to write in the third person; it works well.
October 25, 2024
involved in all the action with the crocodile tanks
Great WW2 Book about British 2nd army really well told by the author about his own experiences all the way to the German surrender,well worth a read
James manson
Great WW2 Book about British 2nd army really well told by the author about his own experiences all the way to the German surrender,well worth a read
James manson
November 10, 2024
Hobarts.
I found early reading a little tedious,but the battlefield descriptions were edge of seat and so descriptive you could feel the tension of a cruel type of warfare but the object was to win the war.
I found early reading a little tedious,but the battlefield descriptions were edge of seat and so descriptive you could feel the tension of a cruel type of warfare but the object was to win the war.
July 20, 2025
Flame thrower
A very good read about the war Wilson wrote the story well keeping the reader enthralled about the regiment and all the men in it explaining how the tanks were used and how they performed excellent reading
A very good read about the war Wilson wrote the story well keeping the reader enthralled about the regiment and all the men in it explaining how the tanks were used and how they performed excellent reading
August 2, 2023
Excellent
A moving account of an officer trying to do his duty through circumstances out of his control. Very well and honestly written.
A moving account of an officer trying to do his duty through circumstances out of his control. Very well and honestly written.
October 13, 2023
Flame throwers
An account of the writer’s time in Europe in 1944 to 45.
He survived and managed to write this book. It brings the period to life.
An account of the writer’s time in Europe in 1944 to 45.
He survived and managed to write this book. It brings the period to life.
October 28, 2023
Quick read. Not a terrible amount of action, but does a decent job expressing the insanity of the whole thing.
December 3, 2023
Was a good read, and I would recommend it to others.
December 10, 2023
An interesting story that is well written. A good read that I would recommend.
July 9, 2025
Sure one of the best memoirs I've read
October 31, 2023
Intelligently written and genuinely gripping. With an eye for detail, humanity, and humor, it's no surprise the author went on to have a successful career as a journalist spanning decades.
July 15, 2013
Read this in junior high school, and recently re-read it. Some veterans take great care in researching their memories from official histories, regimental museums, archives, etc. That was clearly not the case with Wilson, who doesn't even mention which regiment he served with and apparently didn't feel much fondness for his war experiences. He felt even less fondness for the Canadians his regiment operated in support of, as the inaccurate description of some of the action at Calais would tend to imply.
An interesting, if eccentric and at times bland, account that should be taken with grains of salt. Mostly of interest for the technical aspects and unique perspective of an officer serving in one of the 79th Armoured Division's rare Crocodile units.
An interesting, if eccentric and at times bland, account that should be taken with grains of salt. Mostly of interest for the technical aspects and unique perspective of an officer serving in one of the 79th Armoured Division's rare Crocodile units.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews