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Desert Rats: The 7th Armoured Division in World War II
This classic and inspiring account of the progress of the 7th Armoured Division from the sands of North Africa to the cold of wintery Holland and the mud of a German springtime. Based on official records, and written by one of the division's key officers, this book is an outstanding testament to the officers and men of an astonishing unit. The division's reputation was born in the desert. It first went into action against the Italians in 1940 and then, subsequently, fought Rommel's Afrika Korps in Montgomery's successful Western Desert campaign. It was during this period of intense fighting that the division won its affectionate nickname of Desert Rats. From there the division was transported to Italy and, later, Normandy and from then on was almost constantly in battle until the end of the war. The Desert Rats was written with official support, and with the help of most of the division's senior officers, and the author has been able to provide a unique insight into the workings of a formidable unit. The book stands testament to the unique morale of the division and is an enduring story of difficulties overcome. Major-General Verney served as a tank brigade commander in World War II and went on to command 7th Armoured Division in Normandy in 1944.
336 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1954
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 1, 2020
I am right into military history and this is one of the best military history books that I have read. More so, when it was a casual purchase for a couple of dollars from a local secondhand bookshop.
It is very well-written, in a smooth clean third-person tone: I could read it again just for the skill with which it has been written. It covers an awful lot of territory and I found it easier to read a few pages ata time rather than binge-read so that I could digest each action as it occured.
Although he never really gives it away, the author was actually the commander of the Division in the latter stages of the war and served with it throughout the early stages of the war. This book is not about him, it is the Desert Rats' story and is personalised from the most senior officers down to soldiers - where an individual deserves credit, they are mentioned by name.
It is a continuous tale of the Division from its creation in the dark early days of WW2 in the desert, through Italy and D-Day, and into Germany. There is no politics and no glorification, just the story of a division at war.
The only area that I felt let this book down was that the maps - probably products of their time and where the history was better remembered by those who were there - do not especially help the reader to piece together the various actions. To a certain extewnt, this effect is reduced by the excellent text but it still would have been helpful to have a detailed map of each battle or operation.
Very highly recommended to anyone with an interest in armour, the desert campaigns or the defeat of Germany.
It is very well-written, in a smooth clean third-person tone: I could read it again just for the skill with which it has been written. It covers an awful lot of territory and I found it easier to read a few pages ata time rather than binge-read so that I could digest each action as it occured.
Although he never really gives it away, the author was actually the commander of the Division in the latter stages of the war and served with it throughout the early stages of the war. This book is not about him, it is the Desert Rats' story and is personalised from the most senior officers down to soldiers - where an individual deserves credit, they are mentioned by name.
It is a continuous tale of the Division from its creation in the dark early days of WW2 in the desert, through Italy and D-Day, and into Germany. There is no politics and no glorification, just the story of a division at war.
The only area that I felt let this book down was that the maps - probably products of their time and where the history was better remembered by those who were there - do not especially help the reader to piece together the various actions. To a certain extewnt, this effect is reduced by the excellent text but it still would have been helpful to have a detailed map of each battle or operation.
Very highly recommended to anyone with an interest in armour, the desert campaigns or the defeat of Germany.
December 16, 2014
A good account but you can get lost in the details of which unit left, which unit joined or merged. You do get a good sense of the pace of battle especially in N. Africa.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews