Armortek

Seeing Phil Dawe's recent post recommending Panzer Aces for a good read....

http://www.armortek.co.uk/Forum3b/viewt ... 0820abb191

... made me think a single thread to collect book recommendations would be a good idea. One post per book, a photo, a quick review and the ISBN. I'll kick off with a few. For those rare moments when you can't be in the workshop.

Stephen

Cannister, On, Fire by Bruce Cameron.
Bruce served as a troop leader in Vietnam with 1st Australian Armoured Regiment, for which he was awarded the MC. This two volume history of Australian armour in Vietnam is not just good military history. Bruce served in the actions he describes, using a lot of first hand accounts from veterans and quotes from contemporary records, which bring the whole subject to life. I've read a lot of armour books and I rate this as one of the best.

ISBN-10: 1921941995
ISBN-13: 978-1921941993

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Canister-Fire- ... 1921941995

Tank Action by David Render and Stuart Tootal

David Render served as a troop leader in a Sherman regiment in NW Europe in 1944-45. His co-author commanded a battalion of the Parachute Regiment in Afghanistan. They both know what they're talking about. It's a very frank and honest account of a troop leader learning (and mastering) his trade at the sharp end. David Render is brutally honest in some places, describing the struggle of a new young officer to win the confidence and trust of his experienced and cynical soldiers. He did succeed, with great bravery and survived to tell his gripping tale. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this account, which has a very fresh and realistic feel to it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tank-Action-Ar ... B01BT3Z9WK

ISBN: 9781474603294

Warriors for the Working Day by Peter Elstob.


Warriors for the Working Day purports to be a novel about tank action in NW Europe in 1944-45 by an award winning author and adventurer. Not a great recommendation at first glance. When you discover that Elstob commanded Shermans and Comets in 3rd Royal Tank Regiment and survived the campaign from Normandy to the Baltic, it begins to dawn that this might not be entirely fiction. I've checked the text against the 3RTR War Diaries and every page rings true. I would probably characterise it as a personal diary with the names changed to protect the innocent, particularly when it comes to a night in a French chateau, spent in the company of the Chatelain and her daughter. When I suggested this might not be fiction to the son of Elstob's driver, he was somewhat taken aback on several accounts. It's a gripping, well written and very moving account of tank action from a tank commander's perspective. I read it as a teenager and it may have had something to do with my decision to serve in the RTR.

Warriors for the Working Day is currently out of print, despite several re-prints but is still available from Amazon and second hand booksellers. Highly recommended.

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/ ... tob-peter/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Warriors-Worki ... 0705700151

ISBN-10: 0705700151
ISBN-13: 978-0705700153

A View from the Turret - Bill Close
Bill Close was one of the most remarkable and highly decorated tank soldiers of World War 2. He held a record few can share of having served in action from the outbreak of war to the final days in Germany. His list of battles reads like a roll-call of British tank battles of WW2. That mirrored the experience of his Regiment, 3rd Royal Tank Regiment, which, as one of the most experienced and professional tank regiments in the British Army, was called on to be in action, without rest, whilst new units were being trained. Indeed, one of his soldiers was once quoted as saying to a senior officer "There are two f....ing thirds in this war - the Third Reich and Third Tanks". Says it all really. Close started out as a trooper and ended his wartime service commanding a squadron. His account spans the whole gamut of tank actions from defence of Calais in 1940 to all the North African battles including Alamein, through Normandy, including GOODWOOD, to the final battles in Germany. He was involved in the action on the River Aller in 1945 in which the final Fehrmann Tiger was knocked out by 3RTR Comets, the subject of my next build. Bill was a very modest character and his account is understated but if you read between the lines, there is a story of grim determination in the face of constant danger. It's a book which has rarely been equalled, with perhaps the exception of one or two of the accounts written by German veterans.

View from the Turret is currently out of print, despite several re-prints but is still available through the usual suspects.

ISBN-10: 0953335917
ISBN-13: 978-0953335916

https://www.amazon.co.uk/View-Turret-Hi ... 0953335917

Spearhead by Adam Makos.
I haven't read Spearhead yet - it's only published on 19 Feb - but judging by the author's previous work, it will be a very engaging and moving story. Makos made his name with an account of Lt Franz Stigler, a Luftwaffe pilot who showed a remarkable sense of chivalry and generosity when he escorted a stricken USAAF B-17 through the flak defences and out into the North Sea. The crew survived and Makos recounts in very moving terms the reconciliation which followed post-war. Spearhead is an account of a US Army Pershing crew fighting through Cologne in 1945. It's remarkable for a number of reasons, not least that it's probably the only account of Pershing in action and the crew were involved in the famously filmed engagement in which a Panther was brewed up beside Cologne cathedral. I'll undoubtedly get a copy when it's out.

ISBN-10: 1782392564
ISBN-13: 978-1782392569

https://www.amazon.com/Spearhead-Americ ... B07D6CGMRN

Stuart Tank - Robert N Steinbrunn
Something a bit different. Schiffer publish a number of interesting modelling books which are beautifully produced with very high quality illustrations and a price to match. This book by an experienced modeller describes building his 1/6th plastic Stuart. It's a work of art, based on a commercial kit but transformed in every detail. It's not only an interesting read but he also uses some techniques which are relevant to our hobby.

ISBN-10: 0764339532
ISBN-13: 978-0764339530

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Large-Scale-Mo ... 0764339532

Interesting idea - after all, it's through reading and research that we bring our models to life.

Band of Brigands - Christy Campbell
ISBN 978-0-00-721459-4

This is where it all began .... the early history, the politics that almost killed the tank before it began, the first battles, and eyewitness accounts written by the blokes at the 'sharp end' - British, German and American. Highly recommended (but I would say that, wouldn't I ).

All the best,

Chris

Some Letters from Burma - Tom Grounds
ISBN 1-898594-11-2

Tom Grounds was a radio operator in M3 Lees and Shermans with A Squadron, 25th Dragoons in Burma from 1943 to 1945, and ended up in a Comet for the Victory Parades. This account is largely based on the letters he wrote home, interspersed with more detailed accounts of the actions he was in, and the general life of servicemen in the Far East. There are also some valuable appendices with OOB's, medal awards, battle honours and Senior Officer accounts. Now out of print, so one from the collectors market, but essential for those interested in tank warfare in a neglected area of WW2.

All the best,

Chris