introduction

This book written by the decorated veteran of the 11th Armoured Division, contains not only the history of this unit, but many firsthand veterans accounts from the tankers from the beaches of Normandy to the German surrender in the summer of 1945. The 11th Armoured Divison on its advance from the beaches fought many notable battles in the Normandy campaign, Epsom, Goodwood and Bluecoat. They were tasked with the liberation of many cities like Amines and Antwerp. On the final battles of the war they discovered the horrors of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. The book was originally printed back in 1993 by Alan Sutton Publishing Ltd.

Contents

Published in 2011 by Stackpole Books, this paperback book is printed in a standard 6x9-inch format. There are 266 pages, broken down into 252 of text in 33 chapters and a 13 page reference section of other great Stackpole books. Included are two pages dedicated to the contributors of the very fine book. Then there are 44 black & white photos and 13 maps throughout the text.

Review

The author, Patrick Delaforce, has done an excellent job of telling the story of the 11th Armoured Division from June 1944 until the final German surrender in May of 1945. The stories of the men of the 11th Armoured while conducting their business in the great advance from the beaches to the plains of Germany, in this book brought back a few memories of my career as a Tank Commander as well, and got a good feel of the story what was going on with the hardships of keeping everything going.

From the machines and the men who crewed them, Patrick has told their stories, and with the inclusion of their personal accounts has made this an excellent read. As the war started to wind down the 11th Armoured was given the task to deal with many prisoners of war and displaced persons. Plus the role in Operation Eclipse the business of occupation was completed to a high standard, until their Division was disbanded in January of 1946.

Conclusion

This is an interesting and very readable book and you will get the feel of these men as they advanced across Europe in their many different vehicles from Sherman’s to Cromwell’s to the final surrender. As my background serving with an Armoured unit for 22 years, with 6 overseas rotations, and with 2 of them in Afghanistan, and being a veteran combat tank commander, I had the familiarity with the tankers' choice of words and doctrine which made it easy to follow the various engagements of the Black Bulls. Plus with the firsthand accounts of the men, who sat in these tanks and fought, will give any reader the insight to the hardships of combat.

Many thanks to Chris Evans at Stackpole Books for the review copy!