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Desert Rats at War
Only very slight signs of age or use to book or DJ, North Africa WW II, 8 3/4 By 11 1/4", 1980
340 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1975
About the author
George Forty
102 books11 followersGeorge Forty was a British Army officer who was the chief of staff at the gunnery school at the Royal Armoured Corps. He was later a director of the Tank Museum at Bovington.
Forty was a military historian and had written numerous books on military vehicles with a focus on armoured warfare.
Forty was a military historian and had written numerous books on military vehicles with a focus on armoured warfare.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 2, 2016
My grandfather served in the Second World War in North Africa and Europe as a Tank driver. When he was alive he'd passed on a little of his experiences but, understandably, not a lot. I read this book to learn more about the situations and environment my late grandfather would have faced and to understand better how ordinary men like him fought in one of the most famous British military units, The 7th Armoured Division, otherwise better known as "The Desert Rats".
Firstly, this book is written by George Forty who himself served as a Rat and his love for the military life and traditions is clear. The book is packed with detail and whilst it serves it's purpose as a military history book, it's the firsthand accounts from the men who lived (and died) through the desert war and European campaigns that really grip your attention. These stories, whilst naturally covering the hardships and despair of war, also portray the lighter side with tales of pranks and banter between the men. the book does get a bit repetitive and would have benefitted from better editing with the desert campaign section jumping about chronologically in all directions. This is improved in the latter section covering the European history of The Desert Rats when reassigned after successfully winning the war in North Africa. My other gripe is that the book has not been adequately proof read, with a high number of typo's, spelling mistakes and grammatical errors littering the pages which did get a bit annoying at times
Overall though a very interesting and informative book, with a slight melancholic finish when dealing with the disbandment of the Rats at the end of the war. it did hold my interest throughout and I could picture my grandfather serving alongside the men whose vivid tales are woven throughout this book.
Firstly, this book is written by George Forty who himself served as a Rat and his love for the military life and traditions is clear. The book is packed with detail and whilst it serves it's purpose as a military history book, it's the firsthand accounts from the men who lived (and died) through the desert war and European campaigns that really grip your attention. These stories, whilst naturally covering the hardships and despair of war, also portray the lighter side with tales of pranks and banter between the men. the book does get a bit repetitive and would have benefitted from better editing with the desert campaign section jumping about chronologically in all directions. This is improved in the latter section covering the European history of The Desert Rats when reassigned after successfully winning the war in North Africa. My other gripe is that the book has not been adequately proof read, with a high number of typo's, spelling mistakes and grammatical errors littering the pages which did get a bit annoying at times
Overall though a very interesting and informative book, with a slight melancholic finish when dealing with the disbandment of the Rats at the end of the war. it did hold my interest throughout and I could picture my grandfather serving alongside the men whose vivid tales are woven throughout this book.
Displaying 1 of 1 review