Churchill's Desert Rats: From Normandy to Berlin With the 7th Armoured Division

by Patrick Delaforce

The remarkable liberation of Europe and the role of the famed 'Desert Rats'. Told in the words of the men who took part in the campaign.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

200 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 1993

Reviews

[Carl · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a great book if you want some 1st hand accounts of the division's activities during the NW Europe campaign (as long as you do not take them all at face value). However, if accuracy and perhaps some analysis is what you are after then one should give this book a pass. Battle details are outdated compared to more modern works on the fighting the division took part in (for example, compare Dan Taylor's account of Villers-Bocage to Delaforce, or John Buckley's take on British armoured formations compared to Delaforce's.), the personal testimony is disjointed and not referenced so we do not know where to find the primary source, there are unexplained abbreviations, the narrative can be very confusing hindered further by poor grammar, and the book is full of over the top and unsourced claims. Very disappointing.

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling account of the British advance from Normandy to Hamburg in the Second World War. Patrick Delaforce, who himself fought in the same theatres, is a fine editor and brings together a handful of different accounts from various soldiers who were fighting as Monty's Desert Rats. These were the guys inside (vastly inferior) tanks so much of the conflict is described from the point of view of those inside the vehicles.

My grandfather was a Desert Rat himself which is why I picked this book off the library shelf. I found it to be an unembellished account of the war, focusing on action and reaction and paying particular attention to the geography, forces involved and the losses on both sides. Inevitably there's some repetition here (that's the nature of conflict for you), but despite some slow spots I was never less than engrossed in what was going on.

While Delaforce's text is the framework that holds the story together, the first-hand accounts of the conflict are what make this a strong read. You really get into the soldiers' mindset and learn what it was like to take part in this war.

A factual narrative that provides a nice counterpoint to the better known US perspective, BAND OF BROTHERS. This was part of a series - the second of three, I think. I'll look out for the others.