Roll Again Second Armoured: Prelude to Fame, 1940-43

Kristall Productions. Very Good/Very Good. 1988. Hard Cover. Dimensions: 28.8 x 21.4 x 1.6 cm 0904811115 Dust jacket complete, unclipped, rubbed.. Original cloth boards with bright gilt titling on spine. No ownership marks. A few spots on ffep. Numerous photographs. 128 pages clean and tight. If you are not too squeamish, we hope this book will put you in a tank, in spirit, with your crew. It is not basically about armies, generals, campaigns and battles. It is an intimate look at some of the war machines and the roots of inspired teamwork and growing fame in the pre-war years and the first combat performance of the Second Armored Division. It reveals the sources of a soldier's bonds and how he could have a love affair with a rolling iron coffin. It describes the excitement, danger, comedy, accidents and benefits of realistic training, and how some of these experiences were applied in battle. When Hitler invaded the Lowlands in May, 1940 his panzers were using some of the tactics the U.S. had already developed in theory, ideas which German officers visiting the U.S. in the 1930s said they too were developing. They probably were a little behind in doctrine but ahead in vehicle development. Their shocking success in the blitzkreig precipitated the United States into forming an Armored Force in June 1940. Small tank units under infantry or cavalry control, stationed in eastern or mid-western states, were transferred to Fort Knox and Fort Benning as nuclei for the first two American armored divisions. Although the story begins in 1940, several pre-1940 tanks are included in the photos, to give a broader perspective of the evolution of American tanks. The events and adventures described are as seen through the eyes of a platoon and company grade tank officer. It is fortuitous that fate has led the authors to concentrate on an extremely crucial period in the history of the Second Armored Division. This book is a real find for armor buffs and the general reader. .