British Armies in WWII

Vol. 4 Armor (book)

by Bill Rutherford

written by David Hughes, David Ryan, and Steve Rothwell

This book, published by the Nafziger Collection, continues the earlier volumes’ efforts to trace the history of British armor through the war… Priced at $20, what you get is 126 pages of 10 pt text, printed in Nafziger’s normal tape-bound 8.5’ by 11” format, that details 11 tank and 10 armored brigades, the 79th Armored Division (as well as a pair of other “special” armored brigades), various armored car regiments, and British colonial forces.

The basic organizations of the various formations are traced through the war, showing equipment types used, by year, with sample establishment strengths taken from various points during the war. Seven pages of detailed organization charts show how the units’ armor was deployed, though soft-skins aren’t included. Various brigade badges and flashes are described as well. The description of the armored car regiments is only seven pages long but for all that does a good job describing their missions, their organization and equipage, and their service histories. The section on colonial forces includes interesting, if short, histories of approximately 50 such formations including the Transjordan Frontier Force, the Arab Legion, the Iraqi Levies, and the Jewish Infantry Brigade Group, as well as a host of lesser-known units such as the Tristan Defense Volunteers (Tristin de Cunha, South Atlantic, pop. 250, maintained radio station; volunteer squad existed to resist attempted U-boat landings…)

If you’re a British armor buff you MUST have this book… Even if you’re “merely” interested in WW 2 you’ll find the capsule histories quite interesting… Possibly available from your local game shop (check there first!) but certainly from George Nafziger on-line at http://home.fuse.net/nafziger, by email at nafziger@fuse.net, or by regular mail from The Nafziger Collection Inc., PO Box 1522, West Chester, OH 55069-1522. Recommended!

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