A complete guide to the world of His Majesty's common soldier 1939-1945
The common soldiers of Britain and the Commonwealth, with their battledresses, old-fashioned helmets and the spring system in the PIAT anti-tank thrower, may not have started the war well in France in the Far East, but they soon achieved a series of victories in the North African desert, first against the Italians and later against the Wehrmacht. In the next phase of the conflict, they played a key role in the invasion of Sicily and managed to knock Italy out of the war before the invasion of northwestern Europe began. During the watershed year of 1944, they held back the Panzers in Normandy, drove the Germans out of France, pushed them into the Netherlands, and came within striking distance of Arnhem to try to bypass the Siegfried Line. Against a fanatical enemy defense, they won battle after battle on their way to ultimate victory not only in Europe but also in Asia.
Simon Forty, military historian and author of dozens of books on the history of the Second World War, shows in his manual how the infantry of the British and Commonwealth armies were organised, trained and how they spent their daily days in the field. He introduces the reader to its uniforms, equipment and weaponry, its technology, its means of transport and communication, and its medical services.
The 160 pages of this carefully prepared manual include hundreds of historical photographs as well as numerous diagrams, insignia, figurants and period documents. The author goes in depth, yet shows in a compelling and accessible way how British Mudmen, like their comrades in arms from Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Poland, France and many other countries, endured the battlefields of the Second World War.
The organization on the battlefield
From sections to regiments, brigades and divisions to armies
Frontline everyday life
Tactics, vehicles, communications, supplies and medical services
Reliable and effective weapons
BREN, Lee-Enfield, PIAT, Sten Gun, grenades, mortars and more
Uniforms and equipment
Large inventory of uniforms and insignia for men and officers
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