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7th Armoured Division - The 'Desert Rats'

$24.95

Spearhead - Book 14
By George Forty
Published in 2003 by Ian Allen Publishing, UK
Softcover, 96 Pages
Size - 25cm * 19cm

Distinguished by their red jerboa shoulder flash, the Desert Rats proved masters of desert fighting. As part of O'Connor's Western Desert Force, they helped destroy the Italian forces at Beda Fomm on 5-7 February 1941; then they fought toe-to-toe with Rommel's Deutsches Afrika Korps in a see-saw campaign that ended in victory in May 1943. Next they were involved in the major amphibious landing at Salerno, fighting on in Italy until withdrawn to spearhead British forces in Normandy.

The division learnt new skills in the bocage countryside and from then on was hardly ever out of action, advancing through France and Belgium and on to Germany, where it took the surrender of Hamburg. These tough troops were then honoured by being chosen to go to Berlin to take part in the great Victory Parade of 1945.

Spearhead looks at the cutting edge of war, units capable of operating completely independently in the forefront of battle. The series examines the unit's:

Origins and history

Organisation, order of battle and how this changed

Battle history, theatre by theatre

Insignia and Markings

Top people biographies of commanders and personalities

Each book ends with an assessment of unit effectiveness – as seen by itself, its opponents and the wider viewpoint of history – and a full reterence section including:

Critical bibliography

Relevant museums or exhibits

Website links

Re-enactment groups

Memorials

About the author
George Forty OBE spent 30 years as a Regular Army officer in the Royal Tank Regiment before becoming curator of the Bovington Tank Museum, where he was the inspiration for its growth in the 1980s and 1990s. His first two books were on the Desert Rats (with whom he served postwar) and were published by Ian Allan in 1976 and 1977; since then he has written over 50 more, most recently Battle of Crete and Fortress Europe: Hitler's Atlantic Wall.

Fully Illustrated 94 black/white photos, 17 colour photos and 15 maps.