Hello all. I am looking for a good memoir on the African Campaign from the United Kingdom point of view. Most likely there is a thread on it but I can't find it yet. Does anyone knows a good memoir from the North African Battlefields?
Brazen Chariots: An Account of Tank Warfare in the Western Desert, November-December 1941: Amazon.ca: Books This is one of my all time favourites. Crisp also wrote a memoir of his time serving in Greece that's worth a look too :Amazon.com: The gods were neutral.: Robert Crisp: Books
A classic. The Diary of a Desert Rat RL Crimp http://www.amazon.com/The-Diary-Desert-R-L-CRIMP/dp/0330240218
Cyril Joly - Take these men. Forty (ed) Jake Wardrop - Tanks across the Desert Technically Crisp is from the South African point of view. Both of his books are excellent. Not a memoir, but full of first person accounts: Hart - 'To the Last Round', history of South Nottinghamshire Hussars. May have been republished under a different title. Owen - when did Crimp arrive and where did he serve? All the best Andreas
Owen - when did Crimp arrive and where did he serve? He was in 2 RB. Diary starts 23rd July 1942 until 12th May 1943.
Panz Barrie Pitt's "crucible of war" in three volumes might cover it all as well as Joly's account......Try Amazon Cheers
This one's on my list to buy. Supposed to release in June so it's still an unknown quantity. Pen and Sword Books: Anti Tank I'd also like to recommend A Tankie's Travels: Amazon.co.uk: Jock Watt: Books.
Those sound very interesting! Do you know which AT regt Anti Tank is about? All the best Andreas Sorry Andreas but no. The book descriptions I've found online don't mention what unit Mr. Carter served with. Guess it's a frustrating case of wait and see.
Orwell1984 While I would agree with you on Jock Watts tale of Tank combat in his personal rise from the ranks to RSM to Officer - his was solely his actions as were the tales of others in their own experiences and various battles have been recorded BUT the OP wants an overview of the African Campaign which is well accounted for in Barrie Pitt's trilogy Pitt developed the situation from Day one in Wavell's Command through Auchinleck to Montgomery's victory at Tunis and is fully comprehensive of all the action in that period Cheers
Andreas All depends on what you want - facts or riveting action - seems to me that the Op wants an overview of the objective History of that campaign - whereas Joly - Crispy - Watt - and many others - give only the small riveting parts....and your own is only concerned with the one battle as- in my view - Beda Fomm was even more riveting - who can forget Roy Farran saying a prayer before cremating an Italian Tank crew before joining the 2nd SAS to cremate even more....Cheers
See post #5 also:- 2nd and 10th Bn Rifle Bde Private Papers of R L Crimp | Imperial War Museums (iwm.org.uk) Possibly 6919599 Rfn R L CRIMP wounded 31.3.43 whilst with 2 Bn
Just noted this would presumably be Mr. Bowlby of 'Rifleman Bowlby's War' fame who edited the book? The man who gave us the snipped that no matter how useless they considered the PIAT at its design role, it made a great mortar replacement for the 2" mortar. All the best Andreas
