My book-buying "problem"

Peter Elstob was my late father's Tank Commander in 3RTR and many of the incidents described in the book (which was initially released in the 1960s) are based on what his crew actually experienced.
I have been researching the Wadi Akarit action and the death of Sgt., Rowland, 3 RTR. Interestingly, one of Elstob's characters, Geordie, has a working-class background and is from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, “although a good soldier, he is somewhat disruptive”. Similarly, was from Heaton, a working-class area of Newcastle. Tenuous link I know but I found it interesting.

 

The characters in "Warriors for the Working Day" are conflations of several people and, I guess, therefore one real person can be 'part' of each/other character (subtle but significant difference if you think about it). Dad was Elstob's Driver and, looking at the characters, I can see quite a few 'dad characteristics' in Taffy the Driver - at the same time, Dad wasn't Welsh (he was a Butcher from Lincolnshire )
Herewith a photo of Elstob's Troop (1 Troop, A squadron, 3RTR, with the Troop Leader being John Langdon [not on the photo but therefore possibly the photographer?!]). Elstob is top left (standing with arms folded), and dad - Dennis Pannell - is second row immediately photo right of the chap kneeling in the front row who is Bill Bourne).

 

Bit of a mixed bag showed up today.

 

Received the Pearl Harbor book mentioned above. Going to be limited to horizontal in the not-to-distant future, saving the book for that interval.

 

That's interesting, thanks for posting. I am in contact with a descendant of Sgt. Rowlands. Rowlands died at the Wadi Akarit action. Looking into aspects of that.

 

Just finished this, not bad. Written how he was, comedic but informative.

 

I read that a good few years ago and greatly enjoyed it, very different from the usual prisoner of war books. I always thought it quite amusing that one of the first parts that Sam had when he went into acting after the war was in The Captive Heart, where he played a prisoner of war, and was filmed in in actual German POW camp. They should have had him as technical advisor!

 

An oldie I’ve never read.

 

I have just taken delivery of this ginormous tome:



Will need a wheelbarrow to carry it about.

 

On the way: the newest book of Didden & Swarts - a volume of 425 pages.

 

Ordered my copy from Panzerwrecks so hope to see it soon too. All their works are excellent

 

Colditz ... been there a couple of years ago! Nostalgia, at a young age was thrilled by the Colditz series.

BTW. Excellent museum inside the castle.

See: Colditz Castle

 

A look at life on the German side of the WW1 battlefields. I’ve read Ernst Jünger‘s Storm of Steel, a terrific book, and am looking forward to this one too:



This one is just 99p on Amazon/Kindle. The title struck a chord as that was written on my cousin’s service record:

 

Newly acquired for my research on Op Compass and Beda Fomm.

 

This added to the collection today. Kohima by Arthur Swinson.

 

Some recent buys:

 

More books for my Narvik research.....

 

Perhaps there's another Swinson, because I had mentally classified this author as one or the number of pre-war retired generals who made their money as wartime commentators.

Seems, however, I am completely confused, this man was a captain at Kohima with 5 Inf Bde.

5th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom) - Wikipedia

 

After several years of looking, I finally obtained a copy of Norges Sjøkrig Bind IV. This volume is specifically important to me as it covers the events in the 3rd Sea District in 1940. That district included Narvik, which apparently made it a highly sought after book. It was a bit of missing research that I needed to have.

I now have all 19 volumes of the Norwegian official history covering 1940. There are four additional volumes covering the war after June 1940 covering the navy's work with the allies which I might pick up at a later time. Those volumes are easier to find.