Andrew, It's coming by airmail and I'll get it scanned in a week or so when it lands with me. Yes, I've used the online copy of Ball of Fire a number of times--very useful. Do you have a particular interest or focus on 4th Indian Division? Edit: a bit tatty, but beggars can't be choosers:
Charley, Not per se, but a life-long interest in British Colonial Military History, especially India and the Middle East. I am (well, was and am about to resume) working on a book on the Sikh Wars for Helion, but it was interrupted by both a divorce and moving to a new location, but it is my life's work and I am finally getting back in the mood to finish it (my Ex getting half the proceeds for a subject she knows nothing about or has ever contributed to, did put a major damper on things for awhile too), but again...I am getting back in gear and should resume full time by New years. I PHYSICALLY have the circa 1930 NWF Official History's, but as they are soft-bound, I am loathe to scan them, hence my still seraching for the no longer available E-versions, which I'm sure someone snagged before DLI disappeared. Andrew
Book (pamphlet really) arrived and in good order. It's actually an excellent little publication and provides more detail (and far more images, not to mention maps) than I was expecting. The wartime paper and binding are fragile, however, so a flat-bed scan looked risky; I'm no photographer, but I flatter myself that these should prove sharp enough to be legible.
So... the Toronto Public Library's reference collection includes a copy of The Red Eagles! I don't suppose anyone who is interested in it has copies of RA Anti-Tank Regiment War Diaries? The whole thing is 447 pages so I might have to photograph it a chapter at a time. P.S. there is a copy for sale on abebooks right now.
There are three publications about 4th Indian Division named (The) Red Eagles. First, a very brief wartime pamphet, essentially propaganda, which covers only the North African campaign. That dates it at around 1943. I have posted a link to a high quality scan somewhere on the board. It does have some nice pictures. Second, a more substantial post-war publication which covers the entire war--this is the one whose cover I posted on the previous page of this thread. A fellow member here has kindly supplied me with a digital copy since that post. Last, the book by Praval in the early 80s that is now for sale on Abebooks. This covers the entire history of the division and is heavy on the Indian-Pakistan Wars, but the Second World War material is, frankly, awful: a less-literate copy of the (excellent) official divisional history minus a lot of detail and most mention of the British battalions that served with them.
Charley...I w/gladly reciprocate with something you might or may be looking for, in exchange for a digital copy of the above. Please advise! Andrew
Gentlefolk, I have a friend who is a WIZ at .pdf-ilating jpegs. It may take a bit of a while, as he is very busy too, but when it's ready, I will post the entire 20th Div History here as a single .pdf Acrobat file (or where we can all get to it), as a way of thanking Charley Fortnum for his efforts!
It's a nice idea--one document it much more helpful, but you may find trouble with the file-size. The board will accept multiple files of less that 2MB, but a single file of a lower combined size will be rejected. The only way around it is to host the file off-site and post a link.
I have a DropBox account, so that would not be a problem. Again, it won't happen tomorrow, but when it does, I will let you know!
Thanks for posting the 20th Indian Division history. I have a number of these that I have scanned or xeroxed in the past.
Not a problem. We're doing pretty well here and have collectively assembled digital copies of the short histories of the 4th, 7th 8th 10th 19th & 20th Ind Divs [message me if you can't get the links above to deliver these]. This leaves only: - The Fighting Fifth: The story of the 5th Indian Division - The Black Cat Division: The story of the17th Indian Division - The Story of the 25th Indian Division. - Tiger Head: The story of the 26th Indian Division. I'm keen to see the first two of these. Does anybody have a copy and a camera?
Here, by the way, is an addendum of sorts: the last page of that history summarises the 20 Ind Div's time in French Indochina in a few lines; here is a more detailed treatment: http://www.nids.mod.go.jp/english/event/forum/pdf/2014/08.pdf
Thanks! I HAD, a book on the 1st Vietnam War, similar title (though damned if I can think of it this moment) dealing with the actual British occupation until the French could get back there in some sort of strength. Not a bad book at all either, seems that the British had a weird window of opportunity to bridge the gap and promote entente'/negotiations, but were pretty much told to "butt out" by the French (and to a lesser extent, the US).
Ahhh. That's annoyingly confusing. Sorry, the book in the Toronto library is that same one from the 80s. Glad you have a copy of that post-war publication!
I have scanned a PDF copy of The Story of the 25th Indian Division from some old xerox copies from about 20 years ago. The copy quality is a bit poor, it is in black and white, and it is missing the pages of pictures only in the middle. At the time, I was mostly interested in the text. It was pre-scanner and pre-digital camera age. If you are interested in a copy, start a conversation with me and give me your email. I will send you a link to download the file. Tomorrow I will do the same for Tiger Head: The story of the 26th Indian Division.
You're not really selling me on this copy you have, but I'd love to see a copy, thanks. Elsewhere, I have located a copy of the 5th Indian Division Short History for sale, but it's thirty quid. If I do decide to bite the bullet and buy, I'll copy and post it here, but... thirty quid for a pamphlet.
Morning all ! Anyone know of a good similar link to the British 78 Div ? (That's the Battle Axe shown in my avatar) Many thanks! Ron