From North Africa To Anzio: The Memoirs Of A Sherman Tank Driver In The Second World War

Far from being a backwater to the wider events of the Second World War, the Mediterranean theatre of Allied operations was vast in its scale, requiring expert command of materiale and resources in combination with a determined spirit within those tasked with the fighting against not only a highly motivated and very capable enemy, but to do so in what was a challenging environment to both man and machine. The armoured fighting vehicle, namely the tank (alongside that of artillery and air power), would prove vital in the open nature of warfare in North Africa and the Mediterranean, although Nazi Germany held the initiative in many aspects of armoured warfare in WWII. The breed of men who operated tanks throughout the Second World War, honing them into the fearsome weapons we recognise today, became known as 'Tankers'. Tank warfare by its very nature was unpleasant and claustrophobic. Sergeant Hugh Brian Brazier (2 July 1922/23 - March 2022) joined the British Army on 19 March 1942 at the age of 20. Posted to the 46th Royal Tank Regiment, he was soon deployed to North Africa, where his experiences of the Second World War would begin. AUTHOR: Born into a military family, Tim Heath's interest in military history began at an early age. Firstly, specialising in military ammunition, weapons and militaria collecting in general with particular emphasis on the air war of the Second World War, he embarked upon an extensive programme of groundbreaking research which inadvertently led him to focus his efforts on the social history elements of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich Germany with particular emphasis upon the roles of females prior to and during the Third Reich Nazi era. During the course of his research work spanning some thirty-six years, he has worked closely with both the German War Graves Commission, Kassel, Germany, and veterans and civilians from all sides of the global conflict that was the Second World War. His first book, Hitler's Girls - Doves Amongst Eagles, was published by Pen and Sword Books Ltd in 2017. Following on from the success of Hitler's Girls, Tim has written a further thirteen books. He has written extensively for some of the UK's leading military history publications and has contributed articles to various online media resources around the world. He has also appeared in the Sky History documentary series Hitler's Handmaidens and The Nazis -Threads of Evil for Refuge 31. He lives in the former market town of Evesham, Worcestershire, UK, with his partner Paula. 40 b/w illustrations