A vivid recollection of war by a young officer

David Render leaves for posterity an account of the actions of his Unit, his Troop and his Tank Crew from their departure on OP OVERLORD through the bloody and exhausting battles of France, Holland and Germany, through to the end of the war.

He recounts his anxieties as a newly-minted officer determined to do his best to win the trust and respect of his crew of seasoned veterans. He tells of his feelings as the war takes its toll on his crew, his fellow officers and himself. He tells of the furious tank battles with German Tiger and Panther tanks in villages and Bocage. Of the carnage suffered by the Infantry. He gives a candid account of what his contemporaries really thought at the time about senior officers in command from Montgomery downwards. He recounts tragic loss in the dying days of the war, of the suffering of civilians, the horror of the concentration camp and his feelings towards the Germans. He does so with honesty and compassion.

What is remarkable about David’s account is that so many of those who fought in that ghastly war were so traumatised by it that they remained silent and took their accounts to the grave. Their numbers dwindle every year as age takes them. I salute David for his courage in re-living his experiences for us and leaving us an honest account of just what his generation went through to leave us the personal and political freedom we have today.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

Journey through history

Brilliantly paced book with a real feel of tank warfare in Europe during the latter months of WW2.. totally absorbing from the first page..

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Fury wasn't far wrong

You watch films like Fury and think "Yeah, I'm sure there was some stuff that went down like that, especially in the American and Russian armed forces, but not so much in the British formations" but on reading this book and listening to it on audible you see that war was a cruel nasty business and that everyone took part in the darker side of it, including shooting unarmed enemy soldiers as they bailed out of their tank and were no longer a threat, running over men and grinding them under tank tracks, shooting men with their hands up.. The more I read the more I find it laughable that we jail and ruin the lives of our soldiers for shooting a already dying enemy in Afghanistan or hunt for war crimes amongst our special forces because they may of killed an enemy when he was pretending to be a farmer but we all really know he's the enemy but then we celebrate and hail as heroes the men of world war 2 who have done far worse on a far greater scale.. its crazy.. If you don't believe me then believe the man himself and read his book, he holds nothing back, its a honest and brutal book.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Absolutely fantastic

I’ve now listened to this twice. It’s a great book and very interesting. I’ve listened to a few like this and they tend to state movements of the regiment and troops in a boring way, this gives insight in to who the man was and how tank crews lived and died in 1944-45. Read it - it’s a no brainier.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Great book

Really enjoyed listening to the book. Interesting first hand account of action in Europe towards end of the war. The fact how young they were going to war just amazes me. Strongly recommended.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

really enjoyed

fantastic book. my grandad was there. great narrator. at least fifteen words is required for a review👍

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

just amazing

its a truly amazing a d poignant book, you really feel as if your there though the good and bad times, i have listened twice now and both times have been as real as the last

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

extremely informative

extremely informative and well documented.
fantastic story of companionship and camaraderie of a sense that will never be forgotten.
A story of a WW2 hero and his men.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

brilliant from start to finish

superb gripping story love how he talks in the northern accent when he describes the crew

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Outstanding

This has been a moving, thought provoking and truly humbling read, the understanding of war, duty, honour and loss that this story puts across is utterly superb, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Our younger generation could learn much by reading and understanding the feelings and experiences of these heroes. Thank you for your service and explanation of it here. We will remember them.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!