Monty's Marauders: The 4th and 8th Armoured Brigades in the Second World War

by Patrick Delaforce

Overview

When Monty was given Allied command of the D Day landings he wasted no time gathering around him individuals and formations he could trust. Foremost among the latter were two armoured brigades: 4th (Black Desert Rats) and 8th (Red Fox's Mask). Both these brigades had unrivalled fighting records whether in North Africa, Sicily or Italy. They had proved themselves in bitter fighting against Rommel's Afrika Korps and the Italians. Once ashore in Normandy the two superb brigades went on to enhance their reputations on the journey to the heartland of Hitler's Third Reich and final victory. The author has written a fast moving and enthralling account of war at the sharp end.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781473816459
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	01/31/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	735,190
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Patrick Delaforce served with 11th Armoured Division during the advance through NW Europe. After a career in the wine trade he became a professional writer. Among his books in print with Pen and Sword are Churchill’s Desert Rats in North Africa, Burma, Sicily and Italy, Wellington Le Beau and Monty’s Marauders.

Table of Contents

The Black Jerboa Desert Rat: 4th Armoured Brigade     7
Early History     8
Operation Compass: Battle for Sidi Barrani     12
The Battle of Beda Fomm: "One of the Great Adventures of the War"     15
Operation Battleaxe: "They are Tearing my Tanks to Bits"     18
Operation Crusader: Three Week Battle for Sidi Rezegh     22
The Battle of Gazala: The Cauldron     31
The Battle of Alam el Halfa: Operation Game Birds     41
El Alamein: Operations Lightfoot and Supercharge - "Through like pirates"     47
Hot Pursuit to Tunis: "Keep joggin' on"     52
Invasion of Sicily - Operaton Husky: "I've never seen such carnage"     58
The Italian Campaign: "A damned good gallop"     64
Operation Overlord     73
Operation Epsom: "Tanks were all over the place"     74
Operation Jupiter: "Knocked-out like Ninepins"     77
The Falaise Pocket - End of Normandy Campaign: "sickly smell of death"     80
Breakout - Liberation and Market Garden     85
Autumn and Winter: Christmas on the Maas     89
Operations Veritable and Blockbuster     92
Operation Plunder     95
The Last Lap: The taking of Bremen     101
Grande Finale: Scots Greysreach the Baltic     103
The Red Fox's Mask: 8th Armoured Brigade     105
Early History     106
The Great Battle of El Alamein     110
Operation Supercharge: The pursuit to Tripoli     116
Breaking the Mareth Line: Supercharge II     125
Mareth to Tunis     131
In Limbo     134
Build up to Overlord: "Fed like turkey cocks for the pot"     136
D-Day on the Beaches     140
June: Enlarging the Bridghead     145
Operation Epsom: Helping the Polar Bears     154
July in the Bocage: "Press On"     160
Operation Bluecoat: The taking of Mont Pincon - Operation Blackwater     163
Breakout and hot pursuit: "Into the Blue"     170
The Great Swan north: "A glimpse of Paradise"     171
The Battles of Gheel and the capture of Bourg-Leopold     178
Operation Market Garden and the Island     182
On and off the Island: October     186
Geilenkirchen: Operation Clipper     189
Winter, Christmas and the New Year     195
Operation Blackcock     197
Operation Veritable     199
Operation Leek     204
Operation Plunder     208
Breakout: Operation Forrard On     212
The Final Month     215
The Capture of Bremen     219
The End     221
Bibliography     222
Index     223
Maps
North African coast from Cairo to Tunis     8
Battle of Beda Fomm     16
Operation Battleaxe June 15th-17th 1941     19
Sidi Rezegh     22
Second Sidi Rezegh battle     28
Gazala, Day One     33
Gazala     36
Battle of Alam Halfa I     44
Battle of Alam Halfa II     45
Battle of El Alamein     48
Left Hook at Mareth     56
8th Army's advance in Sicily     59
Southern Italy     64
Normandy: Hill 112     79
The Low Countries     93
Into Germany     96
4th Armoured Brigade breakout     99
The Advance to Verden     100
Battle of Alam Halfa     108
Battle of El Alamein: 8th Armoured Brigade     112
Battles of Mareth and El Hamma     126
Tebaga Gap     129
The Normandy Invasion Beaches     139
'King' Beach on D-Day     141
Normandy Beachhead     145
The Low Countries     179
The Island     183
Operation Clipper: 4/7th RDG     192
Operation Clipper: Taking of Geilenkirchen     195
Operations Plunder and Tally-Ho     209