The Black Bull: From Normandy to the Baltic with the 11th Armoured Division

by Patrick Delaforce

Overview

This WWII history chronicles the legendary British Armored Division in combat across northern Europe with veterans’ personal recollections.

The British Army’s 11th Armored Division, famous for its Black Bull insignia, was famous for its courageous fighting during the Second World War. In this volume, Black Bull veterans tell the story of their Division in their own words. Beginning with the Normandy invasions, they vividly describe the role they played in Operations Epsom, Goodwood and Bluecoat. They bring readers with them on the “Great Swan' through France and Belgium; the taking of Antwerp; Operation Market Garden; and the final slog into Germany across well-defended river barriers. They also recount stories of casualties and losses, the hardships of a winter campaign, and the comradeship and bravery it takes to persevere.

Historian Patrick Delaforce provides a historical narrative that gives context to the personal accounts. Twelve Black Bull regiments are represented, with memories from troop commanders and riflemen, bombardiers and signalmen, tank crews, troop leaders, as well as the Division’s GOC, Major-General G.P.B. Roberts. The text is supplemented throughout with wartime photographs showing the Division in action.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781473819085
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	01/31/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	259
Sales rank:	986,809
File size:	12 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

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 & Sword are Churchills Desert Rats in North Africa, Burma, Sicily and Italy, Wellington Le Beau and Montys Marauders.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements iv

1 The Sharp End 1

2 In the Beginning 9

3 Weaponry 12

4 Forming Up 17

5 'War is Mostly about Waiting' 22

6 'Cry Havoc - and Let Slip the Dogs of War' 26

7 Operation Epsom 29

8 Interlude 44

9 Operation Goodwood 47

10 Another Interlude 69

11 Operation Bluecoat 72

12 Breakout 102

13 The Great Swan 114

14 The Taking of Antwerp 129

15 Prelude and Right Flank to Market Garden 142

16 Holland and the Peel Country 152

17 In the Bleak Midwinter: October 161

18 In the Bleak Midwinter: November 169

19 In the Bleak Midwinter: Leave 174

20 In the Bleak Midwinter: December 176

21 The Ardennes 181

22 In the Bleak Midwinter: January 187

23 In the Bleak Midwinter: February 190

24 Operation Blockbuster: the Hochwald Battle 195

25 Another Interlude: March 202

26 The Rhine Crossing and Advance 205

27 The Battle for Teutoburger Wald (Ibbenbüren Ridge) 211

28 The River Weser Crossing 218

29 From the Weser to the Aller 223

30 Towards the Elbe 230

31 Belsen 234

32 The Last Stretch 237

33 Round-Up 243

Contributors to The Black Bull 251

Editorial Reviews

"If you are looking for a good account of operations from the perspective of those who were there, look no further."

AMPS

"...a book that will be of great interest to military historians."

AMPS Indianapolis

"Some passages contain info appropriate for tabletop scenarios. You certainly get a UK version of the battle for France, complete with days that went right and days that went wrong. "

Historical Miniatures Gaming Society