"Best WWII British Memoir?" Topic

Which WWII memoir by a British author do you recommend?

Blazing Chariots

Memoirs of the Second World War by Churchill.

Quartered Safe Out Here, George MacDonald Fraser. About his time with 14th Army in Burma.

I second Quartered Safe Out Here. Very good read

By a Canadian " Guns of Normandy" by George Blackburn.

It's actually "Brazen Chariots" by Robert Crisp

"Tank D to VE Day" by Ken Tout

"Mailed Fist" by John Foley

''18 Platoon' by Sidney Jary is the one pushed by the British Army's School of Infantry as being most relevant about Platoon level tactics and leadership.

Currently available from Rifles Direct:
link

An essential read for every Sandhurst potential officer cadet.

Sydney Jary's account of his experience as a platoon commander in the 4th Battalion The Somerset Light Infantry during the campaign in North West Europe in 1944-45 is of inestimable value to historians and should be read by all young army officers.

Part history, part memoir, part opinion-piece, 18-Platoon is a relatively quick read that takes you through one subaltern's journey from being assigned to command a platoon of British infantry to the end of the war in Europe. His brash methods and thinking clash at first with those of his superiors, but under the guidance of his senior NCO's he becomes a trusted and effective platoon leader. That is part of the value of the book: his stories of leadership both in terms of dealing with his men, but also with his superiors in defence of his men.

Jary talks about the qualities of a good infantryman and argues that virtues such as the ability to endure, keep "a quiet mind" and laugh at the absurd, far outweigh characteristics like competitiveness, aggression and physical stamina in any long term combat situation. As Jary puts it: he would rather go into combat with a company of poets than former stars of the sports field. What an interesting notion that is.

"18 Platoon is among the best I have read"

Dr John Pimlott
Head of Dept of War Studies
RMAS

'18 Platoon' is one of the best subalterns books – probably the best – to come from the 2nd WW.

General Sir David Fraser GCB.OBE.DL

'Warriors for the Working Day' is probably the best account from an armoured small unit perspective, alas it seems out of print…

So many good books, it is difficult to choose just one. For me, probably "With the Jocks" by Peter White although "18 Platoon", "Brazen Chariots" and "64 Days of a Normandy Summer" (Keith Jones) are excellent as well.

I second "With the Jocks" by Peter White. It's a Platoon commanders account of his experiences with KOSB in NW Europe.

I'd second many of the suggestions above, but my absolute favourite is Bill Slim's Defeat into Victory.

Alan Mooreheads African Trilogy.

D.A. Rayner's Escort: The Battle of the Atlantic. I have yet to read it, but on the strength of Rayner's The Enemy Below, I want to give it a try. For a different view of naval action, there is also Edward Young's One of Our Submarines (not to be confused with the Thomas Dolby song of the same name).

Ron

I'm not widely read in this area, but would add another vote for Quartered Safe Out Here by Fraser.

Interestingly enough, another memoir from the same campaign is also superb: Defeat Into Victory: Battling Japan in Burma and India by General William Slim is both informative and a very good read. Part of its appeal is that it is the work of a deeply self-effacing man, as Slim constantly praises his subordinates and the men who served under him (whatever their nationality) and reserves the blame for himself, which makes it a pretty rare find in the field of generals' reminiscences. And this from one of Britain's better commanders in the war.

I highly recommend both.

I enjoyed The Last Fighting Tommy or Tank Twins, both very good.

Another vote for Bill Slim's Defeat into Victory.

Warriors for the Working Day' by Elstob was a novel IIRC, albeit a very good one. Still available second hand on Amazon.
Second Brazen Chariots and Quartered Safe Out Here.

As I have noted numerous times, "Mailed Fist" by John Foley.

Jary is OK, although I suspect his experience was a little atypical given when he he arrived in France. Lyndsays "So Few Came Through" is a broader look at the life and death of subalterns in NWE, and an interesting contrast to Jarys views on Battle Drill can be found in Firbanks "I bought a star".

Slims "Defeat into Victory" is a masterpiece, and Fraser's "Quatered Safe out here" a warm and moving account of Burma at a much lower level.