Wikipedia:WikiProject Military history/News/November 2024/Book reviews
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Tony Colvin - The Noise of Battle |
- By Hawkeye7
This book is about the battles of Yorkshire Bridge, Kervenheim and Winnekendonk. These were part of Operation Veritable, the Anglo-Canadian advance through the Reichswald in February 1945. Breaking out from the area around Nijmegen captured by the US 82nd Airborne Division during Operation Market Garden in September 1944 saved the 21st Army Group from having to make an assault over the Maas River.
Originally scheduled for October 1944, the attack was twice postponed: to January 1945 after the 21st Army Group was diverted to the opening of the port of Antwerp to resolve the American Army's logistical difficulties;and then by another month due the the German Ardennes Offensive. The postponements meant that instead of attacking over dry or frozen ground, the attacks took place over muddy and flooded ground, recapitulating the worst fighting in the Third Ypres campaign of 1917.
Worse still, the failure of the US First Army to capture the Roer dams gave the Germans time to sabotage the sluice gates, creating an artificial flood on the Roer and Maas Rivers, preventing the US Ninth Army from crossing for two weeks and implementing the southern prong (Operation Grenade) of what was intended to be a giant pincer movement. The campaign then became a frontal assault by the British and Canadians.
This book has three parts. The first part is a very detailed description of each of these battles, incorporating a large number of first-hand accounts from British, Canadian and German sources. This makes it heavy going, even for someone like me. The second part provides a rich background on the commanders and units involved. The third part is an overly long, rambling and repetitive essay on what was wrong with the British Army's weapons and tactics.
Like many weapons from the sword to the machine gun, while the weapon itself was undoubtedly impressive, the best way to use it was not always so obvious. This was the case with the tank. Between the wars, the British Army debated what the proper role of the tank was. In turn, this informed the design of British tanks. Multiple schools of thought emerged. One saw the tank as primarily an infantry support weapon. From this came a series of infantry tanks, including the Matilda II, Valentine and Churchill that prioritised armour.
Another school of thought was that armour should operate separately and conduct mobile operations such as pursuit of a retreating enemy or exploiting a breakthrough. This resulted in a line of cruiser tanks, including the Covenanter, Crusader and Cromwell. These prioritised speed over armour. In action in the desert and especially in North West Europe, the infantry tanks proved to be more effective. Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery called for a universal tank that could perform both roles. For this purpose, the British Army adopted the American Sherman tank, often up-gunned with a 17 pounder in the form of the Sherman Firefly. Eventually they produced a British universal tank, the Centurion.
The author argues at length that the Churchill was superior to the the Sherman, backed up by the performance of the Churchill-equipped 6th Guards Armoured Brigade. Originally formed as an infantry brigade, this unit gave special attention to tank-infantry cooperation. The Churchill gave sterling service in the muddy conditions, which it was designed to do.
I am not recommending this book, unless you are really interested in Operation Veritable.
Publishing details: Tony, Colvin (2024). The Noise of Battle: The British Army and the Last Breakthrough Battle West of the Rhine, February-March 1945. Warwick: Helion & Company. ISBN 978-1-804516-92-8. OCLC 1458754254.
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