Brothers in Arms

One Legendary Tank Regiment’s Bloody War from D-Day to VE-Day

By: James Holland

Narrated by: Al Murray

The renowned historian and author of Normandy ’44 recounts the operations and personal experiences of the legendary Sherwood Rangers during WWII.

One of the last cavalry units to ride horses into battle, the Sherwood Rangers were transformed into a “mechanized cavalry” of tanks in 1942. After winning acclaim in the North African campaign, they spearheaded one of the D-Day landings in Normandy and became the first British troops to cross into Germany. Their courage, skill, and tenacity contributed mightily to the surrender of Germany in 1945.

Inspired by Stephen Ambrose’s Band of Brothers, historian James Holland profiles this extraordinary group of citizen soldiers. Informed by never-before-seen documents, letters, photographs, and other artifacts from Sherwood Rangers’ families, Holland offers a uniquely intimate portrait of the war at ground level.

Brothers in Arms introduces heroes such as Commanding Officer Stanley Christopherson, squadron commander John Semken, Sergeant George Dring, and others who helped their regiment earn the most battle honors of any in British army history. Weaving their exploits into the larger narrative of D-Day to V-E Day, Holland offers fresh analysis and perspective on the endgame of WWII in Europe.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Griffon Merlin Ltd. Recorded by arrangement with Atlantic Monthly Press, an imprint of Grove Atlantic, Inc. (P)2021 Penguin Audio

All the details

Starts out slow in the sense that I was worried he would just be giving in personal and general descriptions of campaigns. But once they head to Normandy, it gets engrossing very quickly for those interested in military histories. He covers details from personal equipment and the relative merits of tanks, to the impact of the continuous stress on the emotions of the participants, to super interesting anecdotes about encounters with German prisoners. I loved the clipped style of writing for some of the battle sequences. It really gives you a picture of the moment by moment experience of fighting in Europe. And the narrator was really great. Perfect pacing.

Masterpiece

James Holland does it again. Superb account paying tribute to some incredible men and machines. The horror of war is plain to see, and we can only be grateful that the story of the Sherwood Rangers has been so well captured and recorded. Well done James, superbly read Al 👌🙏🏻

Excellent Book

As a former tanker ( US Peacetime 1980s ) and Combat Veteran in Iraq and Afghanistan in the Spec Ops field, I found this book riveting. The history of the unit and its men is amazing and the fighting in the last year of the war was harsh. The close in combat is just emotionally draining as you hear it from those who did it. As a reader, you will become invested in this Regiment and their fight. I found the performance spot on. This is hand down the best book on armored warfare at the tactical and operational level I have “read” in a long time.

The stunning detail of life and combat in a tank

If you enjoy learning about tanks, this book is for you! Although it is very dense so I recommend spacing the reading out.

Good read!

Good reading and easy to follow. Makes the reader feel like they are part of the unit on their journey through northwest Europe.