8/8:What an armor-dominated escalation might look like, NATO vs Russia. 8/8: Brothers in Arms: One Legendary Tank Regiment’s Bloody War from D-Day to VE-Day, by James Holland
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 11 December 2022
⏱️ 7 minutes
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8/8:What an armor-dominated escalation might look like, NATO vs Russia. 8/8: Brothers in Arms: One Legendary Tank Regiment’s Bloody War from D-Day to VE-Day, by James Holland
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08YS123SZ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0
In the annals of World War II, certain groups of soldiers stand out, and among the most notable were the Sherwood Rangers. Originally a cavalry unit in the last days of horses in combat, whose officers were landed gentry leading men who largely worked for them, they were switched to the “mechanized cavalry” of tanks in 1942. Winning acclaim in the North African campaign, the Sherwood Rangers then spearheaded one of the D-Day landings in Normandy on June 6, 1944; led the way across France; were the first British troops to cross into Germany, and contributed mightily to Germany’s surrender in May 1945.
Inspired by Stephen Ambrose’s Band of Brothers, the acclaimed WWII historian James Holland memorably profiles an extraordinary group of citizen soldiers constantly in harm’s way. Their casualties were horrific, but their ranks immediately refilled. Informed by never-before-seen documents, letters, photographs, and other artifacts from Sherwood Rangers’ families—an ongoing fraternity—and by his own deep knowledge of the war, Holland offers a uniquely intimate portrait of the war at ground level, introducing heretofore unknowns such as the Commanding Officer Stanley Christopherson, the squadron commander John Semken, Sergeant George Dring, and other memorable characters who helped the regiment become the single unit with the most battle honors of any ever in the British army. He weaves the Sherwood Rangers’ exploits into the larger narrative and strategy of the war, and also brings fresh analysis to the tactics used.
Following the Sherwood Rangers’ brutal journey over the dramatic eleven months between D-Day and V-E Day, Holland presents a vivid and original perspective on the endgame of WWII in Europe.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is CBS I On The World. I'm speaking to James Holland. His book, Brothers and Arms, |
| 0:10.9 | details war on the ground, tank war. It was the story of 1944-45 in the Allied victory |
| 0:20.2 | over Germany. We come now to May 5, 1945. The same steward hills who was heartbroken by |
| 0:28.0 | the loss of his good friend Dennis Elmer is driving back towards headquarters where the showroom |
| 0:35.3 | Rangers are waiting for their next orders to keep attacking because the Germans won't surrender. |
| 0:39.6 | So they have to attack and attack and I think they're headed for Bremen. |
| 0:44.8 | Bremenhawin. Bremenhawin. Bremenhawin. Thank you. And Christopherson gets a message that |
| 0:50.7 | James has reproduced in his book. What is the message James? |
| 0:53.5 | Well, it arrived the previous evening of the 4th of May and he's handed it. He's in this courtyard |
| 1:00.3 | and this this farm yard. This farm is beautiful little beach in the kind of sort of hinterland |
| 1:06.6 | between Bremen and Hamburg. Farming low-level, farming land and could cast her |
| 1:12.0 | and then he's overtaken over this farm yard and building as the regimental headquarters. |
| 1:16.7 | And something this message is scrolled on a used message pad in pencil and he's rather irritated |
| 1:24.9 | that why haven't you used a clean sheet of paper? And the guy says I just I had to take this down |
| 1:30.9 | immediately on the first finger to find it was so important. And basically says no further |
| 1:34.5 | advance, no further firing. BBC reports that the Germans are all surrender of eight o'clock |
| 1:39.5 | tomorrow morning. Stay where you are. And they realize that this is the end of the war. |
| 1:44.7 | And it was amazing because in October 2020 and a gap in the pandemic I went over to |
| 1:51.2 | I went over to Karlsherf and on a pilgrimage really I kind of so following the footsteps |
| 1:55.6 | of the showed ranges all through Germany, through Guylankirken, through the route, through operation |
| 2:00.9 | veritable, through cleave, gawk, is some up to the river Rhine across the river Rhine all the way through |
| 2:06.8 | that single road through the woods and forests and stuff up to Bremen, saw where Dennis Elmor was |
... |
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