This is CBS Eye on the World.

Here's John Batchelor.

Normandy, 1944.

That is a piece of the vast story told by the historian James Holland in his new book,

Brothers in Arms.

One legendary tank regiment's bloody war from D-Day to V-E-Day. We're going to travel with the Army of the United Kingdom,

a vast landscape in 1939 when the war broke out, because at that time, the British Empire spanned the globe,

and we're going to follow one particular unit that begins the war as formerly a cavalry

regiment in Palestine and is transformed into a Sherman tank regiment charging across France and Belgium and to Germany.

I welcome James. I congratulate him. We've had wonderful time speaking of his earlier books,

Normandy 44, and then the story of Sicily. But now we are with the Sherwood Rangers yeomanry.

James, congratulations and good evening.

The Sherwin Rangers yeomanry in 1939 are a cavalry regiment,

and a man by the name of Christopherson is with them.

What is the cavalry regiment to be transformed into,

and what does that mean for the very young Christopherson he's from South Africa but he's in a cavalry regiment good evening to you

well good evening to you John and thank you very much for that and and for having me on

yeah the show range was extraordinary I mean mean, the British Army in 1939 at the

outbreak of the Second War is actually 100% mechanised. It's the only army in the world that is.

But that sounds more impressive than it actually is, and it's largely because the British Army is

incredibly small in 1939. It's allied with France, and France is going to do the Army bit,

and Britain's going to provide naval power and burgeoning air power. But it does have an France, and France is going to do the army bit, and Britain's going to

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