- Author
- Trevor Laing
- ARRSE Rating
- 2 Mushroom Heads
British Army Divisions in WWII (part II, Infantry & Motor Divisions)
Published by: Travelogue 219 - Canada. Compiled by: Trevor Laing.
ISBN: 978 1 92767 981 4
Trevor Laing was born in Toronto and is one of the first authors to join the Travelogue 219 team with his first book,`Officers at Arnhem'. He has three books on British Army Divisions of which two have already been published. His other book, not yet mentioned, is the companion to this one; British Army Divisions in WWII, (part 1, Armoured and Mixed Divisions).
The Book.
I sent for this book hoping I would get an insight into the various divisions and brigades of the Army during World War II. I learnt a couple of things; buying self-published works by little-known authors can be a potential minefield and, don't believe everything a publisher tells you about a book - he's trying to sell it!
That being said, this book is a useful little reference manual for checking who was where. Unfortunately, the book is just a compilation of lists with a few lines of history at the start and a list of former commanding generals. I feel an opportunity has been missed here. More detail for each of the units concerned would certainly have made this a lot more interesting read. I wasn't too impressed with the divisional signs being depicted at the start of that division's section in black and white. Why? They had to be described so why not print them in colour, unless it was cheaper.
That, I think is the problem with this publication. It comes over as cheap and produced on a shoestring budget. The book has four black and white photos all showing anti-tank guns! An interesting choice considering the book is supposed to be about Infantry and Motor Divisions!
I didn't intend this review to be that negative, but unfortunately, I was disappointed by it and expected much more for my £14.99. If you are the sort of person that enjoys reading lists and correlating information from listed sources, then this is an ideal book for you. If, like me, you prefer detailed facts backed up with unit histories, I would suggest a different source.
Rating: A poor 2 out of 5
Smeggers.
Amazon product
Published by: Travelogue 219 - Canada. Compiled by: Trevor Laing.
ISBN: 978 1 92767 981 4
Trevor Laing was born in Toronto and is one of the first authors to join the Travelogue 219 team with his first book,`Officers at Arnhem'. He has three books on British Army Divisions of which two have already been published. His other book, not yet mentioned, is the companion to this one; British Army Divisions in WWII, (part 1, Armoured and Mixed Divisions).
The Book.
I sent for this book hoping I would get an insight into the various divisions and brigades of the Army during World War II. I learnt a couple of things; buying self-published works by little-known authors can be a potential minefield and, don't believe everything a publisher tells you about a book - he's trying to sell it!
That being said, this book is a useful little reference manual for checking who was where. Unfortunately, the book is just a compilation of lists with a few lines of history at the start and a list of former commanding generals. I feel an opportunity has been missed here. More detail for each of the units concerned would certainly have made this a lot more interesting read. I wasn't too impressed with the divisional signs being depicted at the start of that division's section in black and white. Why? They had to be described so why not print them in colour, unless it was cheaper.
That, I think is the problem with this publication. It comes over as cheap and produced on a shoestring budget. The book has four black and white photos all showing anti-tank guns! An interesting choice considering the book is supposed to be about Infantry and Motor Divisions!
I didn't intend this review to be that negative, but unfortunately, I was disappointed by it and expected much more for my £14.99. If you are the sort of person that enjoys reading lists and correlating information from listed sources, then this is an ideal book for you. If, like me, you prefer detailed facts backed up with unit histories, I would suggest a different source.
Rating: A poor 2 out of 5
Smeggers.
Amazon product
