Osprey Men-at-Arms 354 : The British Army (1) 1939-1945 : North-west Europe

The Second World War was Britain's last as a world power; it was a citizen's war, in which most British men and women were mobilised. For a year it saw Britain standing alone against the fascist dictatorships; and winning it cost the sacrifice of the entire national wealth. This first book of three describes and explains the uniforms developed for European service. The importance of the British Army's contribution to World War II - and of WWII in the history of the British Army - is impossible to overstate. This first of three books covers the introduction of new uniforms and equipment, based on a new tactical doctrine, in the 1930s; the costly lessons of Norway and France, 1940; the grim period when Britain stood alone in the world against Hitler's Germany; the slow build-up to the Second Front; and the army which crossed the Channel on D-Day 1944, and liberated huge areas of Western Europe by spring 1945. Uniform information is supported by a campaign summary, infantry organisation tables, list of arms and services, and basic specifications of a number of heavy weapons. Text by Martin J. Brayley with illustrations by Mike Chappell.

Contents

• The British Army between the Wars
• New Weapons, New Uniforms and Equipment - The 1937 Reforms
• Mobilisation & the Phoney War
• Organisation of Formations and Units
• Norway and France 1940
• Development of Uniforms 1940-44
• Special-to-Role Uniforms - Airborne, Armoured Troops, etc
• The Second Front - Development of Uniforms 1944-45