Airborne Armour by Keith Flint

Airborne Armour is a history of the use of tanks within 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment. Beginning with a thorough examination of the development of the Tetrarch light tank and the gliders which flew them into action, the book discusses the origins of the Regiment as "C" Special Service Squadron, which, in 1942, played a part in the little known amphibious assault on Madagascar. The book details the conversion of the Squadron to the Airborne role, and then describes the actions of this pioneering formation with the 6th Airborne Division throughout the 1944-45 campaigns in Normandy, the Ardennes, Operation Varsity and the Advance into Germany. The author, Keith Flint, has researched the subject matter well and provides a very complete assessment of the role of Airborne Armour during the Second World War. Highly recommended.

Price: £21.95. Copies may be purchased from http://www.helion.co.uk/

The Devil's Own Luck: Pegasus Bridge to the Baltic 1944-45 by Denis Edwards

Synopsis: With the fine disregard for orders from the highest level that soldiers were strictly forbidden to keep diaries, Denis Edwards managed to record his experiences throughout nearly all his time in Europe in 1944-45. Since he was one of the first both to land on D-day and was among the first to join up with the Russians bear the Baltic in the Spring of 1945, his record covers the entire period of the fighting after the landings in Normandy. And a very remarkable record it is too. After a brief account of his upbringing and early training under the command of the indomitable Major John Howard, he goes on to describe the airborne landings at Pegasus Bridge and the events of each day thereafter. His account of the nearly disastrous Rhine Crossing is particularly important. The Devil's Own Luck brilliantly conveys what it was like to be facing death day after day, night after night, month after month, with never a bed to sleep in nor a hot meal to go home to. This is warfare in the raw - brutal yet humorous, immensely tragic but, sadly, all true. Denis Edwards' diary was brought to a wider audience when the hardback was published in 1999. Having sold out in a few months it is now being printed in paperback for the first time.

The Mortarmen by Michael Connelly

The Mortarmen is the epic and never before told story of the 87th Chemical Mortar Battalion. The men of the 87th landed on Utah Beach on D-Day with their 4.2" mortars and quickly became one of the most sought after fire support units in the European Theater of Operations. They fought for 326 straight days and were in almost every major battle in France, Belgium, and Germany. Their mortars placed devastating fire on the enemy from the beaches of Normandy to the Cherbourg Peninsula, and from Aachen and the Hurtgen Forest to the Battle of the  Bulge. In this 292 page book you'll read their story presented as if it comes from today's headlines. You'll hear from the men who were there and see the pictures they took, many of which have never been published before. You'll also hear from some German soldiers who faced the 87th in battle.

Price: US$24.95, C$31.00, EUR20.15, £13.96. To read excerpts from the book or place an order go to http://www.trafford.com/04-2710

Some of the People all the Time by Alastair Mackay

Alastair Mackie was formerly an Air Commodore and H-bomber pilot, twice decorated in war and twice again in peace. He left his RAF career early because he disagreed with British and NATO defence policy - in particular with what he describes as "Britain's idiotic nuclear so-called deterrent". On leaving the RAF he studied law and then became Under Treasurer at the Middle Temple... He is currently a Vice-President of CND and a volunteer mental hospital visitor. A self-styled battler Briton, Mackie tells with combative gusto the story of the extraordinary array of characters he came across, running the gamut from monarch and presidents by way of peers, paedophiles, clerics, peddlers of tobacco, booze and much else, as well as politicians and other villains. No holds barred or expletives deleted. Aviators and other ex-service people will enjoy the account of 47 aircraft types, 5,000 hours and 26 years of flying including 70 odd bombing raids, as well as airborne operations in Normandy and at Arnhem and the Rhine.

Order from Book Guild Publishing, Pavilion View, 19 New Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1UF or info@bookguild.co.uk, prices £20.00 in pp (UK), £21.50 (Europe) or £24.50 elsewhere overseas. Or from Vine House Distributors Ltd, Mullany Business Park, Deanland Road, Golden Cross, BN27 3RT, 01825 873133. Also available from good bookshops from 30th November 2006, or on the internet from Amazon.

What D'Ya Do In The War Dad? by Barry Parr

Synopsis: This book is: 'Dedicated to Peace - which sadly can only be achieved through War.' It tells the true story of my father Wally Parr who took part in the famous raid to capture Pegasus Bridge in Normandy on the eve of D-Day in 1944. It not only covers his war years but also his latter life when, at the 40th anniversary of D-Day, the author Stephen Ambrose wrote 'Pegasus Bridge' a book that told the intimate story of the raid and reunited many of my father's comrades for the first time since the war. After my mother's death my father retired to Normandy and became actively involved in preserving the old bridge when it was replaced with a new one. He was also involved in the team that was responsible for the building of a new museum in Benouville that housed the old bridge and a full scale replica of a Horsa Glider. He met Prince Charles when he opened the museum in the year 2000. The purpose of this book is to preserve and honour the memory of these fine men and to pass on to the next generation the importance of what they did. My family story is similar to thousands of others from all over the world - my hope is that this book may inspire others to record their own history for their children and their children's children. This is not your basic war history book - far better equipped authors have covered the ground more than adequately, instead it is a first-hand account given to me personally. There will be people out there who will demand to see my credentials, others will ask what qualifications I have - to those people my answer is simple: I have only one - I am my father's son. www.pegasus-parr.co.uk

Price: US$22.59, C$25.98, EUR18.56, £12.99. Copies may be purchased from http://www.trafford.com/4dcgi/view-item?item=18875.