And We Shall Shock Them The British Army in the Second World War

A history of the British Army during World War II, written by military historian Sir David Fraser. The author seeks to bring to life every major campaign fought by the British Army in World War II: the momentous defeats in France, Belgium and the Far East in the early stages, the turning point in North Africa in 1942, through to the final victories against Germany and Japan in 1945. All aspects of the conflict are described, from grand strategy at the highest levels right down to the very real experience of infantry, gunners and tankers in the field as the British Army battled its way through the War. The book shows how the seeds of the war were sown at the end of the previous war, 21 years earlier, and how successive governments in the 1920s and 1930s failed to safeguard Britain from the building threat of Germany. It describes how, by the beginning of the conflict, Hitler's armies were superior in every respect. But as the catalogue of defeats mounted, the British army were learning hard lessons and painfully acquiring the skills needed to turn the tables. It is therefore a story which moves from triumph to tragedy, and then upward to triumph at the last.