“Men of Armor: The History of B Company, 756th Tank Battalion in World War II – Part Two: Cassino and Rome” | by Jeff Danby | Hardback

Description

“To my knowledge, no one has ever taken such investigative extremes to reconstruct a small unit action in World War II. I’m also convinced that this is the only small unit profile ever written on the 1944 Campaign for Southern France. With the sands of time running very low for those few remaining veterans of the fight, this book may prove to be the last of its’ kind…” Jeff Danby

Keep fighting with the American tankers!

“Men of Armor: Cassino and Rome” follows “Men of Armor: Beginnings, North Africa and Italy”, in recounting the WWII history of B Company, 756th Tank Battalion in vivid detail. The outfit, since upgraded from M5 light tanks to M4 “Sherman” mediums, claws through some of the toughest battles of WWII—from the horrific stalemate at Cassino in February 1944, through the bloody Operation Diadem May breakout to the stunning capture of Rome on 4 June 1944.

This unique multi-volume history covers the full spectrum of experiences of the men in one tank company from inception in June 1941 through the occupation of Germany in 1945. An American tank company in WWII consisted of only five officers and approximately 100 enlisted men—all living, traveling, and fighting in seventeen tanks, two jeeps, one truck, one half-track, and one tank retriever. Uniting the official record with the rich, personal accounts of the participants, the reader is swept along a highly detailed and shocking journey chronicling the evolution of American armor doctrine and tank design from June 1941 through VE-Day.

The B Company tankers often fought at a disadvantage—struggling to survive a myriad of battlefield challenges and triumph against enemy armor better armed and better protected. What was once envisioned as a warfare of sweeping armored formations managed by West Point lieutenant colonels and ROTC captains quickly devolved into small unit street fights relying more and more on the initiative, resourcefulness, and cunning of lowly OCS lieutenants and combat-seasoned sergeants. The journey is long, unforgiving, and brutal. Forty-seven fellow tankers will be lost along the way…

Men of Armor, Part II is a continuation of the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of Captain David D. Redle and his fellow tankers of B Company, 756th Tank Battalion in World War II—a Sherman tank outfit comprised of seventeen tanks, five officers, and roughly 100 enlisted men. Learn, in this second book installment, how these “Men of Armor” struggled, fought, and adapted to warfare in M4 medium tanks on the challenging and brutal battlefields of 1944 Italy. Over the course of nearly two years of combat, forty-seven company members will be lost—with survivors left forever scarred and altered. Their history is stark, honest, and personal—sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic—while delivering timeless human lessons in sacrifice, resourcefulness, practicality, the fickleness of fate—and above all, the power of perseverance.

The most comprehensive history of an American World War II tank company ever written.

6.5″ x 9.25″, 434 pages, b/w photos, maps