Knights of Freedom: With the Hell on Wheels Armored Division in World War II, A Story in Photos

Fred Brems was drafted in 1941, six months before Pearl Harbor. He spent all of World War II as a tanker, serving in the European Theater in the U.S. Army's most celebrated division, the 2nd Armored Division, known as “Hell on Wheels.” One of the most renowned units in American military history, the 2nd served in North Africa, Sicily, and Europe and fought in celebrated engagements including Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge, and the Rhine campaign. Brems, who rose up the ranks to command a platoon and then a company of Sherman tanks, photographed it all. Through over 600 photos, many never before published, supplemented by firsthand accounts from Brems, Knights of Freedom follows the 2nd Armored through some of the toughest fighting of World War II. It is a visual feast depicting American tank combat as it has never been seen before.

Frederick C. Brems was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1941, six months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. He served as a tanker throughout World War II, with the 2nd Armored Division and other units and received the Bronze Star and the Silver Star.Once the war ended, he returned to his civilian life in the paper industry, rising to lead the firm he joined as a young man. He continued in the Army Reserve until 1967, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Frederick was born in Chicago, Illinois, and lived in the Chicago area until retirement. He died in 2014.

Fred G. Brems, inspired by the multiple accounts related by his father over the years, became a lifelong student of military history and an avid collector of military models. Brems is an educator, researcher, writer, and photographer who held professional staff positions in U.S. embassies and schools in both the U.S. and overseas. He has an M.A. from the University of Maryland and a B.S. from Georgetown University. Fred and his wife, Susan, live in Durham, North Carolina.