Battles With Panzers: Monty's Tank Battalions 1 Rtr & 2 Rtr at War

The story of Britain's Royal Tank Regiment is one of struggle, triumph and achievement. Its origins are a mere three-quarters of a century old, but those years have seen the stalemate of trench warfare overcome, the restoration of battlefield mobility and the establishment of armored and mechanized forces as a dominant factor in battle. During the First World War, 1 RTR won two Victoria Crosses and were victors in the first ever tank versus tank engagement. 2 RTR fought in all the key Western Front battles from Messines in June 1917 to the armistice. Both formations took part in the massed armored attack at Cambrai on 20 November 1917, a key encounter in the history of the tank. During the Second World War, 1 RTR saw action in the North African desert, in Italy and in Northwest Europe, forming the spearhead of 7th Armoured Division in 1944 and 1945. Following service with the British Expeditionary Force in France in 1940 and in North Africa and Burma, 2 RTR took part in the 1944-45 Italian campaign, ending the war in Austria. Patrick Delaforce has interviewed some forty veteran officers and men of both battalions to tell the inspiring story of Britain's two premier tank battalions at war. His narrative is interwoven with extensive interviews with these veterans and is well illustrated with a selection of maps and archive photographs.