An Englishman at War

Just as Hans von Luck impressed with his personal account of his incredible journey as a German tanker in World War II, so does Stanley Christopherson for the English side.  “An Englishman at War: The Wartime Diaries of Stanley Christopherson DSO, MC, TD” published in 2014 by Bantam Press and edited and annotated by World War II historian James Holland is a fascinating, gripping, and very personal journey with a man who was called to serve in the Sherwood Rangers Tank Regiment from Palestine in 1939, through Tobruk and El Alamein in Africa, D-Day, Nijmegen, across the Rhine, and  all the way to the end in 1945.

Because they were always called to the front lines as a sort of “fire brigade”, the Sherwood Rangers fought just about everywhere on the western front worth noting.  After fighting in Africa for two years, they thought they might get a break and be used as reserves for the Normandy invasion.   Such was not their lot, and they were instead taught how to man the Sherman DD swimming tank for the run in on Gold Beach on June 6, 1944.  As many of these beasts sank better than they swam, many Sherwood Rangers swam up into the beach as very waterlogged Desert Rats.  Despite their challenges, they took Bayeux on June 7, and then fought through the hedgerows into France.  During Market Garden (Holland), they were up front with the American 82nd Paratroopers at the battle in Nijmegen.

I was first drawn to the book because of Charley’s close friendships with the Sherwood Rangers, against whom he fought in Africa in 1943.  The moment I started reading it, however, I knew I would not put it down until it was fully devoured.  Christopherson writes well, describes his situations with typical British wit and humor, and fortunately for us, even romantic experiences have not been left out.

If you want an overall perspective on the western front war, written by honorable and opposing participants, start with this book and “Panzer Commander” by Hans von Luck, and you won’t go wrong.