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Mailed Fist: 6th Armoured Division at War, 1940-1945
Mailed Fist 6th Armoured Division at War 19401945 Author:Ken Ford Formed in 1940, the British 6th Armoured Division was in the thick of the action in the Mediterranean from December 1942 until the end of the Second World War. It received its baptism of fire in the battles in Tunisia after Operation 'Torch', the Anglo-American amphibious landings in North Africa. Following Rommel's bloody defeat of the American... more »s at the Kasserine Pass in February 1943, 6th Armoured Division helped stabilise the Allied front line and pushed the Germans back into the path of the advancing Eighth Army. The division went on to play a major part in the total defeat of the Axis forces in North Africa, including taking the surrender of Rommel's famous 90th Light Division in May 1943. Following retraining in Algeria, 6th Armoured Division joined Allied forces in Italy for the great Operation 'Diadem' attack in May 1944, taking part in the fourth battle of Cassino and breaking through the German Gustav and Hitler Lines. The division spent the winter of 1944-5 holding exposed positions in atrocious weather along the Gothic Line before playing a key role in the mighty River Po offensive of April 1945, which brought about the rapid collapse and surrender of all Axis forces in Italy.Combining eyewitness accounts, unit war diaries and unpublished sources, this is the first history of this distinguished division, which was commanded by a series of well-respected officers and made up of battalions from several very famous regiments, including the Guards.« less