Yesterday I managed to visit the local shopping mall, and was able to pay a visit to the branches of Waterstone’s and WH Smith. I was looking for a copy of Anthony Beevor’s D-DAY: THE BATTLE FOR NORMANDY, having previously read – and enjoyed – THE BATTLE FOR SPAIN, STALINGRAD, and BERLIN – THE DOWNFALL 1945. I almost bought a copy in Waterstone’s, but I decided to compare their price with that being charged by WHSmith … and I am glad that I did!
WH Smith were selling D-DAY: THE BATTLE FOR NORMANY at half price, and I bought my copy there. I was so pleased that I then bought two other books – both from the Osprey NEW VANGUARD series – about the M551 Sheridan Light Tank and the T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks.
I bought the book about the Sheridan because it has always appealed to me as a vehicle. It had a quirky – and rather dangerous – main armament system and was designed to be parachuted into action! It was used in action in Vietnam, Panama, and the First Gulf War, and its career was dogged with problems. It ended as the mainstay of OPFOR at Fort Irwin, converted by VISMODs (Visual Modifications) into a variety of different Soviet/Russian armoured vehicles. Truly a Jack-of-all-trades!
The T-54 and T-55 were the backbone of the Soviet and Warsaw pact armies during my childhood, and are still around in large numbers today. One or two have also been given drastic – and dramatic – VISMODs, as anyone who has seen SAVING PRIVATE RYAN can testify.
I look forward to reading these books over the next few weeks.
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