Tank Action: An Armoured Troop Commander's War 1944-45

by David Render, Stuart Tootal

Overview

A gripping account of the Second World War, from the perspective of a young tank commander.

In 1944, David Render was a nineteen-year-old second lieutenant fresh from Sandhurst when he was sent to France. Joining the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry five days after the D-Day landings, the combat-hardened men he was sent to command did not expect him to last long. However, in the following weeks of ferocious fighting in which more than 90 per cent of his fellow tank commanders became casualties, his ability to emerge unscathed from countless combat engagements earned him the nickname of the 'Inevitable Mr Render'.

In Tank Action Render tells his remarkable story, spanning every major episode of the last year of the Second World War from the invasion of Normandy to the fall of Germany. Ultimately it is a story of survival, comradeship and the ability to stand up and be counted as a leader in combat.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781474603287
Publisher:	Orion Publishing Group
Publication date:	07/25/2017
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.70(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

David Render was a Second World War tank troop commander who participated in the D-Day landing and the entirety of the subsequent fighting in the Allies campaign to liberate Europe in 1944 and 1945. After the war, he went on to become a highly successful businessman and national champion racing-car driver.

Stuart Tootal spent twenty years as a soldier, serving in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, the Gulf War and the invasion of Iraq in 2003. In 2006 he commanded 3 PARA as the first UK combat unit to be sent to Helmand province in Afghanistan. A champion of veterans' affairs, on leaving the Army he set up the Parachute Regiment Afghanistan Trust charity and now works in the City of London. A defence and security commentator for several national media networks, he also regularly lectures on leadership in the commercial environment. Tank Action is his third book.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations xi

List of Maps xiii

Foreword xv

Introduction xix

1 Gold Beach 1

2 Home Front 26

3 Passage 40

4 Baptism 58

5 Bocage 78

6 Spurs 102

7 Providence 129

8 Breakout 146

9 The Great Swan 171

10 Polder Land 192

11 Slogging It 221

12 Advance to the Rhine 244

13 Last Battles 262

Afterword 291

Acknowledgements 299

Bibliography 301

Index 305

Editorial Reviews

'Extraordinary youth, unbelievable bravery and humbling heroism: David Render and his crew are the real deal. His book with Stuart Tootal more than delivers'—Damien Lewis, bestselling author of Zero Six Bravo and Operation Mayhem

'[A] remarkable and gripping tale of heroism'—John Ash, BRITAIN AT WAR

'During the invasion of Normandy in 1944, the life expectancy of a junior British officer in a tank regiment was two weeks. Courtesy of luck, 100 cigarettes a day and some quickly acquired nous, 19-year-old Second Lieutenant David Render survived the killing fields of France. His comrades dubbed him "the inevitable Mr Render" and this is a fine and honest memoir of a young man at war. Render ducks neither the thrill of leading an M4 Sherman into battle nor the carnage its 75mm gun delivered. He is now 92. To you sir, a salute'—John Lewis-Stempel, EXPRESS

'Render's book is particularly good at explaining the tactics of tank warfare . . . His first-hand account of his experiences - brilliantly written with Stuart Tootal - is not only wonderfully informative on the nitty-gritty of a key element of the Allied victory, but as gripping as the very best war fiction'—John Harding, DAILY MAIL

'An incredible memoir'—FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE

[Render's] first-hand account of his experiences - brilliantly written with Stuart Tootal - is not only wonderfully informative on the nitty-gritty of a key element of the Allied victory, but as gripping as the very best war fiction.—John Harding, DAILY MAIL

From the Publisher