ARMOURED WARFARE IN NORTHWEST EUROPE 1944-45
By Anthony Tucker-Jones
Published by Pen & Sword Military
ISBN: 978 1 78159 175 8
Review by Mark Barnes for War History Online
Well, here we are again with another one of these Images of War books by this prolific author. I have to say this is my favourite of the examples I’ve seen from him so far. The photographs are all pretty good to say the least and some of them are very interesting. The book fits together pretty well and I would recommend it as a first class introduction to this period of the conflict for people new to the subject and especially younger readers or diorama builders. When I was a teenager I used to thrive on books like this for the photos and for the stuff I learned from what is essentially a very accessible read. It isn’t excessively challenging and newbies will progress on to a wider range of stuff. What reasonably priced books like this do is encourage an interest in history and I like that very much.
I’ve seen quite a few of the images in this book before, but given my professional background and my time before the mast that is hardly surprising. All the same, there are some pleasant surprises and I’ve enjoyed leafing through this compilation. My preference is for the more personal collections this series sometimes throws up – the stuff from snap albums and what have you – and these will always elicit more of a wordy response from me. But that isn’t to say books like this don’t hit the right notes. This book is in tune. So, once again, I can report this is a worthy addition to the collection.