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Cyril Joly
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Take These Men: Tank Warfare with the Desert Rats Kindle Edition

by Cyril Joly (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 645 ratings
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A 1955 military memoir offering a first-hand account of life in the British 7th Armoured Division during World War II.
 
Few accounts of the tank battles in the Western Desert during the Second World War have provided so vivid an evocation as Cyril Joly’s classic account Take These Men. In such inhospitable conditions, this was armoured warfare of a particularly difficult and dangerous kind.
 
From 1940 to 1943, battles raged back and forth as one side or the other gained the upper hand, only to lose it again. Often the obsolescent British armour was outnumbered by the Italians or outgunned by Rommel’s Afrika Korps, and frequently it suffered from the ineptitudes of higher command.
 
Cyril Joly’s first-hand narrative of these campaigns—highly praised when it was originally published in 1955—tells the story through the eyes of a young officer in the 7th Armoured Division, the famous Desert Rats. It describes in accurate, graphic detail the experience of tank warfare over seventy years ago, recalling the fortitude of the tank crews and their courage in the face of sometimes overwhelming odds.
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  1. Print length
    366 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Pen & Sword Military
  5. Publication date
    September 28, 2019
  6. File size
    3333 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lieutenant Colonel Cyril Joly was born in southern China and educated at Clifton College and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He joined the Royal Tank Regiment in 1939 and served throughout the Western Desert campaign during which he was wounded and awarded the Military Cross and bar. He also wrote Silent Night: The Defeat of NATO. He died in 2000.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07WCVZJKG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen & Sword Military (September 28, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 28, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3333 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 366 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 645 ratings

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Cyril Joly

Cyril Joly

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
645 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Bob Smart
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic memoir of the tank war in North Africa
Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2023
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Somehow I missed this book for years. It was written in the mid 1950s (as were many WWII memoirs) but I didn't find it until it came out in the Kindle Edition. The author was a key member of one of the most active tank regiments in North Africa (his name shows up in regimental histories and other memoirs) In this book he takes you along as he travels across the vast open spaces of the desert battlefields. You see the high points and the low. No there are not any pictures or maps. Back when this was written it was not common to have them in memoirs of this type. We are lucky in that with the internet very god maps and diagrams are a few clicks away. But the prose is so clear, the verbal images so compelling you probably won't break away from reading to use them.

There are several other narratives about this period of WWII that directly overlap this book. Robert Crisp's Brazen Chariots covers the Operation Crusader portion of Joly's and at times looks at the exact same battlefields from different spots on the terrain. Alamein to ZemZem by Keith Douglas is a view of the campaign from a neighboring unit and also compliments this book. The three are well worth the attention of anyone who is interested in this campaign.
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TMB
4.0 out of 5 stars No Photos
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2022
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A very good read and a good quality book (paperback), but no photos. Again the story is very good one of the better tanker books, but expected some good photos to go with it. Definitely recommend, especially as a compliment to Panzers in Sand.
3 people found this helpful
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John Q. Taps
5.0 out of 5 stars The Finest Book From The British Perspective
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2023
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What can I say. If you have any interest in the war in North Africa, you will NEED to read this book. The first #3/4 is its heart, covering the early campaigns in 40-41. Read this and Foxes of the Desert, which you will need to get in a non e book version, and you are well read.
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jmax479
5.0 out of 5 stars Never forget these men.
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2023
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This book was excellent and very hard to put down. These men from the "Desert Rats" should truly be remembered as heroes. These men fought and died to protect their country and the world. Everyone should know this story. This book was very educational for me and I will never forget it. If you are interested in learning about the war in Africa, the defeat of the Italians and the Nazis then read this book!
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Jayfred
4.0 out of 5 stars Recommended.
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2017
This story of World War 2 starts slowly. Don't give up. It becomes good.
3 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent story of the war on the desert from the turret
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2022
Verified Purchase
This book is the story (told as an Englishmen would) of the war in the desert in WWII
It is a story told, not with maps and overarching strategy, and not told from a "look back" perspective. But a story of the war from the turret, encompassing what you can see from a set of binoculars and a wireless headset.
Real, without added post war drama.
One person found this helpful
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R B Johnstone
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2022
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Greats read one can feel the pressure these guys were under yet they hung in there and won in the end
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing
Reviewed in Canada on December 26, 2022
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From the first to last page a wonderful story of terror,defeats and the final satisfying victory . Hard to put down!
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Kevin Gates
5.0 out of 5 stars A gritty and very human description of a hard fought campaign
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 4, 2024
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The ebb and flow of battle across North Africa is vividly described in human terms and the toll taken on those who took part in it
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Jessica
5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant insight
Reviewed in Australia on January 6, 2021
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This book is not only very enlightening on the overall North African Campaign but really shows the day to day life of the tank crew.
One person found this helpful
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t j preece
4.0 out of 5 stars Epic story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 16, 2023
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Good read
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James
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Fantastic
Reviewed in Canada on June 16, 2020
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This is a riveting account of the war in the desert through first hand experience. The brutality of life in this campaign is noteworthy with the climate and landscape just as much of an enemy as the axis troops. Very good read. If I had any issues it is with the Kindle version which is full of typos and errors which make it hard to read. I'll be getting the hardcover to read again.
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