Gunners from the Sky: 1st Air Landing Light Regiment in Italy and at Arnhem, 1942-44 - Couverture rigide

Chrystal, David; Chrystal, Paul

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 1399088084 ISBN 13 : 9781399088084

Editeur : Pen & Sword Military, 2023

Synopsis

THE SUNDAY POST NOVEMBER 19 2023

Military historian Paul Chrystal tells Laura Smith the Honest Truth about his father Eric and the role his glider unit played in the Second World War. In Gunners From The Sky, Paul and his brother David chart Eric’s wartime journey, from the Battle of Arnhem to POW camps... a very detailed account of the battle and the role 1st Air Landing Light Regiment...whose contribution to the Battle of Arnhem has often been overlooked... so much original material.

This is the story of the 1st Air Landing Light Regiment RA and its role in the Italian campaign and at the Battle of Arnhem. It is also the story of one of its soldiers: 14283058 Gunner Eric Wright Chrystal, father of the authors. Eric joined the army in September 1942 and, after training, joined the newly formed glider-borne regiment the following year. He first saw action in Italy in 1943, where he was seriously wounded. On 17 September 1944, two years to the day since he enlisted, he and the regiment were landed by glider near to Arnhem in the Netherlands. The authors recount set their father's experiences in context by describing the formation of the unit and the many months of training in England. Their involvement in the Italian campaign, where Eric served with E Troop, 3 Battery, is then recounted, detailing their actions at Rionero, Foggia and Campobasso, where Eric was wounded. It then moves on to describe 1st Air Landing Light Regiment's preparation for and involvement in Operation Market (the Airborne half of Market Garden). This very detailed account of the fighting highlights the regiment's pivotal (but often neglected) role near Arnhem bridge. Here, after nine days of intense combat, Eric was among the many captured and held until the end of the war. The inclusion of Eric's own eyewitness testimony lends a very personal touch to this excellent account of the regiment's experience of combat and life in the PoW camps.

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

**Paul Chrystal** is the author of a number of books on conflict and military history, including the best-selling British Army of the Rhine: The BAOR 1945-1993 (2018); Northern Ireland - The Troubles from the Provos to the Det 1968-1998 (2018); Women at War in the Ancient World (2016),Roman Military Disasters (2015); War in Greek Mythology (2020) and Rome: Republic into Empire - The Civil Wars (2019) all published by Pen & Sword. He is also author of A History of Britain in 100 Objects (2022); Wars and Battles of the Roman Republic (2015) and Wars and Battles of Ancient Greece (2018). His Biowarfare and Bioterrorism: Diseas as a Weapon of War is due for publication in 2023\. See his full list at www.paulchrystal.com **David Chrystal** followed his father into the army and served for over 30 years in the Royal Corps of Signals, rising from signaller to Major during which time he was awarded the British Empire Medal and was mentioned in despatches (1980). He had postings in BAOR, Cyprus (RSM 9 Signal Regiment), southern Italy/Bosnia (attached to 2 Squadron RAF as Ground Liaison Officer) and Northern Ireland.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Pen & Sword Military
• Date d'édition: 2023
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1399088084
• ISBN 13: 9781399088084
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 256
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: Buchpark GmbH; gpsr@buchpark.de; ; Krügerweg 1; Trebbin; Brandenburg; 14959; Allemagne