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Hobart's reputation as an armoured warfare specialist began in the pre-war era. In 1923 he transferred from the Royal Engineers to the Royal Tank Corps and quickly established himself as one of the foremost thinkers on armoured warfare. By 1938 he was GOC Mobile Division, later 7th Armoured Division, in Egypt. Unable to suffer fools at all, he was relieved of his command (sacked!) in 1939, retired in 1940 and became a corporal in the Home Guard. At Winston Churchill's inspired behest, he was ordered to create and command 11th Armoured Division. Although he trained the new division to a very high standard, he was seen as too old to lead it in action - he was 57. Instead he was told to form 79th Armoured Division and design specialized armoured vehicles necessary to breach the Atlantic Wall. The Division played a major part in the D-Day landings and the subsequent campaign in NW Europe. Hobart's 'Funnies' included mine-clearing tanks, bridge-carrying tanks, flamethrowers, swimming tanks and amphibious assault vehicles. Brigades and units of the Division were deployed wherever they were needed by Second (British) and First (Canadian) Armies and no major operation between Normandy and the final victory took place without them present. Percy Hobart's skills played a significant part in the final Allied victory and the lasting tribute to that vision was the adoption by all armies of the specialized 'funnies' that his Division introduced to modern warfare. This book is based on official records, published materials and personal recollections. AUTHOR: Richard Doherty is recognized as Ireland's leading military history author. He is the author of The Thin Green Line - The History of the RUC GC, In the Ranks of Death, and Helmand Mission - With the Royal Irish Battlegroup in Afghanistan and numerous other titles. SELLING POINTS: * Major General Percy Hobart was one of the key figures in WW2 armoured warfare * 'Hobart's Funnies' - the array of specialist weapons he invented - are a continuing source of interest * 79 Armoured Division, which Hobart created, trained and commanded, were crucial to the success of the D-Day Landings and drive to Germany * Funnies were attached to all formations, including US and Canadian ILLUSTRATIONS: 16 pages of B/w plates *
Story of the 79th Armoured Division from October 1942 to June 1945 - Hamburg: BAOR. 1945. Hobart's "funnies" (DD tanks, Crabs, Crocodiles, Kangeroos, Arks, Buffaloes &c., Normandy to Germany.
This WWII history chronicles the remarkable career of a brilliant British Army commander and the innovative armored vehicles he created. Joining the Royal Tank Corps in 1923, Major-General Percy Hobart quickly established himself as one of the foremost thinkers on armored warfare. By 1938 he was GOC Mobile Division, later 7th Armored Division, in Egypt. He was also known for not suffering fools—a tendency that got him briefly relieved of his command. But during World War II, Winston Churchill called Hobart back to Army service with orders to train the now-legendary 11th Armored Division. He was then tasked with designing specialist armored fighting vehicles capable of breeching the Atlantic Wall. Known as Hobart's Funnies, these unique vehicles included mine-clearing tanks, bridge-carrying tanks, flamethrowers, swimming tanks and amphibious assault vehicles. Operated by Hobart’s 79th Armored Division, they played a major part in the D-Day landings and the subsequent European campaigns. Hobart's skills played a significant part in the final Allied victory, and the specialized funnies he introduced to modern warfare have since been adopted by all armies all over the world. Drawing on official records and personal recollections, historian Richard Doherty tells the incredible story of Percy Hobart and his 79th Armored Division.
In the dark days when Britain stood alone, Prime Minister Churchill realised that, to win the war against an enemy superior in strength, science had to be harnessed to devise new weapons. Three men had Churchill's confidence; Lord Cherwell (the Prof), his brilliant main scientific adviser; Millis Jefferis who ran MDI (The Toy Factory); and an irascible and eccentric Major General Percy Hobart. Despite being Monty's brother-in-law and a talented tank expert, Hobart had been banished to the Home Guard. Churchill rescued him and tasked him to form, equip and train a secret armored division which went on to storm the Normandy Beaches. Hobart was the mastermind behind an extraordinary collection of tank-based secret weapons (known as Hobart's Funnies) which supported every British and Canadian army and many US divisions for the rest of the War.
Refreshingly different perspective on the momentous events of D-Day.
In September 1939, Canada’s tiny army began its remarkable expansion into a wartime force of almost half a million soldiers. No army can function without a backbone of skilled non-commissioned officers (NCOs) – corporals, sergeants, and warrant officers – and the army needed to create one out of raw civilian material. Building the Army’s Backbone tells the story of how senior leadership created a corps of NCOs that helped the burgeoning force train, fight, and win. This innovative book uncovers the army’s two-track NCO-production system: locally organized training programs were run by units and formations, while centralized training and talent-distribution programs were overseen by the army. Meanwhile, to bring coherence to the two-track approach, the army circulated its best-trained NCOs between operational forces, the reinforcement pool, and the training system. The result was a corps of NCOs that collectively possessed the necessary skills in leadership, tactics, and instruction to help the army succeed in battle.
A total of eleven British armoured divisions were formed during the 1939-1945 war but, as this highly informative book reveals, just eight saw action.In 1940 only 1st Armoured Division faced the German blitzkrieg and it was in the North African desert that armoured divisions came into their own. The terrain was ideal and six such divisions of Eighth Army fought Rommel's Panzers into submission. Three were disbanded prior to the invasion of Sicily and Italy. The campaign from D-Day onwards saw the Guards Armoured, 7th Armoured (the Desert Rats), 11th and Percy Hobart's 79th Armoured Division in the thick of the action.Of particular interest are the men who commanded these elite formations and the way their characters contributed to the outcome of operations. While some, such as Dick McCreery, went onto greater heights, others did not make the grade; the stakes were high. A number, such as 'Pip' Roberts, were just perfectly suited in the role.Written by a leading military historian, this book describes many fascinating aspects of armoured warfare from its uncertain beginnings, through the development of tactics and the evolving tank design. Due to British deficiencies, reliance had to be placed on US Grants and Shermans, with the Comet coming late and the Centurion too late.The combination of gripping historical narrative and well researched fact make this an invaluable and highly readable work on the contribution of British Armoured Divisions to victory in the Second World War.
German defenses along the Normandy beaches were part of the larger Atlantic Wall fortifications designed to defend Fortress Europe. When Field Marshal Erwin Rommel took command of the invasion front in late 1943, he began a program to enhance fortifications along the Normandy coast as he believed that any Allied assault had to be stopped on the invasion beaches themselves. His most important contribution to the defenses was an extensive program of improvised beach obstructions to complicate any landing attempt. This book analyses these fortifications and describes how the Allied forces overcame them on the morning of June 6, 1944.
This unique encyclopedia provides detailed entries for everything you ever wanted to know about D-Day, the invasion of Normandy. Organized alphabetically, the entries give detailed descriptions of weapons, equipment, divisions, air and naval units, geography, terminology, personalities, and more. Every Allied division that crossed the English Channel on June 6, 1944 has its own listing as do the major Axis divisions that fought them. Brief biographies of major military and political leaders on both sides provide a handy who's who of the campaign. The book also includes entries for related popular culture: GI slang, the best movies about D-Day, and major writers such as Stephen Ambrose and Cornelius Ryan. Cross-references make the book easy to use. With hundreds of entries, The D-Day Encyclopedia is an indispensable reference tool for history buffs and great browsing for readers who want to know more about World War II.