The North Irish Horse (NIH) was formed in 1900 for the Boer War and in 1908 it was allocated to the Special Reserve as there were no Territorial units for Irish regiments. It served on the Western front in the Great War, was disbanded in July 1922 and reformed in September 1939 in the Supplementary Reserve. In January 1943 the regiment sailed for N Africa to join the First Army which had landed in Algiers in the previous November, and in February the regiment reported to 25th Tank Brigade. At the end of that month it fought its first major action playing its part in repulsing a German attack on Beja and Djebel Abiod. The regiment came through the N Africa campaign with flying colours, having done exceptionally well in the capture of Longstop and supporting 4th Indian Division in the final break through to Tunis. The NIH remained in N Africa for a further year till April 1944 when it embarked for Italy where it saw plenty of action, breaking through the Hitler Line in support of the Canadians, taking part in the advance to Florence and in the Gothic Line battles. At this point (August-September 1944) the narrative includes a complete nominal roll of the regiment, by squadrons, and again at the capture of Forli in November 1944. The roll is given again when the regiment was on the Winter Line, December December 1944, and was transferred to 21st Tank Brigade. The nominal roll of those present for duty is given for the fourth time at the final phase in April 1945 when the war in Italy ended. The Roll of Honour lists twenty of all ranks killed in N Africa and fifty-three in Italy. There is a list of Honours and Awards, including mention in despatches, but there is no index, which would have been useful.

Sent to France in August 1914, the North Irish Horse (NIH) was the first British reservist regiment to see action at Le Cateau before fighting as rearguard on the long retreat to the outskirts of Paris. Over the next four years they fought with distinction, playing a role in many of the major battles, including Ypres, Somme, Passchendaele and Cambrai, and were heavily involved in the final Advance to Victory.How fitting that this, the first history of this famous cavalry Regiment's superb record in The Great War, should be published to coincide with the centenary of the conflict. It not only describes the Regiment's actions by squadron but concentrates on the officers and men; their backgrounds, motivation and courageous deeds and sacrifices. The author places the Regiment's achievement in the context of the overall war and reflects on the effect that unfolding political events in Ireland had on the Regiment and its members.The North Irish Horse in the Great War draws on a wealth of primary source material, much unpublished including war diaries, personal accounts, letters and memoirs. In addition to compiling this long overdue account of the NIH, the author succeeds in painting a valuable picture of The Great War at the fighting end.

A biography on the unique military career and decorations of the British general Strick. He commanded no fewer than three armored regiments in World War II. Major-General Eugene Vincent Michael Strickland CMG, DSO, OBE, MM, CStJ, Star of Jordan – Strick – rose from penniless hardship to great military distinction. He was a tank man, a war hero who fought in France, North Africa and Italy during World War II, and whose name is revered even today among regiments that he commanded. His is the extraordinary tale of a man who gained a Regular Commission in the Indian Army from Sandhurst, but resigned soon afterwards. After a series of intriguing adventures, he then enlisted as a private soldier in the Royal Tank Corps. In May 1940, he played a major part in the counterattack at Arras, where two British infantry tank battalions held up the German advance for three days, enabling the success of the Dunkirk evacuation – and perhaps saving Britain from ultimate defeat in the process. Strick's outstanding success as a troop-sergeant in France saw him immediately (re-)commissioned, and his rise to high command was then swift. He commanded the leading Squadron of North Irish Horse in Tunisia 1943, and then commanded the North Irish Horse in its greatest battle, the breaking of the Hitler Line, in Italy in 1944. He served in seven regiments and had four regimental commands. This book focuses on his experience during World War II, drawing out the unique qualities required of leaders in close-combat battle, the particular demands of armored infantry cooperation, and how an individual can make a success of such a rapid rise through the ranks during wartime. This fine story of adventure and achievement is brought alive by Strick’s remarkable correspondence – he wrote home to his family every second or third day throughout the war, except when action was too fierce to write – supplemented by the recollections of his comrades and years of archival research. More than a portrait of a gifted and morally courageous man, this biography also offers an insight into the arts of command and tactical control, and the difficulties of a family life fragmented by war.

From the jaws of defeat, incredible victories. AT ALL COSTS! transports you to the battlefront for over two centuries of astonishing military confrontations. From the Battle of Minden in 1795 to dramatic second world war stories and the Battle for Goose Green in the Falklands, Bryan Perrett gives astoundingly vivid accounts of international forces in daring actions, achieving victory against the odds. These real-life military adventures are meticulously, accurately described, giving a true flavour of some of the most important moments in world history.

Following Mussolini’s declaration of war in June 1940, initially Italy faced only those British troops based in the Middle East but as the armed confrontation in the Western Desert of North Africa escalated, other nations were drawn in — Germany, Australia, India, South Africa, New Zealand, France and finally the United States to wage the first major tank-versus-tank battles of the Second World War. First tracing the history of the very early beginnings of civilization in North Africa, and on through the period of Italian colonization, Jean Paul Pallud begins his account when the initial shots were fired at the 11th Hussars as they approached Italian outposts near Sidi Omar in Libya. It proved to be the opening move of a campaign which was to last for three years. When the Afrikakorps led by Rommel joined the battle in February 1941, the Germans soon gained the upper hand and recovered the whole of Cyrenaica, minus Tobruk, in the summer. The campaign then swung back and forth across the desert for another year until Rommel finally captured Tobruk in June 1942 and then moved eastwards into Egypt. With British fortunes at their lowest ebb, changes in command led to Montgomery launching his offensive at El Alamein the following November. This began the advance of the Eighth Army over a thousand miles to Tunisia, resulting in the final round-up of the German and Italian forces in May 1943. Jean Paul and his camera retraced the route just prior to the recent civil war in Libya and the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt in 2011, so he was fortunate to capture the locations before yet another war left its trail of death and destruction. Although the campaign in 1940-43 was dominated largely by armor, nevertheless the Allies lost over 250,000 men killed, wounded, missing and captured and the Axis 620,000. Those that never came home lie in cemeteries scattered across the barren landscape of a battlefield that has changed little in over 70 years.