Strick: Tank Hero of Arras: The Making of an Extraordinary Soldier

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 Stricks 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. Table of Contents 1 India 2 England 3 To Follow the Drum 4 The Royal Tank Corps 5 Peace Before the Storm 6 Unto the Breach 7 Striking Back 8 Rearguard Actions 9 Escape to Dunkirk 10 Re-Commissioned 11 25 Army Tank Brigade 12 Return to Action 13 Longstop to Victory 14 Marking Time 15 Regimental Command 16 Entr'acte 17 To Italy 18 Prelude to Battle 19 Breaking the Hitler Line 20 Aftermath 21 Italian Scenarios 22 Advance to the Gothic Line 23 Through the Gothic Line 24 Impasse 25 Battle for San Martino 26 The Last Ridge 27 Winter in the Romagna 28 Intermezzo 29 Monty's Foxhounds 30 Home Again