To Tilt at Windmills : A Memoir of the Spanish Civil War

__To Tilt at Windmills__ is the memoir of Briton Fred Thomas who served with the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War (July 1936-March 1939). Inspired by a memorable return to Iberian battlefields forty years later, and based on diaries kept during the many months Thomas spent as a gunner with the British Anti-Tank Battery, the narrative moves eloquently along a journey into the war zone, through the several campaigns in which he fought and where he was twice wounded, and finally to the withdrawal of the Brigades from the conflict. What distinguishes Thomas' account is the remarkable detail provided by the diaries and the measured tone of his reminiscence, There is, as well, the poignant inquiry of the veteran into the shape and meaning of experience as a young soldier. The historian Paul Preston has cited the "warmth, directness and deep humanity" of __To Tilt at Windmills__, "an important contribution to the collective memory of the war.

To Tilt at Windmills is the memoir of Briton Fred Thomas who served with the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War (July 1936-March 1939).
     Inspired by a memorable return to Iberian battlefields forty years later, and based on diaries kept during the many months Thomas spent as a gunner with the British Anti-Tank Battery, the narrative moves eloquently along a journey into the war zone, through the several campaigns in which he fought and where he was twice wounded, and finally to the withdrawal of the Brigades from the conflict. What distinguishes Thomas' account is the remarkable detail provided by the diaries and the measured tone of his reminiscence, There is, as well, the poignant inquiry of the veteran into the shape and meaning of experience as a young soldier. The historian Paul Preston has cited the "warmth, directness and deep humanity" of To Tilt at Windmills, "an important contribution to the collective memory of the war.

"To Tilt at Windmills is the memoir of Briton Fred Thomas who served with the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War (July 1936-March 1939). Thomas's story was inspired by a memorable return to Iberian battlefields forty years after and based on diaries kept during the many months he spent as a gunner with the British Anti-tank Battery. The narrative moves eloquently along a journey into the war zone, through the several campaigns in which Thomas fought and was wounded twice, and finally to the withdrawal of the Brigades from the conflict." "What distinguishes Thomas's book from the other accounts of the Spanish Civil War is the remarkable detail provided by the diaries and the measured tone of his reminiscence. There is, as well, the poignant inquiry of the veteran into the shape and meaning of his experience as a young soldier."--Jacket Contents 8 Preface 10 Acknowledgements 16 Chapter One: May-June, 1937. From Hackney to the Jarama Front 18 Chapter Two: July-November, 1937. The Battle of Brunete 50 Chapter Three: December 1937-January, 1938. The Battle of Teruel 70 Chapter Four: February-May, 1938. From Teruel to the Ebro 100 Chapter Five: June-August, 1938. The Battle of the Ebro I 124 Chapter Six: September 1938. The Battle of the Ebro II 166 Chapter Seven: October-December, 1938. Repatriation 186 Notes 196 Index 204