We were brothers in arms : WW2 through the eyes of the ordinary soldier

We Were Brothers in Arms is an attempt to understand the experience of battle during WW2 through the personal experiences of the ordinary soldier. Frank Clark has gathered together the amazing stories of British soldiers during the eleven months of frenzied warfare that followed D-Day, and combined them into this fascinating volume. As a veteran himself (serving in WW2, Korea, Malaya, Cyprus, Northern Ireland and during the Cold War), Frank is well versed in the adrenalin of battle, and here he brings together the tales of a wide cross section of fighting men on the front line. There are stories from the infantry, the assault troops who stormed the Normandy beaches and forced bridgeheads. The dashing reconnaissance men in their thin-skinned, tanks sending back vital radio reports; the parachutists, dropping behind enemy lines to fight, the sappers building bridges and clearing minefields under fire; the gunners, bringing down fast, furious and accurate barrages; the signallers, patching up communication links; the non-combatant stretcher-bearers, the doctors tending the wounded, the support services bringing up food and ammunition. This book tells their story of war, and reminds us why their sacrifice should never be forgotten. We Were Brothers in Arms is a compelling account of the last months of war told through eye witness accounts, some never before published.

In this rich compilation, Emeka Nwosu takes the reader to a journey of the issues that have helped to shape discourses on various aspects of the Nigerian state and society. The articles, originally published in his weekly column in the premier Nigerian daily newspaper, ThisDay, not only show his perspectives on these issues when they were written but also reveal how discussions on some of those issues have evolved over time and how they have mutated today.

Journalists, especially those who maintain regular columns, are often said to write 'history in a hurry'. For experienced writers like the author whose writings are research-based, it does not mean that what they write about is factually wrong but simply that their writings are infused with the passions and emotions that attended those issues as they unfolded.

This collection is therefore not only informed commentaries on some of the issues that have shaped the contour of the Nigerian state and society over the years but a good trip on the passions and emotions that attended those discourses. The articles, 66 of them, are written with remarkable candour and gusto and therefore a delight to read. They form a very important contribution to the corpus of works on Nigerian politics and society.