Best-selling author Mark Manson brings his signature no-nonsense wisdom back to the subject he started his career covering: relationships. However, the speed part of the deal meant that casualties were still inevitable, and that there would be lots of them. The renowned historian and author of Normandy ’44 recounts the operations and personal experiences of the legendary Sherwood Rangers during WWII. The author of a number of bestselling histories, including Battle of Britain, Dam Busters, Normandy '44 and, most recently, Sicily '43, he has also written nine works of historical fiction, including the Jack Tanner novels.

Having interviewed veterans, spoken to their families, read their letters, seen their photographs and walked in their paths, Holland has delved into their world and brought their characters to life.

What makes this perhaps particularly remarkable is that it was a unit primarily of civilians in uniform, with few regular army officers and NCO's.

When the tank is not moving or firing, the stale air reeks of “food, sweat and piss,” Holland informs us in his matter-of-fact tone. Hills felt stunned with relief and overwhelming joy - but then, after about half an hour or so, he missed Denis more than at any other moment and so he left the celebrations and went to bed. Holland often talks extensively and passionately about the SRY in his podcast ,(WeHaveWaysOfMakingYouTalk) and has written/edited An Englishman At Ear by Major Stanley Christopherson who is CO the SRY and features heavy in Brothers In Arms. It plainly owes a lot to Band of Brothers in concept, although thankfully written by a competent and unbiased historian, and takes in the brutal grinding match of Normandy, the pursuit across Belgium, Market and the Rhineland and the Final pursuit across North Germany.Holland (and the reader) benefit from the fact that a few of the original tankers (including the commander) survived the entire war (some wounded) and left accounts, or, in some cases 1:1 interviews with the author. Although I can't be sure, I suspect Holland manages to get in every casualty along the way, thus commemorating the tremendous courage exhibited by these young (and they were young) men who knew they had a job to do but also knew that death or maiming could come at any moment and whether you survived the day could be a matter of simple chance. Encased in steel, surrounded by highly explosive shells, a big and slow-moving target, every crew member was utterly vulnerable to enemy attack from all sides. after the allied victory their next major operation was the landings and subsequent campaign in Normandy which takes up at least a third of the book. Through compelling eye-witness testimony and James Holland’s expert analysis, Brothers In Arms brings to vivid life the final bloody scramble across Europe and gives the most powerful account to date of what it was really like to fight in the dying days of World War Two.