Customer Reviews

For King and Country: British Airborne Uniforms, Insignia & Equipment in World War II 1st Airborne Division 6th Airborne Division 1st Polish ... Brigade (Schiffer Military History Book)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Harlan Glenn has obviously spent a great deal of time researching the uniforms and equipment that are shown in the book. If you are a collector, re-enactor, historian, or simply a fan of World War 2 British Airborne units, this book is a must have. Glenn attmepts to portray his subjects as accurately and realistically as possible, capturing them in scenes that take you back 55 years. The quality and clarity of the color photographs is excellent and helps bring the subjects to life. A minor complaint in format is where text wraps around photos, making reading difficult, but that is the only significant flaw that I encountered. The first person accounts add to the realism and give a nostalgic flavor. I would give this book five stars if not for the price. For content it qualifies for 10 stars! However, the price is a little much. Is it worth it? Yes, but it may scare off some potential buyers.

Many of the recreated photographs are very nice and the color is excellent. However, many of the staged shots were done poorly and the actual text is even worse. In some instances, there are photographs of modern equipment that is "unknown" to the author. Might it be the military continued to produce things after WWII? Better research on the subject might have made this a better book. There are much better books that cover the airborne for a lot less money while being more accurate and more complete.

I have had my copy of this edition for more than 10 years, and, in my view, it has yet to be bettered. It covers every aspect of the uniform & equipment of British & Polish Airborne Forces during World War 2, and is recommended reading for both modelmakers and collectors alike. Similar works don't cover many of the aspects in such detail, and this is clearly written by someone with a love of the subject matter. I believe this book was originally intended to be volume 1, with even more detail promised in a second volume.

I cannot recommend it highly enough.

As a British WWII militaria collector and WWII reenactor this book was very helpful in getting specific small details of uniforms correct and precise. As a public speaker on this topic knowing what one is conveying as historically accurate information is of vital importance. For example, how the toggle rope was worn on the battle dress uniform is one key point. A great book to add to any one interested in British airborne operations of World War II.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this well-researched book from start to finish. There is a tremendous amount of detail in this book and the author clearly knows his stuff. The inclusion of veterans' accounts is great.

Most people reading historic accounts of WWII will come across page after page of black and white photos of the men at arms involved so to see the uniforms, insignia and various kit carried by the airborne forces during this period in colour is a revelation.

Harlan Glenn has devoted a lot of time and effort into researching this book and it serves as a fitting tribute to the men he has written about.