Customer Reviews

Tommy: The Collector's Historical Perspective to the British Soldier of the Second World War : Uniforms, Weapons and Equipment of the Airborne Forces

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An excellent primer on the British airborne soldiers during WWII. I have an extensive library covering all aspects of the British military's involvement during the war years and together they don't cover this subject quite as well as Mr. Gordon has done. Definitely well worth the price for such a treasure trove of airborne information.

This book was a very colorful, nicely laid out reference for British Airborne and Glider troops in WW2. The book was an easy read and was grouped nicely. Many of the patches appeared to be repros, and several of the rarer unit patches were not present. This book is a must for the beginner, but lacks the in depth feel I was looking for, as an established insignia/uniform collector. With that said, I would still recommend this book to other militaria collectors.

Terrific work is being done by David Gordon; as a fellow author in the SOLDAT/GI/TOMMY/CANUCK series, I must say Gordon's work is much superior to my own, including much more primary research and hands on with the actual uniforms and equipment. Some minor errors of fact are present, but readers must understand that the purpose of works like this is to get the community talking and discussing. Many items that were commonplace in 1944 are a mystery to us today; thanks to the efforts of authors like Gordon, the mysteries are slowly being unravelled. Good photography and clear descriptions overcome any weaknesses in research, which are minor. Recommended to airborne collectors in particular, and priced right for the general interest reader as well.

Some notes on the book can be found at my site at http://www.canadiansoldiers.com under BACKGROUND ON BOOKS

This book is a valuable reference for modellers and reenactors. The focus is on British airborne equipment from 1944 to 45, and most of the clothing and equipment is photographed in full color. In my opinion the best thing is that you finally get to see how the items that make up P-37 webbing look from behind, i.e. you see how it actually works. Gordon even goes so far as to describe the modifications necessary to turn a standard Willys Jeep into an airborne version.

I am looking forward to further volumes in the series.