War's Nomads is an evocative account of one man's experience of life in a mobile radar unit after the battle of El Alamein as Rommel's AfrikaKorps was relentlessly pursued across the desert through Egypt, Libya and Tunisia by the Eighth Army. It is the only known detailed account in existence of the small radar units who played a key part in the Western Desert Campaign. A budding professional writer and grammar school master, Fred Grice had a keen eye for detail and ear for language, which he assiduously employed after he ...
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War's Nomads is an evocative account of one man's experience of life in a mobile radar unit after the battle of El Alamein as Rommel's AfrikaKorps was relentlessly pursued across the desert through Egypt, Libya and Tunisia by the Eighth Army. It is the only known detailed account in existence of the small radar units who played a key part in the Western Desert Campaign. A budding professional writer and grammar school master, Fred Grice had a keen eye for detail and ear for language, which he assiduously employed after he was called up in 1941, keeping two journals of his experiences. The first,'On Draft' deals with waiting to embark after initial training, with the journey to the battle zone, and the privations of a low-ranking AC. Daily life on board ship is vividly brought to life with details of routine, the cramped conditions, the banter and pastimes used to pass the time by the troops, and the by contrast luxurious existence of the officers. The second, 'Erk in the Desert' gives a detailed account of the activities of Unit 606, a radar crew that follows just behind the battlefront. 606 provides radio-detection for the advanced landing grounds being used by RAF fighter-bomber squadrons, because these landing strips, in turn, are the target of the German Luftwaffe and the Italian Air Force attacks. 606 was a tiny unit, never more than 10 men, often operating for protracted periods in complete isolation. Fred's account vividly and lyrically evokes the landscape and the often tense and dangerous environment they operated in, pitching the reader into the experience of travelling with the unit in a 3-ton lorry, finding ingenious solutions to lack of rations and living space, even commandeering an abandoned boat to relax in the sea, whilst constantly needing to be alert to dodge air attacks. An authoritative introduction explains the background to the military events of the Western Desert campaign, and the purpose of 606's mission, which Fred for security reasons cannot talk about: to get to a selection of the 200 or so landing grounds in the desert with all speed; and then to defend them against air attack by using a light warning set (radar) developed to go operational within an hour. War's Nomads sheds light on a key but little known aspect of the Eighth Army's Western Desert Campaign, the first in British military history in which the RAF and the army collaborated so closely. But much more than that it is a human story by a gifted writer that recreates a lost time and landscapes.
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Add this copy of War's Nomads: a Mobile Radar Unit in Pursuit of Rommel to cart. $17.23, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Casemate Publishers & Book Distributors, LLC.
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Seller's Description:
Very good. A copy that has been read, but remains in excellent condition. Pages are intact and are not marred by notes or highlighting, but may contain a neat previous owner name. The spine remains undamaged. An ex-library book and may have standard library stamps and/or stickers. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.
Add this copy of War's Nomads: a Mobile Radar Unit in Pursuit of Rommel to cart. $26.91, very good condition, Sold by BookHolders rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Gambrills, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Casemate Publishers.
Add this copy of War's Nomads: a Mobile Radar Unit in Pursuit of Rommel to cart. $35.95, very good condition, Sold by Peninsula Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Traverse City, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Casemate Publishiers.
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Seller's Description:
Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. 1612002889. The author was assigned to a British radar unit in North Africa during World War II. Based on a diary he kept, he describes the conditions, the people, the landscape and his movement with the Army during the African Campaign. This is an insightful look at the impressions of an average soldier in the 8th Army; the author's later career as a writer gives a sense of his skill at conveying his impressions. Contains an index and appendicies in the rear. This is a nice clean, tight and unmarked book with no interior or exterior markings, no previous owner names and no bookplates. The dust jacket is in similarly nice condition with no chips, tears, or markings. This book is in very nice condtion and was probably read once and stored since new.; B&W Photos, Maps; 8vo, 8"-9" tall; 214 pages.
Add this copy of War's Nomads: a Mobile Radar Unit in Pursuit of Rommel to cart. $15.39, very good condition, Sold by Books From California rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Simi Valley, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Casemate.
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Very good in very good dust jacket. Book has some overall wear, like shelf wear. Book has some light dirtiness on the pages and covers. Very Clean Copy-Over 500, 000 Internet Orders Filled.
Add this copy of War's Nomads to cart. $17.00, like new condition, Sold by AardBooks rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Fitzwilliam, NH, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Casemate.
Add this copy of War's Nomads: a Mobile Radar Unit in Pursuit of Rommel to cart. $28.11, like new condition, Sold by Books From California rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Simi Valley, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Casemate.
Add this copy of War's Nomads: a Mobile Radar Unit in Pursuit of Rommel to cart. $31.52, very good condition, Sold by Books From California rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Simi Valley, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Casemate.
Add this copy of War's Nomads: a Mobile Radar Unit in Pursuit of Rommel to cart. $50.65, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Casemate.
