Product Description

Jack Swaab joined the veteran 51st (Highland) Infantry Division on 3 January 1943. He kept a series of diaries over the following two and a half years, recording the combination of boredom and fear that characterises active service. In mid-March 1943, he saw battle for the first time as Montgomery attacked the Mareth Line. In July that year, Swaab took part in the Allied landings on Sicily, writing of the scorching humidity of the Sicilian summer. In May 1944, he records the restless time as his regiment prepared for the invasion of Normandy. In September 1944, Swaab's role changed dramatically, as he became a troop commander and forward observation officer. His new position meant that he was working closely with the infantry in the front line. Swaab's first five months as a forward observation officer came to an abrupt end on 13 February, when he was wounded in the leg by shellfire. He was again selected for FOO duty during Operation 'Varsity', the Rhine crossing, in March 1945, and received the Military Cross.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33495 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

About the Author
JACK SWAAB enlisted in the Royal Artillery on 10 September 1939. He kept a war diary from December 1942 until August 1945, seeing action in Tunisia and Sicily before becoming a forward observation officer in the North West Europe campaign. He was Mentioned in Despatches and awarded the Military Cross. Jack Swaab is married and has two sons. He lives in London.

Customer Reviews

Comment of an ex 3rd Div Signals Normandy veteran
Anyone who has served in the Armed forces will find it difficult to put down this book which is so descriptive of war at the sharp end.

One can easily visulise every aspect of what it was like to have served through the battles of the Middle East and Europe.

This book will be equally captivating for younger generations who did not experience war at first hand but may have heard a little of the history of those times as here they will experience life as it was at first hand, vividly described.

Field of Fire will be money well spent as this is a book to be read not once but many times to fully appreciate all the detail.

An Excellent First Hand account of Gunners and Battle
I read the hardback version very shortly after it came out. I collect first hand accounts of the WW2 and unit histories of the 51st Highland Division in particular, so this one was a must buy. That said it is one of the best first hand accounts that I have read, and certainly the best from a gunner (it comparies favourably to George Blackburn's Guns of War series - he was also a Forward Observation Officer).

You can have no doubt about the hardships of war, what the conditions were like for both the gunners on the gun line and the infantry on the front line. The book is very descriptive without becoming flowery and it avoids glossing over some of the less pleasant aspects. Also it tells you about everything, not just the combat and the aftermath, but also of the minor details of daily life.