Book Description 1Hoofprints in the Clouds – Jeeptracks in the Mud

Band of Brothers – British Style

The American book Band of Brothers – and spin-off BBC TV mini-series – told the story of Easy Company of 506 Regiment of the renowned 101 Airborne Division. ‘Hoofprints…describes the formation, training and war service of Fox Troop, 1 Mountain Regiment, Royal Artillery. As with Band of Brothers the essential element in the book is the notion of ‘morale’ – how it is developed, encouraged, maintained in dull or difficult times.

Mountain gunners are famed as ‘the pick of the army’ and 1 Mountain Regiment was selected – by the commandos themselves – to provide their artillery support in the fierce fighting from the Rhine to the Baltic. In these operations four great rivers were crossed, and the city of Osnabruck cleared, for a total loss to commandos and gunners of 52 killed. (Is it because reverses are deemed more dramatic than successes that Dunkirk and Arnhem are household words while these closing triumphs of WW2 are almost unknown?)

After four years of grinding - and often unsuccessful – warfare, Britain might well have been on its last legs. But the country could still collect together the group of men described so lovingly and with so much gentle and engaging humour. (And with so much attention to detail – as witness Sgt. Ballard ensuring that all was in readiness for the crossing of the Rhine. ‘One or two of the men were found to have loose trouser-buttons. "Get those sewn on properly! Your hands are going to be real busy, lad – too busy to run around holding your trousers up!"’)

Richard Overy’s book, Why the Allies Won, gave due prominence to the factor of morale among the allied forces. Hoofprints… is largely about morale, though without labouring the point. Instead the reader is taken on a fascinating ‘ramble’ through the Scottish mountains and the lanes of southern and eastern England before plunging into action in the floods of Holland and the snow-covered fringes of Germany.

There the tiny mountain guns played havoc among their enemies. The Americans of Easy Company knew they were the best infantry company in the army, ‘but there was nothing they could do about that terror of the battlefield, modern artillery.’ One of them spoke for all: "Artillery is a terrible thing. God I hate it."

Actor Damian Lewis played the part of Major Winters in the Spielberg/Hanks version of Band of Brothers. In his opinion ‘History doesn’t have much impact if you just issue a bunch of dates and military manoeuvres. It is more effective when it features drama between real people.’ If anybody wants to recapture the mood in which the war was won, Geoff. Tudor’s book would be a good place to start.