Description: Not So Bloody Quiet on the Western Front An Infantryman’s Tale by D. S. Hooper This is the 2003 First (and only) Edition (Paperback) “In December 1944 the German army launched its final offensive . . . Just a few months after the Allies had occupied most of Belgium, the Germans sought to reverse the tide of the war by striking through the Ardennes to cross the River Meuse with the aim of retaking the port of Antwerp. During the ‘Battle of the Bulge’. . . the British army played a vital role in stopping the Germans from making the breakthrough they so desperately wanted, although the contribution of the British soldiers has never attracted widespread attention. This is the factual story of a group of these young soldiers as they experience the terrors of war and of how they used their initiative and ingenuity to survive during this horrific conflict.” Front cover and spine Further images of this book are shown below Publisher and place of publication Dimensions in inches (to the nearest quarter-inch) Published by D S Hooper, Pontycymmer, Bridgend Printed in Wales by Stephens and George Printing. 4¾ inches wide x 7½ inches tall Edition Length March 2003 156 pages Condition of covers Internal condition Paperback with original printed card covers. The covers are rubbed and scuffed and the corners are creased and dog-eared. There is a small tear in the paper covering at the head of the spine, and the spine has faded noticeably. The volume opens directly to the Title-Page and there is a small stain on the fore-edge, which can be seen in the image above. There is a gift inscription on page 3 from the Author, Dennis Hooper (signing his name as "Den"). The text is very clean throughout. Dust-jacket present? Other comments No Internally clean and with a gift inscription from the Author, though in quite scuffed and rubbed covers with a faded spine. Presumably published privately in 2003 and rare to the extent that COPAC/Library Hub lists on one copy being currently available at the National Library of Wales (Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru). Illustrations, maps, etc Contents NONE : No illustrations are called for Please see below for details Post & shipping information Payment options The packed weight is approximately 350 grams. Full shipping/postage information is provided in a panel at the end of this listing. Payment options : UK buyers: cheque (in GBP), debit card, credit card (Visa, MasterCard but not Amex), PayPal International buyers: credit card (Visa, MasterCard but not Amex), PayPal Full payment information is provided in a panel at the end of this listing. Not So Bloody Quiet on the Western Front Contents Preface Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Epilogue Not So Bloody Quiet on the Western Front Preface There is nothing more poignant than the calls of wounded comrades filtering through the dark of night from the aptly First World War-named 'No Man's Land', of "stretcher-bearer", intermingled with those dying pleading for "Mam, Mam ". Wherever there are wars. In all parts of the world. In every theatre of operations. Whenever servicemen are in trouble, there is the imploring cry to an unanswering sky "Where's the bloody Infantry?" We always respond. Sometimes a little late. But we'll make it. There are times when the elements disrupt our timetable, causing roads to collapse under the weight of our transport. Soft, sodden fields capture our heavy vehicles and show no compassion in wanting to release them. Try to be patient. We'll be there. Oh, and shout a little louder. For having ears assaulted by the cacophony of battle for days, months and even years - unless released by death or the earning of a third wound stripe - impairs the hearing. We will come, and if we can't save you we'll die with you. That's how it has always been - and that's how it always will be. Herein, maybe the answer. Excerpt: We joined the spare crew on the jerking, shaking steel monster Clinging to the rolled-up canvas cover on the back that resembled a sieve, with all the holes that had been made by spandau bullets. The Platoon were back at start point, dug-in outside a bungalow. The two sergeants expressed genuine remorse over our being left behind and then nicely requested us to dig-in by the two logs on the side of the road. We set to with the urgency added to by the thought of an impending counter attack very much in mind. The earth we removed, thrown over the two logs to form a bulwark which, when we finished, cradled our bren and rifle. The order, "we're standing-to all night", wasn't greeted with the usual moan, suppressed by the impending counter-attack. Before dawn, the tanks passed through our positions and back up the road with one of the Infantry companies in support. Back to our last night's position. With their engines stopped, silence settled down again. A counter-attack seemed very unlikely now, with infantry and tanks up ahead of us. Not that one felt like cheering, just a little more relieved. With the advent of dawn, the Front burst into life once again, The machine-guns clattering for all they were worth. But they were our tank's brownings and beezers. As the daylight got stronger, the tree trunks, which we had leaned on all night started to take shape. Although loosely covered with earth, that whitened patch of tree with the bark missing suddenly shaped into a nose, then a mouth and then a pair of staring eyes. I recoiled in surprise. "Sol, look at this". He moved up from the feet end of the trench. "Jesus, it's a dead man!" "Two", I informed him, after moving some of the loose earth and finding another face. Not the nicest surprise to be met with in the first "Right, move out then." Chas' order to advance quickly dispelled the macabre thoughts from my mind. We were back to our position of last night. Then we passed through the tanks on the cross-road. Silent now, facing down towards the town of Rethem. The sight that met our eyes as we started to descend the slope leading to the town can only be described as being very like the First World War battlefield carnage. The fields were full of dead bodies, some half out of the trenches that were in possession of the fields stretching to left and right, some in the trenches, others huddled in heaps all over the place. The tanks had caught them at dawn, either lining up for the anticipated counter-attack or prepared to retreat. It turned out that they were elite German Marines, fighting as infantry. While my eyes were earnestly digesting this awesome sight, my attention was drawn to a loud burst of clapping. There, close on my right, was the reason for this spontaneous applause. A dead German sitting in what must have been a fairly shallow trench, his head protruding over the edge of it, facing the sky. One of the lads from another platoon, like ours, advancing in file, had stopped and was urinating into the Jerry's open mouth. Our advance into the town, through rear gardens of side streets, ended in the main street on the west bank of the river. Some bitter street-fighting occurred, house to house clearing. But in the main, nowhere near as rough as we expected. In one rear garden, we came upon around a dozen members of the Welch Regiments, lying in a near-straight line, without back packs or weapons. I drew a young officer's attention to the fact that they must have been prisoners, captured during their assault yesterday, and that they'd been executed. He made note of it for reference back to HQ. I wished I could find a German's mouth to piss in. As a platoon, we entered into a large building from the rear and found, to our surprise, that it was a bank. Chas allocated a section to each floor for firing positions and living quarters. When I found out that my Section was on the top floor, I remonstrated with Joe for not pressing his claim to seniority to obtain for us the first floor. His muddled explanation only heightened my annoyance as we struggled up the stairs to the top floor. Not usually one to bear a grudge, I surprised even myself by the way I ignored Joe for the rest of the day. In the afternoon, the Platoon could excuse being likened to an ant colony, tracking in and out of the bank's rear door, carrying mattresses and bedclothes and other knick-knacks liberated from the empty domestic homes surrounding us. Glancing around our room, at the mattress beds already made up with pillows and continental quilts, promising heavenly bliss later, I though that if only one could remove one's boots, then bliss could become paradise. The 'shackles' being really hoi revealed that the cookhouse must be close at hand. From our window in the front of the building, which we kepi well away from in case of snipers, we could observe the eastern bank of the Aller. There was no sign of Jerry, but we knew he was there. Forty or fifty yards to the left was an intact bridge but, as of now, no-one had attempted to cross it. It was probably wired up for demolition, which would take place when the first tank trundled onto it. We, likewise, probably had an anti-tank gun covering it in case the enemy attempted a counter-attack. It was hoped by all that we'd have a few days of near-normal life while the plans for the next operation were being formulated. With darkness full on, we were able to take up 'stag' positions in our front windows. The orders, no smoking and no lights of any sort in our room was accepted with aplomb. But smoking was permitted away from the ban's street-fronting rooms. Chas and Nib were in residence on the ground floor, still showing an inquisitive interest in the vault's door, as I passed through on my way back from the toilet. Approaching dawn, we were awakened by a huge explosion on the floor below us, followed instantly by screams and moaning of the wounded. And every few seconds, the not-so-loud bangs of mortar bombs striking the front of the building. The screams of the wounded and dying in the room below catapulted us down the stairs to the middle floor. Chas and Nib were there before us, and ordered us to stay put. A bomb had penetrated into the room through the window and exploded among the sleeping occupants. Smudge and his partner were doing 'stag' in the windows when the bomb passed between them. Fortunately unhurt, they came staggering out of the carnage that was now the room, covered in blood and feathers from the burst pillows and dead and wounded victims. Obeying the order to stay outside the room by Chas, in case another bomb should be successful in gaining entry, he and Nib crawled in and started dragging the half dozen wounded out. Followed by two dead. All of them, including Chas and Nib now, were partially covered in feathers and blood. That was the tragic curtain call on the night's sleep-induced comfort of a makeshift bed. 'Stag' still had to be done so we returned to our room. There was no conversation, only my sincerely meant, "I'm sorry, Joe", as my sheepish looks met his. There were a few indecipherable stares from some of the rest of the Section, too. If Joe had let me have my way, some of us would have replaced those that the stretcher-bearers were now jeeping away . . . Not So Bloody Quiet on the Western Front From the rear cover: ‘a factual story of a group of young soldiers’ In December 1944 the German army launched its final offensive against the Allied military machine. Just a few months after the Allies had occupied most of Belgium, the Germans sought to reverse the tide of the war by striking through the Ardennes to cross the River Meuse with the aim of retaking the port of Antwerp. During the ‘Battle of the Bulge’, as it is commonly called, the British army played a vital role in stopping the Germans from making the breakthrough they so desperately wanted, although the contribution of the British soldiers has never attracted widespread attention. This is the factual story of a group of these young soldiers as they experience the terrors of war and of how they used their initiative and ingenuity to survive during this horrific conflict. It is not only a historical narrative, but also a tale of everyday survival. The exploits of the group are, at times, sad, funny and thought provoking. They are always interesting The Author, above left, pictured in the Ardennes in 1944. A ‘Belgian Home’, top right, shows three men of C Company, 2nd Monmouthshire Regiment dug-in ready for battle. The emblems of The 53rd (Welsh) Division, left, and the Monmouthshire Regiment. Please note: to avoid opening the book out, with the risk of damaging the spine, some of the pages were slightly raised on the inner edge when being scanned, which has resulted in some blurring to the text and a shadow on the inside edge of the final images. Colour reproduction is shown as accurately as possible but please be aware that some colours are difficult to scan and may result in a slight variation from the colour shown below to the actual colour. In line with eBay guidelines on picture sizes, some of the illustrations may be shown enlarged for greater detail and clarity. U.K. buyers: To estimate the “packed weight” each book is first weighed and then an additional amount of 150 grams is added to allow for the packaging material (all books are securely wrapped and posted in a cardboard book-mailer). The weight of the book and packaging is then rounded up to the nearest hundred grams to arrive at the postage figure. I make no charge for packaging materials and do not seek to profit from postage and packaging. Postage can be combined for multiple purchases. Packed weight of this item : approximately 350 grams Postage and payment options to U.K. addresses: Details of the various postage options can be obtained by selecting the “Postage and payments” option at the head of this listing (above). Payment can be made by: debit card, credit card (Visa or MasterCard, but not Amex), cheque (payable to "G Miller", please), or PayPal. Please contact me with name, address and payment details within seven days of the end of the listing; otherwise I reserve the right to cancel the sale and re-list the item. Finally, this should be an enjoyable experience for both the buyer and seller and I hope you will find me very easy to deal with. If you have a question or query about any aspect (postage, payment, delivery options and so on), please do not hesitate to contact me. International buyers: To estimate the “packed weight” each book is first weighed and then an additional amount of 150 grams is added to allow for the packaging material (all books are securely wrapped and posted in a cardboard book-mailer). The weight of the book and packaging is then rounded up to the nearest hundred grams to arrive at the shipping figure. I make no charge for packaging materials and do not seek to profit from shipping and handling. Shipping can usually be combined for multiple purchases (to a maximum of 5 kilograms in any one parcel with the exception of Canada, where the limit is 2 kilograms). Packed weight of this item : approximately 350 grams International Shipping options: Details of the postage options to various countries (via Air Mail) can be obtained by selecting the “Postage and payments” option at the head of this listing (above) and then selecting your country of residence from the drop-down list. 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Please contact me with your name and address and payment details within seven days of the end of the listing; otherwise I reserve the right to cancel the sale and re-list the item. Finally, this should be an enjoyable experience for both the buyer and seller and I hope you will find me very easy to deal with. If you have a question or query about any aspect (shipping, payment, delivery options and so on), please do not hesitate to contact me. Prospective international buyers should ensure that they are able to provide credit card details or pay by PayPal within 7 days from the end of the listing (or inform me that they will be sending a cheque in GBP drawn on a major British bank). Thank you. (please note that the book shown is for illustrative purposes only and forms no part of this listing) Book dimensions are given in inches, to the nearest quarter-inch, in the format width x height. Please note that, to differentiate them from soft-covers and paperbacks, modern hardbacks are still invariably described as being ‘cloth’ when they are, in fact, predominantly bound in paper-covered boards pressed to resemble cloth. Fine Books for Fine Minds I value your custom (and my feedback rating) but I am also a bibliophile : I want books to arrive in the same condition in which they were dispatched. For this reason, all books are securely wrapped in tissue and a protective covering and are then posted in a cardboard container. If any book is significantly not as described, I will offer a full refund. Unless the size of the book precludes this, hardback books with a dust-jacket are usually provided with a clear film protective cover, while hardback books without a dust-jacket are usually provided with a rigid clear cover. The Royal Mail, in my experience, offers an excellent service, but things can occasionally go wrong. 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Price: 85 GBP
Location: Flamborough, Bridlington
End Time: 2024-08-01T14:22:51.000Z
Shipping Cost: 26.95 GBP
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Return postage will be paid by: Buyer
Returns Accepted: Returns Accepted
After receiving the item, your buyer should cancel the purchase within: 30 days
Return policy details: If any book is significantly not as described, I will offer a full refund, including return postage. All books are securely wrapped and posted in a cardboard container.
Binding: Paperback
Place of Publication: Pontycymmer, Bridgend
Non-Fiction Subject: History & Military
Language: English
Special Attributes: 1st Edition
Author: D. S. Hooper
Publisher: D. S. Hooper
Year Printed: 2003
