ISBN 0-7110-2958-X
96 pages

Acknowledgements; Abbreviations; photos; maps; TOEs; tables; diagrams; uniforms and insignia; biographies; References; Index

ISBN 0-7110-2923-7
96 pages

Acknowledgements; Abbreviations; photos; maps; TOEs; tables; diagrams; uniforms and insignia; biographies; References; Index

ISBN 0-7110-2922-9
96 pages

Abbreviations; Glossary; photos; maps; TOEs; uniforms and insignia; biographies; References; Index

Origins and History
Ready for War
In Action
Insignia, Clothing, and Equipment
People
Postwar (understandably missing from the Leibstandarte volume)
Assessment
Reference

   More generally, they all rely on a generous mix of photos and a good deal of material tailored for reenactors, but with the "In Action" chapters serving as the centerpiece of each book. Ample sidebars cover related material outside the narrative without overwhelming the main text; for example, 1st Infantry Division includes a full-page sidebar about General George Patton's slapping incidents in Sicily. Each volume includes multiple TOE charts and tables to display the structure of the unit at various points in its history, and all the books contain clean, simple sketch maps of movement and combat. The Leibstandarte volume in particular includes sketch maps very similar to (but less detailed than) the maps of movement provided for each German unit in the Deutschen Divisionen series by Schmitz, Thies, Wegmann, and Zweng. (In this particular case, the map for Leibstandarte seems to be slightly at odds with other sources for the unit's movements during Operation Marita.)
   All these features—photos, maps, sidebars—make for a fine concept, but the trick is in implementing the concept. Again, the series—at least based on these three books—does a good job. For example, Westwell doesn't just toss in a bland sketch of an LST as filler in 1st Marine Division; instead, he includes a very nice cutaway view and carefully labels all the interior and exterior features. The photos are especially nice. Again, these aren't the same old retreads everyone has already seen a million times. Instead, readers are treated to some crisp, unfamiliar, informative, and evocative photographs that add to the text instead of just filling space. Even the captions usually show evidence of extra effort. For example, 1st Infantry includes a fairly generic photo of a bustling scene at Mers el Kebir as the Allies prepare for the invasion of Sicily. Instead of leaving it at that, Westwell identifies the vessels in the photo and even provides a thumbnail sketch of Quail's fate.
   On the other hand, we're far less thrilled with the way all three books rely on photographic "reconstructions" featuring reenactors. Although we're probably in the minority on this, it seems to us that posed shots of fresh-faced reenactors in pristine uniforms, no matter how authentic, add very little to the value of the books. That's especially true when, as seems to be the case on a few pages, captions fail to identify the photos as reconstructions.
   Quibbles notwithstanding, there's a bounty of useful photos and illustrations which adds a great deal to the text. In 1st Infantry Division, Westwell includes a very revealing sketch of the terrain and German defenses at Omaha Beach. There's also a nice full-page diagram of the 116th Regiment's plan of landing (which, although uncredited, seems to be a straight copy of the original US Army diagram which has appeared elsewhere, including Adrian Lewis' Omaha Beach).
   The "Insignia, Clothing, and Equipment" chapter features descriptions and photos (some in color) of various gear. The "People" chapter singles out a handful of key men, usually unit commanders, with a few paragraphs about their careers. The "Assessment" chapter puts the unit's performance into the larger context of the war. Not surprisingly, these three divisions all earn high marks! The final chapter in each book, "Reference," combines a list of related websites, books for further reading, and—in some cases—information about museums, memorials, and even films featuring the division.
   The heart of each book, however, remains the "In Action" chapter. Here's a sample:

   The division's main effort during Operation 'Torch' took place at Arzew. Here, 34 transport ships escorted by 20 warships of the Royal Naval arrived within five and a half miles of the landing beaches, code-named Z Green, Z White and Z Red, at 23.15 hours on the 7th. First in was Lieutenant-Colonel William 0. Darby's 1st Ranger Battalion, which had successfully neutralised the defending coastal batteries by 04.00 hours on the 8th. The main landings of some 15,400 troops, comprising the 1st Division's 16th and 18th RCTs and an armoured task force on the three Z beaches would not be menaced by enemy fire.
   Landing at Z Green at around 01.20, the 18th RCT had two main objectives - to relieve the Rangers in Arzew and push along the main road running from the town to Oran. The 3rd Battalion went to the aid of the Rangers and, despite some scattered resistance around the town's barracks and small naval base, the mission was accomplished by mid-morning. The 1st Battalion made initially good progress along the Arzew-Oran road. After advancing through the village of Renan, it beat off an attack by five Vichy armoured cars and moved forward to St Cloud a farther two miles down the road. Here, it was halted by a firmly entrenched enemy garrison supported by heavy artillery. Reinforcements were brought up, including the 2nd Battalion and self-propelled artillery, but an attack on the village was beaten off during the afternoon. A second wave of reinforcements, chiefly all of the 3rd Battalion bar one company left at Arzew, arrived shortly before nightfall and plans were laid to assault St Cloud on the following day.
   Meanwhile, the division's 16th Regimental Combat Team had landed on Z White and Z Red beaches exactly on schedule at 01.00. Its 3rd Battalion, coming ashore on Z White, rapidly moved inland following a route to the south of St Cloud that lead it to the village of Fleurus some 12 miles inland and just nine miles west of Oran. While the 3rd Battalion was moving on Fleurus, the 1st Battalion came ashore at Z Red and immediately took two small villages, Damesme and St Leu, and then swung eastward along the coast road in the direction of La Macta some nine miles distant. La Macta was defended by Vichy forces and the 1st Battalion had to call in naval fire from HMS Farndale to help secure the village shortly after 12.00.
   The action resumed on the 9th, although the landing forces were dogged by supply problems, in part because rough seas had prevented the unloading of vessels on the invasion beaches. The 26th RCT, advancing toward Oran by way of Ferme Combier, was not able to continue until the afternoon, and was quickly brought under heavy shell fire from batteries on Cap Falcon and from Vichy forces holding hills close to Mers el Kebir. The attack stalled. To the east of Oran, the 16th and 18th RCTs launched an attack on St Cloud. Advancing from three sides early in the morning, they fought their way into the village but were halted by stiff resistance by noon. A new attack was planned but the division's commander, Major-General Terry de la Mesa Alien, called a halt, deciding that St Cloud could be masked by one of his battalions, while the remainder would simply move around it and prepare for an attack on Oran during the 10th. Over at La Macta, the 16th RCT's 1st Battalion faced an attack by much-strengthened Vichy forces, some of whom were able to infiltrate behind the US positions. Urgent calls went out for air, ground and naval support but these proved unnecessary as the battalion beat off the French. After nightfall, it was relieved at La Macta and sent to rejoin the rest of the regiment for the advance on Oran.

   For 1st Marine and 1st Infantry, Westwell does a good job of distilling the history of each division into a short book. With Leibstandarte, the limitation of the format begins to appear. By comparison, Leibstandarte spent far more time in combat than either of the American divisions, but Sharpe and Davis still have only ninety-six pages into which they must compress the full story of the SS unit. That makes their book feel far less complete than the other two, especially given the exceedingly high level of detail found in the multi-volume history of Leibstandarte by Lehmann and Tiemann.
   Which brings us to an important point. These are good, well-executed volumes and for the most part they accomplish just what they set out to do: they serve as handy references and valuable introductions to important units, presenting a wealth of information in a compressed and standardized format, but in a visually pleasing, easy-to-access style. Despite that, these books won't supplant full-scale unit histories, and—here's the point—that's not the intention of the series. Just like the Leibstandarte volume will never replace the Lehmann and Tiemann series, Westwell's books won't replace Danger Forward or The Old Breed. Those books will remain the standards. However, for anyone who doesn't have access to those classics, or doesn't feel up to wading through five volumes translated from the German, these Spearhead books make a good starting point. They should find a large audience, and they'll certainly find a home on our shelves.
   Finally, we hope that Ian Allan—or another ambitious publisher—realizes that, in addition to these three divisions and the others covered so far in this series, there are plenty of other divisions about which far less ink has already been expended, divisions not as well-known as these three, divisions which nonetheless would make excellent subjects for this kind of "standard" divisional history. Heck, in a perfect world every division from every army would have a great little book like this.
   Available from online booksellers, local bookshops, or directly from Ian Allan.
   Thanks to Ian Allan for providing these review copies.