“Saul David has written a fine book about one of Britain’s most storied army divisions, which fought bravely in France and, for its pains, was needlessly sacrificed for the sake of Anglo-French unity. A unity that, by the second week of June 1940, was already tissue-thin (the French would sign an armistice with Germany on June 22nd) and had lost almost all meaning following the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force (along with some French units ) from Dunkirk.
In reading this book, one comes to see that the Highland Division’s fate was not inevitable. It could have been evacuated from either Dieppe or Le Havre had it been given permission to do so, while there was still room for manoeuver. But the French command, under which the Highland Division had been placed, kept it tied to its own unrealistic plans for defense. So, when General Fortune, the de facto commander of the Highland Division, tried to effect an evacuation, it was too late. He surrendered his forces to a then obscure German general — Erwin Rommel.”

First English Edition. (Gift inscription on fep.) pp. 224 illusts #271224