To War Without Arms: The D-Day Diary of an Army Chaplain

Among the millions of personnel who served in the north-west European campaign of 1944-5 were hundreds of military chaplains. Almost uniquely, despite the fact that they often worked at or close to the front lines, they went to war entirely unarmed. This book contains the expertly-edited wartime journal of Revd. Alexander Reynolds, Royal Army Chaplains' Department. Twenty British Army chaplains died in Normandy, and many others bore the psychological scars of their experiences for the rest of their life. This book contains the wartime journal of one of them, Revd. Alexander ('Sandy') Reynolds, Royal Army Chaplains' Department. The book casts new light on the human experience of the Normandy campaign, the Allied advance towards the Reich, and post-war occupation duties in a defeated Germany. Reynolds' journal is expertly edited by Dr. Simon Trew, Sandhurst historian and an acknowledged authority on the Normandy campaign. Reynolds's journal provides vivid insights into the everyday experience of British military chaplains in Normandy and throughout the north-west European campaign of 1944-5. During his first week in France, Reynolds personally helped bury around 200 British and German soldiers who died during the D-Day assault. A humane, honest and thoughtful witness of some of the most dramatic events in 20th-Century history, in this book Reynolds tells the story of the campaign in his own words. 85 illustrations

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements & Dedication 04 Preface 06 A note on editing 10 Introduction 12 Chapter 1: Preparing for the Great Crusade 30 Chapter 2: First Days in France: Burying the Dead 52 Chapter 3: Life in the Bridgehead 70 Chapter 4: After the Breakout 88 Epilogue 110 Appendix 1: The Copper Cross 120 Appendix 2: Montgomery and his chaplains 123 Appendix 3: 120th LAA Regiment, list of officers, 6 June 1944 126 Appendix 4: `Beach Dressing Station, June 6/44’ 128 Appendix 5: List of abbreviations used in the text 130 Endnotes 132 Sources 145

About the Author :
Dr. Simon Trew has taught for over 25 years in the War Studies Department at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He has written or edited many books, among them the 14-volume `Battle Zone Normandy’ series of battlefield tour guides (2004) and `D-Day and the Battle of Normandy: a Photographic History’ (2012). He has appeared in more than 50 television historical documentaries and live programmes, among them BBC commemorative anniversary broadcasts from Normandy. In 2009 he was nominated for a prestigious `Emmy’ award for his research in support of a BBC documentary about the American D-Day landings at Omaha Beach.

Review :
Dr. Trew has done an excellent job of editing the diary and the book will be of interest to historians of the Normandy campaign and also of chaplaincy in WW2. I think the main contribution of the book to the vast literature on D-Day is that Reynolds’ diary emphasises the human element of the operation, which is so often overshadowed by the technology and higher command issues. (David Blake, Curator, Royal Army Chaplains’ Department Museum, Amport House)