Featured battle : Denain

Part of The War of the Spanish Succession

Date : 24 July 1712

Political intrigues held Marlborough in England and the British army in camp. Villars, commanding the French, launched a strong rapid attack on the mainly Dutch troops, under Lord Albermarle, who were defending Denain. The Dutch losses were heavier than they might have been because the British pontoon bridges across the Scheldt had been removed. The battle was an overwhelming defeat for the Dutch.

Eyewitness at Dieppe

Ross Reyburn
Wallace Reyburn was a truly exceptional war correspondent the only one who went ashore during the ill-fated Dieppe raid 1942. He wrote of his experiences in ‘Rehearsal for Invasion’ a war time best seller. This book, written by his son Ross, has three parts. Part one, A Fortunate Survivor, Ross introduces his father to the reader and places the Dieppe raid in its context. Part two, Rehearsal for Invasion, is Wallace Reyburn’s account of his involvement in the landing. He doesn’t shy away from the brutality of close-quarter combat and records the bravery of the Canadian troops fighting against better armed more numerous Germans. Part three, The Appendices, give a flavour of the times and how the book was received.
The adventure is ‘Boys Own’ stuff, beautifully written, absorbing yet gritty in parts. The whole rings true and we highly recommend it as a very good read.

Pen & Sword History, 2022