The Highland Division

The Highland Territorials were made up of the 51st Division, who had fought bravely in the Great War, and entered WWII with a fearsome and loyal reputation. Here Erik Linklater draws from letters and War diaries alongside the official table of movements to construct a vivid picture of the battles, triumphs, and ultimately defeat, of the Highland Division in France. Not only do we see the tactical movements, but we get a closer look from the individual's point of view: Men so tired that the shells became a bothersome back-ground noise, and a ditch the perfect place to sleep; what it was like to hide in trees and pick off your enemy, or to be at the mercy of an invisible sniper.

From communicating in Gaelic to scupper the German spies, to holding the line beyond the realms of endurance, we see that although the division was finally lost, it fought valiantly to the very end.



First published in 1942 as part of The Army at War Series, The Highland Division is a record of ingenuity, fortitude, and brotherhood.