Corps Commander

This is the story of a great campaign, from D-Day to VE Day, told by one of Britain’s foremost fighting generals.

Corps Commander is a military history with a difference, as Lieutenant-General Sir Brian Horrocks witnessed battle from two very different perspectives. First, from the front line, where he was actively involved in the fighting, as at Arnhem. And then from the standpoint of high strategy when he was in regular contact with Eisenhower, Montgomery and other commanders.

Yet in this book, Sir Brian tells far more than his own story. His collaboration with two distinguished military historians, Eversley Belfield and Major-General H. Essame, has produced a book of wide scope, and XXX Corps is presented against the backdrop of a much wider campaign. The result is a gripping description of a key fighting unit, combined with a vivid and authoritative account of how the Allies won final victory in the West. Corps Commander is bound to please readers who enjoy military history and strategy, and those particularly interested in World War II.

Lieutenant General Sir Brian Horrocks, KCB, KBE, DSO, MC (1895–1985) was a highly respected commander in the British Army, perhaps best known for commanding XXX Corps in Operation Market Garden and several other World War II campaigns. After the war, he was also a television presenter, author and – for 14 years – Black Rod in the House of Lords.

Eversley Belfield was born in 1918 and educated at Ampleforth College and Pembroke College, Oxford, where the war interrupted his studies. During the Second World War he served with the Royal Artillery and was an Air Observation Pilot in the North-West European campaign with the Canadian Army. He later became a lecturer, specialising in military history.

Major-General Hubert Essame (1896–1976) saw action at the Somme in 1916 with the Northamptonshire Regiment. During the Second World War he commanded 214 Brigade in 43rd Division. Following retirement, he wrote several books on military history.