Death traps : the survival of an American armored division in World War II
"As a young ordnance lieutenant in the 3d Armor Division, it was Belton Cooper's job to travel with the combat units during the day and assist in coordinating the recovery, repair, and evacuation of the battle-damaged tanks. At night, Lieutenant Cooper and his Jeep driver raced along dark country roads, often going through enemy territory, to deliver his combat loss reports to the ordnance battalion headquarters, typically some thirty to sixty miles to the rear. This ensured that his units got their share of patched-up, resurrected Shermans the next day." "From D day to the final thrust across Germany, Cooper and the men of his division's maintenance and supply system - manned primarily by soldiers who had been farm machinery mechanics and industrial workers in civilian life - put back into action hundreds of M4 Sherman tanks. This achievement is brought to life by a man who made more ordnance inspections and witnessed more battle damaged tanks than probably anyone else - in any war."--BOOK JACKET
Print Book, English, 1998
Presidio Press, Navato, CA, 1998