John Cadman Watts

I found this rare book recently in an antique store, these doesn't appear to be much information on the 'net about it and it wasn't even listed here on Goodreads.

Written by a British surgeon/officer this book covers his war surgery experiences from the commencement of World War 2 all the way through to the landings in Normandy and push into Germany and the eventual falling out with our Russian Allies. From here the World War 2 narrative continues with deployment to Singapore & Malaya. Also covered is the Korean War and post-war summed up by a conclusion regarding war surgery and the improvements seen during the time periods covered.

I found the writing to be very easy to read, almost conversational, even though the topics dealt with at times at times technical - these instances were explained for the layman.

Lt Col JC Watts' journey all the way through World War 2 was as aspect of the war I hadn't previously read much of beyond the basic understanding of field hospitals et cetera. The processes and challenges involved are really quite interesting and I found myself learning quite a bit about not only war surgery but some of the finer aspects of the war. For example the gliders used in the Airborne Normandy landings were both British & American, the British Horsa gliders were made of three-ply wood and when crashed largely disintegrated absorbing the force leaving the occupants with more minor injuries whereas the American Waco gliders where fabric over a steel frame which lead to some rather horrid results such as one crash referenced in the book where the men are trapped in a the burning steel cage and cannot get out.

Definitely a good addition to any history or war library, and a good read for those with even only a mild interest in history or medicine / surgery.… (mehr)