Few will deny that 11^th British Armoured Division, the

"Charging Bulls" of this story, was the finest armoured division on any

side in the Normandy campaign in 1944. Soon after the end of the war,

the history of the Division, Taurus Pursuant , was published in England

in 1946. About 30 years later, Jean Brisset published his French-language

book, La Charge du Taureau , about the same Division. It

quickly went through two editions in France. What ensured its success

was that it enlivened and humanized the well-known official accounts

of the Division's battles in Operations EPSOM, Goodwood,

bluecoat and others with the personal stories of participants in

those battles who were often soldiers of humble but honourable rank.

In addition, he paralleled the British military story with accounts of the

experiences of French civilians caught up in the terror of those same

battles, the anguish of their tragedies and losses and the joy of their

liberation. It is a history unique of its kind and deserves to be

presented in this English translation.

In addition to the story about 11^th Armoured Division an

Appendix tells about the battles in the Normandy bocage fought

alongside the "Charging Bulls" by the hard-fighting 43^rd (Wessex)

Infantry Division and how the local civilians and Résistance fighters

helped them.

Another Appendix recounts, among other adventures, how a

little 5-year-old French girl saved an Australian Spitfire pilot from recapture

by the Germans after he had been shot clown in the bocage.

Finally, an Epilogue brings the story up to date. It pays homage to

those, both British and French, who strove to keep alive the flames of

remembrance, mutual gratitude and friendship.

Containing over 100 photographs and illustrated by 9 maps.

specially drawn for this edition, The Charge of the Bull is a nostalgic

trip back for those who fought in Normandy in

1944 and an important addition to the

literature about that campaign.