The Loose Association of Wargamers

I received my copy of 'The Waist-High Cornfield: The story of the 46 Royal Marine Commando and the Battle for Rots in Normandy' by Keith Taylor today and WOW! What a book! It's instantly become one of my favourite Normandy books and reminds me very much of the equally-excellent 'Breaking The Panzers' by Kevin Baverstock.

352 A4 pages - full colour throughout, is beautifully bound in hardback and is a satisfyingly weighty tome! £50 plus p&p.

Like 'Breaking The Panzers', 'The Waist-High Cornfield' is written as a homage by a son to his veteran father, who fought in a key Normandy battle. Similarly, the book covers the formation of the unit, the initial training and build-up over several years to that single day of battle. Again, like 'Breaking The Panzers', the production quality is absolutely stunning and makes good use of period photos, documents and detailed aerial recce photos in lieu of tactical maps.

Unlike Baverstock, Taylor weaves in a great many accounts from the other veterans of 46 RM Commando, as well as veterans from the 12th SS and Fort Garry Horse, as well as the local inhabitants of Rots and the surrounding farms and villages. He's also done some excellent battlefield-detective work, in creating some magnificent then-and-now shots, using a very famous sequence of 12th SS photos, as well as some Allied photos - all excellent stuff for my forthcoming tour!

Sadly, this magnificent book will only see very limited distribution, as no major publisher was interested and it was privately published by Keith Taylor himself (to an incredibly high standard), with only a few hundred copies being printed.

So if you are remotely interested in the Normandy Campaign and want some outstandingly good wargames-scenario fodder involving Commandos, Canadians, 12th SS Panthers, Canadian Shermans and Royal Marines Centaurs (I'm going to be doing a major re-write of mine...), this book is a must-buy. Drop me a PM if you want the ordering details.

I'll post some photos up later.

Here are some exerpts. The 'blended' then & now shots are exceptionally well done - an example being the last picture here:

Bloody magic. If I was less impecunious, I'd treat myself to this, it'll probably be a grand on abebooks by the time I have any money.

Just buy it! Worry later...

I was always told I was a spendthrift. I thought that meant I was thrifty with my spending so I upped my game and spent more!

It looks terrific, but too much for my wallet.

Sounds and looks good. I'll have to see what the taxman leaves me

I should add that any and all profits are going to Commando charities (not that there are likely to be any, but he lives in hope...).

And there will be a second book covering the rest of 46 Commando's war.

Just to update the above, the sequel to this utterly superb book, entitled '46 Royal Marine Commando: Broken Bridges - Rivers To Cross (from Normandy to the German Baltic Coast)' has now been published on a VERY limited print run and is available from the author for £55, including postage.

More on my wishlist for when the planes fly again.

Very tempted by this, but in the end had to decline. I'm desperately trying to limit my involvement with WW2 gaming to the early war France/Low Countries and Malaya stuff, plus coastal naval, and leave my regular opponent to cover the 1942-1945 period.