POLAR BEARS (Pbk)

With its roots in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the 49th Infantry Division was originally a territorial unit formed in 1907 which fought with distinction throughout World War I, earning three Victoria Crosses. During 1940-1942 it fought in the ill-fated campaign in Norway, garrisoned Iceland for two years and earned for itself the title of the Polar Bears. In the North-west Europe campaign of 1944-1945 they acted as Montgomery's left flank and suffered eleven thousand casualties in eleven months. In the last weeks of the war the unit shuttled food into starving The Netherlands. This account of their exploits is fully illustrated with photographs and maps, and is based on the first-hand accounts of men who actually fought with the Polar Bears.