Hell On Wheels: The 2d Armored Division
Reference World War II Military History Armored Warfare Study Guide American History Tactical Analysis Battlefield Tourism
First published in 1995, Donald Houston’s Hell on Wheels: The 2d Armored Division is the definitive single-volume study guide on “America’s tank-heavy spearhead” from North Africa to the heart of Germany. Unlike coffee-table overviews, this 360-page paperback drills down into battle maps, after-action reports, and first-hand interviews that textbook histories leave out. Collectors and re-enactors prize the 1995 first printing because it contains original TO&E tables, vehicle serial numbers, and casualty lists that were edited out of later reprints.
The book’s real value lies in its structure: each chapter mirrors the U.S. Army’s wartime training syllabi, so readers can follow the division’s route in real time—ideal for battlefield tourists tracing the path from Casablanca to the Elbe. Side-bars explain armored doctrine, Sherman variants, and small-unit tactics in plain English, making it a favorite among wargamers and model builders who need accurate order-of-battle data. A 40-page photographic section, reproduced on high-gloss stock in this edition, shows rare shots of the M-3 Lee, early M4A1s, and the division’s famous “Tiger face” insignia.
This copy is in very-good, collector-grade condition: a smooth, uncreased spine, bright interior pages free of underlining or foxing, and a rock-solid binding that will hold up to repeated reference use. Because the 1995 print run was small and most copies were carried in rucksacks across Europe, clean examples are increasingly scarce on the secondary market. For historians, veterans’ families, or anyone building a focused WWII armor library, this is the copy to own—ready to shelve or slip into a pack for the next staff ride.
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