Author: P. M. KnightPublisher:
ISBN: 9781794726079
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 294
Book Description
Author: R. P. HunnicuttA25 Harry Hopkins Tank & SP3 Alecto A Technical History
Author: P. M. KnightPublisher:
ISBN: 9781471714115
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
The Harry Hopkins was a light tank designed by Vickers-Armstrongs at Chertsey as an intended improvement to their previous Tetrarch model, featuring thicker armour and a more ergonomic internal layout. Unfortunately, it met much the same fate as the earlier vehicle due to the doubts of the War Office as to the efficacy of light tanks in general. After an aborted inititative to employ it as an airborne tank, the A25 chassis was used as the basis for the Alecto self-propelled howitzer, a mechanically superlative machine that was also stymied by uncertainty as to its importance and ultimate role. This book covers the development of both vehicles, which followed a course that was as fascinating as it was frustrating.
A34 Comet Tank A Technical History
Author: P. M. KnightPublisher:
ISBN: 9781326873776
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 240
Book Description
The A34 Comet was the ultimate iteration of the Cruiser series of fast, mobile tanks, and built on the hard lessons that had been learned with earlier designs. However, it was also brought into being at a time when British industrial capacity was nearing exhaustion, and when officialdom already had one eye on the transition to more profitable peacetime production. As such, the Comet saga was one of the husbanding of the scarce, and declining, resources available to the tank programme against the backdrop of a conflict whose end was already in sight. As this book demonstrates in depth, the result was a well-balanced design that optimised the possibilities presented by the previous Cruisers. However, it would be outshone by its ubiquitous successor, the A41 Centurion.
A13 Cruiser Mk.V Covenanter a Technical History
Author: P. M. KnightPublisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 9781291928587
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 40
Book Description
This book documents for the first time the full history of the design and development of the Covenanter tank, giving in-depth coverage of the issues that beset the machine, and how they were eventually resolved. It dispels many of the myths that have attached themselves to the Covenanter story, revealing that far from being a compromised design whose problems with cooling and reliability were never cured, it was in fact a sound vehicle whose problems need never have arisen in the first place, were it not for the urgent need for tanks of any description in the aftermath of the disaster of the Battle Of France. This led to the premature introduction of the Covenanter before its development had been completed, with a consequent impact on its reputation. Contrary to popular belief, the Covenanter was judged fit for frontline service, and only missed out by the narrowest of margins. Drawn from original archive sources, this book sheds new light on one of the most controversial weapons of World War 2.
A13 Cruiser Mk. V Covenanter Tank a Technical History
Author: P. M. KnightPublisher:
ISBN: 9780244967567
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 220
Book Description
The Covenanter was intended to be the main equipment of the Armoured Divisions during the early years of the Second World War, and was a generally reliable tank that was well suited to its primary task of home defence. Due to a rather convoluted series of events, mainly involving material shortages, it would not see service overseas, and as Britain's strategic circumstances evolved it would increasingly be used as a training tank. If the Covenanter's active service was relatively uneventful, its development life was the very opposite, with two drastically different variants of the original machine being created, and constant refinement being undertaken while it was in the hands of its users. The Covenanter was reflective of the many blind spots in the British Army's pre-war thinking as regards Armoured Fighting Vehicles, and from its travails much practical experience was gained that benefited subsequent tank designs.
A43 Black Prince Tank a Technical History
Author: P. M. KnightPublisher:
ISBN: 9780244125790
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 168
Book Description
The A43 Black Prince arose from the need for a "Super Churchill", armed with the powerful 17 pounder anti-tank gun that could augment the firepower of the standard Churchills within the tank brigades. The resulting machine would prove to be both durable and reliable during evaluation testing, and promised to be an effective weapon in the hands of users. However, the war would come to an end before production could commence, and the AFV Division of the Ministry of Supply would instead concentrate on newer designs for the post-war era. This book provides an in-depth examination of the legendary Black Prince, and its place within the history of British tank design.
Author: R. P. HunnicuttStuart
Author: Richard Pearce HunnicuttPublisher: Echo Point Books & Media
ISBN: 9781626540903
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 516
Book Description
In Stuart: A History of the American Light Tank (Vol. I), Richard Hunnicutt outlines the development history of the American light tank and its associated self-propelled guns and support vehicles. Beginning with the modification of the French Renault in the midst of WWI, Stuart covers all pre-Stuart vehicles active during WWI in addition to light tank models and variations active during WWII, with emphasis on the wartime development of M3, M5, and M24 series of light tanks. A few other vehicles that are not technically light tanks, such as the M18 and LVT, also receive attention here as they share a number of key characteristics with the Stuart. In this comprehensive history, Hunnicutt also touches on postwar modifications and service of vehicles developed during WWII. In addition to detailing nearly all aspects of technical data and specifications, Stuart features images on nearly every page: photographs, full-color plates, line drawings, and cutaway diagrams, many of which are rare interior shots and diagrams from technical manuals. While Hunnicutt leaves the writing of the complete combat history of the Stuart to those who manned them in battle, he includes some of the Stuart's actions to demonstrate its uses in combat and attributes, both positive and negative. The definitive reference tome for the military historian, professional soldier, and tank restorer, Stuart remains the most comprehensive history on the American light tank's development from its beginnings through WWII. Richard Pearce Hunnicutt (1926-2011) enlisted in the 7th Infantry Division in 1944 and in 1945 was promoted to sergeant and awarded the Silver Star for his heroic actions. After WWII, Hunnicutt earned a Masters in engineering from Stanford University under the GI Bill. In addition to being one of the most respected metallurgists in California, Hunnicutt wrote the definitive 10-volume history of the development and employment of American armored vehicles. As a tank historian and leading expert in the field, Hunnicutt was one of the founders of the US Army Ordnance Museum at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD and was a close friend and frequent contributor to the Patton Museum at Fort Knox, KY. Readers interested in related titles from R. P. Hunnicutt will also want to see: Abrams (ISBN: 9781626542556), Armored Car (ISBN: 9781626541559), Bradley (ISBN: 9781626542525), Half-Track (ISBN: 9781626541320), Patton (ISBN: 9781626548794), Pershing (ISBN: 9781626541672), Sheridan (ISBN: 9781626541542), Sherman (ISBN: 9781626548619), Firepower (ISBN: 9781635615036).
A30 Challenger Tank A Technical History
Author: P. M. KnightPublisher:
ISBN: 9781326483456
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 116
Book Description
The A30 Challenger was devised during 1942 as a means of mounting the powerful 17 pounder anti-tank gun on the chassis of what was intended to be the British Army's next Cruiser tank, the Cromwell. The subsequent development programme was subject to a degree of controversy as to the role and efficacy of such a vehicle, and, in the event, only 200 machines were ordered. The first examples did not see action until August 1944, and even then they were often viewed only as "stop-gaps" until the arrival of the A34 Comet. However, there were those, especially among its design team at Rolls-Royce in Belper, Derbyshire, who came to believe that the Challenger represented a missed opportunity to provide the Army with an unprecedented combination of firepower and mobility. This book examines the story of what would be an innovative and successful, if somewhat rarefied, tank and its subsequent development as a self-propelled anti-tank gun.
