The Centurion Tank

Author: Pat Ware
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 178337862X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 198

Book Description
“An in-depth illustrated history of one of the most successful post-war British tanks” from the author of Special Forces Vehicles (Forces Pension Society). Few tank designs have been as effective, versatile and long-lived as that of the British Centurion. Conceived during the Second World War as the answer to the superior German Tiger and Panther tanks and to the lethal 88mm gun, this 52-ton main battle tank incorporated the lessons British designers had learned about armored fighting vehicles during the conflict, and it was free of the major faults that had impaired the other British tank designs of the time. The Centurion was so successful that it served in the British Army and in numerous other armies across the world from 1945 until the 1990s. Pat Ware’s highly illustrated history of this remarkable tank covers its design and development, its technical specifications and the many variants that were produced. He tells the story from the design brief of 1943, through testing and trials to the tank’s entry into service. In addition, he traces the course of the Centurion’s subsequent career, as it was up-dated, up-gunned and adapted to operate in varied conditions and conflicts all over the world including Korea, the Indo-Pakistan wars, Vietnam and the Arab-Israeli wars. His expert account of this remarkable fighting vehicle is accompanied by a series of color plates showing the main variants of the design and the common ancillary equipment and unit markings. His book is an essential work of reference for enthusiasts. “An impressive tribute to a superb vehicle.” —The Pegasus Archive

Centurion Tank

Author: Bill Munro
Publisher: Crowood Press UK
ISBN: 9781861267016
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
The Centurion was the British Army's first standard post-World War Two main battle tank. It first saw combat in the Korean War, and was used by a number of armed forces in many engagements over the next thirty years. Many different variants were produced, and many remain in service to this day.

Centurion

Author: Robert Jackson
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1526741350
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 148

Book Description
The fifty-ton British Centurion tank, developed during the darkest days of the Second World War, was designed to outgun and outperform the latest German tanks, such as the formidable Panzer V Panther. It was one of the most successful tanks ever produced, and this volume in the TankCraft series by Robert Jackson is the ideal introduction to it.The Centurion came into service too late to test its ability in action with German armor, but in the postwar world it earned a fearsome reputation in action during the many conflicts of the Cold War era, from the Middle East to Vietnam. Nearly 4,500 were built, serving with the armies of some twenty nations. The Centurions chassis was also adapted to fulfill a variety of tasks, including armored recovery, bridge-laying and guided weapons carrier.As well as tracing the history of the Centurion, Robert Jackson's book is an excellent source of reference for the modeler, providing details of available kits and photographs of award-winning models, together with artworks showing the color schemes applied to these tanks. Each section of the book is supported by a wealth of archive photographs.

The Centurion Tank

Author: Pat Ware
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1781590117
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 129

Book Description
Few tank designs have been as effective, versatile and long-lived as that of the British Centurion. Conceived during the Second World War as the answer to the superior German Tiger and Panther tanks and to the lethal 88mm gun, this 52-ton main battle tank incorporated the lessons British designers had learned about armored fighting vehicles during the conflict, and it was free of the major faults that had impaired the other British tank designs of the time. The Centurion was so successful that it served in the British Army and in numerous other armies across the world from 1945 until the 1990s.Pat Ware s highly illustrated history of this remarkable tank covers its design and development, its technical specifications and the many variants that were produced. He tells the story from the design brief of 1943, through testing and trials to the tank s entry into service. In addition, he traces the course of the Centurion s subsequent career, as it was up-dated, up-gunned and adapted to operate in varied conditions and conflicts all over the world including Korea, the Indo-Pakistan wars, Vietnam and the Arab-Israeli wars. His expert account of this remarkable fighting vehicle is accompanied by a series of color plates showing the main variants of the design and the common ancillary equipment and unit markings. His book is an essential work of reference for enthusiasts."

Centurion Main Battle Tank

Author: Simon Dunston
Publisher: Haynes Publishing UK
ISBN: 9781785210570
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
First trialled in Europe in the spring of 1945, but formally introduced into British Army service in December 1946, not only is the Centurion one of the most important tanks in the history of the British armoured fighting vehicle (AFV), but it is also one of the most significant post-war Western tanks. Between 1946 and 1962, 4,423 Centurions were built in 13 basic marks and numerous variants, with the chassis also adapted for several other AFV roles. A small number of the Beach Armoured Recovery Version (BARV) served with the British forces during the Iraq War of 2003, some 58 years after the Centurion first entered service! The Centurion has seen extensive combat in the Korean War (Britain), Vietnam (Australia), the Middle East (Israel) in the 1967 Six Day War, 1973 Yom Kippur War, and during the 1978 and 1982 invasions of Lebanon, and in the Indo-Pakistan War (India) in 1965 where it fought against US-supplied M47 and M48 Patton tanks.

The Centurion tank in battle

Author: Simon Dunstan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description

Centurion vs T-55

Author: Simon Dunstan
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472859561
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 159

Book Description
A tightly focused illustrated study comparing the design, development, and combat performance of two of the Cold War's first main battle tanks. Conceived at the height of World War II, the British Centurion and the Soviet T-55 were initially expected to counter the formidable Panther and Tiger tanks of Germany. But as the Cold War unfolded, these machines prepared instead for the coming struggle between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Though they never fought in Europe, these two tanks became the mainstay of the Cold War's proxy forces around the world. From Korea to the Middle East and on to Angola, these two armored combatants clashed repeatedly, reaching their crescendo on the Golan Heights during the Yom Kippur War where 177 Centurions of the IDF took on a vastly superior Arab force. Presented with highly detailed digital artwork and photographs, this is a tightly focused study of the development and operational history two of the Cold War's first main battle tanks.

British Tanks: 1945 to the Present Day

Author: Pat Ware
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1783038403
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 248

Book Description
In this companion volume to British Tanks: The Second World War, Pat Ware provides an expert introduction to the design, production and operation of British tanks since 1945. Fewer types of tank were built than during the wartime period, but the complexity of design and manufacture increased, and a level of technical sophistication in the key areas of armor, firepower and mobility was beyond the imaginings of the tank pioneers of the First World War.Using a selection of contemporary photographs supported by some modern photographs of preserved vehicles Pat Ware sets the modern tank in a historical context. He describes its origins in Britain and its development and deployment in the Second World War and in the post-war period. All the British tanks that have seen service since the war are depicted, among them the Conqueror, Chieftain, Centurion and Challenger. The engineers tanks the flails, recovery vehicles, bridge-layers are featured, as are the less-well-known British tanks made for export.This highly illustrated survey gives a fascinating insight into the recent evolution of the British tank and its role in the postwar world.Pat Ware is a leading expert on the history of military vehicles and a prolific writer of books and articles on every aspect of the subject. His most recent publications include a study of the military Jeep and encyclopaedias of military vehicles and motorcycles. He was the founding editor of Classic Military Vehicle magazine in 2001 and continues to contribute to the magazine as well as writing a military column for Land Rover World.

M1 Abrams Tank

Author: Henry Wilson
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473834236
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 193

Book Description
The Ml Abrams has proved itself to be the finest main battle tank in the World since its introduction into US Army service in 1981. It combines the ultimate balance between firepower, mobility and protection as demonstrated by its superior performance during the two Gulf Wars and in Afghanistan. It routed the Soviet equipment of Saddam Hussein's army and today remains the yardstick by which friends' and foes' MBTs are judged. Its versatility and continual modernisation of weaponry armour and engineering guarantees that the MI Abrams will remain the US Army's spearpoint for years to come. Expert author Michael Green has produced a comprehensive collection of images and highly informed text.

Armoured Warfare in the Vietnam War

Author: Michael Green
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 147384083X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 317

Book Description
This pictorial history of the Indochina and Vietnam Wars captures the range of armored warfare used in the region through rare wartime photographs. The two conflicts that engulfed Indochina and Vietnam in the decades after World War II are generally thought of as infantry wars. But in fact, they both involved a significant amount of armored warfare. In this fully illustrated volume, military expert and Vietnam veteran Michael Green describes the many kinds of armored vehicles deployed and their contributions in combat. The ill-fated French Expeditionary Force of the Indochina War was largely equipped with World War II era American tanks—including M3 and M5 Stuart, M4 Sherman and M24 light tanks—as well as armored cars and half-tracks. Most of these eventually went to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, but were outdated and ineffective due to lack of logistics and training. The US Army and Marine Corps build-up in the 1960s saw vast quantities of M48 Pattons, M113 APCs and many specialist variants and improvised armored vehicles arrive in the theatre. The Australians also brought their British Centurion tanks. But it was the Russians, Chinese and North Vietnamese who won the day and their T-38-85 tanks, ZSU anti-aircraft platforms.