British Battle Tanks

Author: David Fletcher
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472821491
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 282

Book Description
This lavishly illustrated volume details the design, development and operational history of the British-made tanks in World War II. Plagued by unreliable vehicles and poorly thought-out doctrine, the early years of World War II were years of struggle for Britain's tank corps. Relying on tanks built in the late 1930s, and those designed and built with limited resources in the opening years of the war, they battled valiantly against an opponent well versed in the arts of armoured warfare. This book is the second of a multi-volume history of British tanks by renowned British armour expert David Fletcher MBE. It covers the development and use of the Matilda, Crusader, and Valentine tanks that pushed back the Axis in North Africa, the much-improved Churchill that fought with distinction from North Africa to Normandy, and the excellent Cromwell tank of 1944–45. It also looks at Britain's super-heavy tank projects, the TOG1 and TOG2, and the Tortoise heavy assault tank, designed to smash through the toughest of battlefield conditions, but never put into production.

British Tanks: The Second World War

Author: Pat Ware
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1783038373
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 251

Book Description
Perhaps the British did not produce the most successful tanks of the Second World War, but they certainly designed an extraordinary range of light, medium and heavy tanks along with many that were adapted for special purposes. This fascinating variety of military machinery is recorded in Pat Wares photographic history. Using a selection of wartime photographs—supported by some modern photographs of preserved vehicles the book describes the origins of the tank in Britain during the First World War, looks at British tank development during the inter-war period and contrasts this with advances made elsewhere—in Germany, France, the USA and the Soviet Union. All of the British tanks that saw service during the Second World War are described, among them the cruisers (Crusader, Cromwell, Comet), the infantry tanks (Matilda, Valentine, Churchill) and the US imports (Stuart, Lee/Grant, Sherman). Finally, an extensive section is devoted to the so-called funnies'—the tanks developed for crucial tasks like bridge-laying, mine-clearing, flame-throwing and amphibious operation. Pat Wares photographic survey of these tanks at war is an expert introduction to a key period in the history of British fighting vehicles.

British Tanks

Author: Pat Ware
Publisher: Images of War
ISBN: 9781848845008
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Perhaps the British did not produce the most successful tanks of the Second World War, but they certainly designed an extraordinary range of light, medium and heavy tanks along with many that were adapted for special purposes. This fascinating variety of military machinery is recorded in Pat Ware's photographic history. Using a selection of wartime photographs - supported by some modern photographs of preserved vehicles - the book describes the origins of the tank in Britain during the First World War, looks at British tank development during the inter-war period and contrasts this with advances made elsewhere - in Germany, France, the USA and the Soviet Union. All of the British tanks that saw service during the Second World War are described, among them the cruisers (Crusader, Cromwell, Comet), the infantry tanks (Matilda, Valentine, Churchill) and the US imports (Stuart, Lee/Grant, Sherman). Finally, an extensive section is devoted to the so-called 'funnies' - the tanks developed for crucial tasks like bridge-laying, mine-clearing, flame-throwing and amphibious operation. Pat Ware's photographic survey of these tanks at war is an expert introduction to a key period in the history of British fighting vehicles.

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.

British Battle Tanks

Author: David Fletcher
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472817567
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 238

Book Description
A highly illustrated history of the development and operation of the first British tanks, published to coincide with the 100th anniversary of their introduction in World War I. When British soldiers charged across the Somme in September 1916 they were accompanied by a new and astonishing weapon – the tank. After a stuttering start armoured behemoths such as the Mark IV, Mark V and Whippet played a crucial role in bringing World War I to an end. Marking the centenary of their battlefield debut, this comprehensive volume traces the design and development of the famous British invention during World War I and the increasingly tense years of the 1920s and 30s, from the first crude but revolutionary prototype to the ever-more sophisticated designs of later years. Bolstered by historic photographs and stunning illustrations, author David Fletcher brings us the thrilling history behind the early British battle tanks.

The Panther Tank

Author: Anthony Tucker-Jones
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 147388196X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 215

Book Description
This pictorial history of the Nazi Panther tank offers an in-depth analysis of its innovative design and its role on the Eastern Front of WWII. The German Panther was one of the most important tanks of the Second World War, ranking alongside the American Sherman and the Soviet T-34. In a comprehensive study of this remarkable fighting vehicle, author and military expert Anthony Tucker-Jones presents more than 100 archival photographs, along with a selection of color profiles, illustrating its design, development and operations in battle. On the Eastern Front, the German army needed to counter the Red Army’s robust and utilitarian T-34 tank, which were increasingly deployed by the Russians in decisive numbers. The German military rapidly produced the Panther as its answer to this threat. With its sloping armor and a high-velocity 75mm gun, it proved to be a better medium tank than its predecessor, the Mk IV. More versatile than the heavyweight Tiger, it was superior to most of the Allied tanks it faced and had a significant influence on subsequent tank design.

Genesis, Employment, Aftermath

Author: Alaric Searle
Publisher: Helion and Company
ISBN: 1804516163
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Book Description
The employment of the first tanks by the British Army on the Western Front in September 1916, although symbolic rather than decisive in its effects, ushered in a new form of warfare - tank warfare. While much has been written on the history of the tank, this volume brings together a collection of essays which uncover new aspects of the history of these early machines. Leading military historians from Britain, France and Germany offer insights into the emergence of the tank before the First World War, during the conflict, as well as what happened to them after the guns fell silent on the Western Front. Based on painstaking research in archives across Europe, each of the chapters sheds new light on different aspects of the history of First World tanks. Two chapters consider why the Germans failed to recognize the possibilities of the tank and why they were so slow to develop their own machines after the first British tank attack in 1916. Two other chapters chart the history of French tanks on the Western Front and after the end of the war. Tank communication, the employment of British tanks on the Western Front, as well as the activities of British Tank Corps intelligence, are also explained. The use of British tanks in Palestine and in the Russian Civil War is examined in detail for the first time. The volume also reflects on the impact of the Battle of Cambrai, both in terms of its psychological impact in Britain and the power it exerted over military debates until the end of the Second World War. The aim of the book is to reconsider the history of First World War tanks by widening the historical perspective beyond Britain, to include France and Germany, and by reflecting on the pre-1914 and post-1918 history of the these new weapons of war.

British Battle Tanks

Author: David Fletcher
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472817575
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 238

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

The Tank Book

Author: DK
Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Ltd
ISBN: 0241311292
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Book Description
Pivotal to modern warfare, tanks have dominated the battlefield for over a century. Get up close to more than 400 military colossuses with this definitive visual guide to armoured vehicles. In 1916, the British built a vehicle that could pound the battlefield impervious to enemy fire, crushing obstacles and barbed wire in its path. The first tank, or "Mother" as it was known, had arrived. In The Tank Book you can view it in detail, along with other iconic models including the German Panzer, the legendary Tiger, the Vickers Medium Mark II, the Centurion, and the Hellcat - the fastest armoured fighting vehicle ever. This comprehensive volume takes you through the most exciting story in recent military history with the development of heavy artillery, anti-tank weaponry, and the men - such as Mikail Koshkin and Sir William Tritton - who designed these awe-inspiring beasts. Produced with The Tank Museum, The Tank Book traces the tank's development in response to two world wars, Korea, Vietnam, the Cold War and many other conflicts. It shows each model in detail, highlighting details such as their performance, specification, armour, weaponry, and much more. If you are interested in modern warfare, The Tank Book is truly unmissable reading.