Tank Boys

by Stephen Dando-Collins

Published to coincide with the centenary of the outbreak of World War I in 2014, this is a gripping story that brings to life for young readers one of Australia’s military victories. Central to the story is 'Mephisto,' a German tank captured by Queensland and Tasmanian soldiers of the 26th Battalion in 1918. Housed today in the Queensland Museum, it's the only surviving WWI German tank in the world. Tank Boys focuses on three boys, two under-age 16-year-old Australians who capture the tank, and a 15-year-old German conscript in the tank's crew. During the battle for the tank, the Australian boys take pity on the German boy, and smuggle him back to their lines in Australian uniform, to save him.

Genres: War

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Stephen Dando-Collins is the multi-award-winning author of 48 books. British reviewer, noted playwright Robin Hawdon, says that Dando-Collins is "the modern age's foremost dramatizer of Greek and Roman history," while American reviewer bestselling military author Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman has described Dando-Collins as "a literary giant." Considered an authority on the legions of ancient Rome, Dando-Collins has written ancient and modern history, children's novels, scientific nonfiction, and biographies. The bulk of his works deal with military history, ranging from Greek, Persian and Roman times to American, British and Australian 19th century history and World I and Word War II.
Many of his books have been translated into foreign languages including Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Dutch, Russian, Albanian and Korean.
His most acclaimed book on the ancient military, 'LEGIONS OF ROME,' was the culmination of decades of research into Rome's imperial legions.
Dando-Collins aims to travel roads that others have not, unearthing new facts and opening new perspectives on often forgotten or overlooked people and aspects of history.
He has two new books in 2024: 'CAESAR VERSUS POMPEY: Determining Rome's Greatest General, Statesman & Nation-Builder,' (Turner, US), and 'THE BUNA SHOTS: The Amazing Story Behind Two Photographs that Changed the Course of World War Two,' (Australian Scholarly Publishing).

Reviews

[H · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a sweet little story really. I'd class it as YA. Yes there is some deaths and wounds, but nothing that would scare the younger readers too much.

And it's a highly unlikely story too, the German boy meeting the two Aussie boys and how it ended for them all, especially the German one.
But nice. A happy ending which is rare in these kind of books.

I'd have liked more about the tanks really, the reality of it and this doesn't provide much of that.

[MBF · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great adaptation of what fighting in WWI would be like!