British Battle Tanks: Post-war Tanks 1946–2016

by Simon Dunstan

This lavishly illustrated volume details the design, development and operational history of British tanks from the end of World War II through to the present day.

This book, the last in a four-part series on British Battle Tanks covering the whole history of British armored warfare, concentrates on those vehicles that have served following the end of World War II up to the present day.

Starting with the Centurion, the title explores those types that equipped the armored divisions lined up on the German plains to resist any potential Soviet offensive, as well as in Korea and Suez, including the Conqueror, and modern tanks such as the Challenger 2 which are still in service today. Covering the many variants of these and other tanks in British service as well as their deployments around the world, including in Afghanistan and Iraq, this illustrated volume is a comprehensive guide to the development of British tanks since the Second World War.

304 pages, Hardcover

Published January 21, 2020

Reviews

[Timo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given that it was the British who practically invented the tank, building worthy successors has been surprisingly difficult. This was especially true around WW2, when the nation produced tanks that were problematic or close to obsolescense already during production. Later some tanks were top notch in many aspects and then failed by a critical component, like the engine in the Chieftain. Centurion is the notable exception, one of the most successful tank designs ever. Amazing in Centurion´s story is that it was supposed to be stop gap tank and be replaced by the "universal tank". The universal tank then was again one those less successful stories in British tank design. Fortunately for the British, lessons were learned in time for their current main battle tank, Challenger 2. I found all this quite interesting and the books presents the tank development path from WW2 to current designs in an easy to digest way. Illustrations are well done too. The book also contains battle depictions and troop experiences, for example about Centurions in Israel, Korea and Egypt. This compliments the developmental history well.

One extremely interesting chapter in the book is about the Western reaction to Soviet heavy tank IS-3. First introduced in the Berlin victory parade, it caught the US and UK off guard, causing them to launch their own heavy tank programs. These heavy tanks proved to be extremely expensive and their service life was nowhere near that of the Centurions or Pattons. And the funny thing is, the IS-3 was more a threat on paper than in real life.

All in all an easy to recommend book for anyone interested in post WW2 British tanks or just tanks in general.

[W.HYNDMAN · Rating 5 out of 5]

British Tanks

Sheer brilliance from an acknowledged subject matter expert. A masterful essay which has given me much pleasure as an ex tankie

[Garrett Olinde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of details, and battle action. However, the narrative is sometimes confused.