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Chieftains : The Best Selling documentary Novel of a World War 3 Tank Commander
Chieftains is a frighteningly authentic 'best-selling' novel of the invasion of Europe by the Russian and Warsaw Pact armed forces seen through the eyes of the fighting men on the ground. In particular it tells the story of the crew of Bravo Two, a Chieftain main battle tank of the British 4th Armoured Division, and also that of the crew of 'Utah', an American Abrams of the 5th United States Force, as both units face the onslaught of the Soviet armour onto the killing zones of the German Plain. 'Chieftains' has been rated the best-ever novel of tank warfare. General Sir John Hackett who reviewed it, stated that it was 'a dramatic and authentic account'. Impeccably researched at military bases in the UK and Europe, and with the assistance of the British Ministry of Defense, Allied forces armoured personnel and ex-servicemen with battle experiences in various theatres of war, 'Chieftains' was written during the darkest and most tense period of the 'Cold War' between East and West. The book brutally shows what could have happened as a Third World War began.
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
January 10, 2015
At the time of this novel Germany was a nation divided into east and west.
The border was actively patrolled by Eastern Bloc and NATO units; the East German (GDR) side being made up of ploughed strips, barbed wire, mines, watch towers, dogs and an exclusion zone for their citizens.
For many people born after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989 the thought of Soviet and Eastern Bloc troops and tank rolling into the Western Europe will also seem like fiction. However, the readiness of NATO troops (inc 55,000 British personnel based in West Germany) was very real and as was the threat of the Cold War that drove the deployments and readiness.
As the politicians cranked the Cold War thermometer of disagreement up and down throughout the 1980s with perceived or actual aggression through missile deployments, foreign excursions (e.g. Soviet invasion of Afghanistan 1979), arms limitation treaties, Olympics boycott and diplomatic chit chat the background to this novel lies.
So to the book. I read this sitting in a Chieftain on the plains of Germany in 1984 when exercising with other British, German and Dutch (Leopard main battle tanks) and American units using M60s and the mentioned XM1 (M1 Abrams) main battle tanks. It is a good read with the strategy, plans and reactions all to some extent scenarios rehearsed for and against built on by the author's interviews with serving crews and those who fought in tank actions in WWII and Korea.
It is dated today but only through the equipment (including communications) but is a child of its time, and overall a good read that will give an idea of the Chieftain and its crews.
NB: Should you wish to read what those Chieftain crews actually fought like and the men they were, then fast forward to 1991's Iraq war when equipped with Challenger 1s they completely destroyed the Iraqi Army using Soviet equipment; or when equipped with Challenger IIs in Iraq in 2003 (and the boys of the mid-1980s are now senior officers and men in their regiments) then read these books
by Patrick Cordingley and
by Niall Edworthy
The border was actively patrolled by Eastern Bloc and NATO units; the East German (GDR) side being made up of ploughed strips, barbed wire, mines, watch towers, dogs and an exclusion zone for their citizens.
For many people born after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989 the thought of Soviet and Eastern Bloc troops and tank rolling into the Western Europe will also seem like fiction. However, the readiness of NATO troops (inc 55,000 British personnel based in West Germany) was very real and as was the threat of the Cold War that drove the deployments and readiness.
As the politicians cranked the Cold War thermometer of disagreement up and down throughout the 1980s with perceived or actual aggression through missile deployments, foreign excursions (e.g. Soviet invasion of Afghanistan 1979), arms limitation treaties, Olympics boycott and diplomatic chit chat the background to this novel lies.
So to the book. I read this sitting in a Chieftain on the plains of Germany in 1984 when exercising with other British, German and Dutch (Leopard main battle tanks) and American units using M60s and the mentioned XM1 (M1 Abrams) main battle tanks. It is a good read with the strategy, plans and reactions all to some extent scenarios rehearsed for and against built on by the author's interviews with serving crews and those who fought in tank actions in WWII and Korea.
It is dated today but only through the equipment (including communications) but is a child of its time, and overall a good read that will give an idea of the Chieftain and its crews.
NB: Should you wish to read what those Chieftain crews actually fought like and the men they were, then fast forward to 1991's Iraq war when equipped with Challenger 1s they completely destroyed the Iraqi Army using Soviet equipment; or when equipped with Challenger IIs in Iraq in 2003 (and the boys of the mid-1980s are now senior officers and men in their regiments) then read these books
by Patrick Cordingley and
by Niall Edworthy
August 16, 2014
I've come across just about every single book written about a hypothetical Third World War between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Like many others this is apparently written by a (British) ex-officer looking to call attention to the military during a time of defense cuts in Britain and across NATO. Some parts of this book hold up well and can be interesting, but the random jaunts to characters (Particularly the British Lt. Colonel) are simply 1) irrelevant 2) unrealistic and 3)unbelievable. Finally, the ending is a bit of a cop out. Anyone looking into this subject should stick with Team Yankee by Harold Coyle or Red Army by Ralph Peters.
September 7, 2020
A novel set in a fictional World War 3 taking place sometime in the 80s, first published in 1982.
This is a mess of a book that jumps between multiple points of view making the full title "Chieftains: The Bestselling Documentary Novel of a World War 3 Tank Commander" rather misleading, as it does not just stay with a British armored unit of Chieftain main battle tanks. The beginning and end of the novel does focus on the crew of one tank in the British 4th Armoured Division, but along the way we also follow a Lt. Colonel commanding the Battle Group that tank is in, an American tank, and a "stay behind" unit of British Scimitar light tanks and SAS troops. Only two of those get a conclusive ending to their story, despite jumping between all of them throughout the book.
We also get several pointless flashbacks to various events in the past that have little or no bearing on the current events of the book.
The author makes some very basic mistakes of military nomenclature in the parts featuring the US Army tank crew. He repeatedly refers to their tank as an "XM-1 Abrams" instead of an "M-1 Abrams", and also refers to "XM-723" APCs at one point. He seems unaware that the "X" stands for experimental and, as far as I know, has only been applied to vehicles under development.
The XM-723 was one of the prototype vehicles that eventually became the M2 Bradley IFV. The author is presumably including it as a speculative addition to the US arsenal. The error here being that if it had been added, it would have been as the M-723, not XM-723. Even stranger is his insistence on calling the M1 an XM1. The M1 was presumably already in service when he was writing the book (it went into service in 1980), so he must have just been referencing old articles from when it was still in development.
If you are looking for stories set in the World War 3 that everyone in the 80s feared, then find Team Yankee. It's a better book. If you've read Team Yankee and are looking for something more like it, well there's not a lot out there, and this book is probably better than nothing.
This is a mess of a book that jumps between multiple points of view making the full title "Chieftains: The Bestselling Documentary Novel of a World War 3 Tank Commander" rather misleading, as it does not just stay with a British armored unit of Chieftain main battle tanks. The beginning and end of the novel does focus on the crew of one tank in the British 4th Armoured Division, but along the way we also follow a Lt. Colonel commanding the Battle Group that tank is in, an American tank, and a "stay behind" unit of British Scimitar light tanks and SAS troops. Only two of those get a conclusive ending to their story, despite jumping between all of them throughout the book.
We also get several pointless flashbacks to various events in the past that have little or no bearing on the current events of the book.
The author makes some very basic mistakes of military nomenclature in the parts featuring the US Army tank crew. He repeatedly refers to their tank as an "XM-1 Abrams" instead of an "M-1 Abrams", and also refers to "XM-723" APCs at one point. He seems unaware that the "X" stands for experimental and, as far as I know, has only been applied to vehicles under development.
The XM-723 was one of the prototype vehicles that eventually became the M2 Bradley IFV. The author is presumably including it as a speculative addition to the US arsenal. The error here being that if it had been added, it would have been as the M-723, not XM-723. Even stranger is his insistence on calling the M1 an XM1. The M1 was presumably already in service when he was writing the book (it went into service in 1980), so he must have just been referencing old articles from when it was still in development.
If you are looking for stories set in the World War 3 that everyone in the 80s feared, then find Team Yankee. It's a better book. If you've read Team Yankee and are looking for something more like it, well there's not a lot out there, and this book is probably better than nothing.
March 11, 2020
Fairly good look at company level tactics during the cold war. The sub plots are good at breaking up the story and showing different perspectives. Although the British heritage of the author shows through with his misnaming of certain things when writing Americans. These include mentioning ¨Remington pistols¨ and using squadron and troop instead of company and platoon. Pretty nit picky but it does break the immersion. The other problem is Studley. His plot starts off incredibly interesting up until his escape. His command and last fight are well written along with his interrogation. His love affair and the strength his love gives him creates a very interesting dynamic. Then he becomes a Hollywood action hero and dodges execution, starts slamming the Russians with a machine gun, and blowing up every vehicle with burst or a grenade. It makes a very fun read but completely ruins the tone of the story. If your looking for a fun read Id say pick it up. But if your looking for something a little more realistic check out Team Yankee.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 19, 2014
Only half of a story?
generally good read that suffers from a sudden ending that is very unsatisfactory. The book really feels unfinished with several subplots left hanging. More importantly, the plot and action are just ramping up when it ends suddenly.
generally good read that suffers from a sudden ending that is very unsatisfactory. The book really feels unfinished with several subplots left hanging. More importantly, the plot and action are just ramping up when it ends suddenly.
July 4, 2022
I first read this book in the mid eighties whilst serving in BAOR. It made a change from Officer Training Magazines (!) or Sven Hassel, and I always remembered it fondly so almost four decades later I decided to jump down the rabbit hole and revisit it.
Like the first time I read it in one sitting. Unlike the first time I read it, this time was more 'let's get it over with' than 'can't wait to finish it''! A fair bit of that could well be due to the Kindle version. The editing and layout are truly appalling and constantly drag the reader out of the story. Which is unfortunate because it is a good story, if a short one, which - in keeping with those days I seem to recall, incorrectly or not - was the norm.
I understand that some of the inaccuracies and errors were deliberate (for security reasons) but there were so many that I very much doubt that Mr Forrest-Webb was given access to elements of 4 (ARMD) Div let alone served with the colours.
That said I'm glad that I read it again, even though it was slightly less enjoyable this time around!
Like the first time I read it in one sitting. Unlike the first time I read it, this time was more 'let's get it over with' than 'can't wait to finish it''! A fair bit of that could well be due to the Kindle version. The editing and layout are truly appalling and constantly drag the reader out of the story. Which is unfortunate because it is a good story, if a short one, which - in keeping with those days I seem to recall, incorrectly or not - was the norm.
I understand that some of the inaccuracies and errors were deliberate (for security reasons) but there were so many that I very much doubt that Mr Forrest-Webb was given access to elements of 4 (ARMD) Div let alone served with the colours.
That said I'm glad that I read it again, even though it was slightly less enjoyable this time around!
January 16, 2022
Definitely worth a read. Good on British technical and procedural detail, poor on US/NATO detail.
Interesting to compare with Team Yankee. The latter is overall better on technical detail, especially as it restricts itself entirely to the US Army. The Soviets in Chieftains are written mostly as shadows. But aside from their rather improbable (at battlefield level) real-time knowledge of opposing tactical commanders, this is more convincing than the way they are written in Team Yankee- where they essentially just fill in as range targets.
The feel of combat in Chieftains is batter than in Team Yankee- more relentless and pressurising, and the ending is abrupt and grim.
Team Yankee is a much more optimistic and positive interpretation of combat in WWIII, that's for sure.
My view- 'First Clash' by Ken Macksey about the Canadians in Southern Germany is much better researched and written than either Chieftains or Team Yankee.
Interesting to compare with Team Yankee. The latter is overall better on technical detail, especially as it restricts itself entirely to the US Army. The Soviets in Chieftains are written mostly as shadows. But aside from their rather improbable (at battlefield level) real-time knowledge of opposing tactical commanders, this is more convincing than the way they are written in Team Yankee- where they essentially just fill in as range targets.
The feel of combat in Chieftains is batter than in Team Yankee- more relentless and pressurising, and the ending is abrupt and grim.
Team Yankee is a much more optimistic and positive interpretation of combat in WWIII, that's for sure.
My view- 'First Clash' by Ken Macksey about the Canadians in Southern Germany is much better researched and written than either Chieftains or Team Yankee.
November 22, 2021
It's... well, naff. "Daily Mail"-level writing, to be blunt. Those pesky longhairs and furriners and penny-pinching politicians - it's their fault the NATO's getting their asses handed to them when the Soviets pour into West Germany. The characters come across as flattish, too, but at least the combat scenes get realistic as far as life expectancy of characters is involved (it was said that in World War III an average tank crewman would survive about five minutes of combat). Pity that some of those characters were apparently mislaid by the author somewhere, introduced only to be forgotten.
This isn't a novel, not really, more of a series of barely connected vignettes, ending with a bang apparently because the page limit has been reached.
This isn't a novel, not really, more of a series of barely connected vignettes, ending with a bang apparently because the page limit has been reached.
February 21, 2019
I have to agree with the other similar reviews. The story was disjointed and did not really draw the reader in and hold them. The character development was lacking and the sudden cuts to a couple of theri pasts were just odd. Where they were placed in the story made no sense and played absolutely no part in the overall storyline. If they were being used for development then it would have made much more sense to have them in the beggining of the story rather than 3/4 of the way through.
The book ended as if there would be an immediate second book that would contiue the story, but no second book? Overall it was disappointing.
The book ended as if there would be an immediate second book that would contiue the story, but no second book? Overall it was disappointing.
May 9, 2023
well-told and convincing WW3 novel
This is a very good fictional - and contemporarily written - telling of the 1980’s Cold War turning hot in West Germany, told principally from the perspectives of two British and one American tank commander(s). It’s a very believable and ultimately frightening account of what might have been. It is well written with good characterisation and good pace. Very highly recommended reading for anyone interested in the era and the genre.
This is a very good fictional - and contemporarily written - telling of the 1980’s Cold War turning hot in West Germany, told principally from the perspectives of two British and one American tank commander(s). It’s a very believable and ultimately frightening account of what might have been. It is well written with good characterisation and good pace. Very highly recommended reading for anyone interested in the era and the genre.
January 22, 2021
Takes me back to what could been reality if the Cold War had turned Hot.
As a 7 year old, "scalee brat," on a RAF station in Germany in 1966, I was barely aware of what could have happened. It was possible to still see scrap yards full of the scrap from WW2. We saw tanks from time to time, but this book describes the reality if the unthinkable had happened.
As a 7 year old, "scalee brat," on a RAF station in Germany in 1966, I was barely aware of what could have happened. It was possible to still see scrap yards full of the scrap from WW2. We saw tanks from time to time, but this book describes the reality if the unthinkable had happened.
February 21, 2021
Very real.
Spent years in Germany waiting for the balloon to go up and always wondered what it would be like. Thank God I never found out. The scenario is so real, the tactics were what we practiced and prepared for but we knew it was just to be a delaying tactic and we all hoped it would never happen.
Spent years in Germany waiting for the balloon to go up and always wondered what it would be like. Thank God I never found out. The scenario is so real, the tactics were what we practiced and prepared for but we knew it was just to be a delaying tactic and we all hoped it would never happen.
November 1, 2017
Disappointing
I had high hopes when starting this book. I enjoyed much of the book but found it difficult to really become engaged and I'm not quite sure why. It was not a book that I couldn't put down. I was very disappointed with the ending.
I had high hopes when starting this book. I enjoyed much of the book but found it difficult to really become engaged and I'm not quite sure why. It was not a book that I couldn't put down. I was very disappointed with the ending.
December 16, 2020
A fun quick read if you like reading about a war that never was. However, after you read many of these types of books they all seem to blur together and I found this one did not stand out from other of its type. but it is entertaining and can be read quickly.
June 13, 2022
Call it closer to 3 1/2 stars. WW III from the POV of a British tank crew and various others. The back stories seem awkward but the combat scenes are intense and contain everyone’s worst nightmares, chemical weapons and nukes. Recommended.
June 22, 2022
Average read
As others have suggested, Team Yankee is a well laid out and more convincing read.
War is hell and writing a book must be hard too, unfortunately this one isn't on top of the pile.
As others have suggested, Team Yankee is a well laid out and more convincing read.
War is hell and writing a book must be hard too, unfortunately this one isn't on top of the pile.
February 26, 2024
A book written by a man who knew the profession and the lingo
Poor kindle formatting but a good read. Lots of real 80s military vernacular and operations. An enjoyable read, as good as Team Yankee but with a British angle to the battle we thankfully never fought.
Poor kindle formatting but a good read. Lots of real 80s military vernacular and operations. An enjoyable read, as good as Team Yankee but with a British angle to the battle we thankfully never fought.
November 23, 2016
An interesting read, particularly in contrast to Team Yankee. A very British point of view, and something of an abrupt ending.
June 9, 2017
Not very good
Compares badly with Harold Coyle's works. The author is a British soldier and writer but has little knowledge of armored warfare.
Compares badly with Harold Coyle's works. The author is a British soldier and writer but has little knowledge of armored warfare.
November 28, 2017
An interesting read although I do feel its half a story as it just ends without tying up alot of the plotlines
May 26, 2018
Poorly researched, even for the time it was published.
March 6, 2019
God re a d
The book was really good towards the end. Looking f2f forward to the next part. Shud be pretty gud where it left off.
The book was really good towards the end. Looking f2f forward to the next part. Shud be pretty gud where it left off.
March 23, 2019
Excellent read
Really good read, once started I couldn't put it down. Very accurate description of life as a tank crewman in Germany
Really good read, once started I couldn't put it down. Very accurate description of life as a tank crewman in Germany
April 15, 2019
Brilliant read
a brilliant read. What could have been, or, what could still possibly be. Once you pick the book up,, you can't put it down.
a brilliant read. What could have been, or, what could still possibly be. Once you pick the book up,, you can't put it down.
April 30, 2019
What kind of ending was that?
Great story writing. Felt as though I was there with them. Annoyed with the ending!!
Cliffhanger to a sequel? Harumphf
Great story writing. Felt as though I was there with them. Annoyed with the ending!!
Cliffhanger to a sequel? Harumphf
July 24, 2021
Lousy ending
Different military perspective but just as you get into it the book ends. What a rotten, lousy way to get you to buy the next book... I won't.
Different military perspective but just as you get into it the book ends. What a rotten, lousy way to get you to buy the next book... I won't.
January 22, 2023
Excellent
Good writing with great characters. Definitely one to read if you liked Team Yankee. My thanks to Forrest-Webb for a few hours of entertainment
Good writing with great characters. Definitely one to read if you liked Team Yankee. My thanks to Forrest-Webb for a few hours of entertainment
May 12, 2023
Was an interesting read. Not to sure on the ending but then suppose the ended was intentional with regards to war.
Worth a read.
Worth a read.
August 2, 2023
impressive, and sobering
Unlike any other WWIII thriller I’ve read, and I’ve read a lot. Forrest-Webb’s compelling narrative really puts you into the minds of the soldiers.
Unlike any other WWIII thriller I’ve read, and I’ve read a lot. Forrest-Webb’s compelling narrative really puts you into the minds of the soldiers.
August 3, 2024
Very Good Very Good Yay
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews