Having been on this Forum over a year now I am starting to keenly feel my lack of knowledge regarding most things "Tanky". I've read Len Deighton's "Blitzkreig" and enjoyed it, but I was wondering what other good general reference books there are out there? The criteria for me would be that I would like any recommendations to cover Tanks and Armoured warfare as a whole rather than specific tanks, although books covering camapigns or particular battles would also be of interest. Not too expensive, I don't want to find myself paying £100's of pounds for the best book going, £10 for a good book would be better. I'd also like it to be reasonably accessable to the layman, I have a reasonable grasp of what makes up a tank but until recently didn't know what a Glacis Plate or Mantel was for example (...and would probably still get it wrong if someone asked for a definition!), so nothing too technical. Must be in English, like most English people my grasp of foreign languages extends no further than talking loudly in English and pointing! :lol: However good they are, foreign books would be no good to me. Your recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks, Simon.
One recommendation would be "Tank Versus Tank," by Kenneth Macksey (Grub Street, 1988; 192 pp.; ISBN 0-88162-282-6). As the subtitle states, it's "the illustrated story of armored battlefield conflict in the twentieth century." Although a good general history of the development and use of tanks, and well illustrated with photos, color drawings, maps, and charts, it also provides a history of major battles and the role that tanks played in them. On Abebooks, there's a copy in the UK for GBP 4.5 - can't beat that !
'Tanks of the World 1915-1945' by Chamberlain/Ellis. A catalogue over more or less every tank built by every country in the world during this period. A bit dated, and does probably contain the odd mistake, but it shouldn't cost you much more than a fiver. 'Allied Armour of World War Two' by Ian V. Hogg. A nice reference work on the British, French, Soviet and American tanks, self propelled guns and armoured cars of World War II. You can get this one for a tenner at Ian Allan's. I would like to recommend yet another book, although I doubt you'll find it for much less than £20 : 'Armoured Firepower' by Peter Gudgin. It offers a good general view on the development of all major tank designs of WWII plus a more detailed look on armament, ammunition and fire control systems. This book is a really excellent starting point and will at the same time offer you more detail in some areas than many books dealing with one type of tank only. EDIT : Check out www.amazon.co.uk , you should have no problem finding it for a tenner or less there.
