Allied Armour 1939 1945

“An important review of armoured warfare, armoured vehicle design, tactics, and operational issues during World War 2 . . . it comes highly commended.” —Dr Stuart C. Blank, Military Archive Research During the first years of the Second World War, Allied forces endured a series of terrible defeats at the hands of the Germans, Italians and Japanese. Their tanks were outclassed, their armored tactics were flawed. But the advent of new tank designs and variants, especially those from the United States, turned the tables. Although German armor was arguably still superior at the end of the war, the competence of Allied designs and the sheer scale of their production gave them a decisive advantage on the armored battlefield. This is the fascinating story that Anthony Tucker-Jones tells in this book which is part of a three-volume history of armored warfare during the Second World War. Chapters cover each major phase of the conflict, from the early blitzkrieg years when Hitler’s Panzers overran Poland, France and great swathes of the Soviet Union to the Allied fight back in tank battles in North Africa, Italy and northern Europe. He also covers less-well-known aspects of the armored struggle in sections on Allied tanks in Burma, India and during the Pacific campaign. Technical and design armored are a key element in the story, but so are changes in tactics and the role of the tanks in the integrated all-arms forces that overwhelmed the Axis. “The matter of armoured vehicles and their role in the turning of the tide against Germany is covered brilliantly in Anthony Tucker-Jones’s excellent treatise.” —Books Monthly “Very Highly Recommended.” —Firetrench

During the first years of the Second World War, Allied forces endured a series of terrible defeats at the hands of the Germans, Italians and Japanese. Their tanks were outclassed, their armoured tactics were flawed. But the advent of new tank designs and variants, especially those from the United States, turned the tables. Although German armour was arguably still superior at the end of the war, the competence of Allied designs and the sheer scale of their production gave them a decisive advantage on the armoured battlefield. This is the fascinating story that Anthony Tucker-Jones tells in this book which is part of a three-volume history of armoured warfare during the Second World War.Chapters cover each major phase of the conflict, from the early blitzkrieg years when Hitler's panzers overran Poland, France and great swathes of the Soviet Union to the Allied fight back in tank battles in North Africa, Italy and northern Europe. He also covers less-well-known aspects of the armoured struggle in sections on Allied tanks in Burma, India and during the Pacific campaign. Technical and design developments are a key element in the story, but so are changes in tactics and the role of the tanks in the integrated all-arms forces that overwhelmed the Axis.

Illustrated guide to the main armored fighting vehicles used by the Western Allies in the European theater during World War II including sample unit structures, and orders of battles from company up to corps level, providing an organizational context for key campaigns such as the Battle of France and the Normandy landings.

This book is an innovative study of the Normandy campaign and the perceived failure of British forces there. It is essential reading for all students of military history and general readers with an interest in the subject.

Packed with archival photos, a fascinating account of armored warfare in WWII—and how tank design and tactics were transformed during the period. On the battlefields of Europe and North Africa during the Second World War, tanks played a key role, and the intense pressure of combat drove forward tank design and tactics at an extraordinary rate. In a few years, on all sides, tank warfare was transformed. This is the dramatic process that Simon and Jonathan Forty chronicle in this heavily illustrated history. They describe the fundamentals of pre-war tank design and compare the theories formulated in the 1930s as to how they should be used in battle. Then they show how the harsh experience of the German blitzkrieg campaigns in Poland, France, and the Soviet Union compelled the Western Allies to reconsider their equipment, organization, and tactics—and how the Germans responded to the Allied challenge. The speed of progress is demonstrated in the selection of over 180 archive photographs which record, as only photographs can, the conditions of war on each battle front. They also give a vivid impression of what armored warfare was like for the tank crews of 75 years ago. “The images in the book are excellent and inspire diorama ideas for modelers.” —IPMS/USA

Illustrated with detailed artworks of American, British, French, Polish, and other Western Allied nations tanks and their markings, World War II Tanks: Western Allies 1939-45 offers an informative guide to the main armored fighting vehicles used by these nations during World War II. This compact volume includes sample unit structures and orders of battle from company up to corps level. Organized by division, it offers a comprehensive survey of Western Allied armored fighting vehicles by campaign, including the fall of Poland, the defense of the Low Countries and France, desert warfare in North Africa, the push through Italy, the Normandy landings, the Battle of the Bulge, and the final defeat of Germany. All the major and many minor tanks are featured, with variations of the M4 Sherman, Churchill, and Matilda, as well as the mat-laying, engineering, and mine-clearing versions. Lesser-known models from the early years of the war, armored cars, halftracks, trucks, and amphibious vehicles make this a rounded compendium of Western Allied armored fighting vehicles. Packed with more than 200 full-color artworks and photographs with exhaustive specifications, World War II Tanks: Western Allies is a key reference guide for military modelers and World War II enthusiasts.