This is the full story of the Churchill tank; from the design of an oversized prototype in Belfast in 1940 to its final achievements against Communist forces in the Korean War some ten years later. For those with an interest in technical matters this book goes into a great deal of detail. For those interested in the mechanics and politics of war production it explains the systems, processes and pitfalls in depth. For those studying war history it examines the Churchill tank in action from the beaches of Dieppe to the mountains of Tunisia; from the Gothic Line in Italy to the Siegfried Line in Germany and in the harsh terrain of Korea. The Churchill is examined mark by mark, from the A20 prototype through to the heavyweight Black Prince design of 1944. Details are given of its service with every British regiment that operated Churchills and of its use by Australian, Canadian, Irish and Russian forces. The author has drawn heavily on original research material held in the library of the Tank Museum at Bovington in Dorset, UK.
Chronicles the amazing predictions that Winston Churchill made throughout his life, including the rise of a Hitler-like figure along with Nazi Germany; the year the Iron Curtain would fall and the Cold War would end; and the exact day of his own death as he entered his final years. 50,000 first printing.
The Churchill saw much action in World War II, from the 1942 raid on Dieppe, through the heat of the battles in North Africa, to the bitter fighting in Normandy 1944 and into the Reich in 1945. Despite criticism that it was slow and outmoded in terms of design, it proved itself a rugged and solid vehicle.This title provides a comprehensive guide to modelling the Churchill across a range of skill levels, featuring challenging builds of numerous marks and variants, including brideglayers, flame-throwers (such as the Crocodile) and customised assault vehicles (such as the spigot-mortar armed ARVE).
Six gentlemen, one goal: the destruction of Hitler's war machine In the spring of 1939, a top-secret organization was founded in London: its purpose was to plot the destruction of Hitler's war machine through spectacular acts of sabotage. The guerrilla campaign that followed was every bit as extraordinary as the six men who directed it. One of them, Cecil Clarke, was a maverick engineer who had spent the 1930s inventing futuristic caravans. Now, his talents were put to more devious use: he built the dirty bomb used to assassinate Hitler's favorite, Reinhard Heydrich. Another, William Fairbairn, was a portly pensioner with an unusual passion: he was the world's leading expert in silent killing, hired to train the guerrillas being parachuted behind enemy lines. Led by dapper Scotsman Colin Gubbins, these men—along with three others—formed a secret inner circle that, aided by a group of formidable ladies, single-handedly changed the course Second World War: a cohort hand-picked by Winston Churchill, whom he called his Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Giles Milton's Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a gripping and vivid narrative of adventure and derring-do that is also, perhaps, the last great untold story of the Second World War.
Winston Churchill, Britain's iconic war time Prime Minister, is inextricably linked with the victorious British Army of 1939 to 1945. Yet hindsight, propaganda, and the imperative of the defeat of Hitler and Imperial Japan, have led to a tendency to oversimplify the image of Churchill the war leader, and 'his' Army. For whilst Churchill was undeniably a towering statesman, his relations with both the Army and War Office were ambiguous and altered considerably not only with the progress of the Second World War, but over decades. In this comprehensive book, Stephen Bull examines every aspect of the British Army during the Second World War, and considers in detail the strengths and weaknesses of an organisation that was tested to its limits on many fronts but made an immense contribution to the successful Allied outcome. The book explores the structure of military power from the men who ran it, the Generals to the detail of the regiments they commanded. It looks at the uniforms the soldiers wore and the badges and insignia they bore on their uniforms. The weaponry Churchill's army used is discussed in detail, from small arms including rifles, bayonets, grenades, carbines and machine guns to the massed firepower of the artillery along with the increasing sophistication of tanks and other military vehicles during the period. Finally the role of auxiliary and special forces and their contribution to the campaign is considered. The comprehensive text is enhanced by more than 200 contemporary photographs.
This scholarly and clear-sighted book … is a happy marriage of history and technology and deserves to become standard reading for serious students of the First World War.' Prof. Richard Holmes 'Fascinating. Excellent pictures and a readable text as well. A wonderful story well told.' Military Illustrated 'The Devil's Chariots is the best single work on the development, from concept to fielding, of British armour in the First World War… Glanfield is also entertaining in addition to being enlightening… The Devil's Chariots is a decent read, and for specialists in the field it will be required reading… The research is both broad and solid, and it appears that this will be the last word on this topic for some time to come.' Robert L. Bateman, contributor to The Journal of Military History, Lexington VA, and a member of the Society for Military History 'This book is in a class of its own … it brings a new maturity to the study of the tank, most particularly from the human perspective, and best of all, it is very readable'. David Fletcher, Senior Archivist, Tank Museum, Bovington, author of The Tank 'This volume would be a great addition to the library of anyone wishing to try to understand World War 1 better. I greatly enjoyed this evidently well-researched and highly interesting book… It taught me much. I am grateful.' Royal Naval Sailing Association Journal 'Fascinating … all military procurement officers should read it… All this is excellently set out, especially the people who made [the tank weapon] possible and those who resented such new ideas.' Brig Fraser Scott, contributor to The Journal of the Royal Artillery Institution 'John Glanfield sheds new light on the tank's pioneers, their bizarre experimental machines and later triumphs… This intensely researched work … is drawn from previously unpublished primary sources.' Gun Mart 'This is classic research by a world authority.' The Driffield Post 'The author has a sharp eye for detail … an exemplary history of a pivotal aspect of the First World War.' Worcester Evening News 'The Devil's Chariots can fairly claim to be the most intensively researched and detailed account of the tank's origins yet to appear.' Classic Arms & Militaria 'John Glanfield has combined meticulous historical research with a gift for narrative to present a story that both students of the Great War and the general reader will find fascinating. I thoroughly recommend this book.' John Gregory, contributor to The Journal of the Henry Williamson Society The Devil's Chariot is the product of six years of research by author John Glanfield, who wanted to tell the story of the birth of the tank in World War I, and, importantly, the men behind it. Based on personal recollections and official reports Glanfield uncovers the British tank pioneers and their odd machines, the men who supported the new weapon, those who refused to accept their worth and the brave crews who took them into battle.
The Covenanter (which never saw active service) and Crusader Cruiser tanks were developed between 1939 and 1940. The Crusader first saw action in the North African desert in June 1941: its speed and sleek design made it a hard target to hit, and the tank was well-respected by the Afrikakorps for its velocity in combat. But its hurried development prior to World War II also made it prone to mechanical failure. This book examines the Covenanter and the many variants of the Crusader tank, detailing the designs, developments and disappointments of these infamous World War II tanks.
The 6th Guards Armoured Brigade was formed in 1941 from the Infantry of the Guards. In 1942 all British armoured divisions were reorganised to have one armoured brigade and one motor brigade. The 6th Guards Armoured became an independent tank brigade being renamed as the 6th Guards Tank Brigade. The brigade now equipped with the Churchill tank, served in the North West Europe Campaign landing in Normandy on 20 July 1944. They went onto take part in Operation Bluecoat, the attack by the British Second Army at the Battle of Normandy, from 30 July 1944 to 7 August 1944. The geographical objectives of the attack were to secure the key road junction of Vire and the high ground of Mont Pincon. Strategically, the attack was made to support the American exploitation of their breakout on the western flank of the Normandy beachhead. They also saw action during Operation Veritable, a pincer movement conducted by Montgomery's 21st Army Group to clear and occupy the land between the Rhine and Maas rivers, and finally ending the war at Lubeck on the Baltic Sea."
