Churchill Infantry Tank 1941–51

Osprey New Vanguard #4

by Bryan Perrett, Peter Sarson (Illustrator), Mike Chappell (Illustrator)

The Churchill was undoubtedly one of the most successful British tanks of the Second World War. Although it suffered from being underarmed, a defect common to most British armoured vehicles of the period, it was nevertheless loved by its its cross-country ability was unrivalled and it was less inclined to 'brew-up' from a direct hit than the Sherman. It was also adaptable. Modified Churchills played a crucial part in the initial D-Day landings and in the subsequent advance through France. Bryan Perrett traces the life of this slow-moving but effective and respected tank from its initial inception through till its eventual obsolescence.

Genres: Military History, History, World War II

48 pages, Paperback

First published May 27, 1993

About the author

Bryan Perrett was born in 1934 and educated at Liverpool College. He served in the Royal Armoured Corps, the 17th/21st Lancers, Westminster Dragoons, and the Royal Tank Regiment, and was awarded the Territorial Decoration.A professional military historian for many years, his books include "A History of the Blitzkrieg" and "Knights of the Black Cross - Hitler's Panzerwaffe and its Leaders". His treatise Desert Warfare was widely consulted during the Gulf War. His most recent works, including "Last Stand, At All Costs" and "Against all Odds" examine aspects of motivation. During the Falklands and Gulf Wars Bryan Perrett served as Defense Correspondent to the Liverpool Echo. His books are widely read on both sides of the Atlantic and have been translated into several languages.

Reviews

[Marcus]

Yet another Osprey Vanguard volume, this one dedicated to Churchill tank. Content of this volume is divided into three main parts. Author starts out with an explanation of the situation at the time Churchill tank was developed and proceeds withe development process itself. Next follows the operational history of the tank, starting out with the ill-fated Dieppe raid and next in North Africa, Italy, Western Europe and finally its swan song in Korea War. Format of this part of the book is somewhat unusual for New Vanguard series, as it actually tells (in rather compact form) the stories of individual units, intead of dealing with the tank itself. Personally, i didn't care much for this approach and would have much rather read about crew members personal experiences with the tank. Final part of the book is dedicated to variants of Churchill - it was much too short for my taste, as Churchill variants developed for engineering and assault tasks are a very fascinating subject all by themselves. Content of the book is, as always, supported by excellent graphic material in form of photos and color plates.