Having recently found out that my Dad did some training on Covenanters in March '43 (even though he was in the TA RA??) I'd like to get a book about the development of the British tank in WW2 in general, something not too technical, which would include the cruisers etc. Any recommendations for a beginner? Thanks Bob
Know just the book "British and american tanks of world war two" by Peter Chamberlain and Chris Ellis published by Silverdale Books price £20.00 ISBN 1-84509-009-8
Know just the book "British and american tanks of world war two" by Peter Chamberlain and Chris Ellis published by Silverdale Books price £20.00 ISBN 1-84509-009-8 or 3.99 from the bargain shelf in borders, I left the german one there, what an idiot!! I need to be beaten sometimes. Not a techincal development though really. More a big list of every tank.
Know just the book "British and american tanks of world war two" by Peter Chamberlain and Chris Ellis published by Silverdale Books price £20.00 ISBN 1-84509-009-8 This would be my recommendation too for an overall survey. Loads of coverage but not much depth on each vehicle or detail on the development process. The best works covering the territory are from David Fletcher in the 1980's HMSO series but their prices have become ridiculous, they're crying out for a reprint. For a completely worthwhile and in print book by Fletcher that covers the Churchill specifically in minute detail but does give you excellent and quite wide insight into the byzantine British procurement and design process try 'Mr Churchill's tank'. It's £30 odd quid but I reckon anyone even vaguely interested in the subject area wouldn't regret it. Bryan Perrett has written many good books on the territory but the prices they're going for recently are out of proportion to their overall worth. He focuses primarily on operations over development but they do cover some territory that nothing recent has touched on properly. The tide seems to be turning recently and hopefully we'll get more decent coverage of the British stuff. Bovington's website has a 'Collections:Hidden' section, which is full of little nuggets on British gear too, well worth clicking through. The IWM collections website also has some great shots of Covenanters on exercise. Including one in colour. And an excellent article on the Covenanter here: Missing Links The Covenanter Tank in Detail Article by Peter Brown Blah, blah, Sorry for rambling on. Cheers, Adam.
Bovington's website has a 'Collections:Hidden' section, which is full of little nuggets on British gear too, well worth clicking through. The IWM collections website also has some great shots of Covenanters on exercise. Including one in colour. And an excellent article on the Covenanter here: Missing Links The Covenanter Tank in Detail Article by Peter Brown Blah, blah, Sorry for rambling on. Cheers, Adam. Adam Feel free to ramble away! Many thanks for the information and links. We’re visiting Bovington in a few weeks’ time so I’ll be heading for the Covenanter….went a few years ago but I was more into the WW1 stuff on that visit. A couple of things from the links you gave particularly took my attention: Re the Covenanter: “the hatch was fouled by the turret at certain points of rotation...Not a desirable feature in action!” Bit of an understatement I think - I can remember my late father was still bemoaning this ‘feature’ of the tank some 50 years after his experience of being in one, so it was clearly quite a problem for the crews. The excellent IWM photos of the Covenanter during Exercise Spartan helped me make the connection that Dad’s regiment, 145th (Berkshire Yeomanry) Field Regt RA (TA) was involved in this Exercise and that it coincided with the dates he was on his Covenanter ‘course’, so a little food for thought for me there. A common sentiment I’m sure, but how I wish I’d asked him about all this years ago! Cheers Bob
Hi Bob, I'm new to the forum and have some information for you. I am involved with the museum of the Berkshire Yeomanry which during WW2 was 145 (Berks Yeo) Fd Regt RA. Is your dad SG Chandler of 396 Bty ? I can assist on info on Covenanter and Spartan Regards Andrew
