The Tank War: The British Band of Brothers – One Tank Regiment’s World War II
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From the evacuation of France in 1940 to the final dash to Hamburg in 1945, the 5th Royal Tank Regiment were on the front line throughout the Second World War. Theirs was a war that saw them serve in Africa as part of the Desert Rats, before returning to Europe for the Normandy landings. Wherever they went, the notoriety of the ‘Filthy Fifth’ grew – they revelled in their reputation for fighting by their own rules.
The Tank War explains how Britain, having lost its advantage in tank warfare by 1939, regained ground through shifts in tactics and leadership methods, as well as the daring and bravery of the crews themselves. Overturning the received wisdom of much Second World War history, Mark Urban shows how the tank regiments’ advances were the equal of the feats of the German Panzer divisions.
Drawing on a wealth of new material, from interviews with surviving soldiers to rarely seen archive material, this is an unflinchingly honest, unsentimental and often brutal account of the 5th RTR’s wartime experiences. Capturing the characters in the crews and exploring the strategy behind their success, The Tank War is not just the story of an battle hardened unit, but something more extraordinary: the triumph of ordinary men, against long odds, in the darkest of times.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Abacus (3 April 2014) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 432 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 034900014X |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0349000145 |
| Dimensions | 13 x 3.8 x 19.8 cm |
by Rumpty
This is the only book I’ve read on the British tank aspect of the Second World War, so I cannot compare it to others. However, I have read other historical books written by Mark Urban which are both well researched and well written, and this did not disappoint.
I had previously heard of the Villers-Bocage incident in the Normandy battle, which is normally used to demonstrate the ineptitude of British tactics. Mark Urban, in contrast gives a fuller picture of the fighting at that time, and the excellent way the RTR acquitted themselves. He quotes the New Zealand Brigadier James Hargest, who blamed the cavalry’s adaptation of tanks on such shortcomings, and that every unit of armour should belong the the RTR.
by Mr. T. S. Smith
A facinating insight into the experiences, thoughts and feelings of British tank crews in the Second World War. Full of human stories throughout, it really is ‘the British Band of Brothers’. Also a lot of historical background into British tank design and doctrine, and the campaigns fought.
by J. Knott
This is a nicely balanced book, enough details and the global scene but also the very human details of those actually facing the ordeals, dangers and stresses. The humanity and the personal accounts shine out from the page, as this unit escapes from France in 1940 and finishes the war in Germany, with North Africa and Italy along the way.
by louise fraser
Most enjoyable and exceptionally researched. Brilliantly told and the perfect balance of historic fact and individual accounts blended to take the reader on a journey which has been quite ignored by the popular history writers.
by Robert B Mclean
Bought this as my own father served in the eighth army’s armoured division in all the areas covered in this book. He was in the army from 39-46 and like most of his generation never really discussed his service.
A casual remark at a meal for my sons twenty second birthday(stated that he was at El Alamein when he was twenty two) led me to try and get stories from him but to little effect.
So I read this book to try and understand what his life was like during those six years. Unfortunately my dad passed before this book was published so I could not discuss it with him. However both his grandsons are reading it to understand and appreciate what their grandfathers generation went through to allow them to live as they wish.
I found the book absorbing in the casual manner it describes the horror and sacrifices of war ,and it’s reliance of the stories of individuals it’s strength. Highly recommended
by al488j
Mark Urban presented a TV documentary about 5th tanks which was enjoyable but this book goes into far more detail and provides an insight into the characters that made up the regiment.
It follows the tanks from the fall of France in 1940 to the end of World War, by this time the regiment had fought all the way to Hamburg
It gives an insight to the war in the north African desert and the tough conditions the men faced.
The diary kept by Jake Wardrop gives this book a personal feel . He was quite a character and a real warrior , you get to know him just a little bit through his diary.
The camaraderie is clear as well as the stresses of constant fighting.
Most of the men on this book have now left us , It is a fine tribute to that golden generation and what they suffered for our freedom. Highly recommended.
by Amazon Customer
I bought this for my dad as he was in a tank regiment himself based in Germany and he thoroughly enjoyed the book as his dad was also in the army and got captured whilst in Holland.
by Scott McPherson
I’ve read a few other Urban books (namely his work on the Royal Welch Fusilers and the 95th Rifles), so I was interested to see how he covered WWII.
This is a fantastic book, focusing on one British tank regiment from the retreat in France in 1940, all the way through to the final victory in Europe. All the standard fare of a war story is here, with military ordeals on campaign, relationships that bloom between fighting men, and the fun and antics they get up to when on leave. This also shows a human side to mechanised warfare, and it’s emotional when you read about the fates that befall the men that you’ve been reading about since the start of the book. I think the people in this book survive longer than soldiers in Urban’s other work, as the deaths in an armoured regiment were significantly less than the average infantry regiment during the war.
Urban also dispels a tiresome myth about the war – the myth that British armoured forces were inferior to the Germans. They weren’t. Read this and you’ll find out exactly why.