Tank Factory

Despite being the inventor of the tank and responsible for campaign-winning tactics, by the start of the Second World War the United Kingdom had fallen well behind other nations in the design and build of armoured vehicles. Here, William Suttie uncovers the history of tank design from a government perspective and the decisions and failures that led to that state of affairs, and details the formation of the Fighting Vehicles Research and Development Establishment at Chertsey. Known as the Tank Factory, the Chertsey establishment sought to ensure that the United Kingdom became world-leading in the field of military vehicle research and design, and that the British Army would never be underprotected or outgunned again. Drawing on unpublished sources and photographs, this fascinating book reveals the establishment's history, its groundbreaking research and its inventions and designs, including first-hand insights from those who worked there.

A visual guide to the history of tanks, Tank tells the full history of tanks through stunning photography and informative text. From the early Mark Is of World War I to the T-34 of World War II to the cutting-edge M1 Abrams of today, Tank showcases the most famous (or infamous) armored fighting vehicles in history. Packed full of tanks, armored vehicles, personnel carriers, and anti-tank weaponry, Tank combines comprehensive photographic spreads with in-depth histories of key manufacturers and specially commissioned visual tours of the most iconic examples of their kind. The featured vehicles are placed in their wider context, along with with tactical and technological improvements, and the impact of the tank on the evolution of battlefield and military strategy. Tank charts the evolution of the tank over the past century, covering over 450 tanks and military vehicles from all over the world. Look through the history of tanks and explore the form and function of a weapon that changed history. Learn the different vehicles' weight, size, country of origin, and time of use through in-depth profiles. An essential visual history, Tank provides a complete and exciting overview to the iconic vehicles that changed history.

Despite being the inventor of the tank and responsible for campaign-winning tactics, by the start of the Second World War the United Kingdom had fallen well behind other nations in the design and build of armoured vehicles. Here, William Suttie uncovers the history of tank design from a government perspective and the decisions and failures that led to that state of affairs, and details the formation of the Fighting Vehicles Research and Development Establishment at Chertsey. Known as the Tank Factory, the Chertsey establishment sought to ensure that the United Kingdom became world-leading in the field of military vehicle research and design, and that the British Army would never be underprotected or outgunned again. Drawing on unpublished sources and photographs, this fascinating book reveals the establishment’s history, its groundbreaking research and its inventions and designs, including first-hand insights from those who worked there.

The history of the little-known yet controversial T-80 and its subsequent variants. The Soviet T-80 Standard Tank was the last tank fielded before the Soviet collapse, and the most controversial. Despite having the most sophisticated fire controls and multi-layer armor ever fielded on a Soviet tank, its turbine power plant (rather than a conventional diesel) remained a source of considerable trouble throughout its career. Steven J Zaloga charts the little-known history of the T-80, covering the initial construction, through the development to the subsequent variants, the T-84 and Russia's enigmatic “Black Eagle Tank.” Accompanying detailed cut-away artwork illustrates the unusual design features that made the T-80 so controversial.

Armor expert Zaloga enters the battle over the best tanks of World War II with this heavy-caliber blast of a book armed with more than forty years of research. • Provocative but fact-based rankings of the tanks that fought the Second World War • Breaks the war into eight periods and declares Tanker's Choice and Commander's Choice for each • Champions include the German Panzer IV and Tiger, Soviet T-34, American Pershing, and a few surprises • Compares tanks' firepower, armor protection, and mobility as well as dependability, affordability, tactics, training, and overall combat performance • Relies on extensive documentation from archives, government studies, and published sources—much of which has never been published in English before • Supported by dozens of charts and diagrams and hundreds of photos

Contains the reports of state departments and officials for the preceding fiscal biennium.