The Tank War

The British Band of Brothers – One Tank Regiment's World War II

Mark Urban

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Paperback

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English

Little Brown
08 April 2014

History; British & Irish history; 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; Second World War; Tanks & military land vehicles

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.

By: Mark Urban
Imprint: Little Brown
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 130mm, Spine: 38mm
Weight: 878g
ISBN: 9780349000145
ISBN 10: 034900014X
Pages: 432
Publication Date: 08 April 2014
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Mark Urban is Diplomatic and Defence Editor for Newsnight and the author of the Number One Sunday Times bestseller, Task Force Black.

Reviews for The Tank War: The British Band of Brothers – One Tank Regiment's World War II

A genuinely fresh perspective . . . shocking in its rawness . . . achieves the almost impossible feat of capturing something of the excess of emotion conjured up by the heat of battle * Spectator *