Tank War – Mark Urban

Tank War tells the story of the 5th Royal Tank Regiment from the debacle of Dunkirk to the end of the war. It’s informative book and gives details of the major tank battles in North Africa, Italy and northern Europe, following one particular group of soldiers from beginning to the end.

At the outbreak of the war in France British tanks were outgunned and outmanoeuvred, though some were able to reach Brest, Cherbourg or St Malo, from where they were evacuated. In this opening chapter we are given brief pen portraits of the members of the squadron, and the events leading up to the evacuation. Later we follow the developments in personnel and equipment in England in the summer of 1940, and the eventual arrival in North Africa later that year.