British Anti-tank Artillery 1939-45 (New Vanguard) [Paperback]

Chris Henry (Author), Brian Delf (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: New Vanguard | Publication Date: September 23, 2004

The rapid development of the tank as an offensive weapon following its introduction in World War I gave artillery theorists cause for concern during the 1920s and 1930s. By the beginning of World War II anti-tank guns had been developed, initially at around 37mm and 2 pounds in weight of shot. By the end of the war, monster anti-tank weapons were being developed, able to penetrate an armour thickness of up to 200mm at a range of 1,000 yards. This book explores the British efforts to keep up in a war of development, which saw heavier and more powerful guns eventually replaced by experimental ideas in an attempt to stop the German onslaught.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The unrivalled illustrated reference on fighting vehicles, transport and artillery through the ages. Each volume is illustrated throughout, making these books uniquely accessible to history enthusiasts of all ages.

About the Author

Chris Henry has been interested in military history since he was a small boy. His interest in artillery developed during his time as a volunteer worker at the Tower of London, and he became Senior Curator at the Royal Armouries Museum of Artillery at Fort Nelson. Formerly the Head of Collections at Firepower!, the Museum of the Royal Artillery, he is now Curator of Explosion!, the Museum of Naval Firepower at Priddy’s Hard, Hampshire.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (September 23, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841766380
• ISBN-13: 978-1841766386
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.2 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,035,832 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Pitiful, July 2, 2006

By 

Joseph W. Glenn "whiskeyjay" (Atlanta, Georgia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: British Anti-tank Artillery 1939-45 (New Vanguard) (Paperback)

I own quite a number of the osprey books, usually I can find something in them to justify the purchase price, however this one is just plain bad, only three guns are discussed at all, the 2pdr, the 6pdr, and the 17pdr. Even here there are no tables for the different types of ammunition, a very cursory developement history, no comparison to foreign designs (except to say that the American 57mm M1 is a copy of the 6pdr, true but not relevant) The lack of a developement history and especially a discussion on what lead to the decision on building a 2pdr and later 6pdr gun was especially dissapointing. While it has problems Ian Hogg's Allied Artillery of WWII is a much better value.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Spotty subject coverage, December 30, 2008

By 

Raphael A. Riccio (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: British Anti-tank Artillery 1939-45 (New Vanguard) (Paperback)

This subject coverage in this book is somewhat erratic. Some aspects of these guns is highly detailed and technical (i.e., "overkill" on the type of rifling for each gun), but there are notable gaps in coverage of some basics. The specs do not include information such as overall gun length (including trails), width, height, and rate of fire. A bit disappointing for a book that I had hoped would provide more comprehensive information.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice book but could have been better, February 15, 2005

By 

Kenneth P. Katz - See all my reviews
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This review is from: British Anti-tank Artillery 1939-45 (New Vanguard) (Paperback)

The tank was one of the signature weapons of World War II; hence the interest in defending against the tank. While tanks have been described in many books, that has not been the case for anti-tank guns. This book covers the range of anti-tank guns used by the British in World War II as well as several which were developed but not used (32 lbr gun and recoilless guns).

The book follows the standard Osprey New Vanguard format. In general, the topic is well covered and the color plates are nice. The book would have benefited from less wordy descriptions of the guns filled with arcane terminology and some nice line drawings which show as well as tell. Also the layout is weak. The photos of a type of gun are not necessarily near the textual description of that gun.

The book is worth purchasing if the subject interests you, but the author and publisher could have done a better job.