Clash of Chariots (Army Times Books) [Paperback]

Tom Donnelly (Author)

Book Description

Series: Army Times Books | Publication Date: June 1, 1999

Illustrated with maps and photographs, Clash of Chariots is a definitive reference source on tank warfare-the machinery and men that redefined the strategies of war in the twentieth century, from the epic arenas of the World Wars to recent triumphs in the Persian Gulf.
--Illustrated with maps and photographs

"A powerful study of armored warfare, from the introduction of the tank by the British army at the Battle of Cambrai in 1917 through Desert Storm in 1991." -Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Though based on standard secondary sources and memoirs, and conventional in presentation and interpretation, this survey of major armored operations from the Battle of France in 1940 to Desert Storm in 1991 should prove useful for general readers. Donnelly, former editor of Army Times, and Naylor, a senior writer for the same publication, admire the capabilities of the Wehrmacht to the point of believing that Operation Barbarossa might have succeeded if the drive on Moscow had not been halted by Hitler's interference. Following the work of David Glantz, they credit the Red Army with a high learning curve that produced increasingly sophisticated tactical and operational methods by 1944-1945. They praise U.S. performance in Normandy and the Ardennes while diplomatically attributing British fiascoes at Villers-Bocage and Bourguebus Ridge to German skill and determination. As might be expected, Desert Storm is cited to prove American mastery of armored warfare in an era when the tank retains a crucial role, both in high-tech battles and on constabulary missions. The enduring importance of the tank seems substantiated by events in Bosnia, which have shown that even fully developed "information wars" will require forces able to move rapidly, siege ground and survive enemy reaction. The authors make a strong case in this well-written and informed addition to the Army Times Book series, that as yet there is nothing on the horizon to replace the tank as a source of mobile, protected firepower.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Donnelly, editor of the Army Times and coauthor of Operation Just Cause (LJ 11/15/91), and Naylor, a staff writer for the magazine, discuss at length the most important tank battles in military history. Their work begins with a brief discussion of the battle of Cambrai in 1917, the first for tanks, and moves into the great armor battles of World War II, beginning with the German campaign in France in 1940, then the British in North Africa, the Soviet from 1941 through 1944, the American in Normandy, and the German again in the Ardennes. The text continues most successfully with the Israeli campaigns of 1967 and 1973 and concludes with the UN campaigns in Iraq in 1991. Each chapter incisively outlines the tactics and operations of each campaign down to the regimental level. The approach is fresh, and the writing is clear. Recommended for public libraries.?David Lee Poremba, Detroit P.L.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade; First Thus edition (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425168719
• ISBN-13: 978-0425168714
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,317,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Development Story is Accurate but Tactical Analysis is WeaK, November 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Clash of Chariots: The Great Tank Battles (Hardcover)

This book presents a decent historical development of tank warfare and identifies most of the major landmarks and turning points. The book, however, does not provide many detailed acounts of armored actions and sometimes the enagements are difficult to follow. In particular, the book is lacking enough battle maps to properly illustrate actions and the terrain they occurred in. I was also dissapointed by the book's poor editing; it was clearly evident that the editor merely ran his spell checker over the document and called it complete. There are numerous incorrect words throughout the entire text; they are properly spelled, however. People who want a shallow history of tank warfare may want to read this book and will find it entertaining. For a better book on actual tank battles I would recommend reading Panzer Battles by F.W. von Mellenthin.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Flawed History of Armored Warfare, November 26, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Clash of Chariots: The Great Tank Battles (Hardcover)

"Clash of Chariots" is a flawed history of armored warfare. It introduces itself as survey of armored warfare from Cambrai to Desert Storm. However, it contains no new scholarship and seriously misses the mark in describing the evolution of tank warfare over the past 85 years.
Even the battles choosen as examples are poorly integrated. The general level of description is operational, however in places it it is antidotal without trying to provide a tactical description. of events. Key changes in the warfighting model are ignored. For example, a resonable explaination of the shift in the balance of power between armor and infantry is given in the section on the Arab- Israeli wars. Yet, the development and effect of tank-busting aircraft is absent unless you tabulate tank losses to aircraft begining in the WWII campaigns in the western desert yourself. Even the connection between the battles was very loose (other then chronologically).
Finally, there are numerous typographical errors in the volume.
About the only positive thing I can say about the book is the bibliography is correct. Although, it looked very similar to the recommended reading list published by the West Point History department.
"Clash of Chariots" is a shoddy piece of scholarship and writing. My guess is the author's could never decide on who their audience really was.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars i don't like it very much, September 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Clash of Chariots (Army Times Books) (Paperback)

I'm only half way through the book, but i agree with some of the comments of previous reviewers. For me, the book gets too bogged down in the minutae of some of the battles and doesn't put the military strategy in overall perspective. It also hasn't clearly shown the evolution of tank tactics resulting from the lessons learned from those battles, but merely describes key battles in chronological order and lets the reader draw their own inferences, rightly or wrongly. I really think the biggest flaw of the book is the lack of an overarching tactical focus/framework that helps integrate the battle descriptions and links the evolution of armored warfare. Also, although the book includes some maps, there aren't enough.