TANK VERSUS TANK: The Illustrated Story of Armoured Battlefield Conflict in the Twentieth Century [Paperback]

Kenneth Macksey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2002

This study of tank tactics and strategy explains the international development and deployment of the tank against itself and a background of technical innovations and growing threats from mines, grenades, aircraft and missiles. The illustrations recreate vital moments on the battlefield.

Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: Grub Street Publishing (August 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1902304306
• ISBN-13: 978-1902304304
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,759,190 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite tank book, March 7, 2001

By 

Ernest Szabo (Ft. Carson, Co.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: TANK VERSUS TANK: The Illustrated Story of Armoured Battlefield Conflict in the Twentieth Century (Paperback)

This is a superb book for the Armor soldier, war gamer or civilian enthusiast. It explains how modern tanks work with just enough detail and lots of great illustrations. It gives excellent tables that show which tank could defeat other tanks and at what ranges, ie; Sherman vs Panther, T34/85 vs Tiger etc. The book also show how key items of armor technology functioned. Did you ever try and explain to some the difference between a Christie suspension, a dead track and an unsuspended live track? This shows great pictures. I bought my copy 15 years ago and have read and referenced it countless times. I have used to teach my subordinates, to win bets with peers and other 19K (armor MOS) soldiers(including master gunners) and to explain things to my Dad and other non-tankers. I came on line to order a new copy of Macksey's "Tank Vs Tank" and saw that they had no reviews. This was my favorite tank book and it has been borowed dozens of times as I move around the Army. I have often had to go looking for it and this time its gone for good.

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent general reference on armor, July 3, 2010

By 

William F. Wood, Jr. "16In50Cal" (Oxford, AL. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: TANK VERSUS TANK: The Illustrated Story of Armoured Battlefield Conflict in the Twentieth Century (Paperback)

An excellent general reference on armor, the only drawbacks I can see is (1.) It needs the light and loving touch of a good editor - Mr. Macksey writes exactly like I do! VERY complex sentence structure! But VERY informative. (2.) I'd like to see an update. Since 2002, there has been tremendous advances in armor and Wheeled armored combat vehicles. The Main Battle Tank (MBT) is actually at a liability in lots of situations. EVERYBODY on the battlefield can manage to breach the heaviest armor possible to put on a moving vehicle. The strategy is to see and shoot first. The success of the 120MM Abrams /Tiger DU gun is not mentioned. Neither is the A-10 "Warthog" in the anti-armor section. (3.) Some small technical errors - actually the M48 rangefinder was pretty good......but slow. (4.) I'd like to see more actual cut-aways and prints of the tanks. Lots of WWII photographs are just coming to light, including some intelligence analysis of captured armor. (5.) Mr. Macksey doesn't say much about how outclassed American Shermans (75MM gun) were in the months following Normandy. My Dad (Age 92 Still with us and very sharp) was a Sherman driver during then. He said they were completely vulnerable at any range, and the A4E8 (76MM) was no real improvement. He reports they hit Tigers as close as 400 meters and they wouldn't even slow down. He was on his 3rd Sherman (2 were A4E8s) and second crew (he was the only one out twice.) when he was badly wounded. The mention of the field repair units were noteworthy. He said they were lifesavers as they did modifications as they were apparent they were needed. They were DEATHTRAPS. The Israelis finally upped the gun so they could stand off far enough to minimize damage. )

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Overview of the History of Tanks, February 20, 2010

By 

cpt matt (tanktown, DE) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: TANK VERSUS TANK: The Illustrated Story of Armoured Battlefield Conflict in the Twentieth Century (Paperback)

This is an excellent book for someone learning about tanks, their history, development and what choices a designer has to make when creating a tank. But there is enough new material, and the presentation is very good, making this also a good addtion for more experienced readers.

The first 50 pages are so trace the history of the tank from WW I to 1939. There are cut away drawings to show the inside of some of the tanks, descritions of different types of ammunition used and most interesting - tables that show gun vs. armor. At what range can a certain tank knock out its enemy and at what range is this tank vulnerable to the enemy tank. The Germans, with better cannon and ammunition, can almost always out duel Soviet, British and American tanks.

There are black & white photos, some maps and color diaoramas to show battle scenes and illustrate the point the author is making. This is an excellent primer and a very good overview of tank warfare. Not every tank or battle is mentioned, but you really learn a lot about tanks from WW1 thru WW2. There are some chapters about more modern warfare, the book was publised in 1991 so it just got in 7 paragraphs about the Desert Storm. The section on future armor is cliched, but that is a small flaw. I recommend this book to all armor fans, students, those who want to gain insight as to what makes a good tank and why some tanks are rated as they are.