Centurion Universal Tank 1943-2003 (New Vanguard) (Paperback)

~ Simon Dunstan (Author), Peter Sarson (Illustrator) "During World War II, British tanks were severely compromised by the misguided doctrine of employing three specific types of tanks to conduct armoured operations..." (more)
Key Phrases: universal tank, ranging gun, glacis plate, Centurion Mark, British Army, Royal Tank Regiment (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

From 1943 the British began the design of a tank that bore distinct similarities to the German Panther tank. Designed as a Universal Tank, the design emerged in mid-1945 as the Centurion. It was last used in action by the British Army in 1991 during the Gulf War. It has also seen action with the Israeli Defence Forces, the Indian Army in the wars with Pakistan and the Australian Army in Vietnam. This book details all the variants of the Centurion used in these conflicts as well as covering the specialised variants last used by the British in the Gulf War.

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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (March 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 184176387X
• ISBN-13: 978-1841763873
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #962,605 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good intro to the Centurion; more combat info needed, November 30, 2004

By	moviemusicbuff (Walnut, CA United States) - See all my reviews

The British Centurion tank is one of the most important and remarkable AFVs in history. It was developed way back in 1943 but emerged too late to fight in WWII. However, since its combat debut in the Korean War, the Centurion tank has fought with great distinction in numerous conflicts (esp. the Arab-Israeli wars of 1967, 1973, and the Indo/Pakistani War of 1965). Simon Dunstan does a good job of describing the evolution and development of the Centurion from the Korean War and onwards. He describes the different marks (e.g. Mark 3, Mark 5, Mark 7, Mark 13, the Israeli Sh'ot, and the recent Oliphant upgrade by the South African army). Dunstan does provide some combat information, such as the 8th Hussars performance in the Korean War, a brief assessment of the 1967 war, and the amazing defensive stand by Israeli Centurions along the Golan Heights in the 1973 War. I wished the author would have described more of the combat performance of the Centurion, especially during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, where the Centurions dominated the battlefield against the T54/55, the T34/85, and the JS3s of the enemy Egyptian and Syrian forces. I have an older edition of Osprey, "The Centurion Tank in Battle" (written by Simon Dunstan) which does a great job of chronicling all this combat information. Also, Dunstan could have provided a table which describes a comparison of the armor penetration of guns such as the 17 pounder, 83 mm, and 105 mm, and the armor thickness of the various marks. It would be great if Osprey publishing could come out with a revised edition of "The Centurion in Battle" which would include all of this information. As usual, the colored plates and illustrations are great.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good book on the centurion, June 1, 2007

By	Robert Bausch (Belmont, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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The Centurion is one of the most important and successful tanks ever, and this is a good book on it. It covers the development of this tank well. It makes a good companion to the author's earlier "The Centurion Tank in Battle", which covers better the combat career of the "Cent". The Osprey books pack a lot in a thin volume, and this one is no exception, though sometimes one wishes for a bit more. Another book on the Centurion which is probably worth checking out is "The Centurion Tank" by Bill Munro.