Product Description

The vivid accounts in this book are taken from the early days of tank warfare and give an idea of the crucial role that tanks played in breaking the murderous stalemate on the Western Front. This influence was acknowledged by friend and foe alike and, while not decisive, it certainly hastened the end of that dreadful conflict, saving thousands of Allied lives and ushering in a new era of mechanised warfare. David Fletcher, the editor, draws his material exclusively from the archives of the world famous Tank Museum at Bovington Camp, Dorset. His linking narrative guides us through the war, battle-by-battle, from 15 September 1916 to the Armistice, using first hand accounts of the tank actions. A wealth of original photographs showing the tanks and their crews, both in action and at rest, support these vivid accounts. Tanks and Trenches is an invaluable aid to our deeper understanding of the war on the Western Front, seen as it is through the eyes of those who were actually there.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #174526 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-23
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Customer Reviews

Usefull and informative
This is worth reading to expand ones knowledge of early tank combat and World War 1 combat in general. The text takes the format of officers reports from combat missions. In some cases it can be a bit repetative untill the advances with the newer tanks towards the end of the war. This is because the tanks often got knocked out quickly or became imobilised.

There's plenty of good photographs of Tanks in the field and double page Aerial photos of the areas the officers reports are concerned with. I did think that these could have been usefully annotated. Some maps would of helped explain both the locations, the campaigns and smaller maps for some of the combat engagements. I didn't feel that the aerial photos made clear enough the events in the combat. I don't know if that would be possible to enclude them but the lack of any maps was dissapointing.

Super First Hand Compendium
The real strength of this volume is that it makes extensive use of the annals and journals of the Tank Corps to tell the lively story of tanks in action in World War I. For here are to be found, between some handy linking information, many of the original reports of tank commanders from the first action at Flers, through to the relatively rapid advances and retreats of 1918 and the new 'Whippets'. If anybody asks what it was like inside the early tanks, this is just about the best answer you can find between covers. My edition is a well produced hard back, this listing refers to a soft back reprint, both have quite a number of b&w illustrations and deserve to be better known and appreciated.

Easily a four star performance - which only leaves one wishing for a bit more analysis, length and detail. Recommended to anybody with an interest in 1914-1918, or the story of the tank, or for general readers who want to get into a little more depth.

Interesting and Informative
A good look at the trial and tribulations of operating tanks during World War One from the men who crewed them. I found only a couple of faults with the book. There is no caption in the book describing the photo on the bottom of the front cover as to where and when it was taken. Also a map showing the battlefields in relation to each other where tanks were used would have been nice.