Centurion Tank

Product Description

Few tank designs have been as effective versatile & long-lived as that of the British Centurion. Conceived during the Second World War as the answer to the superior German Tiger & Panther tanks & to the lethal 88mm gun this 52-ton main battle tank incorporated the lessons British designers had learned about armoured fighting vehicles during the conflict & it was free of the major faults that had impaired the other British tank designs of the time. The Centurion was so successful that it served in the British Army & in numerous other armies across the world from 1945 until the 1990s. Pat Ware's highly illustrated history of this remarkable tank covers its design & development its technical specifications & the many variants that were produced. He tells the story from the design brief of 1943 through testing & trials to the tank's entry into service. & he traces the course of the Centurion's subsequent career as it was up-dated up-gunned & adapted to operate in varied conditions & conflicts all over the world including Korea the Indo-Pakistan wars Vietnam & the Arab-Israeli wars. His expert account of this remarkable fighting vehicle is accompanied by a series of colour plates showing the main variants of the design & the common ancillary equipment & unit markings. His book is an essential work of reference for enthusiasts.