In June 2017 North Africa veteran Reg Hunt, aged 101, visited The Tank Museum and spoke about his experiences as a soldier before and during the Second World War….
Tiger 131 Restoration: Part I Disassembly
Tiger 131’s restoration was a long and expensive project, but one that would make the vehicle the most infamous tank in the world….
The Battle of Passchendaele – Into Battle
Third Ypres, or Passchendaele, was a controversial battle at the time and has remained so ever since. Disagreement exists over whether it should have been fought at all, over the tactics used and over whether the casualties were worth the gains. …
The Battle of Passchendaele – Operation Hush
One of the reasons for launching the Third Battle of Ypres was a British desire to capture the Belgian coastline from the Germans….
The Battle of Passchendaele – Tanks at Third Ypres
Third Ypres was planned as an infantry and artillery attack, with tanks in a supporting role….
The Battle of Passchendaele – Background & Planning
The German invasion in August 1914 led to the conquest of almost all of Belgium. …
Tanks On Trains In The First World War
Tanks in the First World War were very slow. There were no tank transporters so tanks had to go by train and, as the war went on, they were getting bigger and heavier….
Prokhorovka and the Myth of the Largest Tank Battle
For decades the Battle of Kursk has been widely believed to be the largest tank battle in history….
Soviet Tanks at Kursk
The Soviet defenders in the Kursk salient had over 1.3 million men, 3500 tanks and 28,000 pieces of artillery and anti-tank guns plus more in reserve….
German Tanks at Kursk
The attacking German forces at Kursk amassed 777,000 men and around 2500 tanks and assault guns. This was about 70 per cent of all their tanks on the Eastern Front. …
German Responses to the Tank
Most of the articles on this blog look at the tank from a British perspective. In the end, though, it would be the effect they had on the Germans that would decide how useful a weapon they really were….
Background to the Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk was one of the most decisive battles of the Second World War….
The Tiger Family Part 2 – The Tiger II
In Part 2 we will consider the Tiger II, or King Tiger branch of the family. Despite the names, the two Tigers shared very little in terms of design or compatible parts, although this was not the original intention….
The New Mark IV
The first Mark IV tanks arrived in France in late April 1917, and were issued to units in May….
The Tiger Family Part I – To the Tiger I
The German Army’s desire for a heavy tank dates back to before the outbreak of war….
Experimental WWI Tanks – Part III
The third instalment in David Fletcher’s three part series examining the experimental tanks of the First World War describes such oddities as cranes, bridges, and rudimentary amphibious tanks. …
Two Widths of Track
The Tiger I was 3547mm wide and this posed a problem for its strategic mobility….
French First World War Tanks
The Renault FT is by far the most well-known French tank of the First World War, but it was not the first Char d’Assaut used by the French Army….
Experimental WWI Tanks – Part II
While the first instalment looked at early experimental tanks, this blog post examines vehicles created as a reaction to problems tanks were encountering in combat, such as the Invicta Roller and tadpole tail. …
Experimental WWI Tanks – Part I
David Fletcher’s three part series details many examples of experimental tanks created during the First World War and includes weird and wonderful vehicles otherwise lost in the mists of time….
