This book about British tanks is a good addition to any tank lover's bookshelf. The writing style was a little dry for my taste in places and there were some meandering topics that were less focused on the actual tank itself. Overall, a good WWII tank book.

Author Dick Taylor will publish the book “The Second World War Tank Crisis: The Fall and Rise of British Armour 1919–1945” in 2021 (June 15). Mr. Taylor has published nearly 20 books.

I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this book as ‘G’. The book goes into the history go British tanks and why they were so poor at the beginning of WWII. Production of British armor consistently had to take a second seat to aircraft.

The book lays out the technical details of its tanks. Tanks, especially good tanks, are costly. Britain had to make tough decisions on spending. Finances and manufacturing capacity had a heavy impact on tank design and production. Companies without much experience building armor often received contracts.

Tanks designed from WWI forward were analyzed. The evolution of the various designs is described. British manufacturers were too concerned with meeting production goals. They often sacrificed quality for quantity. Improvements, even when identified, were difficult to apply. Production could not be interrupted. It was not until late in the war that the British began to produce good tanks.

I enjoyed the 9+ hours I spent reading this 240-page WWII history. The book was very interesting. It was also very dry and academic making it a bit difficult to read I do like the chosen cover art. I give this book a 3.8 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.

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A compelling in depth look at the failings and subsequent turn-around of the WWII British tanks. Having heard tales of the tank's poor performance it was an interesting and detailed account of the sequence of events. Very informative and enlightening. Thank you Lt Col Dick Taylor for your investigation into the history of British tanks. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity!

Excellent book, as an armchair historian I was aware that British tanks in the early part of the second world war were woeful, but did not know the reasons why.
This book both informs and provides the reasons why. Lt Col Taylor has written a detailed, interesting but easy read into how both the British Army in its doctrine and the incompetence of government caused Britain to go to war with tanks not fit for purpose, and after Dunkirk with very few left.
The book also covers briefly German and American tank design, manufacture and purpose compared to the British design.
The book also through it's detailed look at British tank design and manufacture explains how we learnt lessons and managed to develop by the end of the war one of the best tanks in the world at that time. (the Centurion)
An excellent read for anyone with an interest in world war 2 tanks, or an interest in how Britain's design and manufactured military equipment in the second world war. A soldier is only as good as the equipment he uses, this valuable book explains how British tank crewmen received their equipment.