Product Description

The Covenanter (which never saw active service) and Crusader Cruiser tanks were developed between 1939 and 1940. The Crusader first saw action in the North African desert in June 1941: its speed and sleek design made it a hard target to hit, and the tank was well-respected by the Afrikakorps for its velocity in combat. But its hurried development prior to World War II also made it prone to mechanical failure. This book examines the Covenanter and the many variants of the Crusader tank, detailing the designs, developments and disappointments of these infamous World War II tanks.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #382624 in Books
• Published on: 1995-05-15
• Released on: 1995-05-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 48 pages

About the Author
David Fletcher was born in 1942. He has written a number of books and articles on military subjects and is the current librarian at the Tank Museum, Bovington. He has spent a good 30 years studying the development of British armoured vehicles during the two World Wars.

Customer Reviews

Britain's Desert Warrior
David Fletcher, of Britain's Tank Musem, has written a useful, if limited, history of British cruiser tanks in the 1941-43 period. Despite the book's title, the content is split about evenly between two competing designs, the Crusader and the Covenanter. While the Crusader was Britain's main battle tank in the Western Desert battles against Rommel's Afrika Korps, the Covenanter stayed behind in Britain (its cooling system was woefully inadequate). After the Sherman tank became available in large numbers, Crusaders were rebuilt as antiaircraft vehicles and gun tractors, while the Covenanters were scrapped. Aimed mainly at the model builder, this title has all the strengths and weaknesses inherent in Osprey's military booklets. The color drawings of operational vehicles reproducing their camouflage and unit markings are quite useful, but the book's 48 pages are very limiting, particularly since it covers two distinct vehicles. Osprey favors text over photos, and most pictures are small and murky, so you might also want to track down "Tanks in Camera," Mr. Fletcher's hardbound photo essay on the desert war. Thomas Jentz has also done a photo book on the early desert war.