I have just finished reading The Churchill Tank and the Canadian Armoured Corps by Mark W. Tonner and I have to say it was a great read. The book covers in detail the acquisition and use of the Churchill tank by the 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade (CATB).
The book
The 126-page softcover book from Service Publications is filled with great photos and charts of information. The introduction states the much of the text comes from the earlier booklet The Churchill in Canadian Service (Service Publications, 2010), but this book is much more then that.
The book is very well written, with some minor editorial issues - I did find one location where a paragraph was duplicated. That one minor issue does not detract from the content and its great description of not only the Churchill tank, but the units it was deployed with. The book describes all Marks that were deployed to Canadian units with full specifications.
contents
The book breaks down as follows:
Introduction
Bristh Development of the Infantry Tank Mark IV, Churchill(A22)
General Description of the Infantry Tank Mark IV, Churchill
The Churchill in Canadian Armoured Corps Service from July 1941 to April 1942
The Chruchill Rework Program
The Churchill in Canadian Armoured Corps Service from May 1942 to August 1942
Dieppe, 19 August 1942
The Churchill in Canadian Armoured Corps Service from August 1942 to May 1943
Variants of the Churchill tank operated by the Canadian Armoured Corps
The Calgary Regiment's involvment with trials for Churchill tank-delivered "Explosive Devices"
The Infantry Tank Mark IV, Churchill in Canada
Marking on Canadian crewed Churchill tanks
The Infantry Tank Mark IV, Chuchill located in Canadian Museums today
Conclusion
Appendices
Bibliography
The book contains about 124 pictures and illustrations of great quality that are informative, with a description for every picture. The book also contains about 26 tables with information about numbers of Marks deployed per unit, etc. Both pictures and tables round out the book making it very comprehensive. Also included is a coloured illustration of the markings used on Canadian Churchills.
Some areas of the book that I found interesting were the detailed description of the Churchill and the Dieppe raid. I have read a few books on the Dieppe raid, but none have gone into the detail of the use of the Churchill like this book. I also found in very interesting how the Canadians helped in the development of the tank, as the 1 CATB was an early adopter of this tank.
conclusion
Overall, The Churchill Tank and the Canadian Armoured Corps is a great book and well worth the read. It would make a great book for any armor enthusiasts collection. I highly recommend the book.
SUMMARY
Highs: Great in-depth description of the Churchill tank and its use by the Canadian Armour Corps. Very well written.Lows: Some very minor editing issues.Verdict: Highly recommended book, great addition to any collection.
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I am an IT Consultant and father, with a passion for plastic models. I mostly prefer 1/35 Armor and 1/48 Aircraft. My main interests are anything Canadian, as well as WW2 German and British Armor and Aircraft. I have been building models since I was a young kid, got away from it for awhile, but r...
Nice review Kevin
Does the book include mention of the 3in Gun Carrier? I believe the Canadians were the only ones issued that variant for training before it was withdrawn
Also, how many pictures are there for the Dieppe Raid and are any previously unpublished
I've thought of getting this book, and before this the previous version in print, but already having 15 or so books on the churchill its got to the point where its getting harder to find books that offer something new!
Thanks
Chris
Chris
While I have read in the past a few books on the Churchill, not sure I could top you. But I do know that some of the pictures are from the Canadian Archive, and I believe have not been published before. What I found real good in this book was the description of the tanks role at Dieppe, with information from actual reports and interview with tankers that were there. And yes there is a section of the gun Carrier, to include the development and some pictures.
In my opinion, this is one of the better books I have read on the Canadian use of the Churchill. And I am glad I bought it.
Kevin
Thanks Kevin
I don't expect a book to be all new information, just have something of interest and it soulds like this one is a winner. Contact them for your commission because they just sold one
Chris
EDIT - At least I would but apparently they don't ship to Singapore according to the options on the drop down box when you order on their site, and I can't find an email address on there either, which doesn't bode well.....
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