The Tank Commander Pocket Manual: 1939-1945

From the pioneering tactics and terror of the Blitzkrieg assault, through the carnage of Barbarossa, Kursk, the Desert War, and the Normandy Bocage and the Battle of the Bulge, there were perhaps no more unsettling and merciless positions to occupy in the Second World War than that of a tank commander. This new book puts the reader at the very heart of this “hell on wheels” and presents all of the original information required to perform this most dangerous of wartime battlefield roles. From training manuals and war office memorandums to combat reports and first-hand accounts, The Tank Commander Pocket Manual sits you in the turret position of commander of some of the most fearsome land vehicles. These include the Soviet T-34, the German Panther and its nemesis the American Sherman, the terrifying Tiger I as well as tank variants including flamethrowers and tank destroyers such as the Allied M10 and the StuG III. Original documents, diagrams, technical drawings and reports have been collated and compiled from archives and collections to include original Russian, German and English angles on the commander’s many roles including how to ‘run’ the rest of the crew of this most decisive weapon of the Second World War.

• Published to mark the centenary of the tank

• Rare, previously unpublished documents

• Attractively produced in cloth-bound retro-styled case

R Shepherd has worked for many years in military publishing for leading companies such as Casemate and Osprey, and has compiled a number of books.

Pool of London Pocket Manuals
The new Pocket-Manual series from the Pool of London Press presents some of the most iconic military, naval and transport machines from the last 100 years by means of compiling the original documents, confidential memos, plans and artworks that contributed to their celebrated history. This approach allows the modern reader both to have an excellent understanding of the development of these extremely influential aircraft, AFVs, ships, automobiles and trains, but also provides the unique opportunity for further interpretation through the study of many previously unpublished original documents, diagrams and illustrations. Every volume in the series is skillfully compiled and researched by the leading experts in their field who also provide a lengthy contextualizing introduction.

Superbly priced, retro-styled to their historical period, and beautifully hard-bound in debossed cloth, the Pool of London Pockets sell as self-purchase, gift and are excellently suited to book trade as well as to museum stores and heritage outlets across the world.

REVIEWS

At first this pocket-sized book looks fairly innocuous, but I was pleasantly surprised by the content and the way that a veritable mountain of information is presented. Wholesale chapters of official training documents are presented which are put into context with personal reports to illustrate the difference between theory and reality. (Been there, got the T-shirt!)
The editor draws on manuals from Great Britain, Germany, U.S.A. and the Soviet Union and then adds relevant reports on the experiences that crews experienced in different theaters. My favorite pieces are from the Burma campaign and the Northants Yeomanry in Normandy. Numerous sketches and diagrams support each section to illustrate the subject matter. A fascinating read that I will no doubt refer back to time over time. Highly recommended.
by Paul Middleton, President Miniature AFV Association