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The first thing to note is that this book is actually about the armoured vehicles developed at the Army’s centre for military vehicle design at Chobham Common near Chertsey and not the protective system generally know as Chobham armour. Although Chobham armour is mentioned repeatedly, we never actually get an explanation of what it is. Although the full details are still classified, the basic concept is well documented, and it would have been useful to have a summary of what we do currently know.
We start with the Centurion tank, developed during the last years of the Second World War and only just missing combat in 1945. It went on to become one of the best tanks of the early Cold War period, and a real change of form for British tank design, which had been less than impressive in the middle years of the Second World War. That isn’t to say that all post-war British tank designs were a success – the second chapter looks at the short lived Conqueror tank, which evolved from earlier projects that were cancelled. Some chapters focus on a particular vehicle – the Centurion, Chieftain or Challenger – others cover a wider range of designs and studies.
The individual vehicle chapters generally follow the same pattern, starting with a look at the development of the initial vehicle, then how it was upgraded and improved over time, and the main variants that were produced, before moving onto into combat record, first in British and then in other hands.
One striking aspect of this book is just how many different designs for lighter tracked vehicles and wheeled vehicles were produced. Some are well known- the Saladin armoured car or Warrior armoured personnel carrier, others (even amongst those that reached production) I’d never heard of!
As one would expect the book is lavishly illustrated, with photographs of those vehicles that were actually constructed and plans for most of those that weren’t. Well written and lavishly illustrated, this is an excellent guide to the mainly successful military vehicles designed at Chobham
Part 1: Main Battle Tank Development
Centurion
Conqueror
Countering the Soviet Tank Threat
Chieftain
Novel Concept Studies
UK/ German Future Main Battle Tank
MBT80 and the 4030 Programme
Challenger 1
Challenger 2
Future Concept Studies
Part 2: Medium and Light Tracked AFV Development
Light Tanks and Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked)
Carriers and Armoured Personnel Carriers
Other Light and Medium Tracks Concept Studies
Part 3: Wheeled AFV Concepts and Development
Saladin and Saracen
Ferret
Wheeled Armoured Vehicle Reconnaissance Concepts
Fox and Vixen
Part 4: Other British Armoured Vehicles of the Cold War Era
1-Ton Armoured 4x4 Humber
FV180 Combat Engineer Tractor
SP70: 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzer
Saxon
Vickers Main Battle Tanks
Author: William Suttie
Edition: Hardcover
Pages: 320
Publisher: Osprey
Year: 2022