Forgotten Tanks and Guns of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s (ePub)
Imprint: Pen & Sword Military
File Size: 9.8 MB (.epub)
Pages: 130
Illustrations: 80 black and white illustrations
ISBN: 9781526714558
Published: 24th October 2018
History forgets. Files are lost and mislaid. But this book seeks to shine a light, offering a collection of cutting edge pieces of historical research detailing some of the most fascinating arms and armament projects from the 1920s to the end of the 1940’s, nearly all of which had previously been lost to history.
Included here are records from the UK’s MI10 (the forerunner of GCHQ) which tell the story of the mighty Japanese heavy tanks and their service during the Second World War. Other chapters expand on the development of British armour, including the story of infantry tanks from the 1920’s right through to the end of the Second World War and beyond.
Other items placed beneath the microscope in this fascinating history include a wide variety of guns, rocket launchers, super heavy tanks and countless pieces of specialised armour. Previously overlooked, hidden under layers of dust in archives up and down the country, the histories of these objects has finally been uncovered.
"A very well researched, concise and yet in-depth study into some of the most strange and interesting vehicles and weapons designed in a period where technology was increasing rapidly, a book you can't put down."
Classic Military Vehicle Magazine
Featured in
Loopholes, Number 85 - Journal for the Pillbox Study Group
"The majority, if not all, of the photographs will prove to be a wealth of information to anyone interested in various tank and weapon designs of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s due to the details they contain."
Armorama, June 2022
"...a nice compilation of weaponry that didn't get much beyond the prototype stage..."
Historical Miniatures Gaming Society, May 2022
As featured by
Austro Classic, 3/2019
This book is invaluable to anyone interested in military vehicle history and contains some excellent black and white photos of the respective vehicles or guns, detailed line drawings and tables of information. Some of the vehicles displayed in the book are recognisable from posts on Army Rumour Service website, notably Martel's one man tank, The Crossley-Martel tankette and the Mechanical Coffin. I would recommend this book to all historians and model makers. Unusually for a compilation, this book makes interesting reading as a cover to cover story as well as a side history to pre and post World War Two.
Army Rumour Service (ARRSE)
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I really like this sort of format and cracked through my copy during a couple of rail commutes into London to do my day job. Mr Lister is an experienced writer who has contributed to a number of publications and websites and to the likes of World of Tanks, which should need no introduction. I really hope he produces more books like this because it has left me with a smile on my face.
War History Online, Mark Barnes
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This book has a bit of the weird and wonderful about it. These are tales of weapons which didn’t quite make it, some no more than blueprints, others that almost reached production had not WWII ended...
Model Military International, April 2019 – reviewed by John Ham
... Recommended.
As featured by
VaeVictis, January/February 2019
A 128-page hardback this new book from Pen & Sword and author David Lister makes for some fascinating reading...He has clearly put a lot of work into tracking down much long forgotten information, demonstrating his clear enthusiasm for the topic of armour development.
Military Model Scene, Robin Buckland
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The development of tanks and guns continued after WWI and this new book provides a fascinating selection of designs from the 1920s to the 1940s. The early tanks of WWI were lumbering mobile pill boxes. This book bridges the designs between the first tanks and the armoured fighting vehicles of WWII. -Highly Recommended
Firetrench
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About David Lister
DAVID LISTER’s first experience with military history, and in particular armoured fighting vehicles, occurred at the age of 16 when he worked in a local museum. A few years later he started working with computer game developers as a historical consultant. Throughout this time, he visited numerous archives across the country and contributed articles to numerous websites. As well as being the author of two books on tanks, David has also been regularly published in History of War magazine and Tracklink, the magazine of the Bovington Tank Museum.
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