Rude Mechanicals

A history of the development of advanced tanks for more efficient armored warfare during the Second World War.

In this sequel to A New Excalibur, which examined the development of the tank during World War I and after, Smithers examines the role played by tanks in World War II. At the beginning of the war only the Germans and the Russians had realized the full power of the tank. The British and the Americans were forced to try to catch up. One difficulty was fundamentally a matter of finding the right tool for the right job. In the last year of the war, the Germans relied on the immense King Tigers, which lacked speed and maneuverability; while the Allies were confined to Shermans, Cromwells and Churchills, which were incapable of making a heavyweight impact. Each side had some envy for the other.