Rare tank books to be republished

A successful crowdfunding campaign by The Tank Museum has resulted in David Fletcher’s twovolume history of British WWII tank development being reprinted. The Great Tank Scandal and Universal Tank, were originally published in 1989. Both editions will be reissued with David Fletcher’s original text, complete with rescanned highresolution images.

Initially a target to sell 150 editions was needed to secure publication. However, less than 24 hours after starting the campaign, 600 people had bought this special signed double-edition and the numbers had to be capped.

The Great Tank Scandal and Universal Tank are now available to pre-order for £29 on The Tank Museum Online Shop.

Museum Curator David Willey said, “These books offer a critique of the military authorities, industry and government, all presented in David’s unique and witty style. In Volume 1 - The Great Tank Scandal, he looks at the confusion and indecision that left Britain seemingly unprepared the threat of Nazi Germany. In Volume 2 -

The Universal Tank, he examines the lessons learned from combat, which ultimately gave rise to one of the most successful tank designs ever – the Centurion. David Fletcher is a leading authority on the history of British military vehicles and this collection is a must have for die-hard tank aficionados.”

This latest success follows the Museum’s appeal to crowdfund the first English translation of the wartime German Panther-Fibel. This was achieved within days of being launched and The Tank Museum is now looking to republish more out-of-print tank books.

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