A unique comparison between the two most numerous British and German tank types from 1941 to 1943.
Although much has been written about the famous Panzer III, little attention has been given in publications to the equally numerous Valentine tank. The brutal battles that took place between these two iconic and widely produced tanks in Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia are rich with head-to-head encounters. In this work, for the first time, a comparative approach is taken in the examination of their respective strengths and weaknesses. This work also documents the constant upgrades and improvements to each AFV type across a three-year period, as up-gunned and up-armoured variants – ever more lethal, ever more survivable – appeared on the battlefields of North Africa.
Expert author Dr Bruce Newsome explores the encounters between these two tanks, from the first Valentine vs Panzer III clashes in the summer of 1941, to the Axis drive into Egypt, and on to the Tunisian fighting from 1942 to 1943. The colour artworks include profile, weaponry and gunsight, and battlescene views of the Valentine III and Panzer III, and the maps show the progress of the campaigns in which they clashed with each other. Also covered is the performance of these AFVs in the North African campaigns, as well as their development histories and technical details, and the experiences of their crews. Dr Newsome has previously served in the British and US Army reserves, latterly on M1 Abrams tanks, and his experiences offer the reader a unique and informed perspective