Clash of Chariots: The Great Tank Battles

Though based on standard secondary sources and memoirs, and conventional in presentation and interpretation, this survey of major armored operations from the Battle of France in 1940 to Desert Storm in 1991 should prove useful for general readers. Donnelly, former editor of Army Times, and Naylor, a senior writer for the same publication, admire the capabilities of the Wehrmacht to the point of believing that Operation Barbarossa might have succeeded if the drive on Moscow had not been halted by Hitler's interference. Following the work of David Glantz, they credit the Red Army with a high learning curve that produced increasingly sophisticated tactical and operational methods by 1944-1945. They praise U.S. performance in Normandy and the Ardennes while diplomatically attributing British fiascoes at Villers-Bocage and Bourguebus Ridge to German skill and determination. As might be expected, Desert Storm is cited to prove American mastery of armored warfare in an era when the tank retains a crucial role, both in high-tech battles and on constabulary missions. The enduring importance of the tank seems substantiated by events in Bosnia, which have shown that even fully developed ""information wars"" will require forces able to move rapidly, siege ground and survive enemy reaction. The authors make a strong case in this well-written and informed addition to the Army Times Book series, that as yet there is nothing on the horizon to replace the tank as a source of mobile, protected firepower. (Aug.)