The Tank Factory: British Military Vehicle Development and the Chobham Establishment

by William Suttie

Overview

The United Kingdom invented the tank and was responsible for campaign-winning tactics, yet by the start of World War II had fallen well behind other nations in the design and build of armored vehicles. William Suttie tells the history of tank design from a government perspective and the decisions and failures that led to that state of affairs, going on to detail the formation of the Fighting Vehicles Research and Development Establishment at Chertsey. This fascinating book reveals that establishment’s history, its groundbreaking research, inventions and designs, and many stories of the people who worked there, and its aim to ensure that the British Army would never be under-protected or outgunned again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780750961226
Publisher:	The History Press
Publication date:	06/01/2015
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

William Suttie worked as a scientist for the UK Ministry of Defence for over 30 years, mainly working on military vehicle research and technology. He started work at the Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment in 1978. Since then he has undertaken a number of advisor roles within the MOD in the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. He has a degree in automotive engineering and a masters degree in military vehicle technology

Table of Contents

Author's Note 7

Acknowledgements 8

Abbreviations 9

Introduction 13

1 The Birth of the Tank 15

2 British Tank Development Following the First World War 29

3 Vehicle Testing in the Interwar Years 35

4 Rearmament 42

5 Tank Development in the Second World War and the Role of the DTD 46

6 Vehicle Testing During the Second World War 60

7 Chobham Common 66

8 Post-war Evolution of the Chertsey Establishment 70

9 Development of the Chertsey Site 86

10 Chertsey Facilities 94

11 Equipment, Concepts, Designs and Development 108

12 Survivability Research and Development at Chertsey 161

13 Mobility Research at Chertsey 170

14 Fighting and Subsystem Research at Chertsey 186

15 Special Devices 200

Appendix A Genealogy of Chertsey 210

Appendix B Lineage of Director MVEE 211

Appendix C Longcross Test Track Facilities 212

Bibliography 220

Index 222