David Fletcher: 51 books

Strip Pan Wrinkle (in Namibia and Botswana) is an account of a five-week expedition made by Brian (of Brahmaputra fame) and his wife, Sandra, as they drive their Land Cruiser in an extended loop through Namibia, Botswana and a little bit of Zambia. As with all of the other books in David Fletcher’s...

The most powerfully gunned tank fielded by the Allies during World War II was the Sherman Firefly. An ordinary American-built Sherman modified by the British, the Firefly had the firepower that could finally match the awesome German tanks that had dominated Europe. David Fletcher examines the controversy...

There is a world, or perhaps a heaven, of deities outside of the Greco-Roman context, and this book looks to take you on a divine ride through those cultures to meet the gods and goddesses of ancient eras. David Fletcher, with the help of an array of sumptuous illustrations, weaves the ancient with...

The formidable Mark IV tank was pitted against the German Army from 1917 until the end of World War I. This book reveals the important role the tank played in the historic battle of Cambrai in 1917 as well as the first ever tank-versus-tank actions against German A7Vs. In awe of British technology,...

The idea of British soldiers using American tanks was not viewed with a great deal of enthusiasm by the British Army. They perceived American tanks as being crudely made, mechanically unsophisticated and impossible to fight in. However, once British crews got used to them and learned to cope with...

The Sherman Crab Flail tank was the powerful culmination of a series of mine-clearing flail tanks developed during World War II. Here, David Fletcher recounts how the Sherman Crabs were among the first tanks ashore on D-Day and as the war progressed they were in constant demand both for formal attacks...

If you want to find out about the career of a soldier who served in tanks, are researching medals awarded to a tank crew member or just want to know more about a particular regiment squadron or operation, this book will point you in the right direction. Assuming that the reader has little prior...

Although, to the casual eye, all British tanks of World War I look much the same, the Mark V is quite outstanding and has a strong claim to be the tank that won the Great War. In this title, renowned tank expert David Fletcher examines the technological developments that made this tank excel where...

The Matilda was the principal British infantry tank in the early years of World War II. It served with the BEF in France and later in North Africa, where it earned the title 'Queen of the Desert'. Outclassed by increasingly powerful German anti-tank weapons, it still remained a power in the South-East...

A fire-breathing monster on the battlefield, the Churchill Crocodile was one of the most awe-inspiring weapons of World War II. Tank expert David Fletcher chronicles the development of the flamethrower tank, examining the dramatic effect of these tanks in battle from use in France to the terrifying...

Plagued by unreliable vehicles and poorly thought-out doctrine, the early years of World War II were years of struggle for Britain's tank corps. Relying on tanks built in the late 1930s, and those designed and built with limited resources in the opening years of the war, they battled valiantly against...

When British soldiers charged across the Somme in September 1916 they were accompanied by a new and astonishing weapon – the tank. After a stuttering start armoured behemoths such as the Mark IV, Mark V and Whippet played a crucial role in bringing World War I to an end. Marking the centenary...

‘The Congo’ is something of an enigma, not least because there are actually two Congos: the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. So, if one is planning to visit ‘the Congo’, it is only sensible that one adopts the essential advice to ‘first choose your Congo’. This...

Crystal Balls and Moroccan Walls is another irreverent and provocative account of an expedition made by Brian and his wife, this time to that part of Morocco that lies to the south of the Atlas Mountains. However, it is also a prognostication... Southern Morocco doesn’t live up to Brian’s expectations....