The Tank

Soon after the tank made it's first appearance at the Battle of the Somme in 1916, a lighter version was requested. This would be smaller, lighter and faster and could be used in the pursuit phase of a battle, although why after what occurred at the Somme pursuit came up at all is a mystery. However, using existing technology, the Whippet, as the light tank came to be known, was designed. Armed only with machine guns, it was faster than the Heavies in use at the time (a screaming 8 MPH), and had a crew of three instead of the eight needed to fight the Mk IV Heavy. The tank was very uncomfortable to ride in, only the driver having a seat, and the fighting compartment was behind the engine, so it got extremely hot and filled with exhaust fumes from the engine and powder fumes from the Hotchkiss MGs it carried. It was also un-reliable and could not be counted on to keep running for more than a few hours at a time before breaking down. However, it did give useful service even in the limited numbers deployed on the Western Front.

The Book

In thirty pages the book covers the design, development and use of the Whippet in sections titled "The Tritton (the name of it's designer) Chaser", "Production of the Whippet", "Driving the Whippet", "The Whippet in Action", and "Whippets Abroad". The remaining seventeen pages deal with the Whippet's immediate successors, the Medium Tanks B, C and D. The photos while clear, are all black and white, which is to be expected from this era, and are quite small, so it is difficult to make out much detail. There are some computer-generated color illustrations, but they are all single side views. As in aside, I'm not a fan of computer-generated illustrations. They just don't look "right" to me, but that may just be a personal prejudice. There is one that is interesting, however, and that is a cut-away of the Whippet. As there are no interior photos, it could be useful in modeling an interior.

Overall, the book is a good introduction to the history of this interesting vehicle. The text is well written, concise and to the point. The section on the Whippet in action has some interesting stories of early tank actions and the inclusion of the follow-on vehicles gives a sense of the development of British tanks in the immediate inter-war period. However, at $17.95 it is a bit pricey for only 47 pages.

Thanks to Osprey Publications for providing the review copy and to IPMS/USA for allowing me to take a look at it.