Western countries, mainly the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, are supposed to be sending tanks to Ukraine, to help its valiant fight against Russia. There are two points to consider here. The first is that despite the original enthusiasm and the display of a united front to help Ukraine, these Western may not be arriving anytime soon - save for Germany. The second is that if and when the tanks do arrive in Ukraine, their true effectiveness may not be much more than propaganda value - at least initially so! 

To better understand the history of tanks and armored warfare, I spoke with Dr. Alaric Searle. who joined me from Manchester, the United Kingdom, where he is a professor of Modern European History at Salford University. Dr. Searle is a historian with research interests in several subjects including German, British and Chinese militaries. He has been a Visiting Scholar and Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford, and also an Honorary Fellow and Distinguished Visiting Professor at German and Chinese universities, respectively. He is the author of several books, including the following: 

1) Genesis, Employment, Aftermath: First World War Tanks and the New Warfare, 1900-1945, 

2) Armoured Warfare: A Military, Political and Global History, 

3)  Kurdish Armour Against ISIS, and 

4) The Military Papers and Correspondence of Major-General J.F.C. Fuller, 1916-1933. 

To learn more about Dr. Searle, you can visit his academic homepage.

In addition, below are links to two fascinating episodes:

S2E8: History of War In Ukraine, Dr. David Stone

S2E20: Why Do Humans War? Dr. Chris Blattman

I hope you enjoy these episodes.

Adel

Host of the History Behind News podcast

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