The FV4201 Chieftain was the main battle tank of the United Kingdom during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. It is still in service in the Middle East today. A development of the Centurion, the Chieftain introduced the supine (reclining) driver position to British design enabling a heavily sloped hull with reduced height. This book provides the reader with the full and unvarnished story of the origins, development, decades of service and combat history of the Chieftain Main Battle Tank. The text is interspersed with numerous photographs, many published for the first time, alongside colour profiles and scale plans, including those of rare and unusual variants. It also relates the experiences of the crews who lived and worked on the Chieftain, often in the irreverent style typical of Army humour.