Book Alert: T-64 Battle Tank

51fK8okCzwL._AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-35,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_According to Amazon, Osprey Publishing will be releasing a new entry in their New Vanguard line of books titled T-64 Battle Tank on August 18.  Authored by Steven Zaloga, this volume completes the coverage of cold war Soviet main battle tanks in the New Vanguard Series (Osprey already published books on the T-54/55, T-62, T-72 and T-80.)  The format appears to be the same as the other entries in the NV series and since Steven Zaloga authored the other other NV books on cold war Soviet tanks, readers should have a good idea what to expect from this upcoming book.  It is perhaps fortuitous that Osprey waited to cover the T-64 last in this series, since the tank finally saw it’s first use in combat this past year in the crisis in Ukraine.

Publishers description:

The T-64 tank was the most revolutionary design of the whole Cold War, designed to provide the firepower and armor protection of a heavy tank in a medium-weight design. It pioneered a host of sophisticated new technologies including laminate armor, stereoscopic tank rangefinders, opposed-piston engines, smooth-bore tank guns with discarding sabot ammunition, and gun-fired guided projectiles. These impressive features meant that the Russians were loath to part with the secrets of the design, and the T-64 was the only Soviet tank type of the Cold War that was never exported.

Written by an armor expert, this detailed technical history sheds light on the secrets behind the Cold War’s most controversial tank, revealing how its highly advanced technologies proved to be both a blessing and a curse.

Book Alert: Char Leclerc

leclercNot sure how this one slipped past our radar, but last month Kagero Publishing released a new installment in their “Photosniper” series titled Char Leclerc.  This volume is written by M. P. Robinson, who also authored last years three Kagero books on the AMX-30 tanks and its derivatives.  As we noted in our book review on his AMX-30 titles, modern French tanks have not received much coverage in English language publications.  Hopefully this book will live up to the standard set by the earlier books in the Photosniper Kagero series.

Publishers Description:

The Leclerc is the only battle tank serving in operational combat units in the French Army. Designed as a Cold War era tank killer that could take on numerically superior enemies, the Leclerc has served the armies of France and the United Arab Emirates for over twenty years. Since 1989 when the first Leclerc prototype appeared, it has been counted amongst the world’s most complex and deadly AFVs. Despite its fame, relatively little has appeared on the Leclerc in English, and much of the information about the Leclerc on the web is incorrect. Even in French, it has been ten years since the Leclerc was studied in a published work. Char Leclerc by MP Robinson and Thierry Guillemain is a survey of the Leclerc’s development and service in the French Army right up to the present day. It explains the differences between the eleven Leclerc production batches produced for the French Army, the different Leclerc derived vehicles, and the changes that have transformed the French armored force since the Leclerc first entered service. This latest addition to the Kagero Photosniper series is illustrated with over 220 unpublished photographs and ten color plates, making it
an ideal reference for historians and modelers alike.

Book Alert: Challenger 2 vs Toyota Yaris

*Warning, satire ahead*

Here at Tank and AFV News, we are proud to announce that we have agreed to author the next installment in the Osprey books “Duel” series.  Based on five minutes of reading google news articles years of intensive research and archive digging, this volume will examine the 2015 conflict between German teenage auto drivers and the British Army.

Publishers description:

The Battle of the German roadway of 2015 involved the first small-scale tank-against-Toyota hatchback battle in history. The clash at Augustdorf involved at least one vehicle on each side, resulting in a total victory for British tank forces.  This book examines two of the premier opposing vehicles of the conflict, the British Challenger 2 MBT and the Toyota Yaris hatchback. With a complete history of the design, development, and deployment of these vehicles, the story of these great battles is brought to life in a highly illustrated format.

Duel 108 Challenger 2 vs Toyota Yaris final

Book Alert: Challenger 1 Haynes Manual

hanes manualAmazon has an October 15 release date posted for Challenger 1 Main Battle Tank 1983-2001, the latest installment in the Haynes Owner’s Workshop Manual series on tanks.  Written by Dick Taylor, this book follows the well established format of the Haynes series, which have covered a number of tanks, including the Tiger, Sherman, Churchill and WWI Mark IV tank.  Taylor is an experienced author, having written several books for the MMP “Green Series” as well as a book on the British Cruiser Comet for the Armor Photogallery Series.  It will be interesting to see how this book compares to the very good two volume set on the Challenger 1 by Rob Griffin published last year by Kagero Press.

Book Alert: M48 Patton vs Centurion

downloadOsprey books has listed a new addition to their “Duel” series titled M48 Patton vs Centurion: Indo-Pakistani War 1965.  Written by David Higgins, this is the first of his Duel series books not to deal with WW2 German armor (King Tiger vs IS-2, Jagdpanther vs SU-100, Panzer II vs 7TP.)  The tank battles between India and Pakistan in the 1960’s and 70’s have received far less coverage than the Middle east tank battles of the same period.  We hope this volume will help fill the void of good reading material on these rather interesting though much overlooked armored clashes.  This book is slated for an early 2016 release.

Publishers description:

The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 witnessed the largest tank battles seen since World War II, notably between India’s British-made Centurion Mk 7s and the American-made M48 Pattons fielded by Pakistan. Following nearly two decades of tensions and sporadic conflict between India and Pakistan, in August 1965 several thousand Pakistani soldiers entered the disputed territory of Kashmir disguised as local civilians, to which India responded with a successful ground assault. After a week of fighting, India’s 1st “Black Elephant” Armoured Division launched an offensive toward Sialkot, where it rebuffed Pakistan’s 6th Armoured Division, which suffered considerable tank losses. The ensuing battle at Chawinda on 14-16 September 1965 would demonstrate that the Centurion, with its 105mm gun and heavier armour, generally proved superior to the faster, lighter but overly complex Patton, mounting a 90mm main gun; however, the latter performed exceedingly well in the Sialkot sector, exacting a disproportionately heavy toll on its Indian opponents.

Featuring full-colour artwork, expert analysis and absorbing combat accounts, this is the story of the clash between the Centurion and the M48 Patton in the massed armour battles of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.

Book Alert: A15 Cruiser Mk. VI Crusader Tank – A Technical History

product_thumbnailA new book on the British Crusader tank by P. M. Knight has been released.  Titled “A15 Cruiser Mk. VI Crusader Tank – A Technical History”, this is a paperback volume of 199 pages.  This is the second book by P. M. Knight on British armor, his first book examined the Covenanter Cruiser tank.  At almost 200 pages, this book promises to be one of the most in-depth examinations of this much-maligned vehicle and should prove to be an indispensable addition to the library of any British armor enthusiast. Currently it is available for order through lulu.com although the author has informed us that it will be available through Amazon in 4-6 weeks.

Publisher’s Description:

There can be few tanks that have proved as controversial in their deployment as the Crusader, a tank that was invested with high hopes on its entry into service in 1941. This book investigates in unprecedented detail the issues that impinged on its service life. Drawing extensively on original archive sources, a new perspective is drawn on both the employment of the tank itself, and on British tank development of the era. The complex story that unfolds encompasses many interwoven and sometimes contradictory threads, allowing the author to reach both perceptive and surprising conclusions.

Book Alert: Genesis, Employment, Aftermath: First World War Tanks and the New Warfare

9781909982222Publisher Helion Company is advertising a new book on WW1 armor slated for a June release.  Titled “Genesis, Employment, Aftermath: First World War Tanks and the New Warfare, 1900-1945“, this book is authored by Alaric Searle and is part of the Modern Military History series from Helion.  Oddly, the Amazon listing for this book has a price of $79.95 while the Helion page shows a more reasonable price of $41.76.  The book is 224 pages with four maps and eight pages of black and white photos. From what information is available, this appears to be the first book by Dr. Searle specifically on tanks and armored vehicle history.

Publisher’s Description:

The employment of the first tanks by the British Army on the Western Front in September 1916, although symbolic rather than decisive in its effects, ushered in a new form of warfare – tank warfare. While much has been written on the history of the tank, this volume brings together a collection of essays which uncover new aspects of the history of these early machines. Leading military historians from Britain, France and Germany offer insights into the emergence of the tank before the First World War, during the conflict, as well as what happened to them after the guns fell silent on the Western Front. Based on painstaking research in archives across Europe, each of the chapters sheds new light on different aspects of the history of First World tanks. Two chapters consider why the Germans failed to recognize the possibilities of the tank and why they were so slow to develop their own machines after the first British tank attack in 1916. Two other chapters chart the history of French tanks on the Western Front and after the end of the war. Tank communication, the employment of British tanks on the Western Front, as well as the activities of British Tank Corps intelligence, are also explained. The use of British tanks in Palestine and in the Russian Civil War is examined in detail for the first time. The volume also reflects on the impact of the Battle of Cambrai, both in terms of its psychological impact in Britain and the power it exerted over military debates until the end of the Second World War. The aim of the book is to reconsider the history of First World War tanks by widening the historical perspective beyond Britain, to include France and Germany, and by reflecting on the pre-1914 and post-1918 history of the these new weapons of war.

Book Alert: M42 Duster

VH-Heavy Wrecker CoverAmpersand Publications has announced a new addition to their visual history series titled M42 Duster, scheduled for release this month.  Written by David Doyle, this book examines the M42 “Duster: mobile anti-aircraft platform.  The book is one hundred pages, soft cover with over 260 black and white and color photos.  According to the Ampersand website, this volume offers complete coverage of the M42 during its development phase and later during its deployment in Vietnam.  Also includes extensive walk around photos.

Ampersand Publishing page for M42 Duster

Reprints of “Patton” and “Half-Track” by Hunnicutt released

PattonEcho Point Books has released reprints of R. P. Hunnicutt’s books “Patton” and “Half-Track.”  Earlier this year they also released reprint editions of “Stuart” and “Sherman” by Hunnicutt.  Unlike the Stuart and Sherman books which are priced at $69.95 softcover and 499.95 hardcover, the Patton book is $59.95/$79.95 while the Half-Track book is $39.95/$49.95.  Reviews of these reprints have generally been mixed, with purchasers commenting that the paper quality is not the high quality glossy paper found in the original editions.  It has also been noted that these reprints appear to be based on scans of the original works.  According to ‘The Chieftain” Nicholas Moran, the publisher will be changing their printing mechanism for future print runs.

Book Review: Armored Champion by Steven Zaloga

index“Armored Champion: The Top Tanks of World War II” is the latest installment in the “Armored” series of hardcover books written by Steven Zaloga, published by Stackpole Books.  While the first three of Zaloga’s “Armored” books focus on US armor of World War II, this latest book takes a broader look at the tanks used in that conflict, examining and declaring “the top tanks of World War II.”  The idea of declaring the top tanks of the war is a bit of a departure from the authors previous works.  At first glance it reminds one of the  innumerable “top ten” cable TV documentaries and internet forum threads dedicated to such a premise.  However, if anyone is qualified for the task of putting together such a list, Steven Zaloga must be at the top of the list due to his 40 years of research in the field and prodigious output as a writer.

It’s fair to say that this is the first book of his that seems intended to generate controversy  based on its premise and title.  One has to wonder if this book is intended as Zaloga’s response to the internet generation’s predilection with lists and rankings.  As far as this reviewer can tell, this is the first work by Zaloga in which he references online games such as “World of Tanks” and he also at one point uses the internet idiom of “Nazi fanboys” to describe admirers of SS Panzer ace Michael Wittman!

[Read more…]