Designed with the modeller, preservationist and the wargamer in mind, Ian Allan Publishing’s new ‘in Detail’ series is intended to provide the reader with a comprehensive history of the type of tank, self-propelled propelled gun and military transport featured. Each volume will include detailed history of the unit in service, along with information on variants, markings, unit allocations, etc. Alongside the comprehensive illustrative section, which will include detailed shots of models in colour, the books will also include scale drawings and comprehensive guidance notes on camouflage. Each title contains c12,000 words of text, illustrations and unit details and, where appropriate, will include production figures, interior details and include information on all the many items that differentiated each individual model of the type. More US half-tracks were manufactured than any other armoured vehicle. They served wherever the Allies ventured after 1941 (including the Eastern Front) and they were deployed in all manner of combat roles, from personnel carrier (its intended purpose) to self-propelled artillery and more. This work sets out to describe the M3 half-track series from their inception during the early 1930s until the war ended in 1945, not forgetting that some remain in active service to this day
PRODUCT DETAILS
Publisher: Ian Allan Publishing Pub. Date: 30th November 2004 Catalog: Book Media: Paperback Number Of Pages: 96 Ean: 9780711030473 Isbn: 0711030472
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Impressive Amount of Information ~ Written on Nov 14, 2009. out of users found this review helpful.
I bought this book thinking it could not cover any new information not already dealt with by R.P. Hunnicut's book "Halftrack". I was very pleasantly surprised. While shorter, it is much more affordable (about 1/7th the cost).
Author Terry Gander does a very good job giving a short but concise history of the development of this tracked vehicle, the pro's and con's of a 1/2 track (not quite as mobile as a tank, but cheaper than a tank....but - more expensive than a truck and harder to maintain than a truck). The armor was very thin and the top open, exposing the crew to the weather and enemy fire.
There are many clear black and white photos of the chasis, engine, the different versions of the M-2/M-3 half track. Plenty of statistics and data about the weapons used, the weapon performance (machine guns, mortars, anti-tank cannon, howitzers). There are color plates and photos for modelers to see the paint schemes used.
I think the author spent a little too much time on some of the anti-aircraft versions that never went into production. I would rather have seen some stories from the infantry that drove or rode these machines (over 43,000 were made!).
It's a very good book for anyone who wants to know more about a very widely used armored vehicle from WW2 to the 1970's, a tough, dependable, reliable and versatile half track that saw service all over the world. A good addition to my collection, recommended.
A fascinating volume, remarkable in its detail ~ Written on May 4, 2008. 1 out of 1 users found this review helpful.
Military Vehicles in Detail: US Half-Tracks by Terry J. Gander is one of a series of titles describing, in sometimes startling detail, the military equipment used in World War II. The series is an astounding effort, and although intended for a limited audience, even the casual reader will find items of interest.
This particular volume covers the half-track vehicles M2, M3, M5, and M9. For the uninitiated, the half-track can be thought of as a large jeep with two wheels in the front and tank tracks in the rear. Its design rendered it tough and mobile and gave the ungainly machine a unique place in the war. That place is well described in Gander's prose, and the general reader will probably find the explanatory text more useful than the many charts and diagrams.
It must be said that these charts and diagrams are very impressive, but the general reader may not wish to know the ground contact length (3.9 feet, 1.19 meters) for the M5 or the location of the carburetor on the White 160AX engine. Still, to be fair, what bores one reader may fascinate another. I personally was rather fascinated to learn that the .30-calibre M1919A4 machine gun was mounted on a skate rail, allowing the gun to be easily moved around the vehicle.
If you are at all interested in, literally, the nuts and bolts of equipment, this book is highly recommended. A very smart cover and well done layout are to be noted.
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