Tanks of World War II Up Close

Dougherty, Martin J. Tanks of World War II Up Close. Part of the Military Technology: Top Secret Clearance series. 2016. 224p. ISBN 978-1-5081-7086-0. Available at 623.74 DOU on the library shelves.

Tanks were born in the crucible of World War I where crossing No Man’s Land and breaching through rows of barbed wires and trenches. The vehicles were slow and lightly armed, as their primary function was to escort infantry. This mentality prevailed all the way to the beginning of World War II, when the Germans employed armored vehicles in the hundreds to break through lines and pierce several miles behind enemy lines. Suddenly, armored vehicles were no longer support vehicles but full combatants in their own rights.

American, British, and Russian development took note of the German success on the Western front and began developing better armored and armed vehicles. Whereas at the beginning of the war a 37 mm gun was considered enough, it soon proved to be ineffective against newer tank designs, and both the size of the gun and the size of the vehicle increased to accommodate additional armor, crew, and ammunition.

This book presents the major tanks and armored vehicles used by both sides during the war. Each vehicle features specification, a short history, a three dimensional rendering of the vehicle, and actual war photos showing it in action. A table of content and an index allows to quickly access specific vehicle. Fans of military history and of the Second World War will appreciate the meticulous research that went into creating this book.