Facebook X YouTube Instagram Pinterest NetGalley
Google Books previews are unavailable because you have chosen to turn off third party cookies for enhanced content. Visit our cookies page to review your cookie settings.

United States Tanks and Tank Destroyers of the Second World War (Hardback)

Military > Tanks WWII > Photographic Books

By Michael Green
Imprint: Pen & Sword Military
Pages: 272
Illustrations: 200 black and white illustrations
ISBN: 9781526787477
Published: 4th October 2021

in_stock

£17.50 was £25.00

You save £7.50 (30%)


You'll be £17.50 closer to your next £10.00 credit when you purchase United States Tanks and Tank Destroyers of the Second World War. What's this?
+£4.50 UK Delivery or free UK delivery if order is over £40
(click here for international delivery rates)

Need a currency converter? Check XE.com for live rates

Other formats available - Buy the Hardback and get the eBook for £1.99! Price
United States Tanks and Tank Destroyers… ePub (70.9 MB) Add to Basket £4.99


Only after the Nazis invaded Poland and France did the United States Government authorize mass production of tanks. By the end of the War American industry had built nearly 90,000 tanks, more than Germany and Great Britain combined.

The first big order in May 1940 was for 365 M2A4 light tanks, the initial iteration of the Stuart series, with almost 24,000 constructed. The Stuart series was supplemented by almost 5,000 units of the M24 Chaffee light tank. There was also the failed M22 Locust light tank intended for airborne operations.

The M4 series of medium tanks, best known as the Sherman, were the most numerous with some 50,000 in service with not only the American military but British and other Allied armies. It was not until later in the war that the M26 Pershing heavy tank was built.

Initially the US Army doctrine saw tanks as primarily for the exploitation role. Later the concept of tank destroyers evolved to counter large scale German armored offensives. These defensive AFVs included the half-track-based 75mm Gun Motor Carriage M3 and the full-tracked M10, M18, and M36.

This comprehensive and superbly illustrated book describes in authoritative detail the characteristics and contribution to victory of these formidable fighting vehicles.

"This illustrated volume covers American tanks and tank destroyers in great detail. The characteristics and service of each type receives attention."

WWII History, August 2022

"A highly readable narrative supported by excellent photographs and vast attention to detail. The level of detail would prove very helpful to the scale modeller as well thus this work is a must for the bookshelf of the tank enthusiast."

Martin Willoughby, The Wessex Branch of the Western Front Association

"Green presents a well-researched, highly readable review of tank development during World War II. This work will appeal to maneuver commanders seeking to enhance their understanding of tank development, employment and the vital role of field feedback to improve design and modifications of a given tank."

ARMOR Magazine, Winter 2022

What a fascinating book, in many ways this book could be taken as the big brother to the TankCraft Series of books, the book runs through the range of American built tanks from light to heavy. In this very well written book, I was impressed with the descriptions and the fact that each chapter was broken into questions or topic sections which made it far easier to read and understand. The number of photographs in the book were also excellent from tanks in action to photography of practically every part of the tank. The main photographs were b/w but it was supported by a good number of colour photographs too. My close up knowledge of tanks has improved by reading Pen & Sword Books, but this book I feel has further enhanced this knowledge. In my opinion, this book is ideal for beginners to the subject and by that I mean the information was very credible from an author who certainly knows his stuff.

Read the full review here

UK Historian

If you ask a non-modeller about tanks produced by the Americans in World War II, I suspect most are only going to know about the Sherman. However, they produced a wide variety of vehicles, some more successful than others and which can be said has taken them on a journey from out of date World War I tanks to the early heavy tanks of the Cold War. This title is a one stop mini visual reference, covering the tanks and tank destroyers used by the Allies during World War II and without which the result of the war could have been very different.

Read the full review here

Armorama

Michael Green on the contribution of US Army tanks during the second world war is fascinating.

Books Monthly

This well researched and superbly illustrated books describes the technical characteristics of the vehicles from initial design to final production. Green does not pull his punches and shows the design stages, warts and all, highlighting the triumphs and failures. He deals authorarively with each subject and recognises the contribution made to the Allied victory by each of the vehicle he describes.

I thoroughly recommend this book to students of history, model makers and general readers. It is thorough, informative and factual. Black and white photos are supported by 16 colour photos of tanks covered in this book.

I have to mark this one at five out of five, considering it's size, it is comprehensive!

Read the full review here

ARRSE (Army Rumour Service)

I've had an interest in WW2 AFVs for many years so my knowledge base is not bad, but I still learned a lot of new information from this book, and enjoyed the many images as well. The other thing it does for me, is quite clearly show just how quickly the US developed their armoured vehicles over a short period of war, from 1941 to 1945. Not only that they learnt lessons and applied them, but with the numbers then built which armed not only the US Army and Marines, but also Britain and the other Allied forces, it clearly demonstrates a remarkable achievement/story. Great for armour historians and modellers alike I'd suggest and well worth having among your standard references.

Read the full review here

Military Model Scene
 Michael Green

About Michael Green

Michael Green is the author of numerous acclaimed books in the Images of War series, including Armored Warfare in the Vietnam War, The Patton Tank: Cold War Warrior, M1 Abrams Tank, Allied Tanks of the Second World War, Allied AFVs of the Second World War, Axis Tanks of the Second World War, Axis AFVs of the Second World War, American Military Helicopters, US Airborne Divisions, USMC in the Vietnam War, US Armored Divisions of the Second World War, US Marine Corps in the Korean War, American Artillery, NATO and Warsaw Pact Tanks of the Cold War and Red Army Weapons of the World War.

More titles by Michael Green

Customers who bought this title also bought...

Other titles in Pen & Sword Military...