Customer Reviews

American Military Vehicles of World War I: An Illustrated History of Armored Cars, Staff Cars, Motorcycles, Ambulances, Trucks, Tractors and Tanks

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I cannot speak on the veracity of the American references in Mr. Mroz's book. One assumes that an author does the necessary research, interprets his findings correctly, and incorporates his conclusions in the finished work. One hopes that that applies to the areas covered in this book of which I have no knowledge. However, one is not encouraged to believe that this is the case when it comes to Mr. Mroz's account of the development of the Tank. In more than thirty years of studying the subject I have not come across a supposedly authoritative work by an author above school age that is so ill-informed and inaccurate.

The British Tank designers did not consult with the Holt Caterpillar Tractor Company at any point during the development; they were merely inspired by the Holt Tractors they had seen in use by the Austro-Hungarian and British armies. That is what Swinton later acknowledged. The Holt also influenced French and German Tank designers. The photograph of a Holt is not "a British tractor captured by the Germans"; it is an Austrian Holt serving in Belgium - with a soldier in Austrian uniform walking alongside. No Americans were involved in the creation of the prototype "Little Willie"; America was not in the War, and the British didn't even involve their French allies until nearly a year later. Albert Stern does not omit to mention the presence of Americans at the trials of the first tanks; none was present. Stern did not "invite the Navy"; he was in the Navy. The Landships Committee was created by Churchill when he was First Lord of the Admiralty (head of the Navy) and Stern and other members were already in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, having served as part of a Royal Naval Air Service unit that Churchill had established earlier.

The list of garbled information is long. I don't have the time to list it all. The misprints do not help, either. Lord Kirchener? "Sons of Grantham"? It all adds to the shoddiness of this book.

It could be that some aspects of it are accurate and complete. I cannot tell. But a sizeable section of it is slipshod, shallow, badly-researched, and, one suspects, highly Wikipedia-dependent. As a school project it might receive 4 out of 10.

Good condensation of W.W.I history by way of American industry overview. The vehicles covered include all types at a time when the automotive and gasoline engine industry was in its infancy. Chapter on the Industrial Revolution puts things into perspective. Chronological listing of major W.W.I events and good index rounds out this thorough effort.