Amtracs in Action - Armor No. 31 [Paperback]

Jim Mesko (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1993

Amtracs in Action

Product Details

• Paperback: 50 pages
• Publisher: Squadron/Signal Publications; 1st edition (1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0897472985
• ISBN-13: 978-0897472982
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,233,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars WW2 Marine Amphibians, November 23, 2010

By 

cpt matt (tanktown, DE) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Amtracs in Action - Armor No. 31 (Paperback)

Amtracs in Action gives you a very good, short overview of this important amphibious assault vehicle. Designed just before WW2, the Marines recognized its combat potential both to supply units inland and more importantly, help them seize the beaches. Over 10,000 of versions 1 through 5 were built, serving mostly in the Pacific Campaign, some in Europe and as late as the Korean War. Other, larger versions are still in use today.

This book gives you 48 pages of B&W photos, line drawings that outline each version. The Marines were constantly adding more armor and weapons. Machine guns, 37 mm turrets, 75 mm howitzers, flame throwers. They even mounted a 37 mm cannon from an Aircobra plane on one of them. There are a few photos of the interior of one and two pages of color drawings.

I would have preferred if they had used a bit of the narrative to show each version troop/cargo capacity in one chart. The information is in the text, but it is hard to follow. There is also no reference to how much armor each version had. Small things, but enough to rate it four out of five.

Highly recommend for anyone interested in amphibious warfare, someone who wants to see up close and first hand what these tracked vehicles did to help capture islands, modelers and armor buffs.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Getting the Troops Safely Ashore!, October 12, 2008

By 

Michael OConnor "Wordsmith" (Wausau, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Squadron/Signal 'Armor Number 31' is devoted to Amphibious Tractors. Though unglamorous in the extreme, those boxy, clattering vehicles brought Marine Corps and Army soldiers safely ashore on any number of Pacific islands and atolls - and a few European beaches as well - during World War II and Korea.

Amtracs were the brainchild of John Roebling, who brainstormed the idea of a specialized vehicle capable of moving on land and water in 1935. Roebling felt such a vehicle could aid victims of hurricanes in coastal states. Three years later the Marine Corps expressed an interest and soon Roeblong's 'Alligators' were put into limited production. Once war broke out, additional improved Landing Vehicle Tracked (LVT) models were ordered. The basic LVT-1 model was modified during the war with LVT-2, -3, 4 and -5 versions appearing. These boasted armor, additional space, increasingly heavy armament, etc. Their service at Tarawa, Kwajalein, Peleliu, Iwo Jima, the Philippines and other locales was invaluable.

Prolific author Jim Mesko provides a model-by-model breakdown of the LVTs. He provides technical specs for each, differences from earlier models and their wartime service. Over 110 photographs, four-views, scrap-views and color artwork depict these versatile craft. Interestingly enough, Tom Tullis did the color profiles.

Amtracs were vital components of victory in the Pacific. Mesko's book provides a comprehensive, well-illustrated overview of the LVT family. Recommended.