7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Evaluation of an ignored subject, May 26, 2006
This review is from: US Anti-tank Artillery 1941-45 (New Vanguard) (Paperback)
Steven Zaloga examines an ignored subject in American military history--the towed anti-tank gun. US Anti-tank Artillery 1941-45 covers the towed anti-tank gun used by American Soldiers and Marines during the Second World War. These weapons had shorter service lives than even the glider or the tank destroyer--essentially, the towed anti-tank gun was replaced by the 75mm recoiless rifle as soon as hostilities ended. Like the submachine gun, the towed anti-tank gun wasn't something that America did well.
I haven't found any other books devoted entirely to the towed anti-tank gun, though several books do mention them in passing. I have an excellent write-up of the 37mm anti-tank gun in my 1940 edition of the Infantry R.O.T.C. manual, but that is only a few pages scattered throughout four volumes. Zaloga covers the 37mm, 57mm, and 3-inch anti-tank guns and their prime movers. Color artwork is useful for the scale model builder--I intend to use this book as a reference when assembling an anti-tank crew for my 1:6th-scale 37mm AT gun.
The impact of Army personalities is clearly illustrated in this book. McNair's insistance on towed AT guns even when the front-line grunt officers demanded self-propelled tank destroyers, Patton's insistance that the 37mm was still an effective anti-tank weapon during Sicily, the search for hip-pocket artillery because the AT gun was "too big and too heavy" for the infantry...there is even mention of the .50 M2 HB machine gun as the U.S. Army's primary anti-tank weapon in 1941. Fact: the AT gun couldn't be made light enough, powerful enough, or cheap enough to satisfy anyone. Zaloga evaluates the effectiveness of the AT gun versus the tank destroyer and writes that the towed gun destroyed 1 German tank for every 3 American AT guns lost, but the American tank destroyer destroyed 3 German tanks for every American tank destroyer lost. I've oversimplified, and this doesn't factor in the towed gun's prime mover or the fact that a towed AT gun required more crew than the tank destroyer (or that the tank destroyer required more maintenance), but it is food for thought.
US Anti-tank Artillery 1941-45 isn't for everyone because the subject is obscure. American towed anti-tank artillery wasn't very successful--the man-portable bazooka was because it could go everywhere the infantry soldier could. The tank destroyer provided "tank" support when the more-expensive tank was not available. Zaloga mentions that the AT gun was frequently used as a direct-fire artillery piece for assault troops, something not intended for the weapon, but perhaps its most-important contribution to Allied victory. Is a tank a self-propelled bunker? Is a bunker a fixed-position tank? No matter--proper anti-tank weapons kill both.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good book on U.S. WWII anti-tank guns, August 30, 2008
This review is from: US Anti-tank Artillery 1941-45 (New Vanguard) (Paperback)
Well done book on U.S. anti-tank artillery starting with the U.S. 37mm licensed copy of the German Pak 36 up to and including the almost ready in time U.S. 90mm towed anti-tank guns. Also covers our 57mm copy of the British 6 pdr anti-tank gun and the U.S. 3" M5 towed anti-tank gun. Discussed towed versus SP anti-tank doctrine and the US Tank Destroyer Command. Companion piece would be the Osprey book on U.S. Tank Destroyer Battalions in WWII.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another great title, September 7, 2007
This review is from: US Anti-tank Artillery 1941-45 (New Vanguard) (Paperback)
Ever drive by an American Legion post and see an anti-tank cannon sitting there and wonder why it was built and how well it served our country? Well this book certainly answers that question. The book is full of info on the development of each US anti-tank gun used during WWII (as well as experimental designs), the doctrine that it was designed around, and how well it served in combat. Details include types of ammo used and availability, armor penetration data, when and where the guns saw action (including combat examples), as well as production figures. Everything you could ever want in 50 pages or less.
After reading this you will come to realize the backwardness of Americas towed ATG force which undoubtedly cost countless American casualties. And I thought American tankers had it rough!
Much of the information presented is simply not available without doing your own primary research and fills a big gap in understanding WWII tank warfare during WWII. And from a wargaming point of view it is very much appreciated.
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