Armored Thunderbolt: The U.S. Army Sherman in World War II (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Steven Zaloga knows his subject, and is a prolific author of technical histories. His comprehensive knowledge makes this book one of those rare should not be missed volumes that come along from time to time. He addresses the problem of whether the Sherman was a war winner or a deathtrap by covering the development of US tank policy from its origins in the First World War through its rapid development in the early part of the Second World War and uneven success as the war progressed to its conclusion. While covering tank development he provides snapshots of the key institutions and individuals involved in the process, as well as the evolution of tank and anti-tank doctrine. Finally, the actual evolution and use of the Sherman in all theatres is covered. The hundreds of photographs supplement the concise prose perfectly the author has expertly selected them to illustrate all the many, many points he makes as he progresses to his conclusion.

The arguments Zaloga makes are notable not only for their persuasiveness, but for the broad perspective he employs. He is well aware that many readers of his book will be knowledgeable regarding various technical aspects of the Sherman. Consequently, he goes beyond the data to explain why certain factors resulted in the problems or virtues that are often well known, if not well understood. For example, the propensity of early Shermans to burn when hit by anti-tank fire is often attributed to the tank s gasoline driven engine. Zaloga explains the real problem ammunition stowage thoroughly, and then goes on to describe the various measures that were taken to minimize the risk of fire, which ultimately did reduce the problem substantially. He also notes that all tanks risked fire when penetrated, even the gasoline driven German ones such as the Pz IV, providing statistics that back his arguments up well.

This is a minor example and focuses on one narrow technical aspect of the Sherman. A better example of the breadth of Zaloga s approach might be the way in which he addresses the development of US operational doctrine during the war. He notes that the US Army Air Force was extensively resourced as part of a deliberate policy to ensure air superiority by US ground forces, and that German complaints about their inability to operate effectively because of constant interference by jabos (fighter bombers) fails to grasp that the US Army deliberately set out to make their life difficult in this way. This argument is probably not all that revolutionary, but I was surprised by one little fact that he brought out to indicate just how significantly aviation was resourced as compared to tanks by the US Army approximately six times as much was spent on aircraft as on tanks (36 Billion as compared to 6 Billion). Insights such as this are throughout the book, making it a very interesting read for even those reasonably well versed in the history of the Second World War. --Doug McLean, The Wargamer, January 29, 2009

Product Description

* Hundreds of photos, including many never published before

* Riveting accounts of armored warfare in World War II

* Compares the Sherman to other tanks, including the Panther and Tiger

* Author is a world-renowned expert on the Sherman tank and American armor

Some tank crews referred to the American M4 Sherman tank as a "death trap." Others, like Gen. George Patton, believed that the Sherman helped win World War II. So which was it: death trap or war winner? Armor expert Steven Zaloga answers that question by recounting the Sherman's combat history. Focusing on Northwest Europe (but also including a chapter on the Pacific), Zaloga follows the Sherman into action on D-Day, among the Normandy hedgerows, during Patton's race across France, in the great tank battle at Arracourt in September 1944, at the Battle of the Bulge, across the Rhine, and in the Ruhr pocket in 1945.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 360 pages
• Publisher: Stackpole Books (October 10, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811704246
• ISBN-13: 978-0811704243
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #37,837 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Organizational History, October 20, 2008

By	Daniel Thorpe (Vancouver, BC Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a superb book on the Sherman Tank that - amazingly - covers much new ground. It accomplishes this by not focussing on technical development as RP Hunnicutt's Sherman "bible" (and most other Sherman books)do. Instead, it's a history of how the various organizations within the US Army created the Sherman, why they made the design decisions they did, how combat effective the Sherman was as a result, and how development proceeded (or didn't) as a result of that experience.

Unlike many writers of amour (sorry - armor!) books, Zaloga is not just a vehicle enthusiast. He's a real historian who has been conducting original research in various archives and other primary sources for three decades now. So, when he discusses the preference of Gen McNair and the Army Ground Forces for proven designs or the tendency of the Ordnance Department to waste time on pointless but interesting technical developments, he supports his argument with specific detail and extensive quotations from period correspondence.

When it comes to evaluating the Sherman's combat performance, Zaloga provides a lot of statistal data from the operational research that was conducted by the US and Britain during and shortly after the war. The facts will surprise even those who think they are Sherman experts.

Before purchasing the book I was concerned it would focus solely on US Army Shermans (as implied by the sub-title). In fact it includes a chapter on US Marine use in the Pacific as well as good coverage of British and Commonwealth Sherman developments and experiences. Contemporary Soviet and German armour developments and attitudes are also summarized. All this provides a very useful context for the Sherman story, and the book would be poorer without it.

Finally, Zaloga's prose style is both vivid and clear, and the large format pages are used to include many, many large and well-reproduced photographs. The only minor criticism I could make is the lack of maps. However, since the purpose of the combat sections are to analyze the Sherman's effectiveness, not provide a campaign history, even this is forgivable. All-in-all, a wonderful book.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, October 25, 2008

By	Justin Bittick (Cottonwood, AZ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Since most can't afford Hunnicutt's SHERMAN, this is probably the best alternative. Mr. Zaloga has done a very good job in explaining the Sherman's history and development. There are some errors, such as his assertion that the Soviet KV heavy tank was rearmed with a 122mm gun and renamed the Stalin (two completely different tanks), or that the Soviet 85mm was superior to the American 76mm (the latter was superior in armor penetration). The book does falter a bit in describing the Sherman in action where generalizations take the place of indepth analysis. Mr. Zaloga does, however, provide a reasonably balanced perspective of the Sherman as well as its opponents. Most information deals with the European Theater of Operations having little to say about the Pacific, etc. One of the more unusual and welcomed elements of the book is the BIBLIOGRAPHIC ESSAY in which Mr. Zaloga lists and describes where he found his research/source material. If you want to know about the Sherman tank and U.S. Armored Force doctrine in WWII, this is one of the best available.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you have not read this book, you don't know the Sherman!, November 7, 2008

By	William M. Brant "Eschew Obfuscation" (Central Iowa, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book excels by not just re-hashing the technical details of the M4 versus it's opponents, but by providing much invaluable 'soft' information that was every bit as important -- and perhaps more so -- than the technical details.

The author provides background information on how the Sherman was created and how the design changed - or did not change - over time. Shortcomings of both the Sherman and the Panther are covered in some depth. The author also touches on bureaucratic issues, metallurgy, training, crew experience, reliability (and the causes for reliability issues), availability of spares, ammunition, mission of the tank (tank versus tank, infantry support), the focus on the US Tank Destroyer concept, and many, many other relevant and interesting issues.

A large part of the book contrasts the Sherman against the German Panther. When you look at only the technical specifications, the Panther appears to be a vastly superior weapon to the Sherman. However, the book looks into detail at issues that exacerbated the Panther's problems, blunting it's technical edge, and the things that mitigated the Sherman's shortcomings, and made it 'work' better than the specifications would otherwise indicate.

While I consider myself very knowledgeable on WWII armor, I learned a great deal from this book. If you want to learn more about some of the 'soft' -- but very important -- issues that affect armor performance beyond the technical specifications, I feel that money spent on this book is money well spent.