US Army Handbook 1939-1945 [Paperback]

George Forty (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1999

The transformation of the US Army during World War II from a small, outdated and ill-equipped force, into one of the mightiest armies in the world, was described by Sir Winston Churchill as being a prodigy of organization. Its value to the Allied cause was beyond measure, with a fighting record second to none in all theatres of operations worldwide. It was a marvelously well-equipped army, thanks to American inventiveness, know-how and technical prowess, and by 1945 it led the world in weaponry, strategic mobility and logistic capabilities. This text examines the organization, structure and equipment of the US Army - covering everything from weapons to tactics, vehicle markings to camouflage, rations to radio sets, and battle orders to logistics.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

George Forty served in the Royal Tank Unit for 33 years, and is a former curator at the British Tank Museum.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Sutton Publishing; 2nd edition edition (January 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0750920505
• ISBN-13: 978-0750920506
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,407,515 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good read but lacking data, April 25, 2006

By 

Tailz (Sydney) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The US Army Handbook 1939-1945 (Paperback)

I quite enjoyed reading this publication; I found it to be informative and well thought out. But the text is very light on hard statistical data, relying more on broad generalisations through creative descriptions with little in the way of hard statistical data. If you are looking to read about the American army in World War II this is the book for you, but if your looking for a book with facts and figures such as notes on equipment, weapons, vehicles, etc - then this is not the book for you.

4.0 out of 5 stars Overall a Good Start, October 3, 2008

By 

Michael Mandaville "Author: Citizen Soldier H... (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The US Army Handbook 1939-1945 (Paperback)

This book is a good start for learning about the U.S. Army from its fledgling operations at the start of World War II to its powerful position by 1945. I read one book years ago where the United States Army was the 18th in size as compared to other world armies in 1939. It was behind Turkey. By 1945, the war machine had liberated Europe and crushed the Japanese Empire. This book will familiarize one with the growth of the weapons, infantry and more for this expansive period of history.

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Forty needs the TM, July 7, 2002

By 

W.W. Turnbow (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: U.S. Army handbook, 1939-1945 (Hardcover)

I greatly enjoyed Forty's work on the Japanese and was quite disapointed with this one. It would appear that Forty merely re-worded the U.S. Army Technical Manual on the Japanese Army and did not have such a source for the US Army. Coverage is pretty good on weapons. Fair on organization. Laughable on tactics. He fails to point out the major flaws with the US effort...shipping- limited organization, faulty tank doctrine, failure to effeciently use the negro portion of the population. This book at least puts a lot of information in one volume, but is not as good as his work with more easily found source material.