The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles [Hardcover]

Chris Foss (Author), Will Fowler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2002

Warriors have long sought to combine protection and mobility in combat, from ancient chariots to medieval knights and armored wagon. It was the development of the internal combustion engine that allowed a vehicle to possess both features on the battlefield. The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles is a definitive guide to over 1500 armored vehicles that have emerged from the first gasoline engine to the present day. In 1916, during World War I, the tank made its debut on the Western Front for the British, and the face of warfare changed almost overnight. In each nation's quest for battlefield dominance, many different types of armored vehicles have been produced, some more successful than others, all of which are covered in the encyclopedia, with each entry being accompanied by a photograph or artwork, full specifications and a development and career history. The book is divided into sections by country, with entries arranged chronologically. A detailed index is provided for easy cross-referencing. With such in-depth coverage of the subject, The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles is an essential reference guide for anyone interested in the history of military vehicles.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 544 pages
• Publisher: Thunder Bay Press (CA) (October 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571458069
• ISBN-13: 978-1571458063
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 9.5 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #438,435 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #68 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Military

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best ID Book Ever, December 16, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles (Hardcover)

This book is the best and most comprehensive millitary vehicle identification book I have ever read. I'm an M1A1 tank driver for the US army and I was impressed with the amount of information in this book. I actually used this book to point out flaws on our Vehicle ID test. Now that I have it, all my fellow tankers want a copy.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstandingly Thorough and Fascinating, July 20, 2003

By 

Wunderbar "Bimmerman" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles (Hardcover)

I'm a big fan of weapons encyclopedias. This is one of the best. If you're into AFV's, you can't live without this wonderful resource. Containing over 900 different AFV's from 1915 to current vehicles, they are smartly seperated by country of origin. I was surprised to see the numerous weapons systems that are currently in development. Very contemporary and in touch with the world of AFVs. I would highly recommend this book to fans of Military History, Fighting Vehicles, and scale modelling.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More coffee table than reference, May 26, 2005

By 

Michael Horn "mikie" (US Army Combat Support Training Center, Dublin, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles (Hardcover)

I'm a big fan of anything Chris Foss writes, publishes or edits. His facts aren't always spot on - his deadlines for publication obviously have him rush and cut corners. I purchased this book in December 2003 and have spent many hours flipping the pages. Overall - I enjoy owning and reading this book.

If you are a hobbiest, enthusiast or historian of armored vehicles - this book is a lot of fun - filled with enough data of historical development and progression of armored vehicles - from every country imaginable - that you can lose many hours turning the pages.

I do not keep this book at work. As a defense contractor, historical data more than 40 years old is useless to combat simulation modeling (unless we're looking sub-Sahara Africa or Central Asia). There are many other unclassified pocket guides, and books that are more handy to use to identify and collect performance data - and to do my real world computer modeling.

Overall - I enjoy this book for it's historical data - it's a pleasure to read - and "re-discover" obsolete vehicles I used to operate - or commanded units of. Looking back across the years - one wonders what would have happened if I would have met my Soviet counterparts with their T-54/55 and T-62, T-64 or T-72's - with my M-48A3/5s, M-60A1 and M60A3 models.

Buy the book to enjoy and learn the history of every country's armored vehicle development programs. The historical prospective given by this encyclopedia gives one data to strike up conversations with military veterans and counterparts of all nations and compare data. Gives a good foundation to understand the combat results each of these vehicles gave the countries that utilized them in war!

A great (big) book better suited for the coffee table at home than the bookshelf at work.