Customer Reviews

Fighting Men of World War II: Vol.2, Allied Forces - Uniforms, Equipment & Weapons

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The concluding volume in a two-volume set, David Miller's FIGHTING MEN OF WORLD WAR II: ALLIED FORCES; UNIFORMS, EQUIPMENT AND WEAPONS is a comprehensive and colorful overview of the gear and garb used by American, British, Commonwealth, Russian, French, Chinese, Polish, Dutch, Belgian, Brazilian, Danish, Greek, Norwegian, Yugoslavian and Italian (Co-Belligerent) forces.

The bulk of ALLIED FORCES is devoted to U.S., U.K./Commonwealth and Soviet forces. After a very brief introduction to each country's military, Miller examines the various infantry forces that served that country in World War II along with the weapons and gear they utilized. The U.K. section, for instance, starts out with British Infantry, detailing their regimental system, battalion breakdown, ranks, uniforms, headgear, cold weather and tropical gear, boots, personal equipment, medical equipment, infantry weapons and so on. As might be expected, the text is informative but concise. While the emphasis is on nuts-and-bolts, Miller does include some historical information on the service seen by various units.

The book's biggest selling point - the hundreds of (mostly) color photographs of uniforms, rifles, machine guns, mortars, bayonets, grenades, mines, helmets, canteens, boots, radios, badges, mess tins, entrenching tools, etc. - offer fascinating looks at the world of the average GI, Tommy and Ivan. Full-size mannequis are used throughout. Included are some very rare items, many obtained from museums and private collectors. Visually, the book is a delight.

While it isn't definitive, FIGHTING MEN OF WORLD WAR II, ALLIED FORCES is an excellent one-stop shopping guide to the subject. And, given the wealth of photographs, the book is a steal at $19.99. Recommended.

This book compliments the earlier book on Axis forces. It covers the uniforms and equipment of the forces fighting on the allied side. For wargames it is a must have book. I do wish that it had covered the smaller powers - Polish, Dutch, Belgians in more depth but a good book anyway.

Though this book is very well illustrated with lots of pictures its written information is seriously poor. So Poor I am appalled it has been published without necessary corrections.

Numerous factual flaws to be found.

1. Techs in the American army are not a class of NCOS nor were they created in 1942. Techs as a group were created in 1921 as a class of technically skilled High Privates of increased pay grade whose skills made them more important than ordinary Privates. The rank of Technical Seargeant was not a grade of Tech but actually a class of sergeant.

Warrant officers carried their rank on their shoulders like commisioned officers rather than the British fashion on their cuffs.

2. Soviets Employed women in the front line yet this book does not mention them nor do they mention Soviet Nautical Infanty made of beached navy personel employed as infantry.

3. Belgium did not equip its forces with copies of German Mauser rifles but with modernized model 1889s as well as their own model 36 Mauser style rifle.

4. Most of France's infantry at the time of Dunkirk still carried their model 1915 Lebel Mannlicher action rifle either in the original eight millimeter or modernized to seven point five millimeter. The Model MAS 36 was still in limited issue.

These flaws are the ones I know of, there might be others.

How this book got past quality control is beyond me.

Dire need of corrections and improvements. Perhaps more material could be added.