Customer Reviews

Sheridan: A History of the American Light Tank, Volume 2 (Armored fighting vehicle books)

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As a Vietnam-era US cavalry officer who commanded a Sheridan unit, I am all too familar with the operational problems during the M551's service life (ammunition, drive train, and missile system). It was a bear to keep the Sheridan going, but if we had gone to war, it was all we had in The Cav. I think Mr. Hunnicutt has done a very admirable job in detailing how this country went from an excellent recon tank (the M-41) to the miserable Sheridan. Let future generations of soldiers learn from the mistakes of my generation.P.S. This book is very heavy on detail - only those who love the smell of diesel and creaking tracks will totally comprehend the work that went into completing this research masterpiece.

What can anyone say? It is a Hunnicut book so it is the best. It has good coverage of the M41 and T92 predecessors which are of interest to me. It is sad that the book ends with the assumption that the M8 Armored Gun System will replace the M551. I don't think anyone anticipated that our 'leaders' would leave our Airborne Forces without a replacement AFV. There is some coverage of SP Artillery and some odds and ends that almost seem like a 'catch all' of things not included in other books of his work. This book is a must have for those that enjoy the "details".

Author R.P. Hunnicutt gives you more than just the M-551 Sheridan. In this book, he also traces the history of US Light Armor since WW2 to 1995. Included in the first 76 pages are complete studies of the M-41 Walker Bulldog, Light tank design concepts of the 1950's (very interesting to see all of the different ideas Detroit and the Army considered), engines, cannon, the T-95.

The next sections address the M-551 prototype, the testing, development and production of the Sheridan. This was a tank that tried to be everything for every one - light enough for airborne support, with a 152mm cannon/missile launcher for anti tank work, a scout vehicle. Regardless of your opinion of the tank itself, this is a fantastic collection of line drawings, cut aways; black and white photographs abound throughout the entire book. There are chapters covering the newer light tanks such as the Stingray, the M-8, the M-56, the M-50 Ontos and M-109 SPG. 8 pages of color photos and vehicle data/statistics finish up the book.

To get so much information into one book is exceptional. This is for serious armor fans and a real treat. A worthy collection to your library, it covers so much about so many different vehicles, all well done.