Tank Killing: Anti-tank Warfare By Men And Machines [Hardcover]

Ian Hogg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 21, 1997

Tanks and anti-tank weapons have waged a seesaw battle for supremacy since 1916; this account by an artillery expert covers the world wars and recent developments based on the experiences of the Middle East wars.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An intriguing study of the history of anti-tank defenses from WWI to the present." -- Stars and Stripes

"The first comprehensive record of tactical and strategic antitank warfare, Tank Killing contains a wealth of data and insight for everyone concerned with modern warfare . . . a solid and rewarding study." -- Army

Tank Killing address the subject of anti-tank warfare. With its debut in the mud fields of the First World War's "Western Front", the tank has been recognized as a decisive component in land warfare, and so soldiers and scientists have used all their ingenuity to devise ways to destroy it. Tank Killing is the first record of the history of anti-tank weapons, tactics and defenses up to the present day. Tank Killing features the accounts of infantrymen on a variety of fronts and the wide array of ad hoc methods they employed to destroy the oncoming monsters. Sophisticated anti-tank weapons and tactics are thoroughly surveyed along with information on anti-tank helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Tank Killing is a vital addition to any military science curriculum and military studies reading list. -- Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Ian V. Hogg is one of the world's pre-eminent authors on modern weapons.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 266 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (January 21, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885119402
• ISBN-13: 978-1885119407
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,882,712 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good book that slightly undershoots the mark, January 1, 2001

By 

Ray King (Morgan Hill, Ca USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tank Killing: Anti-tank Warfare By Men And Machines (Hardcover)

Hogg's "Tank Killing" is an enjoyable book that attempts to cover all aspects of anti-tank warfare - one man anti-tank weapons, tank destroyers, tanks, anti-tank guns, aircraft weapons, and smart weapons. This is a tall order for any book and 265 small (8.5" x 5.5") pages just didn't provide Hogg with enough space to accomplish his mission. What he does do is provide a good subject overview, emphasizing selected topics at key points in their development. Thus, the development of tank gunnery during WWII is covered in detail while tank armament in the 50's and beyond is only lightly addressed. In a similar manner, the anti-tank missile chapter focuses on the 40's - 60's rather than the more recent years.

It's difficult to rate a book that doesn't quite live up to expectations but still is highly enjoyable and informative. Mr. Hogg has a dry wit and calls things as he sees them with respect to British, American, and Soviet military doctrine and development. In the areas he covers in detail, he leaves only minor stones unturned. When I looked at his coverage of Soviet WWII weapons, the types of items that he didn't cover were the SU-57 and the 45mm PTP 42 (he covered the earlier model). I didn't consider these significant oversights. But, if you want to know any details of the 20 pounder on the Centurian, you are out of luck. And if you are Italian (or French or Japanese or almost any country except England, the USSR, or America), you might be more upset about some of the necessary tradeoffs made in the interest of space. For technical content, this book deserves 2.5 stars. I gave it a 3 because of Hogg's presentation style. I wish the book were about twice the size and covered all countries and weapons but one can't always get what one wishes for.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not complete about some anti-tank weapons, March 12, 2011

By 

Dalton C. Rocha (Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tank Killing: Anti-tank Warfare By Men And Machines (Hardcover)

I read this good book, here in Brazil. This book was writen by Ian Hogg(1911-2003). This good book has eight chapters and an index.
The first chapter (Tanks - and how to kill them) is an introduction and an overview about the book's subject. The second chapter (One-man anti-tank weapons) is about anti-tank rockets, anti-tank rifles and recoil-less guns. Chapter six (The smart weapons) is about anti-tank missiles. Chapter seven (Out of the sky) is about anti-tank aircrafts and helicopters. I didn't wanted to found text about tank against tank comabts, but this book has enough and with great quality.
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This is the table of contents of this good book:
1 Tanks - and how to kill them 1
2 One-man anti-tank weapons 33
3 The anti-tank gun 65
4 Tank destroyers 104
5 Tanks against tanks 131
6 The smart weapons 170
7 Out of the sky 203
8 Mines, traps and bare hands 230
Index 263
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Even so, I have to give four stars, not five, because:
1-Anti-tank rifle grenades don't have almost any space, in this book. Please, anti-tank rifle grenades aren't used by British Army since about fifty years ago, but many third-world countries remains using anti-tank rifle grenades as an important anti-tank weapon.
2-On page 30, this book claims that ERA(Explosive reactive armour) was invented by Israelis. In fact, it was invented by Manfred Held. I think that Manfred Held is a German. Beyond doubt, Manfred Held isn't an Israeli.
3- There's good text about anti-tank rifles, until World War II, but modern anti-tank rifles don't have any place in this book. There's nothing about Barrett anti-rifles. Not a single word about the Barrett M82 anti-tank rifle, in use since 1980 decade, even by American Army.

4 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, March 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Tank Killing: Anti-tank Warfare By Men And Machines (Hardcover)

Highly readable and full of interesting information