On Armor (Military Profession) (Paperback)

by Bruce I. Gudmundsson (Author) "The honor of having invented the armored fighting vehicle is claimed for many nations..." (more)
Key Phrases: World War, Soviet Union, Canadian Independent Force (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
“On Armor is a fresh look at the rise of mobile forces in all their diversity: not just tanks, but armored cars, assault guns, and motorized infantry. Another excellent work by Gudmundsson.”–Rob Citino, author of Blitzkrieg to Desert Storm

“...Unlike most books on this subject, Gudmundsson's absorbing study examines not only the tank, but armored vehicles in their many varieties, to include infantry carriers, self-propelled guns, and armored cars. Getting beyond a narrow focus on technical specs, he offers keen insights on doctrine, organization, training, and battlefield employment. On Armor combines sophisticated analysis with powerful narrative scope. It captures how armies historically have sought to balance the eternal tension among firepower, mobility, and protection. Simultaneously, it takes readers on a breathtaking sweep through the mud of Flanders and the sands of the Western Desert, across the Russian steppes and the north German plain.”–Colonel Alan Cate, US Army (Retired)

Product Description
On Armor tells three important and interconnected stories. The first is a tale of a technology, in particular, the rise and fall of the main battle tank--a type of armored vehicle that came to dominate land warfare in the middle of the 20th century but is now obsolete. The second is a history of ideas. The problem that armored vehicles created for 20th-century armies was as much about concepts of operation as it was about technology. Those who got the philosophy right did well. Those who lacked either the imagination or the intellectual capital to understand the rapidly evolving potential of the armored vehicle failed miserably. The third story is one of organization. Gudmundsson pays particular attention to how armored vehicles were combined with other forces to form an extraordinarily rich variety of units and formations. He also comments on the current and future roles various types of armor will play on the battlefield.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Praeger Paperback (October 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275950204
• ISBN-13: 978-0275950200
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #765,592 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A View from a Different Place, January 28, 2005

By	John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There are a large number of books available that describe every conceivable type of armored vehicle. Comparisons can be made of the size, armament, speed, weight, etc. of the German Mark IV and the Russian T-34 or of any other.

Much less common is discussion on what the various armies did with not only their tanks, but how they interfaced with armored cars, infantry, self propelled artillery, etc. This is a book on the ideas, problems and opportunities that armor made possible for 20th century armies. The abilities of the generals to organize their armies to get the most out of the equipment was as important a story as the speed, size, etc.

From this it is a logical extension to make some predictions as to what armored forces will look like in the future battlefield.

A very enjoyable book that looks at history in a slightly different way.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Kelvin (Hong Kong), May 6, 2006

By	Kelvin Chan "Kelvin" (HONG KONG) - See all my reviews

The content of book is unbalanced. Too little on post WWII period. The three chapters on German armored organization is excellent and enable us know deeply on German panzer division and remove some traditional but incorrect view e.g. The reduction of one tank regiment in Panzer division is bad thing in traditional view but author adjust this. But during the cold war, only some about Middle East or Korean armored warfare but nothing on US armored division or Soviet tank/motor rifle divisional organization.It is disappointing.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent work on the subject of armor., December 15, 2008

By	JAG 2.0 (IN United States) - See all my reviews

Another excellent work by Bruce Gudmundsson. This is an excellent work, not on tanks and armored vehicles exclusively, but on the *doctrinal* thinking processes that produced different types of armored vehicles and their application. This work should be seen from that standpoint.

Gudmundsson covers the unique and often odd beginnings of armored warfare. For example, most early armored fighting vehicles in WWI were developed and crewed (by varying degree) by *naval* personnel! Mr. Gudmundsson explains the phenomena from a doctrinal standpoint.

He covers not simply the Germans in the interwar period, but also the French and the Soviets - in most works, these are usually ignored or overshadowed by discussion of the Germans. Yet, operationally speaking, people such as Mikhail Tukhachevsky in the USSR were probably ahead of the Germans in the use of armor and mobile units.

Mr. Gudmundsson does an excellent job of touching on armored vehicles other than tanks such as armored cars and assault guns, as well as other forms of accompanying mobile forces using half-tracks, motorcycles, trucks, etc.

Some may wonder why post WWII armor isn't covered as well as that during WWII. The answer is that nothing *doctrinally* had changed. In the Arab-Israeli wars, for example, nothing was done that hadn't been seen in WWII. If one wanted to, one could look at the 1967 conflict with Israelis as Germans and the Arab forces as the French in May 1940 and the comparison wouldn't be too far off the mark!

I would have liked for Mr. Gudmundsson to have expanded his last chapter on the future of armor. I personally think that armored vehicles must become lighter and go back to wheels in order to stay relevant in the future. This is a good work and it should be in the library of every serious student of armor of warfare in the 20th century.