T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks 1944-2004 (New Vanguard) (Paperback)

~ Steven Zaloga (Author), Hugh Johnson (Illustrator) "The T-54/T-55 family of tanks are the most important tanks of the post-World War Two period if only because of the sheer number manufactured..." (more)
Key Phrases: Warsaw Pact, Soviet Union, Nizhni Tagil (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The T-54 and T-55 tanks are the most widely manufactured tanks of all time. They have become ubiquitous to wars around the globe since the 1950s, starting with Hungary in 1956, and including the the Arab-Israeli wars of 1967, 1973 and 1982, the Vietnam war of 1967-75, the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-88, the Afghanistan conflict, Operation Desert Storm, the Yugoslav Civil Wars, and the recent conflict in Iraq. This book will examine the roots of this prolific tank family, starting with the Soviet Army’s first attempts to replace the legendary T-34 during World War II, and covering the T-43 and the T-44, the more successful T-54, and its ultimate evolution into the T-55.

From the Publisher

The unrivalled illustrated reference on fighting vehicles, transport and artillery through the ages. Each volume is illustrated throughout, making these books uniquely accessible to history enthusiasts of all ages.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (July 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841767921
• ISBN-13: 978-1841767925
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #645,791 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and informative book on an important Soviet AFV, December 2, 2004

By	moviemusicbuff (Walnut, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Steven Zaloga is one of my favorite authors on tanks and AFVs. This volume does not disappoint. The T54/55 tank is one of the most numerous and successful Soviet tanks ever developed. Over 40,000 of these tanks are used all over the world. Zaloga does a great job of describing the development of the T54 and T55 tanks and the variant models. He also includes various sections which explain the upgrade versions of the T55, the Chinese copies of the T54 (called the T-59 and T-69), and the combat performance of the T54/55. What I always appreciate about Zaloga is that he inserts helpful information such as the armor penetration of the 100mm D-10T guns (e.g. compare the HVAP round which penetrates 200mm with the latest UBM6 APSDS round which can penetrate up to 290 mm at 2km against a vertical target)and the armor upgrades of the T55. As always in this series, the colored plates and illustrations are excellent. Zaloga packs in so much information in 47 pages! Highly recommended!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A decent general overview of the most important variants of T-54/T-55 series, January 6, 2009

By	Jacek Lubecki - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The book is a very succinct overview of the most important variants of the T-54/55 tank series. The best part of the book are details regarding Russian and Chinese development of the different versions of the tank. However, the work is by no means an exhaustive treatment of the topic - the book is simply way too short to cover the full spectrum of variants, visual images and technical details regarding the most widely used tank of post-World War II era. If you want a short introduction and basic facts, this is a work for you, but for information and images of a particular version of the tank one might have to look for other sources.