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Armored Thunderbolt: The U.S. Army Sherman in World War II Hardcover – October 10, 2008

by Steven Zaloga (Author)

86 customer reviews

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Hundreds of photos, including many never published before with riveting accounts of armored warfare in World War II

Compares the Sherman to other tanks, including the Panther and Tiger

Author is a world-renowned expert on the Sherman tank and American armor

Some tank crews referred to the American M4 Sherman tank as a "death trap." Others, like Gen. George Patton, believed that the Sherman helped win World War II. So which was it: death trap or war winner? Armor expert Steven Zaloga answers that question by recounting the Sherman's combat history. Focusing on Northwest Europe (but also including a chapter on the Pacific), Zaloga follows the Sherman into action on D-Day, among the Normandy hedgerows, during Patton?s race across France, in the great tank battle at Arracourt in September 1944, at the Battle of the Bulge, across the Rhine, and in the Ruhr pocket in 1945.

Armored Thunderbolt: The U.S. Army Sherman in World War II

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Editorial Reviews

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"Zaloga is THE expert on the development of the Sherman tank. . . . This should be your first choice for a concise and accurate history of this most influential of war machines." (Military Modelcraft International 2010-04-01)

"You don't have to be a history enthusiast or have a specialty in armored fighting vehicles to enjoy this book!" (Mark Terjeson World War II History 2011-05-06)

From the Publisher

400 b/w photos

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Product details

Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Stackpole Books; Spi edition (October 10, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0811704246
ISBN-13: 978-0811704243
Product Dimensions: 8 x 1 x 10 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 86 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #577,774 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #762 in Books > History > Military > Weapons & Warfare > Conventional
- #5335 in Books > History > Military > World War II
- #6318 in Books > History > Military > United States

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Informative conception and development history of the US Tank in WWII

ByCanjaon January 5, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I enjoy reading WWII books. When I was young I only read about the US armed forces ‘cause heck, we won the war! When I got older and had gotten past my Vietnam phase (“ChickenHawk”, Philip Caputo, etc.) I began to revisit WWII and delved into the Pacific (especially Naval Action) and the Battle of Britain and the Air-War in general. Got older still and found my way back to boots-on-the-ground, this time for some reason the Eastern Front, and heavily from the Germans perspective. I’ve had a hard time moving past the stories and equipment/Armor they used and though I appreciate the Russian will to fight back, books like Guy Sajers “The Forgotten Soldier” and every StackPole book regarding German perspective (“Tigers in the Mud”, etc.) has kept me locked in a search and read cycle of the Axis for a while now.

And as is the way of things, I suddenly found I’m back full circle, reading about the US involvement and lately, about the US armored forces. In that sense, this is an excellent book that skips over tactics and perspective and dives right into development and deployment. It’s a great beginner’s guide to the philosophy and use of American Tanks in WWII. The book confirms that it is true, US tanks lagged behind their German counterparts even to the end. What I enjoy about Zaloga’s book is the matter-of-fact yet elaborated statistical data, which he pulled from several sources after years of research, to lay out the back-n-forth that the US Army could only learn by the experience of participation. America was so busy supplying everyone else with Armor that when we got there in mid ’44 it was a surprise to find that the Germans were by then deploying tank concepts resulting from their previous 4 years of tank combat experience, i.e. the Tiger, the Panther, the Jadg versions of each, etc.

Some of the highlights of the book include the plethora of photos of US tanks (mostly M4 and variants) and the difference of what the troopers encountered vs. what the Brass back in the US decided to pursue as far as development is concerned. I especially enjoyed learning how the US Army ordnance were exceptionally clever and resourceful at devising in-field improvements to the M4 tanks, many of which blossomed into basic additions of modern day tank design (kind of reminds you of the “GI Combat” comic books and how they were always upgrading the ‘Haunted Tank’ with salvaged parts!).

The book stays altogether light reading in that sense, not getting into much detail of specific encounters, only touching on them as an example for the next step of armor development of the (mostly) Sherman M4s. Anyone have recommendations for good US tanker perspective based books? I’d greatly appreciate any suggestions! Cheers!

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A weapon on the context of war.

ByRichard Schafferon June 22, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Most weapons books are just a lot of gee whiz factoids and personal opinion. This one is different. It is history of how the Sherman tank was designed and developed, combined with an analysis as to how it participated in the defeat of the axis as part of the allied war effort. The lack of pre war development of tanks by the U.S., the need to produce tanks big numbers, the fact that U.S. Armor had to be shipped across the ocean, and the strategic decision that airplane would be the decisive arm and get the lions share of the resources, are all considered. If you want gamers' stuff about Tiger v M4 at 1000 yards forget it, if you want to learn why the Pershing was so late and why Patton was sceptical about the 76mm gun this is the one.

0Comment 5 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Definitive Work on the Sherman Tank and related vehicles

ByKindle Customeron February 1, 2014

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Steven Zaloga, a well known expert on WWII era tanks and tank warfare, gives what I consider to be the definitive history of the M3/M4 series armored vehicle. The author starts with the abortive efforts to develop the M2 medium tank and the work on the M2/3/4 light tank which would eventually be named the Stuart by the British.

Coverage is exhaustive on the various engine types and the often illogical steps in development of effective anti-armor gun power for the series. The energy diversions caused by the Tank Distroyer concept and the dead-end of a towed TD gun are well covered as well as the effects on the 1944 battlefield in France. The need for strong intelligence and directed development is examplified by the 76mm tank and TD gun and the lack of effective ammunition for it, as well as the poorly directed development of the wartime 90mm.

The pictures are extremely good and give a visual record of the poor M2 then the subsequent development of the M3 and M4. The change in the Sherman from the M4 to the M4A3E8 is dramatically shown. The author also covers the M23 Pershing as well as the various self-propelled TD's.

Overall this is a packed book that touches upon almost any aspect of the American armor of WWII. Many of the photos I have not seen in his previous works and the technical section in the appendix will be valuable to many.

This is a hard copy version that I have purchased and review. While I love the Kindle even if a Kindle version became available I would recommend the hard copy. This should be considered not only a good read but an invaluable reference work and as such the ease of finding certain areas as well as the superior size and quality of the photos dictate the printed version.

0Comment 3 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

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Most recent customer reviews

I love this book.

Sherman is Boss Hog.
Super Premium Number One!!

;)

Published 1 month ago by General Jack Ripper

Reverses 50 years of fake information.

A actual documented and well researched book on the M4 Sherman. Not full of hyperbole and sensationalism this book tells the story of the Sherman and how it faired in combat.Read more

Published 1 month ago by James H

A must for US WWII Armour fans

All Zaloga's tank books are of top quality

Published 2 months ago by J. Fitzgibbon

SHERMANS !!!

Very well thought out book. The Sherman may not have been the best tank of WW II, but it certainly was the most valuable.Read more

Published 3 months ago by Mark Wiggin

Five Stars

Awesome book great for modelers

Published 5 months ago by Pete

Excellent book for ww2 history buffs who are interested in tank warfare

Excellent book if you want to understand the development, operation, and performance of the Sherman tank.Read more

Published 6 months ago by Amazon Customer

Five Stars

excellent

Published 9 months ago by Amazon Customer

Constructive criticism

Other reviewers have covered the concept that Zaloga tends to put a lot of thought and effort into his books. He provides pictures, tables, analysis galore.Read more

Published 9 months ago by Joe Neal

Buy the hard copy, not the Kindle edition

Great history of the Sherman! Very readable and easy to follow. I bought the Kindle edition first and with my Kindle I could not blow up the photos enough to read them, so I...Read more

Published 10 months ago by Ronald N Stout

Well written, riveting; Mr. Zaloga tells the ...

Well written, riveting; Mr. Zaloga tells the story of the Sherman as a machine, as a weapon, and puts it all in context.

Published 10 months ago by Amazon Customer

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