Tanks-100 years of Armoured warfare
- 43rdRecceReg
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Tanks-100 years of Armoured warfare
Richard (Silver surfer) recently mentioned the Tank Book published by the Tank Museum; and it's a worthy and weighty tome indeed I didn't see a mention of the other large coffee table crusher they have out at the same time; 'Tanks: 100 years of Armoured Warfare' (below)
it's a scale blue print of a MK IV tank (1.5 inches to the foot..giving a ratio around 1:8). It struck me that it would be perfect as a template for a scratch build. It's highly detailed, even down to rivet and bolt sizes used.
Maybe this book has cropped up here before in threads, if so, I didn't catch any references to it after a cursory scan. Seemed worth a mention, anyway. It might make a good Christmas present, if you can persuade someone to buy it.
It's on Amazon, or you can probably order from the Museum itself, I guess.
I was given it as a belated birthday present, and that took the sting out of the price somewhat.
What this book lacks in text, it makes up for in illustrations. But what really persuaded me it was worth the hefty price tag of £26, is that it is stuffed with pull out posters, photos and drawings. One in particular caught my eye:it's a scale blue print of a MK IV tank (1.5 inches to the foot..giving a ratio around 1:8). It struck me that it would be perfect as a template for a scratch build. It's highly detailed, even down to rivet and bolt sizes used.
Maybe this book has cropped up here before in threads, if so, I didn't catch any references to it after a cursory scan. Seemed worth a mention, anyway. It might make a good Christmas present, if you can persuade someone to buy it.
It's on Amazon, or you can probably order from the Museum itself, I guess.
I was given it as a belated birthday present, and that took the sting out of the price somewhat.
"Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please"- Mark Twain.
- 43rdRecceReg
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Re: Tanks-100 years of Armoured warfare
Here's the MK IV tank blue print, just to give a hint at what other wee treasures lie in wait. (and no..I'm not in the pay of the Tank Museum)
"Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please"- Mark Twain.
- 43rdRecceReg
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Re: Tanks-100 years of Armoured warfare
..and here's a fascination little slide out chart (works a bit like a wee cardboard slide rule...)
It show the respective penetration capabilities of the Sherman 76mm gun and the 17pounder. Here the chart is set at 1600 years, and several shorter ranges are given, with anticipated damage caused.
Here's the 76mm at 1600yds (APCBC/M62 rounds) It's quite apparent how much more of a bang you got with your bucks using the 17Pdr....
It show the respective penetration capabilities of the Sherman 76mm gun and the 17pounder. Here the chart is set at 1600 years, and several shorter ranges are given, with anticipated damage caused.
Here's the 76mm at 1600yds (APCBC/M62 rounds) It's quite apparent how much more of a bang you got with your bucks using the 17Pdr....
"Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please"- Mark Twain.
- c.rainford73
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Re: Tanks-100 years of Armoured warfare
Roy thank you for sharing this so very cool to see how lethal that 17pdr really was.
Tanks alot....
- jarndice
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Re: Tanks-100 years of Armoured warfare
It does make it even harder to understand why the American Army were not interested in a relatively easy conversion of an M4 into the "Firefly" and instead waited for their own tank destroyer to be produced..
Shaun.
Shaun.
I think I am about to upset someone
- 43rdRecceReg
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Re: Tanks-100 years of Armoured warfare
My thoughts as well, Shaun. Then when the 76mm finally did come along Eisenhower was bitterly disappointed with the results. Ah well, the past is there to be learned from. That said, these days the PC Brigade (not part of any army I know), are busily attempting to rewrite it to support their new liberalism. C'est la Vie. C'est la Guerrejarndice wrote:It does make it even harder to understand why the American Army were not interested in a relatively easy conversion of an M4 and instead waited for their own tank destroyer to be produced..
Shaun.
Anyway, the book is full of little treasures like this....I may discover a few more.
"Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please"- Mark Twain.
Re: Tanks-100 years of Armoured warfare
The 76mm was really only any good with an HVAP round. Same as the firefly exceeded expectations with an APCR.
Didn't the Germans use a special AP round sometimes too?
Didn't the Germans use a special AP round sometimes too?
- silversurfer1947
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Re: Tanks-100 years of Armoured warfare
The Germans armour piercing round had a tungsten core, but was used sparingly as there was a shortage of tungsten.
Richard
Tamiya Tiger 1, Taigen FlakPanzer IV,Torro M16 half-track, Tamiya Panther,WSN/Torro T34,Taigen M41 Bulldog,H/l/Taigen Sherman M4A3,H/L T90, Haya M3 Grant, Metal Origins 234/2 Puma, Nashorn by Alwyn. I was only going to have one tank - honest!
Tamiya Tiger 1, Taigen FlakPanzer IV,Torro M16 half-track, Tamiya Panther,WSN/Torro T34,Taigen M41 Bulldog,H/l/Taigen Sherman M4A3,H/L T90, Haya M3 Grant, Metal Origins 234/2 Puma, Nashorn by Alwyn. I was only going to have one tank - honest!
Re: Tanks-100 years of Armoured warfare
Given the western allied tank armour the AP rounds may have been overkill anyway!
Are there any decent images of the funnies? Not doubting the quality of the book but I'm finding several specific books to be more useful than the general books.
Are there any decent images of the funnies? Not doubting the quality of the book but I'm finding several specific books to be more useful than the general books.
- 43rdRecceReg
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Re: Tanks-100 years of Armoured warfare
If your interest is in a specific tank or theatre of operations, then a dedicated history is more likely to be satisfying, I'd say. I have, for example, individual tank appraisals in the Vanguard series on the Firefly, the Cromwell, and others.RobW wrote:Given the western allied tank armour the AP rounds may have been overkill anyway!
Are there any decent images of the funnies? Not doubting the quality of the book but I'm finding several specific books to be more useful than the general books.
This book fulfils another need: it's an overall account of the (often unique) contents of the Tank Museum archives. But includes reproductions of wartime pamphlets that have a clear novelty value for the military enthusiast, or the WW2
history buff. Examples include: 'Armored (sic) vehicle recognition'; the 'Tigerfibel' (that cropped up in a thread here.. ); the 'Panzerfaust Pamphlet'; the 'Ammunition booklet'., and so on. They're all quality reproductions.
If by 'funnies' you don't mean 'the screaming abdabs', or WW2 seaside postcards with leery red-nosed gentlemen;.... then.. the book does cover tanks like the Type 97 Chi-Ha, The Whippet, and the 'Big Wheel Tsar Tank'., etc. Though not, it has to be said, in any great detail. It's just a very attractive coffee table book with novelty features, and things you could frame or put on the wall, such as the Renault FT diagrams, or the Mk IV blueprint..etc.
As the title suggests, it spans 100 years, and for this reason it feels selective.
"Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please"- Mark Twain.