American Wheeled Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Numerous wheeled armoured fighting vehicles have seen service in the US armed forces on and off for over 80 years. There have been various changes of policy and twice, after the Second World War and Vietnam, they went out of favour but their use is now well established. This well researched and superbly illustrated book describes all the different types and variants since the first M1 was ordered in 1931. The M8 armoured car was widely used during World War Two but it was not until Vietnam that further wheeled AFVs came into service, notably the M706 armoured car. After a lull the US Marine Corps adopted the Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV) in 1983. The US Army first used armoured Humvees in 1994 and variants remain in service (M1141 and M1116). Other types today include the Guardian (M1117) and the Army version of the LAV names the ‘Stryker’. To meet the operational requirements of Iraq and Afghanistan the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle (MRAP) was ordered in bulk from 2007.

Numerous wheeled armoured fighting vehicles have seen service in the US armed forces on and off for over 80 years.There have been various changes of policy and twice, after the Second World War and Vietnam, they went out of favour but their use is now well established.This well researched and superbly illustrated book describes all the different types and variants since the first M1 was ordered in 1931. The M8 armoured car was widely used during World War Two but it was not until Vietnam that further wheeled AFVs came into service, notably the M706 armoured car.After a lull the US Marine Corps adopted the Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV) in 1983. The US Army first used armoured Humvees in 1994 and variants remain in service (M1141 and M1116). Other types today include the Guardian (M1117) and the Army version of the LAV names the Stryker. To meet the operational requirements of Iraq and Afghanistan the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle (MRAP) was ordered in bulk from 2007.

Technical artist and military historian George Bradford has been producing detailed drawings of armored fighting vehicles for over thirty years. Based on meticulous research of actual vehicles, official photographs, factory specifications, and, in some cases, the original design plans, each drawing is rendered with great precision--and in exact scale--offering military enthusiasts and modelers an essential reference on these steel chariots of war. Filled with fine-scale drawings of America's tanks and other armored vehicles during the entire course of World War II. • M2 Halftrack • M3 Lee/Grant Tank • M3A3 Stuart Tank • M4 Sherman Tank • Staghound Armored Car • LVT Amphibious Tank • And dozens more . . .

While tanks were the most recognized armored vehicles during the Cold War, NATO and Warsaw Pact (WP) armies fielded a wide array of armored fighting vehicles (AFVs). These included armored cars, armored personnel carriers (APCs), anti-aircraft vehicles and self propelled artillery. Over the Cold War years nations both progressively developed series of AFVs and introduced entirely new ranges. APCs, vital to all frontline units, evolved from machine gun-armed battlefield taxis such as the US M113 and Soviet BTR-60 series into sophisticated infantry fighting vehicles. The Soviet BMP-1, US Bradley M2/M3, West German Marder and British Warrior and CVR series were classic examples of the latter, with numerous variants. The Soviet BRDM-2 series was the most numerous armored car. The British Army fielded the Saladin, Ferret and Fox and the German Army introduced the eight-wheeled Luchs and tracked SPZ11-2 Kurz. Early anti-aircraft vehicles, such as the American M42 with two 40mm Bofors, were superseded by the formidable Soviet ZSU-23-4 Shilka and the West German Geopard with radar-guided guns. This authoritative and superbly illustrated book covers the full range of AFVs in service with NATO and WP armies over the four decades of the Cold War. It will be an invaluable addition to the libraries of the expert and layman alike.

This book gathers together for the first time all the wheeled armored vehicles in the world with their various modifications, modernization along with the technical specifications for each model. There are more than 300 photos; the book is bilingual, methodical, giving the history of each vehicle and its dimensions in a practical and visual manner. This manual enables you to identify accurately any 8 x 8 combat armored vehicle from a picture even if it's an incomplete one. A series of four tests will enable the reader to find his level and to improve his knowledge of the subject. With all these qualities, this manual is an indispensable tool for the armed forces and all armored vehicle and military history buffs.