Military in Scale 04 2005

The T34, in all its guises, was probably the most innovative tank of WW II. With its sloped armour, wide tracks, practicality and simplicity in operation and production techniques. Along with the ease with which the chassis was able to be utilised for a variety of other tasks and its not inconsiderable speed, it is little wonder that the Germans were taken very much by surprise by its appearance on the battlefield in the early stages of the war in the East. The initial versions, with the 76 mm gun, went through a variety of different turret types and external fittings differences, due to production taking place at several locations and the obvious improvements that battle-experience or raw material availability dictated. This continuous development and improvement, coupled with the introduction of heavier tanks by the Germans, led to the larger, three man turret -freeing up the commander from gun loading duties as had previously been the case in the 76 mm two man turret - being introduced when the decision was taken to increase the armament to an 85 mm weapon. The result was the streamlined, classy and businesslike T-34/85. Much has been written on all variants of this tank, my small collection of references, mentioned at the end. contain pages of facts, figures, detail differences, dates and factory names and numbers, enough to satisfy the most fanatical detail-hungry researcher. So. without further ado. what's in the box...

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Military in Scale 09 2005

Throughout the Second World War the German armaments industry produced a stream of many innovative designs in armoured fighting vehicles. These ranged from highly advanced self-propelled guns, to tanks and armoured personnel carriers. However, despite all their manufacturing skills, the German war machine could not keep pace with demand and was in danger of running out of steam as the army found itself increasingly short of armoured vehicles as the war dragged on. Things were going against them due to Allied air attacks which disrupted output and delivery to the Front as the rail network was destroyed. In addition to this there were the incredibly large losses of tanks on the Russian front in the wake of such engagements as Kursk which was fought between 5 and 13 July in 1943. At this one engagement the German army sustained the loss of almost 3,000 tanks and nearly 200 self-propelled guns. It was becoming clear tanks could not be replaced at the same rate at which they were being lost, which, in turn, meant that a reserve force could not be built.

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Military in Scale 12 2004

During WWII the Russians were very quick to notice the advantages of the German StuG series of assault guns. From a production point of view they were cheaper and simpler to build, and in the field they could be armed with larger calibre weapons than the gun tanks whose chassis they used. The major disadvantage was the limited traverse and elevation of the main armament and the need to manoeuvre the whole vehicle to counter any threat from the sides or rear. As the war progressed the Germans were forced to use StuGs in place of tanks for a variety of tasks; by contrast, with numerical supremacy of machines and men. the Russians had the luxury of using assault guns in their intended support role behind the tank led spearhead, accompanied by lank riding infantry offering protection to the flanks and rear. Based on the highly successful T34 chassis, the SU 100. armed with the 100 mm D10s. was developed to replace the SU85. which mounted the 85 mm D5-S-85. when this became the regular armament on the T34/85. A larger calibre gun was also necessary to counter the heavily armoured German Tiger when used in the antitank role.

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Military in Scale 01 2005

This work contains a detailed look at the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet by Carrier Air Wings operating in the period leading up and during the 2003 Iraq War. This is the is first of three books on the Hornet, covering US Navy, US Marine and RAAF Stingers' in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Author Tony Holmes has sensibly broken down the subject area in order to cover as much territory as possible. With around 250 Hornets being deployed, the book sets the scene with a quick review of Operation Southern Watch and the road to war, and reviews tactics and weapons to be employed. Chapter 2 is titled 'Shock and Awe' and covers strike missions conducted by Hornets in the first days of OIF and the author has been able to draw on many first hand accounts of the F/A-18Fs work during the conflict. The bread and butter Hornet operations in OIF was providing close air support (CAS) to the advancing Marines and US Army V Corps units and in Chapter 3. 'Shaping the Battlefield' the book deals with how tasking came from the troops in the field, via ground or airborne Forward Air Controllers to the waiting tactical jets. Once more first hand accounts are provided by aircrew, with explanations of Kill Boxes and FAC processes are provided to put a pilots story into context. This chapter also extensively deals with the second major 'friendly fire' incident of the air war, when Lt. Nathan White was shot down and killed by a Patriot SAM near Karbala.

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