Military Illustrated Modeller – August 2019

 Military Illustrated Modeller - August 2019

BOOK REVIEWS

M3A1 SCOUT CAR,

LEGENDS OF WARFARE SERIES

SHERMAN TANK, VOL.1,

LEGENDS OF WARFARE SERIES

DAVID DOYLE, SCHIFFER MILITARY

ISBN: 978-0-7643-5661-2

http://www.schifferbooks.com

DAVID DOYLE, SCHIFFER MILITARY

ISBN: 978-0-7643-5667-7

http://www.schifferbooks.com

The White Scout Car, officially the M3A1, was developed from a series of lightly

armoured cars which the US army developed in the late 1930s for a variety of

reconnaissance and liaison duties. The M3A1 was the final development of this

idea, produced from 1939 until 1944. As it turned out, the White Scout Car did

not really satisfy the role in US Army doctrine, where jeeps and light tanks were

preferred. Instead, over half of the 21,000 White cars were sent for Lend-Lease

and used mainly by the British Commonwealth, Free French and Soviet armies.

This book of over 100 pages is a goldmine of information about the scout cars,

with a huge number of superb photos, supported by explanatory text and informative captions.

The first dozen pages look at the development of the vehicle, followed by chapters on details of the M3A1, the

diesel version, variants built on the car and then its use in service. The majority of photos of the cars in the field are taken during

training manoeuvres in the States, and barely a handful at the end show the cars ‘in action’. The quality of the photos is what makes

this book stand out, and for anyone wanting to include details on their model, this is certainly the book to use. CLS

This first volume on the iconic Sherman tank is devoted to the M4A1, or in other

words, the versions with a cast hull. The other versions of the M4 will be covered

in future volumes. The book covers the first Direct-Vision versions, and the

early versions where the driver and co-driver had small access hatches. The

coverage then moves on to the types with a redesigned, steeper glacis and

larger hatches. Finally, the book moves on to the types with the later HVSS

suspension. Overlaid with this, we have the transition from the 75mm to

the 76mm gun, and the completely different turret that came with this. The

final section of the book has a selection of photos of these tanks in combat,

showing their appearance when in use. Although the British Army used the M4A1

extensively, all of the ‘in action’ photos show the vehicles in US service.

What makes this book really stand out is the strict use of very high quality sharp photos, whether of museum specimens or

of official wartime US Army pictures. Even the combat photos are carefully chosen to illustrate the Sherman’s appearance.

Every photo is clear and extremely useful for modellers and researchers, helped along with superb captions which point out

important details. For detailing a model, inside and out, this is an excellent resource. CLS