Military Vehicles Magazine • OCTOBER 2019 15
TheArmourofRommel’s Afrika Korps
(Images of War), by Ian Baxter. (ISBN:
978-1526722393, Pen & Sword Books
Ltd, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South
Yorkshire, S70 2AS; http://www.pen-and-
sword.co.uk. Soft cover, 128 pages, il-
lustrated throughout, 2019, $22.95).
The Deutsche Afrikakorps (best
known as the “Africa Corps”) built up
a well-deserved reputation as a superb
fi ghting machine. While this was founded on the leadership and
tactical genius of its legendary commander Erwin Rommel and
the fi ghting skills of its offi cers and men, another vital element
was its equipment in general and armor in particular.
This illustrated Images of War book reveals the full range of
German armored vehicles that saw service in North Africa over
the two year period 1941 to mid-1943. As well as the formi-
dable Panzers , such as the Tiger and Panther tanks, there were
Sturmartillerie equipment, reconnaissance vehicles, half-tracks,
armored cars, and motorcycles. All had their roles to play.
While the Allies triumphed in North Africa ultimately, the
combination of German design and engineering with superb gen-
eralship and fi ghting spirit, very nearly changed the course of the
Second World War in 1942. Military historians and equipment
enthusiasts will fi nd this a fascinating and authoritative book.
M29 Weasel Tracked Cargo Carrier
& Variants (Images of War), by Da-
vid Doyle (ISBN 978-1526743565,
Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 47 Church
Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire,
S70 2AS; http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
or direct from the author at http://www.Da-
vidDoyleBooks.com. Soft cover, 146
pages, illustrated throughout, 2019,
$22.95).
Conceived as part of a Top Secret
project to disrupt Nazi Germany’s atomic bomb program, the
hastily developed Studebaker Weasel went on to one of, if not
THE most successful of the wartime all-terrain vehicles. De-
signed with light weight to facilitate both air-dropping and ef-
fi cient, high-speed operation in the snow, the vehicles were soon
found to perform excellently in the mud.
Always amphibious, the later models were equipped with fl o-
tation tanks on each end and dual rudders in the rear for even
more effi cient operation in the water. Weasels were used on nu-
merous fronts during WWII, were once again deployed in Ko-
rea, by the French in Vietnam, and numerous outposts during the
Cold War.
These pages provide an overview of the development, and a
detailed look at the deployment and the machines themselves, of
these iconic, all-terrain vehicles. For Weasel enthusiasts, there
has always been a lack of printed references. Finally, this book
is a major step in fi lling that gap in military vehicle history. It
combines expert, well-vetted commentary and captions with
historic images and color photos of restored examples of T15/
M24s, T24/M29s, and M29Cs.
The Jeep Second World War (Land-
Craft), Lance Cole (ISBN 978-
1526746511 Pen & Sword Books
Ltd, 47 Church Street, Barnsley,
South Yorkshire, S70 2AS; http://www.
pen-and-sword.co.uk. Soft Cover,
64 pages, illustrated throughout in
color and black-and-white, 2019,
$22.95)
The Second World War Jeep was
one of the most famous and infl u-
ential military vehicles of all time,
and over 600,000 were produced. It
served with all the Allied forces during the war on every front
and it has been the inspiration behind the design of light, ver-
satile, rugged military and civilian vehicles ever since. In this,
the fi rst volume in Pen & Sword’s LandCraft series, Lance Cole
traces the design, development and manufacturing history of the
Jeep and describes its operational role within the Allied armies.
A selection of archive photographs showing the Jeep in ser-
vice in European and Pacifi c campaigns gives a graphic impres-
sion of how adaptable the Jeep was and records the variety of
equipment it could carry. The book is an excellent source for the
modeler, providing details of available kits, together with spe-
cially commissioned color profi les recording how the Jeeps used
by different units and armies appeared.
Lance Cole's introduction to the Jeep is a valuable addition to
the libraries of both Jeep enthusiasts and scale modelers.
M2/M3 American Half-Tracks of
the Second World War (LandCraft),
by Robert Jackson (ISBN 978-
1526746559, Pen & Sword Books
Ltd, 47 Church Street, Barnsley,
South Yorkshire, S70 2AS; http://www.
pen-and-sword.co.uk. Soft cover, 64
pages, illustrated throughout, 2019,
$22.95).
Among the most successful ar-
mored vehicles produced by Ameri-
can industry during WWII were
the M2 and M3 half-tracks. They
served on every battlefront and were as recognizable as other fa-
mous American wartime vehicles like the Sherman and the Jeep,
and around 40,000 were produced between 1941 and 1945. They
were easy to assemble, operate and maintain, and their versatility
allowed them to fulfi ll a variety of purposes. This volume in Pen
& Sword’s LandCraft series traces the design, development and
manufacturing history of the M2/M3 and describes its opera-
tional role within the Allied armies.
A selection of archive photographs showing the M2/M3 in ac-
tion gives a graphic impression of how adaptable these vehicles
were and records the range of equipment they could carry. The
book is an excellent source for the modeler, providing details of
available kits, together with specially commissioned color pro-
fi les demonstrating how the M2/M3 used by different units and
armies appeared. ✪
Book reviews