September 2019 - Model Military International 57OSPREY NEW VANGUARD 270
SU-76 ASSAULT GUN
BY STEVE ZALOGA
ISBN 978 1 4278 3198 6
“Suka” (Bitch) was the name given to the SU-76 by
Soviet tankistas, yet it became the main assault gun of
the Soviet Army in WWII.
The early SU-76 Light SPG (then known as SU-12) was
hurried into service in the wake of Barbarossa and the
Soviet maelstrom of vast land and equipment losses,
overwhelmed factories, shortages, and industrial
relocation to the East. A troublesome twin engine and
transmission layout led to programme cancellation, and
replacement by an improved SU-76M.
Despite flaws and uncertain manufacture quality,
low cost and straightforward construction led to the
formation of substantial numbers of SU-76M equipped
units. Similarly based on the now obsolete T-70 chassis
was the ZSU-37 SPAA vehicle. By fitting the 76mm gun
captured Panzer IIIs and StuG IIIs were turned against
former owners as the SU-76i.
The SU-76 served on all Soviet Fronts and in Manchuria
after VE Day. Poland used the SU-76 the last months of
WW2, and later also by Warsaw Pact countries.
The Korean War was the last major conflict deployment
of the SU-76 by the Koreans. In the end, the history of
the SU-76 was not as inglorious as its unkind nickname
suggested and perhaps a more appropriate alternative
translation is “Little SU”.
Good quality English language accounts of Soviet AFVs
remain relatively uncommon so recommended.
Recommended.
Thanks to Osprey Publishing for the sample
http://www.ospreypublishing.com
John Ham
OSPREY CAMPAIGN 335
MORTAIN 1944, HITLER’S
NORMANDY PANZER OFFENSIVE
BY STEVE ZALOGA
ISBN 978 1 4278 3252 8
SS Panther tanks burst from the gloom of a foggy
August dawn. These are the opening hours of
Operation Luttich, its objective to stall the American
breakout from the confines of the Cotentin Peninsular.
Starting hesitantly with personality clashes amongst
German commanders, understrength forces, delays,
compromised Enigma messages and forewarned Allied
Armies did nothing to assist.
Panzer battlegroups constrained by the Bocage
hedgerows, persistent US resistance, and rocket-firing
RAF Typhoons only made limited progress around the
French town of Mortain. Hill 314 and Hill 285, the
focus of repeated attacks, remained a thorn in the side
of the panzers as US infantry stubbornly held out.
Confusingly, even in this meticulously researched
account, gremlins have inexplicably reversed the
labelling of these hills on the topographical diagram on
page 32. Transposing the numbers as on the page 74
diagram then makes sense of events in the text.
Attrition battles wore down the German attacks, and
without significant reinforcements, strengthening US
forces and the growing risk of encirclement by Allied
advances around Falaise, the depleted Luttich forces
withdrew.
Typo apart, the 75th anniversary of the Normandy tank
battles should make this account of great interest.
Recommended.
Thanks to Osprey Publishing for the sample
http://www.ospreypublishing.com
John Ham
CANFORA PUBLISHING
SOVIET ARMY PARADES
1946-1991
BY JAMES KINNEAR.
ISBN 978 91984775 2 8.
336PP. £39.99
1 May, 1960. On the Lenin Mausoleum review
stand above Red Square, a moment of drama.
Something was wrong: the normally well-
rehearsed Parade was delayed.
An American U2 spyplane flown by Gary
Powers had just been shot down over Siberia.
Such crises, proxy wars and, importantly, the
East-West politics of the Cold War years were
reflected on Red Square.
Each Parade is described in detail in “live” as-it-
happens style reaching their peak in the mid-
1960s with the massive missile displays which
included the Cuban Crisis rockets and new
weapons, tanks and trucks.
Following the US-Soviet Arms Limitation
agreements, Parades adopted a defensive
tone without ICBMs but featuring shorter
range missiles and self-propelled artillery. But
the heart of the book is the photos, several
hundred good quality images, painstakingly
collected from many sources, including a (very)
few contrasting grainy contemporary shots
from foreign military attaches.
And the book finale an extra gem - to help
distinguish your Scuds from your FROGS, and
Scamps from Scrooges, 30 pages of thumbnail
ID images with short descriptions arranged in
chronological Parade appearance.
The appendix is a glossary of Soviet-NATO
abbreviations and weapons designations plus
data tables of ordnance Parade appearances.
If an award for AFV book of the year existed
then Soviet Army Parades is a very strong
contender. In 1991 the Soviet Union broke up
and the Parades ceased – for the time being....
Recommended.
Thanks to Canfora for the review sample
http://www.canfora.se
John Hamafter VE Day. Poland used the SU-76 the last months of
WW2, and later also by Warsaw Pact countries.
The Korean War was the last major conflict deployment
of the SU-76 by the Koreans. In the end, the history of
the SU-76 was not as inglorious as its unkind nickname
suggested and perhaps a more appropriate alternative
translation is “Little SU”.
Good quality English language accounts of Soviet AFVs
remain relatively uncommon so recommended.
Thanks to Osprey Publishing for the sample
John Ham
Attrition battles wore down the German attacks, and
John Ham