Reference, Osprey New Vanguard 153, M551 Sheridan: US Airmobile Tanks 1941-2001

OSPREY PUBLISHING


New Vanguard 153, M551 Sheridan: US Airmobile Tanks 1941-2001. By Steve Zaloga with illustrations by Tony Bryan. Soft covers, 7.25 x 9.75-inches, 48 pages. Contains 33 B&W and seven color photos, eight pages of color artwork, glossary, index and bibliography. ISBN 978-1-84603-393-9.


The indefatigable Mr. Zaloga has struck again with this latest title from Osprey, devoted to the story of the development of US airborne tanks. Although ostensibly devoted to the pinnacle of the development of the series, the M551 Sheridan AV/AAV, the story actually begins in 1941, with the initial conception of such a tank.

So, the text begins by describing the conflicting technical requirements for an airborne tank and the lack of an adequate means for delivering an effective AFV to the battlefield by air. This all resulted in the fielding of the M22 Locust, which actually saw limited combat during the Operation Varsity landings in support of the crossing of the Rhine in early 1945. The author then describes the advent of the US Armys 90mm-armed M56 Scorpion SPAT (self-propelled anti-tank) gun as well as its limited deployment to Vietnam. By far the lions share of coverage is devoted to the M551, to include the details of its troubled hybrid gun/launcher and the M81 Shillelagh guided missile. The M551s service in Vietnam, Panama, Desert Storm and as a surrogate OPFOR vehicle is also touched upon, while the failed follow-on AFV projects are also covered, if briefly. In essence, the text is a complete, concise history of the development and use of airborne tanks by the US (and to a lesser degree, the UK).

As usual, the book abounds in illustrations, regardless of its small size. B&W images cover all of the described vehicles from the M22 through to the M8 AGS, with color images of many of the more recent types included. Several photos, from the author himself, have been included to describe the interior of the M551, with the emphases on the turret, the main weapon, and its fire control system. All photographs are well-chosen and informatively-captioned, while reproduction is also quite good. On the other hand, many (but certainly not all) of the photos have been seen before in various places.

The eight pages of illustrations by Mr. Bryan are spread out over the book and are not grouped into a center section. In addition, the commentary for these illustrations are on facing pages, making it easier for the reader to be informed. This is in contrast to the older format (changed more than one year ago) which had the comments at the back of the book. The illustrations themselves emphasize colors and markings of operational vehicles. They cover a pair of M22s (one used by the British in Operation Varsity) and six more M551s seen in various peace-time exercises and in combat zones. The center-spread cut-away plate depicts an M551A1 (TTS) of the 82nd Airborne Division as used in Operation Desert Storm in February of 1991. They are all extremely useful as references for modelers who wish to properly paint and mark their replicas; its too bad that there are really no decent kits available of these unusual vehicles!

Those interested in this particular subject will find this book to be an excellent primer, particularly if they do not possess a copy of the larger Hunnicutt book. Modelers will also find much of use in preparing to paint and mark their Academy or Tamiya kits.


Highly recommended.


Osprey books are available from mail order and retail outlets. They can also be acquired direct through their web site at: www.ospreypublishing.com


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