Reference, Osprey New Vanguard 159, Staghound Armored Car 1942-62

OSPREY PUBLICATIONS

New Vanguard 159, Staghound Armored Car 1942-62. By Steve Zaloga with illustrations by Peter Bull. Soft cover, 7.25 x 9.75-inches, 48 pages. Contains 36 B&W and two color photos, seven pages of color art, three line drawings, six tables, bibliography and index. ISBN 978-1-84603-392-6.

The Staghound had long been on modelers short-list of most desired Allied WW2 AFVs. So, when Bronco and then Italeri released styrene kits of this American-built armored car, the Universe was shifted to a more balanced state. At least as far as modelers were concerned. Then, the hunt was on for reference material, with Hunnicutts Armored Car: A History of American Wheeled Combat Vehicles being available prior to the kits release. Other small monographs have since appeared, with this title from Osprey being one of the most recent.

Written by acknowledged master modeler and historian, Steve Zaloga, this latest in the New Vanguard series is aimed squarely at modelers and students of AFV history and technology. The text follows the series format in that it devotes space to the development and the production variants of the T17E1, with a fair bit of information on combat operations in a wide variety of locations and time frames. Attention is paid to the various user requirements that eventually emerged in the form of the Staghound, with an emphases on the technical attributes of the various proposed vehicles, as well as the influence played by the British in its development. The variety of official and un-official up-grades are described, as are the various armament systems that were eventually mounted on the chassis. Operations by the Allies during World War Two, with the emphases on the Canadians adds a touch of intimacy to the story, while post-war operations are also briefly covered. One of the most interesting aspects is the coverage given to some of the field modifications. We now learn that the ammunition boxes often seen on the front fenders were used to store snow chains for the tires. The peculiar framework with screens, also sometimes seen on the rear of the Staghound, are in fact vestiges of the deep-wading kit.

The photographic content is very good; although there are several new-to-this-reviewer images, most are familiar. Reproduction is fine and the captions are, as one would expect, quite informative. A few color images depict museum vehicles and a Staghound-related relic seen at a Dutch airfield.

The color plates occupy seven pages and include a two-page spread cutaway. The other pages provide color and markings information for the following users: New Zealand, Poland (2), Canada (2), Belgium, Italy, Australia, Cuba and Lebenon. The art, by Peter Bull, is competently-presented, while the markings and commentaries are well-researched. Modelers should certainly appreciate these, since they cover the variants currently available in 1/35th-scale kits.

The New Vanguard series continues to provide the modeler with relatively inexpensive monographs on specific families of AFVs. Thus, this latest book is as fine an addition to the series as one could ask for.

Highly recommended.

Frank V. De Sisto

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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