Many thousands of different types of vehicles were used by the armies during the Second World War for various roles, including the fighting vehicles such as armoured cars and tanks. Today these are very popular with enthusiasts who restore these historic vehicles to their pristine state and attend specialist gatherings around the UK, Europe and the USA. This book explores original and reconstructed military vehicles from British, US, Russian, Italian and German forces using stunning colour photographs. It also provides a detailed history of each vehicle's development and use in the war, plus a wealth of technical information and rare internal shots. The range of vehicles includes trucks, ambulances, half-tracks, motorcycles, bulldozers, armoured cars and of course the impressive range of tanks, from tankettes to the fearsome German Tiger. Some vehicles are so rare that examples have been recreated using designs of the era and together with the original vehicles their fascinating wartime experiences are revealed. From the Moto Guzzi tricycle to the Schwimmwagen, the T-34 to the Austin ambulance, this is the perfect book for recreating, restoring and exploring the history of these classic military vehicles.

This volume presents a cross-section of the most common transport vehicles produced and used by the German army. Tanks plus auxiliary vehicles such as cars, motorcycles, vans, ambulances, trucks and tractors made it possible for the troops to keep moving. These lightly armored or unarmored vehicles--aka "soft skins"--operated behind the front lines, maintaining supply lines, connecting armies with their home bases, and ultimately determining the outcome of battle. Beginning with the development of military vehicles in the early 1930s, this volume discusses the ways in which this new technology influenced and, to some extent, facilitated Hitler's program of rearmament. Nomenclature, standard equipment, camouflage and the combat roles of the various vehicles are thoroughly examined. Individual vehicle types are arranged and discussed by the following classifications: cars and motorcycles; trucks and tractors; half-tracks and wheeled combat vehicles. Accompanied by well-researched, detailed line drawings, each section deals with a number of individual vehicles, describing their design, manufacture and specific use.

Pictures and describes the formidable range of tanks, self-propelled antitank guns, infantry-support guns, and heavy artillery used by Germany's panzer divisions

In World War I the American motor vehicle industry was tested by the sudden appearance of vast transport challenges. The nation's immense manufacturing capabilities and abundant natural resources combined with increased standardization and mass production to enable the industry to meet the military's needs. Motor vehicles and aircraft were quickly cemented as the most influential military tools of the early twentieth century. This book both describes the development and use of a wide range of specialized motor vehicles during World War I and analyzes how their advent indelibly altered modern warfare and transportation.

Allied Tanks of World War II offers a highly illustrated guide to the main armoured fighting vehicles used by the Western Allies and the Red Army from 1939–1945. This volume includes sample unit structures and orders of battle from company up to corps level, providing context for key campaigns throughout the war, organised chronologically.

In this book, expert author and tactician Gordon L Rottman provides the first English-language study of Japanese Army and Navy tank units, their tactics and how they were deployed in action. The Japanese army made extensive use of its tanks in the campaigns in China in the 1930s, and it was in these early successes that the Japanese began to develop their own unique style of tank tactics. From the steam-rolling success of the Japanese as they invaded Manchuria until the eventual Japanese defeat, Rottman provides a battle history of the Japanese tank units as they faced the Chinese, the Russians, the British and the Americans.

A detailed summary of all the types of Diamond T vehicles used by the US Army during World War II, packed full of period photos and diagrams. Between 1940 and 1945, Diamond T Motor Car Company supplied just over 50,000 vehicles to the US military, and also to the Allies. Of this, just over 30,000 were heavy 4-ton 6x6 trucks of varying types: cargo, tow truck, pontoon carrier, engineer, cartographic, etc. The "Diamond" would serve in all theaters of operations, wherever its robustness and reliability were necessary to complete the mission. Due to its expertise, Diamond T also produced the famous half-track, with more than 10,000 manufactured. All of these models are described in this work by Didier Andres, an expert in the subject. The text is illustrated throughout using archival and period photographs and diagrams.

Illustrated with more than 150 unique photographs, Abandoned World War II Weapons allows the history buff and general reader to explore the detritus of this great, destructive conflict in every part of the world. The scattered remains of a German bomber on Spitsbergen Island; Sherman tanks waterlogged off Omaha Beach; Japanese merchant ships sunk off the coast of New Guinea. More than 75 years after the end of World War II, the conflict's legacy can still be seen from the Arctic wastes to the Solomon Islands of the South Pacific. The six years of World War II produced a greater number and variety of weapons than any other conflict before or since. This included more than 5 million tanks, armored fighting vehicles, and other self-propelled weapons; 8 million artillery guns; almost a million military aircraft; more than 50,000 ships and submarines; as well as many millions of rifles, machine guns, and handguns. Today, in every corner of the world, the remnants of this epic conflict can still be seen. Long-buried partisan weapons caches in the Belorussian forest; sand-covered trucks in the Sahara desert; crashed American bombers and Japanese anti-aircraft guns in the jungles of New Guinea; tank wrecks on old military training grounds; thousands of unexploded bombs in the depths of the world's seas and oceans; or the hundreds of aircraft and 30 Japanese ships destroyed in Truk Lagoon, the biggest graveyard of ships in the world and today a popular dive site.

“A riveting tale told through personal accounts and sketches along the way—ultimately, a story of success against great odds. I enjoyed it enormously.” —Tom Brokaw The first book to tell the full story of how a traveling road show of artists wielding imagination, paint, and bravado saved thousands of American lives—now updated with new material. In the summer of 1944, a handpicked group of young GIs—artists, designers, architects, and sound engineers, including such future luminaries as Bill Blass, Ellsworth Kelly, Arthur Singer, Victor Dowd, Art Kane, and Jack Masey—landed in France to conduct a secret mission. From Normandy to the Rhine, the 1,100 men of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, known as the Ghost Army, conjured up phony convoys, phantom divisions, and make-believe headquarters to fool the enemy about the strength and location of American units. Every move they made was top secret, and their story was hushed up for decades after the war's end. Hundreds of color and black-and-white photographs, along with maps, official memos, and letters, accompany Rick Beyer and Elizabeth Sayles’s meticulous research and interviews with many of the soldiers, weaving a compelling narrative of how an unlikely team carried out amazing battlefield deceptions that saved thousands of American lives and helped open the way for the final drive to Germany. The stunning art created between missions also offers a glimpse of life behind the lines during World War II. This updated edition includes: A new afterword by co-author Rick Beyer Never-before-seen additional images The successful campaign to have the unit awarded a Congressional Gold Medal History and WWII enthusiasts will find The Ghost Army of World War II an essential addition to their library.