Very Good Addition to Books on Amored Trains

books:


	• Armored Trains (New Vanguard) Steven Zaloga Osprey Publishing, 2008 - 48 pages average customer review:based on 4 reviews view larger image
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Armored trains are amazing

Armored trains are a fascinating piece of history and one that has probably disappeared. However there was a time when they were quite useful and revolutionary. During the Sovist invasion of Central Asia the train played a key role, as it did in the Turkish defense of the Middle East. But if the train was essential to moving men after 1860 it was also something that could be bombed from the air beggining in 1914 and especialy in the Second World War. This brilliant illustrated history of the armored train is one that deserves to be on the shelf of every military historian's library. It is an afficionados companion and one that is sure to delight. An obscure and interesting subject.

Seth J. Frantzman

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Very Good Addition to Books on Amored Trains

Armored Trains (New Vanguard)
This book augments those of Wolfgang Sawodny, as it covers countries other than Germany, Poland, and the USSR. It is well illustrated and includes interior photos from museum displays as well as color drawings. (Samples are displayed on the book's cover.) One weakness: no pictures or illustrations focusing on armored engines/locomotives, other than the German self-propelled artillary car also seen in Sawodny's books. Still, if you have the books by Sawodny, you'll want to add this book to your collection.

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A Fine Addition to any Bookshelf

Armored Trains, by Steven J Zaloga, is number 140 in Osprey's New Vanguard series and a fine addition to any bookshelf. As usual, the author's delivery is precise, detailed and insightful. This volume describes the development and use of armored trains by a variety of armies from the American Civil War up to the 1960s. Although this subject has often received scant attention in many standard military histories, the author succeeds in depicting the role and significance of this unique weapon system. Furthermore, the volume also benefits from Osprey's new streamlined format and some really great photographs and artwork by Tony Bryan.

Armored Trains begins with an introduction that lays out the early development and trains modified to carry weapons, troops and armor plate in both the American Civil War and the Boer War. These early modifications were rather ad hoc and mostly suited to either fire support or railroad security roles. At the start of the First World War, Russia and Austria-Hungary had invested in more powerfully armed and better-protected armored trains, which performed well in the vast open spaces on the Eastern Front. With few roads available, armored trains offered an excellent mix of firepower, mobility and protection that made it perfect for a wide variety of missions. Once the Russian Empire collapsed into Revolution, the numerous armored trains available played a key role in the seesaw battles across Eurasia between the Whites and the Reds. This volume focuses heavily on Eastern Europe in the period 1918-1939, where armored trains enjoyed their heyday in the Russian Civil War, the Russo-Polish War and factional fighting in Manchuria. About half the volume focuses on armored trains in the Second World War, with most of the focus on the large number of Soviet armored trains. Germany only came to appreciate armored trains for anti-partisan work late in the war, but nevertheless the author describes their efforts to use them in some detail. The final section notes the use of armored trains by minor armies as well as mentioning some post-war examples. However, the lethality of modern airpower spelled the end of the armored train's brief period of military effectiveness and consigned the survivors to museums.

This volume has six color plates and Osprey has finally made the sound decision to put the caption for each plate on the facing page. No more flipping back and forth to the end of the volume! There is also a color centerfold/cutaway that shows detail on the Soviet PL-37 artillery wagon. One of the nicest color pages is one that shows the configuration of various German, Polish and Russian armored trains. The B/W photos throughout this volume are also terrific and Osprey's new format for photos enhances their presentation. Finally, the author provides excellent notes on further reading and sources available, for readers seeking more detail. Both graphically and content-wise, this is a superb volume.

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Armored trains - an opinion

The book is very good, and provides an insight on what is a complex and somewhat overlooked theme. There are a lot of pictures, and some small-scale drawings, but relatively little hard information. I would like to have seen some scale 4-view drawings,by no means of all the trains but of some representative cars. I would also like to see more technical information, although I recognize that this may simply not be available. One way is by having an appendix, train by train (car by car) with dimensions, weights, crew, armament, armor thickness, etc. and separately a notesheet of details on the armaments themselves, caliber, range, weight of projectile etc.
I enjoyed reading it, and I learnt a lot from the book, but with a little more dogged research it could become a really useful reference book.
RD

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Armored Trains