Fully illustrated with a mixture of dramatic archive photos and manufacturers' images, this volume covers the little-known history of riot control vehicles. It explores the world of these vehicles from 1945 through to the present day - from adapted military armoured cars such as the Humber Pig (UK) and BRDM (Soviet Union) to the fully computerized systems of the Russian Lavina-Uragan and Canadian INKAS Armored Riot Control Vehicle - showing how their development and deployment has blurred the lines between civilian actions and military operations. It charts how the vehicles have evolved in ter... View More...
The only A7V left in the world surviving from World War 1. Called 'Mephisto' by the German Army. This pocket companion contains everything you need to know about the only surviving A7V Mephisto tank, housed at the Queensland Museum. From technical specifications to service history, it's the next best thing to being in the drivers seat! A comprehensive pocket-sized guide to the German WWI tank, the A7V Mephisto. 68 pages. View More...
The Polish army during the Blitzkrieg conjures up tragic images of infantry and dashing, but ineffective and ultimately doomed cavalry charges. In actuality the Poles, in the midst of a large-scale re-armament programme, had up to 600 armoured vehicles available at the time of the German attack, as well as a number of newer and better designs in various stages of development. Facing the inventors of the 'Lightning War', who attacked in great numbers, on multiple fronts and with total mastery of the air, the Polish armoured formations were up against it. But outdated equipment, doctrine and eno... View More...
Mephisto: Technology, War and Remembrance is the latest addition to The Queensland Museum Discovery Guide series. The bloody battles of the First World War were fought with many new and increasingly destructive weapons. One of the most significant of these was the tank. Only a single type of German tank was used in action, the A7V Sturmpanzerwagen, and it was a formidable opponent for the Allied forces. 506 Mephisto, the world’s sole surviving A7V, was captured on the battlefields of France in 1918. Under cover of darkness, with gas shells falling around them, a small group of soldiers — Q... View More...
Mephisto: Technology, War and Remembrance is the latest addition to The Queensland Museum Discovery Guide series. The bloody battles of the First World War were fought with many new and increasingly destructive weapons. One of the most significant of these was the tank. Only a single type of German tank was used in action, the A7V Sturmpanzerwagen, and it was a formidable opponent for the Allied forces. 506 Mephisto, the world’s sole surviving A7V, was captured on the battlefields of France in 1918. Under cover of darkness, with gas shells falling around them, a small group of soldiers — Q... View More...
Tank presents a comprehensive account of the world-wide evolution of armoured vehicles from their inception a century ago to the present day, starting with a detailed reappraisal of the development of tanks and how they evolved during World War I. By the end of that conflict tanks had gained considerable importance. However, this was not sustained in its immediate aftermath and a revival only began when the British Army started in to experiment in the 1920s with a more mobile use of tanks. The subsequent rise of the importance of armoured vehicles was accompanied by and was partly due to t... View More...
As the Allies attempted to break out of Normandy, it quickly became apparent that there would be no easy victory over the Germans, and that every scrap of territory on the way to Berlin would have to be earned through hard fighting. This study concentrates on the ferocious battles between the German Panzer IV and US Sherman that were at the heart of this decisive phase of World War II. The two types were among the most-produced tanks in US and German service and were old enemies, having clashed repeatedly in the Mediterranean theater. Throughout their long service careers, both had seen a succ... View More...
The T-26 was the first major Soviet armour program of the 1930s, beginning as a license-built version of the British Vickers 6-ton export tank. Although the T-26 retained the basic Vickers hull and suspension, the Red Army began to make extensive changes to the turret and armament, starting with the addition of a 45mm tank gun in 1933. The T-26 was built in larger numbers than any other tank prior to World War II. Indeed, more T-26 tanks were manufactured than the combined tank production of Germany, France, Britain, and the United States in 1931-40. This book surveys the development of the T-... View More...
This is the story of the largest and statistically most successful tank destroyer of World War II. The Ferdinand was a true behemoth, and although only 91 examples were built, they took a savage toll of Soviet armour in the Battle of Kursk and subsequent operations on the Eastern Front. This study explores the technical development and combat deployment of this remarkable vehicle, from its' origins in the Porsche Tiger Tank through its deployment under the designation 'Ferdinand' in the Citadel offensive, to its modification and redesignation as the 'Elefant' and final use in the desperate Bat... View More...
As the war swung in the favor of the Allies, it became clear that no final defeat of the Third Reich would be possible until the armored monsters of the Panzerwaffe were defeated. But who would, or even could, take on the mighty Tigers and Panthers, just a handful of whom could stop entire formations in their tracks? The answer lay with the formation of a new type of unit, the Tank Destroyer Battalion. This is the story of the men and machines who made up the very first Tank Destroyer Battalion, the 601st, from their unique training and formation, to the final, desperate battles in the heart o... View More...
