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| AFV News Sept-Dec 1997, Volume 32, No.3 | |
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Czechoslovak Armored Fighting Vehicles 1918-1948, Charles K. Kliment & Vladimir Francev |
Every once in awhile a book will appear on the market that covers a topic so thoroughly that it becomes a benchmarket against which all past and future efforts will be measured. Richard Hunnicutt's book on the Sherman tank comes to mind in this regard, and this is another such book. Charles Kliment and Vladimir Francev are masters of their subject matter and it's amply displayed in this marvelous book.
This is an indepth historical study, ably prefaced by our editor, that begins with an introduction to the formation of the Czechoslovak Republic and it's uneasy political position in relation to it's largely hostile surrounding neighbors. The need for strong, modem armed forces was a necessity and Czechoslovakia rapidly built up a large army that was out of all proportion for a country of it's size The book continues with a survey of the various vehicle manufacturers including Skoda and CKD to name but a few, and then launches into an indepth review of the development of Czech armoured vehicles starting with the first of their armoured cars through tanks, tankettes, the LT vz.34, 35 and 38, the ST vz.39, T-21, TURAN and other prototypes. There are further chapters describing the exportation of their armoured vehicles, camouflage, markings and numbering, the organization of Czech armoured units, Czech army uniforms and insignia, the wartime use of Czech armoured vehicles, postwar developments, tracked artillery tractors, and a chapter on armoured trains. The book concludes with a chapter on vehicle spec sheets and original technical line drawings in addition to those by Hilary Doyle. The book is lavishly illustrated throughout with superb quality b&w photos, with several colour shots included. This reviewer believes that the reader will find that few of the photos have been published before. The photographs and text are complemented by illustrations from various technical manuals, and a colour section of illustrations of Czech uniforms and insignia. The line drawings have reproduced in varying quality, no doubt due to reductions from their original scale. Most are of excellent quality while certain others that illustrate complex details have suffered to some degree, but in the end, all of them will be of use to the modeller and researcher alike. Schiffer have done a first rate job in presenting this treatise in the professional manner it deserves; with hard covers, dust cover and heavy weight glossy paper throughout which ensures excellent photo reproduction. If I were to buy but one armour book this year, this would be it. The bulk of the subject matter is relatively unknown and the authors have painstakingly assembled it over the years until they were able to do full justice to the history of Czechoslovak armour. |
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Order Information Please send personal check or money order, payable to "Charles Kliment" to: Kliment Books, 321 Walnut Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540
NOTE: Prices and S+H are for US market only.
PayPal address: kkliment@verizon.net
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