Tribute to Tankers, A
|
Book Information: |
Cover: |
Author's Summary
MWSA Review
Having served in a mechanized infantry unit during the Cold War in Europe, I have first-hand knowledge of the inner workings of the use of armor. The use of the combined armor-infantry teams for NATO was the main defense used against the Warsaw Pact nations.
I was quite surprised of the extensive use of armored tanks by the Marine Corps in the wars from WWII through the present day. Having myself serving in the Army I always thought of armor being the exclusive realm of armored units in the Army. Sergeant Hoch is a combat veteran in the use of tanks in Vietnam. Hoch’s book goes back to the first uses of armor with stories from WWI onto all the major conflicts the USA were in to the present time.
Since the author was a veteran of the Vietnam War, the majority of the stories told herein come from the uses of armor in Vietnam. The book is comprised of short vignettes and short stories from first-hand accounts of both officers and enlisted men who were in combat from WWII to the present day. The stories told of WWI were told from a historical perspective.
Many of the stories are told from a Marine’s point of view as to how they used armor in combat. Also present in this book was the evolution of tanks and how they improved from usage in WWI to the present day. While not a complete technical guide, it does give a general outline of the models as they evolved for the US services for both the Marines and the Army.
This book is a tribute to both the men and the equipment our tankers used through the years.
Reviewed by: Dick Geschke (2013)