Tanks (since 1945) - France: books - history, types and construction

French Armour in Vietnam 1945-1954 (Osprey)

French experience with armour in Indo-China dated back to 1919, when it sent FT-17s to the colony, followed by a variety of armoured cars.
After World War II, French troops were equipped with a motley collection of American and cast-off British equipment until the outbreak of war in Korea saw an increase in military aid. This included large numbers of the M24 Chaffee light tank, along with amphibious vehicles such as the M29C Weasel and LVT4 Buffalo, to conduct operations in coastal and inland areas that the Viet Minh had previously thought immune to attack.

France's armour was a key part of the battle against the Viet Minh right up until the last stand at Dien Bien Phu.

Product details

The AMX 13 Light Tank : A Complete History (Images of War)

The AMX 13 was originally designed in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. It represents French ambitions for national resurgence and withdrawal from wartime dependence on American military technology.
Being a light tank it was an ambitious and far sighted departure from conventional tank design and it found a ready export market as well as being a critical part in the French Army arsenal.

Its basic hull design lent itself to the development of a vast list of variants. French designers progressively modernised, and indeed reinvented, the AMX13 and enabled it to claim to be one of the most successful armoured vehicle programmes of the post-war period. It proved its worth in numerous small wars worldwide in the service of many countries.

This, the first commercially published work on the AMX13 in English, examines in detail the technical industrial and tactical story of this remarkably successful armoured fighting vehicle. The authoritative text is backed by an impressive selection of images.

Product details

L'EBR Panhard - Une innovation à la française

NEW

Since 1935, France has stood out for the design of wheeled armored reconnaissance vehicles, developed from reforms of light mechanized divisions and the use of anti-tank cars. After the Second World War, Panhard revived the unfinished AM 40P project from 1939. From this basis emerged the EBR (Engin Blindé de Reconnaissance).

The EBR had an original and innovative design, considered ahead of its time. Its operational career lasted almost thirty years, with service in France and exports to Portugal and Morocco.

Despite its technical and military importance, no detailed study had been dedicated to this vehicle until now. This book presents its development, technical features, operational use, and influence.
Richly illustrated with archival photographs, it highlights a remarkable example of French military innovation.

Product details