Chars (depuis 1945) - USA : beaux livres - histoire et modèles

M103 Heavy Tank, 1950-74 (Osprey)

The T43 design represented the pinnacle of U.S. Army tank engineering of the late 1940s. The heavy tank proved fairly popular with its crews, who above all respected the powerful armament it carried. The outbreak of war in Korea brought a rush order in December 1950 which led to a complete production run of 300 vehicles.
After 1951, the Marine Corps alone retained confidence in the heavy tank program, investing its scarce funds in the improvements necessary to bring about its fielding after a hurried production run in midst of the 'tank crisis' of the year 1950-51. The eventual retirement of the M103 in 1972, over 20 years after manufacture and after 14 years of operational service, demonstrated the soundness of its engineering. It may have been the unwanted 'ugly duckling' of the Army, which refrained from naming the M103 alone of all its postwar tanks. For the Marine Corps, it served the purpose defined for it in 1949 until the automotive and weapons technology of the United States could produce viable alternatives.

This book describes the development, technology, variants and use of the M103 Heavy Tank.

Contents: Introduction - Design & Development - Operational History - Variants - Bibliography - Index.

Caractéristiques

Auteur :	Kenneth W. Estes
Présentation :	48 pages, 25 x 18.5 x 0.3 cm, broché
Illustration :	abondamment illustré de photos et dessins (en N&B et en couleurs)
Langue :	anglais
Editeur :	Osprey Publishing (GB, 2013)
Série :	New Vanguard (197)
ISBN :	9781849089814

Encyclopedia of Modern U.S. Military Tactical Vehicles

In the past two decades the modern U.S. Army underwent an enormous and unprecedented transition from a Cold War doctrine towards counter-terrorism assymetrical warfare. Within this transition the vehicle pool of the U.S. Army changed constantly since the NATO mission of defending Central Europe in the late 1980s to the ongoing U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan 2007.

This publication grants a full overview over the U.S. tactical vehicle fleet in service during USAREUR days in Europe up to the present Operation Iraqi Freedom, providing a never before published comprehensive survey into the motor pool of the world's leading superpower.

Chapters:
1. Introduction
2. Light Tanks and Main Battle Tanks
3. Armored Infantry Fighting Vehicles and Armored Personnel Carriers - Tracked
4. Armored Personnel Carriers - Wheeled
5. Amphibious Vehicles
6. Light Trucks
7. Medium Trucks
8. Heavy Trucks
9. Engineer Vehicles and Mine Protected Vehicles
10. Armored Recovery Vehicles, Cranes and Material Handling Equipment
11. Artillery and Air Defence
12. Special Forces and All-Terrain Vehicles
13. Miscellaneous Vehicles
14. Camouflage and Markings.

Caractéristiques

Auteur :	Carl Schulze
Présentation :	160 pages, 29.5 x 21 cm, relié
Illustration :	416 photos en couleurs
Langue :	anglais
Editeur :	Tankograd Publishing (D, 2007)
ISBN :	9783936519044

Tanks, 76-MM Gun M41 and M41A1 Walker Bulldog - Field Manual (FM17-80)

The M41 Walker Bulldog was a U.S. light tank developed to replace the M24 Chaffee. While the M24 Chaffee was a successful design, its main gun was not effective enough against well armored opposition. Although the primary mission of a light tank was scouting, the U.S. Army wanted one with more powerful armament. The development of the new tank, T37, began in 1947. The vehicle was designed to be air-transportable, and the desired anti-tank capabilities were provided by installing a long 76-mm gun with an advanced rangefinder. In 1949, with the adoption of a less ambitious rangefinder, the project's designation was changed to T41. Production started in 1951 at Cadillac's Cleveland Tank Plant, and by 1953 the tank replaced the M24 in the United States Army.

Initially the M41 was nicknamed "Little Bulldog", then renamed "Walker Bulldog" after General Walton Walker, who was killed in a jeep accident in Korea in 1950. The Walker Bulldog saw limited combat with the U.S. Army during the Korean War, but for the most part, the conflict served as a testing ground to work out the tank's rangefinder. In 1954, the M41A1 variant was produced with a hydraulic turret traverse instead of an electrical one. The more compact system allowed for increased ammunition.
Created in 1956, this field manual reveals a great deal about the M41 and M41A1's design and capabilities. Intended as a manual for those charged with operation and maintenance, it details the sighting equipment, crew formations, firing duties and more. Originally labeled restricted, this manual was declassified long ago and is here reprinted in book form. Care has been taken to preserve the integrity of the text.

Caractéristiques

Auteur :	U.S. Army War Department
Présentation :	190 pages, 23 x 15.5 x 1.1 cm, broché
Illustration :	abondamment illustré de photos et de dessins
Langue :	anglais
Editeur :	Periscope Film (USA, 2013)
ISBN :	9781940453088

US Battle Tanks 1946-2025

Ce deuxième volume d'une histoire illustrée en deux parties retrace la conception et l'utilisation des chars de combat de l'armée américaine et du Corps des Marines, de la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale à aujourd'hui. L'historien militaire Steven J. Zaloga examine comment les États-Unis ont adapté leurs forces blindées durant la guerre froide et après, face aux défis militaires et aux avancées technologiques.
"US Battle Tanks 1946-2025" s'appuie sur les séries New Vanguard et Duel d'Osprey et explore les principales évolutions des chars américains. Il couvre l'introduction des chars Patton, des projets expérimentaux comme le T95 et l'échec du programme MBT-70. Le livre met aussi en avant le M1 Abrams, un char efficace qui est devenu le plus performant de l'après-guerre et reste en service aujourd'hui.
Publié en partenariat avec le programme de livres de l'AUSA, qui soutient des ouvrages sur l'histoire de l'armée américaine, la stratégie militaire et la sécurité.

Table des matières
Introduction
Chapitre 1: L'héritage de la guerre
Chapitre 2: La guerre des chars en Corée
Chapitre 3: Les chars américains du début de la guerre froide
Chapitre 4: Les chars de la guerre froide: la génération des années 1960
Chapitre 5: Les chars américains au combat de 1965 à 1975
Chapitre 6: Les chars américains après la guerre du Vietnam
Chapitre 7: Opération Tempête du désert
Chapitre 8: Fin de la guerre froide
Chapitre 9: Le nouveau désordre mondial
Conclusion

Caractéristiques

Auteur :	Steven J. Zaloga, Association of the United States Army
Présentation :	272 pages, 25.5 x 20 x 2.7 cm, relié
Illustration :	150 photos en N&B et en couleurs, 75 dessins en couleurs
Langue :	anglais
Editeur :	Osprey Publishing (GB, 2024)
ISBN :	9781472865687

US Cold War Tanks and Armoured Fighting Vehicles - Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives (Images of War)

To counter the Soviet threat and that of their client States during the Cold War years 1949-1991, the American military deployed an impressive range of main battle tanks (MBTs) and armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs).
The Patton series of medium MBTs (including the M46, M47 and M48) supplemented by the M103s Heavy Tank initially formed the core of the US tank fleet. In 1960 the M60 MBT with its British designed 105mm gun entered service and, in turn, was replaced by the M1 Abrams in 1980.

In support were armoured reconnaissance vehicles, progressively the M41 Bulldog (1951); the M114 (1961), the M551 Sheridan (1967) and M3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle (1981). The armoured personnel carrier (APC) range included the ubiquitous M113 and its replacement the M2 Bradley, cousin of the M3.

Expert author Michael Green covers all these vehicles and their variants in this informative and superbly illustrated Images of War series work.

Caractéristiques

Auteur :	Michael Green
Présentation :	220 pages, 24.5 x 19 x 1.8 cm, broché
Illustration :	abondamment illustré
Langue :	anglais
Editeur :	Pen & Sword Books Ltd (GB, 2019)
Série :	Images of War
ISBN :	9781526727213

Walker Bulldog vs T-54 : Laos and Vietnam 1971-75 (Osprey)

During the Vietnam War, both the United States and the Soviet Union supplied all manner of weapon systems to the opposing sides, including tanks and armoured vehicles. Two tanks in particular took momentary prominence in the later years of the conflict. On the South Vietnamese side, it was the US M41 Walker Bulldog; for the communist North Vietnamese, the Soviet-supplied T-54 main battle tank was the core of their armoured power.

In their first major engagement, during Operation Lam Son 719 (February-March 1971), it was the Walker Bulldog in the ascendant, but in later battles the T-54s inflicted heavy losses on their lighter opponents, taking the advantage through their superior manoeuvrability and gunnery.
Illustrated with full-colour artwork as well as rare and revealing photographs from both sides, this book studies these two iconic tanks in Vietnamese service, examining how their differing designs and fighting doctrines affected their performance in this unique theatre of combat.

Caractéristiques

Auteur :	Chris McNab
Présentation :	80 pages, 25 x 18.5 x 0.3 cm, broché
Illustration :	abondamment illustré de photos en N&B et en couleurs
Langue :	anglais
Editeur :	Osprey Publishing (GB, 2019)
Série :	Duel
ISBN :	9781472836120

US-Panzer - nach 1945 (Typenkompass)

Alors que les États-Unis s'approvisionnaient en chars auprès de la Grande-Bretagne et de la France pendant la Première Guerre mondiale, ils étaient déjà devenus le principal producteur dès la Seconde Guerre mondiale. En raison de la guerre froide qui a suivi, ils sont restés ainsi. Les principaux chars de combat que les États-Unis construisirent à partir de cette époque furent toujours parmi les meilleurs au monde. Rien n'a changé jusqu'à aujourd'hui.
Alexander Lüdeke, expert dans le domaine des chars, présente dans ce type de boussole tous les modèles apparus aux États-Unis de 1945 à aujourd'hui - du M4 Sherman au M48 Patton en passant par le M1. Abrams, leur « char de combat principal » actuel.

Pages du livre "US-Panzer - nach 1945"

Chaque type est présenté à l'aide d'une photo, d'une description historique et d'une fiche technique.

Caractéristiques

Auteur :	Alexander Lüdeke
Présentation :	128 pages, 20.5 x 14 cm, broché
Illustration :	130 photos en N&B et en couleurs
Langue :	allemand
Editeur :	Motorbuch Verlag (D, 2018)
Série :	Typenkompass
ISBN :	9783613040601