Humvee At War

There are military vehicles designed for speed, others intended for comfort, and a few that appear to have been constructed specifically to frighten enemy soldiers into reconsidering their career choices. Then there is the Humvee, a magnificent American contraption that looks rather like a garden shed on steroids and possesses roughly the same enthusiasm for narrow European streets.

In Humvee at War (2005), military vehicle enthusiasts Michael Green and Greg Stewart explore the remarkable career of the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, better known as the HMMWV, or simply the Humvee. Published by Zenith Press, this illustrated volume celebrates one of the most recognisable military vehicles of the modern era, tracing its development, operational history and extraordinary versatility.

Developed to replace a bewildering assortment of ageing American military vehicles, the Humvee entered service during the 1980s with a straightforward mission: carry soldiers and equipment across terrain that would leave most ordinary vehicles stranded, broken or quietly requesting assistance. Wide, powerful and exceptionally adaptable, it quickly became an indispensable part of the United States military’s considerable collection of machinery designed to go practically anywhere.

The Humvee rose to international prominence during the 1991 Gulf War, when television audiences became familiar with its unmistakable silhouette travelling across the desert. Subsequent deployments in Somalia, the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq demonstrated both its remarkable usefulness and the considerable difficulties of operating relatively lightly protected vehicles in increasingly dangerous combat environments.

Green and Stewart examine the Humvee’s military applications, technical development and numerous configurations, from troop transports and weapons carriers to ambulances and communications vehicles. It was effectively the Swiss Army knife of American military transport, assuming that the Swiss Army knife weighed several tons, consumed diesel fuel with enthusiasm and required a rather substantial parking space.

Naturally, the Humvee also inspired the civilian Hummer, allowing prosperous motorists to experience something approaching military-grade transportation while undertaking particularly demanding missions to shopping centres and suburban golf clubs. Few military vehicles have made such a successful transition from battlefield necessity to a statement about the owner’s willingness to pay considerable sums at the petrol pump.

Condition: Good. This is a previously owned copy dating from 2005, with the ordinary signs of age and handling expected of a book that has survived two decades. Unlike the vehicles it describes, it does not require specialist maintenance, oversized tyres or military logistical support.

Published by Zenith Press in 2005. ISBN: 9780760321515.

Offered by Crappy Old Books, where we specialise in interesting books with previous service histories, although fortunately none of ours require armoured protection or deployment clearance.

An excellent addition to any collection of military vehicle literature, modern warfare history or American automotive engineering. Particularly recommended for anyone fascinated by the extraordinary ingenuity involved in building a vehicle capable of crossing a desert, yet sufficiently wide to make an ordinary British country lane feel like a particularly ambitious obstacle course.

Keep browsing: See more War books Other books by Michael Green and Greg Stewart