The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Military Vehicles

There are vehicles designed to take the family on holiday, vehicles intended to impress the neighbours, and vehicles whose primary purpose is to cross a muddy battlefield while carrying enough weaponry to make the average traffic warden reconsider his career. Military vehicles belong firmly to the last category, representing humanity’s extraordinary ability to combine mechanical ingenuity with the ancient tradition of making life thoroughly unpleasant for the opposition.

In The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Military Vehicles (1988), Ian V. Hogg and John Weeks explore the fascinating world of military transport and fighting machinery, examining the extraordinary variety of vehicles developed to move soldiers, equipment and weapons across some of the most inhospitable terrain imaginable. Published by New Burlington Books, this illustrated reference work celebrates the engineering, development and operational roles of machines that have played a significant part in modern military history.

From heavily armoured tanks and formidable fighting vehicles to reconnaissance machines, personnel carriers and essential support transport, the book introduces readers to a remarkable assortment of military engineering. Some vehicles were built to withstand enemy fire, others to travel quickly across difficult ground, while a considerable number existed simply because somebody had to deliver fuel, ammunition and replacement parts to all the expensive machinery already causing trouble at the front.

Military vehicle designers have always faced a peculiar collection of problems. Their creations must be powerful yet reliable, heavily protected yet mobile, mechanically sophisticated yet simple enough to repair under dreadful conditions. Ideally, they should also be reasonably economical to manufacture, although military procurement departments have historically demonstrated a remarkably flexible interpretation of the word economical.

Hogg and Weeks bring their considerable knowledge of military technology to this examination of the machines that transformed twentieth-century warfare. Their encyclopedic approach offers enthusiasts an opportunity to appreciate the technical characteristics and distinctive designs of vehicles developed by different nations, each reflecting particular military requirements, engineering traditions and occasionally spectacularly optimistic specifications.

The variety is extraordinary. Some machines resemble mobile fortresses, others appear to have been assembled from agricultural equipment, and a few suggest that an exceptionally enthusiastic engineer was given unlimited access to steel plate and insufficient supervision.

Yet behind their sometimes ungainly appearances lie remarkable achievements in automotive engineering, suspension design, propulsion and mechanical durability. These vehicles were expected to operate in deserts, forests, mountains and frozen landscapes where an ordinary family saloon would surrender almost immediately.

Condition: Very Good. This is a previously owned copy dating from 1988, displaying only modest signs of age and handling. Unlike many military vehicles of similar vintage, it requires no replacement tracks, engine overhaul, specialist recovery equipment or several million pounds in government maintenance funding.

Published by New Burlington Books in 1988. ISBN: 0906286751.

Offered by Crappy Old Books, where we admire military engineering, particularly when collecting examples does not involve reinforced garage floors, enormous transport costs or explaining the presence of an armoured personnel carrier to the neighbours.

An excellent addition to any collection of military history, armoured warfare or specialist vehicle literature. Particularly recommended for enthusiasts who appreciate that the development of military transport has produced some of humanity’s most ingenious machinery, even if its intended applications have not always represented humanity at its most ingenious.

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