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Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare, The: Volume 1
112 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1971
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September 21, 2018
My dear wife bought me this set of books years ago and like many others on my shelf, I never read it until now, some forty years later. That is not to say that I have not even paged through them countless times. You see, this book is part of a series. It was a sort of a 'book of the month club' book. If you liked it and wanted book two, you say so on your bill when you returned payment. Back in the day, when the economy was better, she bought me several of these book club set.
This book is volume one. The title is a little misleading because it is actually more of a weapons book than one on warfare. However, in my opinion that is a good thing, because space does not permit the listing of every weapon of the 20th century. In fact, 1967 is the earliest date mentioned. Even though weapon development had come a long way from 1900, and was exemplified as the Virginia Slims cigarette commercial of the times which said, "You've come a long way, baby," weapon development progressed further in the last thirty years of the century than the first seventy! There was no way all that would fit in these volumes.
For someone who is interested in military history, these books are valuable. For example, in the first few pages of this book the A-4 (V2) rocket, the A6M Zero-sen fighter, the A7V tank, and A-10 attack aircraft are covered. There are plenty of photos, drawings, and specifications provided. Whenever possible, the fate of ships are listed, such as when and where they were built, and when and where they were sunk, or sent to the scrappers.
Perhaps what I really like about this series is the glimpse it gives me of the times. There is a Pink Floyd song were they lament the closing of the shipyards on the Clyde. At one time England had a host of yards that built ships for navies around the world. Scores of automobile (and lorry manufacturers for our British friends) built or sub-contracted to other weapons manufacturers. It is kind of funny yet sad that those British factories that German bombs could not knock out in two world wars were taken out by economics instead of warfare.
Even though the book covers the 20th century, some ships that were actually built in the later part of the 19th century are listed as well. Weapon development is mentioned more than tactical use, but I still found it interesting.
Before closing I want to mention the entry for the brand spanking new ALCM cruise missile. Nowhere does it mention any cruise missile being launched from submarines, for that was unheard of!
I would like to thank my beautiful wife who bought me this book in exchange for an honest review and a back rub.
This book is volume one. The title is a little misleading because it is actually more of a weapons book than one on warfare. However, in my opinion that is a good thing, because space does not permit the listing of every weapon of the 20th century. In fact, 1967 is the earliest date mentioned. Even though weapon development had come a long way from 1900, and was exemplified as the Virginia Slims cigarette commercial of the times which said, "You've come a long way, baby," weapon development progressed further in the last thirty years of the century than the first seventy! There was no way all that would fit in these volumes.
For someone who is interested in military history, these books are valuable. For example, in the first few pages of this book the A-4 (V2) rocket, the A6M Zero-sen fighter, the A7V tank, and A-10 attack aircraft are covered. There are plenty of photos, drawings, and specifications provided. Whenever possible, the fate of ships are listed, such as when and where they were built, and when and where they were sunk, or sent to the scrappers.
Perhaps what I really like about this series is the glimpse it gives me of the times. There is a Pink Floyd song were they lament the closing of the shipyards on the Clyde. At one time England had a host of yards that built ships for navies around the world. Scores of automobile (and lorry manufacturers for our British friends) built or sub-contracted to other weapons manufacturers. It is kind of funny yet sad that those British factories that German bombs could not knock out in two world wars were taken out by economics instead of warfare.
Even though the book covers the 20th century, some ships that were actually built in the later part of the 19th century are listed as well. Weapon development is mentioned more than tactical use, but I still found it interesting.
Before closing I want to mention the entry for the brand spanking new ALCM cruise missile. Nowhere does it mention any cruise missile being launched from submarines, for that was unheard of!
I would like to thank my beautiful wife who bought me this book in exchange for an honest review and a back rub.
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