In the world of historical painting; Don Troiani stands alone; universally acclaimed for the accuracy; drama; and detail of his depictions of America's past. In Don Troiani's Regiments and Uniforms of the Civil War; first released in 2002; the artist turned his brush to the units and uniforms of the War between the States. Through Troiani's careful reconstructions and the accompanying text; the book offers one of the most comprehensive looks at Civil War uniforms ever undertaken. In addition to the full volume in hard cover; Stackpole Books now presents four handsome; individually bound paperbacks; each covering different branches of service and types of soldier.The outcome of nearly every major battle of the war depended on infantry; the foot soldiers in blue and gray who wielded the muskets and sabers. Although some standardization existed; soldiers often modified their uniforms to meet battlefield necessity or to express unit pride; such as the Pennsylvania regiment known by the bucktails troops wore in their hats. The photographs in this volume indicate what infantrymen wore and carried; and Troiani's paintings bring the men and their deeds to vivid life.
#370437 in Books Zaloga Steven 2015-05-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 10.00 x .88 x 8.00l; .0 #File Name: 0811714373336 pagesArmored Champion The Top Tanks of World War II
Review
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Great overview of the strengths and weaknesses of WW2 tanks over the course of the warBy KobaThis book argues that there was no single "best tank" of WW2; but that different tanks were the best at different times. Moreover; what was "the best" from the standpoint of the individual tank crews; who wanted armor; speed; and hitting power; might not be the best from the standpoint of senior commanders; who wanted affordable and reliable vehicles. The book mainly focuses on the European Theater; for obvious reasons; though there is a brief examination of tanks in the Pacific War. For each period; the author selects the "tanker's choice" top tank and the "commander's choice" top tank. One could quibble with some of his choices but they were not horribly off the mark.Zaloga has written tons of Osprey books; and this book is written at about the level of complexity of an Osprey book. It does not have as many "pretty pictures" or line drawings as an Osprey book; however; and is not intended for modellers. The author does use some archival sources but also refers to Osprey books and secondary sources.The one-star reviewer noted that there are a lot of tables of statistics in this book. That is true; but I found them interesting and thought-provoking; and many of them I had never seen before. If you are not a WW2 geek; however; you may disagree.On the whole I thought this book was well worth the money and recommend it to anyone interested in WW2.7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. THE BEST OF THE BESTBy R. A. PetroMr. Zaloga's name is rightfully associated with "Armor Expert" and his latest offering is excellent in all aspects! He brings the reader swiftly and articulately through tank development world wide prior to WW2. Once the 'action' starts; his statistics; stories and photos bring the idea of 'the best tank in the war' into clear focus. Each year of the war is covered with each year having it's own; 'best tank' of that time period and even that distinction is divided among 'best tank' from the commander's viewpoint to 'best tank' from performance standpoint.Mr. Zaloga doesn't suffer from "Armor Worship" and even the mighty Tiger is treated fairly with all aspects; bad and good; highlighted. If one claims to be an armor fan; then this book is a necessity!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The best single volume account of World war 2 armour!By Steve GruenGreat book! Steven Zaloga is the preeminent armor historian of Our times; and this book really shows his knowledge; and most importantly in my view; his attention to detail. This book is well illustrated; but the author does not construct the narrative as merely a caption to the photos; as so many other books on Armor; far from it ; Mr. Zaloga provides technical information in the form of charts and contemporary analysis; that is unmatched for this subject. The contemporary and retrospective analysis provide by the the Author was eye opening; enemy for a lifelong student of armored warfare and military history like myself. If you are looking for a pretty coffee table book; with lots of illustrations; look elsewhere; but if you are looking for information that is concise; and well presented; look no further.
