T-34 Shock

An absolute whopper of a book here on the most famous Soviet tank of WWII, if not all time, the T-34. It aims to cover the development, spurred on from work on the BT-7, the design changes and all the variations throughout the war, leading to the post-war use of the T-34 in communist and Soviet-sphere countries around the world.

It’s packed with photos – over 600 of them – but one of the most important parts of the text comes under the heading of ‘Our methodology’. The Soviets made use of everything, so when a new feature was introduced it could be found bolted to older tanks. Equally, new hulls could have older elements incorporated because they had stocks of those parts that needed using up. It means the photos can’t be taken at face value and the authors have an absolute minefield to navigate.

It’s not all rivet counting though, there’s plenty of action to put the developments into context. The result is a book with a staggering attention to detail that goes into enormous depth. Highly recommended.

• Fonthill Media
• ISBN 978-1-7815-5846-1
• 548 pages. Hardback. £40

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