The Armies of NATO'S central Front was written in 1985 and is probably the definative work of this nature on NATO'S armies covering a wealth of detail particularly on organisation that is other wise rather more difficult to come by than data on the Warsaw pact and the Soviet Union. As such this volume is in high demand and if you can pick up a copy for less than £100 you are doing well.
As well as covering the strategic context and how NATO would approach the defence of Western Europe it majors on the organisation equipment and tactics of the member Nations with Chapters on:
- Belgium
- Canada
- France
- Federal Republic of Germany
- Great Britain
- Luxemberg - a very short chapter
- The Netherlands
- United States of America
- Danish Jutland Division
The armies of Southern and Northern Europe sit outside the scope of the title. Each National section broadly covers the Background, Including Strategy and training before looking at Unit organisation and Order Of Battle, How that Nation will fight its battles, Weapons and Equipment, current force deployment and the National Air Force. The level of detail and the breadth of coverage really make it one of the must have titles for anyone interested in the period in general or NATO specifically. The only problem is availability of the title and hence cost, a superb reference book for the central front enthusiast.
Armies of NATO's Central Front
@ AmazonOther Book Reviews:
A History of Soviet Airborne Forces
Soviet Tactical Aviation
Red Thrust, Central Front
The Soviet Afghan War, How a Super Power Fought and Lost
Weapons and Tactics of the Soviet Army
Soviet Air Land Battle Tactics
The Military Balance
Encyclopaedia of the Modern British Army
The Soviet Conduct of Tactical Manoeuvre
First Clash
The Third World War
The British Army in Germany
This is a great reference source as you might expect from a product of the "Jane's" stable. There are a nice selection of photographs and an excellent selection of tables in the opening chapter sumarising the accuracy, armour penetration and kill probability of NATO direct fire weapons, NATO vehicle armour levels also accuracy and lethality areas of indirect fire weapons. I didn't realise this title was going for £100 though. I will have to consider adding mine to the house contents insurance. Aye, Rusty.
ReplyDeletei'd consider that there are 3 on amazon today £200, £400 and £700, price does shift around a lot depending on how many available
DeleteIt remains to see, envy, and dispense Soviet publications such as "Army of capitalist countries" and sets of "Foreign Military Review"
ReplyDeleteI just placed an order for $150US. Of course, soon after, a copy popped up for $120US!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to getting my copy. I really enjoy "Weapons and Tactics of the Soviet Army". Thanks for the review. Would've never known about these books if not for this blog!