U.S. Guns of World War II
U.S. Guns of World War II is one of the more comprehensive overviews of the small arms employed by the United States in that war. One of the book’s key attributes is its thoroughness. The odd test dries leading to the adoption of the Garand are and well described. Dittoes for the M1 Carbine and other revolvers and submachine guns deployed. The book is profusely illustrated with period photos, too, showing the guns in use by our troops.
The book has really only one failing: the picture reproduction. The book is printed on uncoated stock and clarity suffers because of it. Some of the photos are small and somewhat fuzzy, making it hard to follow the transitions between models. Occasionally, a detail mentioned by the author is hard to discern because of this. The good news is the text is clear and concise and well documents the who, what and where these American guns were used.
There are some of the oddities WWII such as the Liberator pistol and the suppressed High Standard Military HD models along with a plethora of little seen subgun models such as the Star, Atmed, Hyde, Woodhull and others tested and rejected by the Army. Many pictures show the Thompson and Reising in use by troops.
Despite the few detractions mentioned, the book s cover price of $17.95 well justifies its purchase for the WWII small arms enthusiast.
U.S. Guns of World War II, Paperback, $17.95, 8 1/2″ x 11″, 144 pages, profusely illustrated with b&w photos, ISBN 1-57747105-9, Thomas Publications, P.O. Box 3031, Gettysburg, PA 17325, (717) 642-6600, www.thomaspublications.com.