modern tank-like gothic german full suit plate armor

Plate armor is designed to protect you from sharp things coming from the usual directions in combat. Plate was also widely available to infantry, not just cavalry. By then, high-end armor was made with firearms in mind, with a thick cuirass with reduced limb coverage to save weight. This comprehensive and superbly illustrated book describes in authoritative detail the characteristics and contribution to victory of these formidable fighting vehicles.First of all, a note: 16th century is a bit late for full plate. These defensive AFVs included the half-track-based 75mm Gun Motor Carriage M3 and the full-tracked M10, M18, and M36. Later the concept of tank destroyers evolved to counter large scale German armored offensives. Initially the US Army doctrine saw tanks as primarily for the exploitation role. It was not until later in the war that the M26 Pershing heavy tank was built. The M4 series of medium tanks, best known as the Sherman, were the most numerous with some 50,000 in service with not only the American military but British and other Allied armies. There was also the failed M22 Locust light tank intended for airborne operations. The Stuart series was supplemented by almost 5,000 units of the M24 Chaffee light tank. The first big order in May 1940 was for 365 M2A4 light tanks, the initial iteration of the Stuart series, with almost 24,000 constructed.

By the end of the War American industry had built nearly 90,000 tanks, more than Germany and Great Britain combined. Only after the Nazis invaded Poland and France did the United States Government authorize mass production of tanks. This comprehensive and superbly illustrated book describes in authoritative detail the characteristics and contribution to victory of these formidable American fighting vehicles.

Modern tank-like gothic german full suit plate armor