This is the third volume of Guideline's armor camouflage and markings series, which has been retitled 'Armour in Theater' to better represent what the series is really covering. It is more than just great profiles and photos, but also a concise history of campaigns that feature armor. In this particular volume, the concentration is on US and German forces during the Normandy campaign.

While most of the German armor was concentrated against the British (US forces were never up against Tigers during the Normandy campaign), it doesn't mean there was no armor action with the US. Indeed, while there were not that many tanks opposing US forces, there were plenty of anti-tank guns and the US also had to fight through the bocage. This was something for which Allied troops were quite unprepared. The Germans were masters at defense and rather than taking days to break out towards Paris, it took months.

New tactics had to be developed in order to deal with this new obstacle. Fields were small and each one was grimly defended, resulting in a high cost in men and materiel to break through it. One of the innovative items developed by a US sergeant was the hedge cutter. These were pieces of German beach defense steel, cut to shape and welded on the front of Sherman and Stuart tanks. This innovation allowed US tanks to slice through the bocage, allowing faster movement.

Eventually, Bradley was able to break out of bocage region and with Patton in command, started a rapid advance to the west and south. It was decided to have his army move east and meet up with the British in order to trap the German army. This was stymied as Patton was not allowed to move into areas assigned to the British. While this infuriated Patton, there was little he could do. The result is that though the Germans were trapped in a pocket, they were not surrounded and over half of the trapped troops managed to escape before the British were able to move the 12 miles south and close the gap. Still, even at this, it was a huge loss for the Germans who could ill afford the destruction of equipment and capture of troops.

In line with other books in the series, this one combines an excellent history, well chosen period photographs, superbly drawn color profiles and a relatively in-depth look at the camouflage of the vehicles that operated during the campaign. This one concentrates on the US side of things and while American vehicles were all pretty uniform, the German equipment is quite interesting. Also interesting is that it is the experience in Normandy that developed the 'ambush' camouflage used by Germans for much of the rest of the war.

In all, it makes for an outstanding book on the subject that is highly readable, easy to understand and provides the sort of photos and illustrations that simply make a read like this more enjoyable. Even if you are not an armor builder, you'll find a lot in this one. It is a great way to combine history with camouflage information. Highly recommended.

May 2016.

My thanks to www.guidelinepublications.co.uk for providing the review copy. Visit your local bookstore for availability.

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