This is the next volume in Kagero's Photosniper series and covers the somewhat controversial (at the time) French AMX-30 tank. After WWII, the French wanted a tank to replace all of the American tanks in not only the French Army, but also to provide one that would be used by all NATO countries. This way, in the event of hostilities, all of the continental nations would be operating the same tank, making supply issues much more simplified. As such, work got underway on a 50 ton tank which it was hoped would be funded in large by the US's Military Aid Program. While prototypes were built, the aid never came and the tank never reached service. Rather than have no tank, the French received enough M-47 Pattons (as did other NATO nations) to fulfil their needs.

Next, it was decided to try for a 30 on tank and rely on the tank's firepower and speed rather than a lot of armor. This idea seemed to go over well with continental NATO countries and Germany became a major partner in the project. 

This was also the time that Charles deGaulle became prime minister, and his haughtiness concerning the French role in European politics also bled over to cooperative weapons development, insisting that the French be the controlling interest. This did little more than tick off Germany and other partners; so much that they basically pulled out of all cooperative programs and developed their own material. This rift is what led to the German Leopard tank. Still, there was an agreement and after both the AMX-30 and Leopard pre-production tanks had been built, a run-off was held. The AMX-30 came out with the best showing, but the Germans still decided to go with their own design (again, much of this due to the French attitude towards partnerships).

Despite the now unfortunate lack of overseas sales, the French continued with the tank's development and production. In a situation with which many are familiar regarding French industry, production of the tanks was painfully slow, mostly due to a lack of timely component delivery. Though full production did ramp up, it took a few years for this to happen. Meanwhile, units had to operate with a combination of AMX-30s and Pattons until production reached the higher level.

Once in service, French crews were quite pleased with the result. Here was a tank that met their needs in accordance with their operating tactics and it was a tank that, with the addition of a snorkel, was able to operated almost completely submerged, making it easy to ford small rivers and other bodies of water.

This book covers the design, development, including the political machinations, and the entry into service of the AMX-30. It also includes its initial deployment, the way French armor units are made up, as well as a bevy of superlative photos, many of them in color. We also are treated to a walk-around that includes a considerable number of images of the outer surfaces of this tank. This is topped by several pages of full color profiles, making it an excellent reference as well as a history of the tank. It is a book that I found quite interesting and can easily recommend to you.

May 2014

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