The next book in Osprey's 'Duel' series covers a type of vehicle which is relatively new in ground warfare, the Infantry Fighting Vehicle. These are similar to Armored Fighting Vehicles, but have an offensive capability. They are often armed with cannon that are not only useful against soft skin vehicles, but can also wreak havoc with armored vehicles, including tanks.

The first time these vehicles met each other in any numbers during combat was the 80 hour Operation Desert Storm. This took place in the desert between Iraq and Saudi Arabia after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. When the actual battle began in early 1991, the Bradly was the US IFV while the BMP was that which was operated by Iraq. These were not really equally comparable vehicles as the BMP had been in service for several decades while the Bradley was fairly new.

There were big differences in the capabilities of the vehicles in terms of the electronics and the weapons. However, the major difference was in how these vehicles were maintained. The BMP had been used extensively in the war between Iraq and Iran in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This caused the gun barrels to be quite worn and made the guns quite inaccurate. There was no overhaul of Iraq's BMP force, and maintenance was more of a situation of fixing what breaks and that is it. On the other side of things, American vehicles go through extensive preventive maintenance to ensure that equipment is in top condition. Of course, the BMP was not a total underdog. It has a lower profile than the Bradley and is faster and more maneuverable.

The Iraqis also did not use their vehicles in the best tactical methods. Often these vehicles were used as fixed defensive positions where their turrets were unable to properly scan for enemy vehicles. They also lacked the sort of sensors that were standard in American IFVs. The results were quite predictable as the BMPs were wiped out in large numbers. Not to say they were useless, as when a BMP was able to get the upper hand, it could destroy a Bradley, but this was an isolated occurrence. Despite the huge losses, there are quite a few of them still around and as such, they are still equipping the modern Iraqi army.

 The book follows a standard format with a look at the development history of both types, information on the training of the crews as well as how the vehicles were deployed. We get a full look at Bradley operations during Desert Storm with battle history taking a goodly portion of the book. When you add in the great photos, superb art work and various stat tables, you get a very good look at how well these adversaries performed against each other. It makes for a superb read and a book that I can easily recommend.

July 2016

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