This is the second book in Osprey'd new 'Duel' series. There are 16 books currently under contract and this one is on the Sherman Firefly vs the Tiger.

The book looks at the development of the two tanks and makes comparisons between them. Up until the introduction of the Firefly, with its British 17 pound anti-tank gun, the Tiger was very much the king of the battlefield. Thanks to its heavy armor, the Tiger was nearly unstoppable by any Allied gun unless at near point blank range. Its 88mm gun was able to penetrate Allied armor plating at a good range, thus making it greatly feared.

By adding the 17 pounder gun to the Sherman, the Allies had a tank that had similar fire power to the Tiger's 88. However, it was still on a Sherman chassis so it vulnerability to incoming rounds had not changed. The Firefly gun also meant that there was not room for a machine gunner/radio operator so the crew work-load was increased as the loader now had to operate the radios. The machine gun was removed. The longer barrel of the 17 pounder also meant that the driver had to be much more careful how he maneuvered the tank. It was a stop-gap measure, but one that was quite effective in the proper circumstances.

The book concentrates on the battle of one day, 8 August, where a Firefly was able to ambush and destroy three Tiger tanks, including that of the top 'Tiger Ace' Michael Wittmann. The description of the battle is first rate and is accompanied by a number of period photos as well as quality maps and charts of the event and those leading up to it.

Overall it is a fascinating and detailed look at these two combatants and a shift in the constantly changing 'one upmanship' of military hardware. It is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and I can most highly recommend this one to you.

September 2007

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