When the US entered WWII, they were better prepared in terms of field artillery than many of he allies. During the interwar period, the US Army put forth considerable effort to upgrade their artillery from that which was used in WWI. Though the money was tight, at least there were some guns bought and these were amongst the best in the world. As war loomed closer and the purse strings loosened a bit, larger scale manufacture was ramped up and so America went to war with a first rate artillery inventory.

Steven J. Zaloga is well known for his expertise in things military and he shares that with us in this volume, in a highly readable and interesting  presentation. In addition to the introductory section covering the build up of these guns, all the major weapons from the 75mm pack howitzer to the huge 910mm mortar are covered. This includes, of course, the 105mm howitzer and 155 mm 'Long Tom' field gun as well as the 240mm howitzer. Those that did not see combat use and those that were added to mobile mounts are also included in this well done reference.

This is all superbly illustrated by Brian Delf with some excellent color illustrations in the center of the book of nearly all the weapons covered in the body of the work. This is further enhanced by a fine selection of period images.

It all comes together in a book of excellent quality and one that you can buy with confidence.

February 2007

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