Throughout the world there are some that are considered a must see among enthusiasts. The US Army Ordnance museum at Aberdeen Maryland is on that list. Aberdeen was a testing facility and so all new US army tanks and guns as well as those from other nations (either donated or captured) were put through their paces here. The result of this is a  superlative museum, much of which is outside and so in the ravages of the elements.

This is the second of Stratus' "Military Collections of the World" series and like the previous edition, is chock full of full color photos of the various displays at Aberdeen. There is an indoor museum there that is basically dedicated to small arms, though there are some larger pieces contained inside as well.

However, the bulk of the collection is outside and you'll see everything from light tanks to rail guns on display. Some of it is in fairly good condition, while other pieces are sadly rusting away.

The book starts off with AFVs and here you will see a wide variety of US, German, British, and Soviet armor. There is also a goodly selection of artillery on display. Everything from small 37mm anti-tank guns to anti-aircraft guns of all sorts and the big siege mortars and rail guns. This is followed by a small section on ground to air missiles. All of these images are superbly photographed so that we can see the details of these subjects.

If you are unable to make the journey to visit this superb collection, then a book like this will take you there. I understand that the base is due for closure and the collection will be either stored or disseminated to other places, making this book even more timely. It is a book that is serious eye candy and one that I can quite easily recommend to the enthusiast and casual reader alike.

December 2010

Review book courtesy of MMP Books, where you can order your copy of this and many other superb aviation and modeling books. The book is also available through Casemate Publishing in the US and Platypus Publications in Australia.

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