World War II US Army Combat Equipments (Elite, 210)

Very helpful with costume design

Equipping soldiers for combat always seems to be a challenge, especially when in the case of the Second World War, those soldiers were part of a newly created mass army fighting around the world. Perhaps inevitably, the U.S. Army was forced to empty the warehouses of equipment from the First World War and the inter-war period, while innovating new equipment on the move. "World War II US Army Combat Equipments" is the story of what was fielded in the way of personal equipment for soldiers.This is an Osprey Elite Series book by experienced historian Gordon Rottman, with illustrations by Adam Hook. The narrative briefly addresses the development challenge before walking the reader through several categories of equipment, gear, including basic web gear, backpacks, bivouac gear, and specialist equipment. The text is accompanied by a nice selection of period and modern photographs and modern illustrations, including some well-done color plates. As the author explains, innovation in equipment continued throughout the war, but with decidedly mixed results. For soldiers shivering through the very cold winter of 1944-45 in Northwest Europe, for example, the Army quartermasters never quite got it right. Units often wore a variety of issue items in different styles and color schemes; soldiers frequently customized their gear to meet their local conditions. This book is recommended to students of warfare who have a fascination for the challenges faced by military quartermasters in every major conflict.

I wish I could give this book 7 stars! Rottman does his usual outstanding work. It contains fantastic illustrations and a very good assortment of pictures. Any student of WWII equipment will find this volume essential. He even tells you what the second hole in the canteen cup handle is for, something I already knew but is a great 'trivia' factoid. I hope moviemakers get this book as a reference so U.S. equipment is properly used. I especially appreciate, as a collector, the author's request of reenactors to purchase the high-quality reproductions of this equipment that is available instead of use the now rare originals. I do remember in the 60s you could buy WWII items for a little as 9 cents! If I had only known! I would have bought a lot more of it and could make a killing today. I did learn about items that I was not familiar with.

but there is page after page of written descriptions, without a corresponding illustrations

Excellent overview of the load carriage systems used by the U.S. Army during WW2-this book is a great companion to Osprey's other work on the subject. My only wish would have been for more pictures of the gear being manufactured, or perhaps an additional layer of detail into the design of the equipment. Definitely worth buying for students of the subject.

Awesome info! As a current Marine Corps Reservist and avid WW2 re-enactor, I found this to be a very detailed guide in order to accurately portray US Army infantry from the time period.

This little book packs a great deal of useful information into a small package. Well worth the money

WWII fanatic and the level of detail and minutia is what I thrive one. Great read if you are in to that kind of thing

I found this a fantastically book on US kit as used in WW 2 (and alas, much later). Very detailed treatment of what the well-dressed GI might wear, but stopping short of excessive harping on the very minor differences between the M1930A1 blivit and the M1930A2. An excellent resource for re-enactor's, RPGers and, well, military history buffs

Very informative and for its size packed provides a comprehensive guide to the subject a great addition to my library.

Bel volumetto sugli equipaggiamenti della fanteria americana durante la seconda guerra mondiale. Belle foto e disegni a colori corredano un testo essenziale. Ideale per chi è interessato all'uniformologia americana , sia come collezionista/re-enactor sia come modellista. Molto utile.

Ganz frisch aus der Druckerei angeliefert. Für alle, die sich mit dem Thema US-Army WW2 beschäftigen, ein uneingeschränktes Muss. Detaillierte Illustrationen, Farb-und Schwarzweißfotos sowie alle notwendigen Angaben im (englischen) Begleittext, wie z.B. Ausgabejahr, Größe, Gewicht, Farbunterschiede, Kennzeichnung u.s.w. Ein weiterer Meilenstein aus dem Osprey-Verlag.

un po' scarso in qualità di foto e dettagli nelle immagini, che mi sarei aspettato molto più numerose, varie e dettagliate, di contro un buona quantità di scritto storico...