Full Description
A new analysis of the technology and tanks that faced off against each other on opposite sides of the Iron Curtain, during the very height of the Cold War.
From the 1960s onwards, there was a generational shift in tank design and warfare with the advent of CBR (chemical, biological, radiological) protection and a move away from HEAT ammunition to APFSDS. This shift confronted the growing threat of guided anti-tank missiles and saw the introduction of composite armor. Soviet heavy tanks and tank destroyer/assault guns became obsolete, giving way to the technological might of the T-62 and T-64, while NATO forces employed the Chieftain, AMX-30, Leopard I, and M60, plus the initial attempt at a common US-German tank, the MBT-70.
Using detailed illustrations and contemporary photographs, this companion volume to NVG 301, Tanks at the Iron Curtain 1946-60 focuses on key battle tanks and their technology to give a comprehensive overall picture of how tanks developed during modern times.
Contents
Introduction
The Tanks, Doctrine, and Organization
Soviet Union: The Rise of the Missile Tank
Warsaw Pact
United States: The Missile Tank Debacle; Radical Alternatives; M48/M60 Improvements
United Kingdom
West Germany
France
Tanks in Battle
Technical Analysis
Firepower
T-62 vs. NATO tanks
Fire control
Protection
Tank Armor of the 1960s
Mobility
Tank Comparisons
Combat Effectiveness of NATO/Warsaw Pact Tanks:
Further Reading
Index
