ebooks T-64 Battle Tank: The Cold War’s Most Secret Tank (New Vanguard) by Steven J. Zaloga in History

Review

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Another quality book from Steven ZalogaBy TankandAFVNewsPeople familiar with Osprey's New Vanguard series and with Steven Zaloga will know exactly what to expect from this title; a well written; well researched book with quality photos and illustrations. Mr. Zaloga also wrote the New Vanguard series books on the Soviet T-62; T-72 and T-80; so this volume completes the set nicely. That the T-64 is the last of the Soviet Cold War MBT's to get it's own New Vanguard book is indicative of how this vehicle has been overshadowed by its more well known stablemates. Ironically; the T-64 was perhaps the most important of the Cold War Soviet designs; setting the template for all the Soviet tanks that followed. Zaloga does a very nice job in describing the internal politics that led to the development of the T-64; a tale with more than a few characters and plot twists. It is perhaps appropriate that this book came out now; as it's only been in the last year that the T-64 has seen combat; being used extensively in the fighting in Ukraine. If you are looking for something on the T-64; there are not many options out there. Fortunately; this volume fills the niche quite nicely.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Professionally Prepared and Produced BookBy DDIPThis is a well-written; well-formatted; and well-produced book. It has a great balance of text; illustrations; photographs; and data. I appreciated the history of the tank's development; particularly the politics that influenced it. The explanations of how it resulted in the development of the T-72 and T-80 were also very interesting. While the book is quite informative; providing information I have not seen on the Internet; I would have liked a little more explanation as to why Morozov (the chief engineer) put such high emphasis on very small size and very low weight in the design of the vehicle. I also would have liked to know whether these attributes turned out to be advantageous; or whether gun accuracy mitigated the advantage of small size and weight proved more of a limitation than an advantage from an upgrading perspective. I also thought that an explanation of why the tank was considered about on par with the M60 would have been interesting; when on paper the T-64 appears superior in terms of armor; armament; speed; agility; size/height; and range. Was it inferior in terms of other features; such as fire control or accuracy?0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Facts and history of the T-64By Stone DogAnother work on Soviet armor from author Steven Zaloga that fits perfectly in the Osprey New Vanguard Series. As with any Osprey title; you get the usual excellent period photos; illustrations and color plates.Zaloga does a good job of giving the reader concise histories of weapons systems. In this case; he looks at the T-64 Soviet Main Battle Tank; meant to be the USSR's next evolution in tank design to compete with NATO models in a future European war. The Soviets were trying to look forward and design a more heavily armored and armed tank to take on Western tanks then being designed.As usual; Zaloga gives the development history of the weapon; the specifications; propulsion; weapons as well as communication and optics. There were problems developing the motor; there was the inevitable attempts to make tanks fire missiles - something NATO countries tried too - and early work with laminate armor.The T-64 wasn't as well known in the West as other Soviet weapons. The T-54; T-55 and T-62 had all been exported and since so many were sold/given to Arab states for their wars against Israel. As a result; many were captured and available for analysis by Western militaries. The T-64 wasn't and managed to hide some of the weapons technology of the USSR...at least for a time.It's a good volume on the tank; though as usual Zaloga writes in a dry fashion that doesn't make the text enjoyable and doesn't really have any first-person accounts of crew members and their experiences. Four stars.