The Soviet T-80 Standard Tank was the last tank fielded before the Soviet collapse; and the most controversial. Like the US M1 Abrams tank; the T-80 used a turbine power plant rather than a conventional diesel. Although the design was blessed with some of the most sophisticated armament; fire controls; and multi-layer armor ever fielded on a Soviet tank; its power plant remained a source of considerable trouble through its career. It saw very little service in the Chechen War; though T-80 tanks were used in some of the regional conflicts in the former Soviet Union in the 1990s. Although the collapse of the Soviet Union might seem the end of the story; the T-80 lived on in Ukraine where one of its tank plants was based. A diesel powered version of the T-80 was developed; the T-84; which was successfully exported; including a major sale to Pakistan to counterbalance the Indian Army's Russian T-90 tanks. Steven J Zaloga charts the little-known history of the T-80; covering the initial construction; through the development to the subsequent variants; the T-84 and Russia's enigmatic "Black Eagle Tank." Accompanying detailed cut-away artwork illustrates the unusual design features that made the T-80 so controversial.
#5019650 in Books Wordsworth Editions Ltd 2000-09Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 .37 x 7.51 x 9.69l; 1.10 #File Name: 184022228X208 pages
Review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Peninsular PrimerBy Jan JeffReaders will find this handsome paperback an affordable introduction to the Napoleonic campaigns on the Iberian peninsula. Nicely illustrated with artwork of peninsular scenes and good basic maps; it's well-laced with quotes from participants and salted with mood-setting Napieresque purple prose. Unfortunately it suffers from Anglo-centricism; as do most English-language texts on the subject; but does refrain from the most biting criticism of Englands's Iberian allies. Nevertheless Parkinson's work is a good starting point from which to move on to the best single-volume history; David Gate's THE SPANISH ULCER (available soon in PB). I also recommend De Rocca's In The PENINSULA With a FRENCH HUSSAR; Hibbert's WHEATLEY DIARY RIFLEMAN HARRIS (both PB); and August Schaumann's delightful On The ROAD With WELLINGTON.
