Tanks at the Iron Curtain 1960-75

by Steven J. Zaloga, Felipe Rodríguez (Illustrator)

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472848161
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	07/19/2022
Series:	New Vanguard
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	434,752
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Steven J. Zaloga received his BA in History from Union College and his MA from Columbia University. He has worked as an analyst in the aerospace industry for over three decades, covering missile systems and the international arms trade, and has served with the Institute for Defense Analyses, a federal think tank. He is the author of numerous books on military technology and military history, with an accent on the US Army in World War II as well as Russia and the former Soviet Union. He currently lives in Maryland.

Table of 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

Editorial Reviews

The writer compares tank production figures, gun and ammunition, armour, and estimated combat effectiveness of opponent tanks. A good review of this big subject with photos and impressive artwork, recommended.” —Tankette

"This is an easy-to-read volume stacked with great images of cold war tanks, this is definitely a book worth picking up especially war gamers wo either play or plan to play A Cold War gone hot scenario." -Jason Hubbard, Irregular Magazine

From the Publisher