Military Model Scene

Title: Red Army Auxiliary Armoured Vehicles 1930-1945
Author: Alexey Tarasov
Publisher: Pen & Sword
ISBN: 978-1-52678-589-5

This recent addition to the Images of War series is just a little different from usual. The soft-cover 148-page book is split into just 3 distinct main sections, and the first of these is all text, filling the first 62 pages.
The initial section of text is broken down into 13 sub-sections, the last of which is a Conclusion that assesses the successes and failures of the Soviet army over the period from before the war, which meant they went into combat against the invading German army with a lot of varied & obsolete equipment which also led to problems with availability of spares. Newer equipment that came into use helped, but still suffered from a lack of spares availability. There was though a good deal of experimentation. Then come the two sections which hold all the archive photos & their captions, which are referred to in the previous text. The first sections covers the period 1930 - 1940, and the second from 1941 - 1945. Some fascinating photos in here, and some types I had never seen before. To pick out some examples, how about a T-26 with additional eccentric half-wheels intended to jump obstacles. Not only the big T-28 Bridgelayer, but some on other tank chassis as well. Another which I think may tempt many modellers, features armoured 'boxes' on a T-34 to carry infantry, on the track guards and in a separate compartment on the rear engine deck.
I have seen and read a lot on Soviet armoured vehicles and equipment in WW2 over the years, but this has some I have never seen before. Interesting to read plus the archive photos include some vehicles that would be great to try and recreate and be eye-catching additions to any collection. I therefore rate this as a fascinating references and would recommend it to anyone interested in Soviet vehicles of WW2.
Thanks to Pen & Sword for our review copy.

Robin