In this heavily illustrated volume in the TankCraft series Dennis Oliver focuses on the Achilles - the British variant of the American M10 - which was one of the most important Allied tank destroyers of the Second World War. It played a key role in the armoured battles fought on the Western Front, in particular in France, the Low Countries, Germany and Italy. Built on an adapted Sherman chassis, with sloped armour, an open-topped turret and powerful 17-pounder gun, it was designed to counter the threat posed by the formidable panzers deployed by the German army towards the end of the conflict, in particular the Panther and Tiger tanks. The book covers the design and operational history of the Achilles in close detail, using rare archive photographs and meticulously researched colour illustrations, as well as a detailed, authoritative text. A key section displays available model kits and aftermarket products, complemented by a gallery of beautifully constructed and painted models in various scales. Technical details as well as modifications introduced during production and in the field are also examined providing everything the modeller needs to recreate an accurate representation of these historic armoured fighting vehicles. AUTHOR: Dennis Oliver is the author of over twenty books on Second World War armoured vehicles including Codename Swallow: British Sherman Tanks at Alamein; To The Last Bullet: Germany’s War on 3 Fronts; Westwall: German Armour in the West 1945; Tiger I and II Tanks of the German Army and Waffen-SS: Eastern Front 1944; Sherman Tanks of the British Army and Royal Marines: Normandy Campaign 1944; Panther Tanks: German Army and Waffen-SS, Normandy Campaign 1944; Jagdpanther Tank Destroyer: German Army, Western Europe 1944-1945; Churchill Tanks: British Army, North-west Europe 1944-1945 and Cromwell and Centaur Tanks: British Army and Royal Marines, North-west Europe 1944-1945.
200 colour and b/w images
