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British Tank Destroyer Achilles (Armor PhotoGallery 14) By Wojciech J. Gawrych

The 204mm x 290mm book with laminated card covers has 72 pages packed with 207 colour photos, 65 B&W period photos plus tech manual illustrations with 1:35 and 1:48 scale plans of the Achilles. The text is kept to a minimum with just a brief introduction giving a history of the preserved vehicle featured in the photo walkaround and the photo captions to explain the images with most of the space devoted to the excellent detail photos.

The single restored Achilles featured in the book is the sole running example in Europe and belongs to the Ole Drostrup collection in Soenderborg, Southern Jutland, Denmark. The vehicle has been faithfully restored but there are a couple of add-ons from its life with the Danish Army, post war but these are easily identified with the vast majority of details being authentic for a WWII Achilles.

The first 14 pages has a detailed close up walkaround of the hull exterior and running gear with many of the photos dealing with one small detail such as the appliqué armour bolts on the side, the headlights and the filler caps on the engine deck that include a number with the caps open showing the inner details. As mentioned there are a few post war additions such as aerials and attachments on the rear hull plate but the captions identify these so there shouldn’t be any mixups.

There are also many photos of the running gear and the rear exhaust with a couple of shots looking up her skirts showing the radiator visible under the rear hull overhang plus many other details with virtually no part of the hull missed.

The turret is next with 4 pages of extreme close-up shots of the exterior including close-ups of the elusive 17 Pdr muzzle brake which is the bone of much speculation regarding the shape and the 5 photos of this show this from various angles for good coverage. The mantlet is also covered with 7 shots showing the many subtle details and as well as the rear duck bill counterweights.

The next 8 pages cover the turret interior with 10 photos of the 17 Pdr breech from different angles as well as the gun controls and mountings plus the turret walls with the ammo storage and various equipment boxes.

The hull interior comes next with 6 pages showing in detail the front driver’s and assistant driver’s positions as well as the transmission and control levers plus the No.19 radio setup and the ammo racks along the side sponsons and the rear wall with close up shots of the oil cooler radiator and electrical junction box.

Next are three pages showing the GM 6046 engine inside the hull and outside allowing for some excellent details to be shown.

Following this are colour illustrations of the various 17 Pdr rounds showing the colours as well as illustrations of the wooden and metal ammo boxes showing the stencilling.

The next 6 pages have six view 1:48 and 1:35 plans followed by 4 pages of technical manual illustrations detailed many of the details shown in the previous close-up photos for a good perspective of how everything fits together.

The final 23 pages have a brief photo history of the M10 development followed by numerous photos of the Achilles in action in N.E. Europe after D-Day that give excellent details of the vehicle storage as well as crew uniforms with the photos offering many diorama possibilities. The photo captions are a bit more extensive here to better describe each photo as well as giving basic history and action accounts.

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Rating:
2.5 out of 5 by Book123