Book Review of
Landing Craft & Amphibians
Seaborne Vessels in the 20th Century
Author: Ben Skipper
Pen & Sword Books LandCraft Series
ICBN: 9781399092185
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2021
MSRP: $24.95
ICBN: 9781399092185
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2021
MSRP: $24.95
HISTORY:
From the wars of antiquity to the recent events in South West Asia, landing craft and amphibians have been an ever-present seaborne and battle-space asset in one form or another for the commander wanting to get boots on the ground.
Refined during WWII, with the introduction of the amphibian , and again with the perfection of the hovercraft, the landing craft’s finest hour in popular consciousness occurred on 6 June 1944.
This LandCraft title focuses on landing-craft and amphibian development during WWII as versatile seaborne assets. The book also looks at the post-war evolution of the landing craft and amphibians, and how the simple concepts of their design remains alive and in use almost a century later.
This LandCraft title offers the modeler an exciting range of subjects, era and theatre choices, especially those modeling WWII.
A richly illustrated guide to modelling landing craft and amphibians with 62 black and white photos and 80 color ones and drawings. It is the ultimate modeller’s resource with the history, images and building of these unique sea-going vessels.
This LandCraft title continues to expand the tradition of quality that has become synonymous with Pen & Sword modelling titles.
THE BOOK:
Pen & Sword Books is located in the UK.
This book is soft-bound of 64 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art, at the top, shows a color photo of a 1;/35th scale Revell (LCM) 3, that was done by modeler Brian Richardson, made up.
Below it is 3 black and white photos.
Reading left to right they show: German POWs unloading a vehicle from an LCT, Gen. Douglas MacArthur arriving at Brunei Bay, Labuan, Borneo and an LCVP from the U.S. Coast Guard disembarking troops onto the Fox Green section of Omaha Beach.
At the bottom of the cover art is a color side view illustration of a DUKW, that was with the 470th Amphibious Truck Company, 1st Engineer Brigade, Utah Beach 1944. It is overall olive-drab with a large white star on its sides and atop its hood.
There are walk-around color photos of the inside of a Ford GPA, the keel of a Ukrainian LCU, the nose of a DUKW, the interior of an LVT-4, the cavernous interior of a LARC-LX, a DUKW’s rear
The 1st color 4-view profile illustrations are of the DUKW that is featured on the book’s cover (already described above).
The 2nd color 4-view is of a Rheinmetall Borsig Landwasserschlepper, as it looked on the Baltic Coast, Winter 1944. It is in a camouflage of light-gray, red-brown and dark-gray spots, with a small German cross on its sides.
The 4th color 4-view is of a (LCM) 6, U.S. Navy, 1960. It is overall medium-gray with a large black serial no. M6297 on the sides of its bow, a larger black 6297 on its rear.
Next is a 2-view of an (LCP) (L), U.S. Navy, Guadalcanal, August 1942. It is overall medium-gray with white code PIO-S on the sides of its bow.
The 2nd 2-view is of an (LCVP), U.S. Navy, Utah Beach, 6 June 1944. It too is overall medium-gray with white serial no. PA13-22 on the sides of its bow.
The 5th color 4-view is of a (LCT) Mk. 6, U.S. Navy Sea Trials, Summer 1943. It too is overall medium-gray with black serial no. 501 on the sides of its bow.
The 6th color 4-view is of a (LVT)-4, 2ND Marine Division, U.S. Marine Corps., Tinian Island, 24 July 1944. It is in a camouflage of a base of a base of olive–drab with a very dark green wave pattern. It has a white star on top of its nose and rear and a small white star with bars on its sides.
A 2-view color illustration of a Motolance 656 is next. This was with the 1st Squadriglia Pavia, 3rd Flotilla, with the Maritime Department of the Upper Tyrrhenian Sea, Regia Marina during the war.
Below the illustration there are 4 color photos of a model of this being assembled.
Next is the section of the book that shows models being built.
The first built model shown is a 1/35th scale (LCM)-3 by Revell. It is by modeler Brian Richardson. It is overall medium-gray with a large white no. 81 on the back door of the wheelhouse and white 81 US on the sides of its bow. Fourteen color photos are shown of it. Nine are the walk-around type and one shows it unpainted.
The second built model shown is a 1/35th Scale (LVT)-4 by Italeri brand. It is overall olive-drab on a ground base with a crewman standing beside it. It has a white 22 on the sides of its bow. It was also by modeler Brian Richardson. Twelve color photos of it are shown of it made up. Six photos are of the walk-around type.
The third built model shown is a (LCM)-8 in 1/35th Scale by is scratch built, also by Brian Richardson. It is overall medium-gray with white no. AB 1055 on the sides of its bow and on its rear. Eight color photos are shown of it built up. Four are the walk-around type.
The fourth built model shown is Ford GPA “SEEP”. It is overall olive-drab, with white U.S.A. 704O20 17 over ATS over “Pevries” on the sides of its hood, a white outline of a circle with a white ace of spade on it, followed by a white star on the sides and another white star atop the hood. It was built by modeler Ben Skipper. Fifteen color photos of it built up are shown. Five are the walk-around type.
This is followed by color box arts of other kits that are available and accessories.
The last page of the box has 9 black and white cover arts of other Pen & Sword books: Bren Gun Carrier, The Jeep, M2/M3, Stryker, Land Rover, M113, Humvee, Sd.Kfz. 251 and Bradley.
This is a neat book about landing craft and amphibians. It will be of great interest to modelers and naval enthusiasts alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of Pen & Sword Books and all their titles can be seen on Casemate’s website at:
From the wars of antiquity to the recent events in South West Asia, landing craft and amphibians have been an ever-present seaborne and battle-space asset in one form or another for the commander wanting to get boots on the ground.
Refined during WWII, with the introduction of the amphibian , and again with the perfection of the hovercraft, the landing craft’s finest hour in popular consciousness occurred on 6 June 1944.
This LandCraft title focuses on landing-craft and amphibian development during WWII as versatile seaborne assets. The book also looks at the post-war evolution of the landing craft and amphibians, and how the simple concepts of their design remains alive and in use almost a century later.
This LandCraft title offers the modeler an exciting range of subjects, era and theatre choices, especially those modeling WWII.
A richly illustrated guide to modelling landing craft and amphibians with 62 black and white photos and 80 color ones and drawings. It is the ultimate modeller’s resource with the history, images and building of these unique sea-going vessels.
This LandCraft title continues to expand the tradition of quality that has become synonymous with Pen & Sword modelling titles.
THE BOOK:
Pen & Sword Books is located in the UK.
This book is soft-bound of 64 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art, at the top, shows a color photo of a 1;/35th scale Revell (LCM) 3, that was done by modeler Brian Richardson, made up.
Below it is 3 black and white photos.
Reading left to right they show: German POWs unloading a vehicle from an LCT, Gen. Douglas MacArthur arriving at Brunei Bay, Labuan, Borneo and an LCVP from the U.S. Coast Guard disembarking troops onto the Fox Green section of Omaha Beach.
At the bottom of the cover art is a color side view illustration of a DUKW, that was with the 470th Amphibious Truck Company, 1st Engineer Brigade, Utah Beach 1944. It is overall olive-drab with a large white star on its sides and atop its hood.
There are walk-around color photos of the inside of a Ford GPA, the keel of a Ukrainian LCU, the nose of a DUKW, the interior of an LVT-4, the cavernous interior of a LARC-LX, a DUKW’s rear
The 1st color 4-view profile illustrations are of the DUKW that is featured on the book’s cover (already described above).
The 2nd color 4-view is of a Rheinmetall Borsig Landwasserschlepper, as it looked on the Baltic Coast, Winter 1944. It is in a camouflage of light-gray, red-brown and dark-gray spots, with a small German cross on its sides.
The 4th color 4-view is of a (LCM) 6, U.S. Navy, 1960. It is overall medium-gray with a large black serial no. M6297 on the sides of its bow, a larger black 6297 on its rear.
Next is a 2-view of an (LCP) (L), U.S. Navy, Guadalcanal, August 1942. It is overall medium-gray with white code PIO-S on the sides of its bow.
The 2nd 2-view is of an (LCVP), U.S. Navy, Utah Beach, 6 June 1944. It too is overall medium-gray with white serial no. PA13-22 on the sides of its bow.
The 5th color 4-view is of a (LCT) Mk. 6, U.S. Navy Sea Trials, Summer 1943. It too is overall medium-gray with black serial no. 501 on the sides of its bow.
The 6th color 4-view is of a (LVT)-4, 2ND Marine Division, U.S. Marine Corps., Tinian Island, 24 July 1944. It is in a camouflage of a base of a base of olive–drab with a very dark green wave pattern. It has a white star on top of its nose and rear and a small white star with bars on its sides.
A 2-view color illustration of a Motolance 656 is next. This was with the 1st Squadriglia Pavia, 3rd Flotilla, with the Maritime Department of the Upper Tyrrhenian Sea, Regia Marina during the war.
Below the illustration there are 4 color photos of a model of this being assembled.
Next is the section of the book that shows models being built.
The first built model shown is a 1/35th scale (LCM)-3 by Revell. It is by modeler Brian Richardson. It is overall medium-gray with a large white no. 81 on the back door of the wheelhouse and white 81 US on the sides of its bow. Fourteen color photos are shown of it. Nine are the walk-around type and one shows it unpainted.
The second built model shown is a 1/35th Scale (LVT)-4 by Italeri brand. It is overall olive-drab on a ground base with a crewman standing beside it. It has a white 22 on the sides of its bow. It was also by modeler Brian Richardson. Twelve color photos of it are shown of it made up. Six photos are of the walk-around type.
The third built model shown is a (LCM)-8 in 1/35th Scale by is scratch built, also by Brian Richardson. It is overall medium-gray with white no. AB 1055 on the sides of its bow and on its rear. Eight color photos are shown of it built up. Four are the walk-around type.
The fourth built model shown is Ford GPA “SEEP”. It is overall olive-drab, with white U.S.A. 704O20 17 over ATS over “Pevries” on the sides of its hood, a white outline of a circle with a white ace of spade on it, followed by a white star on the sides and another white star atop the hood. It was built by modeler Ben Skipper. Fifteen color photos of it built up are shown. Five are the walk-around type.
This is followed by color box arts of other kits that are available and accessories.
The last page of the box has 9 black and white cover arts of other Pen & Sword books: Bren Gun Carrier, The Jeep, M2/M3, Stryker, Land Rover, M113, Humvee, Sd.Kfz. 251 and Bradley.
This is a neat book about landing craft and amphibians. It will be of great interest to modelers and naval enthusiasts alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of Pen & Sword Books and all their titles can be seen on Casemate’s website at:
Highly recommended.