Book Review of
M60 Main Battle Tank
America’s Cold War Warrior, 1959-1997
Author: David Grummitt
Pen & Sword Co. Ltd. Tank Craft Series
ICBN: 9781399086454
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2022
MSRP: $24.95
ICBN: 9781399086454
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2022
MSRP: $24.95
HISTORY:
The M60 was a second-generation American battle tank, the last line of Patton tanks that had first been developed at the end of WWII. It entered operational service with the US Army in 1960 and some 15,000 M60s were manufactured by Chrysler at the Detroit Tank Arsenal Plant between then and when production ceased in 1983.
It served with both the US Army and the US Marine Corps and was the principal tank deployed in Europe in the sixties, seventies and early eighties, providing NATOs main armored force at the height of the Cold War. It became the most widely used armored fighting vehicles of the twentieth century, serving the armies of over 25 countries.
It continued to serve alongside the M1 Abrams into the 1990s, before this venerable Cold War warrior was finally retired from active service with the US military in 1997.
THE BOOK:
Pen & Sword Co. Ltd. is based in the UK.
This book is of soft-cover of 64 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The volume charts the development of the M60 from its origins in WWII to the Cold War. It focuses on its service with the US military and other NATO armies, examining its combat service in the First Gulf War and also with other armies in the Middle East. The book gives a full account of the wide range of kits and accessories available in all the popular scales and a modelling gallery features builds covering a range of M60s in service with various armed forces. Detailed color profiles provide both reference and inspiration for modelers and military enthusiasts alike.
There are 8 pages of full color illustrations depicting 12 different vehicles. Technical history of the M50 Main Battle Tank. Accounts of the M60 in action. Full listing and discussion of the M60 kits and accessories in all the popular scales.
The cover art shows a color photo at the top of the AFV Club 1/35th scale M60A0 made up also using accessories by DEF Model and Legends Production brands. It was made by modeler Uwe Kern and is marked as being with the 1st Battalion, 110th Armor Regiment, 26th US Infantry Division, Massachusetts Army National Guard (article about this build inside the book).
Below it are 3 photos.
The one on the left and the one in the center are of M60s during the Gulf War. The one on the right shows a M60A2 crossing a pontoon bridge during Operation Sentinel in 1979.
At the bottom is a color illustration side-view of a M6OA1 in a wave pattern camouflage of olive-drab with wide black wave pattern.
The book contains 17 black and white photos and 49 color ones. Ten of the color ones are walk-around type showing a M60 on display.
Black and white photos include:
5 photos of the M60A1, one fitted with a M9 dozer blade, a M26 Pershing, a T-48, M47, 3 photos of the M60, a M88A1, 2 photos of Iranian M60A1s and a M60A1E-2.
Color photos include:
An M46, a M48, a M48A5, 3 photos of the M60, 21 photos of the M60A1, a M60A2, 8 photos of a M60A3, a LVTP07, a M278 with bulldozer blade and a M60A LVB bridge-layer.
There is a line drawing showing how to properly apply camouflage.
There are 12 color photos that are the walk around type of a M60A1 on display.
There are 12 color profile illustrations:
Three are of the M60
Seven are of the M60A1
Two are of the M60A2
One is of the M60A3
The modeling section of the book shows:
AFV Club’s 1/35th Scale M60AO with Def. Model’s and Legend Production accessory parts added. Built by Leu Kern. Shown on the cover art and already described. In 4 color photos of it finished and 10 walk around type ones.
Takom’s 1/35th scale M60A1 built by David Grummitt. Marked as being with 1-11 Armored Cavalry Division, U.S. 7TH Army, Fulda, Germany, Summer 1976. There are 3 color photos of it finished and 5 walk around types.
Another Takom 1/35th scale M60A1, also built by David Grummitt. Marked as being with the 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, 8th Tank Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps, Kuwait, February 1991. There are 3 color photos showing it finished and 5 walk around types also again.
AFV Club’s 1/35th scale M60A2 built by David Chou. No unit said. With 4 color finished photos and 1 walk around type. A unit badge is also shown.
Revell’s 1/72nd scale M60A3 built by David Gromits. Marked as being with the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Combat Maneuver Center, Hohenfels, Germany 1990. There are 6 color photos of it finished and one walk around type photo.
Academy’s 1/35th scale M60A3 TTS. Built by Jose Luis Lopez Ruiz. Marked as being with the 5th Battalion, 77th Armored Regiment, “Steel Tigers”, 8th U.S. Infantry Division. There are 5 color photo of it finished and 3 walk around types.
AFV Club’s 1/35th Scale M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle. Built by David Chou. Marked as being from the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Vietnam, 1969. There are 2 color photos of it finished and 2 walk around types.
These build reviews are followed by kits that are available.
Box arts are shown of:
Tom Brand’s M60A1, Dragon’s M60 Patton, AFV Club’s M60A1, their M728, their Early Type M60A2, their M60A1 with ERA & M9 bulldozer and their M60A3, all in 1/35th scale.
Esci’s 1/72nd scale M60A1, Italari's 1/72nd scale M60A1, Revell’s 1/72nd scale M60A1, their M60A3 and their M60A3 with M9 bulldozer blade.
Def Model’s 1/35th scale M60 accessories kit. Black Dog’s 1/72nd scale M60 accessories kit, ATL Brand’s 1/35th scale M60 track links kit, Def Model’s 1/35th scale turret set and their M68A1 early M60A3 gun barrel and their M60A2 detail set and FC Model Trend 1/35th scale M60A3 detail set.
There are 3 cartoons about the M60 in the book.
The last page of the book shows 12 black and white cover arts of other Pen & Sword AFV books:
Tiger I & II, Sherman Tanks, Panther Tanks, Churchill Tanks, Panzer IV, Jagdpanzer, Centurion, another volume of Sherman Tanks, another volume of Tiger I & II, T-54/55, Tank Destroyer and Panzer I & II.
This is a neat book about the M60 and it’s variants. It will be of great interest to modelers planning on building a M60 and to military historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. They are the N. American distributor of Pen & Sword Books and all their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
The M60 was a second-generation American battle tank, the last line of Patton tanks that had first been developed at the end of WWII. It entered operational service with the US Army in 1960 and some 15,000 M60s were manufactured by Chrysler at the Detroit Tank Arsenal Plant between then and when production ceased in 1983.
It served with both the US Army and the US Marine Corps and was the principal tank deployed in Europe in the sixties, seventies and early eighties, providing NATOs main armored force at the height of the Cold War. It became the most widely used armored fighting vehicles of the twentieth century, serving the armies of over 25 countries.
It continued to serve alongside the M1 Abrams into the 1990s, before this venerable Cold War warrior was finally retired from active service with the US military in 1997.
THE BOOK:
Pen & Sword Co. Ltd. is based in the UK.
This book is of soft-cover of 64 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The volume charts the development of the M60 from its origins in WWII to the Cold War. It focuses on its service with the US military and other NATO armies, examining its combat service in the First Gulf War and also with other armies in the Middle East. The book gives a full account of the wide range of kits and accessories available in all the popular scales and a modelling gallery features builds covering a range of M60s in service with various armed forces. Detailed color profiles provide both reference and inspiration for modelers and military enthusiasts alike.
There are 8 pages of full color illustrations depicting 12 different vehicles. Technical history of the M50 Main Battle Tank. Accounts of the M60 in action. Full listing and discussion of the M60 kits and accessories in all the popular scales.
The cover art shows a color photo at the top of the AFV Club 1/35th scale M60A0 made up also using accessories by DEF Model and Legends Production brands. It was made by modeler Uwe Kern and is marked as being with the 1st Battalion, 110th Armor Regiment, 26th US Infantry Division, Massachusetts Army National Guard (article about this build inside the book).
Below it are 3 photos.
The one on the left and the one in the center are of M60s during the Gulf War. The one on the right shows a M60A2 crossing a pontoon bridge during Operation Sentinel in 1979.
At the bottom is a color illustration side-view of a M6OA1 in a wave pattern camouflage of olive-drab with wide black wave pattern.
The book contains 17 black and white photos and 49 color ones. Ten of the color ones are walk-around type showing a M60 on display.
Black and white photos include:
5 photos of the M60A1, one fitted with a M9 dozer blade, a M26 Pershing, a T-48, M47, 3 photos of the M60, a M88A1, 2 photos of Iranian M60A1s and a M60A1E-2.
Color photos include:
An M46, a M48, a M48A5, 3 photos of the M60, 21 photos of the M60A1, a M60A2, 8 photos of a M60A3, a LVTP07, a M278 with bulldozer blade and a M60A LVB bridge-layer.
There is a line drawing showing how to properly apply camouflage.
There are 12 color photos that are the walk around type of a M60A1 on display.
There are 12 color profile illustrations:
Three are of the M60
Seven are of the M60A1
Two are of the M60A2
One is of the M60A3
The modeling section of the book shows:
AFV Club’s 1/35th Scale M60AO with Def. Model’s and Legend Production accessory parts added. Built by Leu Kern. Shown on the cover art and already described. In 4 color photos of it finished and 10 walk around type ones.
Takom’s 1/35th scale M60A1 built by David Grummitt. Marked as being with 1-11 Armored Cavalry Division, U.S. 7TH Army, Fulda, Germany, Summer 1976. There are 3 color photos of it finished and 5 walk around types.
Another Takom 1/35th scale M60A1, also built by David Grummitt. Marked as being with the 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, 8th Tank Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps, Kuwait, February 1991. There are 3 color photos showing it finished and 5 walk around types also again.
AFV Club’s 1/35th scale M60A2 built by David Chou. No unit said. With 4 color finished photos and 1 walk around type. A unit badge is also shown.
Revell’s 1/72nd scale M60A3 built by David Gromits. Marked as being with the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Combat Maneuver Center, Hohenfels, Germany 1990. There are 6 color photos of it finished and one walk around type photo.
Academy’s 1/35th scale M60A3 TTS. Built by Jose Luis Lopez Ruiz. Marked as being with the 5th Battalion, 77th Armored Regiment, “Steel Tigers”, 8th U.S. Infantry Division. There are 5 color photo of it finished and 3 walk around types.
AFV Club’s 1/35th Scale M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle. Built by David Chou. Marked as being from the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Vietnam, 1969. There are 2 color photos of it finished and 2 walk around types.
These build reviews are followed by kits that are available.
Box arts are shown of:
Tom Brand’s M60A1, Dragon’s M60 Patton, AFV Club’s M60A1, their M728, their Early Type M60A2, their M60A1 with ERA & M9 bulldozer and their M60A3, all in 1/35th scale.
Esci’s 1/72nd scale M60A1, Italari's 1/72nd scale M60A1, Revell’s 1/72nd scale M60A1, their M60A3 and their M60A3 with M9 bulldozer blade.
Def Model’s 1/35th scale M60 accessories kit. Black Dog’s 1/72nd scale M60 accessories kit, ATL Brand’s 1/35th scale M60 track links kit, Def Model’s 1/35th scale turret set and their M68A1 early M60A3 gun barrel and their M60A2 detail set and FC Model Trend 1/35th scale M60A3 detail set.
There are 3 cartoons about the M60 in the book.
The last page of the book shows 12 black and white cover arts of other Pen & Sword AFV books:
Tiger I & II, Sherman Tanks, Panther Tanks, Churchill Tanks, Panzer IV, Jagdpanzer, Centurion, another volume of Sherman Tanks, another volume of Tiger I & II, T-54/55, Tank Destroyer and Panzer I & II.
This is a neat book about the M60 and it’s variants. It will be of great interest to modelers planning on building a M60 and to military historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. They are the N. American distributor of Pen & Sword Books and all their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Highly recommended.