Military Model Scene

Title: M12 Gun Motor Carriage

Author: David Doyle

Publisher: Pen and Sword

ISBN: 978-1-52674-352-7

​

There is no let-up in the Images of War series, and another from author David Doyle. This time we get a detailed look at the first significant self-propelled mount for their 155mm guns for the US Army. Towed artillery, especially heavy artillery, is time consuming to get both in and out of action. It wasn't until 1941 when the US Army gave the go ahead for a prototype vehicle combining a French built 155mm gun on an M3 tank chassis. The forms the subject of the first chapter, the T6 prototype. That is followed by the production version, the M12. Chapter 3 looks at the T14, basically the same vehicle but without the gun, and used as an ammunition carrier, vital to support the M12 in action, and designated the M30 once in service. That takes us on to chapter 4, looking at the M12 in Action, before the final chapter provides detailed, and first class colour photo coverage of the one surviving example of the M12.

Only 100 M12s were built, and at first they were used for training and put into storage. However, when the fighting in NW Europe came along, 74 were re-furbished and deployed to Europe.  They proved a capable weapon, and particularly with 'bunker busting' on the Siegfried Line. The archive photos are all in black & white, with informative captioning, while the colour photos in the final chapter showing the one surviving example on the collection at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Excellent for anyone with an interest in WW2 artillery and ideal for the AFV modeller for not only the detail of every facet of the M12, but archive photos which give plenty of diorama ideas as well.

Recommended.

 

Thanks to Pen and Sword for this review copy.

​

Robin