Introduction

This book covers the search for and the development of all types of ambulances, medic jeeps, medical trucks, and litter carriers used by the US Army during World War II. The book details many modifications made in-theater to vehicles, and other missions for medical vehicles including use by the American Red Cross and American Field Service.

US Army Ambulances & Medical Vehicles in World War II is part of Casemate’s Illustrated Special Series that uses hundreds of B&W photographs, color illustrations, and diagrams to provide a wealth of information for the historian, modeler, or researcher.

Author Didier is passionate about military history, in particular American vehicles of World War II. He has accumulated an impressive collection of technical documents and photographs on the subject, which he has shared through his writing, both books and magazines, over the last two decades.

AFV Club has released yet another version of Israeli’s rework of the venerable American M60 Main Battle Tank. This time around we meet the ‘Magach 6B GAL’ – a version that, as far as I know, has only been reproduced in 1/35th scale with the help of an after-market Legend set. ‘Magach’, Hebrew for ‘battering ram’, has no less than six origins in Wikipedia, so I’ll let the reader decide where this moniker actually came from. Needless to say, these ‘re-wired’ M48 and M60 tanks proved to be equal to the task of filling the gap between earlier, British and WWII armor and the current Merkava armor types – the final conversion occurring in 2006.

History

This kit is a rerelease from an older one by Italeri. What has changed is the decal sheet. The kit is an easy build in one of four different versions, and I have chosen to model the Marine Corps Pelielu Island from August 1944.

In the Box

The contents of the kit are on five olive green styrene sprues. Also included in the box are a set of rubber tracks, a piece of plastic mesh for the deep wading tank screens, and decals for 4 schemes. There are evident sink marks throughout, mostly in places that would not be normally seen.

The kit instructions are a large booklet with 9 steps to complete the model. The ninth step shows assembly and application of the deep wading vents for one of the versions.

The four versions of the model are:

In late 1943 the British Cabinet of War submitted a request for a new cruiser tank that could counter the threat of the German 88mm cannon. This tank was to be named the A41 and by May of 1944 20 preproduction A41s had rolled off the production line. This vehicle was also called the Centurion Mk 1 and in April of 1945, six of these new tanks were deployed to Germany for field trials. Unfortunately, this was too late for these vehicles to see active service but the Centurion, in a number of different versions, formed the backbone of the British Cold War main battle tank core. This new release from AFV club adapts their base Centurion kit, first released in 2006, to cover this very first preproduction version of this important tank.

Thank you to Phil and to Bill for all the work that you do!

First Impression

This ICM offering is a bundle of two of previous releases: the T-34-85 Soviet Medium Tank kit No. 35367 issued March, 2018 and the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.B. King Tiger with Henschel Turret kit No. 35363 released July, 2016. The kits are separately packaged. The King Tiger has eight light-gray crisply molded sprues and a set of vinyl tracks. The T-34-85 consists of five dark-green sprues, one clear sprue, a set of vinyl tracks and individually packaged body halves. Two decal sheets are provided. The King Tiger versions are: PzKpfw.IV Ausf.B s.Pz.Abt. Feldhernhalle, Hungary, March 1945; PzKpfw.IV Ausf.B s.Pz.Abt.