DavidDoyleBooks.com (Schiffer Publishing) out of Memphis TN, has just announced a new offering in the widely held ‘Legends of Ground Warfare’ series, called ‘M40 Gun Motor Carriage and M43 Howitzer Motor Carriage in WWII and Korea’, by popular author David Doyle. Anyone familiar with Mr. Doyle’s previous work will recognize this authoritative combination, and this latest release won’t disappoint.

M40 Gun Motor Carriage comes as a hardcover, 9.5inch square book, following the format of Mr. Doyle’s previous ‘Legends’ volumes, containing high-resolution images printed on heavy, high quality stock paper. Like most of his other works, Mr. Doyle’s M40 is comparatively priced, and a great value.

The book opens with a table of contents and a brief, two-page introduction to the various vehicles covered in the book, as well as a comparison chart of the two main types; the M40 155mm Self- Propelled Gun (SPG), and the M43 8-in. Self-Propelled Howitzer (SPH).

From there, the book moves through several chapters on the development of both weapons before moving on to how each was used in combat. While the book is loaded with images throughout, Doyle ends with two chapters devoted to excellent detailed pictures of existing vehicles that will surely come in handy to modelers of these impressive weapons.

Each page of the entire book contains large-format black & white or color images, each with a detailed caption that covers setting, unusual equipment and/or markings found.

I’ve been reading books and perusing the internet for some twenty-five years and have yet to encounter the majority of the photographs contained in this book. Mr. Doyle has been able to gain access to, and work with, resources that together have produced quite a startling collection of images for this venerable 1950’s workhorse of American self-propelled artillery.

For example, even though only a single M40 was used in combat in the ETO, there are several images of that deployment, including one behind a crashed Ju-87 Stuka (!)

Sections include:

• Development of the T83 (M40)
• Development of the T30 (M40 Cargo Carrier – short lived)
• Development of the T89 (M43)
• Further Developments (T94 250mm Mortar Carrier, Deep Fording and Armored Cab versions – all short lived)
• The M40 and M43 In-Service
• M40 In Detail
• M43 In Detail

I highly recommend this latest offering from David Doyle by Schiffer Publishing. The images contained in this book are of the highest quality - crisp, in focus, and carefully selected to be useful for modelers and historians alike. The research is top-notch throughout, and a bargain at the price offered. Along with his previous releases, Mr Doyle’s M40 Gun Motor Carriage and M43 Howitzer Motor Carriage belongs on any armor modeler’s book shelf.

I would like to thank DavidDoyleBooks.com for this review copy, and IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review this book.