M1 Abrams vs T-72 Ural

Collana della Osprey Publishing dedicata ai modellisti, giocatori di wargames e agli appassionati di storia militare di ogni età. Ogni volume mette a confronto 2 aerei, o 2 mezzi corazzati, 2 navi, 2 armi, 2 tipi di armamento, ecc. protagonisti del 20° secolo. Ne segue l'origine e lo sviluppo con ampia trattazione delle innovazioni tecnologiche e tattiche introdotte, fornisce tutti i dati tecnici, le caratteristiche e particolari vari. L'iconografia comprende accurati artwork digitali a colori anche degli interni, disegni al tratto e vari "gun sight views" dei mezzi in azione sui campi di battaglia.

The Gulf War bore witness to a number of deadly encounters between these two great adversaries. Heavily armoured, highly mobile and capable of killing at over 2500m the M1 Abrams is, to this day, a veritable fighting machine. Superior to both Iraq’s Soviet era T-55 and T-62 tanks, nearly all sources claim that no Abrams tank has ever been destroyed by enemy fire. Despite entering service in 1980, the M1 Abrams remained untested in combat until the Gulf War in 1991, where it was to be confronted by its archenemy the Iraqi-assembled Soviet-designed T-72. Entering production in 1971, the T-72 arguably outstripped its contemporaries in a balance of mobility, protection and firepower. By the time of Operation Desert Storm, however, the tables had turned and the tank suffered due to low quality ammunition and poorly trained crews. In this fascinating study, Steven Zaloga pits these two great fighting machines against one another, plotting the development of the Cold War until both tanks met in combat in the deserts of Iraq and Kuwait.