M50 Ontos and M56 Scorpion 1956-70: US Tank Destroyers of the Vietnam War: 240 (New Vanguard)

Estes, Kenneth W

ISBN 10: 1472814738 / ISBN 13: 9781472814739

Published by Osprey Publishing, 2016

About this Item

1st edition softback, 2016. Pictorial wrappers as new. Pages very clean & tight. No inscriptions. Well illustrated. 48 pages. Seller Inventory # ABE-1655203041439

Bibliographic Details

Title: M50 Ontos and M56 Scorpion 1956-70: US Tank ...

Publisher: Osprey Publishing

Publication Date: 2016

Binding: Soft cover

Illustrator: Morshead, Henry; Shumate, Johnny

Condition: As New

Edition: 1st Edition

About this title

Synopsis:

Designed in the 1950s, the US Marines' M50 Ontos and the US Army's M56 Scorpion were both intended to be fast, light, air-droppable tank-killers for the Cold War battlefield--an answer to the cumbersome and ineffective World War II-vintage tanks that had taken to the battlefield during the Korean War. Although they shared the aim of bringing light, mobile, and lethal antitank firepower to the infantry, the two vehicles varied wildly in design to cater for their unique mission demands. They first saw service in the Lebanon intervention of 1958 but it was in the Vietnam War that they made their name, with the M50 Ontos seeing intense combat action in the 1968 Battle of Hue.

Detailed illustrations and expert analysis provide the reader with a comprehensive history of these deadly antitank vehicles, from early development through to their combat history and the eventual disbandment of the Marine Corps' last antitank battalion with M50A1s in 1971.

About the Author:

Kenneth W. Estes served in the US Marine Corps until 1993. He taught History at Duke University and the US Naval Academy. He was made an Honorary Legionnaire in the Spanish Legion in 1992.

Henry Morshead is a design consultant in the European automotive and aerospace sectors. A former officer in the Royal Engineers, and an illustrator, he is interested in the design and use of military vehicles.

Johnny Shumate is a freelance illustrator living in Nashville, Tennessee. He began his career in 1987.