Concord Publications Company

Journal of Armored Assault & Heliborne Warfare Vol. 19

Reviewed By  Robert Morales, IPMS# 31535

MSRP: $12.99 ISBN: 962-361-159-5 www.concord-publications.com Sample provided by Dragon Models USA: (www.dragonmodelsusa.com) Concord Publications' Journal of Armored Assault & Heliborne Warfare showcases various aspects of modern mobile warfare. Each 40+ page issue features at least three separate articles complete with narrative text, full color photos of equipment and troops in the field, detail shots and a full color 1/35th scale illustration. The latest edition of Concord's photo journal showcases four articles. The articles are German Artillery Firepower, Italian Pumas in Action, Iron Warrior and Iraqistan at NTC. The first article describes the various vehicles and weapons systems employed by the Bundeswehr as mechanized field artillery. It first covers the employment of mechanized artillery and the organization of the arm within the Bundeswehr, including unit equipment and locations. Star of the show is the German-produced Panzerhaubitze 2000. This fully modernized gun has the capability to deliver three 155mm rounds accurately on target in ten seconds, with a sustained rate of fire on eight rounds per minute. It is replacing the M109 series SP Howitzer in front line service; however, several batteries still employ the M109A3GEA2. The article continues with the MLRS, target acquisition and command/control vehicles. There are great full color photos illustrating each vehicle in action, with a good emphasis on the guns. The second article covers the employment of the Puma with Italian forces in both Afghanistan and Iraq. The Puma is a relatively new 6 x 6 wheeled armored car, in the class of the LAV, produced by Fiat-Oto Melara of Italy. It is designed to operate in conjunction with the Centauro tank destroyer. Pumas can be used in the reconnaissance or infantry role, able to employ TOW or Milan anti-tank missiles, or Mistral SAMs. All of the Pumas pictured in this volume are armed with .50 caliber or 7.62mm machine guns. A walk-around series of photos give the reader many detailed views of the Puma, as well as some good images of modern Italian uniforms and battle gear. Iron Warrior focuses on the U.S. Army's 1st Armored Division on exercise in Germany during 2005. Many of the FTXs were to prepare the members of the "Old Ironsides" division for deployment to Iraq in 2006. There are many good photos of M1s, Bradleys, Paladins and Humvees in action, along with many support vehicles. Toward the end of the article are several clear images of the OSTS-MBT, which stands for the OPFOR Surrogate Training System - Main Battle Tank. The OSTS-MBT is a visually modified M113 series hull to represent typical Russian-built tanks. For some time the OPFOR was employing obsolete M60A3 tanks (with a few former DDR T-80s). The high maintenance and operating costs of these tanks has been greatly reduced by the OSTS-MBT program. The final article of this photo journal, titled "Iraqistan at the NTC", shows how Fort Irwin's National Training Center has developed a state-of-the-art war fighting center to train troops deploying to the current war zones. There are the typical U.S. Army combat vehicles and troop images, as well as a few new Stryker shots and several neat VISMOD (Visually Modified) OPFOR vehicles. The narrative in this section is very informative. The full-color illustration in this volume is of the Israeli Merkava IV in full left-hand profile. This is scaled to 1/35. Overall, the JAAHW volumes pack a lot of neat modern images and info into a concise, magazine-style format. Volume 19 does not disappoint. Any modern armor fans, as well as those interested in seeing how combat vehicles look in their environment, will find Volume 19 well worth the price. If you have the Revell Panzerhaubitze 2000 on your shelf, or are interested in jazzing up an old M113 kit as an OSTS-MBT, grab this issue! Thank you to Concord Publications for providing this review copy. Highly Recommended!

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