Introduction

The following introduction is taken from the Pen and Sword website:

The M60 was a second-generation American main battle tank, the last in the line of Patton tanks that had first been developed at the end of World War. It entered operational service with the US Army in 1960 and some 15,000 M60s were manufactured by Chrysler at the Detroit Tank Arsenal Plant between then and when production ceased in 1983. It served with both the US Army and the US Marine Corps and was the principal tank deployed in Europe in the ‘sixties, ‘seventies and early ‘eighties, providing NATO’s main Armored force at the height of the Cold War. It became one of the most widely used armoured fighting vehicles of the twentieth century, serving in the armies of over 25 countries. It continued to serve alongside the M1 Abrams into the 1990s before this venerable Cold War warrior was finally retired from active service with the US military in 1997.

This volume charts the development of the M60 from its origins in World War II to the Cold War. It focuses on its service with the US military and other NATO armies, examining its combat service in the First Gulf War and also with other armies in the Middle East. The book gives a full account of the wide range of kits and accessories available in all the popular scales and a modelling gallery features builds covering a range of M60s in service with various armed forces. Detailed colour profiles provide both reference and inspiration for modelers and military enthusiasts alike.

Review

This offering from Pen and Sword covering the M60 MBT is part of their Tank Craft series and in number 37 within that series. This offering is authored by David Grummitt who has been the author of a number of books in this series. This is a soft backed book of 64 pages printed in a portrait presentation style. The contents of the book are as follows:

US tank development

The development of the Patton tank

M60

M60A1

M60A2

Camouflage and Markings

Model Showcase

Modelling Products

M60A2 (2)

M60A3

M60 in foreign service

M60 camouflage and markings

M60 Walk Around

Further Reading 

The written text in this offering has been well provided, in a clear font of a good size. The text is interspersed with period photographs of a good mix of vehicles each with their own caption. My only real concern with the written content of the book, is that the author has been expected to cover too much in a book of this size which I feel has affected its value. With that said, the author has made a good effort with this title. Another negative which may or may not bother you is that all of the modelling sections have been placed in the middle of the title, and physically cut the factual content in half, with the M60A2 section being at the front and rear of the title. A nice inclusion that I found is a part from Preventive Maintenance Monthly using drawn “Pin ups” to cover aspects of the New M60A2 to its crew from April 1975. Some other nice specifics in the factual area of the book provides the specific application of the four colour MERDC scheme on the M60A2, and then also covers all eight variations of those patterns in terms of the colours used. 

The section providing artist profiles of the M60 covers the vehicle from left and right sides and in some cases with the turret rotated and the barrel in the travel lock. The author has gone to some trouble to provide photographic reference which the artists profiles to further enhance their value. The section covering the models themselves has been presented in a positive way for me, as images of the model during the build have been included, which for me increases its value. The models covered are as follows:

M60A0 1st Battalion, 110th Armour Regiment, 26th (US) Infantry Division, Massachusetts Army National Guard, Exercise Central Guardian, Southern Germany, January 1985 in 1/35th scale using the AFV Club base model with additions from Def Models and Legend Productions by Uwe Kern

1-11 Armoured Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armoured Division, US 7th Army, FULDA, Germany, Summer 1976 in 1/35th scale using the Takom model by David Grummitt

M60A1 (RISE Passive) 3rd Platoon, A Company, 8th Tank Battalion, United States Marine Corps, Kuwait, February 1991 in 1/35th scale using the Takom model kit by David Grummitt

M60A2 1-35 Armoured Regiment, 1st Armoured Division, US 7th Army, Erlangen, Germany, 1976 in 1/35th scale using the AFV Club model by David Chou

M60A3 TTS 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, Combat Maneuver Training Centre, Hohenfels, Germany, 1990 in 1/72nd scale using the Revel offering by David Grummitt

M60A3 TTS 5th Battalion, 77th Armour Regiment “Steel Tigers”, 8th (US) Infantry Division, Exercise Certain Challenge, Southern Germany, September 1988 in 1/35th scale using the Academy kit by Jose Luis Lopez Ruiz

M728 Combat Engineer vehicle 11th Armoured Cavalry Regiment, Vietnam, 1969 in 1/35th scale using the AFV club offering by David Chou

When looking at the models available of the M60 David Grummitt has listed some of the highs and lows of the models covered, which is a useful reference for a modeller. Then when moving on to after market offerings, he provides information such as, using individual track links to replace the offerings available in the Tamiya, Academy and the Esci/Ertl which are poor. The section is limited, but I commend him for what he has managed to provide, and in some ways I almost wish he would produce a book covering the models, their build and what’s available in its own right, minus the factual information but using the artists profiles as an additional visual guide for the modeller. 

After those sections you go back into the factual areas of the book, where it is pleasing to see the M60 in use with foreign armies and the differences between them and the American vehicles. One area the author has included, which I feel is limited is the walk around section. The photographs included are of a good quality, covering some nice aspects of the vehicles but there is very little the modeller can garner from 12 photographs over 2 pages. 

Conclusion

This offering from Pen and Sword, looking at the M60 Main Battle Tank and authored by David Grummitt, has had its value limited by trying to cover too much over the available space in the book, and that is a pity due to the usage of the M60 and the number of options that are available to the modeller. I would like to see David Grummitt produce books that separated factual content, from modelling content as I believe his modelling titles would prove popular.