Anyway, the book is a just a little thing, measuring just slightly larger than 4"x 6" (though with 384 pages), but is the most complete, informational volume on the Warsaw Pact forces that I've ever seen. It starts with the organization of the entire Warsaw Pact, then goes country by country, then through the doctrine, and finally, the equipment, including apparently every truck, gun, engineering vehicle, all of the better known armored vehicles, aircraft, and ships serving in the Warsaw Pact during the mid 1970s, loaded with B&W illustrations and photos. It is just old enough, that it does not address the T64 in the armor section.
While not going into the depth of Isby's Weapons and Tactics of the Soviet Army about the primary fighting vehicles, it's scope is broader, and it better addresses many things that Isby's book barely touches on or leaves out completely, such as many support and engineering vehicles. This book doesn't replace Isby's book, but certainly deserves to be on the shelf next to it.
It is a fantastic source answering some of my questions about Soviet forces in Europe, adding in TO&E info dating to the early 1970s, and late 1960s that I didn't know I was missing, and touching on a bunch of soft-skins and particularly bridging equipment that I was either missing details on, or didn't even know about.
I'm amazed that after 44 years of fascination with Cold War and CW games, and with literally 200 volumes about it on the shelf, I never heard of this amazing source before this week.
Anyway, for $6.00 it was an absolute bargain, and thanks to USPS for getting it here in Priority shipping time.
Never heard of it, but I'll gonna have to get one!
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