Squadron has carved a niche for itself over the last 30 years with its "In Action" series.  These books are intended to be inexpensive primers on the subject they cover, and are very often the only book that a modeler might own on a given subject.

The newest in Squadron/Signal's Armor in Action series continues that tradition, and its release has been timed to coincide with the release of the Tamiya Pershing kits.  In the standard horizontal 50 page with colour centerspread and covers format, this book covers the T26/M26 Pershing, the M45 close support tank, the M46 Patton, and, surprisingly (for me, at least), the M47 Patton II main battle tank.

Most people are probably going to buy this book for its Pershing coverage, and that coverage is actually pretty good.  A fair selection of World War II and Korean combat photos are supplemented by some good detail photographs taken by the author of a number of vehicles, including those at Aberdeen, Fort Knox, and a nicely restored tank in the World War II Vehicle Museum in Hubbard, Ohio (a field trip, methinks?).  I was disappointed at the lack of photos or drawings of the muffler arrangement on the M45, but one can't have everything.  Coverage of the M46 and M47 is of a similar level: somewhat cursory, but with some interesting gems hidden in the book. 

The colour artwork, by Don Greer, is superb, and it really sets this book apart from other titles on the Pershing.  Some of the M47s in particular are quite interesting, although I would have liked to see more photos that directly supported the artwork.

This book is certainly not the only title on the market about the Pershing (Schiffer and Osprey also have titles currently available), but it is still valuable.  Granted, there is a lot of overlap with combat photos between the various books on the market, but this book certainly had a few surprises in it for me.  The shot on p. 10 of a rather beaten Pershing from the 11th Armored Division leading a column of German prisoners is almost worth the price of the book on its own, and the picture of a pair of M46s in Korea with bold whitewash stripes is likewise new (and cool) to me.  Also, photo reproduction is top-rate, so some of the images, even if seen elsewhere, are more clear in this book.  Anybody looking for the definitive technical history of the Pershing and Patton family, though, will have to hunt down Richard Hunnicutt's massive (and expensive, and very hard to get) tomes on the Pershing and Patton. 

While this title may not offer much new to the Pershing afficionado who has everything printed on the subject, if you were only going to buy one Pershing book, you could do far worse than this one.  Once again, Squadron/Signal has produced a very good, well-rounded book that is an excellent modeling resource, and at around half the price of its nearest competition.  I own most of the available reference books on the Pershing, including the Hunnicutt book and an original copy of the tech manual (TM9-735), and I have no regrets about adding this book to my library as well. 

Bottom line: highly recommended for anybody who has picked up a Pershing kit and needs a reference book, and also for American armour lovers or people who like cool tanks.

By the way: if you are working on a Pershing, be sure to check out our Reference Pages on the M26!