Soviet Submachine Guns of World War II Book Review
By David L. Veres
| Date of Review | June 2014 | Title | Soviet Submachine Guns of World War II |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | Chris McNab | Publisher | Osprey Publishing |
| Published | 2014 | ISBN | 9781782007944 |
| Format | 80 pages, softbound | MSRP (USD) | $18.95 |
Review
The problem: rapidly train millions of raw Soviet recruits to kill Nazi German invaders.
The solution: promptly produce millions of cheap, crude, reliable automatic weapons that peasant trainees can quickly master.
That's the gist of Soviet Submachine Guns of World War II – 33rd installment in Osprey's acclaimed "Weapon" series. And what a remarkably instructive account it is.
In characteristically clear-cut fashion, author Chris McNab's fascinating little handbook recaps three landmark designs: the PPD-40, PPSh-41 and PPS.
Although technically unremarkable, these Soviet submachine guns allowed relatively untrained infantry to lay down fierce firepower, often in close urban settings – perfectly complementing Soviet tactics and nullifying enemy advantages.
Photos, drawings and paintings season Osprey's study. Steve Noon's outstandingly evocative action illustrations pack puissant punch. (Really, now: who's better than Mr. Noon?) And Alan Guilliland's cut-aways proved admirably informative. A glossary, index and summary of primary and secondary sources complete contents. And the whole thing includes annotations!
Recommended!
My sincere thanks to Osprey Publishing for this review sample!