Blue Steel IV - Sherman Tanks & APCs in Southern Lebanon

Reviewed by Alastair Bowie

Summary

FirstRead

For centuries, Lebanon has been fought in or over. This century finds this once beautiful and developed country still plagued by conflict. During the Civil War of the 1980s, Israeli military equipment was supplied to pro-Israeli factions and militias, and the heavily modified Israeli Shermans were prominent amongst that materiel.

Moustafa El Assad has compiled a number of photographic records of this ex Israeli hardware and presented it in the Blue Steel series of which this is Volume IV.

This newest title in the series includes detail photos of various preserved and wrecked vehicles which can be found in Lebanon.

The book commences with photos of the M50 Sherman and progressing through the Locally modified (?) APC variant, which is interesting as it is based on an M4A2 Hull with the welded driver's hoods but with Israeli Powerpack and HVSS Suspension.

Along the way Mustafa has provided images of the SOLTAM Heavy Self Propelled Mortar in both semi complete and battle damaged states.

He has also included pictures of two Sherman Fireflies, Charioteers and Israeli supplied and modified T54s in near new condition.

To round out the book a section devoted to Built up Models of both the APC and an M50 is included. A series of frames from a movie of a Cast Hull M50 in action completes this interesting publication.

Conclusion

This book is of high value to anyone wishing to model these interesting vehicles and, thanks to the detail photos, will also be of use to post war Sherman modellers. Few good detail references have appeared of these vehicles and these will fill a reference vacuum for fans of the Arab Israeli or Lebanese Civil War.

Other titles in the series are:

1. T55 tanks and APCs in South Lebanon
2. M3 Halftracks in South Lebanon
3. M113 Carriers in South Lebanon
4. Sherman tanks and APCs in South Lebanon
5. Landing Zone Lebanon – Peacekeepers in Lebanon 2006-7

More information may be found by following this link: http://www.blue-steel.info/

Highly Recommended.

Thanks to Ley from Platypus Publications for the review copy.