British Military Trucks of WW2 by Freathy
 

I know I'm late to the party, only having recently purchased the 2021 limited paperback, 255 page reprint of Les Freathy's British Military Trucks of World War Two, published by Tankograd Publishing. I gather from the author's foreword that the book was first published in 2012. ISBN is 978-3-936519-49-5. My copy came from David Doyle Books in the USA.

The book is structured in alphabetical order of the major British manufacturers, from AEC to Thornycroft, plus chapters on Lend-Lease and Canadian-sourced vehicles. The last chapter is trailers. The text is minimal but well-written, while the many, many image captions provide a wealth of technical and historical information. There are also text boxes providing basic technical data and lists of variants manufactured by each company.

This is an invaluable reference especially for all those 'blunt-nosed' cab over engine trucks and lorries the Brits seemed so keen on and differentiating between them can be difficult without a visual reference. This book provides just that: a great visual reference supported by solid information.

Being a reprint, I was surprised that a couple of misidentifications slipped through. The Bantam 1/4 ton truck on page 239 is actually a Ford GP Series 2, and the Morris Quad on page 222 is towing a '25/18-pounder', viz an 'Ordnance QF 25-pdr Mk.1 on Carriage 18-pdr Mk.4P', not an 18-pdr field gun. But instantly forgivable in a book of such complexity and containing such a wealth of information, both visual and written.

Very highly recommended.

Mike