Armoured Vehicles (since 1945) - France: Books - History

French Armour in Vietnam 1945-1954 (Osprey)

French experience with armour in Indo-China dated back to 1919, when it sent FT-17s to the colony, followed by a variety of armoured cars.
After World War II, French troops were equipped with a motley collection of American and cast-off British equipment until the outbreak of war in Korea saw an increase in military aid. This included large numbers of the M24 Chaffee light tank, along with amphibious vehicles such as the M29C Weasel and LVT4 Buffalo, to conduct operations in coastal and inland areas that the Viet Minh had previously thought immune to attack.

France's armour was a key part of the battle against the Viet Minh right up until the last stand at Dien Bien Phu.

Product details

Author:	Simon Dunstan
Details:	48 pages, 9.8 x 7.3 x 0.47 in (25 x 18.5 x 1.2 cm), paperback
Illustrations:	many b&w and color photos
Language:	English
Publisher:	Osprey Publishing (GB, 2019)
Series:	New Vanguard
ISBN:	9781472831828

Panhard Armoured Car Manual - AML 60, AML 90 and Eland (1961 onwards) (Haynes Military Manual)

In the history of armoured fighting vehicles few have been so successful or extensively employed as the French-built Panhard AML armoured car, which was first used during the war in Algeria in the early 1960s.
Since then the AML has fought in numerous wars around the globe, notably in the Middle East and Africa, and up to the present day with ongoing operations against Boko Haram in Nigeria and Chad.

Pages of the book "Panhard Armoured Car Manual - AML 60, AML 90 and Eland (1961 onwards)"

The centrepiece of this manual is the French Army Re-enactment Group's Panhard AML 60 and 90 vehicles, which have been fully restored to running condition.

Product details

Author:	Simon Dunstan
Details:	192 pages, 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.67 in (27.5 x 21.5 x 1.7 cm), hardback
Illustrations:	300 b&w and color photos
Language:	English (technical dictionaries in 19 languages are available for free download here)
Publisher:	Haynes Publishing (GB, 2019)
Series:	Haynes Military Manual
ISBN:	9781785211942

AMX-30 - Char de Bataille 1966-2006 (Volume 1)

The AMX-30 was France's principal battle tank for over 30 years and continues to serve the French Army in later forms even to this day.
In this first work of a two volume study examining the history of the AMX-30 battle tank, M.P. Robinson describes the development and introduction to service of this long serving weapon system.

Photographic coverage in Volume 1 is focused on the AMX-30B gun tank, its service life and the supporting vehicles that served alongside it in the Arme Blindée Cavalerie in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

Over 150 colour and black and white photographs tell the story of this tank in its environment, as well as in detail, for the historian and modeller alike.

Product details

Author:	M P Robinson
Details:	80 pages, 11.8 x 8.5 x 0.2 in (30 x 21.5 x 0.5 cm), paperback
Illustrations:	110 b&w photos and 4 profile illustrations in color
Language:	English
Publisher:	Kagero Oficyna Wydawnicza (PL, 2014)
ISBN:	9788362878994

AMX-30 Family

The AMX-30 was used as the basis for a range of armoured vehicles that have seen extensive service in the French army and elsewhere. In this Photosniper, which completes the study of the AMX-30 series by M.P. Robinson, the stories of France's specialized artillery and engineer variants are explained.

The AMX-30D recovery vehicle, the GCT and Au-F1 series of self-propelled guns, the AMX-30R Roland and AMX-30SA Shahine antiaircraft missile launchers, the AMX-30 Bitube DCA antiaircraft tank, the AMX-30H Bridgelayer and the EBG armoured engineers vehicle are all covered in text and photographs.

France's comprehensive rebuilding programs that resulted in the development of the Au-F1TA, of the improved EBG versions and of sophisticated mine clearing versions of the AMX-30B2 in the decades since the end of the Cold War are also described.

This work is an excellent reference for the modeler with over 180 photos; these include examples chosen from GIAT's archives, photos of vehicles in everyday service, vehicles seen on the parade ground and in the desert wastes of Iraq.

Product details

Author:	M.P. Robinson
Details:	96 pages, 11.8 x 8.25 x 0.31 in (30 x 21 x 0.8 cm), paperback
Illustrations:	many b&w and color photos
Language:	English
Publisher:	Kagero Oficyna Wydawnicza (PL, 2015)
ISBN:	9788364596247

AMX30 Main Battle Tank Manual - AMX30 B, AMX30 B2 and deratives (1960-2019) (Haynes Military Manual)

The AMX30 Char de Bataille was the standard French Main Battle Tank during the Cold War era. Initially the French and Germans attempted to develop a 'standard European tank' based on their experiences of the Second World War.
Both countries required a design that put mobility and firepower foremost at the expense of armour protection, but the joint collaboration failed to materialise with the result that the French produced the AMX30 and the Germans the Leopard 1.

Pages of the book "AMX30 Main Battle Tank Manual - AMX30 B, AMX30 B2 and deratives (1960-2019)"

The AMX30 was considerably lighter than its Anglo-Saxon contemporaries with a combat weight of 36 tonnes (hence its designation of AMX30). Again, unlike its NATO contemporaries that were armed with the British 105mm L7 gun, the AMX30 featured a smoothbore 105mm main armament firing a single type hollow-charge projectile - the OBUS-G - capable of defeating other battle tanks at normal combat ranges.

This book describes the development, construction and operation of the AMX30 family of vehicles.

Product details

Author:	M.P. Robinson, Colonel Thomas Seignon
Details:	192 pages, 10.8 x 8.7 x 0.63 in (27.5 x 22 x 1.6 cm), hardback
Illustrations:	250 b&w and color photos
Language:	English (technical dictionaries in 19 languages are available for free download here)
Publisher:	Haynes Publishing (GB, 2019)
Series:	Haynes Military Manual
ISBN:	9781785216480

Char Leclerc

The Leclerc is the only battle tank serving in operational combat units in the French Army. Designed as a Cold War era tank killer that could take on numerically superior enemies, the Leclerc has served the armies of France and the United Arab Emirates for over twenty years. Since 1989 when the first Leclerc prototype appeared, it has been counted amongst the world's most complex and deadly AFVs. Despite its fame, relatively little has appeared on the Leclerc in English, and much of the information about the Leclerc on the web is incorrect. Even in French, it has been ten years since the Leclerc was studied in a published work.

This book by MP Robinson and Thierry Guillemain is a survey of the Leclerc's development and service in the French Army right up to the present day. It explains the differences between the eleven Leclerc production batches produced for the French Army, the different Leclerc derived vehicles, and the changes that have transformed the French armoured force since the Leclerc first entered service.
This latest addition to the Kagero Photosniper series is illustrated with over 220 unpublished photographs and ten colour plates, making it an ideal reference for historians and modellers alike.

Product details

Author:	M.P. Robinson, Thierry Guillemain
Details:	96 pages, 11.6 x 8.25 x 0.31 in (29.5 x 21 x 0.8 cm), paperback
Illustrations:	220 b&w and color photos, 10 drawings in color
Language:	English
Publisher:	Kagero Oficyna Wydawnicza (PL, 2015)
ISBN:	9788364596353

The AMX 13 Light Tank : A Complete History (Images of War)

The AMX 13 was originally designed in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. It represents French ambitions for national resurgence and withdrawal from wartime dependence on American military technology.
Being a light tank it was an ambitious and far sighted departure from conventional tank design and it found a ready export market as well as being a critical part in the French Army arsenal.

Its basic hull design lent itself to the development of a vast list of variants. French designers progressively modernised, and indeed reinvented, the AMX13 and enabled it to claim to be one of the most successful armoured vehicle programmes of the post-war period. It proved its worth in numerous small wars worldwide in the service of many countries.

This, the first commercially published work on the AMX13 in English, examines in detail the technical industrial and tactical story of this remarkably successful armoured fighting vehicle. The authoritative text is backed by an impressive selection of images.

Product details

Author:	M.P. Robinson, Peter Lau, Guy Gibeau
Details:	176 pages, 9.7 x 7.5 x 0.75 in (24.5 x 19 x 1.9 cm), paperback
Illustrations:	250 b&w and color photos
Language:	English
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Ltd (GB, 2017)
Series:	Images of War
ISBN:	9781526701671

Panhard, automitrailleuse légère

Born from a request from the French army, the AML Panhard dominated the arms market in the 1970s, becoming the preferred combat vehicle of African countries for twenty years.
The AML and all its variants have been in service in 52 countries and are still in service in several countries today.
This book pays tribute to an already legendary weapon that has contributed significantly to the defense of French interests as well as to many distant operations in Africa and Lebanon.

Pages of the book "Panhard, automitrailleuse légère"

The author describes here the development and construction of the AML Panhard, its many variants and its countless combat engagements. He adds a rare account of the recovery and restoration of the ex-French army Panhard 60s and 90s which are restored to perfect working order.

French edition of the Haynes book "Panhard Armoured Car Enthusiasts' Manual".

Product details

Author:	Simon Dunstan
Details:	192 pages, 10.6 x 8.25 in (27 x 21 cm), hardback
Illustrations:	300 b&w and color photos
Language:	French
Publisher:	ETAI (F, 2019)
ISBN:	9791028303907

AML Panhard - Des hommes, une histoire

At the end of the Algerian War, the need for a light armored car was felt. This book will make you share this great adventure that began in the early 1960s.
Embarking on the AML means firing with the marsouins and the legionnaires, in Chad, Lebanon or Central Africa. It also means accompanying the Chadian soldiers in all their battles in Africa, from the victorious assaults against Libyan airfields in the middle of the desert to the intervention alongside the French forces of Serval. It also means traveling the world to land major commercial contracts, with Panhard specialists.

Pages of the book "AML Panhard - Des hommes, une histoire"

This book is above all a collection of testimonies. Because, ultimately, who better than the men who designed and served it can express themselves on this armored car. The work is based on numerous period documents and photos to better understand this operational, technical and human adventure.

Product details

Author:	Charles Maisonneuve
Details:	128 pages, 10.6 x 8.25 in (27 x 21 cm), hardback
Illustrations:	180 b&w and color photos
Language:	French
Publisher:	Histoire & Collections (F, 2020)
ISBN:	9782352505143

Char AMX 30 - AMX 30B, AMX 30 B2 et dérivés

From the DEFA project (Direction des études et fabrication d'armes, a state body in charge of arsenals) was born the AMX 30, a highly mobile tank, capable of fighting in an NBC environment and equipped with an excellent 105 mm cannon of national design. The first AMX 30B entered service in 1967.
Their chassis is at the origin of a complete family of vehicles, some of which are still in service today, in France and around the world.

This is the story that we tell you through more than two hundred and fifty photos and technical drawings, from the origins to the latest developments, including the many derivatives.

Product details

Author:	Thomas Seignon, Merlin P. Robinson
Details:	192 pages, 10.6 x 8.25 in (27 x 21 cm), hardback
Illustrations:	250 b&w and color photos, drawings
Language:	French
Publisher:	ETAI (F, 2021)
ISBN:	9791028304744

Char Leclerc - de la Guerre froide aux conflits de demain

Designed to counter Soviet tanks in Germany, the Leclerc set new performance standards. Forty years after its development, it remains a benchmark for engineers worldwide.

It can hit seven moving targets at 3.000 m in one minute while driving at 50 km/h off-road - an achievement made possible by cutting-edge technology. With its modular design, it is already prepared for modern combat alongside drones, robots, and networked soldiers connected through a tactical intranet.

Using previously unpublished archives and firsthand accounts, the author, who was involved in the project for over twelve years, details its development, Franco-German cooperation, and secret versions. As the next generation of armored vehicles takes shape, this book provides an in-depth look at one of the world's most advanced battle tanks.

Product details

Author:	Marc Chassillan
Details:	352 pages, 11.6 x 9.7 x 1.18 in (29.5 x 24.5 x 3 cm), paperback
Illustrations:	660 b&w and color photos
Language:	French
Publisher:	Sophia Éditions (F, 2024)
ISBN:	9782385140656

L'EBR Panhard - Une innovation à la française

Since 1935, France has stood out for the design of wheeled armored reconnaissance vehicles, developed from reforms of light mechanized divisions and the use of anti-tank cars. After the Second World War, Panhard revived the unfinished AM 40P project from 1939. From this basis emerged the EBR (Engin Blindé de Reconnaissance).

The EBR had an original and innovative design, considered ahead of its time. Its operational career lasted almost thirty years, with service in France and exports to Portugal and Morocco.

Despite its technical and military importance, no detailed study had been dedicated to this vehicle until now. This book presents its development, technical features, operational use, and influence.
Richly illustrated with archival photographs, it highlights a remarkable example of French military innovation.

Product details

Author:	Thomas Seignon
Details:	144 pages, 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.71 in (27.5 x 21.5 x 1.8 cm), hardback
Illustrations:	extensively illustrated
Language:	French
Publisher:	Histoire & Collections (F, 2024)
ISBN:	9791038014480