No post WWII armored vehicle exemplifies today’s military trend better than Leopard 1. Ubiquitous international deployment of Leopard over three decades far beyond German Bundeswehr is a history of constant retro-fit, global circulation of used parts, and the creation of industry ecosystems in the era of continuous military budget decline. Only comparable story will be found with T-54/55/62/72 in the old eastern block. Everything AFV enthusiasts want to know about Leopard 1 is in this amazing book. It will be hard to find someone who will not be impressed by the breadth, depth, and beautiful presentation of this book. Walter J. Spielberger’s numerous works around WWII and modern German AFVs have long been considered the armor book bible. Michael Shackleton now has set a new standard over Spielberger by a wide margin. I simple have to bow deeply. Considering the price tag, this may not be for casual readers, but, for those who follow modern armor subjects, Leopard Trilogy offers far more than the amount you pay.
3 volumes combined, 600 pages in 12”x 8.5” format. Numerous pictures, at least 2 photo sometimes as many as 8 photo per page, vast majority of which are color – a delight for a modeler. Accurate 1/35 drawings of almost every variation of Leopard 1 including foreign upgrades such as Canada’s Leopard C1A1 which looks like a little brother of Sweden’s Strv 122. Thanks to the use of high quality paper, the book is quite heavy, which gave me a sigh when I handcarried it back home in California from Euromilitaire 2003. But it’s worth it. Indeed, because of the use of high quality (thus heavy) paper, even a small picture can carry out fine detail to reader’s eyes. It tells the careful planning of the book from an author and publisher.
General structure of the Trilogy:
Volume 1 Prototype to Production. 176 pages. Describes development and production history, and inside mechanism. This is the first and only book that successfully made sense out of confusing Leopard 1’s designations such as 1A5A1.
Volume 2 Special Purpose Variants. 224 pages. Describes Bergepanzer 2, Pionier Panzer 1, Pionier Panzer 2 Dachs, Flakpanzer Gepard, Bridgelayer panzer Biber, Engineering vehicle AEV1 and other minor variants, inside out. It includes an advanced subject such as OTO Melara OTOMATIC Air Defence tank
Volume 3 Foreign Use. 200 pages. Describes foreign adaptation of Leopard 1 with associated upgrades and retrofits in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Norway and others. This volume reveals most interesting but unspoken stories of Leopard 1.
Each volume follows a consistent look-and-feel and shows comparable depth in each subject, which makes reading of this large book very easy. One of most unique and enjoyable parts of the book is a column called “Leopard Tales.” It captures voices of customers – real stories from Leopard 1 tank crews from various countries. It is quite revealing and adds real life feeling. Italians tend to get speeding even on a Bergepanzer!
In a nutshell, this is a must for modern AFV followers. This sheds revealing lights on sometimes neglected subject on Leopard 1 and its contribution to the global armed forces. To modelers, this is a gold mine of ideas for your next project.
