U.S. Armed Forces Arsenal: A Guide to Modern Combat Hardware

One wouldn't expect it from a first glance at this compact volume about modern combat hardware, but the prose has a literary quality that is absolutely first-rate. While the subject matter is serious, to say the least, Southworth enlivens this tour of modern weaponry with laugh-out-loud humor, sly turns of phrase, and photograph captions peppered with witticisms that make you look twice. (I actually did laugh out loud numerous times while reading it--which made other subway riders a little nervous when they glanced at the book's cover.) Southworth couples a true aficionado's exuberance for the astounding array of gadgetry, guns, tanks, planes, ships and bombs in America's arsenal with a historian's sober wisdom about what all this stuff really means for our enemies: it ain't pretty, and they's be advised to turn tail and scurry into a nearby cave before messing with us. He has clearly done his homework--the book is rich with facts and details--but it is his thoughtful analysis and commentary that makes this book stand out among others of its kind. Southworth illuminates his subject with a unique and almost poetic sensibility--a rare touch for a subject that if often dry and straightforward. While military technology grows ever-sophisticated, this book will stand the test of time and would be a valuable addition to any military historian's bookshelf. It also fits in the coat pocket quite nicely--a reminder on a lazy afternoon stroll that freedom doesn't come easy, and that the arms and armaments we've developed have been a powerful force in preserving it.