I'm about 2/3 of the way through this amazing book on the history of the development of the AK, but to describe the book as merely the history of the AK's development is to do a true injustice to this incredible work of history and prose.
This book has blown me away. It is packed with the real story of the development of a man-portable machine gun, and then the development of the AK, it's background, history, proliferation, use around the world, how it was that millions and millions of these rifles have found their way all over the globe. It totally destroys the Soviet Union's propaganda machine narrative about Kalishnikov and provides a realistic analysis of the AK's development team.
The book also documents the utter fiasco that was America's rush to develop and field an assault rifle: the M-16. It will make you furious reading about the government and military leadership's utter incompetence, callous disregard for human life and what it took finally to convince Colt's and the Defense Department to get the M-16 upgraded with the necessary changes to make it something other than a "good bayonet holder" as one Vietnam platoon leader described it. I was so angry after reading this part of the book, I could not sit still.
It is a MUST READ.
The good news is you can get a nice, clean used copy in great condition for under $6 if you buy a used copy, hardback! That's how I got mine. Also available in eBook Kindle edition.
The thing that makes this book so good is how well written it is. It is masterful and it feels like you are reading, as one other reviewer put, a Steven Ambrose book about World War II. It is compelling and hard to put down!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...condition=used
Bookmarks