Col. Weeks has done an excellent job considering the constraits of the Ballantine Series. Looking over the vast scale of the Subject, it is very well organized, informative and well illustrated book. The Author also tells of the overall thought and priorites of small arms developement during the great unpleasantries.
When the war started off almost everyone started with basically WWI Rifles with the notable exceptions of the US Army’s excellent M1 Garand. I.E. very well built almost hand made rifles that had probadly had seen service in WWI.
But with the ever growing demand by the troops for things that go bang. The Warring nations Ordnance departments had to start cutting corners. What with the use of sheet metal, plastic and increasing tolerances.
This coupled with an ever growing demand for more and more personal fire power led to a new family of weapons. Like the Sten Gun, Grease Gun, the Schmeiser and the German Assault Rifle. So if you love guns and their history this is a must have book