The Ram

Development and Variants
Volume 1
By Paul Roberts
Service Publications,
ISBN 1-894581-13-X,
24 pages, softbound

Reviewed by John Prigent

This is a great book for Ram fans and by extension for Shermanaholics! Paul Roberts gives us a brief history of the Ram Mks I and II. Then come notes on the various special purpose variants – Ram Observation Post, Wallaby ammunition carrier, armoured recovery vehicles, Kangaroo APC, Badger flamethrower tank, and Ram searchlight carrier. Next come the 3.7 inch self-propelled anti-aircraft gun on Ram chassis, RAM Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers, and Ram Beach ARV.

All these are accompanied by well-chosen wartime photographs with good captions that point out the features shown, though the Wallaby and searchlight carrier are not covered – presumably because no good photos were available. There is a four-view 1/35-scale plan of Ram I as well, and technical specifications. But the really good thing is that there are two tables, the first showing Ram variants by census number – so if you can read the number in a photograph you can tell which Mark you’re looking at, and if you’re modelling a Ram you can see what census number batch it would fall into. The second table lists all the modifications made in production, not just the ones that show externally, with the census numbers from which they applied, and the numbers built with those mods. Great! I do not know what Volume 2 will cover, but if it is as good as this one it will be another essential reference. Highly recommended.