The Kalashnikov assault rifle, generically known as the AK-47, is the
most famous small arm ever made. This weapon has transcended its Soviet
designer and country of origin to become the most prolifically produced
and iconic weapon in the world - and it has become a brand that has been
used to sell everything from T-shirts to vodka.
Although it first appeared in the late 1940s, it did not make its
decisive presence felt on the battlefield until the Vietnam War when
China supplied it to the Vietnamese communists. The weapon's durability
became a legend. Since then it has been employed in practically every
conflict around the globe, and it is seen as the symbol of the wars of
national liberation. Probably its most celebrated moment came in the
hands of the mujahideen fighting to oust the Soviets from Afghanistan.
In Kalashnikov in Combat Anthony Tucker-Jones gives the reader a brief
history of the weapon and he offers a visual record of the impact of the
AK-47 on the battlefield up to the present day. His account is
illustrated with a wealth of archive photographs ranging from Vietnam to
the American-led invasion of Iraq and beyond.