During WWII, various U.S. military agencies produced catalogues of equipment to fill the gaps left by the official War Department manuals, which led to inconsistent data appearing in different sources. In order to standardize information and properly catalogue all the equipment, the U.S. Ordnance Department put together a master guide, published here as The American Arsenal. All the information was checked and authenticated by reference to Ordnance Committee Minutes and similar authorities.

No other single source provides so much accurate and authentic detail on U.S. weapons, ammunition, vehicles and other combat equipment, with an authoritative explanation of their development and introduction processes. Profusely illustrated with over 900 photographs and drawings, the facts and figures are set in context in the introduction by weapons expert Ian V. Hogg. This is an invaluable reference work for those interested in the military equipment of WWII.