Richard Pearce Hunnicutt (June 15, 1926 – April 29, 2011) was an American historian, known for his research inarmored fighting vehicles.

Hunnicutt was born in Asheville,North Carolina, to James Ballard Hunnicutt and Ida Belle Black. He altered his birth certificate to enlist in the U.S. Army in September 1943. On 30 April 1945, while assigned to the7th Infantry Division onOkinawa, he was wounded by enemy mortar fire when his machine gun squad was countering a Japanese attack nearHacksaw Ridge. Shortly after the fight,10th Army CommanderGeneralSimon Bolivar Buckner Jr., came onto the scene, and awarded PFC Hunnicutt theSilver Star and a promotion to Sergeant. Gen. Buckner would be killed in action nearly seven weeks later on the same island by enemy artillery fire.^[1] After the war, he was transferred to Europe, where he completed his army enlistment while stationed in Frankfurt, Germany.^[2]

He earned a master's degree in engineering from Stanford University and later worked at General Motors. He met his future wife Susan Haight in Detroit. Later he worked as a metallurgist, consultant and partner in an engineering firm, ANAMET Laboratories. Hunnicutt was a nationally recognized expert in metal fatigue.

Hunnicutt was one of the founders of the U.S. Army Ordnance Museum atAberdeen Proving Ground and a frequent contributor to thePatton Museum at Fort Knox.

Hunnicutt is mainly known for his research in the history and development of American armored fighting vehicles. He authored many books on American military vehicles.

HistorianSteven Zaloga described the multi-volume study as "essential cornerstone for anyone interested in U.S. tank history".^[3]

Some of Hunnicutt's collection of notes are held by theU.S. Army Armor and Cavalry Collection.^[4]

• Hunnicutt, R.P. (1971)Pershing: A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series. Navato, CA: Presidio Press.ISBN 0-98219-070-0
• — (1971).Sherman: A History of the American Medium Tank.
• — (29 May 2015) [1984].Patton: A History of the American Main Battle Tank. Battleboro, VT: Echo Point Books & Media.ISBN 978-1626548794.
• — (1988).Firepower: A History of the American Heavy Tank. Novato, California: Presidio Press.ISBN 0-89141-304-9.
• — (15 September 2015) [1990].Abrams: A History of the American Main Battle Tank. Battleboro, VT: Echo Point Books & Media.ISBN 978-1-62654-166-5.
• — (1992).Stuart, A History of the American Light Tank. Vol. 1. Presidio Press.ISBN 0-89141-462-2.
• — (15 September 2015) [1995].Sheridan: A History of the American Light Tank. Vol. 2. Battleboro, VT: Echo Point Books & Media.ISBN 978-1-62654-154-2.
• — (15 September 2015) [1999].Bradley: A History of American Fighting and Support Vehicles. Battleboro, VT: Echo Point Books & Media.ISBN 978-1-62654-153-5.
• — (2001).Half-Track: A History of American Semi-Tracked Vehicles. Navato, CA: Presidio Press.ISBN 0-89141-742-7.
• — (15 September 2015) [2002].Armored Car: A History of American Wheeled Combat Vehicles. Battleboro, VT: Echo Point Books & Media.ISBN 978-1-62654-254-9.

• Richard Pearce Hunnicutt Obituary, Published in The Oregonian on May 4, 2011

• 1926 births
• 2011 deaths
• American military historians
• Historians of armoured warfare
• American male non-fiction writers
• 20th-century American historians
• 20th-century American male writers
• 21st-century American historians
• 21st-century American male writers
• Writers from Asheville, North Carolina
• United States Army personnel of World War II
• Recipients of the Silver Star
• Stanford University alumni
• General Motors people
• United States Army soldiers
• People from Tigard, Oregon

• Articles with short description
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