Book Review: Tank Craft 13, Tiger I & Tiger II Tanks, 1945

This is my first Tank Craft series experience. I was fortunate to be sent a review copy by Pen & Sword, as the £14.99 price is quite dear. First impressions are great: plenty of contemporary photographs, several pages of very good colour plates, showing markings and camouflage, and loads of info on various brands of available kits, including several detailed and very impressive build examples.

One of the photos used in the book. [1]

The degree of detail such specialist publications go into is extraordinary. It's amazing how much interest in WWII there is, and how almost every nut and bolt of every individual Panzer can be traced and accounted for. Truly astonishing! The amount of resources available to us enthusiasts is terrific. And if this example is typical of Dennis Oliver's contributions to the field, he's a top drawer contributor to this embarrassment of riches.

Steve Shrimpton's Dragon-based 1/72 model particularly appeals to me. [2]

In addition to what I've already mentioned, there are all sorts of other aspects covered here: maps, timelines, individual unit organisations and histories, and so on. For a publication the size of a typical A4 glossy magazine, there's a massive amount of extremely interesting and useful info here. Very impressive! Oh dear... now I want more!

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I do happen to have a recently acquired Zvezda snap-fit Tiger II. I'm planning to build it as this:

... the King Tiger from the Bovington Tiger Collection. I'm sure having this book will help me when I get around to making it.

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NOTES:

[1] Interestingly almost all the photographs are of knocked out or abandoned Tigers, mostly taken by Allied photographers. This superb picture is quite heavily cropped in the book, to focus on the tank, rather than the rather picturesque setting.

[2] Most the models appear to be 1/35. The info on models, accessories and so on is superb, and very useful.

Book Review: Luftwaffe Training Aircraft, Chris Goss

Covering a neglected and potentially interesting subject, if perhaps more up the avenue of a plane modeller, this is a good source of pictures. But the text is very minimal, consisting of a brief intro, a useful glossary, and then the picture captions. 

The intro gives some background context, and the glossary is very useful. But the captions are, by and large, a bit too dry, often consisting solely of info on the plane's werk nummer and service history. Where there's some info beyond that, say for example on the fates of the crew, or some other interesting little detail, it's better.

Focke Wulf FW 44 'Stieglitz'.

Under the Air War Archive banner this one's kind of in the vein of the Images of War series, inasmuch as it's primarily a pictorial resource. Given the author's acknowledgment of this as an understudied area of aerial warfare, it's a shame there isn't more in the way of interesting textual detail. Bit of a missed opportunity there.

Some of the planes covered herein are familiar, but many aren't. At least not to me. But then I'm more of an ground warfare freak than a air war type guy. Some of the images have sparked an interest  that might lead me to build something different. But then again, perhaps I should concentrate on all the stuff I already have in hand?

Heinkel He 50.

Of all the books I've been reading and reviewing recently, this one's certainly not amongst my favourite. I have been getting more into aircraft of late. But even so, this is perhaps a little too specialised and a little too dry for me. Still, it's always nice to have more pics in the library!

Book Review: Hitler, Ian Kershaw

'an unimaginable harvest of sorrow ... a level of destruction never experienced in human history'

Whilst the quote at the top of this review is actually a truncated observation Kershaw makes regarding Operation Barbarossa, or the battle on the Eastern front, between Russia and the Third Reich, it could actually stand for the whole war, and the epoch of Nazism. Whilst Mao's China and Stalin's Russia can also boast death tolls that defy comprehension, yet still WWII - or Hitler's war, as it can be justly called - remains in a league of its own. 

Compressing the two-volume Hubris and Nemesis into a single book, in large part by stripping out the 'scholarly apparatus' (footnotes, etc.), this single volume edition nonetheless remains a chunky tome, the main body of the text being just shy of 1,000 pages. In addition to the 969 pages of text there are 80 pages of black and white photos, and ten pages of fairly basic maps.

Also available as a two volume monster...

... under the subtitles, Hubris and Nemesis.

This is a fascinating and compelling account of the man whose life story became a focal point in the unfolding of one of the twentieth century's greatest traumas. As Kershaw tells it Hitler's early unfocused slacker lifestyle was brought sharply into focus by WWI, during which he found a role, or position in society, that gave him purpose and direction, and his first real sense of self-esteem, having previously been something of a loner and failure as an artist in Vienna. 

His sense of injustice at the outcome of WWI became a monomania, which he combined with a particularly virulent strain of antisemitism, both of these things seemingly commonplaces in German culture at the time, forming his lifelong creed: never again, Hitler swore, would Germany suffer the shame it had in 1918. And the alleged enemy, international Jewry - be they capitalist or Bolshevist (for many, but perhaps few or none more so than Hitler, the Jews were an all-purpose bogeyman) - would be made to pay.

Hitler and croneys in prison, during his lederhosen period. [1]

Kershaw covers it all admirably thoroughly, if occasionally rather academically. One of the parts I find most fascinating, perhaps in part because I'm a bit of an art-school drop out, is Adolf's rise from art-school reject to beer hall demagogue, and ultimately Führer.

Early on in that 'resistible rise', during Hitler's interment - see the above photo - after his failed putsch (Munich, 1923), he wrote, or rather he dictated (how appropriate!) Mein Kampf, in which he laid out the manifesto he would later implement, seeking 'lebensraum' (living space) for Germany in 'the East', the east chiefly being Russia. 

During this erratic and uncertain ascent a dynamic set in which, prior to 1941, seemed to some to cast Adolf as an infallible leader of indomitable will, but after that point rapidly overreached itself and unravelled, revealing itself to contain the seeds of its own destruction.

Hitler and a photographer rehearsing demagoguery. [2]

One of Kershaw's chief contributions to the massive literature on all things Third Reich appears to be the 'working towards the Führer' idea. I don't know if this is an original idea of his or not, and it does seem like just the kind of term to arise in academia. Kershaw's a professional academic as well as author.

I must admit such phrases often irk me somewhat, but it has to be conceded that it fits the bill here admirably. Kershaw is also very strong on the notion that Hitler achieved his form of leadership only by dissolving norms of government, such that the whole system inevitably evolved into a complete mess (and having recently read Albert Speer's Inside the Third Reich this clearly was the case), the only common thread in all the chaos being the clarity of 'working towards the Führer'.

I do have a few gripes: given the massive range of sources available, Kershaw's repeated recourse to Goebbel's diaries was at times so frequent as to be a little annoying. Also, in some areas - e.g. air warfare - he occasionally appears to be happy trotting out familiar clichés (which other books, for example Paul Overy's Bombing War, elucidate more accurately). But all things considered this is undoubtedly an excellent rendering of a hugely important and massively fascinating dark chapter of our recent history.

20th April, 1945, Hitler's 56th birthday. [3]

Despite the smile the strain is showing.

As a modeller and wargamer I love the German army in WWII, even the SS elements. But as a human being I also have to recognise what an appalling project they were serving. I once visited a concentration camp in Germany, and it was extremely sobering to stand on the very ground where unspeakable and barely believable barbarism occurred - and the camp I visited was only a 'transit' and not a 'death' camp - so close to home both in time and space.

One can only hope we might learn something from history.

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NOTES:

The author.

[1] Hitler in Landsberg prison, where he served time for treason after the failed Beer Hall Putsch. Left to right are Hitler, his chauffeur and Mein Kampf amanuensis (along with Hess) Emil Maurice, Herman Kriebl, Rudolf Hess and Friedrich Weber.

[2] One of a series of photos in which the aspiring politician practised his dark arts, and which he later sought to ban from public circulation. He also sought to suppress images such as the one below.

[3] This picture and the one below it, both from the same medal award ceremony, were taken on one of Hitlers's last days above ground, both literally and metaphorically. By this point the Russians were shelling Berlin, and Hitler, living deep below ground in his Reich Chancellory bunker, had just 10 days left.

Kit Review: S-Models 1/72 Kettenkrad & Pak 36

The box, and Hawkins, on the box.

Watching snooker on TV and building the two Pak 36 guns from my first ever S-Models kit this evening. Ronnie O'Sullivan made short work of Barry Hawkins. After the match O'Sullivan seemed a bit amped up, like he'd just done some coke, or something. 

Two gun sprues.

Partially assembled.

Well, I have to say I'm impressed with my first S-Model kits: cleanly moulded, decent fit. Good detail. Nice models! Shame there's no figures. Crew for the guns and a driver for the 'Krad would've been fab. 

Two rather cute little Pak 36.

I started this '1+1' kit - you get two models, and in this instance that's actually two of each, so four models - with the guns. Built those downstairs, watching TV on the sofa. Not ideal conditions for modelmaking. But fun! 

Building the Kettenkrad... in bed!

As midnight approached, bed beckoned. But I wanted to finish the kit. So I took the Kettenkrads up with me. Built them in bed... It's now 2.15am. Time to stop typing this and go to sleep!

And they're done.

Book Review: Images of War, The Armour of Rommel's Africa Korps, Ian Baxter

Author Ian Baxter's CV, as given in the front of this book, looks impressively diverse and prolific. I initially thought this might be my first book by him, but then realised I've got and have read his book from the same series about Hitler's various HQs.

The narrative element of the text is very minimal, being confined to three short year-themed chapters: Desert Blitzkrieg, 1941; Attack & Retreat, 1942; Destruction in Tunisia, 1943. A larger portion of text, by volume, is given over to the captions to the 161 or so black and white photos.

The Pz III, along with Pz IV, formed the backbone of DAK's armour. [1]

Titles in the Images Of War series pretty much always make the bold claim, as is the case here, that they feature 'rare and unpublished photographs'. Unlike Baxter, 'an avid collector of WW2 photographs' (according to the back cover blurb), I'm not expert enough to pass judgement on the truth or otherwise of this bold claim. But I will say that the more of these books I collect and read, I am impressed with how rarely I recognise pics from other sources.

As no picture sources are credited (they normally are in other titles from the Images of War series), I imagine these must all be from Baxter's personal collection. Sometimes being sourced this way can mean some of the pictures aren't of the highest quality. And there are a few here so blurred I'd have left them out myself. But by and large picture quality is acceptable through to very good. And there's an awful lot here for the military buff, modeller or wargamer to chew over, digest and enjoy.

The Sturmpanzer II Bison, mounting the 15cm sIG 33 gun.

I think the use of the word armour in the title is possibly a little misleading because, as Baxter says in his intro, he covers everything from halftracks and wheeled reconnaissance vehicles to armoured cars, SPGs and tanks. To my mind the word armour conjures up tanks, and little else. On the other hand, whilst the vehicles pictured do include some motorcycles and softskins (cars and trucks, etc.), mostly it is armoured vehicles.

These range all the way through, from the early light Pz Is and IIs, to the medium IIIs and IVs, even including Tiger Is. Although, re the latter (and like so often with German tech), it was too little too late. Most of the vehicles here are very familiar. Less well known to me, and therefore more interesting, were the pics of Bison II SPGs. That's one I'm going to have to build in 1/72!

North Africa and the campaigns there have never drawn my interest as much as other theatres of WWII. And this book, as interesting and useful as it is, hasn't really changed that. But I do now feel I know a little more about the materiel Rommel and his fellow Germans (and to a much lesser degree the Italians) had to work with.

A really great picture! [2]

One of my favourite photographs shows a Me 323 Gigant disgorging an Opel Maultier towing an artillery piece. I like it because both the plane and the tracked truck are somewhat unusual, and both are quite striking looking. Another particularly good spread is a series of four photos showing a Tiger crew servicing/replacing an engine, and then having a well earned tuck break!

There's no index, glossary or bibliography, all of which would be useful. But there are three appendices, the first giving DAK OOB, and the second and third listing vehicle types and variants. Sadly this is one of these special interest books slightly marrred by lack of editorial finesse, with quite a lot of information in the captions being repeated, and a few too many spelling errors or questionable relations between captions and descriptions.

I read this in its entirety in just a couple of hours. There really isn't that much text. It's not the best written or most exciting WWII book I've read, by a long stretch. But it's still a good addition to the WWII history nut's book collection, mainly thanks to the images.

There are quite a lot of pictures of Rommel and other DAK (and even Italian) staff. [3]

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NOTES:

[1] This is one of a number of pictures where the captioning seemed a bit off the mark. Described as having 'halted at the side of the road', the projectile clouds of dust and sand being fed through the the tracks on the right/starboard sides of the first two tanks suggests they're in fact in fairly rapid motion!

[2] This is an example of a picture that was easy to find online, being a Wikimedia Commons/Bundesarchiv image.

[3] Given the title of this book I thought there were a few too many shots of Rommel and/or brass in conference or reading maps. And again, the one shown above, which appears in the book, was relatively easy to find online. 

Book Review: The Luftwaffe Battle of Britain Fighter Pilot's Kitbag, Mark Hillier

This is such a specialist book I almost feel it should score less on that account. But then again perhaps it should score higher for the very same reason!? In the end I went with my heart: I loved reading this and perusing the pictures. I would've given it five stars, if it weren't for the occasionally lumpen prose and too-oft sloppy (nonexistent?) editing. [1]

However, with that caveat, and half a 'star' [2] docked for those reasons, as I said, I loved this. Almost worryingly so. If I had the available funds I would definitely collect this sort of stuff. And I envy those, from whose collections many of these objects have been photographed, who can pursue such a pastime.

Model 295 goggles.

Why is WWII so endlessly fascinating? And why are the German forces, in spite of the toxic ideology they may have been fighting on behalf of [3], so seductively interesting? I think some of the answers to such questions can be found herein. 

For one thing the Germans were admirably thorough, often producing better gear than their adversaries, as Hillier readily admits when comparing certain items to their RAF equivalents. For another they were meticulous, in terms of record keeping, ID'ing stuff, and so on. Being both thorough and meticulous dignifies anything, and also creates a great sense of both order and esprit d'corps.

C'mon... there's no denying, it's a cool look!

Das richtiges Zeug?

Famous German flyer Adolf Galland.*

The latter is also enhanced by very stylish gear, and a 'knights of the [insert whatever branch of the armed services]' type approach. Images of handsome young men in knee length leather boots, in riding breeches, their jackets - often their own tailor made ones, and sometimes almost 'rock'n'roll cool leather ones - bedecked with medals, wearing silk scarves, and funky looking accoutrements, from headgear to harness, beside their steeds of the skies... it's a very seductive melange of ideas and images.

Sometimes there was a clash between form and function. For example, whilst pilots were allowed a lot of leeway in how they dressed for combat, regulations were eventually brought in to discourage the 'cavalryman of the clouds' get up, for the prosaic but very real reason that removing tight-fitting riding boots from badly burnt pilots was not efficient or pleasant. Issue boots, by comparison with the more glamorous but less practical riding boots, were designed with zips on either side.

Official issue type 4004 boots. 

In some areas the Luftwaffe copied the RAF, for example with parachute harness design. But in most they were able to surpass British achievements. Very largely this was due to prior combat experience, in The Spanish Civil War, and the Blitzkrieg campaigns in Eastern and Western Europe. As a result of these experiences things like goggles, oxygen masks, parachutes and flying suits were all amended and improved.

The text is, despite issues already mentioned, very informative. And the pictures are a goldmine for those with a borderline obsessive interest in such things. I mostly model land based mini-military stuff. But this book will help me with pilot figures. And it's just fascinating in itself.

Rank insignia of the Luftwaffe.

And in addition to all the info on uniforms and equipment, there's a fair bit of biographical info, usually given in captions to the WWII era photos. The contemporary photos of gear, mostly from private collections, are terrific. So, very niche interest, and not perfect textually, but nevertheless a fascinating, informative and highly enjoyable read. I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in the Luftwaffe in WWII.

* In some posts like this I illustrate the piece with photos found in the book itself, in others, such as this, with images not in the book. 

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Hillier often refers to this book, which has a much broader remit.

NOTES: 

[1] I'd like to stress that I'm always having to revisit my posts to edit clumsy prose and correct typos, etc. I've also worked as a columnist for a music mag, and suffered both positive and negative editorial interventions. My criticisms of this aspect - sadly something that bedevils parts of military history publishing (and probably many other special interest subjects) - are neither personal nor damning. I have great respect for all those who achieve publication in this field. And very much appreciate them sharing their effort and expertise!

I also wonder, every now and then - and this book might be a case in point - if it has actually been edited at all. As some of the errors, such as repeated words or phrases, or incorrect picture caption info, are very obvious.

[2] Okay, so I have my own balkankreuz rating system (for WWII; Boney's bicornes for Napoleonic!), not the usual stars. But I'm sure you know what I mean.

[3] Whenever I discuss German armed forces in WWII I feel it's necessary to mention that my interest is not ideological, and very emphatically not so in respect of Nazism. I also feel it necessary to reiterate that for many fighting in wartime, and I'd say this was very likely to have held for most Germans in WWII, they weren't necessarily ardent ideologues, but just people caught up in events beyond their control (and comprehension), who would ultimately be fighting for their country and their comrades more than any political or other type of program.

Book Review: Greece 1941, Jeffrey Plowman

I've wanted to know more about the Greek Campaign of '41 since seeing the very brief but tantalising bits of footage on it in The World At War. The look of the buildings and terrain in those brief clips, I think, drew me towards this theatre.

Operation Lustre, as the campaign was known, is but a passing footnote in that epic TV series and, as the dust jacket blurb for this book says, remains 'a neglected theatre of the Second World War'. The campaigns of North Africa have taken the lions share of attention in relation to the Mediterranean. Even the subsequent battle for Crete eclipses Greece in terms of coverage in much WWII history.

Aussie troops posed, like any tourists, at sites of interest.*

Australian and Greek troops in a very staged looking pic.*

Anzac forces played a large part in this campaign, and Plowman, a Kiwi himself, judging from his special interest in NZ forces and info in his Acknowledgments section, covers everything from the larger strategic picture, to the nitty-gritty firsthand of battle. The writing is very good, let down occasionally by a few editorial oversights. 

Where the book is weaker is, despite a too brief glossary, the lack of explanation of certain acronyms or military terms, and the maps. The last is a common issue in military history literature, I find. I like to have sufficient and detailed enough maps to try and follow the action visually, as well as textually. But there are not enough nor detailed enough maps here. 

German flak against a fabulous backdrop of classical columns.*

Despite the Blitzkrieg myth a lot of Landser slogged along on foot.*

Mountainous terrain and poor roads meant rail lines sometimes doubled as highways.*

German artillery in a beautiful landscape.*

Most Greek roads were dirt tracks like these; ok in good weather, but appalling when it rained.*

However, overall Greece 1941 is well enough written to keep the reader - or this one at by rate - excited and interested. The bigger picture is sketched out at either end of the narrative, with the bulk of the book given over to the blow by blow ground level action, with excellent use of firsthand accounts keeping it very lively. This said, there are times when the barrage of unit numbers and names gets a bit tough to keep a handle on. But that's war, complex, ever-changing, confusing!

The Commonwealth forces for the Greek campaign were always under strength, and poorly equipped compared with the German invaders. [1] And to some degree the whole operation was doomed from the outset. Plowman maintains, however, that the Allied forces, even the Greek element, gave a good account of themselves. 

Amongst the NZ forces in Greece was this Maori unit.*

One of the mainstays of the Allied contingent, the Universal Carrier.

 Blitzkrieg blunted; German pioneers work to reopen supply lines.*

Soon it was the Germans turn to play tourist.*

Germans pass by and examine wrecked and abondoned Allied materiel.

I think the provocative subtitle of the book, The Death Throes of Blitzkrieg, overstates things somewhat. But Plowman's contention that this may be the first time the vaunted Blitzkrieg began to falter is a lesser and far more plausible claim. His focus is definitely more on the Commonwealth forces, but he does include Axis testimony. 

As well as regular Wehrmacht troops and materiel, there are SS, paratroopers and, of particular interest to me (I'm not sure why?), Gebirgsjager. And the campaign is doubly or triply fascinating because, due to the interesting topography, all elements/arms are involved, for all belligerents, from the ground forces to the naval and airborne contingents.

Gebirgsjager at rest in Greece.*

Gebirgsjager at work in the mountains, Greece.*

Mountainous terrain isn't ideal Blitzkrieg territory.*

The fate of much Allied materiel, abandoned and destroyed.*

This is one of those books that poses a real danger to me, in terms of a desire to build wargaming forces with which to refight elements of it. If I were to go down this avenue, I think I'd choose 1/300 scale, or 6mm, so as to be able to involve air and sea elements, as well as land warfare, and also so as to include as much topography (mountains, coast, islands, etc) as possible. Uh oh...

A thoroughly enjoyable read. I'd definitely highly recommend this.

Most Allied A10 tanks threw their tracks, or broke down one way or another.*

Retreat for the Allies and advance for the Germans was often hampered by poor roads laden with heavy traffic.*

ANZAC troops take shelter whilst waiting to be evacuated.*

Amongst those rescued by sea, these NZ nurses.*

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NOTES:

* I've tried as far as possible to use pictures in the public domain found online, that are not used in Plowman's book.

I suppose the image chosen for the cover (see top of this post) fits with the subtitle of the book. But as I say in my review, above, I think that's an attention grabbing overstatement. A much more representative cover image would've been an A10 that had been abandoned due to track failure! Indeed, I've a mind to make me a diorama of a scene depicting German soldiers gathered around the wreck of an A10 somewhere in Greece. That's a definite one for the the 'to do' project list!

[1] It was the actions of Mussolini's Italians that forced Hitler's hand in this theatre, at least as he saw it. But the theatre as a whole included Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Hungary, and ramifications further afield meant that Crete, Turkey and all around the eastern and northern Mediterranean were affected by events on the Hellenic peninsula, as was Hitler's planned invasion of Russia. These other nations and their actions are often mentioned, as they relate to unfolding events in Greece itself, but don't come within the scope of this book.