INTRODUCTION

Tankograd Publishing rounds out 2010 with their final journal series of the year. The 64 page soft cover publication contains a variety of military related subjects ranging from WWI to WWII to the Cold War and right up to the most modern vehicles used in operational theatres today.

The book is written in German with an English captions and an English story summary located in the rear of the book. It is unfortunate that a complete English text is not included as in other Tankograd publications. I totally understand that limits due to space have to be made within the publication. With unique subject matter and excellent images the reader will be exposed to a wide variety of article subjects but they may not be interested in the complete book content. The benefit to a book series like this is that it opens the door for modellers and military enthusiasts to broaden their horizons on various military related subjects.

BOOK DETAILS

The following articles are contained in this issue:

■ Canadian Army: New AHSVS Tank Transporter
Pages 4-10, 19 images
A written and pictorial article on the new Canadian AHSVS (Armoured Heavy Support Vehicle System). A brief history and timeline of the vehicle series as well as a description of the six variants purchased by the Canadian Forces. All images show vehicles deployed to Afghanistan.

■ Bundeswehr: The first two years of the Panzertruppe
Pages 11-16, 12 images
This article I found very intriguing as it provided a written and pictorial account of how the Bundeswehr Panzer Units were reformed, reorganized, and reequipped. Images of Bundeswehr M47s, M74, and M41s are provided. A couple of very unique image shows Bundeswehr tank crews wearing camouflage uniforms reminiscent of WWII uniforms.

■ British Army: Panther CLV
Pages 17-21, 9 images
An overview article on the Landrover replacement for the British forces called the Panther CLV (Command Liaison Vehicle). The article provides the technical and historical information that lead to the purchase for the 400 vehicles

■ East German Army: Paradefahrzeug ZiS-110V
Pages 22-23, 6 images
A short but interesting article on a little known WWII era Soviet designed and built luxurious staff car. The vehicle though designed in WWII did not go into production until after the end of the war and was used during the Cold War in the Warsaw Pact.

■ Museums & Events: War & Peace Show 2010- Feast For Photographers
Pages 24-26, 9 images
A very short and concise summary of the 2010 Beltring War & Peace show showing an assortment of images of vehicles, aircraft, and a panoramic view of one of the display fields. There are English photo captions but no English summary for this article.

■ Exercises: Spearhead Victory 1985
Pages 27-34, 13 images
In the fall of 1985 a large number of exercises involving U.S. units stationed in Germany took place. On e of the exercises involved the 3rd Armored Division and was called “Spearhead Victory 85”. The article provided the ORBAT for the exercise as well as a brief history of the events and phases. The images show M60A3s, M151A2, M817, M48A5 AVLB, M929, M113A2, M577A2, M901 ITV, M936, M163, and the IPM1 Abrams utilizing the towns and countryside during the exercise. There are unique images from that era showing the exercise markings as well as unit markings and the MERDC paint schemes.

■ World War One: 30.5cm Mortar M11
Pages 35-41, 21 images
I found this article well put together and very informative. The article took me from knowing nothing about this Austro-Hungarian high-powered mortar system to a level of understanding as to why this weapon system was so important and effective. An overview of the history and how the mortar was utilized is included. The historical images are very well presented and the captions leave nothing to doubt.

■ French Army: Leclerc S XXI
Pages 42-46, 9 images
A brief but informative article on the latest Leclerc series tank. The article provides an overview of the improvements on the Leclerc S XXI version as well as a description of the Leclerc DCL ARV. The images were taken during an exercise in Bergen-Hohne in 2008. The images provide excellent reference for those looking for both details and a sense of the weathering that occurs while on exercise.

■ Bundeswehr Stories: Castlemartin, Wales
Pages 47-51, 15 images
There were German tanks in the UK! Of course there were but not too many people outside of Wales or the Bundeswehr probably paid any attention to them. The article provides a history of the Bundeswehr use of the training ground at Castlemartin in Wales. The training area established in 1939 became a well known training location for Bundeswehr tank crews from 1961 to 1996. Leopard 1s and Leopard 2s of the German Armoured Units conducted live fire training at Castlemartin until after the end of the Cold War.

■ Slovenian Army: Valuk- Wheeled AFV
Pages 52-55, 7 images
As the Slovenian Army continues to modernize so must its armoured vehicles. This overview article covers the procurement and use of the Slovenian Valuk 6x6. The vehicle is available as a troop carrier, mortar carrier, ambulance, and a Recce vehicle.

■ Museums & Events: Grenzkompanie Posseck 2010
Pages 56-59, 16 images
Where does one go to see loads of ex-Warsaw pact vehicles in excellent running condition? You go to a former East German Police barracks in Posseck. The article covers a military vehicle enthusiast get together where a variety of Cold War vehicles were shown off. The vehicles included an ATS-59, VT-55A, BVP-1, BAT-M, VT34, M813, Tatra LAK II, Ural 375, and odds and sods of other restored vehicles.

■ Austrian Army: Leopard Emergency
Pages 60-61, 4 images
The very brief article covers the despair of one Austrian Leopard 2A4 crew when their tank slipped off the road and was bogged back in 2002. The recovery of the tank out of the water filled ditch became an all day and into the early evening event.

CONCLUSION

I think overall this book had some very unique content and should please a variety of readers looking to expand their knowledge on the use of multiple military vehicles and the history behind them. The images are good and the captions well written. It is a bit disappointing that the English text is only summaries of the articles or sometimes not there at all.

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