Introduction

The following introduction is provided by Tankograd Publishing.
The Panzer IV in its variants A to J was the backbone of the German Panzertruppe in World War 2. This publication is entirely based on contemporary private photographs rather than on official and propaganda pictures. By using photos taken in combat by the soldiers it is now possible to tell the true wartime story of the tanks and their crews on all frontlines.

Review

This release from Tankograd Publishing is a duel language publication with German on the left and English on the right. With that said there is only a single page of pure text in this title providing a very brief history of the Panzer IV. What needs to be remembered is that the Panzer IV’s served their crews well in combat even when facing superior foes. It is also worth mentioning that even when superseded by the Panther tank the Panzer IV fought on till the end.

This release is listed as an enhanced and updated offering with an extra 16 pages and 85 pictures that have not previously been published; the result is an offering with 80 pages and some fantastic black and white photographs. The title covers the Panzer IV from Ausf A through to Ausf J with some excellently chosen photographs.

The photographs in this title are all accompanied with very good captions in German and English and for me that makes the captions the stars of this title. Photographs are fantastic reference material, but unless the viewer knows what exactly they are looking at the value of those photographs is greatly depreciated, Tankograd Publishing excels at the caption aspect of their titles. The result of this detail is that the reader knows what tank they are specifically looking at and are presented with a mix of details both general and specific.

Conclusion

This offering from Tankograd Publishing presents us with an excellent selection of period Panzer IV photographs in black and white, these cover the spectrum of the Panzer IV from its early productions to the last of the line. The Panzer IV may not be the sexiest of the German armour from World War Two, but every modeller with an interest in the period needs a Panzer IV in their collection and this book provides the reference to add the great touches.