Introduction

The following introduction is as provided by Tankograd Publishing:
The Geschütztes Transportfahrzeug 5 t Zetros protected mobility truck with or without winch was procured under the GTF protected transport vehicle programme of the German Bundeswehr. Developed and manufactured by Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks, the all-wheel-drive design with cab-behind-engine configuration has outstanding off-road capabilities, can be fitted with a FLW 100 remote-controlled weapon station and is employed for transporting general cargo, fuel tank units and shelters. The first GTF 5 t Zetros vehicles entered service in 2012. From 2013 onwards, they saw service with the German ISAF-contingent in Afghanistan. Zetros 1833A 5 t hümS 4x4 trucks without a protected cab are also now in service with the Bundeswehr. In this publication, both truck families are described in great detail.

Review

This review takes a look at one of the latest releases from Tankograd Publishing and covers the Zetros GTF protected mobility logistic support vehicle. The author of this particular release is Carl Schutze who is a regular contributor to Tankograd Publishing. This offering from Tankograd Publishing is one of their duel language book offerings having German on the left and English on the right side of each page. This approach has enabled Tankograd Publishing to appeal to their home German market and the English speaking one as well. This is soft backed book with a good glossy card cover and 64 pages of good quality paper on the inside.

This offering from Tankograd Publishing begins with fourteen pages of text. Tankograd Publishing has become very good at getting the information across to the reader while keeping the text concise. The text has been broken down as follows:
Complex threat scenarios
GFF, GTF and GSF
Zetros 5t LKW Model 1833A truck
Entering service
Development and model upgrading
Performance parameters of the GTF 5t Zetros
Technology
Frame
Protected cab
Engine, cooling system and fuel system
Automatic transmission and transfer case
Electrical system
Heating, air conditioning and preheating system and NBC protection system
Cargo body
Winch
FLW 100 remote controlled weapon station (RWS)
Radio System
Other systems
LKW 5t hümS Zetros 1833A 4X4
Zetros trucks in service with the Bundeswehr support centre
The procurement of additional vehicles is uncertain

As a Tankograd Publishing book I was surprised and pleased at the effort by the author to cover all aspects of the vehicle in the text, the text in Tankograd Publishing usually gets a minimal space with the added details and data provided by excellent captions that accompany each photograph. This offering provides a lot of detail covering all aspects of the vehicle to a very good depth. The text is well written and easily absorbed by the reader with minimal effort and I like this aspect of the book a lot.

Moving onto the photographic sections of the book and a great number of image offerings from Carl Schutze. The photographs are in full colour and of a very high standard and they are accompanied by exceptional captions to clearly explain what you are looking at, something that Tankograd Publishing does especially well. The photographic section break down as follows:
From the S2000 truck family to Zetros
Zetros
Zetros in Afghanistan
Zetros GTF 5t in detail
Zetros LKW 5t 1833A 4X4
Zetros LKW 5t 1833A 4X4 in detail
Zetros 2733A 6X6 three way tipper

Conclusion

Tankograd Publishing excels as a publisher when it comes to affordable titles looking at very specific areas of the military forces and vehicles of the world and this offering is not an exception to that rule. Being a duel language publication it has a wide appeal that satisfies the home market and the wider world. This publication has the longest written section of any books of its type from Tankograd Publishing and so makes for an interesting read, but the increased page use of the text has not impacted unduly on the photographic sections and so has a very nice balance to it.