Introduction

When it comes to looking for reference on the Leopard family of tanks Trackpad Publishing can usually cater to all of your needs; one of the latest offerings looks at the Danish Leopard 2A5DK and its service in Afghanistan. Trackpad Publishingreally has taken the Leopard family to heart and I feel that one of the greatest aspects of their title release on the Leopard is that those of countries other than Germany get great and well deserved coverage.

Review

This offering from Trackpad Publishing is a soft backed book of 64 pages. The cover is card and should provide a reasonable level of protection to the pages within. The paper is a high quality semi gloss offering that shows off the photographs to great effect. The author of this offering is Kim Hartvig Sørensen with his words accompanied by no less than 200 photographs.

The book begins with a pleasing introduction from Kim Hartvig Sørensen and looks at the preparations and trials that were executed before being deployed in Afghanistan and that includes a holiday in Spain to see how the tanks and crews would manage with the heat during deployment. The modifications had the benefit of data from Danish tanks and a visit was made to Afghanistan to see how the Canadian Leopards were coping with the environment and conditions they were going to be put to the test by. The main role performed by the Danish tanks was to hold high ground and provide an over watch of areas and restrict movement of the enemy within the green zone.

The content of the book is broken down as follows:
The written aspects cover:
Introduction
Afghanistan Modifications
The Tank Detachment
Operations

The pictorial sections are as follows:
Into Theatre
The Tanks and their Support
In Action 2008 – 2014
Leaving the Desert 2014
Desert Modifications
Walkaround – of 68.602
Walkaround – of 68.602 in May 2013
Beyond Repair

Moving onto the photographic sections of the book that by far makes up the largest portion of this title has been especially well tackled. When I am confronted with a photo opportunity I just get snap happy, this book clearly shows the difference between a hobbyist with a camera and someone with a purpose in mind. The photographs are all of a very high standard and show the intended subject and area very well. The result of this photographic work is a great one stop visual reference on the Danish Leopard 2A5DK during preparation for deployment through to the end of the deployment in the Afghanistan theatre of conflict. One aspect of the photographs that I particularly enjoyed seeing was the close work between Danish and British forces when it came to keeping the Leopards roaring.

In addition the high quality photographs that make up the bulk of this title there are the captions that accompany either every photograph or every series of photographs. The captions are fairly short for the most part, but they quickly and clearly provide the viewer with the relevant information on the subject matter. The result of all this is a great visual reference on the Danish Leopard 2A5DK during deployment to Afghanistan with text and captions that clearly explain the purpose of this title and what is being looked at .

Conclusion

As I said at the start Trackpad Publishing is a one stop or at the very least a first stop location for reference on the Leopard tank family. This book is what I think of as visual reference on the subject of the Danish Leopard 2A5DK during the time they served in Afghanistan, but the author deserves praise for a well written portion at the start of the book and clear guidance in the captions.