Introduction

Once again in search of reference material for my latest model, I stumbled upon this book on Ebay. Waldemar Trojca is well known for his many publications on WW2 AFV’s. This 90 page books covers the Early Production Sturmpanzer IV. It is chock full of black and white and color photographs as well as scale drawings and more.

the book

When I first opened the package I quickly noticed the cover art which sort of reminded me of school textbooks. I guess you could classify this a textbook if there was a class on the Early Sturmpanzer IV. The cover has two colored drawings on it, both with different camouflage schemes. Along with these drawings is one black and white photo of a Brummbar with side skirts.

When you open the cover notice the 2 color photographs of the captured Brummbar at Kubinka. The first chapter gives a basic overview of this magnificent vehicle. In these 3 pages, information is broken down into History, Infantry Gun Company Designation, Production Numbers, Inventory Numbers, Sturmpanzer 43 First Series, Sturmpanzer 43 Second Series, Sturmpanzer 43 First Series Modified and Organization and Employment. There is lots of information about where the first Brummbars were sent into action and their effectiveness.

Following the overview are 2 pages of how the Brummbars were distributed and setup into their “Kompanietrupp” for Kriegsgliederung der Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 216 (Panzer Regiment 656) 07/1943.

The next 2 pages are a list of the next 57 photos to follow and their associated captions. These pictures are a great resource to the modeller. They show the Brummbar in many different states. As well as the Brummbar, it also shows the crew in detail. Many pictures show the crew either at rest, posing or replenishing their vehicles. You can clearly see their uniforms too. There are 4 pictures of knocked out Brummbars and there is one picture of a crew sitting beside their vehicle, looking at the damage the side skirts sustained. There are also quite a few pictures which show the makeshift camouflage crews created with foliage.

The next section has 31 pictures taken of the Early Production Sturmpanzer IV at Kubinka Tank Museum. These pictures are very crisp and clear and pay special attention to detail in areas that would pertain to modelers such as loading hatches, mufflers, return rollers and tracks, and the drivers view port.

On pages 54-61 there are colored drawings representing Brummbars including:
• Sd.Kfz. 166 Sturmpanzer – Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 216 05/1943
• Sd.Kfz. 166 Sturmpanzer III/Pz.Jg. Reg. 656 06/1943
• Sd.Kfz. 166 Sturmpanzer – Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 216 08/1943
• Sd.Kfz. 166 Sturmpanzer – Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 216 10/1943

Each drawing shows the vehicle with the proper camouflage pattern for the different areas.

The next section is 1/35 scale drawings of the Sturmpanzer IV. First there are 2 pages which contain the caption to go along with the drawings. These are followed by 25 scale drawings which are very detailed. The artist has done a great job and paid great attention to detail when creating these drawings. These drawings include:
• Left hand side view of Sturmpanzer 43
• Right hand side view of Sturmpanzer 43
• Top view of Sturmpanzer 43
• Frontal view of Sturmpanzer 43
• Frontal view of Command version of Sturmpanzer 43
• Rear view of Sturmpanzer 43
• Details of the Hull (wheels, jack, bogies, lights, machine gun, and antenna)

The last drawing shows the armor thickness throughout the Brummbar.

The back cover has 3 more color pictures of the Early Production Brummbar at Kubinka including the gun barrel, the loading area and the interior.

in conclusion

This book is a great addition to anybodys resource library. It has many great pictures and offers inspiration to the modeller. I was a little disappointed that it didn’t have any information on the Late Production Brummbar but I guess that leaves room for another volume