Introduction

Panzerwrecks 2 is the second in a series of books created by Lee Archer and published by Bill Auerbach, in April 2006, with the ISBN of 0-9754183-1-9. This book deals with captured, destroyed, wrecked or surrendered German armor of WW 2. The inside front cover of the book provides credits and other information as well as their website at www.panzerwrecks.com

Panzerwrecks 2 contains 96 pages with 118 black-and-white photos on high quality paper. The book is laid out in a landscape view of mostly full page pictures with a a few inset and smaller pictures as well. There are 58 different kinds of German armored vehicles covered and the book is divided in 4 main parts: Panzer Wrecks in Vienna, War Booty in Yugoslavia, Panzer Wrecks in Znojmo, Endkampfe in Berlin, and additional photos to separate the sections.

review

Panzer wrecks in Vienna is the first section deals with 7 pictures of various wrecks in Vienna, Austria. There are several Panthers and a Hummel all in, shall we say, less than good condition. The Pz IV/70A on page 1 is of particular interest because of its obvious Red Army use and markings.

War Booty in Yugoslavia contains 21 pictures of war booty that is of interest for several reasons. First is the large number of Sturmhaubitze M 42 because of the attempt to up armor them with extra track pads. In addition, there are 2 driver training vehicles, Pz II hulls with wood gas generators, that are very interesting and make for excellent resources for a potential scratch build. Lastly, there are several photos that show a large amount of various equipment on 2 trains, with some well known German halftrack vehicles shown both on and off the train.

Panzer Wrecks in Znojmo deals with vehicles at Znojimo railroad station Czechoslovakia, whic served as a collection point for damaged vehicles and is covered by 6 photos. For the most part the vehicles shown are tanks with a few other vehicles here and there. The early Bergepanther is of interest along with a Hungarian Turan II.

Endkampfe in Berlin is section many will find the most interesting for several reasons. There are dug-in tanks commanding various streets in Berlin of which 4 are shown. Several pictures of tanks at Muncheberg after the surrender of Berline are also included, with a Pz.Kpw. I Ausf B with a StuG III gun mounted to it as the most interesting. There is also a Sd.Kfz 251/21 turned playground for children after the war and two Sd.Kfz 301 are of interest for their modifications and use.

The photo's separating each section are from various spots in western Europe, mostly France and Germany. The werfer vehicles are interesting, showing two different kind of rocket launch systems. The French UE with Wurfahmen launcher racks shows it's size for example and the included story about the coal mine sturmtiger is also of interest.

conclusion

The book is loaded with photos, only one of which I had seen before, and will no doubt provide plenty of ideas for anyone to take off with. It also shows the state of the Germany military during the last year of the war through the training vehicles with wood gas generators and up-armored and modified Italian tanks. The photographic credits and captions are informative as are the subjects they deal with. Much credit is due the folks at Panzerwrecks for this offering. Highly recommended.