German Panzers in WWII by Chris Bishop, published in 2008 by Zenith Press, is the first in a new series aptly named the "Order of Battle" series. The book deals with the formation, development and use of the Panzer arm from early Nazi times till the bitter end in Berlin.
Review
The book comes in a softbound 19 cm X 24 cm ( 7 1/2 in X 9 3/8 in) 192 page volume featuring 10 pictures and 51 organizational charts for various armies and army groups in all theaters of the war. Eight senior officers have short biographies and in each chapter there are 35 color maps spread throughout of various sizes to show the area of chapter interest. Twenty three panzer strength tables give a good idea of what a Panzer division had in tank strength at certain times.
The book is broken down into the following chapters:
The Panzerwaffe of the German Army Polish Campaign 1939 France and the Low Countries 1940 The Balkans and Crete 1941-45 Panzers in North Africa 1941-43 The Eastern Front 1941-45 Sicily and Italy 1943-45 Normandy, France and the Low Countries 1944 Defense of the Reich 1945 A page of Tactical insignia, List of abbreviations, Commander index and a standard Index.
Each chapter has appropriate maps and charts to help explain the chapter events.
conclusion
This book covers the panzer formations throughout WW II and, as such, the coverage of events is basic and does not go into great detail. It provides a high level overview of the theaters and the organization of the main Panzer units engaged and, as a result, it's light on text and heavy on charts, graphs, and maps in the different sections in terms of its content and design. I feel this is a great book for someone who does not know a lot about WW II and would recommend it as an introductory title on the different theaters of the war.
SUMMARY
Highs: Organizational charts and Panzer strength tables show how forces were used and allocated. Maps are helpful, showing areas of deployment.Lows: Some areas needed more than basic information provided. Some maps are too large in area. Verdict: Good book for learning about the Panzer forces in WW II. German commander index is very useful.
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Looking at the sample pages I noticed it has a strength table (as do many other sources) that show the Panzer strength by type (Pz III, Pz IV, etc.) but not by version (Ausf D, Ausf E). Are there any sources that breakout German that way?
I liked the posted pages and the strength tables, but found the review "thin" about what one gets for $20. Perhaps the book isn't all that substantial?
Bill_c,
Point taken, but with this particular book it's light on text and heavy on charts, graphs, and maps in the different sections in terms of its content and design. That makes it somewhat difficult to review it more in depth from a descriptive stand-point short of going in chart by chart or discussing details on the maps, so Joe's review isn't that long as a result. It's a good reference for those looking for more information of this type but at $20 it's not going to be a comprehensive item as Joe pointed out in the review.
Bill P, you just added the line the review lacked! Well put.
Armor books are all over the board on size and price, so without being able to "finger" the thing, I have to rely on reading between the lines, since few reviews say "this book isn't worth the price."
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