This time the author is Martin Kogel. He gives extremely informative text to the many photos in this 240 page book. His careful examination and eye for detail lets the reader know what type of vehicle he/she is seeing and points out details that may have otherwise been overlooked.
The book is divided into chapters which cover, after the introduction, three years, 1942-1944, and is followed by a color section as well as a loading plan.
The photos are the centerpiece of this work. There 197 black and white photos, not counting those cropped and re-used for chapter introductions or to point out details. see examples at right for images that appear cropped and still shar enough to see details.
Most of the photos were unpublished and one in particular is rare in that it shows the SdKfz 250/4 with dual MG34 mount.
Chapter six, Camouflage Colours, includes a dozen hand colored photos to illustrate the schemes. These photos can be seen in their original black and white in previous chapter.
The last chapter before the bibliography has a loading plan for each of the variants except for the /4 and /8. These are marked "to follow later."
The book is a labor of love and quite a gamble for Total Detail Publications. The complete series will be far more in depth than the late Hunnicutt series on American AFVs. Not only will the development history be covered, but so are the technical drawings, the markings, weathering, and crews.
This book is highly recommended to anyone with an interest not only in the SdKfz 250 but anything to do with the German Cavalry and Reconnaissance units. The price may be high but so are the standards of productions. One truly gets what one pays for from Total Detail Publications.