German Armored Warfare of World War II: The Unpublished Photographs 1939-1945

Rating:
Summary: A powerful visual presentation of arms and armaments
Review: German Armored Warfare Of World War II: The Unpublished Photographs 1939-1945 by military historian Ian Baxter is an impressive and authoritative survey enhanced with many previously unpublished black-and-white photographs of World War II German armor, soldiers, and battles. Descriptive captions enrich the photographs with historical facts and reference information of the events portrayed. A powerful visual presentation of arms and armaments, German Armored Warfare Of World War II is a core addition to any personal reading list, as well as professional and academic World War II Military Studies reference collections.

Rating:
Summary: Some interesting photos, but poor quality text
Review: This book has potential but is marred by an inexplicable number of errors. I found myself unable to enjoy the text without discovering page after page of misidentifications (i.e.: Panzer IVs labeled as Panzer IIIs, Marder IIs labeled as Marder IIIs, etc., etc.). Scenes from Africa are misidentified as "..on the Eastern Front..." Some of the vehicles are not only mislabeled, but are also put into a context that is chronologically impossible (i.e.: Panzer IV Ausf. Js during Operation Citadel). I simply cannot fathom how an author can place such facts into print without doing a minimal amount of research. Also, the author has a habit of speculating about what is happening in the photographs, to the extent that I almost expected to read what the crew was thinking when the photo was snapped. Most of this is obviously pure conjecture, and rings hollow when coupled with the factual errors that are evident. The layout of the book had promise, with different chapters devoted to main battle tanks, light tanks, reconnaissance vehicles, etc. But I was disappointed to find that the chapters do not even come close to being comprehensive in scope. For example, the reconnaissance chapter has over twenty photos of motorcycle dispatch riders, but very little coverage of the various models of armored cars used throughout the conflict. Some of the photos are of dubious quality and/or informational value, and others have been seen before in other publications (not generally a problem, but the book is subtitled "the unpublished photographs"). The book earned three stars from me because I am an avid armor fan and modeler, and am always looking for new photos of interest. I guess it's because of guys like me that books like this keep getting turned out. I just wish that the people responsible would take the time to check their facts and strive for a little more quality. If the errors don't bother you and you're a WWII armor junkie, then buy this book. If you don't own "The Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two," just make sure you buy that first. Actually, you should browse lots of other titles first...

Rating:
Summary: Some interesting photos, but poor quality text
Review: This book has potential but is marred by an inexplicable number of errors. I found myself unable to enjoy the text without discovering page after page of misidentifications (i.e.: Panzer IVs labeled as Panzer IIIs, Marder IIs labeled as Marder IIIs, etc., etc.). Scenes from Africa are misidentified as "..on the Eastern Front..." Some of the vehicles are not only mislabeled, but are also put into a context that is chronologically impossible (i.e.: Panzer IV Ausf. Js during Operation Citadel). I simply cannot fathom how an author can place such facts into print without doing a minimal amount of research. Also, the author has a habit of speculating about what is happening in the photographs, to the extent that I almost expected to read what the crew was thinking when the photo was snapped. Most of this is obviously pure conjecture, and rings hollow when coupled with the factual errors that are evident. The layout of the book had promise, with different chapters devoted to main battle tanks, light tanks, reconnaissance vehicles, etc. But I was disappointed to find that the chapters do not even come close to being comprehensive in scope. For example, the reconnaissance chapter has over twenty photos of motorcycle dispatch riders, but very little coverage of the various models of armored cars used throughout the conflict. Some of the photos are of dubious quality and/or informational value, and others have been seen before in other publications (not generally a problem, but the book is subtitled "the unpublished photographs"). The book earned three stars from me because I am an avid armor fan and modeler, and am always looking for new photos of interest. I guess it's because of guys like me that books like this keep getting turned out. I just wish that the people responsible would take the time to check their facts and strive for a little more quality. If the errors don't bother you and you're a WWII armor junkie, then buy this book. If you don't own "The Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two," just make sure you buy that first. Actually, you should browse lots of other titles first...