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KP Books |
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Standard Catalogue of German Military Vehicles by David Doyle |
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Reviewed By Kip Rudge, #40597 |
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MSRP: $29.99 USD ISBN: 0-87349-783-x This book, weighing in at a hefty 512 pages, is somewhat of an enigma. While it doesn’t cover any new ground or provide a wealth of new information, I like the book and think it has a place on the bookshelf. However I didn’t get that impression from first glance. It took me several nights with the book to understand the niche at which the author and publisher are aiming. Initially the book struck me as an expanded version of the Encyclopedia of German Tanks, a venerable tome and indispensable reference for everyone known as a SGF (Slobbering German Freak). The book tackles all the German Armored vehicle types and subtypes. Also provided are data charts and several photos for each vehicle’s subtype. All of this is very handy info. Although providing production dates, figures and other info for each subtype would have been handy as well. The book also provides information on the range of softskins used by the Germans, including motorcycles, cars and trucks. The softskin section is a nice bonus and makes this reference more valuable than a book dedicated to only German tanks. I really couldn’t find many photos in this book I had not seen before. There may be a few, but any real use for these pics has been mitigated by printing the book on uncoated paper, which tends toward darker photos and fuzzy detail. There is an eight-page glossy color photo section in the middle of the book that is split between war-time color images and photos of restored vehicles mainly in U.S. collections. Given the massive amounts of reference material available to German armor builders these days, this book appears somewhat ambiguous. However as a general reference source to distinguish among the many types of German military vehicles, from motorcycles to heavy trucks, it holds up well. In other words, if you want to know the bolt arrangement on a Panzer IV G idler, this book won’t help. If you want to know what place the Panzer IV G held in the panzer pecking order, then this book will help. |
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