In the less than one hundred-year history of armored fighting vehicle development, designers have had to balance firepower, mobility and protection to maximize the capability of their war machines. As initially designed, the German Panzerjager (tank hunter) was an efficient way to mount previously towed anti-tank guns on armored hulls, primarily from obsolete tanks, to increase mobility of guns. As these designs were being deployed with some success on the battlefield, the Germans progressed with plans to mount more effective anti-tank guns, especially the 75mm and vaunted 88mm gun. At the same time, crews were demanding the vehicles offer better protection than available from the earlier light panzers. The Heavy Jagdpanzer was born out of these demands.

Jagdpanzers, literally hunting tanks, were developed using standard panzer hulls with the turrets replaced by fixed superstructures. This allowed for the mounting of heavier weapons capable of dealing with Soviet KVs and T-34s at greater ranges. The heavy versions, Ferdinand/Elefant, Jagdpanther and Jagdtiger, utilized superior anti-tank guns, the 88 and 128 mm, and offered excellent ballistic protection to their crews, maximizing the principles of firepower and protection. The trade off in reduced mobility was very often the Achilles’ heel of the heavies. Many vehicles withstood withering enemy fire only to be lost due to mechanical breakdown, poor fuel consumption, or lack of speed necessary to escape the dreaded Jabos, or Allied air attacks.

This title, one of a series authored by the renowned German armor experts Spielberger, Jentz and Doyle, covers the development, production and operational deployment of the heavy Jagdpanzers. Each section describes in sufficient detail dimensions, weight, design challenges, production issues and combat histories. Some mention is given to the final disposition of vehicles that have been placed on display in the major tank museums around the world. An addendum is included, displaying an interesting collection of files detailing the disagreement between General Heinz Guderian, Inspector-General of Panzer Troops, and the OKH concerning the designations Sturmgeschutz (assault gun) versus Panzerjager (tank destroyer). The nomenclature of such vehicles was a significant factor in deciding if the vehicles fell under the command of the Panzer troops of the Artillery.

The only issue I have with the text of this volume is in the translation from German to English. As these books were originally published in German and just recently translated, certain idioms seem to have been translated literally, making the respective English phrases a bit hard to read at times.

The great value of this book lies in both the photographs and Hilary Doyle’s superb 1/35th scale line drawings. While many of the photographs are familiar to Panzer fans, the variety and size of them affords modelers with a wealth of information concerning details and variations. The line drawings are well done and clear. In most cases they illustrate top, bottom, left, right, front and back details of the most common variants of each series. Detail builders are well served by these illustrations.

Taking into consideration the wealth of knowledge and detail this edition offers, I would not hesitate to recommend Heavy Jadgpanzer to any modeler with an interest in these vehicles. Panzer fans, especially those with an interest in later war developments, will find this reference a cornerstone to their libraries. I will undoubtedly be moving a couple of kits to the top of my build stack in order to capitalize on this reference.

   I would like to thank Schiffer Publishing Ltd. for the opportunity to review this title. I look forward to purchasing other volumes in this series to broaden my Panzer knowledge.