Every now and then, an authority comes along who becomes THE go-to-person on a specific subject.

Sherman tanks? Richard Hunnicutt. USN ships? Dr. Norman Friedman. Interview skills? Larry King. Proper Conduct? Judith Martin (Miss Manners). Cajun cooking? Emeril Lagasse. Vintage guitars? George Gruhn. Custom motorcycles? Jesse James.

If your subject is 'German warships of the WW II Deutsche Kriegsmarine,' the team of Scholar / Author Gerhard Koop and Meister Illustrator Klaus-Peter Schmolke is THE source.

Considering the 'pocket battleship' was a one-off ship type (built only in Germany) and only three hulls comprised the class (Deutschland / Lutzow, Admiral Scheer and Admiral Graf Spee), and only one was 'extremely' successful' and none survived the war...Germany's Deutschland Class Panzerschiffe get MUCH more than their 'fair' share of press, both in print and model kit form.

This review's subject, Pocket Battleships of the Deutschland Class, by Gerhard Koop and Klaus-Peter Schmolke is expensive, at $46.95 for a relatively thin volume (224 pages), and  not likely to be found on the shelves of your local bookstore. It's also outstanding, just outstanding, in layout, depth of technical content, historical content, quality / number of photos (including many candid on-boards), maps, line drawings and level of scholarliness.

This volume is NOT for the faint of interest or pocketbook. For the hardcore DKM enthusiast, Pocket Battleships of the Deutschland Class is a literary / visual feast.

Modelers, please see this reviewer's M2 (Osprey) German Pocket Battleships 1939-45 review for a few notes on the class as a possible or likely modeling subject. Let it suffice to say, kits and aftermarket photoetch frets are abundant. However...okay, model-builders, that said, if you have a kit of Deutschland/Lutzow, Admiral Scheer or Admiral Graf Spee, by any manufacturer, in any scale and really want to have fun researching the real ships, THIS is the book for you!

Highest recommendation for the serious Deutsche Kriegsmarine enthusiast, less hearty recommendations for anyone casually wishing to greatly broaden their knowledge in this one-off type of naval vessel, the Panzerschiff.

Review copy courtesy of the reviewer's bank account, purchased from Amazon.com, UK.

Reviewed by James Hood.

(see Scott Van Aken's m2 and other reviews of James Hood's novel Adventure--Into The Neverland, of exploring a parallel, Alternate world using WWII surplus ships, aircraft and vehicles at:)    <http://users3.ev1.net/~bjmonkeyandcj/James_Hood.htm>

June 2005

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