Seems like there is a never-ending flow of photos from the Bundesarchives and from private collections to help with the images that go into these Concord books and here is yet another. This is basically a uniform and personal gear book that covers the early Soviet invasion of the fall of 1941. In particular, these images were taken during the battles for Smolensk and Roslavl in July and August of that year. These were heady times for the Wehrmacht as not only were they moving faster than initially anticipated, but were capturing hundreds of thousands of Soviet troops and tons of equipment.

 As this is a photo book, there are a lot of very nicely chosen and generally clear photos taken from the archives and other sources that show not only the uniforms worn by these men, but also the equipment they used. This includes machine guns, field guns and mortars. It also shows how treacherous the roads in the Soviet Union could be with the addition of a little rain. Mud that trapped vehicles up to their axles was not uncommon, especially when being churned around by multiple heavy vehicles. In addition to the excellent photographs used in the book, there is a center section of color illustrations showing in more detail, some of the various uniforms and personal equipment used by these soldiers at this time.

Overall, it is another superb addition to a growing line of excellent photo books by Concord. If you have any interest in the subject, or just want to be sure your figures are properly attired and equipped for this particular part of the war, then this is a book for you.

May 2011

Review book courtesy of www.dragonmodelsusa.com . Get yours at your local retailer or ask them to order it for you.

If you would like your product reviewed fairly and quickly, please contact me or see other details in the Note to Contributors.

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