One could make
the case that the Germans came up with the idea of the self-propelled gun (SPG).
They used it fairly early in the war and were quite inventive in terms of
adapting artillery pieces to older tank chassis. Initially, these were dedicated
tank destroyers and placed anti-tank guns on Panzer I and Panzer II chassis.
These worked fairly well but had issues. One was that the superstructure was
quite tall. There was insufficient crew protection. I was also discovered that
the gun was frequently too much for the chassis. Still, the idea worked and as
the war progressed, the Germans used bigger guns on larger tank chassis while
incorporating somewhat heavier armor for the crew.
The Germans were not the only ones using these types of
vehicles as the allies and Italians also developed self propelled guns. Most of
the US ones were either on half-tracks (which did not really work out as well as
hoped) or on Sherman or other tank chassis. In fact, some of these later US
SPG/tank destroyers had working turrets. But it was the Germans who were the
first to use them in combat and by the end of the war, had developed some
fearsome vehicles.
This book covers all the different variations of German
vehicles starting with the Panzerjaeger I and going up to the Jagdtiger. The
book also covers all of the various mobile flak platforms, many of which were
attached to the back of various half-tracks. Some of the more interesting types
were on tank chassis so had rotating turrets. There are several chapters, each
of which has a few pages of background history before moving into the photo
section. It is the photos that are the draw of this series and the ones in this
book are well chosen. In all, it is a great introduction to these vehicles and a
book that I am sure both enthusiasts and modelers alike will find useful. I
liked it and it is one that I can recommend to you.
April 2026
Copyright ModelingMadness.com. All rights reserved.
Review book courtesy of
Casemate Publishers, where you can order your copy
at this link. This
title is also available in a digital format.
If you would like your product reviewed fairly and
fairly quickly, please
contact
me or see other details in the
Note to
Contributors.