This
book from Pen & Sword's series on military vehicles concentrates on the
Panther tank as used by Panzer Brigades during 1944-45. The panzer brigade was
an idea brought about by Hitler that included an armored infantry battalion, a
tank battalion of 30-40 vehicles, a company of towed anti-tank guns and a number
of anti-aircraft weapons. These smaller units were supposed to be more capable
of fighting were they were immediately needed and to be not as cumbersome as
other German army units.
The Panther or Panzer V was picked to fill most of these brigades as it
was the newest and most capable of the medium tanks available. Eventually there
were around a dozen of these units operating until the end of the war.
As is the case with other books in this series, we get a brief
look at how these brigades were formed and the general organizational
arrangement of them. Then it goes into a history of the individual brigades with
photos of the vehicles that were attached. Not surprisingly, the vast majority
of the photos are of knocked out tanks. However, the images chosen are generally
good. There is then a fairly large section of large profiles, often
accompanied by a photo of the vehicle in question. Each of these profiles offers
a little bit of information on the vehicle that is featured. Then we get to some feature
model builds along with a rundown of kits and accessories that are available
for the Panther. These sections are by no means comprehensive but do cover most of
what is currently available. This is followed by a brief section that helps one identify
the major features of the tank as production proceeded.
These books where you have a mixture of history, camouflage and models
are becoming more and more the norm. This one is well done, as are the other
books in the series as they are by the same author. I've grown to look forward
to each one as they come out. Pick one up. I know you will be pleased.
December 2020
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