Just Finished my 2nd Book Review of the Year!!
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In this latest addition to the Images of War Series, author and Image Historian Ian Baxter goes after the Waffen-SS, telling the story of their Armour on the Easter Front. As such you get short bursts of dense combat history of the SS Panzer Divisions and the Armour Vehicles-they used – as well as the AFVs assigned to other SS formations in Russia- told from the German perspective- and then long stretches of pages of photos to illustrate the actions. There are many photos you’ve never seen before- and some that are clearly from rolls with more famous shots- but still instructive and interesting. At 140 pages, mostly b/w images- there is a lot of gear to cover. There’s almost every combination possible of gear- and many candid shots that really evoke the period. I certainly was not disappointed in the width and breadth of the photos.
I marked off points for there being no colour shots- I was really hopeful of Signal Magazine shots of SS Camo to help set palette- but its possible Baxter simply did not find any from the Great Patriotic War that met his standards. I also found the historical narrative a little overly “Teutonic Knights” toned,(perhaps Baxter was largely translating? ) and saw no mention of the fungibility of SS staff- something I think all modern SS , Waffen of Gestapo, histories need to highlight. Officers and men regularly transferred sideways, from the Police (Gestapo/Camp Guards) side of the SS, the Political/Economic (Slave Labour) side of the SS, and the Waffen SS back and forth – making this a fully integrated hive of villainy. It’s a key fact that puts the lie to the convenient Cold War fiction that the Waffen SS was a separate force of “Noble Warriors” against Communism- and is important to burst the bubble of any who get too attracted to the snappy uniforms (Camo!) and the sleek Panzers. The pictures tell the story of the confident “Supermen” attacking in 1941 full of confidence and supplies. In the middle- the Stalingrad Campaign- then Kursk- the height of the Panzerwaffe -by 1945 – stray little Kampfgruppe (Battlegroups) of Vehicles- always in search of fuel and supplies. Visually- its a beguiling story- but we know how badly it ended…
Few adult themes- (too few?)- and no graphic combat visuals make this a good book for the history oriented junior reader over 11/12- with a little supervision to explain who the Waffen SS really were. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast- a real boon. The Gamer gets a lot of the look of the campaign – and some great stowage guidance- as well as interesting uniform combinations. The Modeler gets that and more – lots of build and diorama ideas from page to page- but no colour as I had hoped. The Military enthusiast gets a good idea of the feel of the campaign, weapons as they were carried and used, and the logistical underpinnings of armoured warfare- I particularly liked a few pics of soldiers painting the camouflage on their tanks- something I had never seen… A good addition to the WWII shelf, especially of you focus on the gear.
