German Infantryman vs British Infantryman: France 1940 Book Brief
By David L. Veres
| Date of Review | March 2016 | Title | German Infantryman vs British Infantryman: France 1940 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | David Greentree | Publisher | Osprey Publishing |
| Published | 2015 | ISBN | 9781472812407 |
| Format | 80 pages,softbound | MSRP (USD) | $18.95 |
Review
Nazi mechanized infantry square off against the British Expeditionary Force in the 14th installment of Osprey’s growing “Combat” series.
And German Infantryman vs British Infantryman: France 1940 deftly distills details in just 80 pithy pages. Author David Greentree sets the stage with background notes on “opposing sides”:
- organization and doctrine
- recruitment and morale
- weaponry, training and tactics and
- command, control and communications.
Coverage quickly courses through clashes at Arras, Calais and Merville. Illuminating “analysis” and “aftermath” sections follow. And contents conclude with a helpful “unit organizations” summary. But was Britain’s Sten gun really “derived from the German MP 38”?
Maps, extended captions and sidebars support Greentree’s study. A selected bibliography, index and – ta-da! – annotations augment the account. The author effectively employs embedded attributions. And I wish more Osprey contributors would follow his lead.
Photos and action paintings also illustrate Osprey’s overview. Seeking diorama ideas? Look here!
May 1940 combat spawned valuable lessons in unit management, personnel deployment and weapons performance. Both Germany and Britain leveraged those lessons to forge more efficient training and tactics.
Find out how. Get this absorbing, entertaining book.
Recommended!
My sincere thanks to Osprey Publishing for this review sample!