History of the Panzerjäger Volume 1 Book Review

By David L. Veres

Review

Thomas Anderson surveys Nazi Germany's anti-tank capabilities in The History of the Panzerjäger, Volume 1.

Osprey's handy hardback nominally distills the force's "Origins And Evolution 1939–42". But contents actually commence in World War I and cover between-wars developments – notably the Spanish Civil War – before detailing wartime efforts.

The 12-chapter, 304-page chronicles all major campaigns and actions to 1942. And continually competing armament and armor advancements naturally dominate text.

Anderson nicely recaps evolving German technologies – from man-portable anti-tank rifles through towed artillery to self-propelled solutions. Ammunition developments and Beutegeschütz – captured enemy guns – also contribute to coverage.

He even segues to "close-combat weapons". These include shaped charges, improvised explosive devices, Molotov Cocktails, mines, vision-blinding options, and more.

Prepare for surprises. How about those revolutionary 1930s Tankjäger halftrack designs? And don't those two Protzkraftwagen on page 238 suggest WWII antecedents to today's "technicals"?

Photos, explanatory captions, and tables augment the effort. Illuminating action accounts, contemporary observations, and unit organization schematics also season the study. And an index, acknowledgments, and three-source "bibliography" complete contents. But look elsewhere for colors & markings details. And why no annotations?

I still enjoyed Anderson's informative effort. And I look forward to Volume 2.

Recommended!

My sincere thanks to Osprey Publishing for this review sample!