Books World War 2

Panzerwrecks 2

By Vinnie Branigan

Pic 1, Pic 2, Pic 3, Pic 4,

PanzerWrecks 2
Author: Lee Archer & William Auerbach
Softback
Publisher: Panzerwrecks
Price: £16.99
ISBN: 0-9754183-1-9

Introduction

The PanzerWrecks series of books was the brainchild of William Auerback and Lee Archer, and each of the five Panzerwrecks so far in the series contains over 100 rare and unpublished images from across the globe, many said to be from private collections and little known sources.

The book

The book is presented in A4 landscape format, which allows the photographs used to be displayed in the best size. There are 96 pages containing over 100 black and white photographs, most of which fill an entire page, apart from a small section for the accompanying caption.

According to the authors, this volume covers four main sections the first - Panzer wrecks in Vienna - has twenty-seven pages of photographs taken in and around Vienna after being 'liberated'. Pictures include a variety of vehicles including a Panzer IV/70 A and Hummel in Russian garb, a series of pictures showing U.S. Military policemen playing cowboys around a Panther scrapyard, a Panzerbeobachtungswagen IV Ausf.J with the famous Vienna Ferris wheel in the background, which came as a surprise to me in that I hadn't known the original had escaped the War unscathed. There's also a Sturmmorser, Jagdtiger, an unusual Panther Ausf. G with Zimmerit, Panzer IV J's and H's StuG's III & IV and a couple of 251's.

The second section covers wrecks photographed around the former Yugoslavia, and is the largest section, the first part of which concentrates on a series of pictures of trains loaded with various vehicles including 231's, 223's, 251's of various types, and even FAMO's. There are a lot of photographs showing StuG M41 mit 75/18 850(i), which are unusual for the field modifications they sport, including fuel tanks, stowage racks etc. There are some photographs of Panzer II's, presumably from a training school since they are powered by wood burning stoves. Towards the end of the section we have a Jagdpanzer, some Panthers and even a Wirbelwind and Mobelwagen. Usefully for me at time too, the section ends with a couple of picture o a Flakpanzer 38(t), which I'm building at the moment!

Pic 5, Pic 6, Pic 7, Pic 8,

The third section displays photographs mainly taken at Znojmo which is now in the Czech Republic near the border with Austria. Near the train station in Znojmo, the Allies set up a collection depot for damaged vehicles. The section begins with a series of Panthers, including a Bergepanther, Panzer IV Ausf.J, and even a T34/76 with a Balkencreuz. The section then moves on to a series of more 'rural' nature, showing various vehicles knocked out such as an Sd.Kfz.7/1 & 7/2, Panzerwerfer 42, a really neat looking Renault UE adapted by the Germans to fire 28/32cm Wurfrahmen, Lorraine Schlepper, Marders, Wespe, and then back to a series of Panthers before an RSO and finally a very unusual Panzer I fitted with a 7.5cm StuK40 from a StuG III, which is a photograph published before in Tankograd's Pz.I book. In that title it's credited to Henry Hoppe, whereas in this one it's credited to K.Munch?

The final section I found the most poignant in that it shows the might of the third Reich in ruins in and around it's home of Berlin. Many of the photographs of the vehicles contain refugees whose eventual fate can only be guessed at. Vehicles shown include an Sd.Kfz.223, next to a group of women washing clothes in water from a fire hydrant, an abandoned Panther G, a more or less complete Tiger I abandoned in front of the Brandenburg gate, a Borgward converted into an ammunition carrier, and a few photographs of dug in Panthers, in fact they're so well dug in that they look as if the turrets themselves have just been placed on the ground. The section, and indeed the book, ends with a series of photographs showing various 251's.

Although the photographs contained within the book will be of inestimable value to modellers, showing as they do many details such as field modifications etc., they make interesting viewing in their own right. You can't help but wonder about the story of life and death represented by each of the photographs, and what may have become of the people shown in many of the photographs, even though they're depicted as mere bystanders in many cases, as the vehicles themselves are of course the main subjects...at least in this context.

Conclusion

Another outstanding collection of photographs you will not have seen before. Even if you're not 'into' making dioramas, and therefore need little inspiration, you'll still find something of interest within this title, and you'll find yourself coming back time and again to pour over some small detail only just noticed. Recommended.

My thanks to Lee Archer for the review sample.