Reference Books for WW2 AFVs?

Extra Crispy · Post by **Extra Crispy** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 4:48 am

I'm looking for a good series of books on AFVs of World War 2 and beyond. Ideally I'd like volumes that provide:

1) Lots of photos
2) Some line diagrams/blueprints
3) Numerous color plates showing paint schemes
4) Discuss all the variants â€“ guns, armor, command, etc.
5) Discuss deployment, numbers etc. in general terms

I'm really more interested in the modeling aspects.

An ideal series would cover all the basics not just the Tiger, Panther and T34 again (though I do want a book on the T34 among them).

So before I blindly waste some money on Amazon.com can someone point me in the right direction?

hauptgrate · Post by **hauptgrate** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 10:15 am

Squadron/Signal publications: Panzer Colors; Panzer Colors II; Panzer Colors III; SS-Armor; Blitzkrieg; etc.
Squadron/Signal publications: "In Action" series -- Tiger I in Action; T-34 in Action; etc.
Concord Publications: Armor at War series -- M4 Sherman at War; U.S. Tank Destroyers in Combat; etc.

Thomaso827 · Post by **Thomaso827** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 8:46 pm

I've had some luck with other out-of-production books with lots of color plates and info at places like Half-Price Books, and there is a little used book store in downtown Fairborn that gets some of these at very good prices if your ever in the Dayton/Wright Patterson AFB area. Because of turnover in used books, it is impossible to guess what you will find when you get there, so just browse the military history books section.

Haven't been to the Patton Museum in years, but they used to have a great bookstore area, so if you want to take a nice weekend drive one of these days, head down to Ft Knox or check them out online and see. They are trying to compete with the Air Force Museum, and I know that one is crammed with stuff on aircraft, books on some of the most obscure stuff.

The Panzer Colors set is also great, but it would be even better had they continued the series with equipment of the other nations. There are a few captured models in there, but otherwise you won't see much of the allies in there.

Tom Oxley

Inbound · Post by **Inbound** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 11:50 pm

There are some newer works that may be for you

for plans a series here:

http://www.amazon.com/World-War-II-AFV- ... 494&sr=1-1

for color plates:

http://www.amazon.com/ENCYCLOPAEDIA-AFV ... 561&sr=1-1

Cav Dog · Post by **Cav Dog** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 6:15 am

Thomas L Jentz started Panzer Tracts and has since published numerous books on the German Panzer forces of WWII, including a two part series called Panzertruppen, volumes on Panthers and Tigers and special books covering tank combat in N. Africa from the German perspective. You don't get a lot of fancy color photos, but you do get lots of B&W photos, drawings, developmental history, organization, tactics and combat narratives. From the American perspective I would google Steven J Zaloga. He has written numerous books on tanks, tank tactics, armored doctrine etc.

There are some very good books coming from Soviet authors but I haven't really found any here but they are avilable in Europe. Or so I'm told.

Inbound · Post by **Inbound** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 6:48 am

Cav Dog wrote:There are some very good books coming from Soviet authors but I haven't really found any here but they are avilable in Europe. Or so I'm told.

keep a watch on this author:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/searc ... ryatinskiy

also this Polish company ships worldwide:

http://www.militaria.net.pl/strony/panzer.html

I don't understand the original question. Is he looking for Allied or German AFV books?

microgeorge · Post by **microgeorge** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 8:22 am

German Tanks of World War II- F.M. von Senger und Etterlin
British and American Tanks of WWII - Peter Chamberlain and Chris Elllis
Russian Tanks 1900-1970- John Molsom
Tanks of the World1915-1945 - Peter Chamberlain and Chris Elilis
This should be a good start

SSgtBuck · Post by **SSgtBuck** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 9:48 am

Osprey's New Vanguard series isn't bad. Plenty of color plates, pictures of the vehicles in action and cutaway views of the interior. Pretty good selection of U.S./UK vehicles, the Germans are covered well of course, including the Mk III, Stug. III & IV and a book on light panzers. The USSR gets separate books for the T34/76 and T34/85, one book for the KV1 and KV2 and a book on the IS2

Mk 1 · Post by **Mk 1** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 11:12 am

microgeorge wrote: Russian Tanks 1900-1970- John Molsom

At this point I would recommend against Milsom (not Molsom).

This was one of the more important reference works on Soviet armor available in the West in the 1970s and 80s. It is a magnificent treaties on the entire history of Soviet armor, covering everything from experimental vehicles that only faintly resemble tanks, through armored cars, light tanks, medium tanks, heavy tanks and self-propelled guns, their development, doctrine, and the history of their use. Magnificent, but too dated at this point.

The amount of information that has become available since the fall of the Iron Curtain is quite significant. Milsom might be interesting for a look at how folks thought Soviet armor evolved and developed, before they knew how Soviet armor evolved and developed. You are better off with more recent work if you have a choice.

Zaloga has many good titles on Soviet armor, including several in the Osprey or Concorde series. Yes they are light-weights, but for all of the academic trappings of Milsom, Zaloga's books are more accurate. Look for publication dates that are mid-1990s or newer. If you need a few to get started, try:

Osprey New Vanguard Series
# 7 IS-2 Heavy Tank 1944-1973 (Zaloga and Sarson)
# 9 T-34/76 Medium Tank 1941-1945 (Zaloga and Sarson)
#17 KV-1 & 2 Heavy Tanks 1941-1945 (Zaloga, Kinnear and Sarson)