.
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by Lawrence Paterson.
Softcover (6.2×9.3 inches). 344 pages. 2025 reprint of 2018 book.
This unit profile chronicles the Brandenburgers from its initial 1939-1940 platoon to expansion into panzergrenadier division. Along the way, its highly-trained special forces nature devolved into a regular infantry unit as the troops were increasingly thrown into front-line defensive battles instead of using their infiltration expertise.
Initially, the unit relied on deception: non-German language skills combined with civilian garb or defender’s uniforms allowed the troops to infiltrate ahead of the regular army to capture and hold bridges, tunnels, train stations, communications lines, and other spots critical to the general advance. The Brandenburgers were not always successful, failure to capture some bridges and espionage in Iraq and Afghanistan are examples, but they were successful enough to expand to a three-battalion regiment by 1941 (OOB on p71).
Operations in Belgium, Holland, France, Greece, North Africa, and USSR are well presented and well written — indeed, many of the missions call out for a tabletop scenario. The Brandenburgers usually operated in small units, often from four to 11 men each, which is a good size for skirmish games.
During Operation Blue into the Caucuses, Brandenburgers wearing NKVD uniforms managed to infiltrate Maikop, divert Soviet troops, and secure some oil facilities. Imagine putting a Brandenburger counter in a hex wargame that would move Soviet units out of Maikop.
The Brandenburgers even mounted an expedition, including a Spitfire borrowed from the Luftwaffe, from North Africa into the southern mountains into French West Africa to try and stop the air bridge from the US to Egypt.
An interesting tidbit: the German Gestapo and Soviet NKVD held a week-long conference in Villa Tadeusz in Zakopane (Poland) in March 1940 to discuss how they would eradicate continuing Polish resistance (p91).
The Brandenburgers even raided Turkey after Turkey declared war on Germany on February 20, 1945 (p285).
One typo: “began at 2330hrd” (p128) is probably “hrs”.
The book contains 90 black and white photos. A few maps would have be helpful, especially when explaining hyper-tactical attacks.
It’s always a pleasure to read a well-written unit history when you have only a general idea of what the unit did. This book was a pleasure.
Enjoyed it.
— Reviewed by Russ Lockwood
