by Simon Forty and Richard Charlton Taylor.
Softcover (7.0×10.00 inches). 128 pages. 2025.
Subtitle: Sturmgeschutz, panzerjaeger and sturm artillerie
This particularly fine example of the Casemate Illustrated series that concentrates on the crew of the various self-propelled guns, including anti-tank, assault, and artillery.
Training, day-to-day duties, and tactics offer a glimpse into wartime life for these crewmen who manned turretless armored vehicles ranging from the STuG to the JagdTiger. A section on the vehicles themselves is included with just enough detail to be helpful. A section on battlefield exploits puts the theoretical into practice.
Those who model will enjoy the many photos of uniforms — in training and in the field. One of the best is a black and white period photo of a sturmarmillerie officer next to a color photo of a similar uniform (p41). You get to see how it’s worn and the color of it.
The booklet contains 110 black and white photos, 35 color photos, one black and white illustration, one color map that’s a quarter of a scenario — needs a scale and actual units, but a nice layout of a German defensive position.
The writing’s a bit sharper in this volume in the series. As usual, the illustrations cascade all over the pages in a visual treat.
Enjoyed it.
–Reviewed by Russ Lockwood
