Author: Pierre Tiquet
Publisher: Casemate Illustrated
ISBN: 978-1-61200-731-1
Pages: 128 (mixed text and photographs/diagrams)
MSRP: UK 19.99 GBP; US $24.95 USD USD
This is a book about the 3rd SS Panzer regiment which was formed in late 1942 as part of SS ‘Totenkopf' Division. After formation it fought the rest of WW2 on the Eastern Front.
The author has written this book after interaction with 3rd SS Panzer regiment old soldier association and has used histories and personal recollections from the veterans and/or their widows in order to write this book.
The book is a mixture of recollections from veterans interspersed with individual histories of some surviving veterans and some that died in the war. It has photos of the individual, decorations, copies of pay books and certificates etc. It is quite poignant to be reading a recollection from an individual, see their personal history and then realise they died in the war. Or, reading a recollection from one veteran which describes the death of another. The written recollections are not in chronological order and one gets used to seeing names of soldiers repeated. It's a bit like an RPG and you are hoping your character makes it. Invariably they don't.
The descriptions of combat are at company or lower level and what is clear is that German tanks were far from invincible, even Tigers. All the veterans loved the PzIII with the long 50mm and begrudgingly went into PzIV when upgraded. There are numerous references to them destroying swathes of Soviet armour, but, it is apparent that properly handled Soviet AT belts were lethal for the Panzers as were minefields. I found the combat descriptions very interesting and was picturing skirmish games based on them.
There is very little about Nazism or concentration camps or any of that stuff. This is a book about fighting on the eastern front.
I recommend this book.
