Reference, Concord 6518, Gebirgsjäger: German Mountain Infantry

CONCORD PUBLICATIONS


6518, Gebirgsjäger: German Mountain Infantry. By Gordon Rottman, with illustrations by Stephen Andrew. Soft cover, A4-size, 52 pages. Contains 149 B&W photos and four color plates. ISBN 962-361-137-4.


Germany raised a number of specialized divisions prior to and during the Second World War, most notably the famed Panzer-Divisionen. Elite Fallschirmjäger-Divisionen were also raised; both types have a considerable body of literature devoted to their exploits. The German army, as well as the Waffen-SS raised another type of unit, also considered as an elite force. These were the Gebirgsjäger, or Mountain Infantry, the subject of this latest title from Concord.


I must confess that I almost always view the task of reviewing this author’s work with some trepidation, since there are usually problems with either the grammatical structure of his writing, the identification of various AFVs, or simply numerous typographic errors. This led, for a time, to me being asked to edit his work by the folks at Concord; I no longer do that. A new editor, Dr. Mark Johnston has now taken over the reins, but some oddities have still managed to find their way into the final product.


The introductory text occupies the first five pages of the book. Within it, the reader will find a good deal of general information on the formation, training and equipment used by these troops. Much in the way of specific detail is provided regarding unit organization, weapons, and to a certain extent, histories of the various divisions that were raised for service. The latter descriptions conclude the text rather abruptly, with no concluding paragraph to draw things to a close. There is absolutely no mention of the Waffen-SS mountain units that were raised, although there is a color plate devoted to a member of the 13.Waffen-Gebirgs-Division Der SS “Handschar”.


The photographic content of this book is its saving grace. Much is new to me, and the overwhelming majority of the images are easily identifiable as being within the subject matter described in the book’s title. A number, however, are relatively generic in nature and may or may not depict the subject matter. Regardless of that, the reproduction is fine, the images show a large variety of men, animals, uniforms, weapons, equipment and topography, and the captions are for the most part well-written and fairly informative, if a bit too generalized in their make-up.


It is also within the captions that I found reason to scratch my head.

• Where I come from, the word “homely” describes a person who may not be the most beautiful thing to behold, especially “from the neck up”. In this book, it apparently describes comfortable living quarters! Perhaps someone really meant to use the word “homey”?
• When describing the Edelweiss flower, someone apparently believes it possesses a “steam” instead of a “stem”. I suppose self-contained heating IS a good thing to have for a flower that blooms at high altitude.
• The author writes the plural of “ski” as “skies”, instead of “skis”. The unwary reader is cautioned that despite their development of some rather sophisticated secret weapons, the Germans never were able to strap pieces of the earth’s atmosphere to their troop’s boots.
• An empty shell case, is not a “projectile”; it’s empty precisely because the projectile has been expended.
• In the “American” version of the English language, the word “pioneer” describes an explorer or early settler, not a combat engineer. The proper spelling when describing a German combat engineer is “pionier”.
• A “clampon” is, according to a Google search, some sort of electronic device. A “crampon” is a piece of mountaineer’s equipment.
• The author mentions that wool, when wet, can cause hypothermia in cold conditions. I was always taught that wool is the best possible material to be wearing if one gets wet, since it will still help retain some heat; this is probably the reason mountaineers use the material in their clothing.


To be fair, I believe that many of these errors survived the editing process because of an over-reliance on spell-check features included in word processing programs. Note to all editors: your job is to comb through text using your own intelligence and experience, as well as independent reference sources, especially when technical terms are involved. Spell-check features are a tool, not the beginning and end of the process.


The color plates, by Mr. Andrews are well-rendered and technically correct; they will certainly serve to inspire figure painters. My age-old complaint regarding his work has to do with the depiction of the facial expressions on his subjects. These guys always look like they just sucked on a very potent sour lemon, and that they all share the same genetic make-up.


OK, rant over.


Modelers, especially figure painters and diorama builders will find much of use between these covers, based on the photos included. Those looking for more than that may not find it.


Recommended.


Frank V. “Curley Stooge” De Sisto


Concord books are available from mail order and retail outlets. They can also be acquired direct through their web site at: www.concord-publications.com.


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