Reference, Panzerwrecks, Repairing the Panzers, Vol.2

PANZERWRECKS

Repairing the Panzers: German Tank Maintenance in World War 2, Volume 2. By: Lukas Friedli. Hard covers, 8.5 x 11.5-inches landscape format, 256 pages. Contains: 280 B&W photographs, 14 line drawings, 34 tables, appendices and index. ISBN 978-0-9841820-5-3.

The follow-up volume from Lukas Friedli, published by those astute folks that continue to bring us the Panzerwrecks series, has just been released. Again, produced in a high-quality, hard-cover landscape format with glossy coated paper stock, this second volume continues the very interesting story of German Panzer recovery and repair.

The text is distributed over seven chapters, which cover the following main subjects.

1. Deployment of the I-Dienste.
2. Maintaining the Tigers.
3. Maintaining the Panthers.
4. Factors Affecting Readiness.
5. Spares and Supplies in Action.
6. More Influencing Factors.
7. Performance Statistics.

Following the format established in Volume 1, the chapters in this book are further broken down in to sub-sections. For instance, chapter 5 is broken down into seven sections that detail obtaining spare parts and transporting them to the front in a timely fashion, for the years 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944 and 1945. The bulk of the text is made up of translated archival documents and reports, with the authors comments and conclusions interspersed throughout. As in Volume 1, the text is well-presented, but the reader must be cautioned that it does not tell a story in a linear fashion. This is because there are, of necessity, gaps in coverage where documentary evidence was unavailable. The reader is best advised to treat each increment individually while relating it to the overall story. Regardless, there is a huge amount of data presented, while the reports quoted give an excellent idea of the trials and tribulations that the troops had to contend with. The authors style of writing is easily comprehended and the translations of the documents are well-done.

I came away from reading through this book that it was essentially almost a miracle that the Germans got as far as they did. They never had enough spare parts, or ability to get them to the front in a timely fashion. Organic wheeled transport was always inadequate and recovery assets were always lacking. Yet

As was the case in Volume 1, numerous tables compliment the text. Several of them detail spare parts and the ratio if same to production of complete Panzerkampfwagen. More charts detail amounts and types of vehicles repaired by a particular unit at a given time.

The graphic content of the book is, as it was in Volume 1, simply outstanding. The archival images are nearly all completely new to me. The coverage is broad and deep and it details all sorts of workshop vehicle types. These include various vehicle tool and equipment load-outs using photos from technical manuals, different types of portable or self-propelled cranes, recovery vehicles both tracked and semi-tracked, special equipment (ground anchors and improvised heavy-lift devices) and trailers. Just about every German Panzer in service shows up in a photo or two, as do armored cars and semi-tracked vehicles. Reproduction is excellent depending, of course, on the quality of the original images; captions are usually informative and quite accurate. This book features a number of interesting images of field-improvised hoisting devices mounted on a variety of vehicle chassis, including that of Panzerkampfwagen. Variations of the A-frame hoists used in the field are also shown, as are various maintenance scenarios.

I noted a couple of errors in vehicle identification. On page 116, a Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.L is shown, not Ausf.G; page 242 is a 12-ton Sd.Kfz.8, not an 8-ton Sd.Kfz.7.

A number of illustrations taken from period documents are also included. These include diagrams showing how various vehicles were arranged, along with their ancillary equipment, when recovering Panzer in various terrain conditions. Tech manual illustrations cover various items to include a very detailed segment on the Panzer-Kühlwasserheizgeräte 42 external water heater for starting Panzerkampfwagen in extreme cold, various ground anchers and track accessories are also depicted. Detailed original drawings are also provided for such items as tow bars,

First and foremost, I believe most modelers will appreciate this second volume for its incredible variety of interesting archival photographs. One cant turn a page without coming upon a nifty diorama or model display idea. The detailed text and its supporting tabulated data is simply icing on the cake, creating a balanced second installment in this series.

Note: contact the publisher for pricing purchasing information, below.

Frank V. De Sisto.

Panzerwrecks publications are available worldwide from their web-site at: www.panzerwrecks.com. In North America, e-mail Bill Auerbach at: bill@panzerwrecks.com; for Europe, e-mail Lee Archer at: lee@panzerwrecks.com.