Book Review of
Blitzkrieg in the West, Then and Now
Author: Jean Paul Pallud
After the Battle –Then & Now and Pen & Sword Ltd. Books
ISBN: 9780900913686
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2022
MSRP: $89.95
ISBN: 9780900913686
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2022
MSRP: $89.95
HISTORY:
The forty-five traumatic days from May 10 to June 24, that resulted in one of the most remarkable military victories of modern times. During those six weeks, six nations found themselves at war, fighting across four countries, Two dropped out: Holland after five days and Belgium after eighteen, while Britain pulled out the majority of its force after twenty. France was left to battle on for a further twenty-five days against superior German tactics and a last minute punch below the belt from Italy.
From the polders of the Netherlands in the north to the mountains of the Alps in the south, and from the Rhine Valley to the Atlantic coast, Jean Paul Pallud explores every corner if the battlefield, the camera recording the scenes today were fifty years ago. Dutch, Belgian, German, French, British and Italian soldiers were locked in mortal combats.
Battles, incidents and exploits great and small are described and illustrated to colour the canvas of both the broad strategy and the individual firefights of Hitler’s victorious campaign of Blitzkrieg in the West.
THE AUTHOR:
Who better to present the story of the Battle of France and the defeat of one of Europe’s greatest armies in 1940, than a Frenchman ? Jean Paul Pallud, author of the highly acclaimed The Battle of the Bulge, Then and Now, presents – for the first time through comparison “Then and now” photographs – a detailed account of the forty-five traumatic days.
Jean Paul Pallud was born in Annecy, in South-eastern France in 1949 and graduated from Grenoble University as a Physicist Engineer. He is the author of several books in English and French. He is also a long-time contributor to After the Battle. Married to Marie-Francoise, he lives with their three children, Michael, Celine and Johan near his home town in the picturesque Alps.
THE BOOK:
This book is of hard-cover of 842 pages (2 pages are blank) in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format. It has a paper jacket that is held in place by two flaps to the book.
The cover art is on both the jacket and the book itself.
The front cover shows a color photo of Hitler riding in his Mercedes six-wheeled command car, receiving an enthusiastic send off after visiting Heeresgruppe, a headquarters in Bastogne on May 17, 1940.
The back cover shows a black and white photo of German soldiers marching past the Arc De Triomphe in Paris.
After the Battle and Then & Now books are both associated to Pen & Sword Ltd. All three firms are located in the UK.
The book contains a whopping 1,813 black and white photos and one color photo as the front cover.
There are 57 battle plan maps and aerial photos of areas in the attacked countries. Also many photos of buildings there, bridges and cemeteries. Many photos of circular concrete gun emplacements that have metal domed roofs. German and Allied leaders, generals, infantrymen and tank crews, weapons and howitzers.
Vehicles shown then and now are photographed, including motorcycles and sidecars and bicycles.
Tanks shown include:
The Mark V light tank, Bren gun carrier, Pz.Kpfw. I-II & III, Renault R-35, Samoa S-35, Matilda, Hotchkiss H-39, Sd.Kfz. 251, PzKpfw. 38(t) , Mureaur T1 etc.
Aircraft shown are:
The Dornier Do-17F, Bloch 131, Farman 222.
A German 25mm 1934 anti-tank gun, German cavalry,
And many more photos of things that are too many to mention. Everything is virtually covered with photos taken then and now.
There is a post card inserted in the book to mail and get more information about Pen & Sword books.
The book ends with ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, CONTENTS
This is an interesting book about the battles. It will be of interest to both modelers and military historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the North American distributor of Pen & Sword, Then & Now and After the Battle books. All can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
The forty-five traumatic days from May 10 to June 24, that resulted in one of the most remarkable military victories of modern times. During those six weeks, six nations found themselves at war, fighting across four countries, Two dropped out: Holland after five days and Belgium after eighteen, while Britain pulled out the majority of its force after twenty. France was left to battle on for a further twenty-five days against superior German tactics and a last minute punch below the belt from Italy.
From the polders of the Netherlands in the north to the mountains of the Alps in the south, and from the Rhine Valley to the Atlantic coast, Jean Paul Pallud explores every corner if the battlefield, the camera recording the scenes today were fifty years ago. Dutch, Belgian, German, French, British and Italian soldiers were locked in mortal combats.
Battles, incidents and exploits great and small are described and illustrated to colour the canvas of both the broad strategy and the individual firefights of Hitler’s victorious campaign of Blitzkrieg in the West.
THE AUTHOR:
Who better to present the story of the Battle of France and the defeat of one of Europe’s greatest armies in 1940, than a Frenchman ? Jean Paul Pallud, author of the highly acclaimed The Battle of the Bulge, Then and Now, presents – for the first time through comparison “Then and now” photographs – a detailed account of the forty-five traumatic days.
Jean Paul Pallud was born in Annecy, in South-eastern France in 1949 and graduated from Grenoble University as a Physicist Engineer. He is the author of several books in English and French. He is also a long-time contributor to After the Battle. Married to Marie-Francoise, he lives with their three children, Michael, Celine and Johan near his home town in the picturesque Alps.
THE BOOK:
This book is of hard-cover of 842 pages (2 pages are blank) in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format. It has a paper jacket that is held in place by two flaps to the book.
The cover art is on both the jacket and the book itself.
The front cover shows a color photo of Hitler riding in his Mercedes six-wheeled command car, receiving an enthusiastic send off after visiting Heeresgruppe, a headquarters in Bastogne on May 17, 1940.
The back cover shows a black and white photo of German soldiers marching past the Arc De Triomphe in Paris.
After the Battle and Then & Now books are both associated to Pen & Sword Ltd. All three firms are located in the UK.
The book contains a whopping 1,813 black and white photos and one color photo as the front cover.
There are 57 battle plan maps and aerial photos of areas in the attacked countries. Also many photos of buildings there, bridges and cemeteries. Many photos of circular concrete gun emplacements that have metal domed roofs. German and Allied leaders, generals, infantrymen and tank crews, weapons and howitzers.
Vehicles shown then and now are photographed, including motorcycles and sidecars and bicycles.
Tanks shown include:
The Mark V light tank, Bren gun carrier, Pz.Kpfw. I-II & III, Renault R-35, Samoa S-35, Matilda, Hotchkiss H-39, Sd.Kfz. 251, PzKpfw. 38(t) , Mureaur T1 etc.
Aircraft shown are:
The Dornier Do-17F, Bloch 131, Farman 222.
A German 25mm 1934 anti-tank gun, German cavalry,
And many more photos of things that are too many to mention. Everything is virtually covered with photos taken then and now.
There is a post card inserted in the book to mail and get more information about Pen & Sword books.
The book ends with ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, CONTENTS
This is an interesting book about the battles. It will be of interest to both modelers and military historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the North American distributor of Pen & Sword, Then & Now and After the Battle books. All can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Highly recommended.