Book Review of
The 3rd SS Panzer Regiment
3rd SS Panzer Div. “Totenkopf”
Author: Pierre Tiquet
Casemate Illustrated
Men – Battles –Weapons Series
Men – Battles –Weapons Series
ISBN: 978-1-61200-731-1
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $24.95
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $24.95
The 3rd SS Panzer Regiment was part of the Totenkopf Div. – one of the 38 Waffen SS divisions active during WWII. Notorious for its brutality, most notably a mass execution of British prisoners in the Battle of France, “Totenkopf” has a fearsome reputation.
The 3rd SS Panzer Regiment was formed in France in late 1942, and transferred to the Eastern Front in early 1943 where it fought for the rest of the war.
The regiment participated in a number of battles, and would be reduced and rebuilt a number of times. The panzers of the 3rd SS Panzer Regiment fought at Karkov, took part in Operation Citadel, fought I the battle of Krivoi Rog, and the relief of the Korsun Pocket.
The regiment then retreated over the Dniester. It fought in Poland against the Russian advance, before being moved to Hungary where it participated in the attempt to relieve Budapest.
It eventually surrendered in Czechoslovakia to the 11TH US Armored Division.
This Casemate Illustrated tells the story of the 3rd SS Panzer Regiment through the words of veterans themselves. Illustrated with a wealth of contemporary photos, original documents and artifacts. Among the veterans whose accounts are included are Walter Weber, a member of tank crew in 5 Kompanie who recounts their optimism and high spirits at the start of Operation Citadel as the Germans made initial advances, followed by retreat as winter set in and the Russians began to push them back.
Unterscharfuhrer Stettner recalls the fierce tank battles and the difficulties advancing across minefields and evading an often well-concealed foe. Corporal Fritz Edelmann records the attempts to relieve Budapest in 1945 that Totenkopf took part in, which ended in encirclement, defeat and surrender to the Americans on May 8, 1945.
Formed in late 1942 in France, the 3rd SS Panzer Regiment fought on the Eastern Front for the rest of WWII. Veterans of the unit recall their experiences over those two and a half years, detailing the panzers they fought in, their crewmates, the experience of operating in the extreme cold and the mud of the Eastern Front, their experience of battle and the last chaotic months of the war.
THE BOOK:
Casemate is a book distributor and also a book publisher based in Pennsylvania.
This book is soft-cover with tabs attached to the front and rear covers.
At the top of the cover there is a photo of 3 infantrymen marching down a dirt road toward a Tiger tank.
Below that is half of a color side profile of a Panzer III (mare about it later)
At the bottom left is a photo of 5 men grabbing a meal above their Panzer III in Russia.
On the bottom right is a photo of tank crewman wearing a reversible winter uniform.
The tab on the front cover gives the history of the unit.
On the left top of the rear cover there is a photo of a column of Totenkopf Panzer III’s moving through a forest near Koloto Jew.
On the right is another Panzer III moving through a Soviet village.
At the bottom there is a photo of 3 crewmen sitting on the front of their Tiger. Below that is half of one of the color profiles in the book of a Tiger tank (more about it later).
The tab on the back cover gives information about the author Pierre Tiquet, over 4 color cover arts of other Casemate books: “From Moscow to Stalingrad, The Eastern Front 1941-42”, “Operation Typhoon”, “The 2nd SS Panzer Div. Das Reich” and “German Armor in Normandy”.
The book holds 128 pages in 7” x 10” page format.
There are 164 black and white photos and 3 color ones in the book.
A photos of the “Death Head” medal, military payment logs and certificates that accompanied awards.
Two of the color photos were taken after the war at a veteran reunion.
Photos and profiles about:
Stumann Fritz Fuchs of the 7th Company, 3rd SS Panzer Regiment “Totenkopf”
Unterscharführer Franz Holze
George Schafer
Unterscharführer Kurt Arp
Hauptsturmführer Waldemar Rieflogel, head of 1st Company, 3rd SS Regiment.
Sturmmann Leopold Treppner, 3rd SS Nachrichten Bataillon “Totenkopf”
Rottenfuhrer Gerhard Bachmann, commander of 2nd Motorized Battalion of the “Thule” Regiment of the “Totenkopf”.
Oberschütze Adolf Albers, 5th Company, 3rd SS Panzer Regiment “Totenkopf”
Unterscharfuhrer Ernst Walter
Unterscharfuhrer Kurt Sohrmann
Sturmbannführer Erwin Meierdress, commander of the “Totenkopf” Sturmgeschütz Battery.
There are 7 photos of men and their wives and kids while they were on leave.
Photos of a Panzer III, Panzer IV, Tiger I, a un-named halftrack, a schwimmwagen, Blitz truck, motorcycles, captured Soviet KV-1, Panther tanks on rail cars and a cemetery.
There are 4 color side profiles of tanks in the book:
A Panzer III that is in a very worn overall Panzer-gray with a black turret no. 502 on its turret sides and German cross on sides of the hull.
A Panzer IV in overall Panzer-gray with just the German cross on the sides of its turret.
A Panzer VI “Tiger” in overall sand-yellow with black turret no. 922 and extra track links hong on the side of the turret.
A Panzer V “Panther” in a base of sand-yellow with narrow dark-green stripe camo.
At the end of the book there is SOURCES, FURTHER READING and a 3 page INDEX.
This is one great picture album. It will be of great interest to armor modelers and military historians alike.
I want to sincerely thank Casemate Publishing for this review sample.
Very highly recommended.
All Casemate books and the books of other publishers that they distribute can be viewed on their website at:
The 3rd SS Panzer Regiment was formed in France in late 1942, and transferred to the Eastern Front in early 1943 where it fought for the rest of the war.
The regiment participated in a number of battles, and would be reduced and rebuilt a number of times. The panzers of the 3rd SS Panzer Regiment fought at Karkov, took part in Operation Citadel, fought I the battle of Krivoi Rog, and the relief of the Korsun Pocket.
The regiment then retreated over the Dniester. It fought in Poland against the Russian advance, before being moved to Hungary where it participated in the attempt to relieve Budapest.
It eventually surrendered in Czechoslovakia to the 11TH US Armored Division.
This Casemate Illustrated tells the story of the 3rd SS Panzer Regiment through the words of veterans themselves. Illustrated with a wealth of contemporary photos, original documents and artifacts. Among the veterans whose accounts are included are Walter Weber, a member of tank crew in 5 Kompanie who recounts their optimism and high spirits at the start of Operation Citadel as the Germans made initial advances, followed by retreat as winter set in and the Russians began to push them back.
Unterscharfuhrer Stettner recalls the fierce tank battles and the difficulties advancing across minefields and evading an often well-concealed foe. Corporal Fritz Edelmann records the attempts to relieve Budapest in 1945 that Totenkopf took part in, which ended in encirclement, defeat and surrender to the Americans on May 8, 1945.
Formed in late 1942 in France, the 3rd SS Panzer Regiment fought on the Eastern Front for the rest of WWII. Veterans of the unit recall their experiences over those two and a half years, detailing the panzers they fought in, their crewmates, the experience of operating in the extreme cold and the mud of the Eastern Front, their experience of battle and the last chaotic months of the war.
THE BOOK:
Casemate is a book distributor and also a book publisher based in Pennsylvania.
This book is soft-cover with tabs attached to the front and rear covers.
At the top of the cover there is a photo of 3 infantrymen marching down a dirt road toward a Tiger tank.
Below that is half of a color side profile of a Panzer III (mare about it later)
At the bottom left is a photo of 5 men grabbing a meal above their Panzer III in Russia.
On the bottom right is a photo of tank crewman wearing a reversible winter uniform.
The tab on the front cover gives the history of the unit.
On the left top of the rear cover there is a photo of a column of Totenkopf Panzer III’s moving through a forest near Koloto Jew.
On the right is another Panzer III moving through a Soviet village.
At the bottom there is a photo of 3 crewmen sitting on the front of their Tiger. Below that is half of one of the color profiles in the book of a Tiger tank (more about it later).
The tab on the back cover gives information about the author Pierre Tiquet, over 4 color cover arts of other Casemate books: “From Moscow to Stalingrad, The Eastern Front 1941-42”, “Operation Typhoon”, “The 2nd SS Panzer Div. Das Reich” and “German Armor in Normandy”.
The book holds 128 pages in 7” x 10” page format.
There are 164 black and white photos and 3 color ones in the book.
A photos of the “Death Head” medal, military payment logs and certificates that accompanied awards.
Two of the color photos were taken after the war at a veteran reunion.
Photos and profiles about:
Stumann Fritz Fuchs of the 7th Company, 3rd SS Panzer Regiment “Totenkopf”
Unterscharführer Franz Holze
George Schafer
Unterscharführer Kurt Arp
Hauptsturmführer Waldemar Rieflogel, head of 1st Company, 3rd SS Regiment.
Sturmmann Leopold Treppner, 3rd SS Nachrichten Bataillon “Totenkopf”
Rottenfuhrer Gerhard Bachmann, commander of 2nd Motorized Battalion of the “Thule” Regiment of the “Totenkopf”.
Oberschütze Adolf Albers, 5th Company, 3rd SS Panzer Regiment “Totenkopf”
Unterscharfuhrer Ernst Walter
Unterscharfuhrer Kurt Sohrmann
Sturmbannführer Erwin Meierdress, commander of the “Totenkopf” Sturmgeschütz Battery.
There are 7 photos of men and their wives and kids while they were on leave.
Photos of a Panzer III, Panzer IV, Tiger I, a un-named halftrack, a schwimmwagen, Blitz truck, motorcycles, captured Soviet KV-1, Panther tanks on rail cars and a cemetery.
There are 4 color side profiles of tanks in the book:
A Panzer III that is in a very worn overall Panzer-gray with a black turret no. 502 on its turret sides and German cross on sides of the hull.
A Panzer IV in overall Panzer-gray with just the German cross on the sides of its turret.
A Panzer VI “Tiger” in overall sand-yellow with black turret no. 922 and extra track links hong on the side of the turret.
A Panzer V “Panther” in a base of sand-yellow with narrow dark-green stripe camo.
At the end of the book there is SOURCES, FURTHER READING and a 3 page INDEX.
This is one great picture album. It will be of great interest to armor modelers and military historians alike.
I want to sincerely thank Casemate Publishing for this review sample.
Very highly recommended.
All Casemate books and the books of other publishers that they distribute can be viewed on their website at: