Book Review of
Tiger I & Tiger II Tanks
German Army & Waffen-SS
The Last Battles in the East, 1945
Author: Dennis Oliver
Pen & Sword Tank Craft Series
ISBN: 9781526791221
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2020
MSRP: $24.95
ISBN: 9781526791221
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2020
MSRP: $24.95
HISTORY:
By the first weeks of 1945, the Eastern Front had been pushed back to the Carpathian mountain passes in the south and Warsaw on the Vistula River in East Prussia.
The Wehrmacht’s armored and mobile fortifications were now employed exclusively as fire brigades, rushed from one crisis to the next as the Red Army pushed inexorably westward.
Critical to the German defense were the Army’s heavy Panzer battalions whose Tiger tanks, with their 8.8cm guns, were almost invincible on the open plains of Central Europe.
In his latest book in the Tank Craft series, Dennis Oliver uses archive photos and extensively researched color illustrations to examine the Tiger tanks and units of the German Army and Waffen-SS heavy Panzer battalions that struggled to resist the onslaught of Soviet armor during the last days of the conflict which culminated in the Battle of Berlin.
A key section of his book displays available model kits and after-market products, complemented by a gallery of beautifully constructed and painted models in various scales.
Technical details as well as modifications introduced during production and in the field are also examined providing everything the modeler needs to recreate an accurate representation of these historic tanks.
THE BOOK:
Pen & Sword Books is located in the UK.
This book is soft-cover of 65 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art, at the top, shows Dragon Model’s 1/35th scale Tiger II, built & painted as a tank of 3.Kompanie, Schwere Panzer-Abteilung Feldherrnhalle, by Sheng Hui. A detail of this model is shown on the back cover.
In the center, from left to right, A Tiger of 9.Kompanie, SS-Panzer-Regiment 3. A Tiger II of Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 503, abandoned in Danzig in the spring of 1945 and a photo of Untersturmfuhrer Karl Bromann, a tank commander of Schwere SS-Paner-Abreilung 503, seated on the barrel of his tank.
At the bottom of the cover there is a color side-profile illustration of a Pzkpfw. VI Tiger ausf E of 1st Kompanie, Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 535, Poland, January 1945.
On the back cover at the top, there is a black and white photo of a Tiger II of 1. Kompanie, Schwere Panzer-Abteilung Feldherrnhalle, fitted with the so-called Porsche turret, photographed during the first days of May 1945. This was probably the battalion’s last surviving tank and was destroyed by its crew shortly after this photo of them sitting atop it was taken.
Next is a detail shot of the model featured on the front cover. Then, Dragon’s Tiger II completed with the PE set upgrade from E.T Model.
At the bottom a color side-profile illustration of a Tiger II of Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 502, which took part in the fighting for Kustrin in April 1945.
The book contains 44 black and white wartime photos, a map of the Eastern Front, 8 charts of the make-ups of units, 3 color illustrations of unit markings and 20 color side profiles.
In the section showing models built by various modelers:
Tamiya’s 1/48th scale Pzkpfw VI Tiger Ausf E by Jose Luis Lopez Ruiz. Showing a cartoon and 7 color walk-around photos of it on a diorama base.
A 1/35th scale Tiger built by Lester Plaskitt. Showing 13 color walk-around photo of it.
Modeler Xuan Ha’s Meng Brand 1/35th scale Tiger, done as a cut-away model in 14 color walk-around photos.
In the PRODUCT LISTINGS section:
Tamiya’s 1/35th scale Tiger I, color photos of the box art, one built up and 3 walk-around photos.
Dragon’s 1/35th scale King Tiger. Color box art, 2 color photos of it built up and 3 color walk-around photos.
Rye Field’s 1/35th scale Tiger I (late), Color box art, decal sheet, built up and 3 color walk around photos.
Takom 1/35th scale King Tiger. Color box art, built up, and 2 walk around photos.
Meng Models 1/35th scale Tiger II, built up and 2 photos of the interior.
Italeri’s 1/35th scale Tiger II. Box art, parts trees and built-up.
Hobby Fan/AFV Club Late Production Tiger Tiger I, built up, 2 walk around photos.
Zvezda 1/35th scale King Tiger. Box art, built up.
Airfix 1/76th scale Tiger II. Turret parts and built.
Hauler 1/48th scale Tiger II. Built, 2 walk around photos.
Griffon 1/35th scale brass PE set for Tiger. 6 walk-around photos.
Eduard 1/35th scale upgrade set for Tamiya’s Tiger II. 7 walk-around photos.
Roche 1/35th scale detail set for Dragon’s Tiger II, built, 6 walk-round photos.
Royal Models 1/35th scale detail set for Tiger. 3 walk-around photos.
Voyager Models 1/35th scale upgrade set for Dragon’s Tiger I and Tiger II. 3 walk-around photos.
Aber 1/35th scale upgrade set for Tiger II. 9 walk-around photos.
E.T. Model’s 1/35th scale upgrade set for Tiger. 3 walk-around photos.
Model Artisan Mori brand 1/35th scale upgrade set for Tiger. 3 walk-around photos.
Panzer Art brand 1/35th scale upgrade set for Tiger. 6 walk-around photos.
AFTER-MARKET TRACK SETS BY:
Master Club (Russian company) , AFV Club and R Model.
The last page of the book shows 15 black and white cover arts of other Pen & Sword books and a listing of 20 more.
This book will be of great interest to modelers that plan to build a Tiger tank and to military historians alike.
I want to sincerely thank Casemate Publishing for this review sample.
All Pen & Sword book titles can be viewed on their site at:
By the first weeks of 1945, the Eastern Front had been pushed back to the Carpathian mountain passes in the south and Warsaw on the Vistula River in East Prussia.
The Wehrmacht’s armored and mobile fortifications were now employed exclusively as fire brigades, rushed from one crisis to the next as the Red Army pushed inexorably westward.
Critical to the German defense were the Army’s heavy Panzer battalions whose Tiger tanks, with their 8.8cm guns, were almost invincible on the open plains of Central Europe.
In his latest book in the Tank Craft series, Dennis Oliver uses archive photos and extensively researched color illustrations to examine the Tiger tanks and units of the German Army and Waffen-SS heavy Panzer battalions that struggled to resist the onslaught of Soviet armor during the last days of the conflict which culminated in the Battle of Berlin.
A key section of his book displays available model kits and after-market products, complemented by a gallery of beautifully constructed and painted models in various scales.
Technical details as well as modifications introduced during production and in the field are also examined providing everything the modeler needs to recreate an accurate representation of these historic tanks.
THE BOOK:
Pen & Sword Books is located in the UK.
This book is soft-cover of 65 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art, at the top, shows Dragon Model’s 1/35th scale Tiger II, built & painted as a tank of 3.Kompanie, Schwere Panzer-Abteilung Feldherrnhalle, by Sheng Hui. A detail of this model is shown on the back cover.
In the center, from left to right, A Tiger of 9.Kompanie, SS-Panzer-Regiment 3. A Tiger II of Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 503, abandoned in Danzig in the spring of 1945 and a photo of Untersturmfuhrer Karl Bromann, a tank commander of Schwere SS-Paner-Abreilung 503, seated on the barrel of his tank.
At the bottom of the cover there is a color side-profile illustration of a Pzkpfw. VI Tiger ausf E of 1st Kompanie, Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 535, Poland, January 1945.
On the back cover at the top, there is a black and white photo of a Tiger II of 1. Kompanie, Schwere Panzer-Abteilung Feldherrnhalle, fitted with the so-called Porsche turret, photographed during the first days of May 1945. This was probably the battalion’s last surviving tank and was destroyed by its crew shortly after this photo of them sitting atop it was taken.
Next is a detail shot of the model featured on the front cover. Then, Dragon’s Tiger II completed with the PE set upgrade from E.T Model.
At the bottom a color side-profile illustration of a Tiger II of Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 502, which took part in the fighting for Kustrin in April 1945.
The book contains 44 black and white wartime photos, a map of the Eastern Front, 8 charts of the make-ups of units, 3 color illustrations of unit markings and 20 color side profiles.
In the section showing models built by various modelers:
Tamiya’s 1/48th scale Pzkpfw VI Tiger Ausf E by Jose Luis Lopez Ruiz. Showing a cartoon and 7 color walk-around photos of it on a diorama base.
A 1/35th scale Tiger built by Lester Plaskitt. Showing 13 color walk-around photo of it.
Modeler Xuan Ha’s Meng Brand 1/35th scale Tiger, done as a cut-away model in 14 color walk-around photos.
In the PRODUCT LISTINGS section:
Tamiya’s 1/35th scale Tiger I, color photos of the box art, one built up and 3 walk-around photos.
Dragon’s 1/35th scale King Tiger. Color box art, 2 color photos of it built up and 3 color walk-around photos.
Rye Field’s 1/35th scale Tiger I (late), Color box art, decal sheet, built up and 3 color walk around photos.
Takom 1/35th scale King Tiger. Color box art, built up, and 2 walk around photos.
Meng Models 1/35th scale Tiger II, built up and 2 photos of the interior.
Italeri’s 1/35th scale Tiger II. Box art, parts trees and built-up.
Hobby Fan/AFV Club Late Production Tiger Tiger I, built up, 2 walk around photos.
Zvezda 1/35th scale King Tiger. Box art, built up.
Airfix 1/76th scale Tiger II. Turret parts and built.
Hauler 1/48th scale Tiger II. Built, 2 walk around photos.
Griffon 1/35th scale brass PE set for Tiger. 6 walk-around photos.
Eduard 1/35th scale upgrade set for Tamiya’s Tiger II. 7 walk-around photos.
Roche 1/35th scale detail set for Dragon’s Tiger II, built, 6 walk-round photos.
Royal Models 1/35th scale detail set for Tiger. 3 walk-around photos.
Voyager Models 1/35th scale upgrade set for Dragon’s Tiger I and Tiger II. 3 walk-around photos.
Aber 1/35th scale upgrade set for Tiger II. 9 walk-around photos.
E.T. Model’s 1/35th scale upgrade set for Tiger. 3 walk-around photos.
Model Artisan Mori brand 1/35th scale upgrade set for Tiger. 3 walk-around photos.
Panzer Art brand 1/35th scale upgrade set for Tiger. 6 walk-around photos.
AFTER-MARKET TRACK SETS BY:
Master Club (Russian company) , AFV Club and R Model.
The last page of the book shows 15 black and white cover arts of other Pen & Sword books and a listing of 20 more.
This book will be of great interest to modelers that plan to build a Tiger tank and to military historians alike.
I want to sincerely thank Casemate Publishing for this review sample.
All Pen & Sword book titles can be viewed on their site at:
Highly recommended.