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Panzer Tracts No 8-1 Sturmpanzer

...from Panzerwrecks

Title: Panzer Tracts No 8-1 Sturmpanzer
Author: Hilary Louis Doyle, Lukas Friedli & Thomas L. Jentz
Publisher: Panzerwrecks
ISBN: 978-1-915969-01-9

This is a new reprint of the original Panzer Tracts title thanks to publishers Panzerwrecks, who have taken over the popular series. With new layouts and improvements to some photo quality this 76-page soft-cover book makes this coverage of the Sturmpanzer available once more.
To start off, the book does include basics on the first Sturmpanzer, with a 15cm SIG 33 with a complete carriage fitted onto a Pz I hull, and then the carriage without wheels into a Pz II before the fully enclosed superstructure on a Pz III chassis. The bulk of the book then details the design and development of the Sturmpanzer IV, based on the Pz IV chassis. There are the developments of the gun itself, including making it lighter and the 4 different variants of the Sturmpanzer IV. As well as a detailed history in the text there is a fantastic collection of archive photos, the best I can remember seeing in one place. These also include lots of internal detail, taken with the turret roof panel removed. To accompany all this there are 19 pages filled with the first class 1/35 scale plans by Hilary Doyle. The final couple of pages cover the Munitionspanzer, a turretless Pz IV chassis which would have accompanied these in action.
A marvellous reference with great detail, such as a table of vehicle shipments, with dates and the number of units involved. Add notes on their deployment and this is a great book for military vehicle historians/enthusiasts while the inclusion of reliable scale plans and lots of detail in the photos, this is a gem for modellers.
Thanks to Panzerwrecks for the review copy.

Robin

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