Military Model Scene

Title: German Command Headquarters in the West
Author: Jean Paul Pallud
Publisher: After the Battle
ISBN: 978-1-03612-678-0

Hitler's Commanders at OB West, Then & Now, the newest addition to the new series of books from After the Battle. A 112-page hard-cover book.
First published as an article in After the Battle Magazine back in August 2008 (Issue 141), it has been expanded and had yet more photos added to create this new book. It covers the wartime story of the German army headquarters in the West, which was in Saint-Germaine-en-Laye. Following the successful invasion of France in 1940, the German military set up a headquarters to manage their forces in Western Europe, with the potential for an invasion of the UK and later having to face the allied invasion of France in 1944. The introduction and following 6 chapters tell the story, with various changes of senior commander and well know names such as von Rundstedt, von Kluge and Rommel among others. Even the assassination attempt on Hitler caused ripples that impacted the commanders in the west. Then, after the invasion, and having to cope with that fighting, there is the subsequent retreat across France, back to Germany and trying to manage that withdrawal. There are of course a large number of archive photos, coupled with the more recent comparisons which identify the locations for many of the older pictures, and the people in them. In addition to the main text, there is lots more in the full captions provided for all the photos.
Add the detail on the many bunkers which were built in the town is useful, as there were post-war surveys on many of them carried out by the French. Plenty of diagrams from that survey are included. While a few of those old bunkers have been demolished since the war, many have not, and there are some great photos of many of them today, both inside and out. Once again, and especially with the extra detail that has been added since that original article, this is another of the modern series of Then & Now books from After the Battle which I think will be very popular, and which will also be handy to have with you if you plan to visit the area yourself.
Thanks to After the Battle, now part of Pen & Sword, for the review copy.

Robin