Panzerwrecks, volume 5 continues the popular Panzerwrecks formula but with a twist this time. The fifth volume in the series has 96 pages with 153 black-and-white photos. As with the others in this series, there is no text beyond the introduction and the photo captions. Each of the photos is generally captioned with the unit and location, if known. In many cases, the units and even names of the Allied soldiers shown in the photos are also mentioned.
The "twist" this time is that the authors take the first 36 pages to revisit some of the wrecked and abandoned vehicles found in Panzerwrecks 1. In my opinion, one of the strengths of this series has been the multiple views of single subjects. It's terrific as a modeler to be able to see several sides or even the top of a particular subject. In Panzerwrecks 5 we see a bunch more of the Panthers, Panzerdraisines (armored rail trolleys), Pzkw-IIIs, Pzkw-IVs, Tigers, Jagdtigers, and yes, a couple captured Shermans from volume 1. I suppose some readers might prefer those pages to contain new subjects, but for me, having the additional views is just taking a good concept a bit further.
The second section has coverage of a Tiger II being driven around by US troops of B Company, 129th Ordnance Bn. Most modelers have probably seen this captured Tiger at least once, with the US star hanging on a cloth on the glacis. But here we get the rest of the story, showing the men using a wrecker to swing the turret into the 12 o'clock position among other things. What a diorama that would make ! These photos are full of character.
Next up is a series of very interesting shots showing US troops preparing a few late-model Pzkw-IVs for demolition. This was done to prevent the enemy from re-using the vehicles. Some of these tanks have add-on armor on the turret roofs.
A section showing German tanks as shown in old Soviet newsreels is next. Here the photographic quality is much lower. There are a few shots that perhaps could have been left out, either due to very low quality or because they duplicate other photos. Still, the subjects are very interesting.
One of my favorites from this book is the blown-up Hetzer on p. 60. It is barely recognizable. Along with some of the Pzkw-IV wrecks, this shows what happens when a vehicle suffers an internal explosion. A few Tigers and Stugs follow, then a very sharpy detailed photo of an ex-Polish TKS in use as a tractor.
An unusual find is a US T-48 57mm gun motor carriage. This was a 57mm AT gun mounted on an M-3 halftrack; built in the US, intended for the UK, sent to the USSR via Lend-Lease, and finally shown here in German service complete with a three-color cammo job. While on the halftrack theme, we see a series of very unusual Sdkfz-251 and Sdkfz-10 halftracks with their bodies removed. The 251s are shown being driven by Allied personnel, while the Sdkfz-10s are shown in German service. The photo of the US wrestler Bozo Miller in front of a 38(t) is hilarious.
We finish up with some Stugs, Pzkw-IVs, unfinished Maus, and a Marder II.
As with earlier volumes, a few minor grammatical errors crept into the text, but the intent of the authors is always obvious. There is a repeated sloppiness regarding unit designations throughout this series. The term "Russian" is used when the authors mean "Soviet" (many Soviet soldiers were not Russians) and US units get a little rough treatment again. The US Army had Glider Infantry Regiments and Glider Artillery units, but there were no units known simply as "Glider Regiments". The British Army had a Glider Pilot Regiment, which may be the source of the error. A proofreader is really needed.
I admit these are very small nitpicks on an otherwise terrific book. The truth is, I look forward to Panzerwrecks like a kid looks forward to the holidays. It is an outstanding resource and I would highly recommend volume five to anyone interested in late-war German armor and to anyone looking for diorama inspiration. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to more in this series.