Pen & Sword- Tanks and Armour in the Battle for Moscow

Book Specifics

Author: Ian Baxter

Price: $24.95

ISBN 978-1-03612-277-5

Paperback, 128 Pages, 6.75 x 9.75 in, 200 b&w photos

What's Inside

This is the latest in the Images of War series by Ian Baxter printed on nice quality paper and contains some great unseen (by me at least) photos from Operation Typhoon. Typical of the Images of War series, the book chapters contains short sections of text and a photo collection that is typically presented with one or two photos per page. Some are clear, but many of blurred- either by age or by the movement of the subjects as they drive past the photographer. The title hints at an in-depth analysis of tanks and armour- but the text itself is pretty bare bones- pretty much just a brief history of units and their movements. The photos are the real feature of the book and the captions seem accurate. The table of contents are as follows:

1. Invasion Unleashed
2. Operation Typhoon
3. Road to Disaster
4. First Rzhev-Sychyovka Offensive
5. Aftermath

What follows are some of the photos from the various chapters-- there is an overwhelming number of German armor- Panzer IIs, IIIs, and IVs, StuGs, and Marder IIIs with a number of prime mover and halftrack photos. There is a minimal number of Soviet tanks- and all of these are of wrecked examples of KV-1s, a KV-2, and one of what looks to be the front end of a BT-7. The title should probably have "German" in front.

Conclusion

The thin size of the book should be an indication that this is not an overly comprehensive study of armor from the campaign. The photos are interesting and there are some great examples that would serve as good references for a vignette or diorama. If you are looking for an in-depth analysis of the armor examples from Operation Typhoon, there are probably much better examples- but the photos here are of interest nonetheless. The errors in the captions present in previous works by Baxter seem to have been rectified here- but for the price you may want to explore other options.

Recommended for beginner builders and researchers.

Thanks goes out to Casemate Publishing for this review sample.

Reviewed by Michael Reeves

If you liked this review, consider joining AMPS. Your annual membership
includes six copies of AMPS's magazine, Boresight,
and helps to support our ongoing reviews.

Click here for more information about joining AMPS