Customer Reviews

GOD, HONOR, FATHERLAND: A Photo History of Panzergrenadier Division "Grossdeutschland" on the Eastern Front 1942-1944

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

God, Honor, Fatherland is an excellent pictoral study of one of the Whermacht's truly elite divisions. The author covers "GD" from 1942 to 1944. Although I have a fairly extensive collection of books covering the German Army on the Eastern front, most photos in this book were new to me. The author made contact with numerous "GD" veterans and got many previously unpublished photos, many of which the people in them are listed by name and sub-unit. The author also gives 1 to 2 page narratives of the various major battles GD participated in during this time frame. As well as descriptions of the various sub-units that made up GD, including rarely covered support/maitenance units.

My favorite part of the book were the biographical sketches of various GD personalities. These include not only senior and company grade officers, but several NCO's as well. I recomend this book to anyone interested in German units or the Eastern front of WW2, particularly armor buffs and modelers.

Not just another mundane collection of photos, this book is perhaps one of the best volumes in English regarding German soldiers, and especially the GD Division. The captions cast light on many arcance areas of study - uniforms, organization, history, tactics - and all the details are consistently correct and well researched. The only minor nit I was able to find is the mis-captioning of an NCO equivalent beamten as a "Hauptmann" - (p. 114)

Overall, a thoroughly excellent photographic record, with emphasis on naming photo subjects (a very nice touch). Of course, as with any collection of WW II photos, most of the pictures in this book are obviously posed, and there is nothing in the way of "real action" shots. This is not a drawback, and few "real action" shots were taken during the war by any of the combatants.

There are also some excellent biographical sketches of Knight' Cross winners and unit commanders.

Having purchased many Grossdeutschland photo histories over the years, I was pleasantly surprised to find this outstanding RZM product at a used bookstore. Yep...that doesn't happen every day. Naturally I snapped this gem up and am still amazed at the quality of pictures and narrative.

This volume follows the GD from 1942-1944, which are the years focused on the Soviet front. The pictures cover all aspects of the division from the maintenance and logistics elements to the Infantry, Panzer, and Reconnaissance units. As earlier reviews indicated, the captions are very well done and specific attention is paid to naming the individuals pictured. Another great plus is the large format size of many pictures. For modellers these are a window into details often missed in smaller format photos.

So if you already think you already have enough volumes of GD related history...think again. This volume is one that you don't want to be without.

Another first rate job by RZM.

When I first received this book in the mail, I wondered if it was worth the $75 price I paid for it. By the time I was done leafing through it, I realized that it most certainly was! It is a photo book, meaning that the reader will not find quantities of detailed accounts of the division.

Aside from the first 10 pages, that describe the development of GD, the book is essentially divided into three major sections, chronologically. Beginning with 1942, the subsections for each year focus on different aspects of the division. For example, the first part includes subsections on the Divisional HQ, armored car tactics, the StuG Brigade, and "The Race to the Lower Don."

Within the 1943 section is a discussion on the Panzerregiment GD, tank maintenance, and education. The educational topics include the Close-Quarter Tank Destruction Course and the Feldkampfschule.

The last area includes topics such as the Flakabteilung, the Füsilierregiment, the Panzergrenadierregiment, and the Tiger Regiment. A few of the more pivotal battles are also outlined.

There are aspects of this book that will greatly appeal to historians and model builders. The first is that there are 19 short biographies scattered throughout the book, of some of the more major personalities. At the end of the book is a two-page bibliography that lists specific GD unit histories, unpublished GD documents, and dozens of general references that discuss this unit. Those that wish to learn more about this unit will find more than ample references here!

The strength of this book, however, lies in the photographs. There are 223 pages of `book,' which include 285 photos. These photos range from small portrait shots, to two-page action photos. They include men from the most recent new-join, to the division commanders. In some cases, the production team managed to group photos taken at the same time into groupings, so that there are several shots of an event. What I truly appreciated was that most of the photos are captioned with not only a description of what is going on, but the names of the men in the photos! To me, that was a very nice touch.

This book is destined to become a classic visual reference for GD. It is strengthened by the help of the "many dozens of veterans, archivists, collectors, and friends" that the authors acknowledge, who "gave unstintingly and ceaselessly of their time, their memories, and their resources."

I would recommend this book as definitely worth the investment.

This is an extremely well-done large format photo history of the GD division and it's going to stand up well through the years as the standard by which other books on the division will be judged. It's filled with photos from private collections that aren't seen everywhere else and it has numerous short bios on GD officers and NCO's that are very insightful. Can't recommend this one high enough, if you're into German WWII history, this is a "must-have" book.

Really a first class effort, as the other reviewers have stated. The vast majority of photos have not, I believe, been published previously, and the reproduction is crisp and clear. The very detailed captions are a real plus.
For anyone with even a modest interest in the Heer of WWII, this is a must. My only,minor, complaint,is that it ends in 1944, but I surmise that good photos after that were few and far between. Highly recommended.

The narative of the personalities of the individuals in the book was interesting and refreshing, giving the history a depth and personality. However, I was very dissapointed to see that the book contained not a single color photograph beyond that of the cover.

un libro altamente recomendable.
lleno de fotografías y lo más interesante ,secuencias enteras de una acción.
Fotografías de alta calidad.

muy bueno.