The German Army 1939-45 (4): Eastern Front 1943-45 (Men-at-Arms) (v. 4) [Paperback]

Nigel Thomas (Author), Stephen Andrew (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Men-at-Arms | Publication Date: July 1, 1999

In early 1943, the annihilation of the 6th Army at Stalingrad marked the irreversible turning-point of World War II (1939-1945) in the East. Despite occasional local successes gained in the face of great odds – testimony to the Wehrmacht’s extraordinary resilience – from now on Germany was on the defensive. Despite Hitler’s damaging interference the quality of German field leadership, and of new weapons, remained high; but each new Soviet offensive pushed the front line closer to – and finally, across – the borders of the Reich. In this fourth title of their sequence author and artist describe and illustrate the developments in unit organization, uniforms and equipment during 1943–45, including information on European and Eastern volunteer units; text and illustrations are supported by detailed tables.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Packed with specially commissioned artwork, maps and diagrams, the Men-at-Arms series is an unrivalled illustrated reference on the history, organisation, uniforms and equipment of the world's military forces, past and present.

About the Author

Nigel Thomas is a graduate in French and German (BA Joint Honours, Manchester University, 1968; PGCE Durham University, 1972; MA German, Newcastle University, 1980), who has amassed a large archive of information on 20th- century military uniforms and orders of battle. He has authored and co-authored many Osprey titles such as MAA 282 Axis Forces in Yugoslavia 1941-45 and is currently head of the Modern Languages Centre and Business Language Unit at the University of Northumbria.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (July 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1855327961
• ISBN-13: 978-1855327962
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #911,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, December 25, 2001

By 

Michael Dorosh (Calgary, AB Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The German Army 1939-45 (4): Eastern Front 1943-45 (Men-at-Arms) (v. 4) (Paperback)

Makes use of much of Brian Davis' research, but does it better. Expanded data and explanations of rank systems, specialist officers, etc. make this series the leading reference in English - and affordable to boot! A much needed update to Brian L. Davis' adequate book on uniforms and traditions, with many corrections and clarifications. Especially interesting is the research done on trades badges and similar ephemera.

Not a perfect book - and one hopes one day all this info will be compiled into a single volume with expanded information on certain small details - but well worth the money.

The artist is no Ron Volstad - he needs to work especially on the noses of his figures, they all look the same - but the uniforms are clearly done and represent a wide range of interesting material.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Study of A Major Force, December 27, 2001

By 

El Cutachero (MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The German Army 1939-45 (4): Eastern Front 1943-45 (Men-at-Arms) (v. 4) (Paperback)

This work is a splendid example of the new emphasis of the publisher on producing comprehensive works in a handy cheap format compared with the earlier broad brush treatments which covered too much in too little detail.
The new emphasis is on sets covering various national armed forces in as much detail as is available, consistent with the current purpose of the works in the series, which have evolved from an original emphasis on serving the military miniature maker market into works intended to enlighten the general reader in enough detail to satisfy the merely curious and to point the way to further reading.
Most of us, including myself, have little need for, or the patience to read, voluminous studies, often in foreign languages, covering many eras and nations. My main interest is in the US forces, their allies and their enemies in the twentieth century.
That said, these works should be purchased as presented, in sets within the series. Since they are produced as a set, the volumes cover only relevent parts of the general history and the clothing and individual equipment is covered as it appears in each period. The French Army, US Army, British Army, and Italian Army series all have three volumes, covering the major theatres and time periods of the war. The German set has five.
The German Army set should be read in conjunction with many other individual volumes covering their allies and opponents and the other German fighting forces such as the Waffen SS, and the Parachute units, which were part of the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe.
If you want an introduction to the fascinating variety of clothing and equipment of the forces covered, this set is for you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Reference on WW2 Military Modelling., January 8, 2001

By 

paul_cheng "K.F." (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The German Army 1939-45 (4): Eastern Front 1943-45 (Men-at-Arms) (v. 4) (Paperback)

This book is the forth of five (so far) from the Osprey's Men-At-Arms Series on "German Army". The other four are:-

MAA 311 The German Army 1939-45 (1) Blitzkrieg;

MAA 316 The German Army 1939-45 (2) North Africa & Balkans;

MAA 326 The German Army 1939-45 (3) Eastern Front 1941-43;

MAA 336 The German Army 1939-45 (5) Western Front 1943-45.

These books basically cover the German Army uniform and rank insignia of specific time and place during WW2. Each book includes 30 to 40 b/w photographs of German soldiers in different types of uniform. There are also 8 pages of colour-plates in each book depicting the uniforms in colour. Since I own all five books, I observed that the drawing skill of Stephen Andrew improving gradually over the years.

These books are by no means a comprehensive account of the uniform of the German Army during WW2. However, the contents (text, photos and colour-plates) are excellent source of reference materials for modelling enthusiasts focusing on WW2 German Army.

This review applies to all five books.