The German Army 1939-45 (5) : Western Front 1943-45 (Men-At-Arms Series, 336) [Paperback]

Nigel Thomas (Author), Stephen Andrew (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2000 | Series: Men-at-Arms (Book 336)

This book covers the high command, the developments in unit organisation, the campaigns and the uniforms and equipment of the German Army in the last two years of the war in North-West Europe and Italy. Despite the huge pressure of fighting on three fronts, ever-worsening shortages of manpower and equipment, and Allied command of the skies, Germany's decimated divisions fought on with impressive skill and determination. This period of World War II (1939-1945) also saw a fascinating mixture of obsolescent, newly designed, and field-made combat clothing which gave the German soldier a radically different appearance from his predecessor of just five years before.

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

DR NIGEL THOMAS is an accomplished linguist and military historian and is currently a Senior Lecturer in charge of the Business Language Unit at the University of Northumbria, Newcastle. His interests are 20th century military and civil uniformed organisations, with a special interest in Germany, Central and Eastern Europe. He was recently awarded a PhD on the Eastern Enlargement of NATO.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 185532797X
• ISBN-13: 978-1855327979
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.1 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #846,148 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommend, January 7, 2002

By 

Jason J. Wehrman (Fort Campbell, KY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The German Army 1939-45 (5) : Western Front 1943-45 (Men-At-Arms Series, 336) (Paperback)

Osprey books are a great place for anyone who is interested in a specific military history subject. The book is a concise history of the organization and use of German infantry on the Western Front. The full color drawings are an excellent resource for modellers, collectors and general enthusiastists. There are plenty of black and white photos to complement the text. The book focuses on the finer details of the average German soldiers life. Even though I've read the book, I refer to it frequently and still love looking at the drawings.

1 of 1 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 (5) : Western Front 1943-45 (Men-At-Arms Series, 336) (Paperback)

This book is the fifth 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 330 The German Army 1939-45 (4) Eastern 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.