German Commanders of World War 2 (Men-At-Arms Series, No. 124) [Paperback]

Anthony Kemp (Author), Angus McBride (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 25, 1990

This fascinating study by Anthony Kemp outlines the careers and characters of a number of senior German commanders of the World War II period (1939-1945). To those who read military history many of the names are familiar. It is a paradox, however, that few biographies have been written. The impression still exists today of German generals as stiff-necked, scar-faced, monocled Prussians. Whilst in a few cases this was certainly true, the fact remains that all of them were men, some more ordinary than others. With a variety of photographs, eight full-page colour plates by Angus McBride, accompanied by ten pages of commentaries, this is a first-class addition to Osprey's Men-at-Arms series.

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

Anthony Kemp has a keen interest in the Commanders of World War II. He has written two truly fascinating titles for the Osprey Men-at-Arms series on these famous leaders.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (January 25, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0850454336
• ISBN-13: 978-0850454338
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.2 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #644,165 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very nice volume, July 25, 2004

By 

Michael A Dorosh (Calgary, AB, CANADA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: German Commanders of World War 2 (Men-At-Arms Series, No. 124) (Paperback)

This is a very nice volume and interesting addition to the Osprey line. Very well written in scholarly style, the main subjects are combat leaders (as opposed to staff types like Jodl and Keitel) and those covered in the main text are (with a few surprising choices):

Sepp Dietrich
Karl Dönitz
Heinz Guderian
Albert Kesselring
Günther von Kluge
Bruno Lörzer
Erich von Manstein
Hasso von Manteuffel
Walther Model
Erwin Rommel
Gerd von Rundstedt
Kurt Student
Hermann Balck
Johannes Blaskowitz
Fritz Bayerlein
Fedor von Bock
Ernst Busch
Ewald von Kleist
Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb
Wilhelm List
Ferdinand Schörner
Erwin von Witzleben

All have several paragraphs devoted to their careers. However, several more personalities are covered as captions to the many good photos of other commanders, such as Eduard Dietl, Kramer, Schmidt, Hoth, or Paulus.

Author has a solid grip on the subject material.

Colour plates seem cartoony at first, but vibrant colours are not as jarring as in other books and actually seem to work well. Faces are nicely rendered and do resemble the historical characters to a T. Again, some personalities not covered in the text or photos are shown in the plates, with accompanying text in the captions - notably, for example, Fegelein.

A good mix of supreme commanders, high placed staff officers, and some notable army, corps and even divisional commanders. Good coverage of the air force, little said about the Navy, but perhaps this reflects their roles in the war quite well.

Very nice volume and does a great job of illustrating, in words and pictures, many of the key personalities of the armed forces of the Third Reich.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars German General WWII Uniforms, November 9, 2009

By 

William Garrison Jr. (Bellevue, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: German Commanders of World War 2 (Men-At-Arms Series, No. 124) (Paperback)

Just some quick notes. This is vol. #124 in part of Osprey's "Men-At-Arms" Series. Originally published in 1982, reprinted in 1990 (with 2 different cover designs), 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 2000 and 2002 (cover design having a purple-info header and bottom; and has an index and a different back-cover design). All have the same ISBN. There are 40 pages of text, with an additional 8 pages of colored drawings of these generals wearing different styles of summer and winter uniforms, combat v. dress, and some having their own non-standard, personalized-designed uniforms. Each officer has about a 400-word-long biography, along with at least one black-and-white photograph. Primarily of interest to the uniform-design enthusiast.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Addition to my Collection!, January 25, 2012

By 

Vincenzo L. Falcone - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: German Commanders of World War 2 (Men-At-Arms Series, No. 124) (Paperback)

The OSPREY MEN-AT-ARMS Series does it again with this incredible volume titled: GERMAN COMMANDERS OF WORLD WAR II.

The material is fresh, and easy to follow, and covers many of Germany's greatest military leaders. The book comes complete with crisp and clear black and white pictures of the officer being covered, and a nice body of text that covers everything from their political, education and even religious backgrounds, to their training, military service and some history as to what may have happened to them during or even after the war.

As usual Angus McBride blows us away with his coloured illustrations, providing 24 officers on 8 pages in a breath taking fashion.

A very nice book for any collector or person with an interest on this topic. Great for beginners and serious die-hards alike.