Customer Reviews

Uniforms of the Third Reich: A Study in Photographs (Schiffer Military History)

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Based on the write-up for this book, I assumed that it would have photographs of various WW2-era uniforms that would help a collector know what to look for when it came to authentic/original items. Well if you can afford to buy or could actually find uniforms that belonged to Erwin Rommel or some Navy Admiral or a Knight's Cross winner, this is the book for you. If you collect uniforms for historical purposes for the average foot soldier of any of the services, this isn't the book for you. There were numerous photos of uniforms for Generals, high-ranking officers, and some ultra rare SS uniforms. However, there were very, very, few photographs of common uniforms that would belong to anyone below an officer rank. The Navy section had 7 different reefer jackets pictured, but not a single enlisted uniform was pictured. How many reefer jackets do you need to see? There were no standard enlisted army wool tunics pictured. This book basically is a visual display of some of the very best pieces from some great collections. However, it's use as a reference source for collecting purposes is very limited. I was very disappointed....

This book did not disapoint. The uniforms are often full page, clear, and are wonderfully photographed. A big and somewhat chilling surprise was one of Hitlers 1935 NSDAP party shirts, complete with belt, strap, and medals; found by US soldiers in his Munich apartment. My only complaint was that there were no uniforms complete with matching pants and boots. Having one of Hitlers garments included also begged the question if there are other uniforms of top officials still in existence such as Goering, Himmler, or other Reich or Field Marshalls. The book gives little reference or hint of the extent of such historical items existing either in private hands or museums.

If what you want is quality photos of the uniforms, this book won't disappoint you. The photos are great, except the book have no image of boot.
but if you are looking for detail informations and history of the uniforms, this book may not be what you want.
Anyway, just looking at the photos worth buying it, personally speaking

First of all, this book is really impressive. Its a massive
volume and I enjoyed reading (or looking) very much. The photos
are very clear and show a lot of close ups. However, I felt that,
in such a large book, some more uniforms should have been
described. For example there is a large section on just one Army
officers set, too large for my taste. Apart from that, great book