The German Army 1939-45 (1): Blitzkrieg (Men-at-Arms) (v. 1) (Paperback)

~ Nigel Thomas (Author), Stephen Andrew (Illustrator) "On 30 January 1933 Adolf Hitler dismantled the Weimar Republic and established the Third Reich, with himself as Fuhrer (leader) and head of state..." (more)
Key Phrases: Brian Davis Collection, Iron Cross, Army Group (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

On 1 September 1939, when Germany attacked Poland, the Wehrmacht numbered 3,180,000 men. It eventually expanded to 9,500,000, and on 8-9 May 1945, the date of its unconditional surrender on the Western and Eastern Fronts, it still numbered 7,800,000. The Blitzkrieg period, from 1 September 1939 to 25 June 1940, was 10 months of almost total triumph for the Wehrmacht, as it defeated every country, except Great Britain, that took the field against it. In this first of five volumes examining the German Army of World War Two, Nigel Thomas examines the uniforms and insignia of Hitler's Blitzkrieg forces, including an overview of the Blitzkrieg campaign itself. Men-at-Arms 311, 316, 326, 330 and 336 are also available in a single volume special edition titled ‘German Army in World War II’.

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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 56 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing; illustrated edition edition (November 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1855326396
• ISBN-13: 978-1855326392
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #844,319 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 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 (2) : North Africa & Balkans (Men-At-Arms Series, 316) (Paperback)

This book is the second 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 326 The German Army 1939-45 (3) Eastern Front 1941-43;

MAA 330 The German Army 1939-45 (4) Eastern Front 1943-45;

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite Interesting Study of an Interesting Force, December 22, 2001

By	El Cutachero (MD USA) - See all my reviews

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, inexpensive reference material, July 27, 2000

By	"pzgr_40" (Chattanooga, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This book describes and displays the various uniforms of the German Heer -- but not Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, SS or any of the various paramiltary organizations -- from pre-war (1935) to the end of the Blitzkrieg (1940) in good detail. Be warned: The book is NOT a comprehensive catalog of uniforms and heraldry and will be of pretty limited use to the militaria collector. There are 40 b&w photos and eight color plates along with four tables describing orders of dress, ranks, and insignia. The photos are a mix of action shots and posed portraits. The 24 full-color uniforms depicted in the color plates are accompanied by text describing the uniform and the equipment worn by the soldiers. Many service branches are represented from infantry and engineers to Panzertruppen to signals and Feldgendarmert ... It's a good deal of information at a great price. I recommend it to beginning scale modelers looking for inexpensive and accurate reference materials.