Introduction
The Armour of Hitler’s Allies in Action 1943-1945 is a title in the Images of War series from Pen & Sword. Images of War books are visually oriented books with supporting text providing facts and data.
Pen & Sword describes the book as using rare and often unpublished photographs with full captions and authoritarian text to provide a comprehensive coverage of the subject matter, in this case Romanian, Bulgarian and Hungarian tanks and other armored fighting vehicles supporting the Axis war machine.
The book is divided up into four chapters with two appendixes and an introduction; including a blank back page for notes, there are 128 pages between the covers. It is available in paperback with ISBN 9781399085441, and as a digital download.
This book is authored by Ian Baxter and illustrated by Oliver missing. The author is a historian, lecturer at colleges and universities, and a researcher and a publisher. His bona-fides include many interviews with participants and the ability to gather unique and often unpublished photographs. He has authored over 50 books on military subjects. The artist has been building models and illustrating the subjects since the 1970s, supplying them for many different publications. He has his own website, "...welcoming anybody to come and look at his high-quality illustrations." Casemate's website tells us,
Examples of tanks and assault guns are the Romanian TCAM R-2 (Panzer 35t tank destroyer), TACAM T-38 (Panzer 38t), the Bulgarian Jadgpanzer 38(t), StuG40 Ausf.G, Pz.Kp.IV AusH and the Hungarian StuG.III Ausf.G, not forgetting Tigers & Panthers.
As well as giving technical specifications, the book traces the fighting record of these vehicles between 1943 – 1945. It shows how armored units fought bands of partisans, and were used to defend their frontiers against the overwhelming might of the Red Army, until they were either captured or destroyed.
This book provides modelers with a cornucopia of source material to build better models and inspire dioramas. Follow along as we look at what this book offers.
Content
The Armour of Hitler’s Allies in Action 1943-1945 is told through these chapters and sections:
Introduction
Joining the Axis Powers
Romania, 1943-44
Bulgaria, 1944
Hungary, 1943-45
Appendix One: Order of Battle
Appendix Two: Tanks used by the Axis Powers
Joining the Axis Powers is only three pages of text (and 18 of photos) but provides an overview of reasons those three countries joined the Axis.
This first chapter discusses the beginning of the war with the Soviet Union in June of 1941 and the initial successes that the Germans achieved, which led to the minor Axis powers to join the parade of certain victory against the Communists hoards. Of course, this was premature on their part. This gives a concise description of the political climate in the Eastern European countries, and their decisions to join the Nazi cause, which resulted in many of them joining up even despite protests from elements of their government. For instance, even when Bulgaria joined the Axis cause, they were not obliged to immediately join the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Regardless, Bulgaria requested tanks and Germany supplied them with Beutelpanzers.
The Hungarians are possibly the most interesting because Hungary actually designed and manufactured their own armored vehicles, tanks, self-propelled guns, armored cars. They also used imported armor from Germany, Italy, and Czechoslovakia. Regardless, Hungarian vehicles turned out to be little more than cannon fodder on the Eastern front. The Hungarian Army at Stalingrad was virtually wiped out.
If there are typos they were not significant enough to register in my brain. However, there are a few faux pas, such as the caption mislabeling the location of two of the three photos on a two-page spread. Fortunately, the captions and the photographs are distinct and should be obvious to the reader to which picture the actual caption is associated.
Finally, three pages present the order of battle for Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania.
Photographs and Artwork
Modelers should find this a very useful publication. Fortunately, a picture is worth a thousand words or else this would be one huge and heavy book. I did not count them but I do not doubt there are 250 photos. All are black-and-white. Overall the quality is uniformly good. Many of the photos are clear and sharp, professionally processed, studio quality. Many were taken in less than ideal conditions, and a few look like they were reproduced from motion pictures or print sources. All provide useful source material for detailing and painting of models, and inspiring dioramas. Images of particular interest include;
- Hungarian infantry with an armored car shelter in an Ukrainian cornfield
- Romanian soldiers clustered around a StuG III in bleak, flat snowy terrain
- PzKpfw.IV with three types of camouflage on its armored skirting sections in a Romanian oil field
- Uncamouflaged command car next to a heavily camouflaged wheeled flak vehicle
- King Tiger crossing a rubble pile in a narrow street
- Hungarian Tiger Is.
Over the river and through the woods. (Is that a blackened muzzle?)
Bleak life on the Ostfront
Artwork
At rest, and ready for action
More tanks here than the 2024 Victory Day Parade
Conclusion
Several model companies have been kitting more than Tigers and Panthers and the other usual Wehrmacht suspects, they have brought us Turán and Nimrod AFVs designed and built by Germany's Eastern European allies. If you are looking to learn about that armor, or the history of the kits you have acquired, The Armour of Hitler’s Allies in Action 1943-1945 is a fascinating book. You will not only find tanks manufactured by Germany's allies but also modified and captured equipment. Even if you haven't considered those subjects, you will still see the usual panzers in a different light.
The book is heavy on images with useful captions, per the concept of the Images of War series. This book provides modelers with a cornucopia of source material to build better models and inspire dioramas. Recommended.
Please remember to mention to Casemate, Pen & Sword, and retailers that you saw this product here - on Armorama.