This book has been written by Nils Henkemans and published by Panzerwrecks, and is the second part of the study of German divisions in Normandy. It is a hardcover volume in landscape format, 27.5 by 21.5 cm printed on glossy paper with 264 pages. 

Volume 1B continues with the German infantry divisions on the Cotentin Peninsula, and in particular the 243rd, 265th, 353rd and 709th divisions are covered. The book is structured into a chapter for each of these divisions (divided into sections for organisation and equipment, history and combat), four appendices, glossary, bibliography, index, notes and acknowledgements.

I think it is important to clarify that this book is not a lineal  account of the defence of Normandy: although it also deals with the fighting, it is not done in a general and chronological order but in terms of each division separately.

The content is predominantly textual, supported by photos, divisional organisation charts and numerous colour maps. Images are of a good size, clear and related to the text.

For each division covered in the book, the first section is organisation and equipment, which, as the title suggests, details in depth the organisation of the division, what regiments, battalions and companies (and even platoons) it had, including the artillery regiment and the signal battalions, engineers and so on. Tables of organisation using standard German symbology are included. Details are also given on the number of soldiers and officers, the origin of the soldiers (there were not only Germans but also Poles and Osttruppen), the age distribution, or the commanders of each regiment.

In terms of equipment, information on light and heavy machine guns, artillery and anti-aircraft guns is provided. Also included is information on which units were mobile with bicycles, which trucks they had, how the artillery was moved, being self propelled, towed by horse or by other means.

As the organisation of each division evolved since its creation, these changes with units added, transferred or removed are also detailed, as well as the new materials they received.

Next comes the history of the division, when and where it was created, what positions it occupied on the Cotentin Peninsula and whether these changed over time. This information is supported by maps showing the position of the regiments and battalions including the location of the respective command posts.

As we can expect, there is a special emphasis  on the positions they occupied on 6 June 1944 and so there is a map of this date for each division.

Finally, for each division there is a combat section, which obviously begins on D-Day. It is an exhaustive description of the movements and allocations of the various units, often at company level.

The formation of Kampfgruppen was frequent, and this is reflected in the book by giving an account of which units of these divisions were integrated into the different groups. The actual account of the fighting is somehow abbreviated, with more emphasis on the movements of the units and which higher-ranking units were integrated. In this case, a chronological order is followed, albeit confined to each division.

Also in this section are several maps at different dates. These maps show in detail the positions of the division as well as other enemy units and forces (these at divisional level only). The detailed account covers all operations in the Normandy area; for those divisions that were able to withdraw and survive, it is indicated up to when and where they ended.

The book contains three useful appendices. The first is a chronology of the occupation of Lower Normandy with the various units stationed in the area, from June 1940 with the fall of Cherbourg to May 1945 with the liberation of Alderney. There are four maps from 1940 and 1941 showing the position of German divisions.

Appendix B is the coastal defence sectors, with descriptions of the sectors and troops in charge, as well as two maps.

The third appendix is two pages with the standard structure of a German division in October 1943 and March 1944. There is also an extensive table with the meaning of all the symbols used, both in these tables and on the maps in the book.

There is a comparative table of ranks between the German regular army (Heer), the Waffen SS and the American and British armies, as well as a list of terminology and abbreviations.

The bibliography occupies four pages with references to archives, articles, books, studies and reports, a wealth of material commensurate with the amount of information contained in the book.

Various indexes are provided for units (including Allied), places, people, vehicles and armaments.

The endnotes are truly enormous, citing the source of information at many points or clarifying details.

The book closes with the author's thanks to the many people who have helped him in this ambitious project.

Conclusion

A very special book, for it has a huge amount of information and a lot of details on an specific subject. Contains an exhaustive description of four German divisions from their origin and composition to the fighting in which they participated in Normandy. The author has done an impressive job of documentation, contrasting information from different sources to fill gaps as much as possible. The presentation of the book, bound in hardback and attractively designed with glossy paper, lives up to the text.