Nuts & Bolts reaches number 50 in its series with this volume, centered on the Sd.Kfz. 7. It is more than a revised and expanded edition of volume 34, as it also includes extensive sections on the schwere 10 cm Kanone 18 and the Sd.Ah. 115 trailer, which were often used in conjunction with this half-track.

As always, the book is in A4 portrait format, with glossy paper and 320 pages, with bilingual English and German text. The editors continue to be Heiner F. Duske, Tony Greenland and Detlev Terlisten. This volume is written by Dr Nicolaus Hettler and Detlev Terlisten.

The structure is the usual one for the Nuts & Bolts series, with history, tables, a large number of period photos, 1/35 scale plans, illustrations and photos of museum-preserved pieces. This should cover the needs of any modeller or history fan.

However in the case of this 50th volume, there is some separation between the three subjects, making it kind of a three-in-one book.

The first twenty pages focus on the development, technical description and variants of the Sd.Kfz. 7, including production tables and characteristics. 

There is a detailed description of the vehicle and its components, plus tables comparing different variants. The anti aircraft versions are described as well.

The vehicle's service is also covered, with graphic charts showing the composition of different field artillery, anti-tank and anti-aircraft batteries according to the corresponding tables of organization and equipment (K.St.N). This allows to know  which vehicles were assigned and in what quantities,  which support or command vehicles were in the same unit and often how it evolved over time.

There is a brief section on camouflage and markings, with the colours used and some tactical markings.

From page thirty-six to ninety-three, there is a large number of contemporary photos, between two and three photos per page, which are very clear and well reproduced. All of them have explanatory captions, and all versions and variants are covered: KM 8, 9, 10, 11, 7/1, 7/2, 7/6, armoured cab, and V2 missile control vehicle.

The inner pages of the cover and backcover have four colour photos from war time.

The 1/35 scale plans by John L. Rue occupy 29 pages with five views of all versions. Their variants with wooden or mesh sides and with Flak 37 or Flak 43 are also represented.

Next comes the section on the schwere 10 cm Kanone 18, which starts with its development and production, followed by a technical description. Here too there are complete data tables, as well as graphic representations of the composition of a battery at different times during the war. There is an extensive table of units covering more than six pages, including the army and the Waffen SS, that received this gun and where they operated.

The war photos occupy 30 pages and range from photos of the limber manual to photos of the gun in combat and in transport in different theatres. The 1/35 scale plans show the gun in the five traditional plus isometric views, both in firing position and in transport. These have been prepared by Lieven De Coninck.

Finally, there is the history and description of the Sd.Ah. 115, an 8ton and 10ton trailer that was often towed by the Sd.Kfz. 7. Again, we find a detailed description of the trailer's capacity and use, including tables of characteristics and unit equipment at different points during the war. 

The section closes with a table of the Sd.Kfz. 7 kits in different variants, schwere 10 cm Kanone 18 and the Sd.Ah.115 in the main modelling scales. 

There are also twenty-two pages with a wide selection of photos of the Sd.Ah.115 in service, from the Spanish Civil War to France, Finland and the Soviet Union. A wide variety of cargo is shown, including captured tanks and the conversion with the Flakvierling 38 in a concrete structure.

Next come the plans by Lieven De Coninck., with top, side, front and rear drawings plus isometric views  of both the 8-ton and 10ton versions, all at 1/35.

The colour profiles occupy 10 pages, with two illustrations by Laurent Lecocq per page. There are  profiles only of the Sd.Kfz. 7, not of the gun or the trailer. They cover a wide variety of vehicles for transporting cargo, soldiers and anti-aircraft mountings. As always, a small photo on which the illustration is based is included, along with the page where it can be found in larger size.

The last section of the book consists of 93 pages of photos of vehicles preserved in museums. It includes the Sd.Kfz. 7, the gun and the trailer, and for the first two, there is a list of preserved units with their type and location. These photos are very useful because of their clarity, which allows you to see details that are often difficult to appreciate in war photos, as well as because they cover the entire vehicle. 

All photos have captions with commentary, which serve to comment details of variants and also to avoid the errors or omissions that sometimes occur in restorations,

Conclusion

A very comprehensive volume, covering the Sd.Kfz. 7, as well as the schwere 10 cm Kanone 18 and the Sd.Ah. 115 trailer, both of which were frequently towed by this half-track. For all of them, there is extensive information on their history, characteristics and use, as well as a large number of period photos that serve as inspiration for scenes or for camouflage, dirt and wear. The 1/35 scale plans are also very useful for checking measurements and details, and finally, the museum photos provide an excellent reference for clearly seeing all the details of the vehicle, gun and trailer.