Panzers In The Sand: The History Of Panzer-Regiment 5, Vol. 1, 1935-41 [Hardcover]

This is an excellent unit history and great value for the money. An equivalent book from a specialist publisher would cost at least twice as much. Stackpole are to be commended for the way this book was produced; hard cover, sturdy binding and glossy paper for very good photo reproduction. This title is a really nice blend of photos, informative maps, orders of battle, text and personal accounts. The majority of the photos appear to be previously unpublished and give a comprehensive coverage of early war German armor. Volume 1 covers Panzer-Regiment 5 participation in the Polish, French and North African campaigns This volume ends in December 1941, looking forward to volume 2.

Author Bernd Hartmann served in the post-war German army as a Lt. Colonel and is now the spokesman for the Panzer Regiment 5 Veterans Association. He is, therefore, well qualified to write this history on a subject he fully understands. This book, however, is only Vol. 1 of that history and covers the period from when the regiment was raised until the end of 1941.

Whilst the Tank itself was a British invention from WW1, the German army had already developed a small number of these weapons by the time hostilities ceased in 1918. Under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was then prohibited from having any form of armoured vehicle which might be used in war. Whilst these provisions were closely monitored up to 1927, formal training in tank warfare did take place elsewhere. From these humble beginnings grew a first class panzer division within the German army with tanks which were, eventually, the envy of the world. By the outbreak of WW2 Germany's Panzers were probably the most formidable force of such weapons found in a single country. Whilst those early vehicles (Panzer 1) were the German mainstay until 1940, their shortcomings were soon exposed by enemy forces whereupon they were quickly replaced as new innovations in German technology worked hard to keep pace with new demands.

This book is a marvellous compilation of history - both written and visual, and is an overwhelming triumph of detailed research, hard work and who knows how many hours spent examining what must be thousands of documents and other sources of information. The historical photographs are so plentiful they actually add a sense of almost allowing the reader to identify with the work. Put another way; Whereas a reasonable collection of good quality pictures will always give the reader a feel for any subject, in this work, there are sufficient in number to almost tell the story by themselves. So much so, that they provide a much deeper understanding of the history of Panzer Regiment 5 which is as honourable as any regimental history.

Having set such a high bar for himself, I look forward to an equally superlative Volume 2 which, when both are placed together, will combine to provide all readers and historians with as complete a record as possible of this once great German regiment.

I really do congratulate the author on a most excellent job of work.

NM
(British army major - retired)

Panzers in the Sand is a two volume series covering the history of Panzer Regiment 5 from its inception thru the end of World War II. Orginally published in German in 2002, an English language version of it has been published by Stackpole Books. This hardcover book is 298 pages long and includes over 360 photos plus numerous charts and maps. Some of the photos appear to be copies of copies but are of overall good quality. Each chapter begins with text and a scattering of photos and charts where relevant. The end of each chapter consists of numerous photos.

The book starts with establishment of the Panzertruppe including information about the training that took place in the Soviet Union during the late 1920's and early '30's. Chapter 2 describes the early days of Panzer Regiment 5 through August 1939. There are some good photos of PzKpfw I Ausf. A and early PzKpfw II in this chapter.

Chapter 3 covers the Polish Campaign while Chapter 4 covers the Campaign in the West. The information in these chapters matches what I have read in other books fact wise. There are excerpts from Thomas Jentz's Panzer Truppen that cover after action reports. Chapter 4 also has several photos of a PzKpfw II Ausf B(?) from several different angles that will allow modelers to build this tank with a good degree of accuracy.

Chapter 5 is a short one and covers the regiments work up prior to being deployed to North Africa. In Chapter 6, which is the final one of the book, the North African Campaign thru the end of 1941 is covered.

Overall, I found the book quite readable and entertaining. I thought it covered the development of the regiment and its early battles quite well. Details including sample training schedules are included in early chapters. Throughout each chapter are sidebars describing key personalities from the regiment including various commanders and award winners.

The English translation flowed well compared to some others that I've read in the past. I only found one photo caption that I could confirm was off. On page 163, a knocked out a 5cm KwK L/42 armed PzKpfw III Ausf G or H is noted as being knocked out during the Battle of France. More than likely it from the Balkans Campaign as there weren't any 5cm armed PzKpfw III's in the Battle of France.

In short, I enjoyed the book very much and I recommend it to those interested in the Panzer Truppe and in armor in general.