Osprey Publishing, in cooperation with The Tank Museum, has published a guide of “the 40 most iconic tanks of the 20^thcentury.” Each of the tanks covered in the guide receives three pages that include a one page history, an extensive list of specifications, two full color drawings and detailed descriptions of each drawing.

Much of the histories will already be known to students of armor, but I did find bits about the covered vehicles that are new to me. The full color drawings are exceptional and show the tanks in a used condition with many covered in crew gear and other equipment. The majority are side profiles, however there are many views from the front or rear quarter. The lists of specifications are fairly extensive for the size of the book and are useful for comparing the different vehicles. Finally, the picture narratives provide additional details on the particular tanks in the drawings.

If you have any of Dr. Manasherob's previous volumes on Israeli armor, then you will find this book a comfortable, familiar format. It comes in at 80 pages, with heavy-stock and full-color covers. The paper is the same high-quality stock as is used in the previous books, which lends itself to crisp, clear reproduction of the photos presented. Speaking of the photos, the book offers over 300 in both color and black and white. Thirty-eight of the 80 pages are in full color, and include both photo walk-arounds and color profiles.

The Jagdpanzer IV was a tank destroyer based on the Panzer IV chassis and built in three main variants. As one of the casemate-style turretlessJagdpanzer (hunting tank) designs, it was developed against the wishes of Heinz Guderian, the inspector general of the Panzertruppen, as a replacement for the Sturmgeschütz III (StuG III). Guderian objected to the needless, in his eyes, diversion of resources from Panzer IV tank production, as the Stug III and Sturmgeschütz IV were still more than adequate for their role. After the Battle of Stalingrad in September 1942, the Wehrmacht arms bureau, the Waffenamt, called for a new standard for assault weapons: 100mm of armor to the front, 40–50mm on the sides, wider tracks, ground clearance of 50cm, top speed of 26 km/h, and the lowest possible firing positions. The new Panzerjager (tank hunter) design would be armed with the same 7.5cm gun as fitted to the Panther: the Pak 42 L/70.

Osprey’s series “Duel” is adding another title - King Tiger vs. IS-2. As with previous publications, the book focuses on the design, development, and capabilities of these two well-known vehicles that debuted in the last eighteen months of the war in Europe. While the book does not offer much in terms of reference material for building the penultimate King Tiger or IS-2, it provides the necessary context for understanding the origins and development of these vehicles and how they performed on the field of battle.

I’ve always been interested in self propelled flak guns, whether on a truck or tracked vehicle. Maybe it’s the interesting combination of equipment that makes some very unique looking vehicles. For several years I had the old Italeri sWS kit hanging out in the closet, along with some various details with the idea of building it someday. Lo and behold a new company, Great Wall Hobby, comes on the scene with all-new tool sWS. I hedged my bets and figured they would eventfully release some of the self-propelled flak halftracks based on the sWS. Sure enough, I didn’t have to wait long!