This book’s title is a little misleading. While Panzer Crewman, does focus on the Germans in the Panzerwaffe, it is also an excellent primer and one-stop shop for history of Germany’s World War II panzers, tactics, and how they were employed from the first offensive battles to the grinding defensive battles on three fronts.

The authors wrote,

It’s worth comparing this, the first German tank (Panzer I), with the last into full production, the Tiger II. The PzKpfw I weighed just over 5 tons and was 13ft/4m long. The Königstiger was 68 tons and 33.8ft/10.3m long. The speed of development was dictated by what happened on the battlefield as each side alternately took the lead in an increasingly competitive arms race.

German panzers achieved almost mythical status post World War II. This book, and the authors, do an excellent job of not only factually telling a succinct story about the physical tanks, their crewmen, and their exploits. They also do some myth busting which does nothing to further their glory, but instead shows determined men committed to their cause, first in their belief of their future, then to each other as reality set in. The authors are true to the Casemate Illustrated series with a concise, professionally researched and presented book on a complicated and much misunderstood subject. Using period photographs, illustrated pages, tables and immaculate references, this book provides the reader with a truthful look at Germany’s panzers and the men who crewed them.

Panzer Crewman is composed of the following chapters:

• Timeline of Events
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• The Soldier
  • Training
  • Uniforms
  • Awards and Decorations
• The Units
  • Panzer Organization, Unit Numbering, and Markings
  • Establishments
  • Panzer Divisions
  • Schwere Panzerabteilungen (Heavy Tank Battalions)
• The Panzers
  • Panzer I (SdKfz 101) and Kleiner Panzerbefehlswagen (SdKfz 265)
  • Panzer II (SdKfz 121)
  • Panzer 38(t)
  • Panzer III (SdKfz 141, 141/1, and 141/2)
  • Panzer IV (SdKfz 161, 161/1, and 161/2)
  • Panzer V (SdKfz 171) Panther
  • Panzer VI Ausf E Tiger 1 (SdKfz 181)
  • Schachtellaufwerk (interleaved roadwheel system)
  • Stowage
  • Panzer VI Ausf B Tiger II (SdKfz 182)
  • Funklenkpanzer (radio-controlled tanks)
  • Beutepanzer (captured tanks)
  • Brückenleger (bridgelayer tanks)
  • Bergepanzer (recovery tanks)
  • Flakpanzer (AA tanks)
  • Ammunition
  • Ammunition Stowage
  • Tank Main Gun Ammunition Types
  • Armor
  • Crew Duties and Positions
  • Armored Forces Communications
  • Access Doors and Escape Hatches
  • Camouflage
• Mobility
  • Traffic Control
  • River Crossings
  • German Tank Maintenance in World War II
  • Winterketten and Ostketten (Winter and East tracks)
• Tactics
  • Command Vehicles
  • Tank Attack
  • Tanks in Withdrawal
• Life in the Field
• Conclusion
• Notes
• References & Further Reading
• Index

From the list above, you can tell the details of the book. If you want more, references and notes are included. I was impressed with the layout and progression of topics. There were a few standouts, for example, the Panzer 35(t) was skipped, although it played a large part in the early Panzer exploits. To make up for this oversight, the authors did an amazing job of tying a lot of resources into a single book. The inclusion of Panzer Vorwärts! – Aber mit Verstand (Armor Forward! But with Intelligence!) by Generalinspekteur der Panzertruppen Heinz Guderian discussed tactical leadership:

It has been shown time and again in Russia that – in contrast to the Bolsheviks –

it’s not the type or number of our tanks that matters, but the fighting spirit of our tankers; this is why our tanks have always been victorious.

However, fighting spirit alone cannot guarantee success; neither can armament, speed, and armor, nor the number of tanks, if the Panzer commander cannot lead and use his tanks correctly.

In combat, the essential prerequisites for any success is the quality of tactical leadership, especially as we want to achieve that success with few or, even better, without any losses.

General Guderian then lists key fighting essentials that are relevant today. In fact, when I was a young lieutenant stationed in Germany, I learned a lot of these lessons while attending the German Army Officer Advance Course, walking some of the same ground listed in this book in Germany. I also learned and appreciated the difference between Auftragstaktik (mission-based tactics) and Befehlstaktik (order-based tactics). While the Germans mastered tactical leadership, they failed at strategic leadership, as became evident.

Modelers cannot help but have a lot of inspiration for their models, vignettes, and dioramas from this book. The tanks are laid out well, crew positions identified, stowage shown per the manual and photographs in the field, armor and armament, why the Germans used Zimmerit, the reality of why schürzen was created and used, types of ammunition used, communication gear, and the wide varieties of terrain and climatic conditions the tanks operated in. The uniform section alone is fantastic for figure painting. This is a must-have reference book for any armor or armor crewman figure painter.

The Panzer Crewman will find a place next to the earlier released The German Infantryman on the Eastern Front. The authors thankfully tease of an upcoming book in the series on the Sturmgeschütz, Panzerjäger and Sturmartillerie.

This book is worth your hard-earned hobby money, and I know it will be reference material for a lot of upcoming projects.

Profuse thanks to Casemate and IPMS/USA for providing the review sample.