The German Army 1939-45 (2) : North Africa & Balkans (Men-At-Arms Series, 316)

The color plates are great, but the editing and accuracy of the rank charts is horrible. You would think they would have corrected their errors a long time ago.

I'll make specific comments regarding volume 2 of this 5 part series as I hope they will be useful to prospective buyers.

Aside from the obvious concentration on the time periods in the titles of these books, specific treatment of arcane subject material is also sprinkled throughout each volume, including much material not currently covered in English in recently released works. Case in point in this volume is a chart reflecting "orders of dress."

Very good precis of basic uniforms, organization and history of the German Army in this period. Many photos are familiar to those who own Davis' book on Uniforms and Traditions, however, the text covers many things Davis does not, and Thomas has researched things to a much higher degree of understanding than Davis. It is great to see historical sources improve like this!

Colour plates are good; my criticisms of Volume 3 still apply; I'll also add that the colours are not as subtle as they ought to be. Volstad's watercolour-looking approach is a much more subtle expression of the texture and colours of field grey woolen cloth than Andrew's neon green approach. Volstad also has more diverse and dynamic poses for his figures than Andrew attempts.

Overall, though, Andrew shows a lot of variety of kit. Good overall work as far as general references go, and the table of specific information are a treat for those especially interested in the insignia side of things. For kit collectors, you will need to look at SOLDAT or some other references, as this will not show you how to wear specific things, for example. Not a drawback as that is not the aim of these books, just a warning so you aren't wasting your money buying something you are not looking for.

This work is a splendid example of the new emphasis of the publisher on producing comprehensive works in a handy cheap format compared with the earlier broad brush treatments which covered too much in too little detail.
The new emphasis is on sets covering various national armed forces in as much detail as is available, consistent with the current purpose of the works in the series, which have evolved from an original emphasis on serving the military miniature maker market into works intended to enlighten the general reader in enough detail to satisfy the merely curious and to point the way to further reading.
Most of us, including myself, have little need for, or the patience to read, voluminous studies, often in foreign languages, covering many eras and nations. My main interest is in the US forces, their allies and their enemies in the twentieth century.
That said, these works should be purchased as presented, in sets within the series. Since they are produced as a set, the volumes cover only relevent parts of the general history and the clothing and individual equipment is covered as it appears in each period. The French Army, US Army, British Army, and Italian Army series all have three volumes, covering the major theatres and time periods of the war. The German set has five.
The German Army set should be read in conjunction with many other individual volumes covering their allies and opponents and the other German fighting forces such as the Waffen SS, and the Parachute units, which were part of the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe.
If you want an introduction to the fascinating variety of clothing and equipment of the forces covered, this set is for you.

This work is a splendid example of the new emphasis of the publisher on producing comprehensive works in a handy cheap format compared with the earlier broad brush treatments which covered too much in too little detail.
The new emphasis is on sets covering various national armed forces in as much detail as is available, consistent with the current purpose of the works in the series, which have evolved from an original emphasis on serving the military miniature maker market into works intended to enlighten the general reader in enough detail to satisfy the merely curious and to point the way to further reading.
Most of us, including myself, have little need for, or the patience to read, voluminous studies, often in foreign languages, covering many eras and nations. My main interest is in the US forces, their allies and their enemies in the twentieth century.
That said, these works should be purchased as presented, in sets within the series. Since they are produced as a set, the volumes cover only relevent parts of the general history and the clothing and individual equipment is covered as it appears in each period. The French Army, US Army, British Army, and Italian Army series all have three volumes, covering the major theatres and time periods of the war. The German set has five.
The German Army set should be read in conjunction with many other individual volumes covering their allies and opponents and the other German fighting forces such as the Waffen SS, and the Parachute units, which were part of the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe.
If you want an introduction to the fascinating variety of clothing and equipment of the forces covered, this set is for you.

This book is the first of five (so far) from the Osprey's Men-At-Arms Series on "German Army". The other four are:-

MAA 316 The German Army 1939-45 (2) North Afria & Balkans;

MAA 326 The German Army 1939-45 (3) Eastern Front 1941-43;

MAA 330 The German Army 1939-45 (4) Eastern Front 1943-45;

MAA 336 The German Army 1939-45 (5) Western Front 1943-45.

These books basically cover the German Army uniform and rank insignia of specific time and place during WW2. Each book includes 30 to 40 b/w photographs of German soldiers in different types of uniform. There are also 8 pages of colour-plates in each book depicting the uniforms in colour. Since I own all five books, I observed that the drawing skill of Stephen Andrew improving gradually over the years.

These books are by no means a comprehensive account of the uniform of the German Army during WW2. However, the contents(text, photos and colour-plates) are excellent source of reference materials for modelling enthusiasts focusing on WW2 German Army.

This review applies to all five books.