Werner Kortenhaus - The Combat History of the 21. Panzer Division

I have been hemming and hawing over purchasing this book for a couple of months now. I had some unexpected funds show up in the bank account and I decided to splurge on this one. I do have the 21st Panzer Division by Jean-Claude Perrigault but I have always been disappointed with it. First its primarily in French which I was unaware of when I purchased it from Amazon. I'm pretty convinced that most of the French was not actually translated in the English sections. I don't read French so I can't prove it but the information when presented in English probably only takes up 25% of the book. This one by Kortenhaus is at least fully translated and it has a separate map book! What wargamer doesn't love a map book?

Unlike the Perrigault history Kortenhaus only writes about the division's history in Normandy. With my interest peaking again in WWII skirmish combat this suits me just fine. Plus I have plenty of information on the 21st in North Africa already. This book focuses on the 21st in Normandy but it does include information on supporting formations both directly and indirectly. While I have only begun to dig into this weighty tome, I'm very happy that I decided to add it to the library. It should prove to be an invaluable reference book for Normandy projects.

Bill Mauldin - Willie and Joe The WWII Years

I finally found a copy of this two volume set at a reasonable price. Bill Mauldin is probably my favorite editorial cartoonist. I cut my teeth on his book Up Front and have loved his Willie and Joe characters ever since.

This particular set contains a bit of biographical information, and actual traces his cartoons from his early forays in the field up through the end of WWII. I have turned to his work for diorama ideas as well although most of his cartoons don't translate well since the punchline is what ties everything together.

If you can get your hands on these I highly recommend them. Vol I contains the bio stuff and early cartoons and really shows how Mauldin evolved during the period. Vol II is all WWII work and is probably my favorite, although you can see jokes sometimes returning from the early period into the later WWII period.

Achtung Panzer #2 - Panzerkampwagen III

I try to keep a look out for good prices on books featuring the PzKfw III. I was on Amazon when it made a couple of suggestions which included this book from Japan. I know about it but it had worked its way into the back of my mind. I did a little research and found prices running anywhere from $20 to just over a $100. I picked this one up on eBay for $20 although shipping was $11. That still placed it as the best current value for this one.

It is long out of print but if you are a modeler its a must have. While other books I own contain the same information this one is really concentrates the detail into a smaller, easier to handle format and it has enough to make it a very useful tool at the work bench including some terrific interior photos. I highly recommend it if you can find it at a reasonable price.

Some interior B&W photos that I don't recall seeing before, always a nice bonus

Some interior shots in color

Diagrams showing different details. There certainly are books that do some of this better but this one is easy to handle and keep at the work bench.

Even more details, a modeler's dream! It is in Japanese and English and the English translation is pretty good.