Pz III Library Addition - Panzer III from Tank Craft

I have acquired another book to add to the Pz III library. This particular volume is a new one from Tank Craft. I discovered the Tank Craft books about six months ago (or there abouts) and I thoroughly enjoy this series. This one is titled Panzer III, German Army Light Tank Operation Barbarossa, 1941 by Dennis Oliver. I must admit to being a bit confused about the title as I have never heard the Pz III referred to as a light tank before. Mr Oliver does a very nice job on the subject in 64 pages.

As stated the book covers, primarily, the Barbarossa period with a little background to go with it. For the most part it shows ausf Fs through ausf Js (with the short 50). Detail on the campaign and the units involved are included. There is a section of color plates which are nicely done, although mostly in grey! Following that are some model builds followed by manufacturers of both kits and aftermarket parts. He concentrates on 1/48th and 1/35th scale kits with a brief mention of a company out of Scotland called Milicast that I need to check out. Unfortunately Rubicon Models is not mentioned although it is mentioned in one of the other books from Tank Craft (either the Sherman or STuG III book, not sure which one).

There is a very short section on the different models from A to the early J as well as the different uparmoring programs. Its very short and is much better covered some of my other books (especially the ones from Panzer Tracts). However, it is loaded with pictures and color plates and is really written for the modeler rather than the researcher. This is probably the first book I would pull out for reference for eastern front Pz IIIs for this campaign for paintwork and decaling and I would supplement it with the Panzer Tracts books for building models.

Its a high quality paperback that does a very good job introducing the 1940-1941 Pz IIIs. I would certainly recommend it for those with casual interest as a good starting place.

World War II Project - Unboxing - Rubicon PzKfw III H/J/L/M/N

 I have been waiting for this kit for a long time. This is the 2nd Edition of Rubicon's PzKfw III kit. I never acquired a copy of their first effort but I did have a copy of their 1st Edition PzKfw IV kit. That particular kit was rather average, the fit of the parts were excellent but some of the details needed to be re-worked. I suspect that the 1st Edition PzKfw III was similar.

This new kit is very versatile, as advertised, you can build the later models of the PzKfw III series, H-N. The early versions are covered in a second kit covering the E-L versions . I'm guessing there is overlap in between the two kits because of vehicle upgrades, field units being upgraded to the next version on the fly (perhaps in the E-L kit you would get armor upgrades consisting of bolted on armor, whereas in the later kit those armor upgrades are built in, guess I'll need to buy as early version box and find out). If you want to build a Panzerbefehlswagen (command) version you no longer need to do conversion work, Rubicon has kindly created a specific kit that will allow you to build one of the E/H/J/L variants (now I need to buy this one since I don't believe there is an L version, it should be E/H/J/K, the E & H have fixed turrets with the big deck mounted aerial frame and the J & K have the star antenna mounted on the back deck, I"ll have to pull out my Panzer Tracts books now).

This kit comes in the big Rubicon box and comes complete with 5 sprues of parts, including two sets of tracks with different versions of the drive wheels and multiple turret and gun mantles to cover the number of guns that were mounted on this chassis. Of course you get all those guns as well from the 5cm KwK 38/L42 to the 7.5cm KwK 39/L60.  The version I'm most interested in is the J, so I may have to buy the early kit to better reflect the Afrika Korps vehicles which would have bolted on armor upgrades as opposed to those for the 6th Panzer Division which would have straight from the factory Js. If you want to see the sprues I would recommend heading over to the Rubicon forum and look up the PzKfw III in the Works in Progress section.

The instruction are pretty standard although the one in this kit is a booklet, 14 pages long, since it has to cover so many variations of the build. I would suggest highlighting the sections that pertain specifically to the version you are going to build so you don't go down the wrong path (which I did with the StuG III kit on several occasions when I was building those). The decals are excellent giving you a lot of variety on potential unit markings including red, white and black turret numbers for the sides and the back of the turret. Since I have two kits I'll try and use as much as I can from a single sheet and save the second sheet for other projects, you can never have enough decals.

I'm definitely looking forward to building this kit, but the line in front of it is long. I have to finish painting the 3 U304 (f) halftracks and 4 StuG IIIs. I have one Jagdpanther that is partially built with 2 more to follow that not to mention 6 PzKfw IVs (3 for Afrika and 3 for Europe). I might go ahead and shift this in front of the PzKfw IVs but no farther up than that.

A few pictures:

Its an intimidating stack of sprues, my bits box will be very full at the end of this build.

The five versions you can build are right on the cover and there is a chart inside as well that covers the years and numbers produced.

It has the 21st Panzer Division markings which makes me happy but the palm trees are in black instead of white which makes me sad.

Organizing the PzKfw III Library

 


Organizing is probably not the right word since my ability to organize conflicts with my creativity, at least that’s the story I’m going with. What I really need is an index system. Not that the Pz III library is huge by any means but sometimes finding what I want quickly is a challenge. The ultimate goal is to collect as many books on this particular vehicle as I can but also be able to notate how useful any given book is for my current purpose.

For instance, if I’m building a model I need a reference that has information and photographs that are higher quality or are good closeups of the actual vehicle. For painting or building up units for an “army” I will be looking for historical information; vehicle markings, vehicle types, when available, or unique characteristics that make units stand out on the table. For dioramas I’m looking for photos that inspire, or set a specific mood, or bring out the human drama. In each case I’m looking for books that fulfill those specific needs. For dioramas I might be need two different references I as I move back in forth between “scenic” photos and model references.

I decided on four categories; General/Historical, Technical, Model Building and Pictures. For each category a book is given a numerical ranking; 1 is poor, 2 is fair, 3 is good, 4 is excellent. For an overall rating I total all four categories together which gives me a maximum score of 16. If I need to find a better technical book, then I would sort the data based on just the technical score. In theory with this ranking system I should be able to grab the right book every time based on what I’m doing.

Applying the system to the books in the library I find, that based on a total score, the Panzer Tract books are my best resource for just about everything. Unfortunately, if you don’t own these yet or are missing one or more of the five books you are going to be out of luck as they appear to be rapidly going out of print (hopefully they will be reprinted in the near future). I scored all five books in the series the same; General/Historical 2, Technical 4, Model Ref 4, Picture 3 for a total ranking of 13. For General, from a general perspective, these aren’t bad, but they are very dry reading. For technical information they are hard to beat though, filled with a lot more information than I even care about most of the time. For modeling reference, they are also great, nice close ups and excellent line drawings. I only give them a 3 for pictures though because they tend towards more closeups (which help the technical and model ratings) rather than the bigger “show” pictures which is what I’m really thinking about for this category. The Tank Power series by Wydawnicowo Militaria are not a bad replacement but nearly as good mostly due to the translations (these books have a total ranking of 10 as compared to 13 for Panzer Tracts).

If I’m looking for books that rate high in a specific category then I’ll just sort the worksheet, first by category, then by total ranking and then maybe by title (Not that the titles tend to be radically different). For instance if I want to look at the best model reference books I’ll sort by the model reference column with a secondary sort by total rank and I find one of the Kagero books on the Pz III J/L/M with a 4 for model ref and a 13 total, then the Panzer Tract books (same score actually), then Achtung Panzer #2 with a 4 and a 10, then the book from Shinkigensha with a 4 and a 9 and the Osprey book also with a 4 and a 9. Based on that I have several good choices for model building references and I can grab what I need probably further refined on which ausf version I’m working on. I have easy access to this data most of the time so if someone asks a question about which book to pick up I can make a decent recommendation based on how good I think the book for desired purpose.

Acquisitions - Expanding the PzKfw III Library, Military Modelling Book

I have acquired another book for the PzKfw III Library titled "Military Modelling Book Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf. J-N. Its published (I think) by Shinkigensha Co Ltd. Printed in 2011 it apparently is long since out of print as I found numerous copies being sold for $85 plus. I found this one for $35 plus shipping. I think that is close to the original publication price but in any event it was a price I was willing to pay. There is a second book (well actually the first book) for the Ausf. A-H. This is a pure modelling book and features builds of various kits that were available in 2011. It has great pictures of the models from a wide variety of angles and close ups but all of the captions are in Japanese. While I can glean quite a bit from the pictures of what is being done it would be nice to be able to read the captions. In the back is a short section with a lot of close ups of actually Pz IIIs although I probably have most of that in other books already. There are some nice line drawings in the back as well, those are quite nice but again I have access to a lot of line drawings at this point! From a modelling standpoint is a pretty good book and one I'm likely to actually use. Being written completely in Japanese certainly limits its usefulness to me. I would like to acquire the first book at some point but only at a reasonable price, something significantly less than $85.

It is a large format book with a fairly stiff cover and it actually has a dust jacket as well. The little purple/pink band at the bottom is an advertising slip that can be removed. Again marvelous pictures but not particularly useful beyond a modelling reference and limited due to language.

Acquisitions - Expanding the PzKfw III Library, Haynes

I couldn't resist this addition to the Pz III Library. The Owner's Workshop Manual from Haynes. Now I have used these for years on my MGBs and I even have one for a Jeep CJ in anticipation of one joining the fleet. Its a very different look at my favorite German tank. Its an interesting mix of background, history and wonderful photos and diagrams. Mike Hayton managed the actual rebuild of the Pz III at the Tank Museum and Dick Taylor wrote the book. I would recommend this as a must have for those that love the Pz III.

Acquisitions - Expanding the PzKfw III Library, Tank Power Volumes

I managed to get in another trip to Aberdeen bookstore because we were out getting bottling supplies for the cider brewing up in the kitchen. I found another series of books on the PzKfw III while I was there and just like that the library had increased by another four books. These are published by Wydawnicwo Militaria out of Poland as part of their Tank Power series.
These are quite nice books, with a large number of color plates, scale drawings, and tons of pictures. However, don't let that English Text banner of the front fool you. All of the major text is in Polish, the only English text is in the picture captions. That works fine with me, I have enough other books that I doubt I'm actually missing any vital information.

There are four books in this bunch; Volume CV (#353) covering the A-D models, Volume CXXI (#375) covering the E-H Models, Volume XCCCVIII (#396) covering just the J model (this is by far my favorite model) and Volume CLXVII (#426) covering the L-N models. I think these are a great addition to the library, while most of the information is redundant, the pictures and plates are very worthwhile. My biggest beef is that Aberdeen used damn near un-removable price stickers right on the covers which I'm reluctant to try and remove.

Acquisitions - Expanding the PzKfw III Library, Panzer Tracts 3-3

The last copy of Panzer Tracts finally arrived yesterday, coming all the way from Japan. I really paid to much for this but its amazing how quickly the prices jump on the out of print Panzer Tracts. While I had to gulp on the price it was still the cheapest copy out there. It arrived very pristine in a heat sealed bag. Of course the first thing I managed to do was bend a corner on the front cover. This particular book covers the PzKfw III ausf J, L, M and N, of which the L is probably my favorite variant. Its real transition model so there is a lot of different things you can model with it. Loaded with pictures including templates for the spaced armor plates and blow up drawings of a lot of the details. Fabulous book and after paging through it I'm certainly not begrudging the money I spent on it. Looking forward to doing some super detailing on some Plastic Soldier kits!

Acquisitions - Expanding the PzKfw III Library, Panzer Tracts

One of the two remaining Panzer Tracts books on the PzKfw III arrived on Friday. This is 3-4 and features the Panzerbefehlswagen or command tank. I have always been intrigued by this particular vehicle and this is an amazing reference book dedicated to it. I think I can make a more credible version of one of these now. The hardest part is really trying to construct the frame antenna on the back deck. I think I have some ideas now after seeing the detailed drawings. A couple of things that I didn't know; these have their own SdKfz numbers; 266, 267 or 268 depending on the radio sets installed. The chassis used are the D, E & H and the turrets on these were non-operating. The J hull version was equipped with the 50/L42 based on the experiences and requests from troops at the front. And here is were the rumored (at least for me) K version belongs in the sequence. Equipped with a 50/L60 gun, a redesigned turret and a number of  features from the M chassis. A very interesting book and an excellent addition to the PzKfw III reference library.

This one had to come from the UK. I would order these books directly from Panzer Tracts but their website is definitely from the stone age and completely lacks and e-commerce section. You literally have to download the form, check off the books you want and send payment through the mail.

Acquisitions - Expanding the PzKfw III Library

As of late I have had a wild scheme working its way through my head which caused me to pull down all the books in my library on the PzKfw III (SdKfz 141). I was really looking for some drawings detailed enough to take measurements from and not finding what I wanted (and I have 11 books specifically on the Pz III but only two are really useful for drawings; Achtung Panzer #2 and the ancient Squadron Signal book). I have had my eye on the Panzer Tract books for sometime so I decided it was time to make some acquisitions. Turns out my timing is off, badly, and three of the five Panzer Tract books are out of print. Off I went on a swirl trying to find all five of them, which I did manage, although one of them is already commanding pretty high prices (although I don't think anyone is going to pay $700-$800 for these and there are a number for sale at those prices).

I also managed to pick up a few others on a very dangerous trip to the Aberdeen Bookstore. I suggested that visit on Saturday saying that I was sure she would be able to find some books on Eisenhower there that she didn't have (I was correct and our bill for the day went up accordingly).

I have three of the Panzer Tract books in hand now, with two still in the mail. One coming from Japan and the other from the UK, hopefully they will be here shortly.

Here are the new additions:

PzKfw the early variants; A-D

PzKfw the middle variants; E-H

An example of the drawings available in a Panzer Tracts book. The originals are done in 1/24th scale and then shrunk down to 1/35th scale for the books.

PzKfw III Variants, like the flame version

And this is the kind of thing that catches your eye while you are in the the bookstore. This one came with a set of decals, but they are a little different from what I'm used to. They may actually be some kind of peel and stick. Hopefully the book will have some information on them. This book is a real gem though, a whole section of color photographs from Pz IIIs in museums along with extensive scale drawings done in 1/48th scale. If you don't want to pay $100 for Panzer Tracts 3-3 (which covers the J, L & M variants) this would be an excellent alternative.

And a small picture book, also with a set of decals.

So that's five new additions to the PzKfw III library with two more on the way, which will bring the total to 17 or 18 I think.

Images of War; Panzer III at war 1939-1945 Paul Thomas

I just recently stumbled across the Images of War series of books. Since I am on the never ending quest for more PzKfw III information I decided I should add this one to my collection. This is the second book in the Images of War series, I ordered it from Amazon and with their amazing shipping system I managed to have it just a few days later.

This is definitely a picture book and has a lot of pictures that I haven't seen before. It certainly doesn't mean they haven't been in print before, just unseen by me.

It is divided up into eras rather than by type, so if you really want pictures on IIIDs and IIIEs you will need to reference Chapter 1; the Blitzkrieg 1939 - 1941. There are five chapters specifically on the III and appendix that features some of the variations. Other than the Blitzkrieg chapter everything is from the eastern front. There are no North Africa pictures in this particular book. I'll have to go through Images of War series and see if they have something specific for North Africa. Its a nice sized book, easy to handle, well laid out with no more than two pictures per page and many pages that feature just a single shot. A good general reference book for showing the III in action and various stowage and gear arrangements. A very nice addition to my PzKfw III library.

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.

My PzKfw III (SdKfz 141) Library

As I have indicated in other posts the PzKfw III (also known as the SdKfz 141) is one of my favorite tanks of WWII. I thought I had a pretty extensive library for it  but it turns out to not be as extensive as I thought. I went to pull out my books and discovered that I don't have nearly as many direct references as I thought I had. I have lots of books that talk about it and have pictures but they aren't specific to the vehicle itself but to units and campaigns. I have been developing a good sized want list at this point but I do have some excellent material already. So here is the list (a couple of these are truly golden oldies and are long out of print).

Panzer III in Action, Signal Armor Number 1, Squadron/Signal Publications 1972 (no author credits)
The first book in the Signal Armor series. It is essentially a picture book with captions. There are some great photos but almost half the books is dedicated to the StuG III. The only color plate is on the back cover. This is one of my eye candy books, lots of pictures with out a lot of detail to go along with it, any book in this format falls into this category.

The Panzerkampfwagon III, Vanguard 16, Osprey Publishing, 1980, Bryan Perrett
This book goes through a basic description of the variants and the different fronts it was employed on. Its a good generic resource. There are 8 color plates in the center.

Yes, there is a version of this in the New Vanguard series but the material is so similar I have put off buying it

PzKfw III in Action, Armor Number 24, Squadron/Signal Publications, 1988, Bruce Culver
Much like the original #1 (long out of print) this is essentially a picture book with captions. There is more text than the original  and a lot of pictures. There are line drawings for each variant as well as drawings for some of the more important features like the suspension. It has two pages of color plates on the interior as well as the back cover.

16 years for the update!

Panzer III & Its Variants, The Spielberger German Armor & Military Vehicles Series Vol. III, Schiffer Military/Aviation History, 1993, Walter Spielberger
Contains historical information, specifications and line drawings. Plenty of pictures with text to go along with it. Information on the variants includes the StuG and StuH family of vehicles as well, not just the Pz III variants. There are four pages of color plates in the center of the book.

Panzer III, Schiffer Military/Aviation History, 1994, Horst Scheibert
In the same basic format as the Squadron/Signal Publications. It has a bit more historical text and the line drawings point out the major changes between the variants. Many photos in this one that I hadn't seen before. The only color plate is on the back cover.

Panzerkampfwagen III, Osprey Modelling Manuals 15, Osprey Publishing, 1992, 2001, Rodrigo Hernandez Cabos and John Prigent
This book is all about building models of the PzIII, It includes builds of different models, reference photos, walk around photos, line drawings, model kits and book references (some of which are part of this list and some others that I would like to acquire). When working on a kit or even super detailing a game piece this is really my go to book as its concerned with the things I'm concerned with on the bench rather than just from an historical perspective. Its a modelling reference guide so there are lot of color pictures and plates inside.

Panzer III, PzKfw III Ausf A to N, Tanks in Detail, Ian Allen Publishing, 2004, Terry Gander
If you are in to the technical details this is definitely the book for you. It goes into the development, the main variants, armaments pretty much the whole nine yards with lots of close up photos. If I'm working on a modelling project this is the other book I grab. There are six pages of color plates in the back. One of my favorite books.

Sd.Kfz. 141 Pz.Kpfw.III, Model Hobby, 2005, Waldemar Trojca
This is a massive tome, 376 pages of Pz III goodness. The pictures are organized by variant with technical information proceeding each section. Each of the special variants have their own sections as well, like the command and flammtanks and other special variants. There are close up shots, line drawings and plenty of color plates in the back. It also comes with two poster sized
 sheets with color plates from the book. Its pretty much the bible for the Pz III. A bit on the expensive side but well worth it.

Call it 22"x17" (no ruler close at hand) 

Workhorse Panzer III in North Africa, Battleline 1, The Oliver Publishing Group, 2011 Claude Gillono
This is my latest acquisition and I covered it in a post last month. For a small book it has a lot of bunch. From the historical standpoint it shows the Pz III at its finest in Africa. It includes historical commentary, unit organizations, lots of photos and 4 pages of color plates. On a page per page basis probably the most expensive book in the bunch and its only 33 pages long. If you are a fan of the Pz III in North Africa though, this is probably a must have book.

I think it cost more to ship than the book itself, but not by much its still an expensive book even without the shipping from Australia. Although I managed to get this one from the UK.