Walter J. Spielberger, Hilary L. Doyle. — Special Panzer Variants: Development - Production - Operations.

Atglen, Pennsylvania Schiffer 2007 Hardcover, 152pp., 22.5x29cm., richly illustr. in b/w., a few plates in col., in very good condition. . ISBN 9780764326226. Special Panzer Variants explores the more unusual and often fascinating corners of German armoured-vehicle development during the Second World War. Rather than concentrating exclusively on the famous Panther and Tiger, Spielberger and Doyle turn their attention to a remarkable collection of specialised and experimental machines, including the enormous Maus, the self-propelled artillery vehicles Hummel and Wespe, the massive Karl-Gerät siege mortar and the remote-controlled Goliath. What makes the book particularly valuable is its combination of technical information, development history, production details and operational experience. The authors examine why these vehicles were conceived, how their designs evolved and how they were actually employed. The book therefore reveals not only the extraordinary technical ambition of the German armoured programme, but also the practical problems, compromises and limitations behind some of its most unusual creations. With more than 300 contemporary photographs and line drawings, the book offers an exceptional amount of visual documentation. The photographs are particularly useful for identifying variants and examining details that are rarely visible in more general histories of German armoured warfare. An especially appealing volume for collectors, military historians, scale modellers and anyone interested in the experimental, specialised and unconventional side of German armoured-vehicle development during World War II. (AI-generated content description)