Panzers in Berlin 1945

I bought this for my son who is interested in German military equipment. We have been to Berlin on holiday as a family so this book brought the city as it was in the battle for Berlin and the final days of WWII vividly to life.The fact that you can zap certain pictures with your phone and see areas of Berlin as they are now against where a wreck used to be is a real bonus. The colour illustrations also help alongside the black and white photographs. To think - that some of the places we had been to in Berlin had had tanks buried in the street of tank turret dug into the ground. If someone told you, you would not believe it - but here are the pictures to prove it!There is an amazing picture of the area around the Reichstag after the battle - burnt out hulks and shell holes everywhere. Contrast that with the evening we spent there in 2018 with families of all colours and creeds enjoying a balmy summer evening picnic. That we were picnicking on what was once a kill zone for men and machinery is just beyond your comprehension today about the ferocity of the fighting back then.The book gives you a real impression of just how desperate the Nazi's had become to defend the city.The captions to the photo's are very detailed and conscientious. The background research using contemporary military records of unit disposition and eyewitness accounts is appreciated. Having said that, there is still an overwhelming impression of absolute chaos in the Nazi's final days in the City.May we never have to endure such a cataclysm again anywhere!A excellent and thought provoking piece of research - highly recommended.

Had this recently delivered early as I was expecting it in the new year, have now read it from cover to cover and am amazed by the quality of the photographs and depth of detail achieved by the authors, well done to them! This book is worth every penny and to get it at the reduced price was a bargain, however I would have paid the full price because it is that good.I have quite a comprehensive collection of German AFV photos in my library but most of these I've never seen before and the rarity of them is a delight and a must for anyone who is interested in the last dark days of Berlin and the ferocity of that final conflict.Modellers who would find these photos as the Holy Grail by which to go by so in conclusion just buy the book and be amazed as I was, totally outstanding.

This is an outstanding volume, beautifully printed on heavy, quality paper. The majority of the pictures have never been published before, and each is accompanied by an extremely erudite and very well researched text. Many of the pictures have a QI code printed in the corner, and if scanned on a smartphone, will display a photo of the same location today (many of which are totally unrecognisable now), which adds to its appeal. I purchased this book for its outstanding technical information, but I found many of the pictures to also be very moving - the majority were taken during, or soon after the cessation of hostilities, and it was very atmospheric to me, to see these once magnificent machines surrounded by the ruins of a once beautiful Berlin. A few pictures also show the remains of crew members, but these images are not graphic or detailed - just very poignant. Once our enemies now fallen, but someone’s loved one. This is not a cheap book, and is aimed at the buyer with a deep interest in the subject - This book is a tour de force of publishing excellence in every way, and I suspect that in years to come, it will be a sought after reference book.

In recent years so many WW2 military books have largely just regurgitated previously published information that I had become certain that after c.75 years it was no longer possible to produce a book that contained a significant amount of new material. I was wrong. In particular, I'm astonished that the authors somehow managed to find so many previously unpublished photographs. The vast majority are taken after the battle, often a year or more later when the subject vehicle has been stripped and some cases whilst it was being scrapped. But that doesn't make the photos any less significant when I had never before seen actual photos of some of the vehicles, e.g. the missile armed Panzerjager B IV. The book does indeed remind me of the excellent "Berlin Then and Now: After the Battle", but manages to raise the bar. In conclusion, an excellent book, a bit pricey but it's obvious where the money went and is worth every penny.

This book covers a rather niche wartime subject, and it does it superbly!First off, the quality of the book itself is excellent. The pages are crisp, and the binding is robust. The hard cover is finished in gloss with vibrant inks giving life to the front image.The subject/content (Panzers in Berlin 1945) has been explored meticulously, with beautifully digitalised pictures backed up by factual well researched information.10/10