Books

One of the reasons I am able to write a blog on military models is I have a great library.  It includes four bookcases not unlike this one.   There are many great resources online, but to really get into the meat of a topic and learn the very minuscule details, you have to read books.  I like to study technology, so I will buy books on tanks in general, tanks from a specific nation, and then how that nation employs tanks, and finally on individual tank types.  Which tank is best?  The answer is the tank that fulfills it role it was designed to perform.  The Panzer III was supposed to be the main German tank in World War Two and it performed that role very well for three or four years.  The Panzer IV was designed to provide heavy armor and fire support to the Panzer III, and it did that job well for about three years.  In war, three years is a very long time.  The American Sherman tank was designed to be superior to the Panzer IV and it generally was a better tank than the Panzer IV.

The Germans made fewer than 8,600 Panzer IV and the Americans  made nearly 50,000 Sherman tanks.  That was one of the other criteria for the Sherman, it had to be fast and easy to build, the Germans had a five year head start on building the Panzer IV also before the first Sherman was built at the end of 1941.

Sometimes these books can be expensive, but I find they are the best way to learn about the models we build and toys we play with.  I have learned history, geography, politics, technology, and many other things by building models, and reading about the real thing.  That's part of what I like about this hobby, there are so many different aspects to it.

American Breechloading Mobile Artillery 1875-1953

American Breechloading Mobile Artillery 1875 to 1953 by Glen M. Williford with Thomas D. Batha, published by Schiffer Military History, 2016.

This is a great book.  It has pictures and drawings of nearly every significant artillery piece used by the US military from the end of the Civil War until the End of the Korean War.  The book has many guns I never heard of and is full of conversion possibilities for wargame artillery.  The book also answers many questions I have had about the use and deployment of US guns.  This book is great, highly recommended.

JADGTIGER Book

The conversion I did on the Jagdtiger I got out of this excellent book by Andrew Devey. It is the first book of two about the Jagdtiger written by Mr. Devey. Book one is the technical developments of the vehicle and the second book is the operational history of them once produced.
















































The Jagdtiger was the largest production vehicle fielded in the Second World War. Being so large and heavy it had great armor protection, but it limited the bridges it could use and it needed a large and powerful engine and transmission. The technical history explains the compromises that are needed when making such huge and powerful weapons during wartime with limited production facilities.

My book collection is very large and this book showed me many new bits of information on this interesting weapons system. Now that the Soviet Union has fallen and Russia has opened many of their archives, and Germany is united more of their information is also available to researchers. If you have those books about German tanks that are thirty years old then it is time for an upgrade, there is so much more information and photos out there than we ever had before. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in armor development.

German Military Chaplains in World War II

German Mililtary Chaplains in World War II by Mark Hayden, published by Schiffer Military History, 2005 is the most recent book I have finished. This book is hardcover, in a 6" x 9" format, with 160 glossy pages and about a photo on every page. While the majority of the book covers Roman Catholic and Protestant chaplains in WWII there is some discussion of WWI, the interwar period, and post war era. They discuss both Christian and Muslim chaplains as well as a sentence on the possibility of Hindu clerics!

Many of the photos cover priests conducting communion services, funerals, and marriages. Some of the photos are portraits, and others are detailed photos of the uniforms and insignia worn by chaplains. The text covers the duties and training of chaplains in the German Army.

In my set of wargame rules, we take into account the morale of soldiers. One factor that detracts from the readiness of soldiers is if they have become "War Weary." To determine if a unit is in that state, we look at several factors. Are the troops being fed? I try and have mess sections with my units as you know if you have been keeping up on this blog. Do the troops have their leaders in place? I always try and have officer figures and commanders with my units. Do the troops get proper medical care? I have medics with all my battalions. And are the troops getting the spiritual and mental assistance they need? I have been building both chaplains and mascots for all my units.

In my Free India unit I have included both Hindu and Muslim chaplains; complete with prayer rug! My Bosnian unit has Muslim chaplains too. When a unit is preparing to go into battle the Bunkermeister will check on the unit status, any unit that does not have most of these important features, may find itself to be reduced in morale status to "War Weary." As a practical matter, not only are they more likely to fail morale checks, but they do all direct weapons firing at a level five percent below normal.

Units that have broken morale can only be reformed at certain positions. Military police, mess trailers serving food, officers, the flag, and chaplains can all rally the troops. Several good reasons to start adding chaplains to your units, so your little plastic heroes can "praise the Lord, and pass the ammunition."