bookAllied-Axis
The Photo Journal of the Second World War
Issue 1
Ampersand Publishing.
96 pages soft cover.


Review by W.Kipp Anderson

The Book:
The first issue in the series with a formula of good close-up photos plus wartime photos.
Many of the photos are one to a page which allows the details to be clearly seen with the large photos. Each page has brief descriptions at the bottom of each picture.

Contents of issue 1:

A4/V2 Missile: (pages 1-27)
This covers the British "Operation Backfire" which was conduced in October 1945 at Altenwalde using some of the 8000 POWs taken from the rocket program or test sites. Members of the Royal Artillery are taken through a review of the weapons system and the Germans (wearing their wartime uniforms) conduct the firing exercise. There are close-ups of the V-2 engine and gyroscopes, the rail tank car carrying the A-Stoff fuel- with pump and connections, an A-Stoff truck trailer being filled, the T-Stoff Opel Blitz tanker truck with a close up of the pressure relief valve, the loading (using a 15-ton gantry) of the missile onto a transport trailer towed by a Hanomag SS100 , installation of the warhead, a collapsed gantry being raised to load the weapon onto the Meillerwagon for launching, the convoy moving into launch position, the Bodenplatte firing table (with additional close ups) being towed by the Sdkfz 7 Feurerleitpanzerfahzug , the complete ground vehicles arranged around the rocket launch site as seen from an overhead angle, the rocket being erected into firing position, and the rocket in flight.

Panther Attack in Alsace-Lorraine,1944: (pages 28-53)
This section covers the march of the well camouflaged and panzer grenadier laden Panthers Gs of Panzerbrigade 111 towards the front at Bures, several captured US M8 armored cars, the troops covered in close-up, a 7.5cm Pak 50 and crew in position from both front and rear, a captured M3A1 half-track, Panther As of 11 Panzer Division moving into Dieuze, many more shots of the troops and Panthers with a history of the action.

Tetrach: Airborne Tank: (pages 54-66)
This is a bit of a misnomer as it covers both the Tetrach and Locust. Official British photos (all of the same vehicle) show the Tetrach on delivery at Bovington for trials by the British . A second vehicle is shown fitted with the Littlejohn Adaptor in both front and rear 3/4 views as it would look stowed and about to be loaded onto a Hamilcar glider. (also included is an anecdote about a vehicle on it's way to Normandy in it's only operational use that fell out of a glider with crew inside and is still on the bottom of the Channel)

The Locust is shown stowed front and rear inside a Hamilcar and exiting one as well as being reviewed by Montgomery at Bulford Camp. This is followed by close-ups of details of the preserved vehicle at Bovington.

Sherman Flail: (pages 67-79)
This contains a brief history of mine clearing devices and of the Crab in particular showing the initial versions under test using live mines in England with some mishaps as the drum speed/tank speed was perfected. Shots of the Flails in use in Normandy and in particular close-ups showing the heavier bicycle link style chain as employed by production vehicles, general stowage at the rear and chain stowage on the side are shown as well as close-ups of the chalk marking system, station keeping lights, drivers visior covers, drum, and hydraulic arms as well as one comparison shot of the improved arm on the Crab IIs that allowed it to more closely follow uneven ground.

Wirbelwind Anti-Aircraft Tank: (pages 80-96)
This section offers a comprehensive history of the Wirbelwinds' development along with factory photos and photos of it's deployment with Panzerbrigade 111 in Alsace-Lorraine. The following 10 pages (41 photos)show the Meppen example under restoration.

In excellent first issue of this series.


Thanks to Ampersand for the review copy.

Please

to help the reviews continue, thank you



Back to Top