Military Model Scene

Title: M18 Hellcat vs Panther
Author: William E. Hiestand
Publisher: Osprey
ISBN: 978-1-4728-6219-8

Arracourt 1944, number 146 in the Duel series from Osprey. An 80-page soft-cover book from author William E. Hiestand with artwork by Richard Chasemore.
For those not familiar with the background, as the US 3rd Army, under Gen Patton was approaching the German border, Hitler ordered the 5 Panzer Armee to stage an offensive, with 6 new Panzer Brigades. They then clashed with the US 4th Armoured Division, along with an attached battalion of M18 Hellcats. They met around Arracourt. After the introduction which sets the scene, along with a Chronology of key events, both types are then explored in sections covering Design & Development, Technical Specifications, the Strategic Situation and the Combatants, before getting to the Combat actions along with Statistics and Analysis and then the Aftermath. The differing details of both Panther and M18 are covered, including the technical differences along with crew training and more. There was even disagreement over the deployment of the Tank Destroyer idea among senior US officers. The clashes that are included were at Mairy, Dompaire, Luneville and Arracourt on both the 19 and 20 September 1944. As we expect there are plenty of archive images throughout the book, plus some artwork of battle scenes as well as maps, the turrets, gun sights and profiles of both Panther and M18 AFVs.
At first glance, this appears a very mis-matched pairing, but in fact it makes for an interesting comparison. The two AFVs are very different to each other but the German offensive lost out to the US forces, a victory in which the M18 played a part, though clearly along with other assets. A good addition to the Duel series I think.
Thanks to Osprey for the review copy.

Robin