Military Model Scene

Title: The Waffen-SS Ardennes Offensive
Author: Ian Baxter
Publisher: Pen & Sword
ISBN: 978-1-39901-289-8

Another collection of WW2 archive photos in this new addition to the ever popular Images of War series by author Ian Baxter for Pen & Sword. A 128-page soft-cover book in the standard style for this series. It takes on the topic of the German offensive in the Ardennes in December 1944, operation Wacht am Rhein (Watch on the Rhine).
It opens with a guide to the basic plan, which was to drive through to the coast at Antwerp and split the allied front. There is a section of pictures of the main German commanders and a list of the Waffen-SS units involved in the offensive. The bulk of the book is then split into 4 chapters, Preparation & Assembly: Attack (Watch on the Rhine): Race for Bastogne: and Turning Point. Each one is started with a few pages of text to explain the what happened at these stages, along with a set of appropriate archive images to illustrate the story. The captions hold even more information that support both the particular image as well as the stage of the story. Most photos are new to me, and I have seen a fair few books on the subject over the years. There are some which have been used before, but most were new to me. Things I liked among the pictures was the variety of vehicles we are shown, including such as the sWS half-track and Brummbar, along with many of the troops in their uniforms and equipment, which have many that feature smoking cigarettes, a sight far less common these days. The book is rounded off with an Order of Battle for the various units involved in the offensive.
Another interesting selection of images in the book, lots of inspiration and reference for modellers. I spotted a couple of errors in vehicle identification in the captioning, so there is a bit of a challenge for you if you know your German WW2 AFVs. Overall a good value reference and plenty of useful references for modellers on what is always a popular topic.
Thanks to Pen & Sword for our review copy.

Robin