Here we take a look at a Pen and Sword release under the Images of War series titled 'The Waffen SS in Normandy 1944'.
This is partial text from the full article (usually with photos) at https://armorama.com/news/the-waffen-ss-in-normandy-1944
This is partial text from the full article (usually with photos) at https://armorama.com/news/the-waffen-ss-in-normandy-1944
I would be interested in this, but I need to see inside it first. The last couple of these I bought, one on the Waffen SS at Arnhem and the other of Waffen SS Armour on the Eastern Front were quite disappointing, with few new photos and some of the captions clearly inaccurate. Some of the photos are also quite murky. I have seen other titles from other publishers which purport to show “Frundsberg” Panthers in Normandy; in fact they didn’t have any. Neither “Hohenstaufen”, nor “Frundesberg” had Panthers in Western Ukraine in 1944; “Hohenstaufens” Panther battalion (I/SSPzR9) joined it in Normandy in June, “Frundesbergs” (I/SSPzR10) not until January 1945. I’ve also seen crew members of a Panzer IV who clearly belong to “HJ”, as they are wearing the leather clothing captioned as belonging to “Hohenstaufen”. In fact the most common clothing worn by panzer crews in “Hohenstaufen” appears to be either the black clothing or the reversible overalls (i.e. "Oak Leaf " pattern rather than “Pea”.
I think you’re right to be sceptical; Pen & Sword are a bit of a mixed bag. Personally, for example, I found their FV 432 book lamentable, while other titles can be quite useful.
Clearly a case for Caveat emptor!
I can understand that the modeller looking for specifics can find these a disappointment, but I love the books in the series for the most part due in a large part that the images are taken by the soldier rather than a professional for propaganda purposes.