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Best TIGER book, anyone?

Discussion in 'WWII Books & Publications' started by Martin Bull, Jun 26, 2002.

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  1. Erich

    Erich Alte Hase

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    are you still pondering Schneiders massive Das Reich Martin ?
     
    Erich, Oct 24, 2007
    #41
  2. Martin Bull

    Martin Bull Acting Wg. Cdr

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    I still haven't yet seen it.....:confused:
     
    Martin Bull, Oct 24, 2007
    #42
  3. von Poop

    von Poop Waspish

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    Thus forcing yourself to eventually buy their next volume on the Tiger 2 and the Tiger tactics one? :D
     
    von Poop, Oct 24, 2007
    #43
  4. Martin Bull

    Martin Bull Acting Wg. Cdr

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    No - for the time being, at least, my 'Tiger library' is OK.....;)
     
    Martin Bull, Oct 24, 2007
    #44
  5. Erich

    Erich Alte Hase

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    how many volumes now Martin on the Tiger ? you have the gent Resaytn (sp ?) volumes yes ?
     
    Erich, Oct 24, 2007
    #45
  6. Martin Bull

    Martin Bull Acting Wg. Cdr

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    Only 'Western Front' - apart from the technical volumes and memoirs such as that of Carius, my main Tiger interest is Normandy/NW Europe....
     
    Martin Bull, Oct 24, 2007
    #46
  7. FramerT

    FramerT Ace

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    Jentz' Tiger Tactics and Tigers in the Mud arrived today. I have a lot more reading to do on the subject, but the more I read, the more I think the Tiger was a piece of crap. Great gun and armor protection for sure. But I never knew that so many were blown up by their crews for running out of gas[lack of range] or mechanical break downs.
    Lack or bridges that could hold them, lack of recovery vehicles, special flat rail cars to carry them, changing tracks for rail movement.
    Maybe not a piece of crap,but just not a good idea at the time. More reading to do.
     
    FramerT, Oct 24, 2007
    #47
  8. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Good Ol' Boy Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    I would tend to go with the "not a good idea at the time" consideration. After all, was it the designers' fault that logistics was unable to keep fuel to the beasts or that the leaders didn't take into full acount the size and weight of the machine when they set the design parameters and established support and maintenance for them? Armored vehicle have increased in weight and fuel consumption since then, but the countries that have these machines provided for the capability to service and support them. Late in the war, Germany just wasn't able to. Does this sound reasonable?
     
    Slipdigit, Oct 24, 2007
    #48
  9. Martin Bull

    Martin Bull Acting Wg. Cdr

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    Not a piece of **** IMHO, but certainly limited by the then-available technology ; particularly a ( relatively ) weedy engine trying to haul all that weight.

    I do love the mystique surrounding the Tiger, and you have to admit that the 1/1 scale version has plenty of 'charisma'.....:cool:
     
    Martin Bull, Oct 25, 2007
    #49
  10. FramerT

    FramerT Ace

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    Sorry gents, for stearing this thread off-topic. The Tiger tank is a fascinating read. And I really feel for their maintenance people.
     
    FramerT, Oct 26, 2007
    #50
  11. von Poop

    von Poop Waspish

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    Not a book again, but there's a DVD produced by Bovington Tank museum on restoring Tiger 131, it's rather good & even now you feel for the maintenance chap as he explains the limited access in the engine compartment and the vagaries of the Maybach.
    It can be bought via the excellent 'Tiger Journal' website covering the restoration; The Tank Museum, Bovington UK - Restoration of Tiger Tank 131, captured during World War II or at the museum itself.

    (If you like Tigers and haven't seen the site I strongly recommend clicking 'The Journal' and immersing yourself in one of the most interesting Tiger resources on the Internet ;)).

    & here's some video of the big beast (which needed a fair bit of tender loving care on the day) at 2006's Tankfest taken by my brother:
    YouTube - Tiger 131 Backing Up
    YouTube - Tiger
    Talked to one chap who'd flown his family over from Spain that morning to see it & was going back that night & another who'd come from Italy for the week... The Tiger certainly can inspire a strange devotion.

    Cheers,
    Adam.
     
    von Poop, Oct 26, 2007
    #51
  12. Martin Bull

    Martin Bull Acting Wg. Cdr

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    No apology needed, FT - it's a valid point. It's quite amazing, the 'mystique' surrounding the Tiger - then and now. In a way it's similar to 'Spitfire!'......
     
    Martin Bull, Oct 26, 2007
    #52
  13. FramerT

    FramerT Ace

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    Say, Adam........I see you have a few YouTube videos. Sure wish I had access to places like this.
    YouTube - Sdkfz251 d
     
    FramerT, Oct 26, 2007
    #53
  14. skunk works

    skunk works Ace

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    Sorry if these are repeats...
    Have Tigers in Combat 1 & 2,
    Just got Tigers on the Eastern and Tigers on the Western Front, Jean Restayn
    III Pz. Korps at Kursk, Dider Lodieu
    and Tigers at the front, Thomas J. Jentz
    Tigers I & II and their variants, Spielberger & Doyle

    The "Mystique" continues with me.
     
    skunk works, Oct 26, 2007
    #54
  15. Martin Bull

    Martin Bull Acting Wg. Cdr

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    Saw and looked through this book ( published by JJF ) in London today.

    A very large and handsome book with many interesting photos ( a lot of which were unfamiliar to me ). Yes, I'd like to have it, but my budget precludes spending £65.00 on a book just now.....:eek:
     
    Martin Bull, Nov 3, 2007
    #55
  16. Martin Bull

    Martin Bull Acting Wg. Cdr

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    I got 'Tigers In Combat' Vols I & II for Christmas and I've just started dipping into them.

    Sadly, they are the Stackpole softback editions so the quality of photo reproduction isn't the greatest quality and, as I think FalkeEins pointed out, the books are a mixture of what is available elsewhere.

    But on the 'plus' side - what a tremendous collection of photos these two books provide at a reasonable cost !:cool:

    Looking forward to browsing further.....
     
    Martin Bull, Jan 2, 2008
    #56
  17. von Poop

    von Poop Waspish

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    von Poop, Jan 28, 2008
    #57
  18. Vince Noir

    Vince Noir Member

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    I would recommend...

    Agte, 'Tiger Commanders of the Liebstandarte'

    Carius, 'Tiger in the mud' (The old large format hardback copy if you can find it...)

    The two volumes of Tigers in Combat are very nice. Also a good few pics in Panzerwrecks and in a Russian book that I have but cant remember the name at the mo!
     
    Vince Noir, Jan 28, 2008
    #58
  19. PzNovak

    PzNovak Member

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    Really it depends on what you want. A technical history is really good in the Jentz books, DW to Tiger I, VK 45 to Tiger II, and the combat tactics. The Achtung Panzer Vol is good as well. As far as tiger unit histories go, JJ Fedorowicz publishes a whole slew of them, Tigers in Combat I and II (now available in softcover from Stackpole but the hardcover has much better picture clarity and the color plates are 100 times better.) Michael Wittmann and the Tiger Commanders of the Liebstandarte is good, good pictures and text, but has been criticized as being slight apologetic to the Nazis (this book was written by Patrick Agte who also did a similar book on Jochen Pieper and he did gloss over some of the nastier parts of the story but still they are solid references) Das Reich tigers by schnieder is good, but the pictures are nothing to write home about, the have all been seen elswhere. Combat history of the S.Pz.Abt 503, 507,and 508 are excellent, esp the one on 507. Funklenkpanzer is also a good book although not strictly on tigers it give excellent coverage to the units that used radio control equipment from a tiger. Personal memoirs are hard to find, the most notable being Tigers in the mud by otto carius, which is a good book, but gets a little thick at times. Schiffer published a few books by ex tiger crewmen the first being by rubbel from 503 in the "tiger Project" series but i wasnt too impressed.
    PHIL
     
    PzNovak, Feb 22, 2008
    #59
  20. FalkeEins

    FalkeEins Member

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    Stackpole have published their cheap paperback version of Fedorowicz's copy of the veterans' s.Pz Abt. 503 bible - due soon from Amazon for a tenner. Photo reproduction quality in the 'original' wasn't the best though ..and only 380 pages

    [​IMG]

    meanwhile Flechsig Verlag have revised and expanded the original German-language edition to a massive 640 large-format pages. Due soon at €49. The original - less than 500 copies printed - occasionally pops up on Ebay and sells for about €250

    [​IMG]
     
    FalkeEins, Jun 21, 2008
    #60
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