Squadron Signal Publications

I have several books from this publisher. Does anyone know if these books are accurate and are a reliable source? They seem to be, but it would be good to get some other opinoins.

 

cheap softbacks, photos seen elsewhere historical information not always up to date and many times the captions are posted incorrectly. I have at least two dozen Luftwaffe and USAF titles ove the many years the outfit has produced their small volumes.

concerning your Bf 109 thread on your site may I recommend Peter Rodeikes Messerchmitt 109 and it's varinats. The finest work yet produced. Look in Schiffer Publications web-sie as it is listed there.

E

 

i think the books vary so much in information...i have a ton of ww2 spy books, abd some of the stuff sounds the same in 5 books, and some of the stuff is completely different on another 5...

 

The old ones were better (now those are worth big $$$ lucky I have a bunch...) the new ones are very much hit and miss. For example, the current #27, Tiger in action is riddled with errors. The pictures are not too bad though.
This seems to be the case with many Osprey titles too.

Here's a letter I sent them on one of their recent publications:

I just received a copy of your book Sturmartillerie & Panzerjäger 1939 –45 by Brian Perrett. Let me start out on a positive note. As with Mr. Perrett’s previous works the biographical sketches and veteran’s stories included in this book are of his usual high quality as I have found in his books over the years. The remainder of this book however, was extremely disappointing. Virtually all of the photographs are mis-captioned, much of the information given in the text appeared more filler not directly related to the subject or was questionable.
I could have written a better book on this subject.

On the photographs alone, I would note the following corrections:

Pg. 3 Typo: Should read “…or so StuG III….”, not “M.”

Pg. 9 The vehicle shown is an StuG IV not an StuG IIIG as captioned. Note the dual periscope driver’s visor extending out from the superstructure, the road wheels (8 small ones of the Pz IV family) on the suspension and, the cooling vents for the brakes on the glacis.

Pg. 11 The counterweight on the SturmTiger’s rocket launcher is not installed as the caption states. Note the mounting stubs around the barrel. These are the installation points for this counterweight.

Pg. 12 The Pzjr I is not the first self propelled anti-tank weapon the Germans developed. It was preceded by the 8.8cm auf SFL Zkw 12 halftrack.

Pg. 19 This vehicle is with 21st Panzer Division.

Pg. 21 The US tank retriever is a T2 (yes, later standardized as the M 31 but it was generally referred to as a T2 by most veterans). The vehicle is unarmed but it is not “turretless.” The turret was retained. It was the entry / exit point for the wench cables.

Pg. 22 “Mail?” More likely orders and the rider is a messenger. But, of course we shall never be able to fully verify either.

Pg. 24 Contrary to popular opinion and the caption of this photograph, the Elefant served very credibly on the Eastern Front through late 1944, including at Kursk. Only 12 vehicles of this type went to Italy with S. PzJr Kp. 614 for a short period (Where 3 were lost. Vehicle 102 of this unit ended up at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD in the US). The vehicle shown is a late war causality on the East Front (well post Kursk) from S. PzJr Abt. 653.

Plate G # 2 This Brummbär is the Adjutant’s vehicle for SturmPanzer Abt 216 assigned to Lt. Stemann at Kursk. The Abteilung CO is Major Kahl. This unit was assigned as III S. PzJr Reg. 656 to support the Elefants of S. PzJr Abt’s 653 and 654.
Pg. 33 An early JadgPanther from S. PzJr Abt 654 in France.

Pg. 36 The vehicle shown has a 75L48 not a “70-cal” (or 75L70) as was put on mid and late production JgPz IV.

Pg. 38 The soldier in the picture, Private Kenneth G. Walker Co F, 142nd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division, destroyed this Hetzer using a bazooka. The photograph was taken at Oberhoffen Germany. The Hetzer was part of KG Lüttichau during operation Nordwind in January 1945.
Note how the more brittle German armor (due to lack of alloying agents to give the steel toughness) has cracked as a result of the internal explosion that destroyed the vehicle. This is a common problem with late war German armor.
The caption on this picture is pure speculation and totally incorrect.

Pg. 39 This JgPz V is an early vehicle (note the small collar on the gun mantle). The circular container on the side contains the gun cleaning rods not fuel as captioned.

Pg. 40 Taken at Bourgtheroulde France. The JadgPanther’s are from 2 Kompanie , S. PzJr Abt 654. They are retreating to the Seine River trying to escape the Falaise Pocket.

Pg. 41 One of 29 JadgTigers with the “Porsche” suspension system at Paderborn Germany prior to operations with S. PzJr Abt. 653.

These are just the photographs. I won’t even start in on the text. Like I said, I could have written a better book. Maybe I should.

 

Go for it, you feel you should right a better book. That's a little dissapointing. I thought squadron signal and opsprey would be reliable sources.

 

Erich & TA have pretty much summed it up. Squadron/Signal are OK starting points but many of the older aviation titles have been superceded by later research.

Osprey are wildly uneven ; some are good and others can be very disappointing, and they aren't that cheap. What always annoys me greatly about Osprey is the lack of sources cited and no bibliographies.

 

I have some Osprey books. Some have alot of detail, others do not.

 

I have some of each and like Squadron Signal better.

 

I'd agree - I've just ordered their new 'P-61 Combat Chronicles' - at least with the larger format you know you'll get some decent image reproduction

 

you've got me interested possibly in that title Neil as it may be like other full of mythical materials on the ETO service such as false LW ID and not confirmed LW downings, wonder if the author will go so deep into the sad downings of several Allied A/C shot down in error by ETO squadrons ?