Military Model Scene

Title: Panzer Task Force

Author: Daniel Nowak and Ralph Zwilling

Publisher: Tankograd

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This new Militarfahrzeug Special from Tankograd is very up to date, covering 'Storm on the Heath 2017', a major exercise for the German 9th Armour Demonstration Brigade training to be part of the NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF (Land)).  As ever the text is provided in both German and English languages.  It opens with an introduction from the Brigadegeneral in command of the Brigade, Ullrich Spannuth.  This is followed by 10 pages of text giving the background to the new NATO unit, a defensive, rapid deployment force developed in response to the raised threat from Russia in recent years.  It give details of the units involved, the Exercise Schedule, the units involved, including the number of personnel and vehicles taking part.

What follows are sections tackling each phase of the exercise, starting with Deployment.  A noticeable feature is that each section is started off with a large, double page spread of a single photo, so great detail.  There are then a collection of super clear colour photos, each with plenty more information in their individual captions.  An interesting variety of equipment seen on the road before it gets to Deployment to the Nienburg Forward Staging Area to Bergen.  Some more great pictures in the next section, Crossing the Aller River.  which includes  the involvement of the Royal Engineers deploying the M3 Alligator mobile bridging units.  with a mix of vehicles then crossing, including Leopard 2A6 MBTs.  That leads on to the Combat Phase at the Bergen Training Area.  The picture selection in this final section is one that I am sure modellers in particular will like.  Lots of armour in use, from the Leopard 2A6, the Marder 1A5, GTK Boxer right down to the little Weasel 1A2.  With these working in a largely forested area, many are adorned with camouflage netting as well as natural vegetation.  What I found even more interesting was the use of panels of hessian sacking and sheets of flexible black rubber which help disrupt the dark shadows the vehicles could create.  Very much current equipment and some super photography of it.

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Thanks to UK stockists Bookworld for my example.

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Robin