Totenkopf by Afiero
- krichter33
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Totenkopf by Afiero
I was wondering if anyone has purchased the two Totenkopf books by Massimiliano Afiero? As Totenkopf doesn't have a really detailed combat history of the division in English, with Like a Cliff In the Ocean being more fragmentary, I was wondering if anyone can tell me how detailed is the tactical combat history and how good are the maps. The few pages on Amazon that are available to view seem pretty good, but I don't know. I believe he used Vopersal as a main source.
Re: Totenkopf by Afiero
The two volumes, although very illustrated, trace the entire operational history of the division in a detailed and scrupulous manner.
Waffen211
- krichter33
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Re: Totenkopf by Afiero
How detailed and tactical is the combat narrative? Also are there a lot of maps? Amazon has only a few pages for preview on all of your books. Is there somewhere that shows more preview pages of the text and maps?
Re: Totenkopf by Afiero
The preview makes it look like an osprey type summary. Minus the photos text could only be 100,150 pages long for 2 books
Re: Totenkopf by Afiero
Go to RZM site, "Military Reference" for some sample pages. Looks good to me.
As an aside I just bought this set.....
As an aside I just bought this set.....
Last edited by MAMC on 02 Aug 2018, 12:23, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Totenkopf by Afiero
Re: Totenkopf by Afiero
A photo book contains only photos and captions. Looking at these two pages of the book, I do not think it's just a photo book. But did you see the book or judge things without first seeing them or buying them?
Waffen211
Waffen211
Re: Totenkopf by Afiero
How many pages of text is there if you eliminate all the photos?
- krichter33
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Re: Totenkopf by Afiero
Thanks!
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- krichter33
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Re: Totenkopf by Afiero
I have received some more samples of Totenkopf by Afiero, and have also reviewed some samples of his other books. Now, I consider myself a reader of primarily serious military history. I am an avid reader of books by Glantz, Nipe, Zamulin, Hinze, Tieke, Hamilton, Mark, Luther, detailed unit histories, and of course, though I already mentioned him, the greatest Jason Mark!!! I LOVE those dry detailed accounts of:
"X kompanie of X Abteilung the X Panzer division attacked on the left flank towards the village of XXXX, across a ravine. Supported by three 8.8 cm guns of the regimental Flak Kompanie, the X kompanie managed to penetrate the town at 0600 against the leading elements of the Soviet X Guard Tank Brigade's X regiment..."
Of course, I absolutely require maps!!!! Without maps I lose my mind, and tend to curse loudly at the book in front of me!!! Afiero's books are not as detailed tactically as I described. They're not the same as you would find in a Vopersal, Hubert Meyer, Weidinger, Lehmann, Kortenhaus, Spaeter, or Didden and Swarts unit history, just to name a few. Also they are not as detailed as campaign/battle histories from the likes of Glantz, Nipe, Nash, Hinze, Tieke, Zamulin, Maier, or Haasler, ext...However, this is not what I was expecting from these books. I was expecting them to be tactical combat histories with decent maps, and a lot of photographs. That is exactly what they are! They are NOT simply "photo books" but are much more than that. They are written in a relatively tactical nature, with enough unit detail to satisfy me as decent histories of these units. Of course works by Vopersal, or Stöber are more detailed. Yet, in the case of Totenkopf, as well as in Nord, there are no really detailed unit histories of these units published in English. Of course there is "Like a Cliff in the Ocean" which is good, but is less of a detailed combat history. Snydor's book is good as well, yet a little dated, and more general.
Overall, I would say these books, primarily on those units that do not have an English version of more detailed German texts, are definitely worth purchasing and reading. They are informative, and for those who like that tactical detail, they provide more than enough to get much more than a basic understanding of the history of these units. Also, the maps, though some are still in Italian, are decent. I intend to buy both Totenkopf books, and until, which will probably be never, the Vopersal books are translated into English, or I learn to improve my German, these books by Afiero are more than adequate in detailing the combat history of these units.
"X kompanie of X Abteilung the X Panzer division attacked on the left flank towards the village of XXXX, across a ravine. Supported by three 8.8 cm guns of the regimental Flak Kompanie, the X kompanie managed to penetrate the town at 0600 against the leading elements of the Soviet X Guard Tank Brigade's X regiment..."
Of course, I absolutely require maps!!!! Without maps I lose my mind, and tend to curse loudly at the book in front of me!!! Afiero's books are not as detailed tactically as I described. They're not the same as you would find in a Vopersal, Hubert Meyer, Weidinger, Lehmann, Kortenhaus, Spaeter, or Didden and Swarts unit history, just to name a few. Also they are not as detailed as campaign/battle histories from the likes of Glantz, Nipe, Nash, Hinze, Tieke, Zamulin, Maier, or Haasler, ext...However, this is not what I was expecting from these books. I was expecting them to be tactical combat histories with decent maps, and a lot of photographs. That is exactly what they are! They are NOT simply "photo books" but are much more than that. They are written in a relatively tactical nature, with enough unit detail to satisfy me as decent histories of these units. Of course works by Vopersal, or Stöber are more detailed. Yet, in the case of Totenkopf, as well as in Nord, there are no really detailed unit histories of these units published in English. Of course there is "Like a Cliff in the Ocean" which is good, but is less of a detailed combat history. Snydor's book is good as well, yet a little dated, and more general.
Overall, I would say these books, primarily on those units that do not have an English version of more detailed German texts, are definitely worth purchasing and reading. They are informative, and for those who like that tactical detail, they provide more than enough to get much more than a basic understanding of the history of these units. Also, the maps, though some are still in Italian, are decent. I intend to buy both Totenkopf books, and until, which will probably be never, the Vopersal books are translated into English, or I learn to improve my German, these books by Afiero are more than adequate in detailing the combat history of these units.