Scouts Out: A History of German Armored Reconnaissance Units in World War 2

[Panzer Bob]

Hello all!
I have been keeping a low profile of late putting the finishing touches to the above, which was a joint effort by me, Michael H. Pruett and Mike Olive. I used to maintain the web site "Die Panzertruppe" but let it lapse while working on this project. It has reemerged somewhat within the pages of my business website:
http://battlebornbooks.com/
It is intended for those who are interested in the Panzertriuppe during its formative years and WW2. It is still a work in progress, but I hope to add much to it as time and submissions permit.
For those interested in armored reconnaissance, which is the Schwerpunkt of the site at the moment, here is a preview of the book:
_____

Hello all!

The above will be printed at the end of November, beginning of January by Stackpole Books.

If interested in finding out more about the book, here is a landing page on my web site:

http://battlebornbooks.com/?page_id=15

If interested in purchasing it directly from me, you can do so at:

http://battlebornbooks.com/?page_id=87

Purchasing from me means free shipping (media mail) in the US and a personal dedication, if so desired.

As I do not want to undercut dealers, the book will sell for normal retail.

If you have a hard time paying the full monty, then Amazon is also selling it at a substantial discount:

http://www.amazon.com/Scouts-Out-His...ref=pd_sim_b_3

Amazon also ships for free, if you're a member of the Prime program.



Here is an outline of the contents:

1. Acknowledgements

2. Foreword (See below)

3. Doctrine

a. Historical overview
b. Cavalry as antecedent
c. Reconnaissance theory in the modern era
d. Cavalry, armor and infantry vie for the mission
e. Doctrinal development
f. Theory versus practice

4. Organization

a. Overview
b. The German TO&E: Kriegsstärkenachweisung
c. Wartime development: Theory meets reality
d. Reconnaissance within the Infantry [Infantry formations (with identified armored reconnaissance assets), including standard infantry, light infantry, mountain infantry, security divisions, assault divisions, fortress divisions, ski formations etc.]
e. Reconnaissance within the Cavalry [as above, featuring the light divisions]
f. Reconnaissance within the schnelle Truppen [overview, with detailed information on divisional level formations in Chapter 5]
g. Reconnaissance elements at various higher levels of command [corps and higher elements]
h. Reconnaissance development within the SS-Verfügungstruppe / Waffen-SS [overview with detailed information on divisional level formations in Chapter 5]
i. Reconnaissance within Luftwaffe ground formations / the “Hermann Göring” formations [Overview, with detailed information in Chapter 5]

5. Equipment

Wheeled reconnaissance vehicles
a. Overview and developmental antecedents
b. Initial light armored cares: Sd.Kfz. 13 and 14
c. Light armored cars: Sd.Kfz. 221, 222 and 223
d. Medium armored cars: Sd.Kfz. 231, 232, 233 and 263 (both 6- and 8-Rad, as appropriate)
e. Later-war armored cares: Sd.Kfz. 234 family of vehicles.
f. Command and control vehicles (not covered above or below): Sd.Kfz 247 (4- and 6-Rad), Sd.Kfz 260 and Sd.Kfz. 261.
g. Foreign armored cars in German service: Panhard emphasized, mention of captured vehicles in use.
h. Fully tracked reconnaissance vehicles: Aufklärungspanzer 38(t) and Panzer II/L “Luchs”
i. Reconnaissance versions of light halftracks: Emphasis on Sd.Kfz. 250/9.
j. Reconnaissance versions of medium halftracks.
k. Other vehicles impressed into reconnaissance usage: Kübelwagen, Schwimmwagen, Kettenkrad.

6. Uniforms

a. Overview
b. Army:
1. Field uniforms for reconnaissance forces: Special-purpose uniforms
2. Distinctive insignia
3. Lineage and unit-pride items
c. SS-Verfügungstruppe / Waffen-SS
1. Field uniforms for reconnaissance forces: Special-purpose uniforms
2. Distinctive insignia
d. Luftwaffe formations
1. Field uniforms for reconnaissance forces: Special-purpose uniforms
2. Distinctive insignia
e. Color section (48-page color insert featuring period images and selected photos of uniforms, headgear, insignia and ephemera in collections)

7. Formations

a. Overview
b. Army: Presented numerically: Motorized and mechanized infantry formations; Light divisions; Armored formations. [Each formation covered will have a listing of the reconnaissance assets within the formation (to include dates of redesignations and reorganizations, the organization of the formation, the respective commanders and the recipients of higher-level awards. These overviews will be supplemented by photographs, as available, and occasional first-hand accounts.]
c. SS-Verfügungstruppe / Waffen-SS: As above (for Army formations)
d. Luftwaffe: As above (for Army formations)

Appendices

1. Translation of HDV 299/10 (pre-war reconnaissance battalion doctrinal manual)

2. Translation of HDV 299/11c (late war armored reconnaissance battalion doctrinal manual)

3. Translation of School Exercises for Combat Training in Reconnaissance

4. Rank Table

Select Bibliography

[me6_130]

Hello Bob,


Great to know the book is finished. Did that booklet I showed to you help?

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ighlight=recce

Regards,

Carles

[longislandercjv]

Scouts Out

I am eagerly awaiting a copy of this book.
Knowing the authors and their dedication to the subject matter, this one
will be a valuable addition to my collecting library and a noteworthy
contribution to the hobby!
Chris Varrichio

[Panzer Bob]

Sos

Hello all!
I might get a table at the SOS this year. I am currently on the waiting list. If so, you can find me through the folks at the info desk, since it won't be listed in the program.
I mention all this, because I will have a few copies of the book with me available for purchase. I'll also be happy to dedicate any books brought to me. For overseas WAF members who have friends attending the show, I will also be happy to dedicate those books as well.
I will be bringing a number of artifacts from the book, some of which will be available for purchase.
If I cannot get a table, please look for me at the table of my friend, Gus Villarreal.
Regards,
Bob

[Lennard]

Scouts Out

Hi,

Unexpected to see one of the books authors on line, received your book in the UK a week ago, not quite what I expected.

Not managed all of it in detail yet, but why all those multiview drawings, not quite technical but more artistic impressions, no photo of a Lynx included just one of those funny drawings of the Lynx.

Many captions are a bit lacking in detail, the "unit unidentified Puma" of page 210, is 1st Kompanie Pz AA 2 of 2nd Pz Div Normandy.

The Puma lower photo page 212 is Stab Kompanie SS Pz AA 1, 1st SS Pz Div LAH, Normandy.

Page 262, not a "Horch Prime mover" a 4x4, but a Krupp Protz 6x4.

Page 477, the unnamed recce vehicles are ex-British Bedford 15 cwt MWD trucks, all in good order suggesting a Wehrmacht refurbishment after capture in France 1940, so very unlikely to be SS-V Division France 1940, more likely later in Russia.

The histories of the various Pa AA towards the rear of the book is very messy in layout and a little difficult to follow.

I see that on one of the forums (cannot remember which) there is a published correction list, maybe some of the above comments can be added to that.

regards lennard.

[Panzer Bob]

Errata

Lennard,

Thank you for your constructive comments regarding the book. I'm sorry that it did not meet your expectations; I look forward to seeing your book on the subject.

In the defense of Stackpole Books, my publisher, I must say that it is a mass-market publishing company, with its titles carried by all of the major on-line retailers as well as the chain stores and independent booksellers. To that end, the appeal of any book published by it must be geared to the widest market possible. Thus, the book was written to appeal to both those more advanced in the subject, such as yourself, and to the general "layman," who is seeking an introduction to the topic. Specialist publishers, such as Fedorowicz and Helion, do not necessarily have to appeal to that broader market. Their books are great, but they also do not appear in the local Barnes & Noble and are aimed at their respective (relatively small) audiences.

Had I known that you are a subject matter expert, I would have attempted to contact you for information and input. I did put out several appeals to the WAF membership for information and contribution, but I can only use what material is actually presented to me.

To take a case in point, the "artistic" drawings have been rendered by George Bradford and are taken from some of his other Stackpole publications. While Mr. Bradford's scale drawings may not be the "state of the art" when it comes to such renderings, it was my decision not to do so. For those who are interested in whether a drive sprocket was made by a certain firm in the middle of a production run and has five lock-down nuts that turn counterclockwise instead of the normal six (which tighten clockwise), there are more than enough specialist publications. My intent was to present the average viewer with basic information so that characteristics of the vehicles could be gleaned; not to aid the advanced modeler or vehicle enthusiast.

With regard to another point made in your comments, I was unable to find any images of the Luchs that had not been previously published. As mentioned in the introduction to that chapter, I choose to concentrate on images that had not been previously published or had only been seen in specialist publications. Consequently, the bulk of the images are of the prewar and early war variety, which is par for the course.

While the capsule unit histories may be "messy" and difficult to understand, they again represent a synthesis. There was no way that I could present complete operational histories of units without resorting to shorthand. I hope to address that in the future with more titles on the subject. As it is there are almost 600 pages in the book, and it retails for $49.95. I doubt whether many other publishing companies could offer that many pages for that price. In addition, my web pages provide not only errata for the book, but also organizational charts and translations of doctrinal manuals that could not make the book due to space limitations.

With your permission, I will be happy to add your comments to the errata pages that can be found on line at:
http://battlebornbooks.com/?page_id=26

Regards,
Bob Edwards

[Lennard]

scouts out

Hi Bob,

Many thanks for your reply and of course I shall ignore that very cheap shot about "..look forward to seeing your book....", from that I presume only existing authors are allowed to make comments, not a good start. Anyway.....

In some respect you have already alluded to some of the shortcomings, that is admitting its a skewed history, a lot of early photos and data but very short on the later war details.,, which I guess is where my Lynx comment came in.
Additionally what there is is largely concentrated on armoured cars, but little on the other companies that make up the recce battalions.

Why you go on so much about drawing detail of at the anaorak level, I am not sure, I said nothing about such a level of detail, just that the drawings were poor, and they are, with all that shading on some, they fall somewhere between technical drawings and technical authorship drawings, really satisfying neither.
And as said my own preference would always be for a photo, something with history in it and can be discussed over time, drawings are sterile.

Anyway some other info you might like, and is offered as a help hopefully, on page 247 you have Otto Henning with a unique cap badge, and are wondering if its his only, as it happens I bought Otto Henning's book on the Pz Lehr PzAA, where he is a 2nd Kp guy, and there is a photo of a group of 3rd Kp guys (his caption), one guy also has such a badge on his side cap, but fair to say the others appear not to have this badge.
So its seems it is more widespread in this unit that just Otto, but not many of them maybe, an interesting object.

The other piece of data is for page 285, as it happens I have seen a clearer image of this vehicle (not your fault I acknowledge), but for interest its tactical number is 041, which makes it PzAA 20 and therefore in the same troop as 042 you have on page 215.

Hope this was of interest and I will look forward to buying any further titles on this fascinating subject.

cheers lennard

[Panzer Bob]

...and the beat goes on

Lennard,

Perhaps it was a cheap shot, but I was a bit miffed that I was getting clobbered on areas of the book for which I had already stated were not intended for those with advanced knowledge on the subject.

I do appreciate any criticism or comments where there is a clear mistake, mis-identification etc. in the book. My grasp certainly overextended my reach in some areas, and I make no pretense of being a subject matter expert. There is always room to learn. Moreover, as mentioned in the initial posting, there were some publisher-imposed limitations on the book (page count) and I had to live within the style sheets used by the layout team at Stackpole (in order words, I could not squeeze more material in by adjusting the fonts or leading).

Interesting point on Henning. I was actually looking at photos provided to me by a person interested in doing a book on the PzALA and who personally knew Henning. Once I saw the image in the book, I went back to Henning's published memoirs and saw the same image. Hence the use of that particular image. I guess I should have looked more closely at other images from the battalion to see that he was not the sole user of that rather unique badge. Of course, I'm sure we'll start to see all sorts of these cap badges at militaria shows now.

As far as the comments about the drawings are concerned, I assumed -- my first mistake -- that you wanted to see Trojca-style drawings. I tried to balance them with photos, where possible. This proved difficult when it came to halftracks and almost impossible when it came to fully tracked vehicles. The Luchs is well represented in the Concord and Polish publications on the 4. Panzer-Division, so I was not sure whether to use images previously seen to which I could add little in the way of new information. It proved impossible to find an image of the Aufklärungspanzer 38(t) in an operational setting. I am aware of the one that surfaced on eBay some time back ("Großdeutschland"), but I could never track the owner down. (A final aside while on the topic of drawings: I had to look up "anorak," since that is British slang that is unfamiliar to me. According to Wikipedia, it is for "geek" or "nerd" level of interest on a subject. Interesting. May I be forgiven in advance, but when I was with Fedorowicz Publishing, I used to refer to this as the "wing nut" crowd.)

I understand your point about "skewing" towards armored cars, but I was more interested in discussing the role of the reconnaissance battalions as intended -- scouting -- as opposed to the economy-of-force role to which there were later generally relegated. I also felt there would be more interest in that among the general readership. Definitely room for improvement, however. Perhaps in "Son of Scouts Out"!

Anyway, my apologies for the cheap shot. I hope we can work constructively together to flesh out the errata page on the web site and collaborate in the future, should another book with a similar theme be in the offing. Please feel free to contact me via email, should you have any other thoughts on the subject.

Regards,
Bob Edwards

[Satcong101]

Well I got my copy this week Bob here in the UK and I thought it was awesome, really pleased with my purchase, a real value for money publication that I ordered via Amazon.co.uk
I love Armoured Cars and the whole reconnaissance subject, sick to death of seeing one Panzer book after another and have been waiting for a book like this to add to my personal library for some time. In fact I love the subject sooo much I built my own Sd.Kfz 222 and website just for the fun of it and blast around in my Golden Yellow waffenfarbe panzer blacks when ever possible.
www.sdkfz222.org.uk
Awesome read and I look forward to any future publications you care to share with us. Oh yeah and we call them 'rivet counters' or stitch Nazi ;-)

Best wishes Simon.

PS Bob you contacted my group the other day Grossdeutschland Aufklärungs via the website address www.gdrecon.co.uk

PSS....is this the Aufklärungspanzer 38(t) photograph you were referring to?

[Satcong101]

Ah! Just found your enquiry on this forum about the same picture.......

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=681744

I wrote the web article.

Thanks Simon.

[tony james]

Bob
keep up the good work !!

[CSP]

Great job, Bob. Nobody could have done it better ... and this book will stand for a long time as the definitive work on the topic.

Thank you for investing your time, effort, and passion into such a worthwhile project. Anyone who has ever written a book will understand the challenges of such an undertaking. Do not sweat the critics who have little of that insight.

However, you are a gentleman for welcoming criticism...and that provides an insight into your character as a person and an author.

Bravo!

[msteve21]

Agree Outstanding Book

Great job, Bob. Nobody could have done it better ... and this book will stand for a long time as the definitive work on the topic.

Thank you for investing your time, effort, and passion into such a worthwhile project. Anyone who has ever written a book will understand the challenges of such an undertaking. Do not sweat the critics who have little of that insight.

However, you are a gentleman for welcoming criticism...and that provides an insight into your character as a person and an author.

Bravo!

Couldn't have expressed it better, well said Scott

Being in the publishing business for 14 years I do no a little about writing and producing a quality book

In summary, It's one of those books that you are forever going back and finding more gems of information. Hopefully you will continue to keep publishing informative and highly researched books such as this !

One observation, in all these years I've never seen a critic attempt to write a book.


Mark S

[snidervolley]

Panzer BOB
awesome job i stumbled into the book at release and consider it the bible for the subject .
gave you a amazon review
kymm

[Panzer Bob]

Scouts Out II

Gentlemen,
Based on the success of Scouts Out, which many of you contributed to, Stackpole is considering the publication of a follow-up volume. The proposal for Scouts Out II is pasted at the end of the message. Basically, I’m looking for your help again in getting
• Previously unpublished photos
• Artifacts related to the armored recon forces, especially named pieces.
• First-hand accounts, after-action reports and period articles related to armored recon forces. Any leads for (obscure) books, in English or German, that deal with the subject.
• Any leads to other collectors who might have items of interest for the book.
As with the first volume, full credit will be given to any contributors (in a manner you desire) and free copies of the book to all who contribute “above and beyond the call of duty.”
Many thanks in advance.
Regards,
Bob
PS If you haven’t looked at the site in a while, I have added some new items.

Title: Scouts Out II: German Armored Reconnaissance in World War II — Operations and Tactics
Authors: Edwards, Olive and Pruett
Page Count: Roughly the same size as Scouts Out
Illustrations: As with Scouts Out. Approximately 300 previously non-published or rarely seen photographs from World War II. A 48-page color insert featuring period images, additional uniforms and vehicle profiles.
Numerous organizational charts.
Content:
Scouts Out II will continue in roughly the same vein as the first volume, but with a focus on personalities, first-hand accounts and after-action reports. The text will be organized chronologically and by campaigns, with each chapter giving an overview of operations and then providing first-hand accounts and excerpts from after-action reports, all of which will be analyzed in terms of effectiveness, adherence to organizational doctrine at the time and deviations to it. Where available, a leading personality from the armored reconnaissance branch will be featured in each chapter (usually Knight’s Cross recipients). Chapters: Poland; France 1940; the Balkans; North Africa; the Soviet Union (probably further broken down by year — Offense, Losing the Initiative, Stalemate, Retreat, End Game); Italy; Western Front.
Appendices will feature errata from the first volume and excerpts from doctrinal publications.
Timeline: Turned in at the end of the year (2014).