Military Model Scene

Title:  Camera On 6, Einheits Diesel

Author: Alan Ranger

Publisher:  MMP

ISBN:  978-83-65281-83-8

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Number 6 in the Camera On series of books from Alan Ranger and MMP Books, and a subject I find particularly interesting. The Einheits Diesel was a standard truck type used by the German military during WW2. As explained in the Introduction, the truck was born from the lessons of WW1, when the German military recognised the future need for the mobility of motor transport and that one manufacturer could not cope with the numbers that would be needed. It was the Nazi Party coming to power who recognised that the various manufacturers needed to be instructed to produce a common design, with interchangeable parts no matter which factory they came from. It worked in part but though a good idea, it was too heavy and was outgrown by later designs.

The largest section of the book, from pages 7 through to 58 shows the Standard Truck Variants, with canvas covers over the cab and the bodywork. The last part of the book, pages 59 to 80 concentrates on the box-body versions, largely used for communications duties and with coach built wooden bodies.

The photos come from private collections, and show the vehicles in use in all sorts of conditions, from the snow and mud of the Eastern front, to the heat and sand of North Africa. They are often accompanied by their crew members, so we get to see details of uniforms and equipment as well. As well as general cargo, specialised variants were used by engineers, recovery units and with Field Kitchens mounted in the rear truck bed. So plenty of excellent references for modellers, helpful these days as there are some nice models of both the standard truck and the closed body variant available in both 1/35 and 1/72 scales available as plastic kits, and some in resin as well. The Einheits Diesel was a widely used truck by all elements of the German military in WW2, and on all fronts. This is certainly the best collection of archive images I have ever seen of these particular trucks and it will be a useful reference for any modeller as well as military historians.

 

This is another excellent addition to this Camera On series from Alan Ranger and MMP, and certainly one I'll recommend.

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Thanks to MMP Books, who kindly provided my review copy.

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Robin