Zaloga's 'Panther vs Sherman' : Good book / Bad book ??

Specifically, 'Panther vs Sherman : Battle of the Bulge 1944' ( Osprey, 2008 ISBN 978-1-84603-292-9 ).

This has been touched on in lively fashion in another thread. I actually thought it deserved a heading of its own, not least because I've just bought and read it !

I'll straightaway admit two things ; I'm no armour-in-detail expert unlike many others here, and I'm not a great fan of Osprey. However, like many in the Osprey series, Zaloga's book is attractively laid-out, quite well illustrated and persuasively written. I found the descriptions of crew layout and responsibilities interesting and the book told me things I didn't know ( eg the discussion of fire hazard, etc ). Zaloga seems to be trying to rehabilitate the 76mm Sherman against the possibly over-inflated rep of the Panther and I was left at the end of the book feeling that the author had maybe over-stated his case.

It would be useful to hear others' opinions - this is after all a book which is readily available and at a very reasonable price ( sadly, not all of us can justify laying out fifty pounds or so for Doyle/Jentz titles..... )

 

I have not read Panther vs. Sherman but I enjoyed Panther vs. T-34. In particular, Zaloga was able to swiftly summarize the respective pros and cons of each vehicle. In addition he provided concrete reasons why there was much more, or less, to each tank in going past the standard focus on just tank armament vs. armored protection in explaining a particular AFV's battlefield effectiveness. That said, based upon what I read in that book coupled with the comments you have posted regarding his analysis of the Panther vs. Sherman I definitely get the impression that he finds the development and fielding of the Panther to have been done in such a fashion at to be a net drain on the German war effort.

Finally, I will say I tend to agree with that perspective and think that the facts bear it out. In my upcoming book to be published next year by Praeger I also articulate why I find many of the decisions surrounding the manufacture of and premature deployment of the Panther to have been detrimental to Germany's war.

 

Having bought and read the book, I find I largely agree with the above views. I would summarize the book as a reasonably-priced, accurate summary of the capabilities and weaknesses of both tanks, and a great resource for understanding the crew's positions and respective duties. I discount the "vs." portion of the title. After reading the (at times) tortured statistics I was unconvinced. The illustrations and pictures are typical Osprey-excellent I would recommend it as a good book for "beginner-intermediate" armor buffs. It's no Hunnicutt, but it's also one-tenth the price.