ISBN 1-874622-85-X
121 pages

Introduction; symbols; Bibliography

   Booth's is a tidy little reference book divided into several sections:

Basics: Structure of the Symbols

Command and Senior Headquarters

Combat Troops

Supply and Rear-Area Troops

Units and Departments with Special Assignments

Abbreviations

   Except for the last section, each of these shows dozens of detailed little icons used in military situation maps, TOEs, and so forth. Many will be familiar, especially to experienced wargamers, but others prove far more esoteric.
   The first section provides the fundamental symbols indicating size of the unit (from OKH to company), "basic arm-of-service" symbols (such as infantry, tank, artillery, etc), and "basic weapon" symbols (including mortars, flamethrowers, rocket launchers, and many more), as well as related icons for mobility and alpha-numeric indicators such as nationality, identity of HQ, and load-bearing capacity of bridges. The following four sections demonstrate how all these elements can be assembled to create hundreds of unique symbols representing the complete spectrum of German armed forces during World War II. Here's what a typical page looks like:

   The final section of the book, "Abbreviations," devotes about twenty-five pages to assorted German military abbreviations, the actual German words, and English translations. Here's a typical page:

   The symbols are quite thorough, and it's hard to imagine any have gone missing. (After all, Booth includes "Army-level collection point for prisoners of war," "army patrol with sergeant in command," and "delousing station.") The abbreviations are also useful, but this section shouldn't be compared to volumes such as the US Army's German Military Dictionary.
   All in all, very handy indeed, even though the author reminds us that the symbols shown here only took effect from 23 May 1943.
   Available from online booksellers, local bookshops, or directly from Helion.
   Thanks to Helion for providing this review copy.