Devey, Andrew. Jagdtiger: The Most Powerful Armoured Fighting Vehicle of World War II: Technical History. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military History, 1999

ISBN 0-7643-0750-9
139 pages

Acknowledgements; Foreword; Introduction; photos; charts; tables; line drawings

Devey, Andrew. Jagdtiger: The Most Powerful Armoured Fighting Vehicle of World War II: Operational History. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military History, 1999

ISBN 0-7643-0751-7
159 pages

Acknowledgements; photos; charts; tables; maps; documents; Bibliography

The first volume is devoted to "a technical insight into German engineering achievement." The Introduction briefly outlines the genesis of the Jagdtiger project and discusses production history in broad terms and the distinction between the Porsche and Henschel models. The first chapter, "Assembly", offers basic production figures -- under 100 vehicles -- and explains in generalities with diagrams and text the method by which the vehicle's components were assembled into a finished product.

Most of the remaining chapters of the first volume detail specific components with photos, diagrams, text, and tabular material:

• Hull and Armor Plate
• Main Armament
• Subsidiary Armament
• HL 230 P30 Engine
• Lubrication System
• Cooling System
• Fuel System
• Starting the Engine
• Main Clutch
• Gearbox
• Steering Unit
• Brakes
• Final Drive
• Suspension Systems
• Tracks, Sprockets, and Rear Idlers
• Electrical System and Equipment
• Optical Equipment
• Tools and Auxiliary Equipment

Volume one concludes with a list of vendors who provided various components and sub-assemblies for production.

Volume two opens with an overview of the war situation in Europe in 1944 and 1945 and moves on to five pages about Jagdtiger testing and training followed by notes about the methods of delivering machines to the front lines (since their size and weight imposed significant limitations). Devey also charts the units to which operational Hunting Tigers were assigned. In the next chapter, sketches, notes, and photos illustrate the camouflage and markings of the vehicles.

From that point, the second volume begins to cover the actual operations in which the massive beasts took part. For the most part, these operations involve Jagdtigers with Schwere Panzerjaeger Abteilung 653, a topic already covered in considerable depth in the book of the same name by Karlheinz Munch. (See our review.) Beginning with that unit's employment with Ferdinands and re-equipment with Jagdtigers, successive chapters chronicle organization, tank deliveries, losses, movements, and actions on a month-by-month basis. This information is supplemented with reproductions of logs, orders, and other documents as well as translations of wartime reports. As always, the text is liberally illustrated with photos of varying quality of vehicles in various conditions and various states of repair.

Similar material is presented over the course of three chapters for the relatively short-lived Schwere Panzerjaeger Abteilung 512 which was also equipped with Jagdtigers. One very short chapter discusses those additional units which were intended recipients of Hunting Tigers; limited production quantities interfered with those plans. The section on combat history concludes with five pages entitled "Jagdtigers Not Deployed to the Main Combat Units."

The penultimate chapter examines the three Jagdtigers which survive in museums: number 305004 in England, number 305020 at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in the US, and number 305083 in Russia.

Somewhat incongruously, the book ends with a report about the author's 1:12 scale model Jagdtiger.

Readers fascinated by the nuts and bolts of weapons and equipment will be especially interested in the first volume. Those preferring unit histories and combat will find the second volume more to their liking. Although the second volume in a general sense covers much the same ground as Munch's Abteilung 653 book, there is relatively little overlap and hardcore AFV fans will find that Devey's and Munch's works complement each other to a considerable degree.

Available from online booksellers, local bookshops, or directly from Schiffer Military History.

Thanks to Schiffer for providing this review copy.