Pocket Book of the German Army 1943

This pamphlet was issued to all officers towards the end of 1943, and formed the basis for intelligence work until 1945. It contains details of the organisation and tactics of the German army as observed and learned by British Forces in France (1940), the Balkans, Greece and Crete (1941) and in the Western Desert (1941-43).It is a compilation of all the intelligence gathered there, plus material from Ultra transcripts. The infantry, engineer, tank and artillery units are all shown in great detail, with inserted Order of Battles for infantry and tank divisions. There is also a detailed analysis of field engineer units, and all rear services, plus signals, administration and headquarter units. The pamphlet gives details of the methods the Germans used, particularly infantry, infantry-tank and infantry-engineer tactics. It also looks at airborne units and their role in the Second World War. It is a must for all students of the German army because the detail in it shows the state of the art in late 1943, just before the Allied invasion of Europe in 1944.Officers were able to brief their men on the enemy in great detail, which gives the reader much useful insight into how the German army was seen by the men who took part in Operation Overlord.