Illustrated History of the Sturmgeshutz-Abteilung 202 - Norbert Szamveber

This review has been submitted to Canadian Army Review.

Title: Illustrated History of the Sturmgeshutz-Abteilung 202

Editor: 

ISBN: 978-615-80072-6-9

Publisher: Peko

Year: 2016

Hardcover

Pages: 396

Photos/Maps: 118/40

This work, coming from Hungarian Publisher Peko, is an interesting analysis of the operational history of this assault gun unit. The author has drawn from the official operational reports and histories of the unit to provide a comprehensive exploration of the activities of the Unit from its creation in August, 1941 to its ultimate surrender with the rest of the German Heer (Army) on May 8, 1945. This is not a dry rendition of the daily activities unit life interspersed with moments of intense operational activity. Indeed, the author has undertaken to provide the reader with a narrative that not only flows but is also deeply descriptive and instructive of command methods, logistical challenges, organizational strengths as well as employment of the Stug III. Read with this approach in mind, the book provides a deep well of information to be gleaned by the attentive reader.

Included within the calendar breakdown are first hand recollections and battle reports that correspond to the given day. This is particularly striking as it provides a juxtaposition to the relatively two dimensional war diary style reporting. It is necessary to pay attention as one reads this book as skimming will guarantee that you miss salient points. As one reads through certain elements stand out:

1.      The creation of temporary kampfgruppes to counter Soviet attacks; usually built around the Stug batteries. Shows the adaptability of the German command structure;

2.      The speed with which the German command recognized and awarded exceptional conduct (one case relates 40 min for Adolf Hitler to confirm the awarding of three Knights crosses);

3.      The versatility of the assault artillery in supporting both offensive and defensive operations;

4.      The quality of the German crews, leadership and training compared to their Soviet adversaries under combat conditions and the incredible bravery of both sides;

5.      The incredible strain and pace of operations – one wonders at times when the crews slept;

6.      The superb support and turnaround time of the maintenance and logistics personnel in keeping the Stug batteries operational despite the huge challenges involved;

7.      The constant exchange and promulgation of lessons learned within the German command structure and the subsequent application of those lessons; and

8.      The degree to which joint operations were an inherent part of the German command ethos. 

Szamveber rounds out his book with a broad array of documents, maps and photographs that provided for a better visual appreciation of the weapon systems, developments in the Stug III technology, Orders of Battle and operational environments within which S-A 202 operated. A majority of the maps are copies of the original German maps which in some cases are somewhat hard to follow. Annexes of technical and operational data by the author also provide quick reference into the units’ workings and developments. This is a very high quality publication, presented in a way that enables the reader to really appreciate the complexities of operational command and utilization of a unique, critical Unit.