Additional information
by Charles D. Pettibone (Author)
There is numerous Order of Battle books on the market. So what makes this series so special. Why should one decide on this particular book? First, the first part of each book contains the overall command structure of the country's armed forces. Then it gives command structure for the army, navy, and air force. The command structure for Military Theaters, Army Groups, Naval Commands, Armies, Fleets, Corps, and/or equivalent Commands is also listed. Second, the book contains a complete Order of Battle. Most Order of Battle usually deal with only the armies of the country/countries involved, and then only at the division and sometimes at the corps level. Higher echelons of commands are usually not covered. The exception to this was a book published by the Military Book Club in 2002, Slaughterhouse: The Encyclopedia of the Eastern Front. The book did an excellent job on the German Army on the Eastern Front, from Army Group down to Division. But, only a fair job on the Soviet Union Army. In the series of books I am writing, all of the commanders known are spelled out, and not just for the army, but all the branches of the armed forces; giving a breakdown of all the major echelons of command, from theater level down to division. Under each major component, in the book (Army Group, Armies, Corps, and Divisions), the equivalent commands of the other military branches (navy, air force, marine, etc.) of the country's armed forces are included.. Third, most Order of Battles list the commanders and their dates of tenure. This one includes those, but also lists of their next duty assignment, where the officer went after leaving this post. One can literally trace a general officer's career through the upper echelons of commandwith this book. Making this book completely different from all the others on the market. Fourth, military unit and/or ship insignia, crest, emblem, or patches are pictured next to the unit/ship, whenever it was found. Fifth, the Appendix is broken down into several parts. Appendix A, has the usual table of Equivalent Ranks. Appendix B, lists senior officers, full Generals and Admirals and above, during the war. Another appendix lists some Military Units used in different campaigns. Sixth, one appendix lists the Major Naval Warships and their commanders. This appendix is unique as I know of no other book on the market that offers this. It shows the silhouette of the major warship (carriers, battleships, battlecruisers, heavy and light cruisers) whenever found; plus an Order of Battle of the commanders. In some cases, the ship's crest and emblem is also given. In addition, there is also four to five pages after the introduction, explaining how to use and read the book. This is the fifth book in a series, and the first half of Volume V; that I plan to write covering all the nations who were involved in this world conflict.
