Greenhill, 2002, £ 10.95, ISBN 1-85367-510-5, 223 pgs., trade paperback

This trade paperback reprint of the 1999 hardback boasts a title and subtitle that is exactly what's in the book. It's a riveting compendium and analysis of the nuts and bolts of all those fascinating weapons produced by wartime German scientists.

Granted, many of those weapons described within these pages were prototypes at best and conceptual designs at worst. They cover army, navy, and air force weaponry, most too advanced to develop and deploy given the German logistical and material constraints in WWII. However, some limited quantities of some of the more readily buildable and deployable gizmos reached the front lines and appear to have been somewhat effective. Had larger numbers been available, the war would have been more costly to the Allies. Fortunately, they were too little, too late.

Hogg does a marvelous job plunging through specifications and then brilliantly working through the ramifications of deployment. His analysis of the German decision to abandon promising weapons research when they were winning, as well as the infighting among various programs and departments, is superb.

Some photos accompany the text, but better yet is an abundance of line and engineering drawings to illustrate the weaponry. Truly, this is a wonderful pairing.

All in all, German Secret Weapons rates a high recommendation.

One-drous Chapter: Artillery (Table of Contents plus pgs 127-8; 145-154)