Panzer History
Issue No. 28,
"IS Heavy
Tanks Part 1",
and Panzer History Issue
No. 29,
"IS Heavy
Tanks Part 2"
"Vostochniy
Front" Press, Moscow 1996
Part 1, 38 pp.
including covers;
Part 2, 34 pp. including covers
| ISBN: | Not Given |
| Review Type: | Book Review |
| Rating: | Not Recommended |
S u m m a r y |
| Price: | £7.99 each (UK) |
| Advantages: | Some new photos and drawings of the IS to IS-3 tanks and ISU series SP weapons |
| Disadvantages: | Russian language only; no author given; no sources cited; plagiarism quite likely |
| Recommendation: | For libel lawyers experienced in international law |
T h e B o o k |
I picked these books up at Motorbooks in London in a shot, as Russian language texts on
Russian tanks are a hot item with me. When I got a chance to start reading them, things
seemed suspiciously familiar. The crowning blow, even before I began comparison, was the
black-and-white tone shading of the Peter Sarson illustration from the Osprey/New Vanguard
Volume 7, "The IS-2 Heavy Tank 1944-1973" by Steve Zaloga and Peter Sarson.
Sure enough, the bulk of these two books is a nearly verbatim Russian translation of
Steve's earlier book on the same topic. There is even a 1/35 blowup of one of Steve's nice
four-views of an IS-2m in Part 1 as well. There are some new items – a blow-by-blow
listing of all of the items needed to upgrade a wartime IS-2 or IS-2m to a postwar IS-2M
tank – as well as some new and different illustrations of the tank's interior and
fittings.
Overall, the books don't look too bad, but the concept of "cut and paste"
journalism is still rampant in Eastern Europe, and this is a shame. The result is that the
author loses his intellectual property, some shyster makes a quick buck, and enmity is
created where it does not have to be. Worst of all, we get no step forward which to use to
increase our knowledge.
I freely translate many Russian publications for my own use, as it makes me a better
modeler and increases my historical appreciation of the Soviet tank industry. But I do not
publish ANYTHING or provide any translations on a commercial basis without checking the
source, or asking permission first, and giving full credit to the source cited. The
biggest "red flag" in this day and age is when the "authors" do not.
Most of the Russians who work with Steve (and vice versa) give credit where credit is due.
Whoever "Vostochniy Front" -- Eastern Front -- is, they do not, and should be
ashamed of themselves for it.
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