Leopard Club : Leopard 1 reference materials

This list of Leopard 1 reference material was very kindly provided by Michael Shackleton. Michael contacted me and asked if I might like some help putting together this list. As Michael literally wrote the book(s) on the Leopard 1, I very quickly accepted his generous offer to provide the content for this list. Many of the reviews on this page were written by Michael except those for his Leopard trilogy (I wrote those).

In September of 2016, Alan Ng provided a significant number of reviews of publications absent from this list.

Any reader wishing to contact me regarding any errors or omissions are encouraged to do so via email at dan@onepointed.com.

The Leopard 1 Trilogy by Michael Shackleton has been acknowledged by many as the quintessential reference on the Leopard 1 family of vehicles. For that reason, and because I'm rather fond of the books, the set has been granted the pole position on this list.

Leopard 1 Trilogy - Volume 1 - Prototype to Production
Michael Shackleton, 2003, Barbarossa Books (Essex, UK)
ISBN: 0953877752 also available in a three-volume boxed set as ISBN: 0953877787

176 pages, hard cover, English text, mostly colour photos, 1:35 plans, technical drawings and blueprints, service manual illustrations and numerous detail sketches by Frank Lobitz (the other Leopard guru)
contains 1:35 plans of the Leopard 1, Leopard 1A1, 1A2, 1A3, 1A4, 1A1A2, 1A5
the first volume of a three volume set, which together represent the definitive Leopard 1 reference - definitely a must have
covers the development of the Leopard 1 from prototype vehicles to final production models (including a few so-called paper panzers)
contains chapters on the following topics:
- Standardpanzer Prototypes
- Pre-Production Leopard
- Leopard Production Versions
- Leopard 1 Described
- Experimental and Development Vehicles
- Leopard 1 in the Bundeswehr
- Modeling Leopard 1
- an appendix containing; technical data, Leopard 1 production numbers Krauss-Maffei chassis number listing, a glossary, a bibliography (further reading), locations of preserved Leopard 1's in retirement and notes about the author
the photos are a mix manufacturer's photos, shots of museum vehicles, in-service photos and detail/walk-around type photos of both the exterior and interior of most variants
a nice touch is the excerpts entitled Leopard Tales which are narratives from former and current Leopard 1 users (ie. serving or retired tank crew members)

Leopard 1 Trilogy - Volume 2 - Special Purpose Variants
Michael Shackleton, 2003, Barbarossa Books (Essex, UK)
ISBN: 0953877760 also available in a three-volume boxed set as ISBN: 0953877787

224 pages, hard cover, English text, mostly colour photos, 1:35 plans, technical drawings and blueprints, service manual illustrations
includes 1:35 plans of the Bergepanzer 2, Pionierpanzer 1, Pionierpanzer 2 Dachs, Gepard, Biber, Fahrschulpanzer, Leopard AEV, Leopard AMCV, Hippo and BARV
the second volume of a three volume set, which together represent the definitive Leopard 1 reference - definitely a must have
variants covered would include:
- Bergepanzer 2 and 2A2 (includes 1:35 plans of the former)
- Pionierpanzer 1 (includes 1:35 plans)
- Pionierpanzer 2 Dachs (includes 1:35 plans)
- Gepard (includes 1:35 plans), prototypes and production vehicles, Gepard A2, Cheetah
- Biber (includes 1:35 plans)
- Leguan and other Bridgelayers (includes 1:72 plans of the Leguan ... which are a a little small to be useable IMHO)
- Fahrschulpanzer (includes 1:35 plans)
- BeobachtungsPanzerArtillerie Leopard
- Norwegian Leopard 1 AEV (includes 1:35 plans)
- Norwegian Leopard 1 AMCV mine clearing vehicle (includes 1:48 and 1:35 1:35 plans)
- Hippo Future Beach Recovery Vehicle (includes 1:35 plans)
- Leopard 1 BARV/Bulldog
- Sabiex HART ARV
- Humanitarian De-mining vehicles - Bofors De-mining Vehicles, FFG Minebreaker 2000/2
- Other variants and Experiments
- an appendix which includes technical data (Bergepanzer 2, Pionierpanzer, Dachs, AEV, Biber, Leguan, NFW, Gepard A1 and A2, Cheetah), procurement numbers for variants in German and export service, a glossary, a bibliography and notes about the author
details the development history and series production of each of the special purpose variants
photos are a mix manufacturer's photos, shots of museum vehicles, in-service photos and detail/walk-around type photos
contains further Leopard tales pertaining to special purpose variants

Leopard 1 Trilogy - Volume 3 - Foreign Usage
Michael Shackleton, 2003, Barbarossa Books (Essex, UK)
ISBN: 0953877779 also available in a three-volume boxed set as ISBN: 0953877787

200 pages, hard cover, English text, mostly colour photos, 1:35 plans, detail sketches by Frank Lobitz
covers the usage of the Leopard 1 family of vehicles in service with nations other than Germany
includes 1:35 plans of the 1A5-BE, C1 MEXAS, C2, 1A5-DK-1 and the Leopard 1-V
the third and final volume of a three volume set, which together represent the definitive Leopard 1 reference - definitely a must have
contains numerous in-action and detail/walk-around type photographs of vehicles in service with the various foreign users of the Leopard 1 series
includes chapters describing the usage of the Leopard 1 family by the following nations:
- Australia - Leopard AS1, Barracuda MCS, detailed coverage of the dozer blade kit and some in-service photos of the Ramta TWMP (track width mine plough), driver training tank, ARVM, AVLB
- Belgium - includes 1:35 plans of the 1A5-BE, main detail photos of same, several photos of the MEXAS turret modules, Bergepanzer, driver trainer tank, Leguan bridgelayer
- Brazil - 1A1 obtained from Belgium in Brazilian service, driver trainer tanks, Bergepanzer
- Canada - 1A2 loaner tanks, C1, C1 MEXAS ... incorrectly referred to as the C1A1 (with 1:35 plans), C2 (with 1:35 plans), ARV and AEV (with and without MEXAS) and detailed coverage of Urdan mine rollers
- Chile - 1-V as acquired from the Netherlands, Pearson FWMP (full width mine plough)
- Denmark - 1A5-DK and 1A5-DK-1 (includes 1:35 plans of the later), dozer kit with Danish modifications, detailed coverage of the Ramta TWMP,
- Greece - GR1 (1A3), 1-V, 1A5, detailed coverage of the Pearson FWMP
- Italy - 1A2IT, 1A5IT, Bergepanzer
- Netherlands - 1NL, 1-V (includes 1:35 plans), Cheetah (Dutch Gepard), Bergepanzer, Biber
- Norway - 1A5NO, driver trainer tank, Bergepanzer, Leguan bridgelayer
- Turkey - 1A3T1, 1A1A1
- Other nations - 2 Romanian Gepards, British Hippo (beach ARV)
- an appendix containing numbers of vehicles in service with various nations and details of nation's acquisition of vehicles, a glossary, a bibliography (further reading for the keeners) and notes about the author
contains additional Leopard tales by [former and current] crew members from the armed forces of various Leopard 1 user nations

De Leopard 1 Gepantserde vuist de Koninklijke Landmacht
Willem Smit, 2008, Boom (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
ISBN: 9789085064275

120 pages, soft cover, Dutch text, colour and black and white photos. DVD included.
This book was discovered on a visit to the Cavalrie Museum at Amersfoort in 2013. It is now out of print.
Content includes 7 chapters that take you through a brief history of Dutch armour post-war, trials of Chieftain against Leopard 1, operation of Leopard 1NL, the upgrade to Leopard 1V, organization of the Dutch armoured forces and maintenance, operation of Leopard 1V, retirement of Leopard 1V, various appendices.
Although in Dutch, this appears to be a very comprehensive study of the Leopard 1 throughout it's life in the Dutch Army. Thoroughly recommended if you can find a copy.
The bonus is a DVD which is broken down into various chapters which include:
- Documentary 33 mins
- Development 25 mins
- Armoured cavalry 30 mins
- Armour breaks through 14 mins

Dutch Leopard 1 Armoured Fist of the Royal Dutch Army
Willem Smit, 2014, Trackpad Publishing (Surrey, UK)
ISBN: 978-0-9928425-0-5

80 pages, soft cover, A4, English text, colour and black and white photos.
This book was developed from the Dutch-language De Leopard 1 Gepantserde vuist de Koninklijke Landmacht. Translated into English, redesigned and with expanded content including walkaround sections on Leopard 1NL and 1V. DVD from the Dutch edition NOT included.
Content includes 7 chapters that take you through a brief history of Dutch armour post-war, trials of Chieftain against Leopard 1, operation of Leopard 1NL, the upgrade to Leopard 1V, organization of the Dutch armoured forces and maintenance, operation of Leopard 1V, retirement of Leopard 1V, various appendices.
A very comprehensive study of the Leopard 1 throughout it's life in the Dutch Army. Pulls no punches as it tells the story like it is - Leopard 1 for the Dutch was not the great success that was hoped for. However, an interesting read. Thoroughly recommended.
Available from Trackpad Publishing
Reviews: Armorama Track-Link

Vlieland Leopards End of the Line
Dirk Bruin, 2014, Trackpad Publishing (Surrey, UK)
ISBN: 978-0-9928425-1-2

64 pages, soft cover, A5 landscape, English text, colour and black and white photos.
Something a little different. A photo album-style book recording hard targets used by the Dutch military on the island of Vlieland, the only live-firing range in the Netherlands.
Sixty photographs each have a page to themselves. Printed on 170 gsm silk paper, the quality of the photographs comes through. This is not just another tank book, it is a study of the end of days for these machines. A lot of atmosphere - and a lot of detail - is captured in these photographs.
Superb reference and inspiration for those who like to model rust and relics.
The author, Dirk Bruin was born and raised on the island of Vlieland. He has a life-long fascination with the island~s history, past and present. Over the years, as a professional photographer, he has gathered together an impressive portfolio of range targets - and many other subjects - on his native island. When the news came that the tank gunnery range would be closed in 2004, Dirk decided to photograph the target area in detail. This has now become an interesting historical document of what has been - and will never return.
This book therefore marks the tenth anniversary of the withdrawal of the Dutch Army from it's only live firing range on home territory. Thoroughly recommended.
Available from Trackpad Publishing
Reviews: Armorama Track-Link

Leopard AS1 in Australian Service
Michael K. Cecli, 2015, Trackpad Publishing (Surrey, UK)
Softcover ISBN: 978-0-9928425-2-9
Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-9928425-3-6

hardcover or softcover, 288 pages, 800+ photos (most full colour) and numerous diagrams
An extremely thorough book covering the AS1 from evaluation trials to end of service in 2006.
Available from Trackpad Publishing
Reviews: MSC Review Connect Armorama Track-Link

The Leopard 1 MBT in German Service - Early Years (Militärfahrzeug Special No. 5013)
Frank Lobitz, 2006, Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
UPC: 419617571495165013

64 pages, soft cover, German text with complete English translations, lavishly illustrated with colour and black and white photos, 1:35 plans, sketches and technical manual illustrations
contains 1:35 plans of the Leopard 1 (1st production batch), the 1A1 (3rd production batch), the 1A2 and the 1A4
from the pen (or word processor as the case may be) of THE Leopard man, Frank Lobitz
an absolute must have book that expands on the in-service information in Michael Shackleton's Leopard 1 Trilogy
describes development through prototypes and pre-production before concentrating on Leopard 1 batches 1 to 4 through to Leopard 1A4 with an emphasis on the differences between models and production batches
the background colour used on the card cover resembles Bundeswehr gelb-olive to my untrained eye (this isn't really important ... I just thought it was kinda cool)
Reviews: Armorama PMMS

The Leopard 1 MBT in German Army Service - Late Years (Militärfahrzeug Special No. 5014)
Frank Lobitz, 2006, Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
UPC: 419617571495165014

64 pages, soft cover, German text with complete English translations, colour and black and white photos, manufacturer's illustrations, sketches and 1:35 plans
includes 1:35 plans of the 1A1A1 (2nd production batch), 1A3 late, 1A1A2/A1A4 late, 1A3A1 with PZB and 1A5
another offering from the pen of THE Leopard man, Frank Lobitz
another absolute must have book that expands on the in-service information in Michael Shackleton's Leopard 1 Trilogy and carries on the story from the previous volume
describes upgrades to the Leopard 1 series:
- up-armouring the 1A1 to the 1A1A1
- 1A1A1 to 1A4 in service with the Bundeswehr
- addition of the PZB 200 passive targeting and observation sight
- late alterations and camouflage up to the 1A1A1
- conversion to Leopard 1A5 and active service of said variant
- technical details and production numbers and dates
- the after-life ... gate guards or under the scrap man's torch
- test beds and experimental vehicles like the 1A6 (of which there were only two)
Review: Armorama

Canadian LEOPARD C1 in West Germany 1977-93 (International 8007)
Carl Schulze, 2015, Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)

64 pages, soft cover, German text with complete English translations, just about all colour photos (only 1 black & white photo of a 1A2 rent-a-tank)
Review: Armorama

Canadian Leopard C2 MEXAS in Afghanistan (Modeler Photo Assistant)
Anthony Sewards, Rick Saucier, Miroslav Hraban, 2010, MPA Publications (Prague, Czech Republic)
ISBN: N/A

Read the Leopard Club Review
80 pages, soft cover, all colour photos, landscape format
the only book to concentrate on the C2 MEXAS used in Afghanistan ... many of the photos [and captions] were contributed by a member of the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadian) taken during his tour in 2007
full of photos high quality photos, many of which are full page
fantastic photo coverage of the tank with and without thermal blankets (Barracuda thermal blankets and crew cooling vests were added mid 2007)
a must have for Canadian Leopard 1 lovers, indeed any Leopard 1 over
describes the tank step-by-step with walk-around photos (13 pages)
contains photo spreads of operational vehicles in the following circumstances:
- equipped with mine ploughs (6 pages)
- equipped with mine rollers (10 pages)
- equipped with dozer (4 pages)
- having the power pack changed out (3 pages)
- turret lift using Taurus (5 pages)
- damage from IEDs (4 pages)
- on patrol with 1st Troop (6 pages)
- on patrol with 2nd Troop (16 pages)
- on patrol with 3rd Troop (4 pages)
- on patrol with the SHQ (7 pages)
Review: Armorama

Leopard 1A3/4 In Details (G 047)
Ralph Zwilling and František Kořán
Wings & Wheels Publications
ISBN 978-80-87509-48-7

96 pages, over 300 colour photos, soft cover, V4 binding
provides photographic coverage of the Leopard 1A3 and 1A4, formerly in German service (the vehicles were photographed at Deutches Panzermuseum Munster)
also covered at the Danish 1A5-DK1, the Australian AS1 and the Leopard 1 power pack
Review: Armorama

Leopard AS1 Australian Leopard AS1 Family of Vehicles
Military Briefs 5, John Myszka, Peter Jarret, Phil Parkinson, Andre Scheitler
Mouse House Enterprises, Deakin, Australia, 2014
ISBN: 0-9577586-5-0

Read the Leopard Club review
A4, 192 pages and more than 450 colour and BW images, 1.72 and 1.35 drawings, softcover, English text.
This major work covers just about everything you need to know starting with the comparative trials of M60 and Leopard, description of the vehicle, coverage of Leopard support tanks, water crossing, the first exercise, in service modifications, Leopard gunnery trainer, additional Leopard purchases, experimental Leopards, roadwheels, Australian Leopard camouflage, vehicle markings, Leopards on exercise - 1980 to 2007, tank transporters, rail transport, crew.
Layout/design is none too good.
Available from Mouse House Enterprises

HJ Military Photo Album Vol. 1 ~ German Main Battle Tank Leopard 1
March 2016
ISBN : 978-4-7986-1178-5

96 pages, all text in Japanese
A fairly newly published pictorial from Japan.
Photos are mainly taken in museums.
It starts with the development with some old official photos and detail shots of the prototypes.
Followed by detail shots of the Leopard 1A1A1/A5 at Panzer Museum, supplemented by some B/W photos and drawings from some sort of training manual.
Walk around and detail shots of Leopard 1A2 at Panzer Museum.
Walk around and detail shots of Leopard 1A3/A4 at Panzer Museum, supplemented with B/W photos from training manual.
Detail shot of various optics supplemented by B/W photos from training manual.
Explanation of Wading Equipment, with photo of the conning tower of the Leopard 1A4 at Panzer Museum and some drawings.
Last chapter covers the markings and camouflage.

Leopard 1
Yves Debay, 2005, Histoire & Collections (Paris, France)
ISBN: 2915239517

Read the Leopard Club review
140 pages, hard cover, French language, mostly colour 'in the field' type photos, numerous sketches and colour plates
Mike Shackleton's most-used source of Leopard 1 modelling reference and inspiration - an absolute must have for action photos of Leopard 1 in use around the world
every page is packed with marvellous photography (Yves Debay is a very fine photographer)
the only disappointment would be occasional very similar photos of the same tank from the same angle and some countries receiving brief coverage (ie. Australia)
concentrates on the main battle tank with the special purpose vehicles relegated to a few pages at the back
includes a section on the history and technical approach with prototype and pre-production photos
extremely useful chapter describing the vehicle's salient features with some interior, engine and close-up shots, sketches and line drawings
Leopard 1 in service with the Bundeswehr including:
- colour plates from Jean Restayn describing colour scheme changes
- 10 PanzerDivision
- winter exercise with PanzerBataillon 293
- PanzerBataillon 134 during REFORGER 85
- Reconnaissance force Leopards
- PanzerBataillon 14
- PanzerBataillon 403
Leopards of the world are described in detail:
- Belgium (13 pages) including 1st Lancers and KFOR service
- Holland (6 pages)
- Norway (9 pages) with lots of lovely photos of Leopards playing in the snow
- Italy (8 pages including KFOR operations)
- Denmark (9 pages) which includes 4 pages of UN operations and the story of the first shots fired in anger by Leopard 1 (Op Bøllebank)
- Australia (3 pages)
- Canada (9 pages) including European operations with C1 and KFOR with C1 MEXAS
- Greece (9 pages) illustrating 1A5, 1A4, 1-V engineer tanks
- Turkey (4 pages) all 1A3
- Brazil (4 pages) with Leopard 1
- Chile (2 pages) with Leopard 1-V

Leopard 1 Main Battle Tank 1965-1995 (Osprey New Vanguard 16)
Michael Jerchel with colour illustrations by Peter Sarson, 1995. Osprey Publishing Ltd.
ISBN : 1-85532-520-9

48 pages, soft cover, English text with black and white photos and colour illustrations
Design and Development Series Production First Modernisation Second Modernisation Upgrading the Leopard I Inside the Leopard IA5 The Leopard I in Foreign Service Variants.
Photos may be a bit small for any useful reference, but the colour illustration with detailed explanation of the markings still serves its purpose.
A very good primer for the Leopard 1 novice. The format and style of the content should be quite familiar to readers of Osprey books and the New Vanguard series.

Der Kampfpanzer Leoaprd 1 by Walter J. Spielberger from Verlag Wehr & Wissen
1981
ISBN 3-8033-0320-6

hardcover, 88 pages, German text
Do not be fooled by the cover. In fact, this is a very good reference on the development and early service of the Leopard.
It has 14 sketches, 146 photos and 2 colour plates. All photos are B/W and the colour plate is the LHS profile of the Leopard A1 (4. Baulos) and LHS profile of Leopard A4 (6. Baulos)
It has rare photos of the Standard Panzer, Prototype I, Prototype II, 0-Series and then the production Leopard, including the export versions to Belgium, Netherlands, Australia, Canada, Denmark and those built under license by OTO-Melara in Italy. Most of them are of official photos, and at least 3 photos are shown of the same vehicle.
It then goes on to describe the Driver~s Simulator, Driver Panzer, Crew Training Turret, Firing Simulator, the Engine.
A list of events in the development of Leopard, number of Leopard in NATO (including Australia as of 1980), production variation of each Batch, chassis numbers.
Introduction of variants in the Leopard family, including the Bergepanzer, Pionierpanzer, Biber, Flakpanzer (Gepard), Fahrschülpanzer, Gepanzerte Pioniermaschine and Panzerhaubitze-PzH 155-1 with descriptions, photos and sketches in the last chapter.
Mostly official and rare photos, every Leopard lover should try to get hold of a copy if possible at all.
This is a shortened version of Spielberger~s Waffensysteme Leopard 1 und Leopard 2 ISBN: 3613016559

Kampfpanzer Leopard 1 (Waffen-Arsenal 84)
Michael Scheibert, 1983, Podzun Pallas Verlag (Friedberg, Germany)
ISBN: 379090211X

48 pages, soft cover, landscape format, German text with black and white photos, line drawings.
Typical of Squadron-style books of the 70s. printing is very dark and not the best quality.
Goes into reasonable detail about the first four production batches and shows its age by describing Leopard A1 ~ Leopard 2 wasn~t around at the time! Then describes A1A1, A2, A3, A4, AS1, C1, Turkish TU and Greek GR and even the Italian OF-40 (Italian attempt to make an export version) gets a page to itself.

Main Battle Tank Leopard (Weapons Systems Today 1)
Raimund Knecht, 1977, Wehr & Wissen (Koblenz, Germany)
ISBN: 3803303001

128 pages, hardcover, English text with black and white photos and three 4-page colour sections. Gatefold colour pull-out of cross-sectioned Leopard 1A4.
Introduction by Heinz Guderian!
Lovely technical book covering the early days of Leopard 1 up to 1976 (1A4) and very early days of Leopard 2 (up to 2AV).
Now very rare and hard to find
Topics covered would include:
- Armour History and Tactics
- MBT Leopard Development and Testing
- Production of MBT Leopard
- Technical Characteristics of MBT Leopard
- MBT Leopard Maintenance
- MBT Leopard Training
- The Leopard Family
- MBT Leopard in Comparison with Currently Fielded Battle Tanks

Leopard 1
Michael Jercher, Waldemar Trojca, 1993, Wydawnictwo Militaria (Warsaw, Poland)
ISBN: 8386209356

40 pages, soft cover, Polish text, many black and white photos with colour on inside covers and centre section (with side profiles), line drawings.
Quite a reasonable profile of the Leopard family, mostly in German service but with a smattering of Belgian, Canadian and Dutch Leopard (and variant) photos.
Photos quite small but some of interest.
1:35 side views of Leopard 1 (claims to Series 1 but Series 2), 1A4, 1A5, Pionierpanzer 1, Biber (smaller scale), Gepard.

The Leopard in Canadian Service
Michael R McNorgan, 2005, Service Publications (Ottawa, Canada)
ISBN: 1894581318

24 pages, soft cover, BW photos, small format, line drawing
Attempts to decribe the history of the Leopard C1 in Canadian service, but falls at the first hurdle with an inaccurate caption for the very first photo and other inaccuracies
1:35 plans of Leopard C1 by George Bradford
Sections include: A New Tank, The Krauss-Maffei AG Leopard, The Leopard C1, The Independent Leopard Squadron, The Armour School, The Post-Europe Period, The Leopard C2 (just a brief postscript)
26 photos of 1A2, C1, C2, Taurus, Badger, Beaver, driver trainer

The Federal German Bundeswehr Main Battle Tank (Bellona Military Vehicle Print Series 23)
Hilary Doyle and Walter Spielberger, 1970, Bellona Publications Ltd (Bracknell, UK)
ISBN: 850760267

20 pages, soft cover, all mainly BW photos and line drawings.
This is where it all started for me (Mike Shackleton). The Bellona series was an inspiration for a young modeller still learning his hobby.
I believe this was the first Bellona to deal with just one vehicle - the Leopard 1. They usually dealt with up to four different vehicles.
Contains line drawings of Prototype II, Leopard 1 and Bergepanzer Standard (1:76) plus Leopard 1 and Bergepanzer in 1:48. Also cross-sections of Leopard 1 and Bergepanzer.
Excellent text for its time about the vehicles development and early service.
Photos of prototypes (3), pre-production (1), early German Leopard 1 (1), Belgian Leopard 1BE (3), Dutch Leopard 1NL (2), prototype (1) and production Bergepanzer (2) and Pionierpanzer (1).

Typenkompass - Kpz Leopard 1 1956 - 2003 by Rolf Hilmes from Motorbuch Verlag
2011
ISBN: 978-3-613-03360-3

softcover, 128 pages, all German text
Pocket size handbook on Leopard 1.
Each vehicle has one or two photos, a short description or story, and a chart showing important data. Photos are in B/W or colour
It is divided into several main chapters:
- Development
- Series Versions for Bundeswehry
- Foreign Versions
- Vehicle based on Leopard 1y
- Inside Leopard 1
- Components
- Maintenance
- Leopard 1 in use
- The end of the Leopard
In Development, it is further sub-divided:
- Preliminary projects
- Start the Leopard-1 development
- First prototype (Group A)
- First prototype (Group B)
- First prototype (Group C)
- AMX 30 prototype
- Second prototype (Group A)
- Second prototype (Group B)
- Pre-Series Leopard 1
- Pre-Series AMX-30
- Heat testing
- Cold testing
- Fording Test
In Series Versions of Bundeswehr, it is further sub-divided:
- Handing over of the first production vehicle
- Chassis production
- Turret production
- Series version
- AMX-30 (Series version)
- Leopard 1A1
- Leopard 1A1A1
- Leopard 1A2
- Leopard 1A3
- Leopard 1A4
- Leopard 1A5
- Leopard 1A6
- Leopard 1 with 120mm smoothbore gun
In Foreign Versions, it is further sub-divided:
- Belgium: Leopard 1BE (illustrated with a test 1A5BE!)
- Netherlands: Leopard 1NL (illustrated with a test 1V!)
- Norway: Leopard 1NO
- Italy: Leone (actually OF-40, never called Leone!)
- Italy: Leopard 1IT
- Denmark: Leopard 1 DK*
- Australia: Leopard 1 AS 1*
- Canada: Leopard 1 C1 A1*
- Turkey: Leopard 1 T1*
- Greece: Leopard 1 GR 1*
- Brazil : Leopard 1 A1
- Chile: Leopard 1-V
* note the wrong designations used in the book.
In Vehicles based on Leopard 1, it is further sub-divided:
- Suspension Test Vehicle ETF
- 3-axis stabilized turret T III F
- Battlefield-trial vehicle GVT
- Experimental development (KPz Keiler)
- Total protection vehicle (VTGS)
- Jagdpanzer (JPz) Panther
- Trial Carrier (TVT)
- Leopard 1 turret on PUMA chassis
- Container for battlefield testing
In Inside Leopard 1, it is further sub-divided:
- General interior design
- Commander and gunner
- Loader
- Driver
- Engine compartment with engine
- Engine compartment without engine
In Components, it is further sub-divided:
- Firepower
- Mobility
- Protection (Survivability)
- Other components and equipment
In Maintenance, it is further sub-divided:
- Change Engine
- Upgradeable weapons system and turret
It is a very long list of the 'Contents', and most topics will have one to two pages only, with the exception of 'Components' which has details explanation, drawings and photos on each topic. Unfortunately, it is all in German! It is nevertheless a useful and quick reference and it will be even better if you understand German. The inaccuracies in photos and heading sections makes you wonder about its overall accuracy.

How to build The Leopard Family in 1:35
Spencer Pollard with Marcel Jussen, Brett Green and John Murphy
Published by ADH Publishing

Read the Leopard Club review
primarily a modeling book but does contain a smattering of walk-around photos of the C2 MEXAS and the Dutch Leopard 2A6
contains detailed build articles of the following kits and subjects:
- Takom C2 MEXAS (2 build are featured)
- Tamiya and Hobby Boss kit-bash of the Danish Leopard 2A5DK
- Netherlands Pionierpanzer 1 AEV based on the PSM Bergepanzer 2 ARV
- Bundeswehr Meng 1A3/4
- Netherlands Leopard 2A4 based on Revell 03193
- Tamiya Leopard 2A6 in German service

Battlegroup Leopard - Australian Armour exercises in the North (Australian Military Equipment Profile)
Michael K. Cecil, 1998, AMEP (Victoria, Australia)
ISBN: 0958723303

Read the Leopard Club review
64 pages, soft cover, all colour photos
exactly half of the pages in this book have photos of Leopard AS1 or ARVM in the field
a must have for Australian Leopard 1 lovers, indeed any Leopard 1 lover
shows life in the field including ARVM doing a powerpack change and night live-firing exercises
includes shots on transporters, equipped with mine-ploughs, AVLB and ARVMs with powerpacks on their backs
this book is only available for purchase directly from the author, who may be contacted at mike@krystiimelaine.com - interested parties will be provided with a price (includes shipping and packaging) to their postal address from the author's location (Washington State, USA)

The Early Years of the Modern German Army (Militärfahrzeug Special No. 5002)
Peter Blume, 2003, Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: 419617571495135002

64 pages, soft cover, German text with complete English translations, colour and black and white photos.
Leopard 1 content starts with a nice image of a very early batch 1 tank in colour, a prototype being decontaminated and a pre-production Series 0 Leopard 1 in colour. A column of Series 0 rounds off fairly light Leo 1 content.

Modern German Army Armoured Recovery Vehicles (Militärfahrzeug Special No. 5004)
Stefan Marx, 2004, Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: 419617571495145004

64 pages, soft cover, German text with complete English translations, colour and black and white photos, several scale drawings.
Leopard 1 content includes 26 pages of text and photos of the Bergepanzer 2 and 2A2 and the latest Bergepanzer 2000 from FFG and details of the up-armour packages from IBD used by Canada and Norway.
Includes an exquisite set of 1:35 scale line drawings of the Bergepanzer 2 and 2A2 as well Büffel.

German Army Training Center - Letzlingen : the cutting edge in combat simulation for the Bundeswehr (Militärfahrzeug Special No. 5005)
Ralph Zwilling and OTL Norbert Hoiczyk, 2004, Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: 419617571495145005

64 pages, soft cover, German text with complete English translations, all colour photos.
Not a huge amount of Leopard 1 material, but there are 2 pages of Gepard A2 alongside a lot of Leopard 2 and other types from across the Bundeswehr.
The photos are of the usual high quality that is the norm with Tankograd books.

Modern German Army Armoured Engineer Vehicles 156-today (Militärfahrzeug Special No. 5008)
Stefan Marx, 2005, Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: 419617571495155008

64 pages, soft cover, German text with complete English translations, colour and black and white photos, several scale drawings.
This book is an absolute must have for anyone interested in modelling any of the Leopard 1 based engineer vehicles.
Content includes 8 pages of Pionierpanzer 1 including 1:35 plans, GPM (9 pages), 16 pages on Dachs (including 1:35 plans), and 4 pages of various Leopard-based engineer vehicles used by foreign armies. It finishes off with 8 pages of information about numerous mine-clearing systems based on Leopard 1.

The Modern German Army in the Cold War 1967-1990 (Militärfahrzeug Special No. 5010)
Peter Blume, 2005, Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: N/A (classified as a magazine)

64 pages, soft cover, German text with complete English translations, colour and black and white photos.
Typical 'in action' shots include just over 9 pages worth of Leo 1, Leo 1A1, 1A1A1, 1A3, 1A5, Biber, Gepard, Bergepanzer and Leopard 2A4.

Vehicles of the Modern German Army during the REFORGER Exercises 1969-1993 (Militärfahrzeug Special No. 5020)
Walter Böhm, 2008, Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: 419617571495165013

64 pages, soft cover, German text with complete English translations, colour and black and white photos.
About one-third of these pages contain images of Leopard 1 and its variants (with only two Leopard 2 photos). They mostly appear in various make-shift camo schemes from crew-applied mud to camo nets and natural foliage. An interesting selection of photos from numerous sources.

Self-propelled Anti-aircraft Gun/Missile tanks of the Modern German Army - 1956 to Today (Militärfahrzeug Special No. 5021)
Peter Blume, 2008, Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: 419617571495155010

64 pages, soft cover, German text with complete English translations, colour and black and white photos.
Gepard is the main focus as far as Leopard fans are concerned with 27 pages devoted to its development, production and service.
1:35 scale plans.
A must have for Gepard fans.

Panzertruppe '2010': German Panzer Forces in the 21st Century (Militärfahrzeug Special No. 5023)
Peter Blume, 2009, Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, German)
ISBN: 419617571495195023

64 pages, soft cover, German text with complete English translations, all colour photos
all photos are in action type and appear to have been captured during various field exercises or public demonstrations
contains 1 page of photos and captions of the Leopard 1A1A1 and one photo of Dachs alongside lots of Leopard 2 photos.

German Armoured Corps in Cold War Exercise Scneller Wechsel 74 (Militärfahrzeug Special No. 5028)
Walter Böhm, 2010, Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: N/A (classified as a magazine)

64 pages, soft cover, German text with complete English translations, colour and black and white photos.
Includes 18 various photos of Leopard and Bergepanzer on exercise.

Battle Griffin - Multinational Exercise in the Land of the Vikings (Tankograd Mission & Manoeuvres No. 7002)
Clemen Niesner, 2005, Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: 419682651495457002

64 pages, soft cover, German text with complete English translations, colour photos.
Includes 10 photos of Norwegian Leopard 1A5NO and NO2s in the snow.
Also numerous photos of Bergepanzer, Leguan and NM189 (Leopard AEV) also in the snow and the Dutch BARV.

NATO Response Forces (Tankograd Mission & Manoeuvres No. 7003)
Clemen Niesner, 2006, Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: 419682651495457003

64 pages, soft cover, German text with complete English translations, colour photos.
Leopard 1 coverage is fairly meagre consisting of Norwegian Leguan and AEV (3 photos), offset with some Norwegian 2A4NO, Dutch 2A6NL and German 2A4 photos.

Esercito Italiano - Vehicles of the Modern Italian Army in Action (Tankograd Mission & Manoeuvres No. 7005)
Sören Sünkler, 2006, Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: 419682651495457005

64 pages, soft cover, German text with complete English translations, colour photos.
Leopard 1 coverage is limited to just three images of 1A5IT serving with KFOR in Kosovo. There are also several pages of Ariete which you could call an updated version of Leopard 1!

Danske H�ren - the Vehicles of the modern Danish Land Forces (Missions & Manoeuvres No. 7006)
Clemens Niesner, 2007, Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: N/A (classified as a magazine)

64 pages, soft cover, German text with complete English translations, all colour photos.
Lovely cover shot of a Leopard 1A5DK mounting a mine plough.
The last quarter of the book has reasonable coverage of Leo 1A5DKs of various vintage, two shots of Biber in action and a Bergepanzer, before rounding off with Leopard 2A4 and 2A5DK.

Nederlandse Troepen: Vehicles of the Royal Netherlands Army in Germany 1963 - 2006 (Missions & Manoeuvres No. 7007)
Peter Blume, 2007, Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: N/A (classified as a magazine)

64 pages, soft cover, German text with complete English translations, all colour photos
contains 2 pages of Cheetah (Dutch version of Gepard), and two pages of Bergepanzer and Biber followed by various Leopard 2 photos.

Australian Army 1^st Brigade - Armoured and Unarmoured Vehicles of the Australian Army's 1^st Brigade (Tankograd Mission & Manoeuvres No. 7012)
Gordon Arthur, 2008, Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: 419682651495457012

64 pages, soft cover, German text with complete English translations, colour photos.
The Australian Army retired the last of its Leopard AS1s in 2007 after 30 years of service, its role being taken by Abrams - shame. 11 photos illustrate the late, great AS1 as well as a couple of ARVM (Bergepanzer).

Koninklijke Landmacht : Vehicles of the Modern Royal Netherlands Army RNLA (Missions & Manoeuvres No. 7013)
Clemens Niesner, 2008, Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: N/A (classified as a magazine)

64 pages, soft cover, German text with complete English translations, all colour photos.
Leopard 1-type coverage is fairly limited at 1.5 pages of Bergepanzer, Pionierpanzer and Biber before 5.5 pages of "in action" type photos of Dutch Leopard 2A6s and Bergepanzer 3s.

IFOR - Vehicles of the Muiltnational IFOR Peace-Keeping Operation 1995-1996 (Tankograd Mission & Manoeuvres No. 7015)
Carl Schulze, 2009, Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: 419682651495457015

64 pages, soft cover, German text with complete English translations, colour photos.
Amongst a huge variety of vehicles from many nations are Danish Leopard 1A5DK with mine plough (1 photo), Dutch Biber (1 photo), Canadian Leopard C1, Badger and Taurus (3 photos), Italian Leopard 1A5IT (1 photo) and German Dachs.

Norge Hærens Stryker - Vehicles of the Modern Norwegian Land Forces (Tankograd Mission & Manoeuvres No. 7016)
Clemens Niesner, 2009, Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: 419682651495457016

64 pages, soft cover, German text with complete English translations, colour photos.
The cover has a lovely image of NM189, Norway's indigenous Leopard AEV and goes on to show Leguan (2 photos), another NM189, and 5 photos of Leopard 1A5NO and 1A5NO2 and Bergepanzer 2 (2 photos) before rounding off with 2A4.

Task Force Kandahar - Vehicles of the Canadian ISAF Contigent (Tankograd Mission & Manoeuvres No. 7017)
Carl Schulze, 2010, Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: 419682651495457017

64 pages, soft cover, German text with complete English translations, colour photos.
A few photos of Leopard C2 MEXAS with its thermal coat are featured in the last few pages, some equipped with mine ploughs, and also uparmoured Badger (Canadian Dachs) and Taurus (ARV) in action in Afghanistan. Also a few Leopard 2A6M CAN and uparmoured Büffel.

Free Lion 88 - The Last Cold war exercise of 1st (NL) Corps (Tankograd Mission & Manoeuvres No. 7018)
Carl Schulze, 2010, Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: 419682651495457018

64 pages, soft cover, German text with complete English translations, colour photos.
Lovely sequence of Dutch Leopard 1-V crossing a ribbon bridge, Dutch Bergepanzer 2, German 1A1A4, German 1A5, German Biber, Cheetah and Gepard.
Also includes Leopard 2A4 from Holland and Germany.

Militär Fahrzeug - 1/2003
Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: 419572440865501

64 pages, soft cover, German text with English translations, all colour photos
Has 3 pages of photos of a mine plough attached to an Australian Leopard AS1

Militär Fahrzeug 3/2003
Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: 419572440865503

64 pages, soft cover, German text with English translations, all colour photos
Has an excellent article about the Canadian Leopard C1 MEXAS deployed with KFOR in Kosovo 1999. Written by Carl Schulz with 10 photos and another on the back cover.

Militär Fahrzeug 1/2004
Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: 419572440895201

72 pages, soft cover, German text with English translations, all colour photos
An excellent article about the Minebreaker 2000/2, a German private development based on Leopard 1 used for humanitarian mine clearing. 30 photos over 8 pages.

Militär Fahrzeug 2/2004
Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: 419572440895202

72 pages, soft cover, German text with English translations, all colour photos
An article about Helicaptor tries to unravel the mystery surrounding an experimental vehicle based on a Leopard 1 chassis (2 photos). Helicaptor was developed specifically to counter the threat of armed helicopters but the experiment was inconclusive.

Militär Fahrzeug 2/2007
Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: 419572440895202

64 pages, soft cover, German text with English translations, all colour photos
An article about Fire Commander, a Leopard 1-based fire-fighting vehicle. 4 pages containing 10 photos
Also has a photo of a Belgian Leguan in an article about Exercise Cold Response 2006

Militär Fahrzeug 1/2008
Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: 419572440895201

64 pages, soft cover, German text with English translations, all colour photos
An excellent article about the Canadian Leopard C2 MEXAS by Carl Schulze with 11 photos (plus another in the contents list)
Also features an article about loading Leopard 2A6 on a railroad car

Militär Fahrzeug 4/2008
Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: 419572440895204

64 pages, soft cover, German text with English translations, all colour photos
Has an article describing Exercise Crossed Swords 86. Contained in the article are a couple of photos of Belgian Leopard 1BEs in mud camouflage

Militär Fahrzeug 1/2009
Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: 419572440895201

64 pages, soft cover, German text with English translations, all colour photos
Has an article describing Exercise Trutzige Sachsen 1985. Contained in the article are a couple of photos of Leopard 1A1A1s and another of a Gepard (and Leopard 2A4)
There is also a one-page article about Leopard 1A5-120RF which, as the designation suggests features 1A5 armed with a 120 mm gun

Militär Fahrzeug 2/2010
Tankograd Publishing (Erlangen, Germany)
ISBN: 419572440895202

64 pages, soft cover, German text with English translations, all colour photos
A good article about NM189, the Norway's indigenous engineer version of the Leopard 1 with 8 photos over 5 pages. Written by Daniel Nowak and Tim Mätzold
A feature about tank recovery which uses a rather battered Leopard 1A1A1 (8 photos)
Also has a 7-page article about desert camouflage developed for Leopard 2

Waffensysteme Leopard 1 und Leopard 2
Walter J. Speilberger, 2003, Motorbuch Verlag (Stuttgart, Germany)
ISBN: 3613016559

399 pages, hard cover, German text, many black and white photos mainly from the factory, with some colour photos. A voluminous tome with the usual Spielberger quality and research
Available in English as The Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 Weapon Systems ISBN: 3613011980, but very, very hard to find.
Details the development of both the Leopard 1 and 2, up to 2A5 prototypes (TVM max and TVM min).
Just over 1/2 of the book is devoted to the Leopard 1, with a fair bit of attention being given to the development of various trials and experimental vehicles.
Leopard 1 gun tank coverage primarily focuses on the production batches for the Bundeswehr and the factory export versions (in delivery order) for Belgium, Holland, Norway, Italy, Denmark, Australia, Canada, Turkey and Greece.
Details the main special purpose variants as well as more the experimental versions of GPM, self-propelled guns, rocket launchers and the Panther weapon system.
Also covers MBT 70 in some depth.
Line drawings of most Leopard 1 and 2 versions and variants up to the mid 80s.
Definitely worth owning due to the very comprehensive nature of the photo and textual content, though this book may be superfluous if one has already acquired Michael Shackleton's excellent Leopard 1 Trilogy.

Der Weg zum Flak-Panzer Gepard Die geschichtliche Entwicklung der deutschen Flugabwehrpanzer
Walter J. Spielberger, 1980, Bernard & Graefe Verlag, Munich, Germany
ISBN: 3-7637-5197-1

260 pages, hard cover, German text, colour plates, black and white photos, factory line drawings.
A description of all self-propelled German anti-aircraft guns from 1870 to 1980. Covers the many and varied armoured cars, trucks, half-tracks and full-track chassis converted to the AA role.
Over 60 pages devoted to the development of Gepard and Cheetah including about 80 photos and 30 drawings.

Eisenbahn Journal, Militärtransporte auf der Schiene
Uhlrich-Peter Staudt, Horst J. Obermayer 1/2008, Germany
ISBN: 978-3-89610-186-0

A4 railway magazine, German language, 100 pages including cover, full colour.
This is a special issue devoted to German military rail transport.
Various articles take the reader through different subjects starting with the history of German military trains from the mid-1800s to early post-war years.
Then we have a whole series of 20 pages mostly in full colour featuring M41, M48, M74, Marder, M113, early Leopard 1 through to 1A5, Bergepanzer 2 and Büffel, Leopard 2, Gepard, etc. all shown on rail flat cars.
Loading and tying down Leopard 2 in another series of photos over 6 pages.
Remaining articles look at SPGs, soft-skins, support vehicles, the rail flat cars themselves and the engines that pulled them.
Lots of interesting detail of how vehicles are tied down and good inspiration for dioramas.

Die Panzertruppe der Bundeswehr 1956-Heute (Fahrzeug Profile 5)
Peter Blume, 1996, Flugzeug Publikations (Illertissen, Germany)
ISBN: 9770933845009-05

46 pages, German text, soft cover, magazine style, mostly colour photos
Covers the history of the German use of AFVs post-war
Good selection of Leopard 1 photos of various vintage (37 photos), Bergepanzer 2 (3 photos) as well as Leopard 2A4/Büffel.

Das waren die Kanadischen Streitkräfte in Europa (Fahrzeug Profile 6)
Ernst Beyermann, 1996, Flugzeug Publikations (Illertissen, Germany)
ISBN: 4394240719959-06

50 pages, German Text, soft cover, magazine style, mostly colour photos
Covers Canadian Armed Forces work in Europe
The meaty stuff begins half way through the book with Leopard C1 (some in winter camo) - just 6 photos - Taurus and Beaver (3 total). Then 1A2 which the Canadians leased from Germany, and C1s equipped with rollers and ploughs plus one of Badger with a large fascine on its rear. Very disappointing really.

Auge und Ohr des Heeres - Die Panzeraufklärer der Bundeswehr (Fahrzeug Profile 7)
Peter Blume, 1996, Flugzeug Publikations (Illertissen, Germany)
ISBN: 4394240719959-07

38 pages, German text, soft cover, magazine style, mostly colour photos
Covers German armoured reconnaissance
Leopard 1 content is limited to a few photos of early Leopard 1 (2 photos), 1A1A1 (5 nice photos in the field), 1A1A2 (1 photo), and a few Leo 2

Combat Maneuver Training Center (Fahrzeug Profile 16)
Ralph Zwilling, 1999, Flugzeug Publikations (Illertissen, Germany)
ISBN: 4194240719959

50 pages, German text, soft cover, magazine style, mostly colour photos
Covers the history of the German armour training centre
Leopard 1 content is limited to a few photos of 1A5 (6 photos in winter conditions), Bergepanzer 2 (4 photos), Gepard (3 photos), Dachs (4 photos), Biber (3 photos) amongst a good selection of other modern German armour including Leo 2 and Büffel

Pionierpanzer der Bundeswehr 1956-2000 (Fahrzeug Profile 18)
Peter Blume, 2001, Unitec-Medienvertrieb (Stengelheim, Germany)
ISBN: 4194240711201-18

48 pages, German text, soft cover, magazine style, mostly colour photos
Covers the history of the German use of engineer vehicles
Nearly half the book contains Leopard 1-related machines - Pionierpanzer 1 (2 pages), Biber (10 pages), Dachs (7 pages). There's even a photo of a Biber masquerading as a minesweeper with a log with chains attached dangling from the bridge launcher!

Die Panzertruppe der Bundeswehr 1956-2003 (Fahrzeug Profile 22)
Peter Blume and Walter Böhm, 2003, Unitec-Medienvertrieb (Stengelheim, Germany)
ISBN: 4194240711201-22

48 pages, German text, soft cover, magazine style, mostly colour photos
Covers the history of the German use of AFVs post-war
Good selection of Leopard 1 photos of various vintage (29 photos) as well as Leopard 2 up to 2A5

War Machine Report No. 9 - Leopard 1 by PANZER Magazine
Mar 2009
ISBN: 4910075940391

This is a special edition from the Japanese monthly PANZER Magazine.
Photos are provided by Y. Debay, W. Langwucht, W. Schneider, some foreign embassies and Japanese photographers.
It is a mix of B/W and full colour photos and some nice illustrations to cover starting from the development of Leopard to the transformation to Leopard 1A5.
1:60 line drawings of Leopard 1A2, Leopard 1A1A1, Leopard 1A3, Leopard 1A4, Leopard C1, Leopard AS1, and Leopard 1A5.
Leopard or Leopard 1 covered about 55% of the total 132 pages with the remaining talking about AMX-30, Chieftain, Strv.103, Pz.61/68 and other MBTs of the 2nd generation.
The text in Japanese.

PANZER (Japanese Monthly Magazine)
March 1977 / No. 19

Leopard 1 was one of the main articles in this particular magazine, even the cover is a Leopard 1.
Only 3 colour photos of Leopard 1A2, A3 and A4.
Line Drawing of Leopard 1A1 and Leopard 1A3.
Quite a number of B/W photos and obviously text in Japanese only!

The TANK Magazine (Japanese Monthly Magazine)
Jan 1981 / Vo. 4 No. 1

Leopard 1A1A1 is the cover story of this magazine
Several colour photos of the Leopard 1A1A1 and also Leopard 1 and Gepard taking part in "Crusader '80" NATO Force Manoeuvres.
In the article itself, there are 13 pages of B/W photos showing the features of Leopard 1A1A2, some even have English descriptison.
Line drawings for Leopard 1A1 and Leopard 1A1A1 included.

The Tank Magazine Special ~ German Tank Leopard
May 1979
142 Pages

As this book was published almost forty years ago, Leopard 2 was still under development. It covers mainly the Leopard or Leopard 1 of its golden age.
It is a pictorial with many photos, but mainly B/W with a few colour ones.
It has many line drawings:
- Leopard 1A1
- Leopard 1A1 (Armor-strengthened)
- Leopard 1A4
- Leopard 2
- Leopard 2AV
- Kampfpanzer 70
- Flakpanzer 1 Gepard 5PZF-B
- Flakpanzer 1 5PZF-C
No scale was given, but the ruler indicated 3m = 5cm, which worked out to be 1:60 with the exception of the Kampfpanzer 70 which appears to be 1:43 or 1:48, while the Flakpanzer appears to be 1:72.
It also cover foreign users and other variants such as the Engineering Vehicles.
Modellers interested in early Leopard would love this book, but it is almost impossible to get hold it unless you search for old second-hand books in Japan.

Aero Armour Series Volume 13
Uwe Feist, 1980, Aero Publishers (Fallbrook, CA, USA)
ISBN: 0816820465

52 pages, soft cover, with black and white photos and colour centre section.
Has chapters on Leopard 1A1, 1A3 as well as Leopard 2 prototypes and 2AV/2A1.
Nice first production batch photos over 6 pages, and 1A3 over 3 pages plus some pre-production and also photos of 1A3 with a dozer and one each of Gepard, Bergepanzer 2 and Pionierpanzer 1.

Chieftain and Leopard (Development) (AFV Weapons Profile 18)
Chieftain and Leopard (Description) (AFV Weapons Profile 19)
Major Michael Norman, 1970, Profile Publications Ltd (Windsor, UK)
ISBN: none

24 pages each, soft cover, all mainly BW photos with some colour. Colour plate of Leopard 1.
Compares the then new main battle tanks of two rival countries and allies.
Authoritative (though dated) text describing the development and early service of both tanks.
Photo coverage is good with many prototype and pre-production shots (26 + 10 photos), early service Leopard 1 (10 + 14 photos) in Profiles 18 and 19 respectively. Profile 19 also has photos of Bergepanzer (4 photos), Pionierpanzer (1 photo), Gepard prototypes (2 photos) plus Matador (1 photo), Biber prototype (3 photos) plus two other bridging prototypes and a driver trainer (1 photo).

Die Kampfpanzer der NATO - NATO's Main Battle Tanks
Michael Scheibert with English text by W. Schneider, 1985, Podzun-Pallas-Verlag GmbH (Friedberg, Germany)
ISBN: 3790902624

52 pages, soft cover, German text with full English translations, black and white photos with colour photos and the cover cards (both sides)
contains 8 pages of Leopard 1 content, from the first series tanks to the 1A4
includes side profile line drawings of the 1A1 and the 1A3 (scale unknown)
includes mention of Leopard 1's in foreign service, which comprises pictures and captions of the following: Danish 1A5-DK, Canadian C1, and the Greek 1A3 GR (one photo each)
not really worth purchasing unless it can be found inexpensively

Allied Battle Tanks - Western Tank Units on the Central European frontier (Europa Militaria No.4)
Yves Debay, 1990, Windrow and Green Ltd. (London, England)
ISBN: 1872004350

66 pages, soft cover, English text, all colour photos
Leopard 1 content includes a total of 11 pages of photos (with captions) of German, Belgian, Canadian, Italian and Dutch Leopard 1s as well as Leo 2s.
The photos are all of the "in action" type and are of very high quality (Yves Debay is one of the best military photo journalists out there)
I think it is a very good book as it provides an excellent set of photos of Western MBTs in the dying days of the Cold War

Allied Forces Central Europe (Tanks Illustrated No.1)
Pierre Touzin, 1983, Arms & Armour Press (London, UK)
ISBN: 0853685827

68 pages, soft cover, all mainly BW photos but with a 2-page colour section.
The cover shows an interesting photo of a German Leopard 1A1A1. Inside we have a lot of photos of vehicles on exercise in Europe from Belgium, Canada, Holland, the UK and the US.
The colour section illustrates another German 1A1A1 and a Gepard. Amongst the BW photos we have the following. From Germany: an early Leopard 1, a 1A2, a 1A4 and two 1A1A1s, 2 Gepards, 3 Bergepanzers and 2 Bibers. From Belgium: a Leopard 1BE, a Bergepanzer. From Canada: 2 Leopard C1s, a Taurus, a Beaver. From Holland: a single Cheetah.

Tanks Illustrated No. 7 - German Tanks 1945 to the Present
by Peter Gudgin, Arms and Armour Press, 1984
ISBN: 0-85368-621-1

softcover, 72 pages
Do not be fooled by the name of the book, what other tanks have the Germans had since 1945?
Whole book is B/W photos with the exception of the front cover and a total of 8 pages of colour insert.
It explains in the introduction the fact that the Bundeswehr was not formed in 1955, with no tank production before that, so the first few pages show Panzer IV, Panther and Tiger 2 captured near the end of the war - for no reason at all!
Starting from page 16, it goes straight to the development of the Leopard, without even mentioning the use of M47/M48.
It shows photos of early Leopard up to Leopard 2, including other variants such as the Engineering Vehicles and so on. It even includes the ill-fated PzH 155-1 and the MBT-70.
It then goes on to have photos of other tracked vehicles such as HS 30, Marder APC, Jagdpanzer Kanone, Roland, TPZ-1 and even 8x8 Luchs! Maybe the author was running out of photos of tanks!
Anyway, loads of Leopard photos.
All photos have English captions.

Leopard 1 and 2: The spearheads of the West German Armored Forces
Thomas Laber, 1990, Concord Publications Co. (Hong Kong, China)
ISBN: 9623610076

64 pages, soft cover, English text with mostly black and white photos but including 8 pages of colour photos
Approximately 2/3 of this book is devoted to the Leopard 1
Covers the use of the Leopard 1 and 2 family of vehicles in service with the Bundeswehr and other nations (Canada, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Turkey, Australia and Greece) ... photos are primarily of the "in action" type (with captions) but with some detail oriented shots
Leopard 1 content covers Leopard 1A1A1 onwards (with add-on armour), 1A5, 1A3 and 1A4, driver trainer, Bergepanzer, Pionierpanzer 1 and 2 (Dachs), Biber and Gepard all in German service followed by a small section on foreign service
It is somewhat ironic that this book, which proclaims to describe the spearheads of the West German Armoured Forces, proudly features a Canadian Leopard C1 on its cover!

Armor of the West (Concord Color Series 4004)
Yves Debay, 1992, Concord Publications Co. (Hong Kong, China)
ISBN: 9629617046

94 pages, soft cover, all colour photos
while about 1/3 of this book deals with British armour, it contains several Leopard 1 images namely Norwegian Leopard 1NO (14 beautiful photos mostly in the snow) plus two of Bergepanzer, Belgian 1BE (7 photos) and Gepard (2 photos), Dutch Leopard 1-V (7 photos), Pionierpanzer (3 photos) and Cheetah (5 photos), German Leopard 1A1A1 and 1A1A2 (9 photos) and Gepard (1 photo).
All of the photos in the book are of very high quality (and in glorious full colour). Super book.

The Blue helmets Under Fire - Fifty Years of Peacekeeping Missions (Concord 4018)
Samuel M. Katz and Yves Debay, 1996,Concord Publications Company (Hong Kong, China)
ISBN: 9623617267

96 pages, soft cover, all colour photos.
Great coverage of multi-national forces on peacekeeping duties up to and including the UN.
Full of photos of many vehicles including German Dachs (1 photo), Canadian Badger (2 photos) and Danish Leopard 1A5DK (7 photos), all of which are in white UN livery.

Peace by Force - Elite Forces of the IFOR (Concord 4020)
Yves Debay and James Hill, 1997,Concord Publications Company (Hong Kong, China)
ISBN: 9623617291

96 pages, soft cover, all colour photos.
Similar to 4018, but bringing the story more up-to-date. Once again, great coverage of multi-national forces on peacekeeping duties of IFOR.
Full of photos of many vehicles including Leopard 1A5DK some with mine ploughs or dozers (6 photos) and Italian Leopard 1A5IT (4 photos).

Kosovo Special (Special Ops - Journal of the Elite Forces and SWAT Units, No. 5507)
Editor: Samuel M. Katz, 1999, Concord Publications Company (Hong Kong, China)
ISBN: 9623616449

72 pages, soft cover, all colour photos.
One chapter written by Yves Debay deals with the Italian Garibaldi Brigade in Kosovo featuring Leopard 1A5IT (4 photos) and Biber (1 photo).
Also has an article (Carl Schulze) about German forces in Kosovo with 1 Dachs photo as well as Leopard 2A5 and Büffel.

Assault Volume 9 (Journal of Armoured & Heliborne Warfare, No. 7809)
Editor: James R. Hill, 2004, Concord Publications Company (Hong Kong, China)
ISBN: 9623610971

48 pages, soft cover, all colour photos.
Exercise Blitzender Kürass by Walter Böhm has Gepard (2 photos) and Leopard 1A5 (5 photos) amongst all of the Leopard 2 content.

Assault Volume 10 (Journal of Armoured & Heliborne Warfare, No. 7810)
Editor: James R. Hill, 2004, Concord Publications Company (Hong Kong, China)
ISBN: 962361098X

48 pages, soft cover, all colour photos.
One article, Exercise Thüringer Löwe - Germany's Artilleriebrigade 100 in Training by Tim Mätzold, Daniel Nowak and Clemens Niesner has Gepard (1 photo) and Bergepanzer (1 photo).
A second article, The Gallic Brigade by Yves Debay has Belgian Leopard 1A5BE (12 photos), Leguan (5 photos), Bergepanzer (3 photos).

Assault Volume 11 (Journal of Armoured & Heliborne Warfare, No. 7811)
Editor James R. Hill, 2005,Concord Publications Company (Hong Kong, China)
ISBN: 9623611137

48 pages, soft cover, all colour photos.
The main interest here is an article about the Leopard 1 in the Greek Army by Yves Debay with lots of photos of 1A4GR and 1A5GR.

Assault Volume 15 (Journal of Armoured & Heliborne Warfare, No. 7815)
2006,Concord Publications Company (Hong Kong, China)
ISBN: 9623611226

48 pages, soft cover, all colour photos.
One article, Battle Griffin 2005 by Carl Schulze, is very similar to Tankograd 7002 with photos of the Dutch BARV (2 photos), and lovely snow exercise shots of Norwegian Leopard 1A5NO2 (7 photos), Bergepanzer (2 photos), Leguan (2 photos), NM189 AEV (1 photo).
A second article, Flugabwehrbrigade 100 by Tim Mätzold, Daniel Nowak and Clemens Niesner has German Gepard (6 photos) and Bergepanzer 2 (1 photo).

Naslednik "Tigra". Osnovnoj tank "Leopard"
Suvorov S, Jauza, 2014, Moscow
ISBN: 978-5-699-71900-6

224 pages, hard cover, Russian text, colour and black and white photos, some line drawings.
An attempt to tell the whole story of Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 from conception to the date of publication.
At first glance it covers a lot of ground which it does with a LOT of photos. Some are copied from other books, are familiar from the internet, taken in well-known museums plus quite a few new photos.
Captioning is dubious with many vehicles mis-identified.
One vehicle taken seriously is a Canadian heavy reconnaissance version of Leopard 1 which has two pages devoted to it as if it was real. It only ever existed as a model of an imaginary vehicle!
As a result of this, this book cannot be taken seriously in the reviewer's opinion.

Canadian Leopard 1 Series in Afghanistan DVD
Ken LeClair
This photo reference DVD is once again available for purchase! Interested individuals are encouraged to contact Ken LeClair at koolken19624@gmail.com.

The DVD has 1400 images and covers the Leopard C2 MEXAS, Taurus ARV, and the Badger AEV.
The Leopard C2 MEXAS image folders:
- Leopard C2 MEXAS
  1. Walkaround
  2. Hull Front
  3. Hull Bottom
  4. Hull Side
  5. Hull Rear
  6. Hull Top
  7. 105 mm barrel
  8. Mantlet
  9. Gunner's sight
  10. Commander's Hatch Area
  11. Loader's Hatch Area
  12. MBGDs
  13. Turret MEXAS Armour
  14. Turret A/C Unit (actually the Chiller Unit for the cooling vests)
  15. Turret Stowage
  16. General Views
- Mine Plow
  1. Mine Plow Dismounted
  2. Mine Plow Mounted
- Mine Roller
  1. Roller Dismounted
  2. Roller Mounted
- Adaptor Roller Bra
- Dozer Unit
Badger AEV image folders:
1. Walkaround
2. Hull Front
3. Hull Top
4. Hull Left Side
5. Hull Right Side
6. Hull Rear
7. Rear Deck
8. Dozer Blade
9. Hydraulic Boom and Bucket
10. Commander's Hatch
11. Driver's Hatch
12. Suspension
Taurus ARV image folders:
1. Hull Front
2. Hull Left
3. Hull Right
4. Hull Rear
5. Hull Top
6. Suspension
7. Boom
Overall this is a very good reference DVD full of overview and detail images of the Leopard 1 series used by Canada in Afghanistan. Compared to the Leopard 2 series DVD some of the images in the Leopard 1 series are not as clear and crisp as seen in the Leopard 2 series DVD but they are still valuable images of the vehicles in a very worn and weathered state.

Canadian Leopard C1 and C2 Project DVD
Compiled by Anthony Sewards
4575 images on 2 DVDs

This 2 disk set contains over 7 GB of of photos, explanatory documents and videos of the Leopard C1 and C2 in Canadian service. The disks were compiled by Anthony Sewards, who spent 20+ years serving with the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadian) Regiment.

Photo files contain a wealth of unpublished information that will help the viewer obtain the right information about the Canadian version of the Leopard C1, C1 MEXAS and C2.

Word documents explain Canadian Leopard 1 history, modifications, colour schemes, markings and crew uniforms & weapons, while they served on deployments in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Canada, Germany, Kosovo.

Canadian Leopard C2 MEXAS Project
Anthony Sewards

This 2 disk set contains photos, documents and videos of the Leopard C2 MEXAS in service in Afghanistan from 2006 to 2011. The author served with A squadron of the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadian) Regiment on active service in Afghanistan in 2007. While on tour he shot many photos of operational vehicles, with every vehicle in the squadron receiving coverage. The author also received permission to use photographs from other tours to provide a near complete record of the C2 MEXAS in active service.

The DVDs contain many thousands of photos, videos and reference documents amounting to 4.9 GB of data on the two disks.

Canadian Leopard 1 and 2 Support Vehicles DVD
Compiled by Anthony Sewards

This 2 disk set contains 3505 images, 13 videos and explanatory documents on 2 DVDs resulting in approximately 6.9 GB of Leopard goodness. The disks were compiled by Anthony Sewards, who spent 20+ years serving with the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadian) Regiment.
Vehicles covered would include; Taurus ARV (with and without MEXAS), Badger AEV (with and without MEXAS), Beaver Bridge-Layer, ARV 3 (Büffel with and without up-armour kit), Leopard 1 power-pack and Leopard 2 power-pack.