Download or read book Half Track written by R. P. Hunnicutt and published by Echo Point Books & Media. This book was released on 2015-04-20 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Featuring over a thousand photos from the National Archives, diagrams, and detailed specifications, Hunnicutt's Half-Track remains the definitive development history of half-track vehicles for the military historian, professional soldier, and tank restorer. In this ambitious work, Hunnicutt details the developmental history of half-tracks, examining its modifications and effectiveness. Products of a pre-war development program, half-track vehicles served in all theaters of operation from the first to the final days of WWII, and many models remained active long after the Korean War. The armored half-track was one of few vehicles available to equip the new divisions being formed just prior to WWII. Part I traces the early development beginning with the slow half-track of WWI to the faster vehicles developed after the evaluation of the French Citroen-Kegresse P17 in 1931. These vehicles were unarmored half-track cars and trucks intended for use as prime movers and reconnaissance vehicles. In 1938, the half-track suspension was installed on the M2A1 scout car, and the converted vehicle became the half-track personnel carrier T7. This was the first armored half-track, but tests showed that it was underpowered. Based upon the experience with the T7, a new vehicle was designed in 1939 and designated as the half-track scout car T14. Using the half-track suspension from the T7 and a more powerful engine, it became the prototype for all of the half-tracks produced during WWII. In Part II, the development and production of half-tracks during WWII is described showing the many roles for which it was adapted. In addition to the original armored scout car, the basic chassis was adapted as a personnel carrier, mortar carrier, tank destroyer, self-propelled artillery, and other specialized applications. Some of these vehicles were temporary expedients, but others were so successful that they remained in use until long after WWII. Part III briefly describes some half-track operations during WWII and Korea. However, it is not intended to be an operational history, but to illustrate the effectiveness of the half-track in active service. The characteristics of the various half-track vehicles and the weapons with which some of them were armed are tabulated in the data sheets in Part IV. Richard Pearce Hunnicutt (1926-2011) enlisted in the 7th Infantry Division in 1944 and in 1945 was promoted to sergeant and awarded the Silver Star for his heroic actions. After WWII, Hunnicutt earned a Masters in engineering from Stanford University under the GI Bill. In addition to being one of the most respected metallurgists in California, Hunnicutt wrote the definitive 10-volume history of the development and employment of American armored vehicles. As a tank historian and leading expert in the field, Hunnicutt was one of the founders of the US Army Ordnance Museum at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD and was a close friend and frequent contributor to the Patton Museum at Fort Knox, KY. Readers interested in related titles from R. P. Hunnicutt will also want to see: Abrams (ISBN: 9781626542556), Armored Car (ISBN: 9781626541559), Bradley (ISBN: 9781626542525), Patton (ISBN: 9781626548794), Pershing (ISBN: 9781626541672), Sheridan (ISBN: 9781626541542), Sherman (ISBN: 9781626548619), Stuart (History of the American Light Tank, Vol. 1) (ISBN: 9781626548626), Firepower (ISBN: 9781635615036).
Download or read book German Halftracks at War 1939 1945 written by Paul Thomas and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2012-03-15 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The author of the bestselling Panzer IV at War delivers a highly illustrated look at “a key element in the German Blitzkrieg” during the Second World War (HistoryOfWar.org). In the aftermath of the Great War, which saw the introduction of the tank, the more far sighted military leaders realized that the future of warfare hinged on a balance of mobility, firepower and protection. Tanks would need to be accompanied into battle by supporting arms, specifically infantry, artillery and engineers. An all fully-tracked field army was thought to be too expensive, so the semi-tracked support vehicle (commonly called a halftrack) was born. The halftrack concept was embraced by France, the US and most notably Germany. The Germans commissioned numerous types of half-tracked tractors, which were classified by the weight of their towed load. These vehicles were designated Sonderkraffarzeug (special motorized vehicle), abbreviated as Sd.Kfz. These front-wheel steering vehicles with tracked drive transformed the fighting quality of the armored divisions. They carried the infantry alongside the advancing panzers and brought guns and pontoon-bridge sections. The halftrack also became the preferred reconnaissance vehicle. This latest addition to the highly successful and collectable Images of War series has a superb collection of rare images, supported by detailed captions and text, of the many Sd.Kfz variants in diverse theatres of war. It is worth reflecting that, without half-tracks, there could have been no Blitzkrieg.
Download or read book M3 Infantry Half Track 1940 73 written by Steven J. Zaloga and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2013-06-20 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As armoured warfare tactics matured, mechanised infantry became a key ingredient in what is now called 'combined arms' doctrine. For the US Army of World War 2, the most important technical aspect of infantry mechanisation was the development of the M3 half-track personnel carrier. Steven Zaloga guides the reader through the early 1930s development of the half-track, its first deployment in action in the Philippines in 1941 and its varied and vital role in international deployments since World War 2. This authoritative text also examines the operators of half-tracks and the troops that they carried.
Download or read book SdKfz 251 Half Track 1939 45 written by Bruce Culver and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-07-20 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Following in the best traditions of German ingenuity in design and construction of armoured vehicles, the SdKfz 251 firmly realised the concept of a competent cross-country tactical vehicle for armoured infantry units. So successful was this half-track that not only did a modified version of it remain in use with Czech forces well into the 1980s but also, ironically, the armoured infantry tactics that the Germans pioneered with it were adopted by Allied forces in the Second World War and helped them to achieve the eventual defeat of Germany. This book covers the genesis and development of the SdKfz 251, and details the numerous modifications and variations that sprang from combat experience.
Download or read book Half track written by R. P. Hunnicutt and published by Presidio Press. This book was released on 2001 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The half-track was one of the most plentiful families of American combat vehicles of World War II.
Download or read book German 251 Half Track written by David Doyle and published by . This book was released on 2015-10 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book German Military Vehicles of World War II written by Jean-Denis G.G. Lepage and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2007-03-21 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume presents a cross-section of the most common transport vehicles produced and used by the German army. Tanks plus auxiliary vehicles such as cars, motorcycles, vans, ambulances, trucks and tractors made it possible for the troops to keep moving. These lightly armored or unarmored vehicles--aka "soft skins"--operated behind the front lines, maintaining supply lines, connecting armies with their home bases, and ultimately determining the outcome of battle. Beginning with the development of military vehicles in the early 1930s, this volume discusses the ways in which this new technology influenced and, to some extent, facilitated Hitler's program of rearmament. Nomenclature, standard equipment, camouflage and the combat roles of the various vehicles are thoroughly examined. Individual vehicle types are arranged and discussed by the following classifications: cars and motorcycles; trucks and tractors; half-tracks and wheeled combat vehicles. Accompanied by well-researched, detailed line drawings, each section deals with a number of individual vehicles, describing their design, manufacture and specific use.
Download or read book Operation Barbarossa the Complete Organisational and Statistical Analysis and Military Simulation Volume IIA written by Nigel Askey and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2013-11-01 with total page 724 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Operation Barbarossa: Volume IIA concerns the Wehrmacht. All the significant German weapon systems and combat squads used in the campaign are analysed using the quantitative methodology detailed in Volume I, along with the contextual history. An assessment of each weapon system's inherent 'combat power' is provided, as well as attributes such as the relative anti-tank, anti-personnel and anti-aircraft values. Volume IIA then focuses on the detailed Kriegstarkenachweisungen (KStN, or TOE) for German land units (including those in the West), as well as the unit's actual organisation and equipment. All significant units in the German Army (Heer), Waffen SS, Luftwaffe and security forces are included; ranging from the largest panzer divisions, down to small anti-aircraft companies, military-police units, Landesschutzen battalions, and rail-road and construction companies. In all cases the data is presented in detailed tables, using the weapon systems and combat squads previously analysed.
Download or read book US Armored Divisions written by Steven J. Zaloga and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2011-03-15 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The armored divisions were the shock force of the US Army's combat formations during the fighting in Northwest Europe in the final year of the war. Of the 16 such divisions formed during the war, all but one served in the European Theater of Operations. This book examines the organizational structure, operational doctrine and combat mission of these divisions from D-Day onwards, describing how doctrines and tactics were changed as the divisions were forced to adapt to the battlefield realities of combat against an experienced foe. The lessons drawn by the armored divisions from the bitter fighting in Northwest Europe from 1944 to 1945 strongly shaped postwar US Army doctrine.
Download or read book U S Half Tracks written by David Doyle and published by . This book was released on 2014-12 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book American Half Tracks written by Ray Merriam and published by Merriam Press. This book was released on 2015-09-29 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Merriam Press World War 2 Album No. 8 First Edition, 2015 Over 400 photos and illustrations of the myriad of models and variants of the American half-tracks of World War II. The half-track was an armored vehicle used by the United States, the British Empire and the other Allies during World War II and the Cold War. This album covers: M2 Half-track Car and variants M3 Half-track and variants M5 Armored Personnel Carriers and variants M9 Armored Personnel Carriers and variants M3 75mm Gun Motor Carriage (GMC) T48 Gun Motor Carriage T19 105mm Howitzer Motor Carriage (HMC) T30 75mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M4 Mortar Motor Carriage (MMC) M21 Mortar Motor Carriage M13 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage (MGMC) M14 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage M16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage M17 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage M15 Combination Gun Motor Carriage (CGMC) experimental vehicles and modifications and these articles: The 3rd Field Artillery Battalion (Provisional) in the Philippines 1941-1942 M3 Gun Motor Carriage M16 Half-tracks in the Philippines: After Action Reports of the 209th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion 402 photos 4 four-view drawing
Download or read book Battle of the Bulge The Young Readers Adaptation written by Rick Atkinson and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2015-06-30 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Looks at the Battle of the Bulge, Adolf Hitler's failed offensive into Belgium in December 1944.
Download or read book The Lion s Gate written by Steven Pressfield and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2014-05-06 with total page 486 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A brilliant look into the psyche of combat. Where he once took us into the Spartan line of battle at Thermopylae, Steven Pressfield now takes us into the sands of the Sinai, the alleys of Old Jerusalem, and into the hearts and souls of soldiers winning a spectacularly improbable victory against daunting odds.” —General Stanley McChrystal, U.S. Army, ret.; author of My Share of the Task June 5, 1967. The nineteen-year-old state of Israel is surrounded by enemies who want nothing less than her utter extinction. The Soviet-equipped Egyptian Army has massed a thousand tanks on the nation’s southern border. Syrian heavy guns are shelling her from the north. To the east, Jordan and Iraq are moving mechanized brigades and fighter squadrons into position to attack. Egypt’s President Nasser has declared that the Arab force’s objective is “the destruction of Israel.” The rest of the world turns a blind eye to the new nation’s desperate peril. June 10, 1967. The Arab armies have been routed, ground divisions wiped out, air forces totally destroyed. Israel’s citizen-soldiers have seized the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the Golan Heights from Syria, East Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan. The land under Israeli control has tripled. Her charismatic defense minister, Moshe Dayan, has entered the Lion’s Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem to stand with the paratroopers who have liberated Judaism’s holiest site—the Western Wall, part of the ruins of Solomon’s temple, which has not been in Jewish hands for nineteen hundred years. It is one of the most unlikely and astonishing military victories in history. Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews with veterans of the war—fighter and helicopter pilots, tank commanders and Recon soldiers, paratroopers, as well as women soldiers, wives, and others—bestselling author Steven Pressfield tells the story of the Six Day War as you’ve never experienced it before: in the voices of the young men and women who battled not only for their lives but for the survival of a Jewish state, and for the dreams of their ancestors. By turns inspiring, thrilling, and heartbreaking, The Lion’s Gate is both a true tale of military courage under fire and a journey into the heart of what it means to fight for one’s people.
Download or read book Disposition of War Surplus Property written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on expenditures in executive departments and published by . This book was released on 1951 with total page 724 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Tip of the Spear written by Robert J. Edwards and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2015-11-15 with total page 578 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During World War II, German armored reconnaissance laid the groundwork—often through small-unit actions—for the stunning tank and infantry operations that made the German military famous. Robert Edwards's follow-up to Scouts Out, the first extensive treatment of the subject in English, focuses on the battles and personalities found in ranks of the Waffen-SS, Luftwaffe, and other divisions. • Covers armored reconnaissance in Poland, France in 1940, the Balkans, North Africa, the Eastern Front, Italy, and the Western Front • Numerous firsthand accounts and after-action reports • Analysis of recon operations, from tactics and doctrine to vehicles and commanders
Download or read book Secret Soldiers How the U S Twenty Third Special Troops Fooled the Nazis written by Paul B. Janeczko and published by Candlewick. This book was released on 2019-04-23 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What do set design, sound effects, and showmanship have to do with winning World War II? Meet the Ghost Army that played a surprising role in helping to deceive — and defeat — the Nazis. In his third book about deception during war, Paul B. Janeczko focuses his lens on World War II and the operations carried out by the Twenty-Third Headquarters Special Troops, aka the Ghost Army. This remarkable unit included actors, camouflage experts, sound engineers, painters, and set designers who used their skills to secretly and systematically replace fighting units — fooling the Nazi army into believing what their eyes and ears told them, even though the sights and sounds of tanks and war machines and troops were entirely fabricated. Follow the Twenty-Third into Europe as they play a dangerous game of enticing the German army into making battlefield mistakes by using sonic deceptions, inflatable tanks, pyrotechnics, and camouflage in more than twenty operations. From the Normandy invasion to the crossing of the Rhine River, the men of the Ghost Army — several of whom went on to become famous artists and designers after the war — played an improbable role in the Allied victory.
Download or read book Library of Congress Subject Headings written by Library of Congress and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 1466 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
