Download or read book Panzers on the Vistula written by Hans Schäufler and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2018-10-30 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This WWII memoir of a Nazi officer is one of the most revealing firsthand accounts of the German retreat on the Eastern Front. A second lieutenant of the 4th Panzer division, Hans Schäufler commanded a Jagdpanther tank destroyer in rearguard actions against the Red Army in East Prussia in 1945. Then, as an infantryman, he took part in the doomed defense of Danzig before escaping across the Baltic in a small boat. His personal story offers a rare glimpse into the chaos and suffering endured by tens thousands of soldiers and civilians during the collapse of the Third Reich in the east. Along with vivid descriptions of the appalling conditions in Danzig and the fear and panic that gripped the city, Schäufler’s account provides valuable insight into the German army’s tactics as they fell back before the Soviet advance. While acute shortages of men, equipment, ammunition and fuel crippled the defense, the soldiers went on fighting for a lost cause in the face of certain defeat.
Download or read book Hitler s Panzers written by Dennis Showalter and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2009-12-01 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Dennis Showalter, recipient of the Samuel Eliot Morison Prize and the Pritzker Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement, a fascinating account of Nazi Germany's armored forces during World War II Determined to secure a quick, decisive victory in his quest of conquer Europe, Adolf Hitler adopted an attack plan that combined tools with technique—the formidable Panzer divisions. Self-contained armored units able to operate independently, the Panzers became the German army's fighting core as well as its moral focus, establishing an entirely new military doctrine. In Hitler's Panzers, Showalter presents a comprehensive study of Germany's armored forces. By delving deeply into a detailed history of the theory, strategy, myths, and realities of Germany's technologically innovative approach to warfare, Showalter provides a look at the military lessons of the past, and a speculation on how the Panzer ethos may be implemented in the future of international conflict.
Download or read book No Greater Ally written by Kenneth K. Koskodan and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2011-12-20 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An in-depth history of the Polish soldiers who served in World War 2, with previously unpublished first-hand accounts and rare photographs. There is a chapter of World War II history that remains largely untold; the monumental struggles of an entire nation have been forgotten, and even intentionally obscured. This book gives a full overview of Poland's participation in World War II. Following their valiant but doomed defence of Poland in 1939, members of the Polish armed forces fought with the Allies wherever and however they could. Full of previously unpublished accounts, and rare photographs, this title provides a detailed analysis of the devastation the war brought to Poland, and the final betrayal when, having fought for freedom for six long years, Poland was handed to the Soviet Union.
Download or read book Panzers Forward written by Robert Edwards and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2018-10-01 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Panzers Forward collects photos of all varieties of German armor, from the smaller tanks of the early war to the gigantic Tigers that came later, on all fronts—North Africa, Sicily and Italy, France, and of course the Eastern Front. Written by a trio of experts who have lived and breathed panzers for decades, the captions identify vehicles as well as their location and units, explain markings and camouflage, and give background information on the vehicles and their battles.
Download or read book Viking Panzers written by Ewald Klapdor and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2011-04-05 with total page 498 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: • Classic World War II unit history of the 5th SS Panzer Regiment, part of the 5th SS Panzer Division "Viking" • The unique 5th SS Panzer Division was made up largely of volunteers from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, the Netherlands, and Belgium • This regiment served on the Eastern Front from 1942 to the end of the war, including action at Kharkov and Warsaw • Draws heavily from the eyewitness testimonies of the 5th's members • First time in English
Download or read book Steel Fist written by Nigel Cawthorne and published by Arcturus Publishing. This book was released on 2003-03-16 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "If the tanks succeed, then victory follows." General Heinz Guderian, 1937 After seeing the success of the British tanks in the First World War, the Germans decided that the future of warfare lay in the Panzerkampfwagen, the armoured fighting vehicle, later simply known as the Panzer. In time, the Panzer Corps would become the German army's new vanguard, an essential component of the new style of war that came to be known as Blitzkrieg - 'lightning war'. Steel Fist looks at the development of the Panzer concept, and the building and deployment of the Corps through the eyes of those who fought it. It tells the story of how the Panzers formed the spearhead of the world's most efficient military machine, and how they were ultimately defeated.
Download or read book Knight s Cross Panzers written by Hans Schäufler and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2010 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First time in English. Unit history of a tank regiment on the Eastern Front. Relies on firsthand accounts, after-action reports, letters, diaries, and newspapers.
Download or read book Third Reich Victorious written by Peter G. Tsouras and published by Frontline Books. This book was released on 2016-11-30 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a stimulating and entirely plausible insight into how Hitler and his generals might have defeated the Allies, and a convincing sideways look at the Third Reich's bid at world domination in World War II. What would have happened if, for example, the Germans captured the whole of the BEF at Dunkirk? Or if the RAF had been defeated in the Battle of Britain? What if the U-Boats had strangled Britain with an impregnable blockade, if Rommel had been triumphant in North Africa or the Germans had beaten the Red Army at Kursk? The authors, writing as if these and other world-changing events had really happened, project realistic scenarios based on the true capabilities and circumstances of the opposing forces. Third Reich Victorious is a spirited and terrifying alternate history, and a telling insight into the dramatic possibilities of World War II.
Download or read book Hitler s Armed SS written by Anthony Tucker-Jones and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2022-09-15 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A history of Germany’s Waffen-SS from its origins to its evolution, featuring insights to its leading commanders, divisions, war crimes and more. The Waffen-SS was one of the most formidable German military formations of the Second World War—feared for its tenacity and ruthlessness in battle, notorious for the atrocities it committed. As a distinct fighting force derived from the Nazi Party’s SS organization, it stood apart from the other units of the German army. Its origins, structure, and operational role during the war are often misunderstood, and the controversy still surrounding its conduct make it difficult today to get an accurate picture of its actions and its impact on the fighting. Anthony Tucker-Jones, in this concise and fluently written account, provides an absorbing and clear-sighted introduction to it. He traces its development under Himmler from modest beginnings in the early 1930s as Hitler’s personal protection squad of elite soldiers to a force which eventually amounted to thirty-eight divisions. Towards the end of the war many Waffen-SS units were formed from foreign volunteers and proved to be of poor quality, but its premier panzer divisions thoroughly deserved their reputation as tough fighters. Through accounts of the Waffen-SS’s major battles on the Eastern Front, in Normandy and finally in defence of Germany, a detailed picture emerges of the contribution it made to the German war effort, especially when Hitler’s armies were in retreat. The parts played by the most famous Waffen-SS formations—Das Reich, Totenkopf, Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler among them—and their commanders—men like Dietrich and Hausser—can be seen in the wider context of the war and Germany’s defeat. Praise for Hitler’s Armed SS “An extraordinarily informed and informative account that will prove to be a welcome and enduringly appreciated contribution to personal, professional, community, and academic library World War II history collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.” —Midwest Book Review “This is a good starter to understand the Waffen SS and its role on the battlefront. It describes each SS Division and its key actions and outcomes.” —Michael McCarthy. Battlefield Guide
Download or read book Blitzkrieg written by Nigel Cawthorne and published by Arcturus Publishing. This book was released on 2013-01-02 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Germany attacked Poland on September 1, 1939, nothing like it had ever been seen before. Heralded by the insidious whine of Stuka divebombers, seven divisions of Panzers rolled across the border supported by motorized infantry. While tanks were punching gaping holes through Polish lines and racing on at speed towards Warsaw, fleeing refugees were machine-gunned mercilessly by the Luftwaffe and lines of communication were torn to ribbons as mayhem spread. This was Blitzkrieg (or 'lightning war'), the art of mechanized warfare. This book looks at the development of the Panzer concept, and the building and deployment of the Corps through the eyes of those who fought in it, and of those who fought against it. It tells the story of the singular breed of men who formed the spearhead of the world's most ruthless and efficient military machine, and how they ultimately came to be defeated.
Download or read book Panzer Gunner written by Bruno Friesen and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2009-07-16 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unique memoir of a Canadian serving in a German armored division What it was like to fight in a tank on the Eastern Front Details on the battlefield performance of the Panzer IV tank Six months before World War II erupted in 1939, Bruno Friesen was sent to Germany by his father in hopes of a better life. Friesen was drafted into the Wehrmacht three years later and ended up in the 7th Panzer Division. Serving as a gunner in a Panzer IV tank and then a Jagdpanzer IV tank destroyer, Friesen experienced intense combat against the Soviets in Romania, Lithuania, and West Prussia.
Download or read book Hitler s Panzer Armies on the Eastern Front written by Robert Kirchubel and published by Grub Street Publishers. This book was released on 2010-01-19 with total page 475 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An in-depth look at the role armored formations played in the struggle between the Nazis and the Soviets. Hitler’s panzer armies spearheaded the blitzkrieg on the Eastern Front. They played a key role in every major campaign, not simply as tactical tools but also as operational weapons that shaped strategy. Their extraordinary triumphs—and their eventual defeat—mirrors the fate of German forces in the East. And yet no previous study has concentrated on the history of these elite formations in the bitter struggle against the Soviet Union. Robert Kirchubel’s absorbing and meticulously researched account of the operational history of the panzer armies fills this gap, using German sources including many firsthand accounts never before seen in English. And it gives a graphic insight into the organization, tactics, fighting methods, and morale of the Wehrmacht at the height of its powers and as it struggled to defend the Reich.
Download or read book Buttoned Up written by Westin Ellis Robeson and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2018-03-05 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Independent tank battalions were small, self-contained armored units attached to larger infantry divisions as necessary during World War II. The United States Army believed this would provide infantry the firepower and protection it needed on an ever-changing battlefield. In Buttoned Up: American Armor and the 781st Tank Battalion in World War II, Westin E. Robeson explores the contribution of American armor to the Allied victory in World War II. Robeson first provides contextual background with a consideration of the history of the tank itself and the development of armor doctrine during the First World War and interwar years. He then addresses the rebirth of American armor in response to the German attacks in Europe. Finally, he focuses on a particular independent tank battalion, the 781st, as a case study of the effectiveness of armor in World War II. Buttoned Up introduces the reader to the application of American armored doctrine and provides a new understanding of the tank as a weapon.
Download or read book Fallschirm Panzer Division Hermann G ring written by Lawrence Paterson and published by Greenhill Books. This book was released on 2021-12-22 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A history of the development and role during World War II of the private army of the Nazi Luftwaffe’s commander-in-chief. In the early years of the Third Reich, Hermann Göring, one of the most notorious leaders of the Third Reich, worked to establish his own personal army to rival Himmler’s SS and Reichswehr. The result: a private Prussian police force which grew into one of the most powerful armored units in Nazi Germany’s Wehrmacht. This unit fought throughout the Second World War, meeting Anglo-American forces in vicious battles across the European theatres of Tunisia, Sicily, and Italy before finally being defeated by the Red Army on the Eastern Front. This book incorporates technical details of these battles with the turbulent politics and Machiavellian maneuvering of Hitler’s inner circle, giving military-history enthusiasts fresh insights into the development and role of this unusual division through the war. Drawing on first-hand accounts and extensive archive material, World War II historian Lawrence Paterson presents a comprehensive and unbiased history of the establishment of the famous 1st Fallschirm-Panzer Division. Praise for Fallschirm–Panzer Division ‘Hermann Göring’ “A fine study, well written, thoroughly researched and highly readable.” —The Journal of Military History “An important contribution to an otherwise little-known but fascinating unit.” —History of War “For anybody interested in the role of this elite unit, it is a ‘must read’ and as part of an understanding of the campaigns it fought, it offers a wider perspective of its interaction with adjoining units.” —Michael McCarthy, Battlefield Guide
Download or read book Tiger Battalion 507 written by Helmut Schneider and published by Greenhill Books. This book was released on 2020-04-29 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ‘May the army of millions of dead of all nations bear witness to humanity for the hope that future generations may learn to discard war as the best way to resolve their differences.’ - Helmut Schneider This is the little-known story of Heavy Panzer (Tiger) Battalion 507 told through the recollections of the men who fought with the unit. The book was conceived during a reunion of the ‘507’ at Rohrdorf in 1982, where it was agreed to set up an editorial committee under Helmut Schneider, himself a veteran of the battalion, to search for as many survivors of the unit as possible and gather their reminiscences. The resulting account is a treasure trove of first-hand material, from personal memories, diary entries and letters to leave passes, wartime newspaper cuttings, Wehrmacht bulletins and more than 160 photographs. The account follows the unit from its formation in 1943 and the catastrophic events on the Eastern Front, through battles on the Western Front and engagements against the American 3rd Armoured Division to the confusion of retreat, panic-stricken flight and Soviet captivity in the closing stages of the war. Honest and unflinching, this remarkable collection of autobiographies offers a glimpse into life in Hitler’s panzer division and is a stark testimony of a generation that sacrificed its best years to the war. This is the first English-language translation of the work.
Download or read book Blitzkrieg Unleashed written by Richard Hargreaves and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2010 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On-the-ground account of the opening campaign of World War II Told from the perspective of the Germans who conquered Poland Based on letters, diaries, official documents, histories, and newspapers At dawn on September 1, 1939, the Germans launched their land, air, and sea assault on Poland, sparking the great conflagration of World War II and shocking the world with the speed and ferocity of their blitzkrieg. With thundering panzers and screaming dive-bombers, they crushed the vital port of Danzig into submission, drove the Polish Air Force from the skies, and took Warsaw amid great bloodshed. After six weeks of brave resistance, the Poles surrendered, no match for the Nazi war machine.
Download or read book The World War II Reader written by Robert Leckie and published by ibooks. This book was released on 2013-04-30 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Pearl Harbor to D-Day and beyond and all-star examination of the conflict that shaped the modern world from World War II Magazine. It was a war that defined a generation of the world, a war that saw America transform itself from an inward-looking isolationist nation to an arsenal of democracy whose reach spanned the globe. The World War II Reader presents in one extraordinary book the thrilling story of the greatest generation in its finest hour in the best essays from the world's most distinguished historians compiled by World War II Magazine, the only magazine that brings the history and drama of the 20th Century's defing conflict to life. The World War II Reader includes insightful essays on the larger-than-life leaders who made life-and-death decisions that shaped grand strategy and crucial battles. In addition, this book cuts through the fog of war and presents though-provoking revelations of little known events that had far-reaching consequences, including the Niihau Incident, that tragically affected the fate of Japanese-Americans in Hawaii and mainland America. The World War II Reader is a must-have for every history enthusiast, and for the person serching for the one book that not just tells the story of America's greatest conflict, but makes World War II come vividly alive as if it happened yesterday.
