Download or read book The History of the Panzer Troops 1916 1945 written by Werner Haupt and published by Schiffer Military History. This book was released on 1997 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chronological history of the German Panzer Corps, and it role in modern warfare in photos, charts, maps and documents.
Download or read book Tomb of the Panzerwaffe written by Aleksei Isaev and published by Helion. This book was released on 2014-07-19 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In March 1945 the German Wehrmacht undertook its final attempt to change the course of the war by launching a counteroffensive in the area of Lake Balaton, Hungary. Here, the best panzer forces of the Third Reich and the elite of the Panzerwaffe were assembled - the panzer divisions SS Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, Das Reich, Totenkopf, Wiking and others, staffed by ardent believers in Nazism and armed with the most up-to-date combat equipment, including up to 900 tanks and self-propelled guns. At the time, this was considered a secondary axis for the Red Army, and thus the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front had to stop the German counteroffensive with their own forces and could not count upon reinforcements from the Stavka Reserve, which were needed for the decisive storming of Berlin. Relying upon their combat skill and rich combat experience, the Soviet troops carried out this task with honor, stopping the tidal wave of German armor and inflicting a decisive defeat and enormous, irreplaceable losses upon the enemy. The defeat of the Sixth SS Panzer Army became a genuine catastrophe for Germany, and Balaton became the tomb of the Panzerwaffe. In this book, penned by two leading Russian military historians, this major defeat suffered by the Wehrmacht has been described and analyzed for the first time using data from both Soviet and German archives. It focuses not only on Operation Spring Awakening, but also describes the preceding Konrad offensives conducted by the Germans in the effort to come to the aid of the encircled and desperate German and fascist Hungarian defenders of Budapest. This edition is lavishly illustrated with over a hundred rare photographs of destroyed or disabled German armor taken shortly after the battle by a Soviet inspection team, besides other photographs and specially commissioned color maps.
Download or read book Panzer Operations written by Erhard Raus and published by Da Capo Press. This book was released on 2009-04-28 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing from post-war reports commissioned by U.S. Army intelligence, World War II historian Steven H. Newton has translated, compiled, and edited the battle accounts of one of Germany's finest panzer commanders and a skilled tactician of tank warfare. Throughout most of the war, Erhard Raus was a highly respected field commander in the German-Soviet war on the eastern front, and after the war he wrote an insightful analysis of German strategy in that campaign.The Raus memoir covers the Russian campaign from the first day of the war to his relief from command at Hitler's order in the spring of 1945. It includes a detailed examination of the 6th Panzer Division's drive to Leningrad, Raus's own experiences in the Soviet winter counteroffensive around Moscow, the unsuccessful attempt to relieve Stalingrad, and the final desperate battles inside Germany at the end of the war. His battlefield experience and keen tactical eye make his memoir especially valuable for scholars, and his narrative is as readable as Heinz Guderian's celebrated Panzer Leader.
Download or read book Panzer III at War 1939 1945 written by Paul Thomas and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2013-07-02 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With comprehensive captions and text this superb book is the latest in the best selling Images of War Series and the second instalment of the Authors pictorial history of the German Panzers in the Second World War. The Panzer III saw almost continuous action from the the annexation of Czechoslovakia, the invasion of Poland and then France and the Low countries, in North Africa, Italy, the Eastern Front and, finally, the retreat back into Germany. ??Between 1936 and 1945, many thousands of Panzer IIIs were built. It quickly demonstrated its superiority on the battlefield and, for most of the war, remained a match for its opponents heavy tanks.??The superb collection of images show how these formidable tanks were adapted and up-gunned to face the ever increasing enemy threat. The expert commentary describes how the Germans carefully utilized all available reserves and resources into building numerous production variants and how they coped on the battlefield. This is a splendid description of the one of the Nazis foremost fighting machines and a worthy successor volume to the acclaimed Panzer IV at War.
Download or read book Panzers on the Vistula written by Hans Schäufler and published by Pen & Sword Military. This book was released on 2018 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hans Schäufler fought as the commander of 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 and made a daring escape across the Baltic in a small boat. This is his story, and it is the story of tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians who were caught up in the chaos and tragedy of the German retreat. His eyewitness account is one of the most revealing records we have of the experience of the collapse of the Third Reich in the east. As well as giving a vivid insight into the German army's tactics as they fell back before the Soviet advance, he describes the appalling conditions and the fear and panic that gripped the city. Acute shortages of men, equipment, ammunition and fuel crippled the defense, but extraordinary resilience, heroism and ingenuity still motivated the soldiers who were fighting for a lost cause and facing certain defeat.
Download or read book Order in Chaos written by Hermann Balck and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 2015-06-23 with total page 579 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: German general Hermann Balck (1897–1982) was considered to be one of World War II's greatest battlefield commanders. His brilliantly fought battles were masterpieces of tactical agility, mobile counterattack, and the technique of Auftragstaktik, or "mission command." However, because he declined to participate in the U.S. Army's military history debriefing program, today he is known only to serious students of the war. Drawing heavily on his meticulously kept wartime journals, Balck discusses his childhood and his career through the First and Second World Wars. His memoir details the command decision-making process as well as operations on the ground during crucial battles, including the Battle of the Marne in World War I and his incredible victories against a larger and better-equipped Soviet army at the Chir River in World War II. Balck also offers observations on Germany's greatest generals, such as Erich Ludendorff and Heinz Guderian, and shares his thoughts on international relations, domestic politics, and Germany's place in history. Available in English for the first time in an expertly edited and annotated edition, this important book provides essential information about the German military during a critical era in modern history.
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 The Secret Beginnings of Germany s Panzer Troops written by Michael Scheibert and published by Schiffer Military History. This book was released on 1999 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Covered are the secretive origins and development of German's Panzer troops are recounted in numberous photographs, along with a historical account of the vehicles used by the Panzer troops that would later storm through Europe.
Download or read book Sons of the Reich written by Michael Frank Reynolds and published by Spellmount, Limited Publishers. This book was released on 2002 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "II SS Panzer Corps played a significant part in the Normandy campaign, participating in a major counter-attack against the British in late June and bitter holding battles against Montgomery's Armies throughout July and August. Then, after narrowly avoiding annihilation in the Falaise Pocket, the exhausted Hohenstaufen and Frundsberg Divisions found themselves lying in the path of the greatest airborne operation of the war - Market Garden. Their performance in countering this attempt to end the war by Christmas has been admired by friend and foe alike.".
Download or read book Panzer written by Niall Barr and published by White Lion Publishing. This book was released on 1999 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The photographs show the panzers at every stage of their development, from the first experimental units in the 1930s through to the final, futile defence of the Reich. The text provides a detailed history of the development of the concept of armoured blitzkrieg and the equipment used by panzer units, with analysis of the relevant campaigns.
Download or read book The 1st Panzer Division 1935 1945 written by Horst Riebenstahl and published by Schiffer Military History. This book was released on 1997 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chronicle of the oldest and most experienced Panzer division in the Wehrmacht, and its combat throughout WWII in over 500 photos.
Download or read book The Devil s General written by Raymond Bagdonas and published by Casemate. This book was released on 2014-01-19 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A detailed military biography of the most highly decorated Nazi regimental commander in WWII. The most highly decorated German regimental commander of World War II, Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz first won the Iron Cross in the Great War. He was serving with the 1st Panzer Division when the Polish campaign inaugurated World War II. Strachwitz’s exploits as commander of a panzer battalion during the French campaign earned him further decorations before he transferred to the newly formed 16th Panzer Division. There, he participated in the invasion of Yugoslavia and then Operation Barbarossa, where he earned the Knight’s Cross. At Stalingrad, he reached the Volga and fought on the northern rim of Sixth Army’s perimeter. Severely wounded during battle, he was flown out of the Stalingrad pocket and was thus spared the fate of the rest of Sixth Army. Upon recuperation, he was named commander of the Grossdeutschland Division’s panzer regiment and won the Swords to the Knight’s Cross during Manstein’s counteroffensive at Kharkov. Wounded twelve times during the war, and barely surviving a lethal car crash, Strachwitz finally surrendered to the Americans in May 1945. Historian Raymond Bagdonas, though impaired by the disappearance of 16th Panzer Division’s official records at Stalingrad, and the fact that many of the Panzer Graf’s later battlegroups never kept them, has written a vividly detailed account of this combat leader’s life, as well as ferocious armored warfare in World War II.
Download or read book German Ground Forces of World War II written by William T. McCroden and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2019-05-09 with total page 1257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A groundbreaking and comprehensive order of battle for German ground troops in WWII, from the invasion of Poland to the final defeat in Berlin. An indispensable reference work for Second World War scholars and enthusiasts, German Ground Forces of World War II captures the continuously changing character of Nazi ground forces throughout the conflict. For the first time, readers can follow the career of every German division, corps, army, and army group as the German armed forces shifted units to and from theaters of war. Organized by sections including Theater Commands, Army Groups, Armies, and Corps Commands, it presents a detailed analysis of each corresponding order of battle for every German field formation above division. This innovative resource also describes the orders of battle of the myriad German and Axis satellite formations assigned to security commands throughout occupied Europe and the combat zones, as well as those attached to fortress commands and to the commanders of German occupation forces across Europe. An accompanying narrative describes the career of each field formation and includes the background and experience of many of their most famous commanding officers.
Download or read book The Rise of the Wehrmacht written by Samuel W. Mitcham Jr. and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2008-06-30 with total page 768 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Rise of the Wehrmacht is the first comprehensive work to deal with the German war effort in World War II from this point of view. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it covers the entire war effort from the point of view of the German military that actually conducted and fought the war, something that has never been done before on this scale. Excellent books have been written about the German Army, Navy, the Luftwaffe, and the SS, as well as about the Panzer branch, the parachute arm, the U-Boat forces, etc., but this is the first to cover them all in depth. Mitcham also covers the German Wehrkreise (roughly translated as military district) system in depth and recognizes its importance, both in the formation and expansion of the German Army before the war and in its continuing importance throughout the conflict. He deals with the German rearmament in greater depth and detail than has been done before, points out the importance of the police in the development of Germany's reserves before and during World War II, and offers new insights into the evolution and development of the German military doctrine of Kesselschlact (the decisive battle of encirclement and annihilation). In addition, The Rise of the Wehrmacht explains the problems the Wehrmacht faced because of its too rapid expansion. This expansion was far more rapid than the German generals intended and resulted in many problems, especially in terms of equipment shortages and a shortage of qualified officers. Finally, Mitcham addresses the contributions of the Hitler Youth to the war effort, where their work on farms, fire and rescue crews, in nursing, and as postal workers, for example, provided essential services to German infrastructure.
Download or read book German panzer troops written by Horst Scheibert and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Blitzkrieg No Longer written by Samuel W. Mitcham and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2010 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A pivotal year of World War II through German eyes The campaigns of the German army, air force, and navy described by a master storyteller Covers the aftermath of Stalingrad, Kursk, Tunisia, Sicily, Italy, the U-boat war, and air battles After a crushing loss at Stalingrad, the German war machine regrouped in early 1943 to stave off total defeat, but it could not stem the rising Allied tide. In the Mediterranean, Rommel's early successes in Africa were erased by the surrender of Tunisia, and German forces barely escaped Sicily before the Allies seized the island. On the Eastern Front, Soviet T-34s beat German armor in the massive tank battle at Kursk. At sea, the Allies countered the U-boat threat, and in the air, Allied forces dominated the Luftwaffe and took the war to the German home front
Download or read book The Combat History of the 21st Panzer Division 1943 45 written by Werner Kortenhaus and published by Helion. This book was released on 2017-11-19 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For years, one of the most essential sources for study of the Normandy invasion was known only to a select few and nearly unobtainable even to those who knew of its existence. It has never before been translated. None of the major English language histories of the Normandy Invasion refer to it, even though it is the history of the only German armored division that was in place in the Caen area at the moment of the invasion. It reveals key facts that are missing elsewhere. At long last, Werner Kortenhaus' history of the 21st Panzer Division has been published in English. Kortenhaus's account of the division's subsequent commitment, in the Lorraine - Saar Region - Alsace area provides intriguing detail on this little known sector as the southern wing of Patton's 3rd Army strove for the Upper Rhine area of Germany. The last section follows the division after its hasty transfer to the Oder Front, facing the final Russian onslaught on Berlin. In revising and updating his account, originally released in two massive typed volumes, Die Schlalcht um Caen, 1944, Caumont, Falaise Seine, der Einsatz der 21. Panzer Division" in 1989 and "Lothringen Elsa, der Ostfront, der Einsatz der 21. Panzer Division" in 1990, Werner Kortenhaus has exhaustively researched all available sources in German, French and English to supplement his own experiences and those of his fellows and the many individuals whom he interviewed. The result is a seamless account of the Normandy invasion in the British sector from the German viewpoint that sheds new light on many controversial issues. The account continues, following the division and surrounding events during the retreat to the Seine and the division's later commitment in Alsace - Lorraine and, finally, on the Oder Front against the Soviet Union, and its eventual demise in the horrors of the Halbe pocket. The account is not restricted to the history of the 21st Panzer Division, but includes detailed analysis and exposition of actions of adjoining divisions and of the larger picture, from the German viewpoint. Elements of the 21st Panzer Division were committed separately prior to the Normandy invasion on both sides of the River Orne, in the vicinity of Caen. Although the 21st Panzer Division was the only German armored division stationed in the Caen area, it stood by in frustration with engines running for hours awaiting orders for action. Even then it was handicapped by its prior dispersed commitment. Elements of the 21st Panzer Division fought against the British airborne force at Pegasus Bridge, while other elements launched a counterattack that almost reached Sword Beach. The division's Kampfgruppe von Luck was a major part of the German defense east of the Orne. North of Caen, to the west of the Orne, along with the 12th SS-Hitler Jugend Panzer Division the 21st Panzer Division blocked the unrelenting British frontal attacks on Caen that culminated in "Operation Charnwood. The division subsequently played a major role in halting the British assault east of Caen, "Operation Goodwood," short of its final objectives. The division was then shifted westward where remnants of the division then defended against Montgomery's "Operation Bluecoat" that resulted in the final British Breakthrough on their western flank as the Americans broke through to Avranche and beyond. As the German counterattack at Mortain failed and allied forces moved toward encircling the German Fifth Panzer Army and Seventh Army, the 21st Panzer Division was shifted again and attached to the I SS-Panzer Korps. Its two combat groups were separated by the advance of the II Canadian Corps, Kampfgruppe Rauch and elements of Panzer Aufklarungs Abteilung 21 ending up inside the Falaise Pocket, Kampfgruppe von Luck on the outside. Following the retreat to the Seine, the reconstituted, but much depleted, 21st Panzer Division then fought in Lorraine against Patton's 3rd Army. As one of the few armored divisions not included in Hitler's build up of forces for the impending Ardennes Offensive, the division became a "fire brigade," shifted from one hot spot to another, constantly counter attacking as the German front was forced back from Lorraine into the Saar region and then into Alsace. Kortenhaus presents an unusual and detailed insight into the "poor man's war" against the southern arm of Patton's thrust through the Saar region to the upper Rhine, as a few hard-pressed remnant formations tried to "hold the line" while the bulk of the remaining German forces were massed and reconstituted for Hitler's last great offensive in the Ardennes. As the Ardennes operation failed, the 21st Panzer Division took part in "Operation Nordwind" and fought on in Alsace, until the Russian assault over the Vistula shattered the frail German Eastern Front. Within a matter of weeks the Russian forces reached the Oder and broke into East Prussia and Silesia. On 31 January 1945 Hitler ordered that the 21st Panzer Division be pulled out of Alsace and dispatched in extreme haste to the Eastern Front in the Kustrin area. A mere shadow of even what it was when it entered the fighting in Lorraine, the division established contact with the garrison of "Fortress Kustrin" before it was, again, hastily shifted south into northern Silesia in the Sagan - Bunzlau area on the Lausitzer Neie River. After initial eventful fighting the division fell back to the west bank of the Lausitzer Neie River, where it dug in. As the Russian offensive focused on other sectors, the defensive line along the Lausitzer Neie River was successfully held by the 4th Panzer Armee until mid-February 1945. / While the Russians concentrated forces for their last offensive, the "Battle of Berlin," the Oder Front remained relatively quiet, except on the boundary between the 4th Panzer Armee and 17th Armee, where the "Battle for Lauban" developed as the last major offensive of the German Army. A combat group and command staff from the 21st Panzer Division took part in the offensive, which, while successful, faded into insignificance in comparison with the magnitude of Russian forces. Faced with the concentration of the Soviet forces for the final offensive on Berlin, the German Supreme Command repositioned forces, transferring the 21st Panzer Division to the Weiwasser - Spremberg area, on the left wing of the 4th Panzer Armee, of Heeresgruppe Mitte, initially as Armee reserve. The division was ordered to dig in in the "Mathilda" Position, in the German second line of defense. Marshal Koniev's 1st Ukrainian Front launched its final offensive as the last elements of the division arrived. The division was quickly drawn into the fighting. Fighting in desperate defense, the division fell back on Cottbus. The Russian breakthrough in the area between Spremberg and Cottbus split the German V Armee Korps, including the 21st Panzer Division, off from the left wing of the 4th Panzer Armee/Heeresgruppe Mitte, forcing it to the north, into the sector of Heeresgruppe Weichsel, where it was attached to the German 9th Armee. The division met its end as the 9th Armee was cut off and destroyed in the Halbe Pocket, while Russian forces fought within the city of Berlin. Helion's English edition includes a significant number of rare photographs and many maps. Werner Kortenhaus' study represents a significant contribution to English language material available regarding a Heer panzer division, besides its extensive coverage of German armoured operations in Normandy, Lorraine, Alsace and elsewhere.
