Download or read book The Waffen SS Ardennes Offensive Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives written by Ian Baxter and published by Pen & Sword Military. This book was released on 2022-05-30 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In late 1944 under extreme pressure on both the Eastern and Western fronts, Hitler realized he needed to force the Allies into negotiating a truce thereby saving Germany from total defeat. Using the Christmas period to enhance the vital element of surprise, he ordered a devastating attack through the rugged and mountainous Ardenne region with the key Allied port of Antwerp as the objective.This book, with its extensive text and rare and unpublished photographs with detailed captions, tells the story of the Waffen-SS offensive, known as `Wacht am Rhein` (Watch on the Rhine). These formidable SS armored units with supporting Wehrmacht divisions initially achieved dramatic success making full use of the harsh winter conditions and terrain. Gradually the Allies regained the upper hand on the attackers who were increasingly suffering from lack of reinforcements and resupplies. After defeat at the pivotal battle of Bastonge, remaining Waffen-SS units withdrew and were transferred back to the Eastern Front. As described in this classic Images of War book, the Fuhrer's gamble so nearly paid off and the ruthless fighting spirit of the elite Waffen-SS divisions caused the Allied command serious concern.
Download or read book The Americans from the Ardennes to VE Day written by Brooke S Blades and published by Pen & Sword Military. This book was released on 2020-01-15 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The third and final volume of the author's Americans in North-West Europe series covers the historic period December 1944 to May 1945.Launched in December 1944, the Nazis' Ardennes offensive, known as the Battle of the Bulge, was one of the most dangerous periods of the War. During six weeks of desperate fighting, more US soldiers were killed, wounded or reported missing than in any battle in American history.The Rhine was crossed in March 1945, first by the seizure of the railway bridge at Remagen and then by the combined American, British and Canadian ground and airborne operation codenamed Varsity. In the closing stages of the war, the western allies pushed remorselessly in the heart of Germany. Shocking evidence of Nazi atrocities was uncovered.Berlin fell to the Russians in early May and the Allies met up on the River Elbe. In the chaos that followed, Germany was divided into four zones of occupation. The immediate tasks were ensuring the survival of the civilian population, establishing law and order, and the capture of war criminals.In true Images of War style, this book graphically describes the magnificent role played by US forces under General Eisenhower's overall command.
Download or read book The Waffen SS at Arnhem written by Ian Baxter and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2022-02-03 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This pictorial WWII history examines the brutal Battle of Arnhem with particular focus on the SS units that fought the Allied push into the Netherlands. The 1944 Arnhem airborne operation, immortalized by the film A Bridge Too Far, will forever be remembered as a great British feat of arms. British and Polish paratroopers displayed outstanding courage and tenacity in a desperate last stand situation. And yet, as this book describes, the plan was fatally flawed as the 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions were recuperating and concealed nearby. What followed was a bloody battle of attrition the result of which was arguably inevitable. Drawing on rare and unpublished photographs, this volume in the Images of War series reveals the historical combat record of the Hohenstaufen and Frundsberg divisions. It describes the intensity of the fighting in and around Arnhem between these elite SS and supporting units against a lightly armed yet equally determined enemy. In spite of the increasing certainty of German defeat, the SS soldier remained fanatically motivated. This superbly illustrated book with its well-researched text and full captions captures the drama of that historic battle for a bridge over the Rhine.
Download or read book Waffen SS on the Western Front written by Ian Baxter and published by Images of War. This book was released on 2013 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book in the popular Images of War series covers the deeds of the Waffen-SS on the Western Front during the Second World War. With extensive text and in-depth captions with many rare and unpublished photographs, it describes the fighting tactics, the uniforms, the battles and the different elements that went into making the Waffen-SS such an elite fighting unit. It traces how the Waffen-SS carefully built up their assault forces utilizing all available reserves and resources into a ruthlessly effective killing machine. It depicts how this awesome military formation grew to be used in offensive and then in defensive battles, and provides much historical information and facts about the weapons and all the components that fought on Western Front. The reader learns how the Waffen-SS battled their way through the Low Countries and the Balkans. After D-Day they played a key role in Normandy and fought at Arnhem, in the Ardennes and shifted from one disintegrating part of the front to another in a drastic attempt to stabilize the crumbling war effort. The Waffen-SS on the Western Front 1940 - 1945 provides an excellent insight into one of the most effective fighting formations in military history.
Download or read book Operation Nordwind written by Darren Neely and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2023-02-22 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Operation Nordwind was the last major German offensive of World War II on the Western Front. It began on 31 December 1944 in Rhineland-Palatinate, Alsace and Lorraine in southwestern Germany and northeastern France, and ended on 25 January 1945. Normally overshadowed by the Battle of the Bulge, Nordwind battles were just as intense and the troops involved faced the same bitter weather conditions and battle conditions their fellow units did to the north. The goal of the offensive was to break through the lines of the U.S. Seventh Army and French 1st Army in the Upper Vosges mountains and the Alsatian Plain, and destroy them, as well as the seizure of Strasbourg, which Himmler, who had been placed in charge, had promised would be captured by 30 January. The campaign also showcased the difficulties of inter-Allied cooperation between the Americans and the French. The U.S. VI Corps—which bore the brunt of the German attacks—was fighting on three sides by 15 January. By 15 January at least 17 German divisions (including units in the Colmar Pocket) from Army Group G and Army Group Oberrhein, including the 6th SS Mountain, 17th SS Panzergrenadier, 21st Panzer, and 25th Panzergrenadier Divisions were engaged in the fighting. Another smaller attack was made against the French positions south of Strasbourg, but it was finally stopped. Vicious battles at Hatten and Rittershoffen, Gambsheim and Herrlisheim took place and while the Germans could not employ near the same amount as armor as they did in the Ardennes, the armor engagements were nonetheless ruthless. The American 12th Armored Division lost almost an entire tank battalion in the battles in and around Herrlisheim. Action would engulf the entire front and areas like Strasbourg, Wingen, the Colmar Pocket and Haguenau would be engrained in the minds of the troops that fought in these battles.
Download or read book Battle of the Bulge written by Andrew Rawson and published by Images of War. This book was released on 2004 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "At a secret meeting on 3 November 1944, Hitler's plan for seizing back the initiative from the advancing Allies was briefed to his commanders. Under the condename Operation Wacht Amrhein, a massive counter-attack would be launched against the Americans in the Ardennes sector, which was not only the weakest part of the front but also the least likely axis of attack due to the mountainous terrain and the harsh winter weather." "Certainly, when it came in December, the German offensive achieved devastating surprise. Those Americans unfortunate enough to bear the brunt of the attack, were thrown into confusion and, in many case, panic. For a time it looked as though Hitler's last great gamble, known today as the Battle of the Bulge, would pay off sensationally." "Sixty years on, these momentous events of the winter of 1944-1945 are recorded in pictorial form in this informative book which portrays the horror of war under the most desperate conditions."--BOOK JACKET.
Download or read book German Army on the Eastern Front The Advance written by Ian Baxter and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2015-01-30 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: German Army on the Eastern Front Ð The Advance is a highly illustrated record of the extraordinary feat of arms that saw the Nazi armies drive deep into the vast terrain of the Soviet Union, to the gates of Stalingrad and Moscow. It traces the campaign from these hopeful beginnings until, on the brink of victory, the defenders and the winter contrived to slow and then halt the advance. It vividly conveys the appalling conditions endured by the invaders. By early 1943 the German advance finally petered out, leaving some 1.5 million dead from the battle of Stalingrad alone. The long and costly retreat was about to begin.
Download or read book The Waffen SS Ardennes Offensive written by Ian Baxter and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2022-03-02 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In late 1944 under extreme pressure on both the Eastern and Western fronts, Hitler realized he needed to force the Allies into negotiating a truce thereby saving Germany from total defeat. Using the Christmas period to enhance the vital element of surprise, he ordered a devastating attack through the rugged and mountainous Ardenne region with the key Allied port of Antwerp as the objective. This book, with its extensive text and rare and unpublished photographs with detailed captions, tells the story of the Waffen-SS offensive, known as Wacht am Rhein (Watch on the Rhine). These formidable SS armored units with supporting Wehrmacht divisions initially achieved dramatic success making full use of the harsh winter conditions and terrain. Gradually the Allies regained the upper hand on the attackers who were increasingly suffering from lack of reinforcements and resupplies. After defeat at the pivotal battle of Bastonge, remaining Waffen-SS units withdrew and were transferred back to the Eastern Front. As described in this classic Images of War book, the Fuhrer’s gamble so nearly paid off and the ruthless fighting spirit of the elite Waffen-SS divisions caused the Allied command serious concern.
Download or read book Waffen SS in Normandy 1944 Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives written by Ian Baxter and published by Images of War. This book was released on 2022-04-30 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In June 1944, Operation OVERLORD, the greatest ever amphibious invasion, initially overwhelmed German Normandy defenses. To attempt to stabilize the situation, Hitler deployed his elite Waffen-SS divisions to avert the crisis.This classic Images of War book describes how the formidable Leibstandarte, Das Reich, Hitlerjugend, Hohenstaufen, and the Frundsberg SS divisions with supporting Wehrmacht divisions fought fanatically despite facing overwhelming enemy airpower and determined well-led Allied armies. Mounting losses and supply and fuel problems culminated in the Falaise Pocket defeat, when twenty-five out of the thirty-eight German division were completely destroyed. As a result, the remaining Waffen-SS units had to be reluctantly withdrawn and transferred back to Holland and, Belgium to recoup, or sent to the Eastern Front to attempt to stem the relentless Soviet advance.With many rare and unpublished photographs with detailed captions, Waffen-SS in Normandy is a graphic account of the Waffen-SS operations in Normandy and their subsequent retreat through France.
Download or read book Armoured Warfare in the Far East 1937 1945 written by Anthony Tucker-Jones and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book German Half tracks at War written by Paul Thomas and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Ardennes 1944 1945 written by Christer Bergström and published by Casemate / Vaktel Forlag. This book was released on 2014-12-19 with total page 504 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive, photo-filled account of the six-week-long Battle of the Bulge, when panzers slipped through the forest and took the Allies by surprise. In December 1944, just as World War II appeared to be winding down, Hitler shocked the world with a powerful German counteroffensive that cracked the center of the American front. The attack came through the Ardennes, the hilly and forested area in eastern Belgium and Luxembourg that the Allies had considered a “quiet” sector. Instead, for the second time in the war, the Germans used it as a stealthy avenue of approach for their panzers. Much of US First Army was overrun, and thousands of prisoners were taken as the Germans forged a fifty-mile “bulge” into the Allied front. But in one small town, Bastogne, American paratroopers, together with remnants of tank units, offered dogged resistance. Meanwhile, the rest of Eisenhower’s “broad front” strategy came to a halt as Patton, from the south, and Hodges, from the north, converged on the enemy incursion. Yet it would take an epic, six-week-long winter battle, the bloodiest in the history of the US Army, before the Germans were finally pushed back. Christer Bergström has interviewed veterans, gone through huge amounts of archive material, and performed on-the-spot research in the area. The result is a large amount of previously unpublished material and new findings, including reevaluations of tank and personnel casualties and the most accurate picture yet of what really transpired from the perspectives of both sides. With nearly four hundred photos, numerous maps, and thirty-two superb color profiles of combat vehicles and aircraft, it provides perhaps the most comprehensive look at the battle yet published.
Download or read book Blood and Steel 3 written by Donald E Graves and published by Frontline Books. This book was released on 2015-10-30 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Blood and Steel 3, The Wehrmacht Archive: The Ardennes Offensive, December 1944 to January 1945 is an extensive and colourful collection of translated German military documents, private letters and diaries relating to one of the most hard-fought battles of the Second World War. This rare material was gathered by the intelligence section of the American, British and Canadian armies and ranges from orders issued by Feldmarschall von Rundstedt down to jokes told by the ordinary German soldier, often at the expense of his superiors. The infamous use by the Germans of troops disguised as Americans, driving captured US vehicles, to sow confusion behind enemy lines, is described as it happened, including a desperate plea by two Germans captured in US uniforms to be spared execution. This unique collection gives an unparalleled insight into German tactics, organisation, morale and attitudes to their opponents during the Battle of the Bulge, the last desperate gamble by Hitler to defeat the Allied offensive in the West, and is required reading for all historians and enthusiasts of the period.
Download or read book SS Totenkopf France 1940 written by Jack Holroyd and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By the end of the Second World War the reputation of Hitler's Schutzstaffel (SS) had become so heavily sullied that the organization was branded criminal and banned in postwar Germany. This book is a photographic account of that unit's birth and first month of active service.
Download or read book Waffen SS on the Eastern Front 1941 1945 written by Ian Baxter and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2014-02-24 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book in the popular Images of War series covers the deeds of the Waffen-SS on the Eastern Front during the Second World War. With extensive text and in-depth captions with many rare and unpublished photographs it is an absorbing analysis of the part they played on the Eastern Front. It reveals in detail how this elite band of men fought during the opening phase of Barbarossa, the invasion of Russia, how it supported and took part in the victory at Kharkov, Demyansk and other battles in the Soviet Union. The book reveals the Waffen-SS's role at Kursk and how it was forced to withdraw in the face of overwhelming enemy superiority and were rushed from one danger zone to another to plug gaps in the front. Often these troops faced an enemy ten-times their strength and it was for this reason they were feared and respected by their enemy. Although by early May 1945, the Waffen-SS was all but destroyed, having battled across half Russia and gone on to protect the withdrawals of the rest of the German Army to the very gates of Berlin.
Download or read book Blitzkrieg in the West written by Ian Baxter and published by Images of War. This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The miracle of Dunkirk saved vast numbers of British and French forces but could not prevent the surrender of France, leaving Britain to fight on virtually alone. The splendid photographs in this book tell the story of this extraordinary period of history. They include previously unseen images of Rommel's Ghost Division.
Download or read book German Army on the Eastern Front The Retreat 1943 1945 Rare Photographs From Wartime Archives written by and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
