Download or read book German Assault Guns and Tank Destroyers 1940 1945 written by Anthony Tucker-Jones and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2016-10-30 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The assault guns and tank destroyers deployed by the Wehrmacht during the Second World War are not as famous as tanks like the Tiger and Panther, but they were remarkably successful, and they are the subject of Anthony Tucker-Jones's wide-ranging photographic history. As the conflict progressed, the German army had to find a use for its obsolete panzers, and this gave rise to the turretless Sturmgeschütz or assault guns designed for infantry support. From 1944 onwards they played a vital role in Nazi Germany's increasingly defensive war. A selection of rare wartime photographs shows the variety of turretless armored fighting vehicles that were produced and developed – various models of the Sturmgeschütz III, the Sturmhaubitze, Jagdpanzer, Panzerjäger, Marder, Hetzer. Often a lack of tanks meant that these armoured vehicles were called on to fill the panzer's role, and they proved ideal during the Germans’ defensive battles on the Eastern Front as well as in Italy and Normandy – they were instrumental in delaying Germany's defeat. This highly illustrated account provides is a fascinating introduction to one of the less well-known aspects of armored warfare during the Second World War.

Download or read book German Assault Guns on the Eastern Front written by Hans Wijers and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Assault guns were armored fighting vehicles similar to tanks, with the chassis and tracks of a panzer but without the rotating turret and with a larger gun. Used to support infantry assaults, they were also effective as tank destroyers. Hans Wijers has assembled hundreds of photos of these vehicles at war on the Eastern Front of World War II.

Download or read book Hitler s Tank Killer written by Hans Seidler and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2010-08-19 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sturmgeschtz III was originally designed as an assault weapon, but as war progressed it was increasingly used in a defensive role and evolved into an assault gun and tank destroyer. By 1943 its main role was providing anti-tank support to the units in its area of operation. This consequently led to many StuGs being destroyed in battle. Nonetheless they were very successful as tank killers and destroyed, among others, many bunkers, pillboxes and other defenses. While not considered to be a true tank because it lacked a turret, the gun was mounded directly in the hull, with a low profile to reduce vehicle heights, and had a limited lateral traverse of a few degrees in either direction. Thus, the entire vehicle had to be turned in order to acquire targets. Omitting the turret made production much simpler and less costly, enabling greater numbers to be built. Most assault guns were mounted on the chassis of a Panzer III or Panzer IV, with the resultant model being called either a StuG III or StuG IV respectively. The StuG was one of the most effective tracked vehicles of World War II, and over 10,000 of them were eventually produced.

Download or read book M10 Tank Destroyer vs StuG III Assault Gun written by Steven J. Zaloga and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2013-08-20 with total page 115 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Allies' M10 Tank Destroyer and the Germans' Sturmgeschütz (StuG) lll were the unsung workhorses of the northwest European battlefields of 1944–45. While their mission was not principally fighting one another, their widespread use ensured their frequent encounters, from the Normandy Bocage, to the rubble-strewn streets of Aachen. The StuG lll was the quintessential assault gun, a low-slung, heavily armoured, turret-less vehicle intended to provide direct fire support for infantry formations, whilst the M10 3in Gun Motor Carriage was originally developed as a tank destroyer. However, by 1944 the 3in gun proved ineffectual against the most thickly armored German tanks, and was consequently relegated to infantry support too. Widely deployed in roles their designers had not envisaged, these two armoured fighting vehicles clashed repeatedly during the 11-month campaign, which saw the Allies advance from Normandy to the heart of the Reich. Fully illustrated with specially commissioned artwork, this is the story of their confrontation at the height of World War ll.

Download or read book Sturmgesch tz III Assault Gun 1940 42 written by Hilary Doyle and published by Osprey Publishing. This book was released on 1996-04-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The workhorse of the German Army that swept across Poland, France and Russia, the Sturmgeschütz III saw service in all theatres of World War II, both in an infantry support role and as a tank destroyer. Cheaper and quicker to produce than a tank, the assault gun proved a remarkably effective weapon. Its design and development, production, capabilities and operational history are all closely examined, as is its tactical employment and organisation into units. This book uses original German combat and experience reports to show how the Sturmgeschütz fared in action, whilst also providing information on both retrofitted and production modifications.

Download or read book Seek Strike and Destroy written by Christopher Richard Gabel and published by . This book was released on 1986 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the seventy years that have passed since the tank first appeared, antitank combat has presented one of the greatest challenges in land warfare. Dramatic improvements in tank technology and doctrine over the years have precipitated equally innovative developments in the antitank field. One cycle in this ongoing arms race occurred during the early years of World War II when the U.S. Army sought desperately to find an antidote to the vaunted German blitzkrieg. This Leavenworth Paper analyzes the origins of the tank destroyer concept, evaluates the doctrine and equipment with which tank destroyer units fought, and assesses the effectiveness of the tank destroyer in battle.

Download or read book Seek Strike and Destroy written by Christopher Richard Gabel and published by . This book was released on 1986 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the seventy years that have passed since the tank first appeared, antitank combat has presented one of the greatest challenges in land warfare. Dramatic improvements in tank technology and doctrine over the years have precipitated equally innovative developments in the antitank field. One cycle in this ongoing arms race occurred during the early years of World War II when the U.S. Army sought desperately to find an antidote to the vaunted German blitzkrieg. This Leavenworth Paper analyzes the origins of the tank destroyer concept, evaluates the doctrine and equipment with which tank destroyer units fought, and assesses the effectiveness of the tank destroyer in battle.

Download or read book German Self propelled Artillery at War 1940 1945 written by Ian Baxter and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2023-10-30 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite the German Panzerwaffe’s ability to engage its foes rapidly with concentrated force, additional fire power was often required to break through enemy lines. Initially this was with towed artillery but, as the war developed, converting tanks into fast-moving self-propelled artillery carrying vehicles proved far more effective. As a result a number of weapon systems came into service including the Pz.Kpfw.I and II. Other conversions followed including the Pz.Kpfw.II Wespe with its 10.5cm gun, the Pz.Kpfw.III/IV Hummel armed with a 15cm howitzer, the Sturmpanzer Brummbar with its powerful 15cm gun and the Grille series based on the Czech Pz.Kpfw 38(t) tank chassis. These and other armored vehicles were capable of providing both close firesupport for infantry and acting as anti-tank weapons. This highly illustrated book describes the key role played by German self-propelled artillery from its introduction in 1940 in France, to North Africa, Italy, Russia and North-West Europe. It analyzes the development of the numerous variants that came into service as these formidable weapon systems were adapted and up-gunned to face the ever-increasing enemy threat. With rare and often published photographs this book provides a unique insight into German self-propelled artillery from its early triumphant war years to final defeat in 1945.

Download or read book The Combat History of German Heavy Anti Tank Unit 653 in World War II written by Karlheinz Munch and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2005 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hundreds of photos, many never published before, of Germany's rarely seen tank destroyers, including the Ferdinand, Elephant, and JagdtigerColor illustrations focus on unit markings, numbering, and camouflageAccompanying text chronicles the unit's combat operations plus there are personal accounts from the men who rode in these mechanical monstersGerman Heavy Anti-Tank Unit 653 was equipped with the heaviest tank destroying vehicles of the German armed forces. Initially activated as an assault gun battalion and redesignated in April 1943, the 653 received its first Ferdinand heavy tank destroyers (later modified and renamed Elephants) in May 1943 and went into action on the Eastern Front a month later. In 1944, the unit converted to the even more massive Jagdtiger. The seventy-five-ton, heavily armored Jagdtiger was the behemoth of the battlefield and boasted a 128mm gun-as opposed to the Ferdinand's 88-with a range of more than thirteen miles, making it deadly despite its limited mobility. Outfitted with these lethal giants, the 653 saw service in Russia, Italy, Austria, and Germany.

Download or read book Sturmgesch tze Amoured Assault Guns written by Bob Carruthers and published by Archive Media Publishing Limited. This book was released on 2012-03-01 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The performance of the armored assault artillery battery completely won the confidence of the infantrymen." report from 'Die Woche' magazine The Sturmgesch tz rumbling forward into action is one of the iconic images of World War II. As mobile assault guns, the StuGs were essentially designed as infantry support weapons, but they also proved themselves as highly effective tank destroyers. Written by Emmy Award winning author Bob Carruthers this fascinating study encompasses the design, development and combat history of the w StuG III and IV. Drawing on a variety of rare primary sources and photographs this outstanding study explains the role of the StuG in context and examines the combat records of the StuG aces such as Franz von Malachowski, and Knight's Cross holder Oberwachtmeister Hugo Primozic of Stug.Abt.667. Indispensable reading for anyone with an interest in armoured warfare. This book is part of the 'Hitler's War Machine' series, a new military history range compiled and edited by Emmy Award winning author and historian Bob Carruthers. The series draws on primary sources and contemporary documents to provide a new insight into the true nature of Hitler's Wehrmacht. The series consultant is David Mcwhinnie creator of the award winning PBS series 'Battlefield'.

Download or read book German Tank Destroyers written by Pierre Tiquet and published by Casemate. This book was released on 2021-08-04 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An “unusually well-detailed” pictorial history of the entire class of vehicles including the Hornisse, Jagdpanzer 38, Jagdpanzer IV, and Elefant (AMPS). From the early days of World War II, it was clear that the Wehrmacht’s antitank units would need to be motorized as existing horse- or automobile-drawn units were too slow to be effective. Initially, antitank guns were mounted onto available, usually obsolete, tank chassis, such as the Panzerjäger I and II. However, German engineers would soon turn to the heavy chasses of the Panzer IV, the Panther, and the Tiger for their tank hunters. It became apparent during the invasion of France that enemy antitank guns were both more powerful and better armored, and improvement became a priority during Barbarossa as German units faced off against the new Soviet tanks. The appearance of the Soviet T-34 in July 1941 meant that the Germans had to quickly come up with something equally powerful. The result was the motorized panzerjäger, faster and more mobile than older towed versions. This was followed in 1942 by the introduction of the 7.5cm gun. Further designs and modifications were informed by reports from the front line. Some of these conversions were very successful and resulted in fearsome tank destroyers deployed to great effect by the Wehrmacht. The lightweight Hetzer, for example, was based on a modified Panzer 38(t) and entered service in 1944. This small tank became Germany’s main tank destroyer during the final stages of the war, and would continue in use around the world even after 1945. Though they may not have looked that intimidating, the Landser were soon won over, and were comforted to have something reliable to stand between them and the Soviet tanks. This account, illustrated by hundreds of period photos, examines the development and deployment of various models of tank destroyers during World War II. “A very nice reference resource, with lots of detail and diorama inspiration for modelers.” —Military Model Scene

Download or read book The Hitler Years Disaster 1940 1945 written by Frank McDonough and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2021-10-12 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Second Volume of a new chronicle of the Third Reich under Hitler's hand, ending with his death and Germany's disastrous defeat. In The Hitler Years: Disaster 1940-1945, Frank McDonough completes his brilliant two-volume history of Germany under Hitler’s Third Reich. At the beginning of 1940, Germany was at the pinnacle of its power. By May 1945, Hitler was dead and Germany had suffered a disastrous defeat. Hitler had failed to achieve his aim of making Germany a super power and had left her people to cope with the endless shame of the Holocaust. Despite Hitler's grand ambitions and the successful early stages of the Third Reich's advances into Europe, Frank McDonough convincingly argues that Germany was only ever a middle-ranking power and never truly stood a chance against the combined forces of the Allies. In this second volume of The Hitler Years, Professor Frank McDonough charts the dramatic change of fortune for the Third Reich and Germany's ultimate defeat.

Download or read book Tank Wrecks of the Eastern Front 1941 1945 written by Anthony Tucker-Jones and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2016-08-30 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A photographic history of the destruction left in the wake of the world’s largest confrontation between mechanized armies: “Highly recommended.” —AMPS Indianapolis Four years of armored battle on the Eastern Front in the Second World War littered the battlefields with the wrecks of destroyed and disabled tanks, and Anthony Tucker-Jones’s photographic history is a fascinating guide to them. It provides a graphic record of the various types of tank deployed by the Red Army and the Wehrmacht during the largest and most destructive confrontation between mechanized armies in military history. During the opening stages of the war the German victors regularly photographed and posed with destroyed Soviet armor. Operation Barbarossa left 17,000 smashed Soviet tanks in its wake, and the heavy and medium tanks such as the T-28, T-35, KV-1, and T-34 proved to be a source of endless interest. Once the tide turned, the wrecked and burnt-out panzers the Mk IVs, Tigers, and Panthers were photographed by the victorious Red Army. As well as tracing the entire course of the war on the Eastern Front through the trail of broken armor, the photographs in this book provide a wide-ranging visual archive of the tank types of the period that will appeal to everyone who is interested in tank warfare and to modelers and wargamers in particular.

Download or read book Hitler s Winter written by Anthony Tucker-Jones and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2022-06-09 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'What a brilliant book this is... a terrific narrative of Hitler's Ardennes offensive of December 1944 – superb storytelling that achieves a skilful balance between drama and detail.' - James Holland The Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive in the West. Launched in the depths of winter to neutralize the overwhelming Allied air superiority, three German armies attacked through the Ardennes, the weakest part of the American lines, with the aim of splitting the Allied armies and seizing the vital port of Antwerp within a week. It was a tall order, as the Panzers had to get across the Our, Amblève, Ourthe and Meuse rivers, and the desperate battle became a race against time and the elements, which the Germans would eventually lose. But Hitler's dramatic counterattack did succeed in catching the Allies off guard in what became the largest and bloodiest battle fought by US forces during the war. In this book, Anthony Tucker-Jones tells the story of the battle from the German point of view, from the experiences of the infantrymen and panzer crewmen fighting on the ground in the Ardennes to the operational decisions of senior commanders such as SS-Oberstgruppenführer Josef 'Sepp' Dietrich and General Hasso von Manteuffel that did so much to decide the fate of the offensive. Drawing on new research, Hitler's Winter provides a fresh perspective on one of the most famous battles of World War II.

Download or read book Seek Strike and Destroy written by Christoper R. Gabel and published by www.Militarybookshop.CompanyUK. This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After the collapse of the French army in 1940, the U.S. Army quickly moved to develop a doctrine, organization, and weaponry to deal with a large-scale mechanized attack such as the German Blitzkrieg. The result was the development of a "tank destroyer" concept that combined an aggressive doctrine, an elite spirit, and highly mobile, heavily gunned weapons - and which proved to be seriously flawed in practice. "Seek, Strike, and Destroy: U.S. Army Tank Destroyer Doctrine in World War II" provides a case study of how General Lesley J. McNair, at the direction of Chief of Staff George C. Marshall, developed the tank destroyer doctrine and its resultant antitank quasi-arm, and how the program's flawed once it was implemented. Even aside from the failure of the Germans to use massed armor in the latter part of the war, the rapid evolution of armor technology as the war went on, and the piecemeal use of tank destroyer battalions by field commanders, "Seek, Strike, and Destroy" shows that, given the largely offensive nature of the Army's mission, an strong anti-tank program assumed a defensive strategy which, if implemented, conceded that mission's failure. The misunderstanding of the mission, threat, and technology, combined with branch rivalries and obstruction within the Army, produced a tank destroyer hamstrung by tactical misuse and a technology woefully inadequate in the face of rapidly improving German armor technology. "Seek, Strike, and Destroy" not only explains the failure of a particular doctrine, but illuminates the more general problem of doctrinal development based on an inadequate understanding of technical and strategic realities. Strategists and scholars alike will find much to ponder in this valuable book. Originally published in 1985: 100 p. ill.

Download or read book Hitler s Panzers written by Anthony Tucker-Jones and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2020-02-05 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Often it is assumed that Hitler’s panzers stormed into action perfectly formed, driving through the armies of the Poles in 1939 and the French in 1940 and defeating them. The dramatic blitzkrieg victories won by the Wehrmacht early in the Second World War – in which the panzers played a leading role – tend to confirm this impression. But, as Anthony Tucker-Jones demonstrates in this illustrated, comprehensive and revealing history of the panzers, this is far from the truth. As armoured fighting vehicles the early panzers were no better than – sometimes inferior to – those of their opponents, but their tactics rather than their technology gave them an advantage. Later on German tank designers developed technically superior tanks but these could not be built fast enough or in sufficient numbers. For all their excellence, they were overwhelmed by the American Shermans and Soviet T-34s that were produced in their tens of thousands. This is the story Anthony Tucker-Jones relates as he traces the evolution of the panzers from the modest beginnings in the 1930s to the Panzer IVs, Panthers and Tigers which were the most formidable German tanks of the war. Not only does he cover their design and production history, he also assesses their combat performance and gives a fascinating insight into the decision-making at the highest level which directed German tank design.

Download or read book The Panzer IV written by Anthony Tucker-Jones and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2017-04-30 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This pictorial history of the infamous Nazi tank presents a full account—in words and photographs—of Hitler’s most fearsome and versatile war machine. Throughout the Second World War, the Panzerkampfwagen Mk IV proved to be the one constant in Hitler's Panzerwaffe. It was the German equivalent of the American Sherman and the Soviet T-34. In this pictorial history, military expert Anthony Tucker-Jones provides a concise account of the Mk IV's design, development and performance in combat. The Mk IV served on every major front: in France, the Balkans, North Africa, the Soviet Union and, at the end of the war, in Germany itself. It was a key weapon in the blitzkrieg attacks and in the later desperate defense of the Reich. Using more than 150 rare wartime photographs, plus a selection of specially commissioned color images, Tucker-Jones illustrates how the initial design of the Mk IV was refined throughout the war to counter the design advances in Allied tanks and anti-tank guns. While the Mk IV was never produced in the same numbers as the leading Allied tanks, it was one of the most important armored vehicles of the Second World War.