Download or read book StuG III Brigade 191 1940 1945 written by Bruno Bork and published by Greenhill Books. This book was released on 2021-12-08 with total page 556 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An illustrated history of one brigade of German World War II armored fighting vehicles and the action they saw along the Eastern Front. Based on their experiences during the First World War, the Reichswehr decided that the infantry support gun of the future should be an armored, motorized vehicle with an effective caliber of cannon: the Sturmgeschütz III. The weapon was used in the “fire brigade role” at hotspots along the Front, where it was much feared by enemy forces. This illustrated volume tells the tale of Brigade 191, aka the “Buffalo Brigade,” who used the Sturmgeschütz III as they took part in Operation Barbarossa in the Ukraine, saw action during the fight for Greece in 1941 and were deployed to the areas of heaviest fighting in the campaign against the Soviet Union. This began with the infantry advance from Ukraine to Moscow (1941): then to Voronezh, Kursk, the Caucasus, and Kuban (1942), then the Kertsch Peninsula and the Crimea (1943-1944), before they were finally evacuated from Sevastopol into Romania by naval lighters. On the South-east Front (the retreat through the Balkans), the Brigade fought its way into Austria and was still fighting on the last day of the war to keep a corridor open. Keen to write an account recording the tactical significance of the Sturmgeschütz III, while surviving members of Brigade 191 also wished for a cohesive documentary record of the war, Bork set about gathering military records and literature, as well as interviewing as many ex-Brigade men as possible, in order to bring this detailed account into being. Praise for StuG III Brigade 191, 1940–1945 “Author Bruno Bork not only offers a tactical unit history, but also another German “blood and guts” ground-level views of Hitler’s retreats and defeats on the Eastern Front. This is also a truly riveting read.” —ARGunners.com “Upon finishing this book the reader will doubtlessly better realize what a useful and versatile armored fighting vehicle the Sturmgeschütz III really was to the German armed forces.” —Globe at War “As a unit history, the scenarios come a poppin on page after page.” —Historical Miniatures Gaming Society “Highly recommended for beginner to advanced builders and historians interested in the StuG actions on the Eastern Front.” —AMPS
Download or read book Ghosts Of Stalingrad written by Major Willard B. Atkins II and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2014-08-15 with total page 125 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Battle of Stalingrad was a disaster. The German Sixth Army consisted of over 300,000 men when it approached Stalingrad in August 1942. On 2 February 1943, 91,000 remained; only some 5,000 survived Soviet captivity. Largely due to the success of previous aerial resupply operations, Luftwaffe leaders assured Hitler they could successfully supply the Sixth Army after it was trapped. However, the Luftwaffe was not up to the challenge. The primary reason was the weather, but organizational and structural flaws, as well as enemy actions, also contributed to their failure. This thesis will address why the Demyansk and Kholm airlifts convinced the Germans that airlift was a panacea for encircled forces; the lessons learned from these airlifts and how they were applied at Stalingrad; why Hitler ordered the Stalingrad airlift despite the logistical impossibility; and seek out lessons for today’s military. The primary reason for the Stalingrad tragedy was that Germany’s strategic leadership did not apply lessons learned from earlier airlifts to the Stalingrad airlift, and the U.S. military is making similar mistakes with respect to the way it is handling its lessons learned from recent military operations.
Download or read book Infantry Attacks written by Erwin Rommel and published by Greenhill Books. This book was released on 2023-11-30 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Legendary German general Erwin Rommel analyzes the tactics that led to his success. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel exerted an almost hypnotic influence not only over his own troops but also over the Allied soldiers of the Eighth Army in the Second World War. Even when the legend surrounding his invincibility was overturned at El Alamein, the aura surrounding Rommel himself remained unsullied. In this classic study of the art of war Rommel analyses the tactics that lay behind his success. First published in 1937 it quickly became a highly regarded military textbook, and also brought its author to the attention of Adolph Hitler. Rommel was to subsequently advance through the ranks to the high command in the Second World War. As a leader of a small unit in the First World War, he proved himself an aggressive and versatile commander with a reputation for using the battleground terrain to his own advantage, for gathering intelligence, and for seeking out and exploiting enemy weaknesses. Rommel graphically describes his own achievements, and those of his units, in the swift-moving battles on the Western Front, in the ensuing trench warfare, in the 1917 campaign in Romania, and in the pursuit across the Tagliamento and Piave rivers. This classic account seeks out the basis of his astonishing leadership skills, providing an indispensable guide to the art of war.
Download or read book Illustrated History of the Sturmgesch tz Abteilung 202 written by Norbert Számvéber and published by Peko Publishing. This book was released on 2016-05-24 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 202 was one of the most successful German assault gun units in the Second World War. It had been deployed exclusively on the Eastern Front against the Red Army between 1941 and 1945. The StuGs of this unit were very effective AFVs on the battlefield in the role of heavy weapons for infantry fire support and also as mobile antitank firepower. Dr. Norbert Számvéber, author of Waffen-SS Armour in Normandy and Days of Battle, presents a detailed combat history of this unit, primarily based on archival sources. The book includes a significant number of rare photographs and several maps.
Download or read book Ending the Siege of Leningrad written by Carlos Caballero Jurado and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2020-07-30 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Battle of Krasny Bor in 1943 was part of the Soviet Red Army's efforts to lift the blockade of Leningrad, one of the longest and most destructive in history. Previous works on the Battle of Krasny Bor have focused primarily on the infantry involved, especially when using veteran testimonies, and the use of artillery has been conspicuously absent. This book aims to put the reader right in the heart of the battle, describing the action from an artilleryman's point of view, seeing it fundamentally as a duel between the Soviet and German-Spanish soldiers.
Download or read book ABT724 STURMGESCHU TZ EN written by and published by AK-INTERACTIVE, S.L.. This book was released on with total page 118 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work is a study on the development and organization of Wehrmacht assault cannon units since its creation, in 1940, until the end of World War II. The uniforms and characteristics of the main models of cannon and assault shells are also studied, as well as some of the support vehicles that were part of the material that was delivered to these units. The book contains illustrations and photographs, many of which they had not published so far.
Download or read book Storming Eagles written by James Lucas and published by Canelo. This book was released on 2022-05-26 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unstoppable and deadly, this is the gripping story of some of the most feared soldiers in the war The daring, courage and skill of the highly-trained men who spearheaded German assaults in the blitzkrieg of 1940, dropping from the air to seize and overwhelm key invasion points, showed to an alarmed world that a new dimension had been added to the science of warfare. One spectacular success was the invasion and capture of Crete in May 1941, all be it achieved at a terrible price. The German paratroopers were an elite, justifying again and again their great reputation for courage and hard fighting in Russia, North Africa and Italy. Bestselling military historian James Lucas has researched deeply in Allied and German archives and interviewed many of the leading members of the Fallschirmjaegar who survived the war. This is an unmissable and dramatic account of the Second World War’s most frightening elite, perfect for readers of James Holland and Max Hastings.
Download or read book Combat History of the Panzer Abteilung 103 written by Norbert Szamveber and published by Peko Publishing. This book was released on 2016-05-30 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book presents the detailed combat history of German Panzer-Abteilung 103 as part of the 3. Panzergrenadier-Division in Italy from September 1943 to August 1944 based on the almost unknown war diary of this unit. The Panzer-Abteilung 103 was fully equipped with Sturmgeschütz III assault guns. This is an impressive look at tactical-level events and command decisions, highlighting the German armored combat tactics in Italy. The book includes a number of original maps and excellent photos.
Download or read book Sturmgeschutz Brigade 236 written by Tino von Struckmann and published by . This book was released on 2019-12-07 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sturmgeschutz Brigade 236, was one of the most successful Assault gun regiments during WW2, even though it only existed for 2 years. It was completely destroyed and rebuilt 3 times during the fighting on the Eastern front. It was a small professional, determined and well led unit. This book is a complete reproduction of the unit diary from the inception of the unit in 1943 to the end of the war in 1945. It was translated from the war time writing of the unit officers. We follow the day by day events of the men of the 2/236th while fighting on the Eastern Front where losses decimated the regiment even as they accumulated battlefield victories. The work has been complimented by personal letters and pictures from the members of the regiment which were obtained through a decade of collection efforts and research.
Download or read book Prinz Eugen written by Bohumir Kudlička and published by MMP. This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen was a German mountain infantry division of the Waffen-SS, the armed wing of the German Nazi Party that served alongside but was never formally part of the Wehrmacht during World War II. Formed in 1941 from Volksdeutsche (ethnic German) volunteers and conscripts from the Banat, Independent State of Croatia (NDH), Hungary and Romania, it fought a counter-insurgency campaign against communist-led Yugoslav Partisan resistance forces in the Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia, NDH and Montenegro. It was given the title Prinz Eugen after Prince Eugene of Savoy, an outstanding military leader of the Habsburg Empire who liberated the Banat and Belgrade from the Ottoman Empire in the Austro-Turkish War of 1716-1718. It was initially named the SS-Freiwilligen-Division Prinz Eugen (SS-Volunteer Division Prinz Eugen). This lavishly illustrated book tells the story of this unit and its operations. Many previously unpublished photos are included, and maps of the operational areas. Essential reading for armor enthusiasts, WW2 military enthusiasts and modelers.
Download or read book Fort Eben Emael written by Tim Saunders and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2005-01-01 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The seizure of the Belgian fortress stronghold at Eban Emael by German Airborne and Special Forces was the dramatic opening shot in the Nazis' devastating May 1940 offensive. Codenamed Operation GRANITE, it involved glider forces in a daring 'coup de main' operation achieving total surprise and success. The simultaneous assaults on key bridges on the Albert Canal are also described in graphic detail.
Download or read book Why Germany Nearly Won written by Steven D. Mercatante and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2012-01-16 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a unique perspective for understanding how and why the Second World War in Europe ended as it did—and why Germany, in attacking the Soviet Union, came far closer to winning the war than is often perceived. Why Germany Nearly Won: A New History of the Second World War in Europe challenges this conventional wisdom in highlighting how the re-establishment of the traditional German art of war—updated to accommodate new weapons systems—paved the way for Germany to forge a considerable military edge over its much larger potential rivals by playing to its qualitative strengths as a continental power. Ironically, these methodologies also created and exacerbated internal contradictions that undermined the same war machine and left it vulnerable to enemies with the capacity to adapt and build on potent military traditions of their own. The book begins by examining topics such as the methods by which the German economy and military prepared for war, the German military establishment's formidable strengths, and its weaknesses. The book then takes an entirely new perspective on explaining the Second World War in Europe. It demonstrates how Germany, through its invasion of the Soviet Union, came within a whisker of cementing a European-based empire that would have allowed the Third Reich to challenge the Anglo-American alliance for global hegemony—an outcome that by commonly cited measures of military potential Germany never should have had even a remote chance of accomplishing. The book's last section explores the final year of the war and addresses how Germany was able to hang on against the world's most powerful nations working in concert to engineer its defeat.
Download or read book Last Laurels written by Georg Gunter and published by Helion. This book was released on 2002 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By January 1945, Upper Silesia had become Germany's key industrial region, with its coal mines, blast furnaces, arms factories and hydrogenation plants. Not surprisingly, when the Soviets launched a series of powerful offensives aimed at capturing the region, the German defence was bitter, bordering on the suicidal. Soviet reactions were brutal, the Red Army committing widespread atrocities, which have received little coverage until now. In this readable and fast-paced translation from the German edition, the author presents a penetrating description of the events which occurred in Silesia during the first five months of 1945 - from the massive Soviet offensive on 12th January, through to the final German defensive actions around Ratibor five months later. The translation and publication of Last Laurels represents a major contribution to the military history of the Eastern Front in the English language, filling a yawning gap in our knowledge of the most titanic armed struggle the world has yet seen. Key topics covered include: Prelude to the Soviet offensive / Opening of the Soviet Vistula-Oder offensive, 12 January 1945 / Initial German counter-attacks / Defence of Gleiwitz, Oppeln, and many other smaller locations recounted in detail / Eventual Soviet capture of the industrial district / Attack and counter-attack at Ratibor and the Glatzer Neisse / 1st Panzer Army's successful defence against Soviet attacks, February 1945 / German XI Corps counter-attacks / Soviet Schwarzwasser offensive, March 1945 / Decisive events in western Upper Silesia / The loss of Neisse and Leobschütz / Final Soviet offensive actions around Jägerndorf and Troppau . Main Selling Points - Contains a great number of German personal accounts Many small-unit actions recounted in detail Includes orders-of-battle for both German and Soviet forces
Download or read book Lions of Carentan The written by Volker Griesser and published by Casemate. This book was released on 2011-10-06 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although it is known that Allied airborne forces landed into a German buzzsaw on D-Day, far less is known about the troops they encountered in the dark night of June 6, 1944. One of the formations they encountered was a similarly elite group of paratroopers, who instead of dropping from the skies fought on the defensive, giving their Allied counterparts a tremendous challenge in achieving their objectives. This is the complete wartime history of one of the largest German paratrooper regiments, 6th , from its initial formation in the spring of 1943 to its last day at the end of the war. With numerous firsthand accounts from key members, reporting on their experiences, they describe the events of 1943Ð45 vividly and without compromise. These accounts reveal previously unknown details about important operations in Italy, Russia, on the Normandy Front, Belgium, Holland, the last German Parachute drop in the Ardennes, and the final battle to the end in Germany. With over 220 original photographs, many from private collections and never before published, this book fully illustrates the men, their uniforms, equipment and weapons. Also included is an appendix with maps, battle calendar, staffing plans, a list of field and post-MOB-numbers, and the Knight's Cross recipients of the regiment. Having earned the respect of the Allied forces who fought against it during World War II, this work will inform current readers of the full record of Fallschirmjger Regiment 6, and why the Allied advance into German-held Europe was so painstaking to achieve.
Download or read book Battle for the Ukraine written by David M. Glantz and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2004-11-23 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive guide to the battle for the Ukraine from the Soviet perspective during the winter of 1943-1944. This volume is an unexpurgated translation of the originally classified Soviet General Staff Study No.14.
Download or read book Bridgehead Kurland written by Franz Kurowski and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 331 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
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.
