The Tank Killers

The Tank Killers

Author: Harry Yeide

Publisher: Casemate

Published: 2005-01-19

Total Pages: 357

ISBN-13: 1935149733

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“A fantastic read . . . Whether your interest is armour or history I would highly recommend this book” (Military Modelling). The tank destroyer was a bold—though some would say flawed—answer to the challenge posed by the seemingly unstoppable German Blitzkrieg. The TD was conceived to be light and fast enough to outmaneuver panzer forces and go where tanks could not. At the same time, the TD would wield the firepower needed to kill any German tank on the battlefield. Indeed, American doctrine stipulated that TDs would fight tanks, while American tanks would concentrate on achieving and exploiting breakthroughs of enemy lines. The Tank Killers follows the men who fought in the TDs, from the formation of the force in 1941 through the victory over the Third Reich in 1945. It is a story of American flexibility and pragmatism in military affairs. Tank destroyers were among the very first units to land in North Africa in 1942. Their first vehicles were ad hoc affairs: halftracks and weapons carriers with guns no better than those on tanks, thin armor affording the crews considerably less protection. Almost immediately, the crews began adapting to circumstances, along with their partners in the infantry and armored divisions. By the time North Africa was in Allied hands, the TD had become a valued tank fighter, assault gun, and artillery piece. The reconnaissance teams in TD battalions, meanwhile, had established a record for daring operations that would continue for the rest of the war. The story continues with the invasion of Italy and, finally, that of Fortress Europe on June 6, 1944. By now, the brass had decreed that half the force would convert to towed guns, a decision that dogged the affected crews through the end of the war. The TD men encountered increasingly lethal enemies, ever more dangerous panzers that were often vulnerable only to their guns, while American tank crews watched in frustration as their rounds bounced harmlessly off the thick German armor. They fought under incredibly diverse conditions that demanded constant modification of tactics, and their equipment became ever more deadly. By VE-Day, the tank destroyer battalions had achieved impressive records, generally with kill-loss rates heavily in their favor. Yet the army after the war concluded that the concept of a separate TD arm was so fundamentally flawed that not a single battalion existed after November 1946. The Tank Killers draws heavily on the records of the tank destroyer battalions and the units with which they fought, as well as personal stories from veterans of the force.


German Military Abbreviations

German Military Abbreviations

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1943

Total Pages: 488

ISBN-13:

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"Perhaps to a greater extent than any other army, the German Armed Forces employ military abbreviations on their maps and charts, on task force tables of organization, on direction and location sign posts in combat zones, on field orders, and, in short, in every case where abbreviations may possibly be used. These abbreviations are often used in connection with military symbols (see German Military Symbols, January 1943, Military Intelligence Service). A thorough knowledge of both abbreviations and symbols is therefore essential to military personnel engaged in the interpretation of captured documents."--Page 1.


Aircraft of the Luftwaffe, 1935-1945

Aircraft of the Luftwaffe, 1935-1945

Author: Jean-Denis G.G. Lepage

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2009-03-23

Total Pages: 409

ISBN-13: 0786452803

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One of the most significant innovations in modern warfare has been the appearance and development of air power, a technology which demanded technical and financial investment on a whole new scale and which ultimately changed the fundamental nature of war itself. This book covers the history and development of the German air force from 1935 to 1945, with descriptions and illustrations of almost all of the Luftwaffe's airplanes, including fighters, jet fighters, dive-bombers, ground attackers, medium and heavy bombers, jet bombers, seaplanes, flying boats and carrier planes, transport and gliders, reconnaissance and training aircrafts, helicopters, and many futuristic projects and other rarities.


The Wehrmacht, 1935-1945

The Wehrmacht, 1935-1945

Author: Michael E. Haskew

Publisher:

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781907446955

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Focusing on the German land forces, with chapters on the history of the German Army, pre-war development, command structures, infantry, armoured formations, artillery and support services. The book offers interesting facts and figures of every sort, from infantry tactical doctrine through the make-up of a Type 1944 infantry division to the number of operational panzers Rommel had at his disposal during the El Alamein campaign and the types of artillery employed in the Atlantic Wall fortifications before the D-Day landings. It also includes colour artworks of key equipment and weapons, reference tables, diagrams, maps and charts, presenting all the core data in easy-to-follow formats.


Allied Armored Fighting Vehicles

Allied Armored Fighting Vehicles

Author: George Bradford

Publisher: Stackpole Books

Published: 2009-08-12

Total Pages: 121

ISBN-13: 0811740048

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Filled with 1:72-scale drawings of armored vehicles from the U.S., Britain, Canada, and Russia.


Order of Battle of the German Army, April 1943

Order of Battle of the German Army, April 1943

Author: Military Intelligence Service

Publisher: Military Bookshop

Published: 2011-08-01

Total Pages: 372

ISBN-13: 9781780390819

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Originally published in 1943 by the Military Intelligence Service, United States War Department. The purpose of this text is to furnish intelligence officers with a detailed picture of the German Army in all its aspects, from the organization of the High Command to the functions of small units and auxiliary services, and to furnish specific data on individual units and commanders. The document is divided into two basic parts- a basic description of the German military establishment (sections I to V) and specific information of the composition of German units and on German commanders (sections VI to VIII). Topics include: the German High Command; basic structure of the German Army; types of small units; other militarized and auxiliary organizations; the German forces in action; glossary of large units; tables of identified units; and a rosters of senior officers.


Soldiers of Destruction

Soldiers of Destruction

Author: Charles Sydnor

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 1990-05-21

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 9780691008530

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Surveys the emergence of the Nazi SS and its Death's Head Division, noting the impact of this elite and powerful army upon military history.