The fearsome reputation german armor acquired over time led many allied troops to identify any enemy tank they saw as a tiger or panther, even when the vehicles in. From actionpacked eyewitness accounts such as guadalcanal diary to devastating holocaust memoirs like the diary of anne frank and night to the thrilling espionage tale of operation mincemeat, world war ii is the subject of some of the most fascinating and influential nonfiction books ever written each year, seemingly dozens of new titles emerge to offer fresh perspectives and uncover. The complete illustrated history of soviet armoured theory and design, harrisburg penn stackpole books. The germans held a mastery of the battlefield throughout most of world war 2 until supplyanddemand curtailed progress and tactical blunders proved insurmountable. Center of military history united states army washington, d. Several of the books are in german and hard to find nowadays in the last 40 years i have built 93 5 scale german models of all kinds, some of which were scratch built and many are variations. While they certainly were superior to anything the united states or britain had with many of the us tanks being given to the british armored forces for their own use the fact was that whoever controlled the skies had an overwhelming tactical adv. After equipping myself with many of the technical books of walter j. This reputation has persisted beyond the war itself into books, films and video games. Panzer i, panzer ii, tiger, panther, stug iii, jagdpanther, marder, jagdtiger, panzer iv, panzer 35t. Panzer, german in full panzerkampfwagen, series of battle tanks fielded by the german army in the 1930s and 40s.
Wwii began with a metallic roar as the german blitzkrieg raced across europe, spearheaded by the most dreaded weapon of the 20th century. Interesting list, there are a number here ive been wanting to read, and a few i hadnt heard of which look interesting. For example, markedly inferior german armor decimated the soviet tank fleet in 1941, while israeli super shermans upgraded world war ii leftovers destroyed modern russian tanks in. Panzer tanks wwii german tanks documentary youtube. The panzier and panzier grenadier divisions and panzier brigades. Before the end, the allies would be crowned the victors thanks largely to numerical superiority, setting the groundwork for a whole new generation of tanks to come in. A german tiger i tank in combat during the battle of kursk in 1943. Organized chronologically by type, german tanks of world war ii expertly examines the variety of armored fighting vehicles employed in the invasions of poland, france, the low countries, and stalingrad, as well as in north.
While units on the left flank were so dispersed, the enemy prepared to attack. German tank maintenance in world war ii army center of military. An american tank gunner, his enemy, and a collision of lives in world war ii. Panzer i, the first of these germanbuilt tanks was the panzer i.
The six tanks in the series constituted virtually all of germanys tank production from 1934 until the end of world war ii in 1945. An anime has rekindled my interest in wwii tanks and this book on german panzers is a. Contentsshow development and uses the german tank force was an amazing success due to tactical innovation more than tank quality. Fifty minutes later, german tanks near the eboli road were firing on the 1st battalion, 157th infantry. Collecting world war ii german military pay and service books. This is a nonpolitical page, only about german armor from the second world war.
The epic story of the 761st tank battalion, wwii s forgotten heroes by kareem abduljabbar and anthony walton. Repurposing german vehicles by allied troops warfare. The complete illustrated dictionary of german battle tanks, armoured cars. Soviet tanks and combat vehicles of world war two, london. Hunnicutt hardcover 2 pages vol 001 october 1992 presidio pr. Tanks of world war ii the collinsjanes gems paperback 436 pages harpercollins paper. The complete illustrated dictionary of german battle tanks, armoured cars, selfpropelled guns and semitrack chamberlain, peter, doyle, hilary on. In addition to these domestic designs, germany also used various captured and foreignbuilt tanks. Lot time life the third reich 1st printing complete set of 21 wwii books ex. The battle for the bridges, 1944 by antony beevor any new book by antony beevor is usually cause for anticipation if not celebration on behalf of ww2 history enthusiasts.
The material for this pamphlet was prepared for the historical. Dont expect much, its a brief summary on german tanks, but quite well done. I am a 48 year old german, born in 1968 and raised in the southern part of the free state of bavaria. Nazi germany had several tank designs during world war ii. From the author of the international bestseller a higher call comes the riveting world war ii story of an american tank gunners journey into the heart of the third. Nazi eugenics parenting aryan children german evolution hitler occult ss darwin. He has contributed many books to the tankcraft series including tiger i and ii tanks of the german army and waffenss. Reports of numbers of tanks involved also vary wildly. The books are published as highquality and affordable trade paperbacks, making them terrific editions for all who are interested in military history. The conflict delivered into armored warfare history such classics as the german panther and tiger types, the soviet t34, the british churchill and the american sherman.
Rare german world war ii tiger tank destroyer arrives in uk. It is a coffee table book on german tanks, even wwii buffs wont mind refreshing their knowledge with. I would suggest the secret army, which is a littleknown but fascinating firsthand account of the activities of the polish home army by its leader after the government fled the country, including daytoday details of the warsaw uprising. Tanks were an important weapons system in world war ii. Anyone who is interested in the history in those years should get this as it gives a good. This was a fact even before the upgrading of panzer gun barrels and armor in 1943. While american and german tanks are given due comparison in terms of size, armament, speed, reliability and quirks. A superb detailed reference guide that covers every type of tank, armoured car, selfpropelled guns and semitracked vehicle that was used by the german army between 1933 and the end of the second world war war. A family history, 19051944, peter hoffmann, hardbound. If germany had produced the entwicklung series tanks e5. Spearhead is a wwii book on tank strategy, but humanity. There are a total of 68 ww2 german tanks 1939 1945 in the military factory.
The indigenous german tank forces were a success due to tactical innovation more than tank quality. German tanks of world war ii by david porter, 9781782747260, available at. Shermans were undergunned when fighting german tiger tanks and outmaneuvered when facing german panther tanks. The perceived superiority of german tanks and assault guns in particular made them desirable for troops who wanted to make up for the shortcomings of their own issued equipment. German tank maintenance in world war ii will be of interest to persons who want to compare the united states and german systems of tank maintenance. Many of their tanks outclassed allied armor, delivered more casualties than they took in most engagements.
Spearhead is a wwii book on tank strategy, but humanity is central focus. The complete illustrated history of german armoured fighting vehicles, 19261945 f. If you are interested in history in general and warfare in particular, tank encyclopedia is the place to find all armored vehicles that ever roamed the battlefield, from h. Chamberlain continues to publish specialist books on related areas, like this one full of. It was not designed for combat, but rather as a training vehicle to familiarize tank crews with germanys modern battle concepts, and to prepare the nations industry for the upcoming war effort.
German tanks and tank destroyers in ww2 world war photos. Janes world war ii tanks and fighting vehicles the. Home book lists top 20 must read wwii books of 2018 top 20 must read wwii books of 2018. Historian and collector michael green shows in this fascinating and graphically illustrated book that the two wars that engulfed indochina and north and south vietnam over 30 years were far more armoured in nature than typically thought of. And it sort of whitewashes german history, impying that it was nazi and that majority of common german folk had nothing to do with the war. Wells land battleships to the latest main battle tanks, our articles cover all eras of armor development and cover a wide swathe of armored vehicle designs ranging from bridge layers and engineering vehicles to. At 10 the 158th field artillery battalion detected german tanks and infantry moving in the vicinity of the ebolibattipaglia road and fired on them.
Janes world war ii tanks and fighting vehicles the complete guide. In world war ii the proper name would be german reich if you want to be so historically accurate. From heavy tanks to selfpropelled guns, this highlyillustrated technical guide introduces all the main types of armored fighting vehicles used by germany in world war ii. Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order 1toz. Armored tanks provided extra firepower and mobility during world war ii. Im sorry but nazi germany is really not different from commie russia as pedro said earlier. The tank is being loaned from the ordnance museum at fort lee, va, by the united states army centre of military history and is one of just two surviving examples of the 91 elefants that saw service with german forces. Thank you for the most informative site on german armor. Spielberger on german tanks, i was still be glad to have this book on my shelf. Dennis oliver is the author of over twenty books on second world war armoured vehicles. Dont miss these 100 must read world war ii books, including fiction, ya, history, memoir, and more. Panzers provided the striking power of germanys panzer armoured divisions throughout the war.
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