Tank Combat in Spain

Tank Combat in Spain PDF Author: Anthony J. Candil
Publisher: Casemate
ISBN: 1612009719
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 289

Book Description
“Recounts in considerable detail how Germany, Italy, and Soviet Russia intervened in Spain, supplying troops and equipment to the warring sides.” —ARMOR Magazine Although Spain had been for many years on the periphery of the great affairs of Europe, within a few months of the Civil War breaking out in 1936, three out of the four major European powers—Italy, Germany, and the Soviet Union—decided to intervene. Spain turned out to be the perfect proving ground to carry out controlled, realistic experiments with live weapons and troops. This book covers the theories of the three main contributors that provided armor to the warring parties in the civil war, how those contributions shaped combat, and how the lessons learned were then applied to tank combat in World War II. The use of tanks in the Spanish Civil War wedded traditional war to modern technology. The fighting in Spain did not offer any easy answers, however, to the question of infantry-armor cooperation, primarily because the tanks supplied were not very worthy and had been supplied in small numbers, even though the Republicans organized an “armored division.” The situation for the tanks on the Nationalist side was so bad in practical terms that they reused captured Russian armor in their units. Tank employment in Spain did offer many lessons, but the lessons did not always lie in what was done or accomplished but precisely on what was not done and was not accomplished. “Offers important insight into the employment of tanks during the war, lessons learned (or not learned) by the participating armed forces.” —Globe at War

Tank Combat in North Africa

Tank Combat in North Africa PDF Author: Thomas L. Jentz
Publisher: Schiffer Military History
ISBN: 9780764302268
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 221

Book Description
The focus of this book is the tank battles fought during the opening phase of the war in North Africa. What really happened during the engagements? How were the tanks fought? What were their strengths and weaknesses? Not simplified generalities, but substantive, basic facts gleaned from searching for details in the surviving original records. The accounts of each battle are excerpted from the original reports written by the participants directly after each engagement. To understand the basis for the outcome of the battles, it is necessary to possess a basic understanding of the capabilities of each type of tank, its opponents, and how they were tactically employed. The first five chapters in this volume provide descriptions and technical attributes of the British, German, and Italian tanks and anti-tank guns along with the tactical doctrine from the period. Chapters six through eleven contain the details of the tank battles fought in North Africa during the period from February 1941 to June 1941. Translated excerpts from the Deutsches Afrikakorps war diary are used as a backdrop to provide a chronological guide as events progressed. An interesting feature from this war diary was the brief daily weather report revealing how hot it was and when sand storms occurred. Details on the actions in the tank battles are taken from after-action-accounts written directly after the engagements, enhanced by excerpts from war diaries of the armoured units involved to fill in the preliminary moves, buildup of strength, combat losses, and details on the actions that weren't contained in the after-action-reports. This book is compiled from the results of digging through original records for over thirty years in an attempt to find data that would aid in assessing and understanding the tank battles that took place in North Africa. Tom Jentz is also the author of Panzertruppen 1933-1942, and Panzertruppen 1943-1945 (both titles are available from Schiffer Publishing Ltd.).

Tank Combat

Tank Combat PDF Author: Christer Jörgensen
Publisher: Strategy and Tactics
ISBN: 9781782745358
Category : Tank warfare
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Illustrated throughout with black-and-white action photographs, Tank Combat is a definitive guide to the art of armoured combat in the twentieth century.

Kursk

Kursk PDF Author: M. K. Barbier
Publisher: Great Battles
ISBN: 9781782740223
Category : Kursk, Battle of, Russia, 1943
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
In July 1943, the German Army launched what proved to be its last great offensive on the Eastern Front. Kursk is a comprehensive history of the last time that Germany held the strategic initiative in the war against the Soviet Union. Kursk shows how a bitter struggle developed between the German and Soviet forces, which sucked in huge numbers of ta

Armored Attack 1944

Armored Attack 1944 PDF Author: Steven Zaloga
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 0811772144
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 513

Book Description
This classic, now available in paperback, includes all varieties of American armor in Europe from D-Day, to Normandy, to southern France, the Siegfried Line, the push to the Rhine, and finally, the Battle of the Bulge. Shermans, Hellcats, and many more American and German tanks are covered in nearly 1200 photos along with Steven Zaloga’s expert captions. Perfect for modelers and World War II enthusiasts.

The Battle of the Tanks

The Battle of the Tanks PDF Author: Lloyd Clark
Publisher: Open Road + Grove/Atlantic
ISBN: 0802195105
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 460

Book Description
“A comprehensive analysis of WWII’s greatest land battle and one of history’s greatest armor engagements.” —Publishers Weekly On July 5, 1943, the greatest land battle in history began when Nazi and Red Army forces clashed near the town of Kursk, on the western border of the Soviet Union. Code named “Operation Citadel,” the German offensive would cut through the bulge in the eastern front that had been created following Germany’s retreat at the Battle of Stalingrad. But the Soviets, well-informed about Germany’s plans through their network of spies, had months to prepare. Two million men supported by six thousand tanks, thirty-five thousand guns, and five thousand aircrafts convened in Kursk for an epic confrontation that was one of the most important military engagements in history, the epitome of “total war.” It was also one of the most bloody, and despite suffering seven times more casualties, the Soviets won a decisive victory that became a turning point in the war. With unprecedented access to the journals and testimonials of the officers, soldiers, political leaders, and citizens who lived through it, The Battle of the Tanks is the definitive account of an epic showdown that changed the course of history. “A stellar account of the Battle of Kursk in 1943.” —Booklist

Swinging The Sledgehammer: The Combat Effectiveness Of German Heavy Tank Battalions In World War II

Swinging The Sledgehammer: The Combat Effectiveness Of German Heavy Tank Battalions In World War II PDF Author: Major Christopher W. Wilbeck
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
ISBN: 1782897534
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 169

Book Description
This thesis is a historical analysis of the combat effectiveness of the German schwere Panzer-Abteilung or Heavy Tank Battalions during World War II. During the course of World War II, the German Army developed heavy tank battalions to fulfill the concept of breaking through enemy defenses so faster, lighter mechanized forces could exploit the rupture. These heavy tank battalions had several different tables of organization, but were always centered around either the Tiger or the Tiger II tank. They fought in virtually every theater of Europe against every enemy of Germany. Ultimately, the German military created eleven Army and three Waffen-SS heavy tank battalions. Of the Army battalions, the German command fielded ten as independent battalions, which were allocated to Army Groups as needed. The German Army assigned the last heavy tank battalion as an organic unit of the elite Panzer Grenadier Division Grossdeutschland. The Waffen-SS allocated all of their battalions to a different Waffen-SS Corps. Because these units were not fielded until late in 1942, they did not participate in Germany’s major offensive operations that dominated the early part of World War II. Germany’s strategic situation after mid-1943 forced their military onto the defensive. Consequently, there are very few instances when heavy tank battalions attacked as a breakthrough force. During the latter part of the war, they were used in many different ways to provide defensive assistance along very wide frontages. This study assesses the German heavy tank battalions as generally effective, primarily because of the high kill ratio they achieved. However, based upon observations from a wide variety of examples, this study also outlines several areas where changes may have increased their effectiveness.
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