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

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

Author : Major Christopher W. Wilbeck
Publisher : Pickle Partners Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1782897534
Total Pages : 102 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (828 download)

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Book Synopsis Swinging The Sledgehammer: The Combat Effectiveness Of German Heavy Tank Battalions In World War II by : Major Christopher W. Wilbeck

Download or read book Swinging The Sledgehammer: The Combat Effectiveness Of German Heavy Tank Battalions In World War II written by Major Christopher W. Wilbeck and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2014-08-15 with total page 102 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Land-Isopoden aus dem Kaukasus-Gebiet

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (718 download)

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Book Synopsis Land-Isopoden aus dem Kaukasus-Gebiet by :

Download or read book Land-Isopoden aus dem Kaukasus-Gebiet written by and published by . This book was released on with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Swinging the Sledgehammer

Author : U.s. Army Command and General Staff College
Publisher : CreateSpace
ISBN 13 : 9781500369774
Total Pages : 144 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (697 download)

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Book Synopsis Swinging the Sledgehammer by : U.s. Army Command and General Staff College

Download or read book Swinging the Sledgehammer written by U.s. Army Command and General Staff College and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2014-07-01 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Sledgehammers

Author : Christopher W. Wilbeck
Publisher : Aberjona Press
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 276 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Sledgehammers by : Christopher W. Wilbeck

Download or read book Sledgehammers written by Christopher W. Wilbeck and published by Aberjona Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Although much is available about Tiger tanks' technical details and some of the most famous soldiers and units that employed them, until now, there has been little concerning the organization and tactical use of heavy tank battalions across the theaters in which they were employed. [Wilbeck] provides an in-depth look at heavy tank battalions' organizations and tactics, including the tactical doctrine by which these elite units were supposed to fight and case studies to illustrate how they were actually employed on the battlefield"--Page 4 of cover.

Why Germany Nearly Won

Author : Steven D. Mercatante
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 424 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (161 download)

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Book Synopsis Why Germany Nearly Won by : Steven D. Mercatante

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.

The River Battles

Author : Mark Zuehlke
Publisher : Douglas & McIntyre
ISBN 13 : 1771622369
Total Pages : 598 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (716 download)

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Book Synopsis The River Battles by : Mark Zuehlke

Download or read book The River Battles written by Mark Zuehlke and published by Douglas & McIntyre. This book was released on 2019-11-09 with total page 598 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Canadians called it the Promised Land. In late September 1944, the Emilia-Romagna plain before I Canadian Corps stretched to the far horizon—a deceptively wide-open space where the tanks could run free. Throughout British Eighth Army, hopes ran high that once it entered the plain, the Germans could be driven from Italy. As soon as the advance began, however, the plain’s true nature was revealed: the land was criss-crossed by rivers, canals and drainage ditches over which all bridges had been demolished. With higher command urging haste, the Canadians entered a long and nightmarish series of battles to win crossings over each waterway, whose high banks provided the Germans with perfect defensive positions. Early fall rains caused rivers to spill their banks and transformed the countryside into the worst quagmire the soldiers had ever seen. More than five months of battle followed, with weeks of hard fighting required to advance from one river to the next. Each month, conditions only worsened, and the casualty rates rose appallingly. As their comrades fell one by one, most soldiers sought merely to survive. Doing that much required every measure of stamina, courage and fighting skill they possessed. The fifth and final Canadian Battle Series volume set in Italy, The River Battles tells the story of this campaign’s last and hardest months. In riveting detail and with his trademark “you-are-there” style, Mark Zuehlke shines a light on this forgotten chapter of Canada’s World War II experience.

The Wehrmacht Retreats

Author : Robert M. Citino
Publisher : University Press of Kansas
ISBN 13 : 0700623434
Total Pages : 440 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (6 download)

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Book Synopsis The Wehrmacht Retreats by : Robert M. Citino

Download or read book The Wehrmacht Retreats written by Robert M. Citino and published by University Press of Kansas. This book was released on 2016-09-16 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Throughout 1943, the German army, heirs to a military tradition that demanded and perfected relentless offensive operations, succumbed to the realities of its own overreach and the demands of twentieth-century industrialized warfare. In his new study, prizewinning author Robert Citino chronicles this weakening Wehrmacht, now fighting desperately on the defensive but still remarkably dangerous and lethal. Drawing on his impeccable command of German-language sources, Citino offers fresh, vivid, and detailed treatments of key campaigns during this fateful year: the Allied landings in North Africa, General von Manstein's great counterstroke in front of Kharkov, the German attack at Kasserine Pass, the titanic engagement of tanks and men at Kursk, the Soviet counteroffensives at Orel and Belgorod, and the Allied landings in Sicily and Italy. Through these events, he reveals how a military establishment historically configured for violent aggression reacted when the tables were turned; how German commanders viewed their newest enemy, the U.S. Army, after brutal fighting against the British and Soviets; and why, despite their superiority in materiel and manpower, the Allies were unable to turn 1943 into a much more decisive year. Applying the keen operational analysis for which he is so highly regarded, Citino contends that virtually every flawed German decision-to defend Tunis, to attack at Kursk and then call off the offensive, to abandon Sicily, to defend Italy high up the boot and then down much closer to the toe-had strong supporters among the army's officer corps. He looks at all of these engagements from the perspective of each combatant nation and also establishes beyond a shadow of a doubt the synergistic interplay between the fronts. Ultimately, Citino produces a grim portrait of the German officer corps, dispelling the longstanding tendency to blame every bad decision on Hitler. Filled with telling vignettes and sharp portraits and copiously documented, The Wehrmacht Retreats is a dramatic and fast-paced narrative that will engage military historians and general readers alike.

Monte Cassino

Author : Peter Caddick-Adams
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 13 : 0199974640
Total Pages : 413 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (999 download)

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Book Synopsis Monte Cassino by : Peter Caddick-Adams

Download or read book Monte Cassino written by Peter Caddick-Adams and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2013 with total page 413 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offers an authoritative account of the lesser-known yet devastatingly brutal battle waged by the Italian campaign during World War II.

German Heavy Fighting Vehicles of the Second World War

Author : Kenneth W. Estes
Publisher : Fonthill Media
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 160 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis German Heavy Fighting Vehicles of the Second World War by : Kenneth W. Estes

Download or read book German Heavy Fighting Vehicles of the Second World War written by Kenneth W. Estes and published by Fonthill Media. This book was released on 2018-04-17 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The German army faced tanks of superior size, armor and firepower from the outset of World War II. Although their Panzerwaffen handled the Polish campaign, war with France meant confronting superior heavy and medium tanks like the Char B and Somua, with 47 mm high velocity cannon that penetrated German tank armor with ease. French infantry disposed of effective antitank weapons and a portion of their 75 mm field guns were detailed as antitank guns. Even greater challenges emerged with the Russo-German War, for the Germans had no initial answer to the KV-1 heavy tank and T-34 medium. The successive technical shocks of superior tanks introduced by each side produced a gun-armor race that continued in some manner even after the war's end. The Germans placed a premium on technological quality and superiority over mass production, for which their industry (and, arguably, their regime) remained rather unsuited. Not satisfied with the advantage they obtained with the Tiger and Panther series tanks, the army leadership and Adolf Hitler himself pushed for larger and more powerful tanks than had ever been built.

Seek, Strike, and Destroy

Author : Christopher Richard Gabel
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 104 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (31 download)

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Book Synopsis Seek, Strike, and Destroy by : Christopher Richard Gabel

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.

The Combat History of the 23rd Panzer Division in World War II

Author : Ernst Rebentisch
Publisher : Stackpole Books
ISBN 13 : 0811746410
Total Pages : 544 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (117 download)

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Book Synopsis The Combat History of the 23rd Panzer Division in World War II by : Ernst Rebentisch

Download or read book The Combat History of the 23rd Panzer Division in World War II written by Ernst Rebentisch and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2012-03-21 with total page 544 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Complete history of a German tank division that fought exclusively on the Eastern Front.

Combat History of German Heavy

Author : Karlheinz MUNCH
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780811739313
Total Pages : 384 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (393 download)

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Book Synopsis Combat History of German Heavy by : Karlheinz MUNCH

Download or read book Combat History of German Heavy written by Karlheinz MUNCH and published by . This book was released on 2022-02 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: German 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. The Combat History of German Heavy Anti-Tank Unit 653 in World War II includes hundreds of photos, many never published before, of Germany's rarely seen tank destroyers, including the Ferdinand, Elephant, and Jagdtiger. Color illustrations focus on unit markings, numbering, and camouflage, and the accompanying text chronicles the unit's combat operations as well as personal accounts from the men who rode in these mechanical monsters.

Super-heavy Tanks of World War II

Author : Kenneth W Estes
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1782003851
Total Pages : 100 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (82 download)

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Book Synopsis Super-heavy Tanks of World War II by : Kenneth W Estes

Download or read book Super-heavy Tanks of World War II written by Kenneth W Estes and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-11-20 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The super-heavy tanks of World War II are heirs to the siege machine tradition – a means of breaking the deadlock of ground combat. As a class of fighting vehicle, they began with the World War I concept of the search for a 'breakthrough' tank, designed to cross enemy lines. It is not surprising that the breakthrough tank projects of the period prior to World War II took place in the armies that suffered the most casualties of the Great War (Russia, France, Germany). All of the principal Axis and Allied nations eventually initiated super-heavy development projects, with increasingly heavy armor and armament. Much as the casualties of World War I prompted the original breakthrough tank developments, as Germany found itself on the defensive, with diminishing operational prospects and an increasingly desperate leadership, so too did its focus turn to the super-heavy tanks that could turn the tide back in their favor.

German Northern Theater of Operations 1940-1945 [Illustrated Edition]

Author : Earl Ziemke
Publisher : Pickle Partners Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1782899774
Total Pages : 351 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (828 download)

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Book Synopsis German Northern Theater of Operations 1940-1945 [Illustrated Edition] by : Earl Ziemke

Download or read book German Northern Theater of Operations 1940-1945 [Illustrated Edition] written by Earl Ziemke and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2015-11-06 with total page 351 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: [Includes 23 maps and 31 illustrations] This volume describes two campaigns that the Germans conducted in their Northern Theater of Operations. The first they launched, on 9 April 1940, against Denmark and Norway. The second they conducted out of Finland in partnership with the Finns against the Soviet Union. The latter campaign began on 22 June 1941 and ended in the winter of 1944-45 after the Finnish Government had sued for peace. The scene of these campaigns by the end of 1941 stretched from the North Sea to the Arctic Ocean and from Bergen on the west coast of Norway, to Petrozavodsk, the former capital of the Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic. It faced east into the Soviet Union on a 700-mile-long front, and west on a 1,300-mile sea frontier. Hitler regarded this theater as the keystone of his empire, and, after 1941, maintained in it two armies totaling over a half million men. In spite of its vast area and the effort and worry which Hitler lavished on it, the Northern Theater throughout most of the war constituted something of a military backwater. The major operations which took place in the theater were overshadowed by events on other fronts, and public attention focused on the theaters in which the strategically decisive operations were expected to take place. Remoteness, German security measures, and the Russians’ well-known penchant for secrecy combined to keep information concerning the Northern Theater down to a mere trickle, much of that inaccurate. Since the war, through official and private publications, a great deal more has become known. The present volume is based in the main on the greatest remaining source of unexploited information, the captured German military and naval records. In addition a number of the participants on the German side have very generously contributed from their personal knowledge and experience.

The History of the Panzerwaffe

Author : Thomas Anderson
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 147281360X
Total Pages : 306 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (728 download)

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Book Synopsis The History of the Panzerwaffe by : Thomas Anderson

Download or read book The History of the Panzerwaffe written by Thomas Anderson and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2015-12-20 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Germans transformed armoured warfare from a lumbering and ponderous experiment in World War I into something that could decide the outcome of conflicts. This technical and operational history is the definitive guide to the legendary Panzerwaffe, from its very infancy to the days when it made Europe its garden path at the height of Nazi German power. With rare and revealing combat reports, along with photographs sourced from previously unseen private and archival collections, it uncovers the technical and operational stories of the formidable armoured beasts that formed the backbone of the German war machine – tanks such as the Panzer I, II and 38(t).

Data on World War II Tank Engagements Involving the U.S. Third and Fourth Armored Divisions

Author : David C. Hardison
Publisher : Merriam Press
ISBN 13 : 1576380122
Total Pages : 81 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (763 download)

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Book Synopsis Data on World War II Tank Engagements Involving the U.S. Third and Fourth Armored Divisions by : David C. Hardison

Download or read book Data on World War II Tank Engagements Involving the U.S. Third and Fourth Armored Divisions written by David C. Hardison and published by Merriam Press. This book was released on 1997 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

German Tank Destroyers

Author : Pierre Tiquet
Publisher : Casemate
ISBN 13 : 1612009077
Total Pages : 193 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (12 download)

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Book Synopsis German Tank Destroyers by : Pierre Tiquet

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