The Development of American Tank Destroyers During World War II: the Impact of Doctrine, Combat Experience, and Technology on Materiel Acquisition

Download The Development of American Tank Destroyers During World War II: the Impact of Doctrine, Combat Experience, and Technology on Materiel Acquisition PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 145 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (227 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Development of American Tank Destroyers During World War II: the Impact of Doctrine, Combat Experience, and Technology on Materiel Acquisition by : Charles M. Baily

Download or read book The Development of American Tank Destroyers During World War II: the Impact of Doctrine, Combat Experience, and Technology on Materiel Acquisition written by Charles M. Baily and published by . This book was released on 1976 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The success of Germany's armored formations during the early years of World War II forced the US Army to reexamine the problem of antitank warfare. The result of that reexamination was a uniquely American solution--the tank destroyers. Primarily the brainchild of General Lesley J. McNair, the doctrine of tank destroyers was based on the concept of mobile antitank guns, organized in battalions, which could move and mass as necessary to defeat enemy tanks. This study focuses on the development of guns and gun motor carriages for the tank destroyers. The Tank Destroyer Center used a twofold approach to solve its equipment problems: first, adapt what was immediately available as expedient equipment, and, second, begin development of an ideal tank destroyer designed to fit their doctrine. Circumstances forced the US Army to thrust its tank destroyers into combat before the ideal tank destroyer was available. The tank destroyers in combat theaters were never employed according to their doctrine. Misemployment and the limitations of expedient equipment created dissatisfaction among overseas commanders concerning tank destroyers. Pressure from overseas effected doctrine, organizations, and development efforts in the United States. The US Army forced the Tank Destroyer Center to adopt and develop weapons unsuitable, in the latter's view, for tank destroyer doctrine--towed guns. A technological threat from heavy German tanks caused development efforts in the United States to incorporate bigger guns. The US Army's failure to properly assess the magnitude of the threat resulted in a scarcity of adequate antitank weapons in Northwest Europe.

Seek, Strike, and Destroy

Download Seek, Strike, and Destroy PDF Online Free

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

DOWNLOAD NOW!


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.

Faint Praise

Download Faint Praise PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Hamden, Conn. : Archon Books
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 216 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Faint Praise by : Charles M. Baily

Download or read book Faint Praise written by Charles M. Baily and published by Hamden, Conn. : Archon Books. This book was released on 1983 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Toward the end of World War II, newspapers revealed what American soldiers had discovered months before - when Sherman tanks tried to slug it out with the heavier German Panzers, they came out second best. Historical argument has it that the hidebound conservatives of the Army effectively blocked the introduction of superior fighting vehicles based on their tactical dogmas that tank destroyers - not tanks - should fight German armor. "Faint Praise" disagrees with this notion, and instead reveals that problems in tank development resulted from a complicated and often confusing melange of technology, doctrine, combat experience, intelligence, and personalities. Further, it dispels the myth that soldiers were pleading for a better armed Sherman throughout the war. The demand for big guns did not start until mid-1944, leaving little time for a technological solution to Panzer-killing. Using new, fascinating sources and a fresh look at some old ones, "Faint Praise" considers the full spectrum of historically relevent facts, from technological capabilities to operational history, to provide a new answer to the tank question of World War II."

American Thunder

Download American Thunder PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 0811773825
Total Pages : 751 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (117 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis American Thunder by : Richard C. Anderson Jr.

Download or read book American Thunder written by Richard C. Anderson Jr. and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2024-05-14 with total page 751 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If the machine gun changed the course of ground combat in the First World War, it was the tank that shaped ground combat in World War II. The tank was introduced in World War I in an effort to end the stalemate of the machine gun versus barbed-wire trenches, and by World War II, the tank’s mobility and firepower became a rolling, thundering difference-maker on the battlefield. In this detailed, deeply researched, and heavily illustrated book, tank expert Richard Anderson tells the story of how the United States developed its armored force, turning it into a war-winning weapon in World War II that powered American ground forces and supplied armies around the world, including the British and Soviets. For decades, American tanks of World War II have been undervalued in comparisons with German and Soviet tanks—and it’s true that the best of American armor tended to underperform the best of German and Soviet armor during the war. That’s because the U.S. had a different goal: not only to create battleworthy tanks like the Sherman, and to develop other tanks, but also to supply American allies with serviceable, combat-ready tanks. The United States did all this, but until now the complete story of American tanks in World War II has yet to be told. Anderson’s book is deeper and more thorough a chronicle of American tanks in World War II than has ever been done. This book is colorful, vivid, and thought-provokingly insightful on how the U.S. produced a tank force capable of conducting its own battlefield efforts and sustaining key allies around the world. This will be the go-to volume on American tanks for years to come.

United States Tanks and Tank Destroyers of the Second World War

Download United States Tanks and Tank Destroyers of the Second World War PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Pen and Sword Military
ISBN 13 : 1526787482
Total Pages : 395 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (267 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis United States Tanks and Tank Destroyers of the Second World War by : Michael Green

Download or read book United States Tanks and Tank Destroyers of the Second World War written by Michael Green and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2021-12-30 with total page 395 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This comprehensive and superbly illustrated book describes in authoritative detail the characteristics and contribution to victory of these formidable American fighting vehicles. Only after the Nazis invaded Poland and France did the United States Government authorize mass production of tanks. By the end of the War American industry had built nearly 90,000 tanks, more than Germany and Great Britain combined. The first big order in May 1940 was for 365 M2A4 light tanks, the initial iteration of the Stuart series, with almost 24,000 constructed. The Stuart series was supplemented by almost 5,000 units of the M24 Chaffee light tank. There was also the failed M22 Locust light tank intended for airborne operations. The M4 series of medium tanks, best known as the Sherman, were the most numerous with some 50,000 in service with not only the American military but British and other Allied armies. It was not until later in the war that the M26 Pershing heavy tank was built. Initially the US Army doctrine saw tanks as primarily for the exploitation role. Later the concept of tank destroyers evolved to counter large scale German armored offensives. These defensive AFVs included the half-track-based 75mm Gun Motor Carriage M3 and the full-tracked M10, M18, and M36. This comprehensive and superbly illustrated book describes in authoritative detail the characteristics and contribution to victory of these formidable fighting vehicles.

The Tank Killers

Download The Tank Killers PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Spellmount, Limited Publishers
ISBN 13 : 9781862272705
Total Pages : 339 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (727 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Tank Killers by : Harry Yeide

Download or read book The Tank Killers written by Harry Yeide and published by Spellmount, Limited Publishers. This book was released on 2005 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is the story of the American Tank Destroyer Force in North Africa, Italy and the European theatre during World War II where it was thought to be an answer to the challenge posed by the seemingly unstoppable German blitzkrieg.

Seek, Strike, and Destroy

Download Seek, Strike, and Destroy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : www.Militarybookshop.CompanyUK
ISBN 13 : 9781780390192
Total Pages : 100 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Seek, Strike, and Destroy by : Christoper R. Gabel

Download or read book Seek, Strike, and Destroy written by Christoper R. Gabel and published by www.Militarybookshop.CompanyUK. This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After the collapse of the French army in 1940, the U.S. Army quickly moved to develop a doctrine, organization, and weaponry to deal with a large-scale mechanized attack such as the German Blitzkrieg. The result was the development of a "tank destroyer" concept that combined an aggressive doctrine, an elite spirit, and highly mobile, heavily gunned weapons - and which proved to be seriously flawed in practice. "Seek, Strike, and Destroy: U.S. Army Tank Destroyer Doctrine in World War II" provides a case study of how General Lesley J. McNair, at the direction of Chief of Staff George C. Marshall, developed the tank destroyer doctrine and its resultant antitank quasi-arm, and how the program's flawed once it was implemented. Even aside from the failure of the Germans to use massed armor in the latter part of the war, the rapid evolution of armor technology as the war went on, and the piecemeal use of tank destroyer battalions by field commanders, "Seek, Strike, and Destroy" shows that, given the largely offensive nature of the Army's mission, an strong anti-tank program assumed a defensive strategy which, if implemented, conceded that mission's failure. The misunderstanding of the mission, threat, and technology, combined with branch rivalries and obstruction within the Army, produced a tank destroyer hamstrung by tactical misuse and a technology woefully inadequate in the face of rapidly improving German armor technology. "Seek, Strike, and Destroy" not only explains the failure of a particular doctrine, but illuminates the more general problem of doctrinal development based on an inadequate understanding of technical and strategic realities. Strategists and scholars alike will find much to ponder in this valuable book. Originally published in 1985: 100 p. ill.

Modelling US Army Tank Destroyers of World War II

Download Modelling US Army Tank Destroyers of World War II PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1780964749
Total Pages : 84 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (89 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Modelling US Army Tank Destroyers of World War II by : Steven J. Zaloga

Download or read book Modelling US Army Tank Destroyers of World War II written by Steven J. Zaloga and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-02-20 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tank destroyers were the US Army's response to blitzkrieg, and were based around the concept of mounting a large anti-tank gun on a light, fast moving vehicle. They served in the Mediterranean, Pacific, and North-West Europe theatres, and were also supplied to other Allied armies. These vehicles form an attractive modelling subject; their open turrets provide plenty of opportunity for detail work, as demonstrated here by the author in clear step-by-step instructions. Packed with tips and techniques from a leading modeller and Allied armour expert, this title covers the M10, M18, M36, and M39, and features modelling projects in 1/35th and 1/72nd scale.

Tank Destroyer Field Manual: Organization and Tactics of Tank Destroyer Units, June 16 1942 (FM 18-5)

Download Tank Destroyer Field Manual: Organization and Tactics of Tank Destroyer Units, June 16 1942 (FM 18-5) PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Lulu.com
ISBN 13 : 1105815307
Total Pages : 196 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (58 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Tank Destroyer Field Manual: Organization and Tactics of Tank Destroyer Units, June 16 1942 (FM 18-5) by : U.S. War Department

Download or read book Tank Destroyer Field Manual: Organization and Tactics of Tank Destroyer Units, June 16 1942 (FM 18-5) written by U.S. War Department and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2012-05-29 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This facsimile edition of the US 1942 field manual for tank destroyer units describes missions, organization, combat, and training. It scales its information from squad to company to battalion to group. Issued early during the United States' WWII experience, it predates the assignment of authorized tank destroyer gear: "It is prepared for the guidance of units that will be equipped with materiel now being developed..." Readers should recall that US WWII doctrine and the high command forbade tank vs. tank combat. The American tank was meant for targets other than Axis armor. However, tank destroyer units were specifically designed, equipped, and deployed to fight what we now think of as tank battles. This is an historic document that gives us deep insight into a long-forgotten military doctrine. For those who think of tank destroyers as cheap tanks or stopgaps, this will be an eye-opener.

Fast Tanks and Heavy Bombers

Download Fast Tanks and Heavy Bombers PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cornell University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780801434587
Total Pages : 312 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (345 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Fast Tanks and Heavy Bombers by : David Eugene Johnson

Download or read book Fast Tanks and Heavy Bombers written by David Eugene Johnson and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 1998-11-19 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Johnson examines the U.S. Army's innovations for both armor and aviation between the world wars, offering valuable insights for future military innovation.

M10 and M36 Tank Destroyers 1942–53

Download M10 and M36 Tank Destroyers 1942–53 PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1782002375
Total Pages : 120 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (82 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis M10 and M36 Tank Destroyers 1942–53 by : Steven J. Zaloga

Download or read book M10 and M36 Tank Destroyers 1942–53 written by Steven J. Zaloga and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-08-20 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The US Army had a unique tactical doctrine during World War II, placing the emphasis for tank fighting on its Tank Destroyer Command whose main early-war vehicle was the M10 3-inch Gun Motor Carriage, based on the reliable M4A2 Sherman tank chassis. This durable and versatile vehicle saw combat service from the North Africa campaign in 1943. By 1944, its gun was not powerful enough and it was rearmed with the new 90 mm gun, becoming the M36 90mm Gun Motor Carriage. This book details one of the only US armoured vehicles capable of dealing with the Panther and Tiger during the Battle of the Bulge.

The Evolution and Demise of U.S. Tank Destroyer Doctrine in the Second World War

Download The Evolution and Demise of U.S. Tank Destroyer Doctrine in the Second World War PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 86 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (742 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Evolution and Demise of U.S. Tank Destroyer Doctrine in the Second World War by :

Download or read book The Evolution and Demise of U.S. Tank Destroyer Doctrine in the Second World War written by and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study examines the U.S. Army's use of tank destroyers in World War II, particularly the origins and evolution of tank destroyer doctrine, changes in training at the tank destroyer school at Camp Hood, and selection of weapons systems taken to the field. The author will punctuate these events with three distinct battles that tank destroyers played a predominate role in and evaluate their successes and failures. Tank destroyers as a branch are unusual because they originated out of fear of an immense German armored threat, based on the early days of the war, particularly the German invasion of France in 1940. Once the U.S. Army found itself facing German armor, American forces found there was little practicality in using tank destroyers as the initial doctrine prescribed. This was not due to failures in the tank destroyers themselves or their doctrine, but changes in German armor and its employment. With the absence of large German armor formations, heaver German tanks, U.S. Army commanders at all levels, employed tank destroyers as they saw fit. Their nondoctrinal employment is usually interpreted as incorrect and a waste of tank destroyer assets. The author contends that this nondoctrinal employment was instead an evolution in the development of tank destroyers and necessary to allow the branch to grow from its peacetime concept to the realities of the battlefield.

US Tank and Tank Destroyer Battalions in the ETO 1944–45

Download US Tank and Tank Destroyer Battalions in the ETO 1944–45 PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1849086265
Total Pages : 98 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (49 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis US Tank and Tank Destroyer Battalions in the ETO 1944–45 by : Steven J. Zaloga

Download or read book US Tank and Tank Destroyer Battalions in the ETO 1944–45 written by Steven J. Zaloga and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2011-03-15 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Overshadowed by the United States Army's armored divisions, the separate tank and tank destroyer battalions had the difficult mission of providing armored support for US infantry divisions in the 1944–45 campaigns. This book details the organizational structures and deployment of these units: the standard tank battalions, tank battalions (light), tank battalions (mine exploder) and tank battalions (special), self-propelled and towed tank destroyer battalions. It also covers the tactics used by these units in their attempts to assist the infantry, as well as providing a listing of all the battalions that took part in the Northwest Europe campaign.

Tank Destroyers - A New Look at Old Doctrine

Download Tank Destroyers - A New Look at Old Doctrine PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 60 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (227 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Tank Destroyers - A New Look at Old Doctrine by : David H Huntoon (Jr)

Download or read book Tank Destroyers - A New Look at Old Doctrine written by David H Huntoon (Jr) and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This monograph discusses the current value of tank destroyer doctrine based on the American experience in World War II. The tank destroyer tactical doctrine for defeating large enemy armored assaults has great utility for our modern force and dovetails with the doctrinal requirements of AirLand Battle. This monograph first examines the Soviet armored threat and its doctrinal employment. U.S. responses to that threat are analyzed for sufficiency with the focus on the European theater to operations. U.S. antiarmor assets at corps and division level are matched against the Red armor arrays, with a discussion of both force structure, weapon systems, and doctrine. The history of the U.S. tank destroyer experience in the Second World War is recounted reviewing doctrinal, organizational, and materiel lessons learned. The Battle of Kursk is studied as an excellent example of the use of the use of an in depth antitank defense against a major armor threat. American tank destroyers, employed with the basic doctrinal strengths of WWII and coupled with a new emphasis on integrated, combined arms, are recommended as a strong response to the current Soviet armor threat. Tank destroyers can defeat Soviet masses armor so that U.S. armor and mechanized infantry can accomplish their AirLand Battle doctrinal missions.

Evolution and Demise of U.S. Tank Destroyer Doctrine in the Second World War - War College Series

Download Evolution and Demise of U.S. Tank Destroyer Doctrine in the Second World War - War College Series PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : War College Series
ISBN 13 : 9781298474155
Total Pages : 90 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (741 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Evolution and Demise of U.S. Tank Destroyer Doctrine in the Second World War - War College Series by : Brian E Denny

Download or read book Evolution and Demise of U.S. Tank Destroyer Doctrine in the Second World War - War College Series written by Brian E Denny and published by War College Series. This book was released on 2015-02-23 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a curated and comprehensive collection of the most important works covering matters related to national security, diplomacy, defense, war, strategy, and tactics. The collection spans centuries of thought and experience, and includes the latest analysis of international threats, both conventional and asymmetric. It also includes riveting first person accounts of historic battles and wars.Some of the books in this Series are reproductions of historical works preserved by some of the leading libraries in the world. As with any reproduction of a historical artifact, some of these books contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. We believe these books are essential to this collection and the study of war, and have therefore brought them back into print, despite these imperfections.We hope you enjoy the unmatched breadth and depth of this collection, from the historical to the just-published works.

Seek, Strike and Destroy

Download Seek, Strike and Destroy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 92 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (124 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Seek, Strike and Destroy by : Christopher R. Gabel

Download or read book Seek, Strike and Destroy written by Christopher R. Gabel and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Seek, Strike, Destroy

Download Seek, Strike, Destroy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 248 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (89 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Seek, Strike, Destroy by : Patrick J. Chase

Download or read book Seek, Strike, Destroy written by Patrick J. Chase and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: