Book Alert: German Panzer II by David Doyle
December 9, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Ampersand Publishing has released a new entry in their Visual History Series on the German WWII era Panzer II tank. Written by David Doyle, German Panzer II: A Visual History of the German Army’s WWII Light Tank (Visual History Series)
Publisher’s Description:
The Panzer II was Germany’s first cannon-armed tank in the post World War I era. Designed and initially produced under the code name of 100-horsepower Farm Tractor, owing to the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles, the Panzer II remained in production, and in the field, well after it had been surpassed by better engineered, more heavily armed and armored vehicles, and indeed played a key part in the early victories achieved by the Blitzkrieg.
The third in our expanded Visual History series features nearly 200 scarce wartime photos, illuminated by detailed captions. Coverage includes the Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. A; Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. B; Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. c and A-C early; Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. c, A, B, C modified Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. D; Pz.Kpfw. II (F) Ausf. A & B; Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. F; Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. G; Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. J and the Pz.Kpfw. II “Lynx.” All of the photos have been carefully selected to showcase the many details of the variants. Many “Panzer rarities” will be found within the 168-pages of this hardbound volume. ISBN: 978-1-944367-11-4
Page samples can be found at the Ampersand Publishing website, as can ordering information. Ampersand is currently running an end of the year sale offering % discounts based on order size.
Sherman Tank vandalized in Indiana
December 9, 2016 by 1 Comment
Wane.com is reporting that a Sherman tank on display at the Memorial Park Veterans Memorial in Huntington Indiana was defaced with racist symbols.
The city of Huntington’s City Services department learned Monday that the Sherman tank at the park had been tagged in white spray paint with “KKKK,” a common nod to the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. In a Facebook post, the city said the graffiti was part of a “wave of vandalism” around the city and called the markings on the tank “most troubling.”
Bob Caley, the superintendent of Huntington’s City Services, told NewsChannel 15 on Tuesday that he’s not sure when the vandalism happened. Caley said he’s “very disturbed” by the message, especially considering what the tank and the memorial stands for.
Caley said a crew was sent to the park to begin removing the graffiti early Tuesday. He said the job will be difficult, and some of the original paint on the tank had also come off during the cleaning process.
This particular tank appears to be an M4A1 (76) with HVSS suspension. This particular variant of Sherman tank is quite common in Indiana, with examples on display in Griffith, Crown Point, Muncie and Scottsburg.
Video: Pakistan Tank Park
December 9, 2016 by Leave a Comment
This video showed up on youtube last week showing the Ayub Nation Park in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. This park displays tanks, artillery and other weapons captured by Packistan during the Pakistan’s wars with India. It is not a great video, but considering that most of us will probably never have an opportunity to see this park in person, we figured it may be of interest to people.
Inside the Chieftain’s Hatch: Stridsvagn fm/21
December 8, 2016 by Leave a Comment
World of Tanks researcher Nicholas Moran takes a look at the Swedish Stridsvagn fm/21 housed at the Arsenalen Museum.
Photo of the Day: Russian invasion of Salisbury Plain
December 6, 2016 by 1 Comment
Several British tabloids have been reporting on a British Army exercise in which several Soviet built tanks were used to simulate a Russian attack on Eastern Europe. The exercise included a number of Polish T-72 tanks as well as a few other Soviet designs on loan from a private collector and the Tank Museum. These include some rather outdated T-55 tanks. The presence of these older vehicles prompted the Russian embassy in Lundon to tweet “Large-scale British exercises near Salisbury: imitation fight vs Polish-assembled T72s as a poor replacement for real stuff.”
More Indo Def 2016 videos
December 6, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Last week we had posted video clips from IHS Jane’s on some of the AFVs featured at Indo Def 2016. Here are a few more video clips featuring IHS Jane’s reporter Christopher Foss that have shown up since last week’s post. These clips look at a couple different medium tank options presented at Indo Def 2016.
Video: WoT – Turretless Swede
December 6, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Wargaming Europe has released a new video on the history of the Swedish Strv-103 “S-Tank.”
AFV News from around the Net
December 4, 2016 by Leave a Comment
It’s time for another installment of AFV News from around the Net. Click on the headline to read the full article.
Globes – India eyes Israeli tank, APC systems
Re
presentatives of over 20 Israeli companies involved in the development and production program for the Merkava tank and Namer armored personnel carrier today finished the first seminar ever conducted in India. Dozens of Indian companies attended the seminar. The Ministry of Defense SIBAT – Ministry of Defense International Defense Cooperation Authority sponsored the seminar, in view of the emerging needs of Indian industry in order to prepare for the large-scale procurement of armored vehicles by the Indian army expected in the coming years.
The National Interest – India Took 35 Years to Make Its First Tank (And It Was a Total Disaster)
The inability of DRDO to put its foot down and admit that it could not build the tank on time and on schedule doomed the tank. India’s state of the military art was such that a new tank would out of necessity face a prolonged development time. The more the tank project dragged on, the more the tank needed to be redesigned to incorporate new technologies. The tank was trapped for decades in a development death spiral, and the end product is correspondingly mediocre.
Chron – DriveTanks in Uvalde lets military buffs step inside real tanks, use real artillery
If you have a few grand to blow through and want to make a really, really big bang then you might want to look into DriveTanks, located at the Ox Ranch in Uvalde, Texas. The sprawling ranch bills itself as the only place in the world to drive and shoot fully functional tanks and major artillery without having to actually enlist in the military or join some sort of militia. DriveTanks calls itself a living military museum. Whereas other places will let you look at weapons of war behind glass or a velvet rope, DriveTanks offers a first-hand experience that you might still feel the next day.
The Columbus Telegram – Scout thanks veterans through tank project
Chase Paczosa knew he wanted to thank veterans through his Eagle Scout project. Their service and sacrifices are what allow him to participate in Boy Scouts, an organization he joined about seven years ago. “I wanted to help the veterans, do something for the veterans,” said Paczosa, a member of Troop 212 in Columbus. He just didn’t know exactly what that gesture would be. Initially, the 14-year-old Columbus Middle School student had a plan to raise money for an all-terrain wheelchair that would be donated to a local veteran. The chairs, which have tracks instead of wheels, make it easier for those with physical disabilities to participate in outdoor activities such as hunting and fishing.
7 WDAM – Hattiesburg man tells military history through tank preservation
CAMP SHELBY, MS (WDAM) – One Hattiesburg man is helping to tell Mississippi’s military history through the history of the tank. Glenn Husted is the collections manager at the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum at Camp Shelby. He’s also an Army veteran and tank expert, who’s led conservation efforts on several historic vehicles at the museum. His pride and joy is a one-of-a-kind tank from 1936. It’s an M2A2 light tank that was donated to Camp Shelby in 1977. The museum is the only place where the tank can be seen.
Tank and AFV News 