Book Review: Panzers in Berlin 1945

New book review video, Panzers in Berlin 1945 from the fine folks at Panzerwrecks.

Video Book Review: Smashing Hitler’s Panzers

Here is our video book review of the new book by Steven Zaloga,Smashing Hitler’s Panzers: The Defeat of the Hitler Youth Panzer Division in the Battle of the Bulge.

 

Publisher’s Description:

In his riveting new book, Steven Zaloga describes how American foot soldiers faced down Hitler’s elite armored spearhead—the Hitler Youth Panzer Division—in the snowy Ardennes forest during one of World War II’s biggest battles, the Battle of the Bulge. The Hitler Youth division was assigned the mission of the Führer’s Ardennes offensive: capture the main highway to the primary objective, Antwerp, whose seizure Hitler believed would end the war. Had the Germans taken the Belgian port, it would have cut off the Americans from the British and perhaps led to a second, more devastating Dunkirk. In Zaloga’s careful reconstruction, a succession of American infantry units—the 99th Division, the 2nd Division, and the 1st Division (the famous Big Red One)—fought a series of series of battles that denied Hitler the best roads to Antwerp and doomed his offensive. American G.I.s—some of them seeing combat for the very first time—had stymied Hitler’s panzers and grand plans.

Book Review: Cromwell vs Jagdpanzer IV

Here is our video book review of Cromwell vs Jagdpanzer IV: Normandy 1944 (Duel) by David R. Higgins and published by Osprey.

Book Description:

By 1944, the evolution of armoured doctrine had produced very different outcomes in Britain and Germany. Offering a good balance of speed, protection and firepower, the British Cromwell tank was much faster than its German opponent, but the Jagdpanzer IV tank destroyer had a high-velocity main gun and a lower profile that made it formidable on the defensive, especially in ambush situations. The two types would fight in a series of bloody encounters, from the initial days of the struggle for Normandy through to its climax as the Allies sought to trap their opponents in the Falaise Pocket.

Using archive photographs, specially commissioned artwork and battle reports, this fascinating study expertly assesses the realities of tactical armoured combat during the desperate battles after D-Day.

 

Tanks of World War II – Episode 4: Panzer II

Here is episode four of our video series The Tanks of World War II.  This episode finishes up our look at the Polish Campaign of 1939 and examines the German Panzer II and it’s variants.

Tanks of World War II – Episode 2: Panzerkampfwagen I

Here is the second video in our new series on the Tanks of World War II.  This one looks at the Panzer I.  This episode is a bit longer than the first one and includes more pictures.  We hope you all enjoy it.

If you would like to support this series, you can do so in a couple ways.  We have created a Patreon page for those that want to make a small regular donation.  Or, you can go to our page of recommended books on the Panzer I.  We get a small advertising fee if people shop on Amazon from the links on our site.

Video Book Review: Tank Craft Series

We recently recieved copies of four different titles in the Tank Craft series.  Rather than review these all in one long video, we recorded an introduction video with some commentary about the series overall, followed by seperate videos for each book.  The titles covered in these are:

T-34: Russia’s Armoured Spearhead (Tank Craft)

Panzer IV: 1939-1945 (Tank Craft)

Panzer I & II: Blueprint for Blitzkrieg 1933–1941 (Tank Craft)

Jagdpanther Tank Destroyer: German Army and Waffen-SS, Western Europe 1944–1945 (Tank Craft)

 

 

 

 

Video Book Review: Panzer IV on the Battlefield 2

We take a look a the book Panzer IV on the battlefield, Volume 2 (World War Two Photobook Series) by Craig Ellis

Video: Unofficial High Speed Tour of the Deutsches Panzermuseum

Nicholas ” The Chieftain” Moran gives a quick video tour of the Deutsches Panzermuseum in Munster.

Book Alert: German Heavy Fighting Vehicles of the Second World War: From Tiger to E-100

Fonthill Media has released a new title by author Ken Estes titled German Heavy Fighting Vehicles of the Second World War: From Tiger to E-100.  This is a 180 page softcover book.

Publisher’s Description:

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.

Available from Amazon here.

Book Alert: The History of the Panzerwaffe: Volume 2: 1942–45

Osprey Publishing has released a follow-up book to Thomas Anderson’s History of the Panzerwaffe.  This new book, The History of the Panzerwaffe: Volume 2: 1942–45 covers the later half of the Second World War.  Unlike the slender softcover series books that they are mainly known for, this Osprey offering is a 304 page hardcover.  Thomas Anderson is a German researcher of armored vehicle history, having written several Osprey titles on German WWII armor.

Publishers Description:

The final years of World War II saw the legendary Panzerwaffe face its most difficult challenges, with Allied troops landing at Normandy and storming across the continent, and the Russians gaining the upper hand on the Eastern Front. As Germany fought fiercely to hold on to the advantages gained in the early years, they relied heavily on the Panzer IV, the Panzer V Panther, and the StuG III–the backbone of their infamous armored divisions–to hold back their advancing opponents. This second volume on the Panzerwaffe offers a comprehensive guide to the final years of Germany’s most famous fighting force, covering the further use of the Panzer IV, the role played by the StuG III assault gun, and the battlefield debut of the formidable Panther. Explosive combat reports and rare archive photographs help uncover the final years of the Panzers, from their defense against the D-Day landings and the role they played in the Ardennes Offensive, to their valiant last stand in Berlin.