A video book review of Hungarian Armored Forces in World War II (Photosniper)
Book Review: Hungarian Armored Forces of World War II
June 9, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Tanks of World War II – Episode 2: Panzerkampfwagen I
May 30, 2018 by Leave a Comment
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
April 28, 2018 by Leave a Comment
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)
Book Alert: German Heavy Fighting Vehicles of the Second World War: From Tiger to E-100
April 8, 2018 by Leave a Comment
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
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
ARDEC Report on 76MM Gun M1A1 and M1A2
March 2, 2018 by Leave a Comment
For those looking for a detailed report on the effectiveness of US 76mm tank guns, check out this new technical report from ARDEC, the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center. Released in January of 2018, this document is a 58 page PDF and is a rather thorough examination of the topic. Download the report here.
Report Abstract:
This report provides an analysis of the U.S. anti-tank technology during World War II. A ballistic analysis is used to corroborate the battlefield history and gain an understanding of the physical and technological factors that spurred the development of the M1 series 76-mm Gun and family of ammunition.
The technical manual (TM) 9-1907 was published 23 September 1944, but it was missing performance data for the 76-mm hyper-velocity, armor-piercing (HVAP) shell and any information for performance of the U.S. anti-tank capabilities against the German Panther tank. Battle history indicates there was a technological capability gap against upgraded Panzer armor. This report attempts to use hand calculations and modeling and
simulation (PRODAS) to fill in the information that is missing in TM 9-1907. The analysis offers the reader a greater engineering comprehension of the challenges faced between June 1944 and May 1945 and the circumstances necessitating the rapid fielding of the 76-mm HVAP shell after German capability upgrades were encountered in the European Theater of Operations from Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge (June to December 1944).
Tank Chats #47 King Tiger
March 2, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Here is a new entry in the Tank Chat series from the Tank Museum at Bovington. This one takes a look at the famous German WWII King Tiger tank.
Book Review: Pershing Vs Tiger Germany 1945 (Duel 80)
September 28, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Book Review
Pershing vs Tiger: Germany 1945 (Duel)
Osprey Publishing
The first thing worth noting is that the title of the book is perhaps a bit misleading. The artwork on the cover depicts the US Pershing and a German Tiger I tank. And while the book does describe a combat encounter involving these two types of vehicle, there is only one incident of this type. The other examples involve other types of German armor, including a Panther, Nashorn, Pz IV, and possibly a Jagdpanther. This is not surprising, since the number of Pershing tanks operating in the ETO in 1945 was very low. As Zaloga points out, by March of 1945 there were only 20 Pershing tanks in the field. It is no wonder that the number of tank vs tank clashes involving Pershing tanks can be related individually in one volume.
For those who have read previous Duel series books, the layout of this book will be familiar. The first section of the book traces the design and development of the Tiger, Tiger II and the Pershing. This is followed by a technical description of each tank, focusing on crew layout, firepower, armor and mobility. After this are chapters on the combatants and the strategic situation, describing the activities of the Tiger heavy tank battalions and their encounters, or more accurately, their lack of encounters with US forces in the ETO. All this sets up the heart of the book, which is the descriptions of the various combats by Pershing tanks and German armor. The book delivers on its title with a description of the duel at Elsdorf, in which a Pershing tank destroyed a German Tiger and several other German tanks in exchange for the loss of one Pershing tank named “Fireball.”
The book finishes up with an analysis chapter, focusing primarily on the Tiger tank. For those invested in the idea that the Tiger was some sort of super-tank, this analysis will prover rather deflating. Zaloga points out that Tiger units were relatively rare in the West, suffered from low readiness rates due to poor reliability and high maintenance demands and were generally less effective than the Tiger units in the East. The Tiger II he refers to as “an extravagant waste in the West”. Little final analysis is offered regarding the performance of the Pershing in the final chapter. Zaloga notes that the number of Pershings in the field were so few, and the state of the German opposition so poor by this point in the war, that few lessons regarding the tank can be learned (for more on the combat record of the Pershing, check out Zaloga’s T-34-85 vs M26 Pershing: Korea 1950
For those interested in US and German armor in the West 1944-45, this book is certainly worth picking up. With this volume, Zaloga seems to have covered most of the well-known US and German tanks that faced each other after D-Day until the German surrender. This volume may prove particularly useful for those looking for an antidote to the Tiger myth.
Book Alert: Pershing vs Tiger: Germany 1945
September 21, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Osprey Publishing has released a new entry in their Duel series,Pershing vs Tiger: Germany 1945 (Duel)
Publisher’s Description:
During the final battles on World War II’s Western Front, the legendary German Tiger I heavy tank clashed with the brand-new M26 Pershing fielded by the United States. The Tiger I had earned a formidable reputation by the end of 1944, although its non-sloped armour and poor mobility meant it was being superseded by the Tiger II or ‘King Tiger’. While the Tiger I had been in the front lines since 1942, the US Pershing first entered combat in late February 1945, and more than 20 Pershings would see action before war’s end.
This book examines the dramatic Tiger/Pershing duel at Elsdorf in Germany, and also assesses the clashes between German armour and the sole ‘Super Pershing’ deployed to Europe. Featuring full-colour artwork, carefully chosen photographs and specially commissioned maps, this is the story of the first US heavy tanks in combat with the fearsome Tiger I during the last months of World War II in Europe.
Book Alert: Patton’s Juggernaut: The Rolling 8-Ball 8th Tank Battalion of the 4th Armored Division
September 8, 2017 by Leave a Comment
This month saw the release of a new book by retired general and WWII veteran Albin F Irzyk titled Patton’s Juggernaut: The Rolling 8-Ball 8th Tank Battalion of the 4th Armored Division
Publisher’s Description:
Combat was the destiny of this Battalion. It was created as a Combat Battalion. It was organized primarily, fundamentally, and solely to fight the German Army in Europe. And fight it did, splendidly, spectacularly and courageously.
I feel very possessive about this Battalion. I was a major factor in training it for combat. I was in it every day the Battalion was in combat, much of it after assuming command at the age of twenty seven. I believe that there was a special bonding between my men and me.
It was a great honor and privilege to command these tankers and to witness what they accomplished. In my opinion, our nation has never fully understood or appreciated the fantastic role played by such boys and very young men.
They proved themselves on the toughest testing ground of man – the field of combat. Nothing in my long, full life could compare with the priceless opportunity that I had to command the men of the 8th Tank Battalion. This is their story.
Tank and AFV News 