Book Description
The Tiger and King Tiger tanks gained legendary status during World War II. Numerous tank commanders attained phenomenal tallies of kills and accomplished extraordinary feats during combat in these tanks, building the legend to near mythic proportions after the war.
During WWII, the Germans created eleven Army and three Waffen-SS heavy tank battalions. These heavy tank battalions were employed in nearly every part of Europe against almost every enemy of Germany. As vast in breadth and scope as the employment of Tiger battalions themselves, Sledgehammers provides historical examples and analysis of heavy tank battalions' actions in North Africa, Normandy, Italy, the Ardennes Offensive, and numerous battles on the Eastern Front including Operation ZITADELLE/the Battle of Kursk, Operation BAGRATION, the battle of the Cherkassy Pocket, late war attacks to relieve Budapest, and many other more minor engagements.
Although a great deal has already been published about Tiger tanks' technical details and some of the units which used them, until now, very little has been written concerning the organization and tactical employment of these tanks throughout the German armed forces and across the theaters in which they were employed. Sledgehammers 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 how they were actually employed on the battlefield by their commanders and crews.
Even given the Tiger's reputation, many readers will be amazed by the fearsome casualties inflicted by the crews of many of these behemoth armored vehicles. It is safe to say that no other armored vehicle of the war wreaked as much havoc among enemy formations as Tigers. Many will, however, also find it equally stunning to learn of the Tigers' many technical and tactical vulnerabilities. Through the systematic use of extremely detailed primary source and other impeccably reliable research, Sledgehammers demolishes several major myths about Tigers in World War II.
Meticulously researched and written with the perspective and respect for Tigers' crews that only a professional tanker can bring to the subject, Sledgehammers synthesizes information to provide new and definitive insights into the strengths and flaws of World War II's most feared and legendary tanks.
Prologue by famed Tiger ace Otto Carius. Epilogue by Tiger killers Viktor Iskrov and Ray Holt.
35 original maps. 42 photos.
Customer Reviews:
Operational Analysis of Tigers........2007-01-09
This book features operational analysis of Tiger battalions. I was surprised to find concise maps of each operation in this book. While I am still reading it, I felt a brief positive review was in order.
sledgehammers: strengths & flaws of tiger battalions.......2006-08-03
great book, this is second one i got. first one i lost after barely reading it. love it. good stories about how individual units lived & fought
Fasinating reading.......2006-07-22
This book is a study of the German Tiger tanks. The writer starts with a brief summary of the early history of the tigers. Then goes on and discusses many battles that had the tigers. He then presents his conclusions that they were are great tank but the Germans never developed a proper military doctrinal guidance that could have used them. As such they were used mainly as tank killers. In this I think he makes a strong case.
However I am not sure that he has proven his case that the tigers were that much better tank killers compared to other German tanks. For example, I have read of some Panthers devastating Allied tanks too in figures equal to what he quotes of Tigers. Overall in both fronts for different reasons the Germans tanks tended to do better.
In the west the Allied tanks were deficient compared to German tanks in armour, mobility and armament. This can be seen as in August in Normandy the Germans had about 1,400 various tanks while the Allies had about 6,000. The Allies losses in tanks were about 3:1. Then put in all the allied air and artillery and you get a feel of the problem.
The Russian figures are disputed with wide range but its clear that overall the Germans lost far fewer tanks then the Russians. The Russian loss ratio is probably higher then the West.
Its an interesting question considering the high cost of the Tiger weapon system. Which the writer does discuss.
Overall the tiger, I wish had more description. The battles are well discussed. The maps are extremely good. I hope that other historians that use this book copy him in producing such maps. The book is certainly worth reading if you are interested in this subject.
Steve thinks that ..........2006-03-06
Very careful in the historical documentation. Very sharp in the critical assesment of the tactical doctrine underlying the battlefield deployement of the Tigers.
As advertised.......2006-01-12
This book is exactly what the title says it is. Very concise. Doesn't get bogged down in minutia. After reading it, I was amazed at just what was accomplished with these tanks. From other sources, I knew that Tigers and Tiger II's had maintenance problems. In no way did I realize just how extensive these problems were until reading this. Start the day with 45 operational tanks. Drive them 10 miles down a road, and have 6 tanks able to fight. But then attain a 10+ plus kill ration.
The author presents all this information very objectively, which is something I also appreciate.
Book Description
In America's island-hopping war against Japan, the U.S. Marines were our cutting edge. Yet, until now, little has been written about the desperate combats fought by the Marines' own spearheads - their tanks. It is a story of trial and error, incredible courage, and finally, triumph.
In the early island campaigns, Marine tankers went into battle inexperienced and inadequately trained. In a series of costly battles and jungle campaigns - Guadalcanal, New Georgia, Bouganville, Cape Gloucester, Tarawa, Marianas, Peleliu, Saipan and Okinawa - Marine tankers proved beyond doubt that they were essential in achieving victory. Despite suffering sometimes staggering losses, the Marines and their tanks eventually crushed fierce Japanese resistance.
Marine Tank Battles in the Pacific is a gripping narrative that combines exhaustive detail on Marine armor and combat with moving eyewitness accounts, never before published, of what it was actually like to be a Marine tanker in action in the Pacific - awe inspiring bravery in the face of a skilled and fanatic foe.
Customer Reviews:
Marine Tank Battles in the pacific; A REVIEW.......2007-01-09
As a former U.S. Army Tanker in the late 1960s I could empathize with the tankers daily routine of movement and maintenance. The long underpaid overworked hours one puts in as a track-head. Being couped up, nearly blind in a turret wondering what was going on outside of one' pony. I was truly amazed at the bravery and dedication of the WWII Marine Corp. Tankers, the appalling carnage they witnessed and the pathos of combat. The author brought all this and more to life in his writing. At times I got sick from the bloody battles they and the infantry fought in the Pacific Theater. Having served in the far east I can imagine easily the mental and physical toll the heat, humidity and insects took on one's mind and body. I feel that the political leaders of this county should read this before committing us to war.
Worth It, But It's a Cheaply-Done Reprint.......2006-08-20
The book's information is priceless, and I AM glad I bought it, BUT Amazon dropped the ball by not revealing the actual publisher. This is a reprint done by DaCapo Press, and they cut corners. The pictures are terrible and nearly indistinct. The slip-cover is fine, but you look at the spine, and there's one word printed : Gilbert. The quality of the binding is good, but these guys didn't give this wonderful book the treatment it deserved.
If this all that we have, and if you are a collector of US Marine histories, then you'd better grab up that last copy. Be forewarned, though, that this is a subpar reissue of the original Combined Press edition.
Confirm the publisher before buying.......2006-02-07
As a retired Marine officer, amateur historian and former newsman, I can say Gilbert is a knowledgeable and facile writer. I thoroughly enjoyed "Marine Tank Battles in Korea." Gilbert knows how to write popular history, and he gets it right. This volume reads beautifully, however the half-tones are the pits. The original version of this volume was published by Combined Publishing on quality paper with excellent photo reproduction. The volume I received from Amazon was not the Combined Publishing edition, but one by DaCapo Press. It looks like a photocopy of the original done overseas. Most of the pictures are muddy and indecipherable. Useless as a modeling reference, but great reading.
BF Halloran
Outstanding Book on WW2 Tank Warfare in the Pacific.......2005-10-23
This superb book gives exciting descriptions of tank battles fought by Marines during WW2. Since both the American and Japanese used tanks in an infantry support role, most battles were fought with small groups of tanks. The book describes the battles in which tanks were used in support of infantry. This includes use of Japanese tanks in support of their infantry against the US troops. The book also details the few, brief tank vs. tank battles between the US Marines and the Japanese. The author does an excellent job describing the overall battle of each island, the roll of the American and Japanese tanks in them., and first hand accounts of small actions. The book also includes about 100 photographs which provide a good idea what much of the terrain and combat were like. This is a must have for anyone interested in armored warfare or the WW2 war in the Pacific. I only wish I could find a comparable book on the US army tank battles in the Pacific.
Great book on a little noted subject..........2001-04-13
Marines and tanks? Who would ever write about this? This book is long overdue. Every book on the Pacific was mentions breifly the role Marine Tanks. This book covers that gap in grand style. I shows the development of Marine Armor, and its employemnt in some of the bloodiest battles of the war. This book on the Corps unsung heros, is faced paced and very easy to read. If you read other books about the USMC in the Pacific, read this very worthy book.
Book Description
My Tank is Fight! is a humorous look at more than 20 unusual or insane inventions of the Second World War. Each chapter features a detailed examination of the real history and technology behind each invention. All 19 chapters are linked by a fictional narrative that explores what might have happened had the inventions been put to use during the War. The book is also lavishly illustrated, with 18 full-color illustrations and more than two dozen detailed black and white illustrations.
My Tank is Fight! is not a dry analysis of the forgotten weapons of war, it brings those weapons to life.
A
SomethingAwful.com Book
Customer Reviews:
Something Awful.......2007-09-26
This book is truly something awful. I was bored, it wasn't funny, and I couldn't bother finishing it. No one will take it from me, buy it from me, or even borrow it. The examples are pretty silly and the overall tone is muddy.
Funny and geeky........2007-07-06
I'm loving this book. I don't know why, exactly, reading about the crazy military designs that people dreamed up during WW2 just amuses the hell out of me. Tanks that can carry an entire platoon of infantry? Helicopter in a backpack? Nazi space stations? Awesome! Not only does the book detail the hilarious designs, but the author actually writes a "what if?" afterwards that takes a stab at what might have happened if these designs were more feasible, with usually comical results.
Interesting, hilarious book.......2007-07-01
It's not your average WWII book, but it's a great read. As opposed to some commenters, I found the fictional stories very entertaining, and added to the visualization of the devices (though I will say the last fictional story was freakin depressing).
If you like WWII, are moderately aware of popular culture, and appreciate wit, then at least try this book out. You'll love it, believe me.
this is a bit like that perfect appetizer platter you always want but never get.......2007-06-15
If you're a history buff who finds historical nonfiction valuable though at times a bit dry, historical fiction entertaining but often irrelevant, and geopolitical and strategic analysts often too full of themselves to enjoy the oddities and ironies of the past, then this is the book for you. More substantial when it's being substantial than a typical night in front of the History Channel, entertaining in its vignettes, and I believe unique in its ability to bring a fresh and contemporary spirit of irreverence to what are often dusty topics. If there is another book in the world where in each chapter you can enjoy history, technology, adventure, and a few good laughs all in the time it takes to drink two cups of coffee, I don't know about it.
I wish HS History books had been this entertaining!.......2007-06-02
My Tank Is FIGHT! deals with subject matter which could easily be described in the same drab, boring, cold manner which caused me to fall asleep in History class. But instead, Zack Parsons describes the crazy inventions of WWII in technical detail, then provides personal insight and humor. The details and drawings will leave you gawking in amazement one minute, his writing will have you laughing out loud the next. It is truly frightening what a madman like Hitler could demand to be designed and built for him, given unlimited resources (and slave labor) simply because he liked big machines and blowing stuff up. I recommend this book for anyone even mildly interested in large machines, warfare or, well, blowing stuff up.
Book Description
Real war stories told by real soldiers for readers who want to know what it was like to be in the thick of battle. These are riveting combat narratives about the weapons and warriors of some of history's bloodiest conflicts. Each book is a gritty, action-oriented account of life and death in the heat of battle. Original titles as well as long out-of-print gems will explore conflicts ranging from the blood-soaked fields of the Civil War to the current war on terror and everything in between. The books are published as high-quality and affordable trade paperbacks, making them terrific editions for all who are interested in military history.
WWII began with a metallic roar as the German Blitzkrieg raced across Europe, spearheaded by the most dreaded weapon of the 20th century: the Panzer. No German tank better represents that thundering power than the infamous Tiger, and Otto Carius was one of the most successful commanders to ever take a Tiger into battle, destroying well over 150 enemy tanks during his incredible career.
Illustrations: 51 b/w photos; 3 maps; 50 illustrations
Customer Reviews:
Amazing career.......2007-08-21
Simply amazing the luck in his career. Being able to survive 5 years of war says a lot about his skill and bravery too. Also very notable is that both his father and brother also survived WW2. Remarkable feat for all three to fought in multiple campaigns and survive.
This book provides the first person point of view from the company level of combat. The technical descriptions of the vehicles, equipment, and difficulties in serving on the front lines along with trying to stay warm in an unheated steel machine in the freezing winter is all described. The strengths and limitations of the Tiger tank with regards to road marches, bridge crossings, and need for infantry support is completely detailed.
Notable in his career was his time spent outside a tank where his experienced front line infantry battalion was lacking equipment and replacements. Meanwhile, a newly formed and inexperienced Air Force infantry regiment passed on their way to the front line, courtesy of the arrogant and boastful Goering. This new regiment had new machine guns, but no experienced sergeants to direct their fire or officers to coordinate the defenses. As a result, this unit was quickly overrun by the Soviets in their first engagement. All the new equipment was lost along with hundreds of German casualties. A tremendous waste of material and irreplaceable lives.
What really made this book unique were copies of his original German Army citations and documents. The translation of these documents to English is also very helpful. The unit history summaries on the company and battalion battles are also very good historical reading. The difficulties in maintaining, repairing, refueling, and re-arming these mechanically complex machines is detailed. But what is most important and recognized is the efforts it took to care for the men who lived, fought, and died as part of their Tiger tank.
Panzer Aces I and II provide more battles and overall campaigns of other German tank aces. Other history books provide overall descriptions of battles and statistics. This book along with Audie Murphy's autobiography, To Hell and Back, show the human side of the battle and the bond that forms among soldiers who serve in combat with each other. It is the human and individual experience over the entire career that makes this book worth reading. Nice addition to a book collection.
great first hand account of tank fighting in WWII.......2007-08-08
I agree with many of the other reviews in that this is a great first hand account of tank warfare in WWII. With that in mind, some the narration is somewhat bland.
I especially liked the conversation Carius had with Henrich Himmler, speaking his mind.
The only account I've read of a tanker in a Jagertiger. Great insight.
Almost didn't buy it, glad I did........2007-06-09
I saw some of the negative reviews and although some were correct, I don't think to an extent to take away from the remarkable story and piece of history this book is. Carius is too apologetic for Germany and Hitler, but he doesn't do it often enough to have a major impact on the value of his book. It's like he wrote the book while he was there almost, and doesn't take what he learned later on into account so much to ruin the real story. He let's you know how he felt and what it was like in 1944, not what it was like in 1960 thinking back on 1944. While I think he is wrong at times, I also was not in his shoes. Yes, I feel like the man himself is writing it in his own terms instead of having some guy polish him up too much. I'm glad he didn't try to sugercoat everything with a writing style that is not him. If you want to read about what happened to Carius in his own words (a real tiger tank company commander who tells his story), than have a look. I don't want War and Peace, I want Otto Carius. It's also nice to see the view from an intermediate officer who had dealings with sargents and lieutenants usually but did get to mingle with upper crust Nazi's at times. His viewpoint is interesting and if you read between the lines, I think you get a real look at the way some things actual were, which is rare.
Confessions of an honest Nazi.......2007-04-30
Of all the autobiographies I've read of German WWII vets (and I've read a lot), this one more than any other shows how deeply embedded was the N*zi propaganda over that generation of Germans. While Carius specifically denies any anti-semitism, either on his own part or the men he served with, such denials are common among post-war German writers.
Even giving Carius the benefit of the doubt about anti-semitism, the book probably gives a more honest picture of what it meant to be a German soldier in WWII than most. Most German memoirs of the period, written during the Cold-war, try to paint WWII as a heroic struggle of the civilized west (being the Axis), against the barbarian hordes of the Soviet Empire. While they acknowledge the shortcomings of Adolf H*tler and Naziism, there is an underlying theme that the other countries of the West failed to realize the proportions of the Soviet threat.
This book cuts against that grain and makes no attempt to, post-mortem, make N*zi Germany the first failed bulwark against Soviet communism. The book at it's best gets into the nitty-gritty of everyday life as a small unit panzer commander in the latter half of World War Two. While the book is somewhat dryer than many on the subject, this is because Carius presents it like he saw it, rather than a romanticized picture that naturally comes from an old soldier remembering back on bygone struggles and calling to mind the sacrifices of fallen friends.
The depth of the writer's N*zi indoctrination really starts to come out toward the end of the book. Here he very unfavorably compares the American soldier with what he saw as the vastly superior fighting qualities of the Red Army soldier. As an ex-American soldier myself, I found the comparison insulting and, frankly ill-considered. While in the first part of the book he describes how he and his handful of Tiger tanks destroyed dozens of Soviet tanks, at the end of the book he can only describe how his platoon of Hunting-Tigers only destroyed two American Shermans before all his own vehicles were destroyed from various causes.
Leaving personal issues aside however, I found it particularly interesting how Carius's most vociferous contempt was heaped, not on the American army, but on his own countrymen. Unlike most German writers who looked with dismay at the sufferings the war brought to their own civilian population, Carius expresses his disgust for the German civilians as the war wound down in the last few months of 1945. He was appalled that Germans would seek to save what they could from an obviously lost cause - even if it meant to cooperate with the Americans. He was of the opinion that to die fighting to the last man, woman, and child would have been a far nobler end of the German nation.
While the book is a good source of information about small unit battles in World War Two, it is even more telling in that the reader can really see the mindset in what H*tler must have considered to be the ideal N*zi.
Does anyone else think that it's stupid, given the total lack of filth control on the internet, that one can't write a review of a book about WW2 and actually spell out the words n*zi and H*tler?
Awesome First Hand Account!.......2006-12-06
This is an awesome piece of history, from a man that lived it and did it. I had the personal honor of meeting Otto Carius here in Germany, he is sharp and very intelligent. While I was serving as a US Tank Battalion S3, he shared with me many of the same situations we encounter today with our Tanks and our Tankers!
Average customer rating:
- Tedious & often boring read
- Ein Geschichtsbuch. Nicht mehr, aber auch nicht weniger!
- Surprisingly Interesting
- Flawed, but riveting
- A seminal work
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Achtung - Panzer! (Cassell Military Classics)
Heinz Guderian
Manufacturer: Cassell
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ASIN: 0304352853 |
Book Description
A rare, enlightening account by an outstanding soldier reveals his thoughts and theories on armored warfare and motorized land battle--which he then put in action to devastating effect during World War Two. Guderian's treatise on the importance of tank development, and on modern mechanized technology, shows exactly why the Germans dominated land warfare in the early stage of the fighting.
Customer Reviews:
Tedious & often boring read.......2006-05-18
This was intended for the eyes of German army's general staff and not for mass market paperback. It shows.
Guderian makes his point in the first 2-3 chapters of this book and from then on, it is rambling at its best. I will not recommend this book to anyone but for those who have difficulty sleeping!
Ein Geschichtsbuch. Nicht mehr, aber auch nicht weniger!.......2006-03-04
Guderian entwickelt aus seinen Studien über die Panzereinsätze der Allierten im ersten Weltkrieg, seine Erfahrungen bei der Funktruppe sowie seiner Studien zum mechanisierten Transport der Infanterie in der Weimaer Republik die moderne Panzertaktik.
Die umfassende Richtigkeit seiner Thesen hat der "Blitzkrieg" dann 2 Jahren später in Polen, Frankreich, auf dem Balkan, in Grichenland und Russland bestätigt.
Das Buch ist flüssig, prägnant und fesselnd geschrieben, didaktisch sehr sauber aufbereitet und mit einem großen Quellenteil versehen, der die Daten aller bis ca. 1930 gebauten Panzertypen beinhaltet.
Ferner vermittlet das Buch ein Stimmungsbild der Reichswehr im Weltkrieg sowie zwischen den beiden Weltkriegen, wenn man etwas zwischen den Zeilen lesen kann.
Ein herausragendes Zeitdokument, wenn es weder von links noch von rechts Indoktriniert gelesen wird.
Mir wurde beim lesen dieses Buchs erst die volle Perversion und Menschenverachtung des ersten Weltkriegs bewusst.
Surprisingly Interesting.......2004-03-25
Heavy armored columns accompanied by motorized infantry and artillery punch through static defenses and take advantage of the limited mobility of their opponents to make deep penetrations into the enemy's rear areas. Indispensable for the attack is close air support providing considerable firepower and crucial intelligence. All is bound together by cutting edge communications technology.
The American Army in Iraq? Correct. But originally the German Panzer divisions in Poland, France, and the Soviet Union. While the Pentagon trumpets the innovative nature of their strategy and tactics in Iraq, it is actually just the logical extension of the combined forces approach that is the bedrock doctrine of land warfare since the opening of days of WWII. If the combined forces approach is gospel, then Heinz Guderian was its greatest prophet.
This book, written primarily to promote Guderian's views among his fellow German officers, was an important element in establishing the Panzer Division as the cutting edge of the German Army. It is important to realize that this book was not written for general audiences but is rather a case book type analysis aimed at convincing other officers of the absolute necessity of Guderian's approach. It contains, consequently, a close analysis of several WWI engagements aimed at demonstrating the futility of traditional infantry/artillery based attacking tactics complemented by careful analysis of early attempts to use armor. These occupy most of the book. It concludes with relatively brief sections on Guderian's own views of how offensive warfare should be conducted. Guderian spent a good part of the inter-war period teaching military history and this book provides evidence that he was an experienced pedagogue. The analyses are well organized and presently clearly. The cumulative effect is a powerful indictment of traditional tactics and a powerful argument in favor of armor using the combined forces approach. Guderian was clearly very intelligent and a competent writer. Guderian has become something of an iconic figure because of his effective and apparently prophetic advocacy of the combined forces approach. A component of his reputation rests on the fact that he was perhaps the only prominent military theorist who was also a very successful field commander. It is important to realize, however, that Guderian's insights were not unique. Intelligent veterans of WWI in all the major combatant nations were pursuing alternatives to the static tactics of WWI and a number of these individuals produced influential writings in the interwar period. Guderian drew extensively on this literature in writing Achtung Panzer.
This book is also inadvertantly revealing in several other important respects. The opening section of the book rehearses general arguments for why the German Army needed a new approach to offensive tactics. These 'geopolitical' arguments are the cliches of political and strategic thinking from the pre-WWI period, when Guderian was a young officer. They assume that war between European states is inevitable and that for Germany, the only option was rapid victory, hence the need for punishingly effective offensive tactics. In these important aspects, Guderian never seems to have escaped the conventional ideas of his youth. This is hardly surprising, Guderian was a General Staff officer during WWI and chosen as one of the select few to continue in the regular officer Corps in the interwar period. These are marks of demonstrated competence and promise but no one with really unconventional ideas about politics or strategy would have been selected for the General Staff or interwar Army by the notably reactionary leaders of the German Army, a group who wished to restore the essentials of the Wilhelmine state.
To be fair to Guderian, this book does contain an implicit admission that the German Army was defeated on the Western Front. This conclusion is in contrast to the pernicious 'stab in the back' myth of domestic betrayal (by the Social Democrats and other left wing political parties) propagated by the Army leadership during the 20s and early 30s. Such honesty was probably possible only after Hitler's accession to power and when German rearmarment was safely underway.
Flawed, but riveting.......2002-09-11
(A) The author's insistance on listing every unit in every action, armoured or not, started to drone on like "the begats" in the Old Testament, but this cannot detract from the compelling story. I found the descriptions of events told from the point of view of both sides particularly valuable.
(B) The maps provided might be reprints of the orginal edition's, for all I know -- but they are worthless. One cannot read much of the detail and they do not help illustrate what happen in the battles depicted. If this is what the German army used, it's a wonder they didn't attack Sweden by mistake! Keep a good atlas or detailed map of France at chairside instead.
(C) I am only halfway through, three days into reading, and the binding is ALREADY falling apart. This is truly disappointing in a book I intended to keep as a reference book.
A seminal work.......2002-07-02
For enthusiasts of armoured warfare this is essential reading. Although to be frank, I found the first part of the book heavy going since many WW1 battles are discussed in general terms rather than from a tankman's perspective. Nevertheless one can glean from Guderian's analysis how the development of Armoured forces - IN CONJUNCTION WITH AIR FORCES - was one of only two solutions to repeats of WW1 conditions in future conflicts assuming there were to be such. The other being the development of infantry "sturm" tactics, later exemplified by the
Waffen SS. To my mind, Guderian's later victories can be attributed to the analyses provided here. The nub being that he understood why those battles described went the way they did and, how the negative criteria therein could be overcome. The second part of the book describes the means and methods. One is left with the feeling that had Germany's potential opponents really read this book and observed how Guderian's ideas were being turned into reality by himself and his contemporaries - although not with some not inconsiderable internal opposition, it must be said - the shock and surprise elements that so characterise the early WW2 years battles could well have been avoided.
For make no mistake: Guderian is the true progenator of modern warfare. Although from reading this book it is not quite as apparent as it might be. It pains me to see how a much lesser man such as Rommel recieves recognition far out of proportion to his actual contribution to the general weal while Guderian merely occupies a place in obscurity inhabited by afficiondos. Granted that is because Rommel is associated with resistance to Hitler - quite unwarranted as it happens. Without his personal association with the Nazi dictator, Rommel would never have gained the commands which made his reputation. Both men however were essentially decent men caught up in something inextricably evil and made the best for themelves in the circumstances. In that sense they both cull blame; but who amongst can say we would do any different under the same circumstances? In the case of Guderian Hitler turned out to provide just the support he needed - in marked contrast to his contemporary pioneers in the British Army: Fuller went to enforced retirement, Hobart was demoted from Major General to Corporal in the Home Guard! Had they recieved the same measure of support as Guderian......
Customer Reviews:
Heavy Coverage.......2007-08-01
Spielberger's joining of forces with Jenz and Doyle has resulted in the best yet coverage of these three heavy sluggers, the Jadgpanther, Ferdinand/Elephant and Jadgtiger. Excellent in every way from photos (yes even some never seen before)to technical text to action reports to Doyle's excellent drawings. Everything you could ever want to know about these facinating machines but didn't know how to ask. Especially helpful is the addition to the new series is the "Kill/range" comparison charts for each machine against the best armor the allies put against them. No duds yet in the new series. Just hours of great, fascinating reading. Kudos to Spielberger, Jentz and Doyle.
Book Description
* Ultimate inside view of the blitzkrieg in World War II
* Diagrams, maps, and schematics illustrate key principles
* Hundreds of rare photos show Panzers and crews in action
Wolfgang Schneider has written the definitive account of German small-unit armor tactics. Using period training manuals, after-action reports, countless interviews with Panzer veterans, and his own experiences as an armor commander in the modern Germany Army, Schneider describes World War II Panzer tactics, coupling his narrative with scores of illustrations that highlight armor concepts. Schneider covers the major types of small-unit operational art -- offensive and defensive -- and also discusses road marches, reconnaissance, command and control, working with other arms of service, life in a tank, armor training, gunnery, and the future of armor. The book provides useful insight into armor tactics for both the layman and the armor enthusiast.
Customer Reviews:
Extremely valuable - material found nowhere else..........2007-08-12
...at least in my own ever-growing collection. We have the experiences of a Guderian, von Mellenthin, or Manstein, self serving as they sometimes may be, but at all these decades remove the view of the actual panzer crewman starts to get a little hazy. This book remedies this by way of hundreds of photographs that I don't believe are published in any other popularly available work. The CAPTIONS to these are of value! (For example: "Proper spacing is 100 meters - these Pz IIIs are too close!).
Each chapter begins with a concise exposition of the topic (Offensive operations, Defensive operations, Unit Movements, Command and Control, Logistics and Maintenance, etc.) from the point of view of the experienced veteran. A number of reproductions of the actual training materials for panzer crew from the period are included. The author takes pains to show how, during actual operations over the course of the war, panzer crew were repeatedly forced to improvise, departing from rigid adherance to the doctrine in these materials. Also included are a number of sketch maps of various operations at the smaller unit level, to further illustrate the principles. I believe a number of these are from actual after-action reports, hand drawn by the officers involved.
But it's the photos that are of the most value. These bring to life all the gritty little details of the panzer crew's existence, which was at times boring, terrifying, exhausting, freezing, burning, bleeding, and at most times thoroughly miserable. Life in a tank in WW II was hard. Operating them with enough skill to accomplish impossibly difficult missions with any chance of survival was even harder. This book goes some way towards showing how the Germans did it.
If you are a modeler or wargamer, mark this one down as a MUST HAVE.
All You need to Know.......2007-05-27
As a noted authour of German military formations and History, Wolfgang Schneider has gone one step further and written a very well researched and interesting book on German small unit armor tactics.
The book interestingly is divided into sections that deal with such topics as Unit movements, Command and Control, Logistics and maintenance,combined Arms operations and both defensive and Offensive operations.
It is well documented with maps and examples dealing with the various topics including armour battles where these tactics were used to great effect to prove the point.
It is filled with numerous photographs of german armour, on the march in battle or at rest which accompany the examples mentioned.
I found this book fascinating reading and gives a very very good insight into german armoured thinking throughout the war.
The authour of other notable books such as Tigers in combat and Das Reich Tigers means you know you are geting a book that is a great accompaniment to any history of german panzer units.
a very interesting book.......2007-01-13
I am totally satisfied by the great competence of the author. This book is the most complete and concentrated guide about armour warfare in WWII that I have ever read.
excellent book.......2006-07-07
it's that kind of books that any one intersted in armored tactics can read with plenty of maps and photos
Book Description
Tank Turret Fortifications traces the origins of the idea from the development of the first armored turrets in the nineteenth century through to the present day. On the way it covers the inter-war period when the first turrets were used in this way, the Second World War when tank turrets were used on every front in the European Theatre of Operations, and the post-war period when tank turrets were used even more widely. The book also details the decline of the idea as countries reassessed the threats they faced and slowly dismantled all their fixed fortifications. Widely used during World War Two and since, tank turret fortifications deserve a history, and Neil Short has spent several years writing this, the first proper study.
Customer Reviews:
A must have book for those interested in Fortifications and Tanks.......2007-03-07
Something new to the field of study of fortifications is the topic of this book. For many years numerous articles have appeared on the topic of tank turrets used as fortifications, and even some details in books on fortifications, but no single book has come out on the subject in English. This specialized study covers the use of turrets from tanks and specially made tank type turrets in defensive positions. In some cases entire tanks or just their chassis were buried and turned into defensive positions, but the use of turrets on concrete fortifications is the core of this work.
The author goes back to the origin of the armored turret in modern fortifications and how a special mobile armored two man turret was created with a 53-mm gun that could be rolled into position. World War I left many outdated tanks after a period of years and the French took a number of their FT-17 tanks and turrets and added them to their defenses of the intervals while the Soviets did the same with similar outdated tanks and some that just were not successful models. It is quite interesting to see how the author has identified how they were first used near Leningrad and then added to the defensive sectors of the so called Stalin Line if you have read about the German experience against similar positions during their drive on Lenningrad in 1941. The French also created a special tank-like turret that was used only with its own special concrete position. During World War II the use of these turrets was increased and new and better additions were created, especially by the Germans. After the war the Soviets were still mounting tanks, now from their heavy Joseph Stalin models and the Italians and others were mounting old Sherman and British tank turrets in land defense early in the Cold War
One the the main parts of the book covers the use of turret type fortifications in World War II and there are many charts, photos and illustrations which in some cases help give a good view of what these positions consisted of and even how some were created. The author also covers armored trains and patrol boats that used tank turret, plus goes through some of the major fortifications and regions where the turret fortifications were employed.
The book briefly describes the tanks that these turrets came from and identifies some of the components taken from tanks, such as the gun or chassis that might have been used individually. A large part of the book is mostly a reference, while many other sections make interesting reading and there are numerous photos, drawings and charts that support the text. There is a great deal information in this book and if your interested in fortifications or only tanks, especially of the World War II era, this book is a must.
Book Description
"Six riveting, gritty accounts of some of the greatest German tank commanders, including Michael Wittmann, Hans Bolter, Hermann Bix, and others Timelines mark the milestones of each officer's career
With speed, violence, and deadly power, heavily armored tanks spearheaded the German blitzkrieg that stormed across Europe in 1939. Tracks rattling and engines roaring, these lethal machines engaged in some of the fiercest fighting of World War II, from the beaches of Normandy and the Ardennes forest to the snow-encrusted eastern front. In this reprint of the hugely popular book, prolific author Franz Kurowski tells the action-packed stories of six of the most daring and successful officers ever to command Panzers.
Customer Reviews:
good narratives of panzer commanders.......2007-08-08
I agree overall with the other reviews. Footnotes and maps would give more credibility. The narrative reads like how men on the front would talk. I found it very interesting. Has an index.
Up close and personal!.......2007-04-26
As with many books of this particular genre, the subject matter is very interestingng, but suffers from translation. The six men, the "Aces", are well profiled and seem to become real people.
In regards to the lack of "technical details", most readers of this very specialized type of biography/memoir/military history, can easily find the necessary information eleswhere. This book focuses on the MEN and not the equuipment.
Overall a very good effort. A few maps would have helped understand the overall strategic situation, better, but still entertaining. Four stars reflect the translational problems, since German is dificult to translate into "literary" and readable English.
Good summary book about 6 tank commanders.......2006-12-29
While some reviewers have gripped that this book doesn't cite sources and doesn't have alot of maps and lacks strategic prospective I think they are missing the point. This book pulls together good stories about men who, with the exception of Michael Wittmann whose own book is very hard to find, are unknown in the West. The author has done a good job of showing readers what the experiences of these men were like. The book is interesting for the section on the greatest tank commander of all time Wittmann alone as most authors only see fit to include a few pages about him here and there. Also two of the sections deal with Kursk which was the largest tank battle in history and has been ignored by many so-called historians who prefer to disect the battles in France.
One of the best war books you could ever read!.......2006-10-01
I have this book and just finished reading it for the 2nd time. Along with "Forgotten Soldier" by Guy Sajer this is my favorite war books. The blow-by-blow accounts of tank warfare on the Russian Front will leave you litterally in awe of what those "panzer aces" lived through. I super highly recommend this book. Get it and you won't be able to put it down until you are done!
Panzer Aces.......2005-11-03
Panzer Aces
Author-Franz Kurowski
Ballantine Publishing
Copyright 1992 by J.J. Fedorwicz
First American Printing 2002
paperback 506 pages. 16 pages black/white photos.
No maps or technical drawings.
This book is about 6 of Germanys tank commanders during WW2. It provides brief summaries of the mens actions in tank warfare. The men are Franz Bake, Hermman Bix, Rudolf von Ribbentrop, Hans Bolter, Michael Wittman and Albert Ernst.
While each of these men had great achievements, this book does not do justice to historical literature. The book has no footnotes and does not list the references or sources used to write it. Technical data regarding the tanks involved is limited and almost nonexistant. Vehicle are described in the following matter...'Panzer III with long barreled 5cm gun...Panzer IV with the long barrel 7.5cm.' I would believe that these would be the Pz3j and pz4g, but the book does not make it clear.
The tanks are described mostly as the following: Tanks, T-34's and Shermans. Very few other enemy tanks are mentioned. The BT series and t-26 are not even mentioned once. T-70, Stalins, T-38 and KV's are encountered and written about but sparingly.
The chapters seem more like a unit history of sorts with the Ace "Hero" thrown in to add spice. There are quotation marks thrown around dialogue which makes it seem like the author was in the tank itself with a tape recorder. It reads more like a novel that history.
The back cover reads in part..'Based on extensive research......'If it is then why are there no references. It seems like a Hollywood version of history....Like the movie U-571, which was "Based on a true story", but turned into a travesty of a movie and a perversion of history.
To summarize:
This book is a poor effort and not worthy of a place in my library. There are no maps, no technical drawings or tables, no footnoting and a poorly coordinated index. Zimmerit is not once mentioned in the entire book and not listed in the index....Huh???
Thankfully I received this book free from my brother. He declared it a "Dog". I would have to agree.
Book Description
Images of Kursk is an illustrated account of a pivotal battle on the eastern front during World War II. At Kursk, the Germans threw 900,000 men and 2,500 tanks against more than 1 million soldiers and 3,000 tanks of the Red Army in a savage battle of attrition.
Unlike many pictorial accounts of the war on the eastern front, Images of Kursk draws upon both German and Russian archive material. All the photographs of the Red Army at Kursk, moreover, are previously unpublished images. The book begins with the buildup of forces before the battle and then illustrates the offensive by two German army groups against the Kursk salient. The images convey the true scale, intensity, and horror of the fighting as the Germans tried in vain to batter their way through the Soviet defensive systems. A chapter is devoted to the climactic battle at the village of Prokhorovka, in which 1,000 tanks engaged each other furiously at point-blank range.
With authoritative text and extended captions,Images of Kursk is an enthralling pictorial record of the battle that shifted the strategic initiative on the eastern front to the Red Army for good. Written in an informative yet exciting style, it will appeal to military specialists and laymen alike.
Customer Reviews:
Soviet Propaganda Images of Kursk.......2007-04-22
The title of this book is completely misleading. It should be called "Soviet Propaganda Images of Kursk." The book is chock-a-block full of images relating to Kursk, but 80% or more of the pictures are from the Soviet perspective and most of these are obvious propaganda photos of German prisoners, destroyed German tanks and other armored vehicles, dead German soldiers, captured German weapons, "heroic" Soviet soldiers, Soviet partisans, Soviet officers, Soviet T-34s aplenty, etc.
Some of the chapters appear to have no photos at all from the German perspective. Exceptions are a chapter on re-arming the Wehrmacht in preparation for the battle and a chapter on the SS spearhead operations. But this only discloses that the author could have provide a more balanced photographic perspective but purposefully chose not to do so. Oddly enough, there isn't a single photo from the German perspective in the chapter on the great tank battle near Prokhorovka, 12 July 1943.
The book's saving grace is that the Soviet photos were previously unpublished and that does help enlighten the reader about the Soviet forces, particularly the unappreciated widespread use of Soviet women in the Red Army and the underpublicized vast numbers of tanks and other vehicles the Soviets received from the Allies (by mid-1943, the USA alone had shipped over 100,000 military vehicles to the Russians), without which the outcome of this battle (and many others to come) may have changed.
The book even includes photos of the Soviets anti-tank attack dogs, which were armed with bombs and trained, Pavlovian style, to run under tanks looking for food. Unfortunately for the starving dog, as it went under the tank a trip wire exploded the bombs, killing the dog. Unfortunately for the Soviets, the dogs could not be trained to distinquish a German tank from a Russian tank and the dogs often ran back into the Russian lines exploding themselves under Russian tanks, taking out the Soviet tank and crew as well. Because of this, the Soviets eventually gave up on anti-tank dogs.
The book is divided into chapters from the build-up by both sides to the battle, the battle itself, and advances by the Soviets after the battle, when the Germans had to retreat back to their original lines and then beyond them, due in part to Hitler's decision to pull off the attack and transfer divisions to Italy to counter the Allied invasion of Sicily.
The book is well-written to the extent the reader is informed of the deployment of troops on each side during each stage of the battle, but there are only a couple of maps provided in the whole book and unless you're familiar with the battle it is hard to follow along. A map should have been included with each chapter, showing the status of the battle, troop movements, German advances, and the Soviet rings of defense, which were over 100 miles (180 km) deep and contained about 1.3 million soldiers.
The book is also somewhat misleading to the extent the reader is given the impression that the Germans are continuously suffering large losses (true) but the Russians are not (untrue). In fact, it is generally believed that in this battle the ratio of Russians killed to Germans killed was about 4:1. The ratio for Russian tank and other armor losses to German armor losses was even greater, about 5:1. The problem, of course, is that the Germans did not have the resources to replace such heavy losses, while the Russians did.
My View of Kursk .......2007-04-14
This was my first reading of the battle of Kursk. Most of my preconceptions about the battle was that it was a running series of tank battles over the Russian steppes. I was amazed that it was really about German attacks over pre-dispositioned Soviet defenses and then counterattacks. Okay, what little I knew was run over (pun intended). For most of the text I believe that the photographs were very appropriate. At the very least plausible. I bought this book because I wanted to know more about "the battle" and I gained a lot of perspective about it. The pictures are worth a thousand words and more. You don't have to be an expert to gain some of the "experience" these pictures have to tell.
Ultimately this book is about geography. Pictures are wonderful, but unless they are from satellites, they don't do much for placing you there. Maps with the PLACE NAMES and the inevitable broad arrows would be extremely wonderful and informative for this particular book. Did I enjoy it? Yes. No doubt. Did I wind up with a good idea of how the battle took place? No. I was so lost I thought I was in Los Angeles. The book is not misleading, it is about images, but in my mind it is written for geography, and a revision is needed with maps (and arrows).
This book is fundamentally successful because it creates a hunger to know more.
Kursk Photos.......2007-01-18
If you are interested in WWII tank battles on the Eastern Front, this is a must have book. There are pictures here, descriptive maps and accounts not to be found elsewhere. Highly recommended reading and collecting.
Fascinating Pictures.......2006-12-17
The title of this book says what it is, pictures from the battlefiend at Kursk. We have all heard of Kursk, the biggest tank battle ever, the fact that the Germans, more or less had to attack this bulge in their lines, and the Russians knowing they were coming fortifying the area up to a depth of a hundred miles.
What has been difficult to find was pictures of what was going on there at the time. And this book provides those pictures, and in spades. I don't have a count but guess that there are 300 pictures, almost none of which had I seen in other books. These pictures show what could not really be described
a unit of Russian women soldiers marching somewhere with all of their rifle receivers covered with an obviously specially made canvas guard, to keep out the rain I suppose.
a knocked out T-34 right next to a German Mk IV, both of them showing a lot of twisted up metal that indictes the relative forces being used in the fighting.
Shot up equipment by the ton.
Soldiers, of both sides, glad to still be allive.
This book is only a couple of hundred pages long, but if each picture is worth a thousnd words, it is a huge volume. Fascinating photographs.
Well, the pictures are nice.......2004-03-18
The book gives a good introduction too Russian and German artillery and tanks. After that it simply tells you that some corps attacked another with x amount of casualties on so and so day. Without any maps, (the book only has two), this long narrative is quite useless to the reader. Furthermore most of the authors conversions from kilometers to miles and meters to yards are incorrect, I found this quite disconcerting. I still found the book an easy read though, however this is probably because I don't mind reading about one attack after another written in laundry list fashion. Without maps though the reader will never remember any of the tactical situations described in the narrative. It is for these reasons that I gave the book only two stars.
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