The Combat History of German Heavy Anti-Tank Unit 653 in World War II


Book Description

German Heavy Anti-Tank Unit 653 was equipped with the heaviest tank destroying vehicles of the German armed forces. Initially activated as an assault gun battalion and redesignated in April 1943, the 653 received its first Ferdinand heavy tank destroyers (later modified and renamed Elephants) in May 1943 and went into action on the Eastern Front a month later. In 1944, the unit converted to the even more massive Jagdtiger. The seventy-five-ton, heavily armored Jagdtiger was the behemoth of the battlefield and boasted a 128mm gun-as opposed to the Ferdinand's 88-with a range of more than thirteen miles, making it deadly despite its limited mobility. Outfitted with these lethal giants, the 653 saw service in Russia, Italy, Austria, and Germany. The Combat History of German Heavy Anti-Tank Unit 653 in World War II includes hundreds of photos, many never published before, of Germany's rarely seen tank destroyers, including the Ferdinand, Elephant, and Jagdtiger. Color illustrations focus on unit markings, numbering, and camouflage, and the accompanying text chronicles the unit's combat operations as well as personal accounts from the men who rode in these mechanical monsters.










Combat History of Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 217


Book Description

Combat History of Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 217 tells the story of the only Sturmpanzer IV equipped unit to see action on the western front. Formed in May 1944, Stu.Pz.Abt.217 fought in Normandy, Belgium, Aachen and the Ardennes Offensive before finally perishing in Ruhr pocket in April 1945.Researched over more than twenty years using hundreds of German and American records, authors Timm Haasler and Simon Vosters have meticulously retraced the steps of the battalion to offer the reader the most comprehensive coverage to date.This 284-page book is illustrated with 183-large-format photographs, ten maps and seven specially commissioned artworks by Felipe Rodna, including interior views. QR-codes feature on a number of pages, just point your smartphone camera at them to see the scene today in Google Maps or Street View.




Swinging The Sledgehammer: The Combat Effectiveness Of German Heavy Tank Battalions In World War II


Book Description

This thesis is a historical analysis of the combat effectiveness of the German schwere Panzer-Abteilung or Heavy Tank Battalions during World War II. During the course of World War II, the German Army developed heavy tank battalions to fulfill the concept of breaking through enemy defenses so faster, lighter mechanized forces could exploit the rupture. These heavy tank battalions had several different tables of organization, but were always centered around either the Tiger or the Tiger II tank. They fought in virtually every theater of Europe against every enemy of Germany. Ultimately, the German military created eleven Army and three Waffen-SS heavy tank battalions. Of the Army battalions, the German command fielded ten as independent battalions, which were allocated to Army Groups as needed. The German Army assigned the last heavy tank battalion as an organic unit of the elite Panzer Grenadier Division Grossdeutschland. The Waffen-SS allocated all of their battalions to a different Waffen-SS Corps. Because these units were not fielded until late in 1942, they did not participate in Germany’s major offensive operations that dominated the early part of World War II. Germany’s strategic situation after mid-1943 forced their military onto the defensive. Consequently, there are very few instances when heavy tank battalions attacked as a breakthrough force. During the latter part of the war, they were used in many different ways to provide defensive assistance along very wide frontages. This study assesses the German heavy tank battalions as generally effective, primarily because of the high kill ratio they achieved. However, based upon observations from a wide variety of examples, this study also outlines several areas where changes may have increased their effectiveness.




Tigers in Combat


Book Description

• Hundreds of photos--many of them rare--of Tiger tanks and their crews • Color illustrations by Jean Restayn focus on markings, camouflage, and insignia • Inventories and timelines for each unit In this follow-up to Tigers in Combat I (0-8117-3171-5), Wolfgang Schneider turns his attention to the Tiger tanks of the Waffen-SS and the Wehrmacht's "named" units, such as the Großdeutschland Division, Company Hummel, and Tiger Group Meyer. Based on combat diaries, the text tells the history of each unit, but most of the book is devoted to photos of the tanks and the men who manned them. It offers as unique and comprehensive a look at these lethal machines as is possible decades after World War II.




Hot Motors, Cold Feet


Book Description




Mercedes Benz Type G4 (W31)


Book Description

This book contains an in-depth study including some 340 photographs -most of them published for the first time- of the all-road Mercedes Benz G4: the magnificent automobile clearly associated with Adolf Hitler who favored it before and during WWII for traveling and parades. Only three out of a limited series of 57 units have survived till today. But only one of these is in fully original condition: the G4-540 presented by Hitler to General Franco. This car is thoroughly documented here in an outstanding pictorial report.




Tiger Battalion 507


Book Description

‘May the army of millions of dead of all nations bear witness to humanity for the hope that future generations may learn to discard war as the best way to resolve their differences.’ - Helmut Schneider This is the little-known story of Heavy Panzer (Tiger) Battalion 507 told through the recollections of the men who fought with the unit. The book was conceived during a reunion of the ‘507’ at Rohrdorf in 1982, where it was agreed to set up an editorial committee under Helmut Schneider, himself a veteran of the battalion, to search for as many survivors of the unit as possible and gather their reminiscences. The resulting account is a treasure trove of first-hand material, from personal memories, diary entries and letters to leave passes, wartime newspaper cuttings, Wehrmacht bulletins and more than 160 photographs. The account follows the unit from its formation in 1943 and the catastrophic events on the Eastern Front, through battles on the Western Front and engagements against the American 3rd Armoured Division to the confusion of retreat, panic-stricken flight and Soviet captivity in the closing stages of the war. Honest and unflinching, this remarkable collection of autobiographies offers a glimpse into life in Hitler’s panzer division and is a stark testimony of a generation that sacrificed its best years to the war. This is the first English-language translation of the work.