Originally the German assault gun was designed as an infantry support weapon, but the changing conditions of the battlefields of the Second World War forced it to adapt to perform a number of different roles, most importantly as a tank destroyer, although the infantry support role was never wholly discarded. If the much-glamorised Panzer divisions were the sword of the German army then the assault gun and tank destroyer units were its shield. As the Panzers' grip on the battlefield began to fail, though, it was left to the assault gun and tank destroyer crews to take up the burden.
Originally the German assault gun was designed as an infantry support weapon, but the changing conditions of the battlefields of the Second World War ...
The Churchill was undoubtedly one of the most successful British tanks of the Second World War. Although it suffered from being underarmed, a defect common to most British armoured vehicles of the period, it was nevertheless loved by its crews: its cross-country ability was unrivalled and it was less inclined to 'brew-up' from a direct hit than the Sherman. It was also adaptable. Modified Churchills played a crucial part in the initial D-Day landings and in the subsequent advance through France. Bryan Perrett traces the life of this slow-moving but effective and respected tank from its...
The Churchill was undoubtedly one of the most successful British tanks of the Second World War. Although it suffered from being underarmed, a defect c...
The PzKpfw IV was essentially an integrated support weapon, and its involvement in WWII is difficult to separate from the story of the Panzerwaffe as a whole. A powerful and robust fighting machine, the PzKpfw IV was supplied to various allies of Germany, and remained in service with the Spanish and Finnish armies for some time after the end of the war. In the glory years of 1942-43 the PzKpfw IV was the mainstay of the Panzerwaffe, and Bryan Perrett's in-depth examination of this prolific fighting machine does full justice to the fascinating history and technical details of one of the...
The PzKpfw IV was essentially an integrated support weapon, and its involvement in WWII is difficult to separate from the story of the Panzerwaffe as ...
The light tanks of the Panzerwaffe make a fascinating subject for technical and historical study. Operation Barbarossa was the light tanks' swan song: thoroughly experienced and at the peak of self-confidence, the Panzergruppen brought Moscow to almost within Hitler's grasp. However, the effectiveness and popularity of the light panzers was only proven because Hitler's Panzerwaffe (despite their technical excellence) was poorly equipped. The critically short supply of the Panzerkampfwagen III and IV placed an ever-increasing onus on the light tanks that filled out the Panzerwaffe's ranks...
The light tanks of the Panzerwaffe make a fascinating subject for technical and historical study. Operation Barbarossa was the light tanks' swan song:...
Flexibility, mobility, and the ability to effectively communicate were all key requirements that the units operating armoured cars and reconnaissance half-tracks demanded and that were also crucial to the Panzerwaffe and German Army as a whole. Bryan Perrett's treatment of the development and history of German armoured cars and recce vehicles fully accounts for the crucial role that such units, and more importantly their vehicles, played during the course of World War II. Full orders of battle are also given, along with technical details and specifications of the vehicles assigned to...
Flexibility, mobility, and the ability to effectively communicate were all key requirements that the units operating armoured cars and reconnaissance ...
Osprey's Campaign title for the Battle of Megiddo (1918), which was one of the more decisive campaigns of World War I (1914-1918). After securing the capture of Jerusalem General Allenby planned a campaign that would knock Turkey out of World War I. In a spectacular campaign General Allenby's Egyptian Expeditionary Force achieved the breakthrough in Palestine that commanders on the Western Front had only dreamed of. Supported by Lawrence and his Arab irregulars, the Desert Mounted Corps swept across the Turkish rear, destroying three armies in the process. Turkey's war was over and the days...
Osprey's Campaign title for the Battle of Megiddo (1918), which was one of the more decisive campaigns of World War I (1914-1918). After securing the ...