Armor Attacks The Tank Platoon

“Extremely clever . . . part tactical decision game (TDG), part combat adventure page turner, and part The Defense of Duffer’s Drift.” —Capt. Randall P. Newman, USMC In this unique, interactive story, you are the leader of a U.S. Army M1 Abrams tank platoon. Throughout the text, you’ll have an opportunity to make life-or-death decisions, and the events that unfold will be dictated by the choices you make. As you progress through the book, you’ll learn important tactical and operational lessons. Whether or not you are—or want to be—a tank platoon leader, you’ll find this book both highly entertaining and instructive. There are two operations to survive—an assault and a counter-reconnaissance mission. In each you must bring your knowledge and judgment to bear on the scenario in order to achieve the objective. If you choose wrong, defeat and even death may be your fate. If you succeed, you can savor the taste of victory and live to fight another day. The scenarios are highly realistic, and there are maps and appendices with detailed specifications of the hardware involved to help you make informed decisions. Written before Operation Desert Storm and published in 1991, Armor Attacks may feature military technology that’s dated by today’s standards—but the need for human leadership and effective, rapid decision-making has not changed. Armor Attacks was recognized as an invaluable teaching tool by United States Military Academy, West Point and was used to teach cadets the essential skills of leadership, decision-making, and tactics—a decade of USMA leaders trained with this book. To supplement the original text, this new edition includes the West Point instructor reference guide, which explains and amplifies the teaching points of each scenario encountered.

Independent tank battalions were small, self-contained armored units attached to larger infantry divisions as necessary during World War II. The United States Army believed this would provide infantry the firepower and protection it needed on an ever-changing battlefield. In Buttoned Up: American Armor and the 781st Tank Battalion in World War II, Westin E. Robeson explores the contribution of American armor to the Allied victory in World War II. Robeson first provides contextual background with a consideration of the history of the tank itself and the development of armor doctrine during the First World War and interwar years. He then addresses the rebirth of American armor in response to the German attacks in Europe. Finally, he focuses on a particular independent tank battalion, the 781st, as a case study of the effectiveness of armor in World War II. Buttoned Up introduces the reader to the application of American armored doctrine and provides a new understanding of the tank as a weapon.

Tanks, amphibian tanks, and amphibian tractors in action in all theaters, from Africa and Europe to the Pacific How the battalions fought the war, often in the tankers' own words Crystal-clear maps The U.S. Army's separate armored battalions fought in obscurity by comparison with the flashy armored divisions, but they carried the heavier burden in the grim struggle against the Axis in World War II. The battalions participated in every armored amphibious assault that the army conducted. They did most of the bloody work in Italy, made vital contributions in France, and constituted the entire effort in the Pacific.

• Hundreds of photos, including many never published before with riveting accounts of armored warfare in World War II • Compares the Sherman to other tanks, including the Panther and Tiger • Author is a world-renowned expert on the Sherman tank and American armor Some tank crews referred to the American M4 Sherman tank as a "death trap." Others, like Gen. George Patton, believed that the Sherman helped win World War II. So which was it: death trap or war winner? Armor expert Steven Zaloga answers that question by recounting the Sherman's combat history. Focusing on Northwest Europe (but also including a chapter on the Pacific), Zaloga follows the Sherman into action on D-Day, among the Normandy hedgerows, during Patton's race across France, in the great tank battle at Arracourt in September 1944, at the Battle of the Bulge, across the Rhine, and in the Ruhr pocket in 1945.

This classic, now available in paperback, includes all varieties of American armor in Europe from D-Day, to Normandy, to southern France, the Siegfried Line, the push to the Rhine, and finally, the Battle of the Bulge. Shermans, Hellcats, and many more American and German tanks are covered in nearly 1200 photos along with Steven Zaloga’s expert captions. Perfect for modelers and World War II enthusiasts.