Panzerfaust Vs Sherman

In the summer of 1944, across the battlefields of Normandy, US tanks were confronted with a dangerous challenge: the mobile and deadly Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck anti-tank weapons wielded by the German infantry. Having only occasionally encountered such weaponry before, the US tankers were ill-equipped to defend against this kind of attack, and the threat only increased as the summer wore on. This Duel title follows the technological battle for dominance that ensued, as the US Army devised new ways to defend against the threat posed by the German shaped-charge projectiles. From the addition of sandbags and spare tracks to individual tanks made by anxious crews on the ground to the large-scale programmes put together by the US armies, the book explores the implementation and effectiveness of the various tactics employed by the tank crews, as well as the technology behind the anti-tank weapons wielded by their German adversaries. Drawing on first-hand accounts from the men on the ground, this illustrated title examines the evolving trial of strength between US armour and innovative German anti-tank weaponry in the climactic months of World War II in Europe.

In the summer of 1944, across the battlefields of Normandy, US tanks were confronted with a dangerous challenge: the mobile and deadly Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck anti-tank weapons wielded by the German infantry. Having only occasionally encountered such weaponry before, the US tankers were ill-equipped to defend against this kind of attack, and the threat only increased as the summer wore on. This Duel title follows the technological battle for dominance that ensued, as the US Army devised new ways to defend against the threat posed by the German shaped-charge projectiles. From the addition of sandbags and spare tracks to individual tanks made by anxious crews on the ground to the large-scale programmes put together by the US armies, the book explores the implementation and effectiveness of the various tactics employed by the tank crews, as well as the technology behind the anti-tank weapons wielded by their German adversaries. Drawing on first-hand accounts from the men on the ground, this illustrated title examines the evolving trial of strength between US armour and innovative German anti-tank weaponry in the climactic months of World War II in Europe.

Two of World War II's most distinctive weapons, the Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck offered German and other infantrymen the ability to destroy enemy tanks singlehandedly at close ranges. While the Panzerschreck owed its origins largely to the US bazooka, the Panzerfaust was a revolutionary design that was unlike any previous weapon, and went on to influence anti-tank technology and tactics for decades after World War II. Allied troops, notably Soviet forces, made widespread use of captured Panzerfäuste, and they were also supplied to German allies such as Finland, Hungary and Bulgaria. Written by an expert on anti-tank warfare, this book reveals the fascinating development history of these two feared weapons and assesses the tactics that were employed by the soldiers using them.

For Dutton Caliber's American War Heroes series, the gripping and action-packed combat story of America’s most celebrated tank commander, Staff Sergeant Lafayette “War Daddy” Pool. Lafayette Pool provided inspiration for Brad Pitt’s character “War Daddy” Collier in the movie Fury, but his true story is less known. Here, acclaimed author Stephen L. Moore writes the first full-length narrative to honor the valiant Texan tanker. A champion Golden Gloves boxer turned U.S. Army legend, Pool was known as the “ace of tankers” for destroying more than five enemy tanks in head-to-head combat. Sporting a pair of cowboy boots and a confident smile, Pool and his tank, In the Mood, fearlessly led the charge into at least twenty-one different engagements across France, Belgium, and Germany in World War II. His 3rd Armored superiors credit Pool’s crew with destroying at least 275 enemy vehicles, capturing 250 or more enemy soldiers, and killing or wounding more than a thousand opponents. In one three-day period alone, they knocked out four German tanks, three anti-tank guns, and fifty armored vehicles, creating an overwhelming number of enemy casualties. Drawing on official military documents, the memoirs of Pool’s crewmen, and personal interviews with the family of Pool and his comrades, Blood and Fury is full of heated battles, suspenseful near-death experiences, and indomitable bravery. At the heart of it all is an undeniable American hero: Lafayette Pool.

Hero of the Soviet Union Dmitriy Loza has carefully crafted his World War II experiences with U.S.-provided Sherman tanks into a highly readable memoir. Between the fall of 1943 and August 1945, Loza fought in the Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Austria. He commanded a tank battalion during much of this period and had three Shermans shot out from under him. Loza's unit participated in such well-known combat actions as the Korsun-Shevchenkovskiy Operation, the Jassy-Kishenev Operation, and the battles for Budapest, Vienna, and Prague. Following the German surrender, Loza's unit was sent to Mongolia, where it participated in the arduous trek across the Gobi Desert to attack the Japanese Kwantung Army in Manchuria. This is the first available detailed examination of the Red Army's exploitation of U.S. war matiriel during World War II and one of the first genuine memoirs available from the Russian front. Loza also provides firsthand testimony on tactical command decisions, group objectives and how they were accomplished, and Soviet use of combat equipment and intelligence. Only after the collapse of the USSR and concomitant relaxing of prohibitions against publication of materials related to the Lend-Lease Program there could this account be made available Dmitriy Loza served as an instructor at the Frunze Academy after the war, retiring in 1967 with the rank of colonel. He resides in Moscow. James F. Gebhardt, now a defense contractor at Fort Leavenworth, is a Vietnam veteran. He is the author of Blood on the Shores: Soviet Naval Commandos in World War II.

These lethal man-portable anti-tank weapons enabled Wehrmacht infantry to destroy T-34 and Sherman tanks. Written by an expert on anti-tank warfare, this book reveals the fascinating development history of the Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck and accessess the tactics that were employed by the soldiers using these two feared weapons. Two of World War II's most distinctive weapons, the Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck offered German and other infantrymen the ability to destroy enemy tanks singlehandedly at close range. While the Panzerschreck owed its origins largely to the US bazooka, the Panzerfaust was a revolutionary design that was unlike any previous weapon, and went on to influence anti-tank technology and tactics for decades after World War II. Germany had begun World War II with several inadequate antitank weapons for infantry use, supplemented by improvised and captured weapons and, from 1942, a hand-delivered 3kg antitank shaped charge. As the fortunes of war turned against Germany, what was desperately needed was an antitank weapon that allowed the individual soldier to destroy a tank. The first effort to field such a weapon began with the Faustpatrone 43, a handheld short tube with a propellant charge and an over-caliber, shaped-charge warhead; it was the first of the Panzerfaust ("armor fist") series of anti-tank weapons. The warhead was propelled by a launcher cartridge. The sights were extremely crude, but more sophisticated sights were unnecessary owing to the short ranges and the fact that tanks were large targets. Panzerfaust models were designated by two- or three-digit numbers indicating their approximate range in meters. The reloadable Panzerfaust 250 was under development a the war's end, as was an anti-personnel high-explosive-fragmentation projectile. The Panzerfaust was not manned by a dedicated crew but was issued to individuals. Training was extremely simple and given in the form of a lecture and demonstrations, often without even any live fire. German propaganda made much of the Panzerfaust capable of being use by Hitler Youth teenagers, old men of the Volkssturm and other civilians. Over eight million Panzerfauste of all types were produced, and they became as widely used as hand grenades. They proved to be comparatively effective against tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, as well as fortifications and buildings. Allied troops, notably Soviet forces, made widespread use of captured Panzerfauste, and they were also supplied to German allies such as Finland, Hungary, and Bulgaria. The Germans provided the Japanese with examples and plans for the Panzerfaust and they went on to develop their own reloadable and very different version called the 45mm Type 5 recoilless anti-tank weapon; it was to be used to defend the Home Islands.

In this book Steven J Zaloga offers a fascinating comparison between the two most important tanks involved in the crucial fighting of 1944, the American Sherman and the German Panther. Placing the reader in the heart of this battle between quality and quantity Zaloga uses a compelling account of the ferocious fighting during the Battle of the Bulge to explain the successes and failures of each tank, highlighting the fact that a tank can only be as good as its crew, weighing up the impact of low morale, high cost and mediocre crew training on the Panther's superiority. With full-colour battlescenes, technical drawings, photographs, digital gunsight views, extracts from crew training manuals and real combat reports, this book brings the titanic battles between the Panther and Sherman to life.