Author: W Wesley Johnston
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 192
Book Description
One of the most historically useful decisions made during World War II was to create Information and Historical (I & H) units to conduct combat interviews of survivors shortly after actual events. The 110 or so combat interviews of the 7th Armored Division are preserved at the National Archives in Record Group 407 (Adjutant General). This book contains seven Battle of the Bulge combat interviews, the December 1944 After Action Report and the 17-31 December 1944 Morning Reports of 814th Tank Destroyer Battalion in action in the Battle of the Bulge.Wesley Johnston's search for his father's WWII experiences expanded to include all of 7th Armored Division. He is now the Historian for the 7th Armored Division Association and Founding President of the American WWII Association Historians Consortium.
814th Tank Destroyer Battalion
Author: W Wesley Johnston
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 192
Book Description
One of the most historically useful decisions made during World War II was to create Information and Historical (I & H) units to conduct combat interviews of survivors shortly after actual events. The 110 or so combat interviews of the 7th Armored Division are preserved at the National Archives in Record Group 407 (Adjutant General). This book contains seven Battle of the Bulge combat interviews, the December 1944 After Action Report and the 17-31 December 1944 Morning Reports of 814th Tank Destroyer Battalion in action in the Battle of the Bulge.Wesley Johnston's search for his father's WWII experiences expanded to include all of 7th Armored Division. He is now the Historian for the 7th Armored Division Association and Founding President of the American WWII Association Historians Consortium.
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 192
Book Description
One of the most historically useful decisions made during World War II was to create Information and Historical (I & H) units to conduct combat interviews of survivors shortly after actual events. The 110 or so combat interviews of the 7th Armored Division are preserved at the National Archives in Record Group 407 (Adjutant General). This book contains seven Battle of the Bulge combat interviews, the December 1944 After Action Report and the 17-31 December 1944 Morning Reports of 814th Tank Destroyer Battalion in action in the Battle of the Bulge.Wesley Johnston's search for his father's WWII experiences expanded to include all of 7th Armored Division. He is now the Historian for the 7th Armored Division Association and Founding President of the American WWII Association Historians Consortium.
Seek, Strike, and Destroy
Author: Christopher Richard Gabel
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 100
Book Description
In the seventy years that have passed since the tank first appeared, antitank combat has presented one of the greatest challenges in land warfare. Dramatic improvements in tank technology and doctrine over the years have precipitated equally innovative developments in the antitank field. One cycle in this ongoing arms race occurred during the early years of World War II when the U.S. Army sought desperately to find an antidote to the vaunted German blitzkrieg. This Leavenworth Paper analyzes the origins of the tank destroyer concept, evaluates the doctrine and equipment with which tank destroyer units fought, and assesses the effectiveness of the tank destroyer in battle.
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 100
Book Description
In the seventy years that have passed since the tank first appeared, antitank combat has presented one of the greatest challenges in land warfare. Dramatic improvements in tank technology and doctrine over the years have precipitated equally innovative developments in the antitank field. One cycle in this ongoing arms race occurred during the early years of World War II when the U.S. Army sought desperately to find an antidote to the vaunted German blitzkrieg. This Leavenworth Paper analyzes the origins of the tank destroyer concept, evaluates the doctrine and equipment with which tank destroyer units fought, and assesses the effectiveness of the tank destroyer in battle.
The Tank Killers
Author: Harry Yeide
Publisher: Casemate
ISBN: 1935149733
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 357
Book Description
“A fantastic read . . . Whether your interest is armour or history I would highly recommend this book” (Military Modelling). The tank destroyer was a bold—though some would say flawed—answer to the challenge posed by the seemingly unstoppable German Blitzkrieg. The TD was conceived to be light and fast enough to outmaneuver panzer forces and go where tanks could not. At the same time, the TD would wield the firepower needed to kill any German tank on the battlefield. Indeed, American doctrine stipulated that TDs would fight tanks, while American tanks would concentrate on achieving and exploiting breakthroughs of enemy lines. The Tank Killers follows the men who fought in the TDs, from the formation of the force in 1941 through the victory over the Third Reich in 1945. It is a story of American flexibility and pragmatism in military affairs. Tank destroyers were among the very first units to land in North Africa in 1942. Their first vehicles were ad hoc affairs: halftracks and weapons carriers with guns no better than those on tanks, thin armor affording the crews considerably less protection. Almost immediately, the crews began adapting to circumstances, along with their partners in the infantry and armored divisions. By the time North Africa was in Allied hands, the TD had become a valued tank fighter, assault gun, and artillery piece. The reconnaissance teams in TD battalions, meanwhile, had established a record for daring operations that would continue for the rest of the war. The story continues with the invasion of Italy and, finally, that of Fortress Europe on June 6, 1944. By now, the brass had decreed that half the force would convert to towed guns, a decision that dogged the affected crews through the end of the war. The TD men encountered increasingly lethal enemies, ever more dangerous panzers that were often vulnerable only to their guns, while American tank crews watched in frustration as their rounds bounced harmlessly off the thick German armor. They fought under incredibly diverse conditions that demanded constant modification of tactics, and their equipment became ever more deadly. By VE-Day, the tank destroyer battalions had achieved impressive records, generally with kill-loss rates heavily in their favor. Yet the army after the war concluded that the concept of a separate TD arm was so fundamentally flawed that not a single battalion existed after November 1946. The Tank Killers draws heavily on the records of the tank destroyer battalions and the units with which they fought, as well as personal stories from veterans of the force.
Publisher: Casemate
ISBN: 1935149733
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 357
Book Description
“A fantastic read . . . Whether your interest is armour or history I would highly recommend this book” (Military Modelling). The tank destroyer was a bold—though some would say flawed—answer to the challenge posed by the seemingly unstoppable German Blitzkrieg. The TD was conceived to be light and fast enough to outmaneuver panzer forces and go where tanks could not. At the same time, the TD would wield the firepower needed to kill any German tank on the battlefield. Indeed, American doctrine stipulated that TDs would fight tanks, while American tanks would concentrate on achieving and exploiting breakthroughs of enemy lines. The Tank Killers follows the men who fought in the TDs, from the formation of the force in 1941 through the victory over the Third Reich in 1945. It is a story of American flexibility and pragmatism in military affairs. Tank destroyers were among the very first units to land in North Africa in 1942. Their first vehicles were ad hoc affairs: halftracks and weapons carriers with guns no better than those on tanks, thin armor affording the crews considerably less protection. Almost immediately, the crews began adapting to circumstances, along with their partners in the infantry and armored divisions. By the time North Africa was in Allied hands, the TD had become a valued tank fighter, assault gun, and artillery piece. The reconnaissance teams in TD battalions, meanwhile, had established a record for daring operations that would continue for the rest of the war. The story continues with the invasion of Italy and, finally, that of Fortress Europe on June 6, 1944. By now, the brass had decreed that half the force would convert to towed guns, a decision that dogged the affected crews through the end of the war. The TD men encountered increasingly lethal enemies, ever more dangerous panzers that were often vulnerable only to their guns, while American tank crews watched in frustration as their rounds bounced harmlessly off the thick German armor. They fought under incredibly diverse conditions that demanded constant modification of tactics, and their equipment became ever more deadly. By VE-Day, the tank destroyer battalions had achieved impressive records, generally with kill-loss rates heavily in their favor. Yet the army after the war concluded that the concept of a separate TD arm was so fundamentally flawed that not a single battalion existed after November 1946. The Tank Killers draws heavily on the records of the tank destroyer battalions and the units with which they fought, as well as personal stories from veterans of the force.
Gare la Bête (beware the Beast)
Author: Calvin Clay Boykin
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780964616103
Category : World War, 1939-1945
Languages : en
Pages : 228
Book Description
U.S. Army unit history of a self propelled tank destroyer battalion attached to the U.S. 7th Armored Division under the sequential command of the Third, Ninth, & First U.S. Armies, & of the Second British Army. The Battalion served with the 7th Armored Division from 13 August 1994 through 8 May 1945, which included four campaigns in the European Theater of Operations-- Northern France, Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland, & Central Europe. Foreword by Charles Whiting, British World War II military author. Includes maps, photographs, & biographies of former members, including one of Will Rogers, Jr., son of the famous American humorist, who served as a platoon leader in the Battalion. Personal accounts from former members blended with materials from the National Archives, including the Journals, After Action Reports, S-3 Periodic Reports, & Combat Interviews-- all relevant to the Battalion. Includes discussions of actual use of the tank destroyer in combat as compared with the doctrines envisioned by planners at the inception of this new branch of the army for countering the German panzer offensives. To order contact: C&R Publications, 8407 Shadow Oaks, College Station, TX 77845; (409) 693-0224.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780964616103
Category : World War, 1939-1945
Languages : en
Pages : 228
Book Description
U.S. Army unit history of a self propelled tank destroyer battalion attached to the U.S. 7th Armored Division under the sequential command of the Third, Ninth, & First U.S. Armies, & of the Second British Army. The Battalion served with the 7th Armored Division from 13 August 1994 through 8 May 1945, which included four campaigns in the European Theater of Operations-- Northern France, Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland, & Central Europe. Foreword by Charles Whiting, British World War II military author. Includes maps, photographs, & biographies of former members, including one of Will Rogers, Jr., son of the famous American humorist, who served as a platoon leader in the Battalion. Personal accounts from former members blended with materials from the National Archives, including the Journals, After Action Reports, S-3 Periodic Reports, & Combat Interviews-- all relevant to the Battalion. Includes discussions of actual use of the tank destroyer in combat as compared with the doctrines envisioned by planners at the inception of this new branch of the army for countering the German panzer offensives. To order contact: C&R Publications, 8407 Shadow Oaks, College Station, TX 77845; (409) 693-0224.
Armored Attack 1944
Author: Steven Zaloga
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 0811772144
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 513
Book Description
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.
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 0811772144
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 513
Book Description
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.
Amicicide: The Problem of Friendly Fire in Modern War
Author:
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 142891594X
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 158
Book Description
Friendly fire incidents often disrupt the close and continuous combined arms cooperation so essential to success in modern combat, especially when that combat is conducted against a well armed, well trained, and numerically superior opponent. This study, by presenting selected examples in their historical settings, is intended only to explain a few of the most obvious types of friendly fire incidents and some of the causative factors associated with them. By directing the attention of commanders and staff officers responsible for the development, training, and employment of combat forces to the hitherto little explored problem of friendly fire incidents, this study is intended to generate interest in and solutions for the problems outlined. The scope of this study is limited to incidents involving US forces in World War II and Vietnam, although some evidence is available from other conflicts in the twentieth century has also been considered. In sum, this study can claim to be no more than a narrative exposition of selected examples. Although its conclusions must be considered highly speculative and tentative in nature, this study can be of substantial value to an understanding of the problem of friendly fire in modern war. Chapters one through 5 of this report discuss: Artillery Amicicide; Air Amicicide; Antiaircraft Amicicide; Ground Amicicide.
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 142891594X
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 158
Book Description
Friendly fire incidents often disrupt the close and continuous combined arms cooperation so essential to success in modern combat, especially when that combat is conducted against a well armed, well trained, and numerically superior opponent. This study, by presenting selected examples in their historical settings, is intended only to explain a few of the most obvious types of friendly fire incidents and some of the causative factors associated with them. By directing the attention of commanders and staff officers responsible for the development, training, and employment of combat forces to the hitherto little explored problem of friendly fire incidents, this study is intended to generate interest in and solutions for the problems outlined. The scope of this study is limited to incidents involving US forces in World War II and Vietnam, although some evidence is available from other conflicts in the twentieth century has also been considered. In sum, this study can claim to be no more than a narrative exposition of selected examples. Although its conclusions must be considered highly speculative and tentative in nature, this study can be of substantial value to an understanding of the problem of friendly fire in modern war. Chapters one through 5 of this report discuss: Artillery Amicicide; Air Amicicide; Antiaircraft Amicicide; Ground Amicicide.
US Armored Divisions
Author: Steven J. Zaloga
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472800001
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 205
Book Description
The armored divisions were the shock force of the US Army's combat formations during the fighting in Northwest Europe in the final year of the war. Of the 16 such divisions formed during the war, all but one served in the European Theater of Operations. This book examines the organizational structure, operational doctrine and combat mission of these divisions from D-Day onwards, describing how doctrines and tactics were changed as the divisions were forced to adapt to the battlefield realities of combat against an experienced foe. The lessons drawn by the armored divisions from the bitter fighting in Northwest Europe from 1944 to 1945 strongly shaped postwar US Army doctrine.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472800001
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 205
Book Description
The armored divisions were the shock force of the US Army's combat formations during the fighting in Northwest Europe in the final year of the war. Of the 16 such divisions formed during the war, all but one served in the European Theater of Operations. This book examines the organizational structure, operational doctrine and combat mission of these divisions from D-Day onwards, describing how doctrines and tactics were changed as the divisions were forced to adapt to the battlefield realities of combat against an experienced foe. The lessons drawn by the armored divisions from the bitter fighting in Northwest Europe from 1944 to 1945 strongly shaped postwar US Army doctrine.
Armored Infantry Battalion
Author: United States. War Department
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Infantry
Languages : en
Pages : 176
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Infantry
Languages : en
Pages : 176
Book Description
203rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion
Author: W. Johnston
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781542737005
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 74
Book Description
One of the most historically useful decisions made during World War II was to create Information and Historical (I & H) units to conduct combat interviews of survivors shortly after actual events. The 110 or so combat interviews of the 7th Armored Division are preserved at the National Archives in Record Group 407 (Adjutant General). This book contains four Battle of the Bulge combat interviews and the December 1944 Diary and After Action Report of 203rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion in action near Geilenkirchen, Germany and in the Battle of the Bulge.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781542737005
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 74
Book Description
One of the most historically useful decisions made during World War II was to create Information and Historical (I & H) units to conduct combat interviews of survivors shortly after actual events. The 110 or so combat interviews of the 7th Armored Division are preserved at the National Archives in Record Group 407 (Adjutant General). This book contains four Battle of the Bulge combat interviews and the December 1944 Diary and After Action Report of 203rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion in action near Geilenkirchen, Germany and in the Battle of the Bulge.
Ardennes 1944
Author: Antony Beevor
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0698411498
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 513
Book Description
The prizewinning historian and bestselling author of D-Day, Stalingrad, and The Battle of Arnhem reconstructs the Battle of the Bulge in this riveting new account On December 16, 1944, Hitler launched his ‘last gamble’ in the snow-covered forests and gorges of the Ardennes in Belgium, believing he could split the Allies by driving all the way to Antwerp and forcing the Canadians and the British out of the war. Although his generals were doubtful of success, younger officers and NCOs were desperate to believe that their homes and families could be saved from the vengeful Red Army approaching from the east. Many were exultant at the prospect of striking back. The allies, taken by surprise, found themselves fighting two panzer armies. Belgian civilians abandoned their homes, justifiably afraid of German revenge. Panic spread even to Paris. While some American soldiers, overwhelmed by the German onslaught, fled or surrendered, others held on heroically, creating breakwaters which slowed the German advance. The harsh winter conditions and the savagery of the battle became comparable to the Eastern Front. In fact the Ardennes became the Western Front’s counterpart to Stalingrad. There was terrible ferocity on both sides, driven by desperation and revenge, in which the normal rules of combat were breached. The Ardennes—involving more than a million men—would prove to be the battle which finally broke the back of the Wehrmacht. In this deeply researched work, with striking insights into the major players on both sides, Antony Beevor gives us the definitive account of the Ardennes offensive which was to become the greatest battle of World War II.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0698411498
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 513
Book Description
The prizewinning historian and bestselling author of D-Day, Stalingrad, and The Battle of Arnhem reconstructs the Battle of the Bulge in this riveting new account On December 16, 1944, Hitler launched his ‘last gamble’ in the snow-covered forests and gorges of the Ardennes in Belgium, believing he could split the Allies by driving all the way to Antwerp and forcing the Canadians and the British out of the war. Although his generals were doubtful of success, younger officers and NCOs were desperate to believe that their homes and families could be saved from the vengeful Red Army approaching from the east. Many were exultant at the prospect of striking back. The allies, taken by surprise, found themselves fighting two panzer armies. Belgian civilians abandoned their homes, justifiably afraid of German revenge. Panic spread even to Paris. While some American soldiers, overwhelmed by the German onslaught, fled or surrendered, others held on heroically, creating breakwaters which slowed the German advance. The harsh winter conditions and the savagery of the battle became comparable to the Eastern Front. In fact the Ardennes became the Western Front’s counterpart to Stalingrad. There was terrible ferocity on both sides, driven by desperation and revenge, in which the normal rules of combat were breached. The Ardennes—involving more than a million men—would prove to be the battle which finally broke the back of the Wehrmacht. In this deeply researched work, with striking insights into the major players on both sides, Antony Beevor gives us the definitive account of the Ardennes offensive which was to become the greatest battle of World War II.