Organised chronologically by type, German Tanks of World War II offers a highly illustrated guide to the main types of armoured fighting vehicles used by the German armed forces during the conflict. Ranging from heavy tanks to self-propelled guns, from light tanks to captured foreign tanks used by Germany, the book is an expert examination of the armoured fighting vehicles that were put into action in the invasions of Poland (Fall Weiss) in 1939, in France and the Low Countries (Fall Gelb) in 1940, in Fall Blau (Operation Braunschweig) on the Eastern Front, at Stalingrad in 1942-43, at the battles of Kursk and Kharkov in 1943, as well as in North Africa under Field Marshall Rommel, the Normandy campaign of 1944, and at the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes in 1944- 45. Tanks featured include light tanks such as Panzerkampfwagen I and II, medium tanks like Panzerkampfwagen III and IV Ausf E – the staples of the German war effort – and the Panzerkampfwagen KV – a captured Soviet KV-1. Of course, the Panther, possibly the best all-round tank of the conflict, features, as do the variants of the mighty Tiger I and Tiger II heavy tanks. In addition, the book covers flame-throwing half-tracks, tank destroyers, Marder III self-propelled guns, and Hummel self- propelled howitzers. Each featured artwork includes authentic markings and colour schemes, while every separate model is accompanied by exhaustive specifications. Packed with full-colour artworks with detailed specifications, German Tanks of World War II is a key reference guide for military modellers and World War II enthusiasts.
Since leaving the British Ministry of Defence in 2006 after 29 years’ service, David Porter has worked on a number of research projects, contributing articles and book reviews to the BBC History Magazine, the British Army Review and the Royal Engineers Journal.
Aircraft of World War II: What’s Inside?