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.

“From mountain warfare with guns on mules to V2 rockets and everything between makes it well worth a place on anyone’s reference shelf.” —Clash of Steel It is said that artillery won the Second World War for the Allies—that Soviet guns wore down German forces on the Eastern Front, negating their superior tactics and fighting ability, and that the accuracy and intensity of the British and American artillery was a major reason for the success of Allied forces in North Africa from El Alamein, in Italy and Normandy, and played a vital role in the battles of 1944 and 1945. Yet the range of weapons used is often overlooked or taken for granted—which is why this highly illustrated history by Simon and Jonathan Forty is of such value. They stress the importance of artillery on every front and analyze how artillery equipment, training and tactical techniques developed during the conflict. The selection of wartime photographs—many from east European sources—and the extensive quotations from contemporary documents give a graphic impression of how the guns were used on all sides. The photographs emphasize the wide range of pieces employed as field, antiaircraft and antitank artillery without forgetting self-propelled guns, coastal and other heavyweights and the development of rockets. The authors offer a fascinating insight into the weapons that served in the artillery over seventy years ago. “Superbly illustrated, this is testament to the courage and skills of extraordinary men in the execution of their duty. An amazing book.” —Books Monthly

A book by the specialist for the specialist, this is a must-have history of the Sturmartillerie The Sturmartillerie was a key part of Germany's armoured arsenal throughout World War II. Its armoured assault guns were designed to support the artillery on the battlefield, largely using the purpose-built Sturmgeschütz infantry support gun. This exhaustive study details the development and operational history of this innovative force, as well as describing how its role and the tactics it employed changed from the glory years of Blitzkrieg through to the desperate defence of the last years of the war. It also describes the technical development and evolution of the vehicles employed, and includes combat action reports and excerpts from interviews with veterans.

The Sturmgeschütz was originally designed to provide infantry support, but ended the war having knocked out more enemy tanks than the Panzers. The Germans produced a range of tank destroyers, mounting increasingly larger guns on any chassis they could lay their hands on. This book tells the story of the soldiers who crewed these vehicles.

A highly illustrated account of the foremost German fighting machines of the Second War World—from the author of the bestselling Panzer IV at War. With comprehensive captions and text this superb book is the latest in the bestselling Images of War Series and the second instalment of the author’s pictorial history of the German Panzers in the Second World War. The Panzer III saw almost continuous action from the annexation of Czechoslovakia, the invasion of Poland and then France and the Low Countries, in North Africa, Italy, the Eastern Front and, finally, the retreat back into Germany. Between 1936 and 1945, many thousands of Panzer IIIs were built. It quickly demonstrated its superiority on the battlefield and, for most of the war, remained a match for its opponents’ heavy tanks. The superb collection of images shows how these formidable tanks were adapted and up-gunned to face the ever-increasing enemy threat. The expert commentary describes how the Germans carefully utilized all available reserves and resources into building numerous production variants and how they coped on the battlefield. This is a splendid description of the one of the Nazis’ foremost fighting machines and a worthy successor volume to the acclaimed Panzer IV at War.

Although not as glamorous as vehicles such as the Panther and Tiger, the Panzer IV formed an extremely important part of the German armoured forces during World War II. This title provides detailed 1/72-scale build articles on a Panzer IV Ausf. H in winter camouflage, a Jagdpanzer IV, a late-version Sturmpanzer IV, a final version Sturmgeschütz IV, and a Flakpanzer IV Wirbelwind. Conversions, interior detailing, kit-bashing, adding aftermarket figures and parts, finishing and weathering, plus special scale techniques are all covered in detail. A gallery section also features Panzer IV Ausf. H, Panzer IV L/70 (V), and Panzer IV L/70 (A) variants.

The Battle of the Bulge raises many questions which, until now, have not been adequately answered: How did the major tank types perform during the battle? What were the specific 'lessons learned' from the combat? And did these lessons result in changes to tanks in the subsequent months? Offering detailed answers to these questions, and many more, this book provides a survey of the principal tank and tank-equivalents (such as tank destroyers and Jagdpanzers) that took part in the Ardennes Campaign of December 1944–January 1945. Beginning with a basic overview of the campaign, accompanied by an order of battle of the major armoured units, it examines the opposing forces, covering the organization of the two tank forces to explain how they were deployed. Author Steven Zaloga also scrutinises the technical balance between the opposing sides, comparing armour, mobility and firepower as well as other important factors such as reliability, crew situational awareness, and tank layout/efficiency. Full of specially commissioned and highly accurate artwork plates of the tanks themselves, as well as fascinating technical data based on cutting-edge research, this title is the definitive guide to tank warfare in the Battle of the Bulge.