THE TIGER TANK was dramatically more powerful than any other tank when deployed in September 1942. Why were the Allies taken by surprise? How did the Germans preserve their secrets? How did the Allies react? THIS THIRD VOLUME tells the story of Tiger 131, the first running Tiger exploited in the West, and the only running Tiger in the world today.

The German Tiger was dramatically more powerful than any other tank when deployed in 1942. Why were the Allies taken by surprise? How did the Germans employ Tigers while preserving their secrets? How did the Allies react? Was the Tiger a monstrous folly or ahead of its time? "The Tiger Tank and Allied Intelligence" compares German designs and operations with Allied intercepts, interrogations, captures, estimates, and adaptations. After 20 years of research in three countries, across 20 battle maps, 31 tables of data, 500 photographs and drawings, and previously unidentified first-hand accounts, these volumes reveal not just what the Allies knew but what the Allies missed, covered up, and distorted. Thus, we can learn more about the Tiger as it really was, rather than the hearsay that history books perpetuate. This fourth and final volume in the series analyses Tiger's technologies, capabilities, and performance, in both German and Allied understanding. The chapters cover the trade-offs, productivity, cost-effectiveness, reliability, maintainability, life cycle, strategic mobility, tactical mobility, lethality, and survivability.

THE TIGER TANK was dramatically more powerful than any other tank when deployed in September 1942. Why were the Allies taken by surprise? How did the Germans preserve their secrets? How did the Allies react? THIS SECOND VOLUME tells the story of Tigers on the Western front from February to April 1943, from Sidi Bou Zid to Goubellat Plain.

"Although much is available about Tiger tanks' technical details and some of the most famous soldiers and units that employed them, until now, there has been little concerning the organization and tactical use of heavy tank battalions across the theaters in which they were employed. [Wilbeck] provides an in-depth look at heavy tank battalions' organizations and tactics, including the tactical doctrine by which these elite units were supposed to fight and case studies to illustrate how they were actually employed on the battlefield"--Page 4 of cover.

The titanic armor battles of the Russian Front are widely known, but the role of Germany's eastern allies is not as well known. Two of these countries, Romania and Hungary, manufactured their own tanks as well as purchasing tanks from Germany. These ranged from older, obsolete types such as the PzKpfw 35(t) all the way up to the latest and best German vehicles including the Tiger I and Hetzer. These tanks played a frequent role in the battles in southern Russia and Ukraine and were especially prominent in the disaster at Stalingrad where the Red Army specifically chose the weaker Romanian and Hungarian salients for their critical envelopment operation. This New Vanguard will provide a broad survey of the various and colorful tanks used. Besides covering the largest of these Axis tank forces, this book will cover the many smaller and lesser known forces including the Italian contingent in Russia, the Finnish armored force, and the small but interesting armored forces of the Russian Vlasov (RONA), Croatian, Bulgarian and Slovakian armies. This subject is seeing increasing interest in the modeling world; for example Tamiya recently announced a PzKpfw 35 (t) (suitable for Romanian, Slovak armies) a Finnish StuG III, and a Finnish BT-42.

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 most famous tank of World War II, the Tiger was a monster of a machine that dominated the battlefields of Europe and beyond. Originally conceived in response to the German Army's experience fighting British tanks in western Europe and North Africa, the Tiger cemented its reputation of near invincibility during the savage battles of the Eastern Front. This is a complete illustrated guide to one of the world's most famous fighting vehicles, exploring its history, its strengths and weaknesses and its combat performance as it duelled against the best the Allies had to give. Drawing on a wealth of research, detailed illustrations and contemporary photographs, this book reveals how this remarkable tank became an icon of military history.

"Overy has written a masterpiece of analytical history, posing and answering one of the great questions of the century."—Sunday Times (London) Richard Overy's bold book begins by throwing out the stock answers to this great question: Germany doomed itself to defeat by fighting a two-front war; the Allies won by "sheer weight of material strength." In fact, by 1942 Germany controlled almost the entire resources of continental Europe and was poised to move into the Middle East. The Soviet Union had lost the heart of its industry, and the United States was not yet armed. The Allied victory in 1945 was not inevitable. Overy shows us exactly how the Allies regained military superiority and why they were able to do it. He recounts the decisive campaigns: the war at sea, the crucial battles on the eastern front, the air war, and the vast amphibious assault on Europe. He then explores the deeper factors affecting military success and failure: industrial strength, fighting ability, the quality of leadership, and the moral dimensions of the war.