British Anti Tank Artillery 1939 45

Author : Chris Henry
Publisher : Osprey Publishing
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2004-09-23
Category : History
ISBN : 1841766380

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British Anti-tank Artillery 1939–45 by Chris Henry Pdf

The rapid development of the tank as an offensive weapon following its introduction in World War I gave artillery theorists cause for concern during the 1920s and 1930s. By the beginning of World War II anti-tank guns had been developed, initially at around 37mm and 2 pounds in weight of shot. By the end of the war, monster anti-tank weapons were being developed, able to penetrate an armour thickness of up to 200mm at a range of 1,000 yards. This book explores the British efforts to keep up in a war of development, which saw heavier and more powerful guns eventually replaced by experimental ideas in an attempt to stop the German onslaught.

Author : Ian V. Hogg
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 172 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 1970
Category : History
ISBN : STANFORD:36105029000531

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The Guns: 1939/45 by Ian V. Hogg Pdf

Complete data and information of the artillery used during World War II.

Author : David Fletcher
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 113 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 2012-05-20
Category : History
ISBN : 9781780967387

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Crusader and Covenanter Cruiser Tanks 1939–45 by David Fletcher Pdf

The Covenanter (which never saw active service) and Crusader Cruiser tanks were developed between 1939 and 1940. The Crusader first saw action in the North African desert in June 1941: its speed and sleek design made it a hard target to hit, and the tank was well-respected by the Afrikakorps for its velocity in combat. But its hurried development prior to World War II also made it prone to mechanical failure. This book examines the Covenanter and the many variants of the Crusader tank, detailing the designs, developments and disappointments of these infamous World War II tanks.

Author : Dick Taylor
Publisher : MMP
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2016-04-25
Category : Ammunition
ISBN : 8363678910

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Firing Now! by Dick Taylor Pdf

This book explores the fascinating history of tank, anti-tank and self-propelled artillery ammunition used by the British and Americans in World War 2. As well as examining the major ammunition types in detail, the work also explains, for the first time in a book of this type, how ammunition functions and is made to be accurate. The guns and weapons used to fire the ammunition are also covered, as is a comprehensive lexicon of terminology and an extensive list of references. The whole is complemented by stunning artwork showing the ammunition and its associated packaging, with many period photographs of the ammunition in use.

Author : Simon Forty,Jonathan Forty
Publisher : Pen and Sword Military
Page : 486 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2020-11-25
Category : History
ISBN : 9781526776792

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Artillery Warfare, 1939–1945 by Simon Forty,Jonathan Forty Pdf

“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

Author : Steven J. Zaloga
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 50 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2012-08-20
Category : History
ISBN : 9781782002048

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US Anti-tank Artillery 1941–45 by Steven J. Zaloga Pdf

The US Army's development of the 37mm anti-tank gun began in response to needs identified during the Spanish Civil War. By the time it entered service in Tunisia in 1943, the gun was already obsolete, and the US began the licensed manufacture of the British 6-pdr in the hope of finding a quick solution to its artillery requirements. This in turn proved unequal to the demands of warfare in France in 1944, and further anti-tank measures were developed – rocket propelled grenades for infantry use, and weapons designed specifically for use by the Tank Destroyer Force.

Author : Steven J. Zaloga
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 109 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2012-08-20
Category : History
ISBN : 9781782002130

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US Anti-tank Artillery 1941–45 by Steven J. Zaloga Pdf

The US Army's development of the 37mm anti-tank gun began in response to needs identified during the Spanish Civil War. By the time it entered service in Tunisia in 1943, the gun was already obsolete, and the US began the licensed manufacture of the British 6-pdr in the hope of finding a quick solution to its artillery requirements. This in turn proved unequal to the demands of warfare in France in 1944, and further anti-tank measures were developed – rocket propelled grenades for infantry use, and weapons designed specifically for use by the Tank Destroyer Force.

Author : Neil Grant
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 65 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2017-11-30
Category : History
ISBN : 9781472816986

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British Tank Crewman 1939-45 by Neil Grant Pdf

Great Britain had introduced the tank to the world during World War I, and maintained its lead in armoured warfare with the 'Experimental Mechanised Force' during the late 1920s, watched with interest by German advocates of Blitzkrieg. Despite these successes, the Experimental Mechanised Force was disbanded in the 1930s, making Britain relatively unprepared for World War II, both in terms of armoured doctrine and equipment. This fully illustrated new study examines the men who crewed the tanks of Britain's armoured force during World War II, which was only four battalions large in 1939. It looks at the recruitment and training of the vast numbers of men required, their equipment, appearance and combat experience in every theatre of the war as the British armoured division sought to catch up with the German Panzers.

Author : George Forty
Publisher : The History Press
Page : 249 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2009-10-01
Category : History
ISBN : 9780750951395

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Companion to the British Army by George Forty Pdf

To encapsulate the British Army in one book is no easy task, but here, George Forty presents it as it was during the Second World War. When war was declared in 1939, the British Army was very much the 'Cinderella' of the three armed services, with a total strength of around 865,000 men. However, just four years later when the Allies invaded north-west Europe, the British Army had grown into a powerful, well-organised and well-equipped fighting force of 3 million men and women. George Forty presents a comprehensive overview of the British Army during this important time. He includes full details of mobilisation and training, higher organisation and arms of the service; divisional organisations and non-divisional units; HQs and Staff; the combat arms and the services; the individual soldier, his weapons and equipment; tactics; vehicle markings and camouflage; the Auxiliary Territorial Service and other Women's Corps. Fully illustrated with an unusual collection of photographs and line illustrations, this is an indispensable reference guide for anyone interested in this fascinating period of British history.

Author : Matthew Moss
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 81 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2020-08-20
Category : History
ISBN : 9781472838124

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The PIAT by Matthew Moss Pdf

Designed in 1942, Britain's innovative Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank (PIAT) provided British and Commonwealth troops with a much-needed means of taking on Germany's formidable Panzers. Replacing the inadequate Boys anti-tank rifle, it was conceived in the top-secret World War II research and development organization known colloquially as 'Churchill's Toyshop', alongside other ingenious weapons such as the sticky bomb, the limpet mine and the time-pencil fuse. Unlike the more famous US bazooka, the PIAT had its roots in something simpler than rocket science. Operated from the shoulder, the PIAT was a spigot mortar which fired a heavy high-explosive bomb, with its main spring soaking up the recoil. The PIAT had a limited effective range. Troops required nerves of steel to get close enough to an enemy tank to ensure a direct hit, often approaching to within 50ft of the target, and no fewer than six Victoria Crosses were won during World War II by soldiers operating PIATs. A front-line weapon in every theatre of the conflict in which Commonwealth troops fought, from Europe to the Far East, the PIAT remained in service after 1945, seeing action during the Greek Civil War, the Arab–Israeli conflict and the Korean War. This illustrated study combines detailed research with expert analysis to reveal the full story of the design, development and deployment of this revolutionary weapon.

Author : Richard Doherty
Publisher : The History Press
Page : 375 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2016-07-22
Category : History
ISBN : 9780750979313

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Ubique by Richard Doherty Pdf

In Richard Doherty's latest book he looks at the wide-ranging role of the Royal Artillery (RA) during the Second World War, examining its state of preparedness in 1939, the many developments that were introduced during the War, including aerial observation and self-propelled artillery, the growth of the regiment and its effectiveness in its many roles. It is illustrated with stories of the actions of individuals from members of gun detachments to general officers. During the Second World War the Germans assessed the Royal Artillery as the most professional arm of the British Army. British gunners were accurate, effective and efficient and provided fire support for their armoured and infantry colleagues that was better than that in any other army. It is often claimed that British artillery came into its own after the Battle of El Alamein in late 1942. In the opening bombardment of Operation Lightfoot, the massed artillery of the Eighth Army hammered Axis positions and severely damaged the enemy artillery's ability to react. But this was not the first occasion on which the Eighth Army had massed its artillery: it had done so with 200 guns along the Alamein Line in July, and the effectiveness had long been recognised. In fact, the power of a concentrated shoot had been shown by one gunner regiment during the May 1940 Dunkirk campaign. However, the RA provided much more than field and medium artillery battlefield support. Gunner regiments manned anti-tank guns on the frontline and light anti-aircraft guns in divisional regiments to defend against air attack at home and abroad. The RA also helped to protect convoys that brought essential supplies to Britain, and AA gunners had their finest hour when they destroyed the majority of the V-1 flying bombs launched against Britain from June 1944.

Author : Nigel Cawthorne
Publisher : Arcturus Publishing
Page : 280 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2003-03-16
Category : History
ISBN : 9781848584303

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Steel Fist by Nigel Cawthorne Pdf

"If the tanks succeed, then victory follows." General Heinz Guderian, 1937 After seeing the success of the British tanks in the First World War, the Germans decided that the future of warfare lay in the Panzerkampfwagen, the armoured fighting vehicle, later simply known as the Panzer. In time, the Panzer Corps would become the German army's new vanguard, an essential component of the new style of war that came to be known as Blitzkrieg - 'lightning war'. Steel Fist looks at the development of the Panzer concept, and the building and deployment of the Corps through the eyes of those who fought it. It tells the story of how the Panzers formed the spearhead of the world's most efficient military machine, and how they were ultimately defeated.

Author : Richard Doherty
Publisher : Pen and Sword
Page : 358 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2013-07-16
Category : History
ISBN : 9781473826748

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British Armoured Divisions and Their Commanders, 1939–1945 by Richard Doherty Pdf

A total of eleven British armoured divisions were formed during the 1939-1945 war but, as this highly informative book reveals, just eight saw action.In 1940 only 1st Armoured Division faced the German blitzkrieg and it was in the North African desert that armoured divisions came into their own. The terrain was ideal and six such divisions of Eighth Army fought Rommel's Panzers into submission. Three were disbanded prior to the invasion of Sicily and Italy. The campaign from D-Day onwards saw the Guards Armoured, 7th Armoured (the Desert Rats), 11th and Percy Hobart's 79th Armoured Division in the thick of the action.Of particular interest are the men who commanded these elite formations and the way their characters contributed to the outcome of operations. While some, such as Dick McCreery, went onto greater heights, others did not make the grade; the stakes were high. A number, such as 'Pip' Roberts, were just perfectly suited in the role.Written by a leading military historian, this book describes many fascinating aspects of armoured warfare from its uncertain beginnings, through the development of tactics and the evolving tank design. Due to British deficiencies, reliance had to be placed on US Grants and Shermans, with the Comet coming late and the Centurion too late.The combination of gripping historical narrative and well researched fact make this an invaluable and highly readable work on the contribution of British Armoured Divisions to victory in the Second World War.

Author : Peter Gudgin
Publisher : Sutton Publishing
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 1997
Category : History
ISBN : STANFORD:36105022385640

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Armoured Firepower by Peter Gudgin Pdf

Charts the development of armored fighting vehicle weaponry during the WWII period by the major tank-producing combatants: Great Britain, Germany, the Soviet Union, and the US. Covers armored cars and self-propelled artillery as well as tank armament, and explains functions of tank armament, components of the armament systems, and their uses. Details main developments through the war years, in chapters devoted to individual countries, focusing on main and auxiliary armament, sighting and fire-control systems, ammunition, and fighting arrangements. Includes appendices of comparative data, and bandw photos and illustrations. Distributed by Books International. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Author : Terry Gander
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 64 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 1973
Category : Antitank guns
ISBN : 085524142X

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German Anti-tank Guns, 1939-1945 by Terry Gander Pdf