This addition to the very popular Images of War series provides images of German tanks killed on the Eastern Front. The huge area of the Eastern Front made ideal country for massive tank battles and loses were equally enormous – Very Highly Recommended.
NAME: Images of War, German Armour Lost on the Eastern Front, Rare Photographs From Wartime Archives FILE: R2653 AUTHOR: Bob Carruthers PUBLISHER: Pen & Sword BINDING: soft back PAGES: 144 PRICE: £14.99 GENRE: Non Fiction SUBJECT: WWII, World War II, World War 2, Second World War, Eastern Front, Soviet Army, German Army, tank warfare, tank battles, killed tanks, anti-tank, tank country ISBN: 1-47386-844-0 IMAGE: B2653.jpg BUYNOW: http://tinyurl.com/ydagqa57 LINKS: DESCRIPTION: This addition to the very popular Images of War series provides images of German tanks killed on the Eastern Front. The huge area of the Eastern Front made ideal country for massive tank battles and loses were equally enormous - Very Highly Recommended. The invasion of Russia initially seemed like another massive German victory for Blitz Krieg. In the early days the Germans swept forward with remarkably low losses and unbelievable success in destroying Soviet tanks and aircraft, taking enormous numbers of Soviet prisoners. In many respects, they were advancing through ideal tank country in a war of rapid movement. They were always in danger of outrunning their supply chain, but that seemed to be the only constraint. The first winter came as a bitter shock to the Germans who had not adequately prepared for something that was so easy to plan for, after all, the example of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow was standard teaching in military colleges around the world and winter came ever year. Their vehicles did not respond well, with lubricants that froze and components that did not perform well in the low temperatures. The men suffered similarly, having no suitable clothing and suffering also from breakdowns in the supply chain. The Soviets however were much better prepared and their cruder equipment has broader tolerances that were a great advantage in extreme conditions. What also help the Red Army was a low regard for life. They were happy to accept very heavy casualties and expected their troops to survive on poor rations. The result was that the Germans suffered increasing casualty rates and lost considerable numbers of tanks. The Soviets were soon deploying many more soldiers and their equipment was rapidly advancing, overtaking the capabilities of many German designs, notably, with the T-34 not only being a very competent design, but produced in very large numbers. This was similar to the Allied approach in the West, where US tanks were competent, often technically inferior to German models, but available in very large numbers with new production more than compensating for loses. The images in this new book are outstanding, rare, and emotive. They show the vulnerabilities of German armour and chart the evolution of the tanks through the war on the Eastern Front. The Soviet loses were even more dramatic, but this was a war of attrition were the greater Soviet numbers would eventually triumph. Even so, the Red Army depended heavily on armour from Britain and the US, shipped to them at significant cost. Interestingly, The Soviets were very pleased with British Matilda infantry tanks and Bren Gun Carriers which served through to 1945, in spite of being regarded by the British as obsolescent in 1939. A most interesting photographic selection.