This popular series is aimed primarily at model makers and engineers but it contains first class illustration and a very effective text overview of the Jagdpanther. This new book covers the development, on the Panther chassis, of a very effective tank destroyer – Highly Recommended.
NAME: Tank Craft 8, Jagdpanther, Tank Destroyer, German Army and Waffen-SS, Western Europe 1944-1945 FILE: R2659 AUTHOR: Dennis Oliver PUBLISHER: Pen & Sword BINDING: soft back PAGES: 64 PRICE: £14.99 GENRE: Non Fiction SUBJECT: WWII, World War Two, Second World War, World War 2, armour, tanks, light tanks, medium tanks, heavy tanks, assault guns, tank killers, reconnaissance vehicles ISBN: 1-52671-089-7 IMAGE: B2659.jpg BUYNOW: http://tinyurl.com/yahcojra LINKS: DESCRIPTION: This popular series is aimed primarily at model makers and engineers but it contains first class illustration and a very effective text overview of the Jagdpanther. This new book covers the development, on the Panther chassis, of a very effective tank destroyer – Highly Recommended. This very affordable book follows the series format of providing an excellent review of the subject and its deployment, with many first class images, including full colour drawings. This very worthwhile start is then followed by a review of model kits of the subject, examples built by prize winning modellers, and a review of specialist components that can be used to achieve outstanding exhibition grade models. The final year of WWII in Europe saw the Germans desperately trying to match Allied armour on the Eastern and Western Fronts. The Tiger II and Panther tanks were very capable machines with many advanced features but produced in inadequate numbers and suffering a variety of reliability problems, suggesting that they had been rushed into battle before typical teething problems had been fixed. Tank destroyer and assault gun modifications to proven tank chassis became an increasingly important part of the German battle line. This self-propelled artillery had a number of critical advantages for the crumbling Third Reich. By replacing the turret of a gun tank with a fixed superstructure the demand on production facilities was reduced and there was less to fix in the field. Very much thicker, well-sloped, frontal armour provided better protection and the limitations of turret trunions allowed a more powerful gun to be fitted. The disadvantage was that the whole tank had to be aimed at the target and it was at a serious disadvantage if enemy tanks appeared to the side or behind. The Jagdpanther proved effective on the Western Front against, mainly, Sherman tanks, but on the Eastern Front, the Soviets were introducing much more powerful tank killers equipped with 122mm guns. The illustrations are outstanding, the text excellent, and the review of model kits and components will keep the model makers happy