M18 hellcat tank destroyer legends of warfare david. The book is also sprinkled with quotes from letters and memos from the various us army officers involved in the development of these tank destroyers. Books and research materials specifically about the 814th tank destroyer battalion. Had a couple tell me about the day they captured goering. In order to answer this question, it is important to understand the role of the tank destroyer, and the tactics used by them. World war 2 saw a dizzying array of tank destroyers deployed, some allnew designs while others were built from existing vehicles. Updated and expanded history of the 602nd tank destroyer. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. Government publication, national government publication. World war ii oral history, books about world war ii, world. It was one of the most widely used vehicles of the war, with many derivatives designed and built on the same chassis. A history of the 640th tank destroyer battalion, wwii. There are a total of 42 ww2 tank destroyers 1939 1945 in the military factory. Formally called the 3inch gun motor carriage, m10, it was the most important u.
Dad didnt get drafted and assigned until november 1943. This is a 111 page hardcover book, published by saint vincent college, oct. This very detailed book explains the invention of the tank destroyer concept in the american military, goes into great detail about the vehicle involved from the ineffective m6 and m3 tank destroyers no more than an ineffective anti tank gun bolted onto a jeep or half track hastily thrown together and deployed at the beginning of americas. The wreck photograph is clearly of the french contretorpilleur chacal, which was actually bombed and sunk by he111 aircraft on 24 may in the same general area as the events of 23 may.
This book might still be available through some of the rare, collectible or military booksellers. An illustrated and spoken history of the 704th tank destroyer battalion. It is not an indepth history of the tank destroyer branch itself. This very detailed book explains the invention of the tank destroyer concept in the american military, goes into great detail about the vehicle involved from the ineffective m6 and m3 tank destroyers no more than an ineffective antitank gun bolted onto a jeep or half track hastily thrown together and deployed at the beginning of americas. This book is about the technical development of tank destroyers by the us in the period of 194045, and covers the subject comprehensively. The original concept called for battalions to be concentrated in tank destroyer brigades and groups for employment en masse against an armored threat. M10 tank destroyer vs stug iii assault gun osprey publishing.
With a powerful aircraftstyle radial engine pushing it at up to 50 miles per hour, and mounting a potent 76 mm cannon, the buickbuilt m18 hellcat, or hellcat as buicks publicists named it, provided us troops with a powerful shootandscoot answer to. It is where i keep a photo of my grandfather one half shows him on a tank destroyer and the half shows the same location years later when he returned to europe years later. This is a great little book covering the actions of the 636th td unit. Our thesis writers always deliver the best papers that will guarantee you a high grade. One interesting part of this book is the amount of kills this tank destroyer inflicted on the russians and allies in russia and italy. Ww2 unit history and associations division, bomb group. It draws heavily on the records of the tank destroyer battalions and the units with which they fought, and veterans of the force add their personal stories. Good history coverage with the combat seen and the adjustments made to this vehicle after its first showing in combat. The tank killers is the story of the american tank destroyer force in north africa, italy, and the european theater during world war ii. The td was conceived to be light and fast enough to outmaneuver panzer forces and go where tanks. Tank destroyer news newspapers books scholar jstor march 2009 learn how.
By november 1941, the army requested a vehicle with a gun in a fully rotating turret after other interim models were criticized for. The tank destroyer units were formed in response to the german use of massed formations of armored vehicles units. Established december 19, 1941, at camp san luis obispo, ca, from personnel of the 143rd field artillery, california national guard. Flag images indicative of country of origin and not necessarily primary operator. The tank destroyer battalion was a type of military unit used by the united states army during world war ii. Tank destroyer, a highly mobile lightly armoured tanktype vehicle that was used to fight tanks in world war ii. While their mission was not principally fighting one another, their widespread use ensured their frequent encounters, from the normandy bocage, to the rubblestrewn streets of aachen. After us entry into world war ii and the formation of the tank destroyer force, a suitable vehicle was needed to equip the new battalions. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Whether your interest is armour or history i would highly recommend this book. This made tank destroyers lighter, faster, and easier to manufacture, but it also rendered them more vulnerable. A variant of a talk given at flying heritage collection, the sequel to myths of american armor.
To promote a force of forgotten men who were the backbone of tank warfare during wwii. The assault guns and tank destroyers deployed by the wehrmacht during the. The tank destroyer force was created as a mobile ghq antitank reserve in 1941. Tank combat in north africa covering operation sonnenblume, brevity, skorpion and battleaxe. After that this tank serves with one unit until the end of the war and sees much combat. Orderessay is your reliable and affordable essay writing service you can. A history of americas world war ii tank destroyer force kindle edition by yeide, harry. The history of the 192nd tank battalion 752nd tank battalion in wwii 644th tank destroyer battalion in wwii 746th tank battalion 750th tank battalion the 440th troop carrier group 150th combat engineer battalion 44th infantry division 381st bombardment group heavy, ridgewell veterans 1st fighter group usaaf europe 78th division history. A history of the tank destroyer force is long overdue, and anyone who has an interest in armored warfare should make time to read this book. The tank killers is the story of the american tank destroyer force in. Originally a light towed battalion, they shipped from the san francisco port of embarkation on sep.
The m10 tank destroyer was an american tank destroyer of world war ii. Ferdinand and elefant tank destroyer general military by. The initial equipment was a m5 3 gun towed behind a halftrack, but these were replaced by the m10 tank destroyer official title 3 motor gun carriage m10 in october 1944. The m18 was developed in an era when the united states fought tanks not with other tanks, but with specialized tank destroyers. The last vehicle rolled out of the plant three months later. The battalion participated in five major campaigns normandy, northern france, rhineland, ardennesalsace, and central europe, primarily with the 1st infantry division. Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order 1toz. The td was conceived to be light and fast enough to outmaneuver panzer forces and go where tanks could. This gritty and well written account of the tds is a fantastic read. The tank killers, a history of americas world war ii tank destroyer.
An informal history of the 601st tank destroyer battalion. If youre looking for custom papers for college, you will not have to look anywhere else. First and foremost of course, is that they were intended to destroy tanks, and really not much else though they often we. The unit was organized in one of two different formsa towed battalion equipped with anti tank guns, or a mechanized battalion equipped with armored selfpropelled guns. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the tank killers. The wehrmacht established two heavy tank destroyer battalions, each having 45 ferdinands, on march 22. The m3 halftrack was a workhorse vehicle manufactured by the united states during the second world war. The m10 tank destroyer was a world war ii united states tank destroyer which was based on the chassis of the m4 sherman tank, it was fitted with the 3inch 76. In it, i go over the thought process behind the development of the tank destroyers, and some of. The 640th tank destroyer battalion was organized from field artillery units in december 1941. Whether your interest is armour or history i would highly recommend this book military modelling.
This is a limited edition tank destroyer forces history book published in 1992 by turner publishing. It was developed as an interim solution in 1942 by equipping a light turretless chassis with the pak 43 heavy antitank gun. Jeff you posted your stuff while i was preparing my response. It is a nice little book on the m4 with a surprising amount of info packed into a small packed. Informal history of the 601st tank destroyer battalion. Great photos, cartoon illustrations, and time lines of travels and strikes. Details about 2nd armored division 702nd tank destroyer 195th aa unit history book. I had the chance to meet some of these veterans in 2000. Designated as heavy tank destroyer battalions, they were numbered 653 and 654. A history of americas world war ii tank destroyer force by harry yeide 2007, paperback at the best online prices at ebay.
Speaking of harry yeide, he provides a nice forward for this new book. History page for the 633rd tank destroyer battalion of wwii. History of the 628th tank destroyer battalion 19411945 19450607 the history of the 628th tank destroyer bn. The following combat history was compiled in 1945 and is the official history of the 628th t. For that, we would suggest charles bailys faint praise or steven zalogas writings. Wwii soviet tank destroyers archives tank encyclopedia.
The book, tank destroyer forces wwii, published in 1992, covers every aspect of the history and men of the tank destroyers and is truly a credit to the td association and the efforts of their honorary historian, lonnie gill. The 610th tank destroyer battalion by roy t mcgrann, 1946 edition, in english the 610th tank destroyer battalion. The sherman, an illustrated history of the m4 medium tank, by peter chamberlain and chris ellis. The tank destroyer was a boldthough some would say flawedanswer to the challenge posed by the seemingly unstoppable german blitzkrieg. In your opinion, what was the best tank destroyer of wwii. The elefant tank destroyer warfare history network. Hunnicutt series, this book is heavy with us army official photos of the test vehicles some are not clear, but thats the nature of what the army did, photographically, in documenting armored development. A tank destroyer, tank hunter, or tank killer is a type of armoured fighting vehicle, armed with a directfire artillery gun or missile launcher, with limited operational capacities and designed specifically to engage enemy tanks tanks are armoured fighting vehicles designed for frontline combat, combining operational mobility and tactical offensive and defensive capabilities.
One shows feldwebel langhammer with the aforementioned destroyer tally painted on his tank, and the other is the wreck of the believed vessel. This book was first published in 1967 or 68, and maybe the first book dedicated to a specific type of tank and was put out by arco publishing. For a history of the tank destroy battalions during wwii, we recommend harry yeides book the tank killers. The tank destroyer td was a boldif some would say flawedanswer to the challenge posed by the seemingly unstoppable german blitzkrieg. A history of the 814th tank destroyer battalion, 19421945 is the name of the excellent history of the 814th tank destroyer battalion, written and published in 1995 by 814th reconnaissance company veteran calvin c. Though only lightly armoured and displaying a high profile, it could frontally. A very detailed book, i really enjoyed the short biographys in the back of the book of the men who served. A history of americas world war ii tank destroyer force. Tank destroyers tended to have relatively thin side and rear armour, and the gun was mounted in an open turret or in a casemate that had only a limited traverse. Tank destroyer forces wwii seek strike destroy book. And a link to a book on the unit seek, strike, destroy. It is the 774th tank destroyer unit book, printed in nurnberg germany. Heavy tank destroyer regiment 656 was established on june 8.
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