Panzer III - Duitsland: boeken - historie, typen en techniek (2/2)

The Panzer III was designed as part of Hitlers re-armarment programme in the mid-1930's and played a key role in the German blitzkrieg offensives in Poland, France and the Soviet Union. Although it lacked adequate firepower and could not match more advanced Allied tanks like the T-34, it stayed in service in North Africa and on the Eastern Front and it was still encountered in action in Normandy towards the end of the war.
Its reliable chassis was also adapted for assault gun production. In this form, as the Sturmgeschtz III, it took part in the defensive battles fought by the Wehrmacht as it retreated in Italy, France and eastern Europe.

The Panzerkampfwagen III Panzer III was one of the German army's principal tanks of the Second World War, yet its history is often overlooked in comparison to its more famous successors the Panzer IV, Panther and Tiger. Anthony Tucker-Jones, in this volume in the Images of War series, provides a visual account of the tank in over 150 wartime photographs and describes in a concise text its development and operational history. The photographs show the Panzer III in every theatre of the war and at every stage, and the text gives an insight into the design history and fighting performance of this historic armoured vehicle.

The Panzer III saw almost continuous action from the the annexation of Czechoslovakia, the invasion of Poland and then France and the Low countries, in North Africa, Italy, the Eastern Front and, finally, the retreat back into Germany.

Between 1936 and 1945, many thousands of Panzer III's were built. It quickly demonstrated its superiority on the battlefield and, for most of the war, remained a match for its opponents' heavy tanks.

With comprehensive captions and text this superb book is the latest in the best selling "Images of War" Series. The superb collection of images show how the formidable Panzer III tanks were adapted and up-gunned to face the ever increasing enemy threat.
The expert commentary describes how the Germans carefully utilized all available reserves and resources into building numerous production variants and how they coped on the battlefield.

Tom Cockle looks at the Pz.Kpfw.III in 105 large landscape photographs over 112 pages.

"Panzer III on the Battlefield 2", Tom Cockle's second book about this ubiquitous Panzer, looks at the various Ausführungs of Pz.Kpfw. III with 104 large landscape photographs over 112 pages. All variants from A to N are shown.

The armour clashes in May 1940 were the biggest the world had yet seen, as the sweeping German advances of that period came to epitomize Blitzkrieg. The Wehrmacht's Panzer III was well matched by the French Somua S35 tanks, the two representing very different design philosophies and yet both ranking among the best in the world at the time.
Fully illustrated with specially commissioned colour artwork, this work draws upon the latest research to provide a definitive analysis of the clash between these two high-quality, cutting-edge tank designs. It describes one of the key duels at the heart of a new type of warfare, in the epic battles at the outset of Hitler's conquest of France and the Low Countries.

Contents: Introduction - Chronology - Design and Development - Technical Specifications - The Combatants - The Strategic Situation - Combat - Statistics and Analysis - Conclusion - Further Reading - Index.

This was a duel between the stalwart of the Wehrmacht armored divisions - the Panzerkampfwagen III - and the American's as yet untested M3 Grant. In reality both would prove unequal to the task as they floundered amidst the rugged hills and ravines of the Tunisian landscape.

This book charts the design and development of these two disparate rivals - their vastly different armament and armor as well as their tactical concepts. Analysing the strengths and weaknesses of these two opponents, this book explores the successes and failures of the Grant and Panzer III as they clashed at the critical battles of North Africa.
Moreover it is an insight into the lives of the tank crews themselves as they struggled with the twin horrors of tank warfare and the fight for survival amidst some of the most inhospitable terrain on earth.

Contents: Introduction - Chronology - Design & development - The strategic situation - Technical specifications - The combatants - Combat - Statistics and analysis - Aftermath - Conclusion.