Artillery (WW 2) - Germany: Books - History and Construction (2/2)

German Artillery in World War II, 1939-1945

Never before in German military history did the German Artillery possess such variety and magnitude as in the World War II era. From North Cape to Tobruk, Biscay to Lapland, Den Helder to the Caucasus, there were more than 1000 light and about 340 heavy artillery units, as well as the light and heavy field howitzer units, assault gun units, brigades and batteries, observation units, railroad batteries, mountain artillery units, light gun units and launcher regiments.

The German Artillery included 655,000 men in 1943, or 22 percent of all the soldiers who went into action. Thirty-nine German gun types and forty captured gun types from ten different European countries were utilized by these units.

The German Artillery took on special significance in the spring of 1943 when the fighting strength of the exhausted infantry began to decrease and armored vehicles became less and less effective in their battle against overwhelming Soviet power. During this period, the Artillery again and again provided the backbone of the German resistance and defense.

This volume of photographs presents a look into the operations, action and everyday life of the German artillery - a frequently over-looked aspect of Wehrmacht history.

German Heavy Artillery Guns 1933-1945

Covers large calibre artillery guns beyond a diameter of 75 mm, used by the Germans during the Second World War. Whilst artillery was perhaps no longer the dominant force it had been in the trench warfare of the Great War, it was nevertheless essential, both in air defence and against tanks.

This volume of the Fact File series presents the most important of the largest German artillery and air defence weapons, as well as railway guns and launchers. A meticulously researched and superbly illustrated book, which provides a compact and competent overview.

Hitler's Artillery 1939-1945 - Rare photographs from Wartime Archives

A highly illustrated record of the firepower of the German war machine between 1939 - 1945. Many of the photographs, all from the author's collection, come originally from the albums of individuals who took part in the war.

The images and text cover the guns in service with the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS and provide a unique visual record of artillery pieces. These include the 7.5cm 1.IG18, the 10.5cm infantry gun, the powerful 15cm field howitzer, heavy 18cm and 21cm mortars and others including captured French, British and Russian guns.
These and other weapons are seen in action in Poland, the Low Countries, France, Balkans, North Africa, Italy and, of course, Russia.

Initially a key part of the Blitzkrieg offensive concept, the emphasis became defensive as the tide turned against the Germans. Using over 250 rare and unpublished photographs together with detailed captions and accompanying text, this book provides a unique insight into German weaponry from early Blitzkrieg campaigns to the final demise of the Nazi empire.

German Guns of the Third Reich - Rare photographs from Wartime Archives

Presents an illustrated record of German light and heavy artillery, heavy mortars, anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns at war. Using previously unpublished photographs, many of which have come from the albums of individuals who took part in the war, it presents a unique visual account of the various German guns that were deployed for action between 1939 and 1945.

The book analyses the development of the German gun at war and shows how it became of decisive importance for the preparation and the successful conduct of attack and defence. It describes how German forces carefully built up their assault forces utilizing all available guns and making into an effective killing machine. It shows how various Panzerjäger and Panzergrenadier units fought on the battlefield using a host of anti-tank guns with lethal effect.

Throughout the book it depicts life as a gunner, how the guns were deployed for action, and illustrates the various modes of transport that were used to move the guns from one battle front to another. Each chapter details the various guns that went into production and eventually saw action on the battlefield.

Guns on the Atlantic Wall 1942-1945

Covers the guns that were emplaced along the Atlantic Wall by Germany during WWII.

L'artillerie de campagne de la Wehrmacht durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale

Le 1er janvier 1921, pour se conformer aux clauses du traité de Versailles, la Reichswehr ne dispose plus que de 204 pièces de 7,7 cm et 84 obusiers de 10,5 cm. À l'exception de cette maigre dotation, tout le parc d'artillerie de la Deutsche Armee existant au 11 novembre 1918 est saisi ou ferraillé.
De surcroît, tout déve- loppement de nouveaux matériels est proscrit, et pour lui éviter toute tentation, son parc de machines-outils spécialisées est réduit à la portion congrue et mis sous la surveillance de commissions d'inspection particulièrement pointilleuses. À cette date, l'Allemagne n'existe plus en tant que puissance militaire.

Le 1er septembre 1939, à l'ouverture des hostilités avec la Pologne, la Wehrmacht aligne près de 11 000 pièces de campagne regroupées dans 122 régiments d'artillerie. La rigueur des clauses imposées en 1919 a au moins eu deux avantages : l'Allemagne n'a pas eu à entretenir, durant l'entre-deux-guerres, une pléthore de pièces vieillissantes, comme la France ou la Grande-Bretagne, et elle a pu ainsi se constituer un parc d'artillerie moderne, à un détail près et non des moindres... un manque récurrent de tracteurs dédiés qui la contraindra à utiliser, pour l'essentiel, la traction animale jusqu'à la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale !

Loïc Charpentier, auteur bien connu des éditions Caraktère, nous livre le fruit de plusieurs années de recherches sur la Feldartillerie de 1939-1945 dans ce livre qui se propose de décrire chaque pièce utilisée par la Wehrmacht durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Un livre tout simplement indispensable, grâce auquel vous saurez absolument tout sur l'Artillerie de campagne de la Wehrmacht.