Self-propelled Guns (WW 2) - Germany: Books - History and Construction

German Motorized Artillery and Panzer Artillery in World War II

With over 260 images, this volume is a concise, illustrated history of Germany's World War II artillery, its units and operations. Photos include both the towed and self-propelled weapon types. Also included are detailed unit organizational charts and line schematics of artillery rounds.

German Self-Propelled Artillery Guns of the Second World War

One towed artillery gun required a team of six horses and nine men. WW2 German engineers came up with the idea of mounting an artillery gun on top of a tank chassis. This new technology reduced the amount of resources required to deploy one artillery gun.
Artillery self-propelled guns only needed a four or five man crew. They could also be made ready to fire more quickly. One type was successfully used in the invasion of France in May 1940. More were used on the Eastern Front against Soviet forces from 1941 until the end of the war in 1945.

The 'Desert Fox', Ewin Rommel, needed artillery guns that could keep up with his Panzers in North Africa. Horses could not be used in the desert. He was sent 15 cm howitzers mounted on top of Panzer II tank chassis and captured French Army Lorraine 37L tracked armoured supply vehicles.
Rommel's forces in Northern France were equipped with a variety of new artillery self-propelled guns. They were used against the Allies when they invaded the beaches of Normandy on D-Day 6th June 1944.

This book covers the development and use of this new weapon between 1939 and 1945.

Panzerartillerie - Firepower for the Panzer Divisions

The German Panzerartillerie was one of the key components of the Panzer divisions that were the spearhead of the German forces in the years when they overran most of Western Europe and reached as far as the gates of Moscow in the East.
Warfare in the age of Blitzkrieg required fast-moving, mobile artillery that could support forward units at the front line, and the Panzerartillerie provided that for the Wehrmacht. The Allies had no answer or equivalent to them until the US entry into the war.

Drawing on original material from German archives and private collections, including some images that have never been published before, German armour expert Thomas Anderson explores the formation and development of this force from its early days in the 1930s, through the glory days of Blitzkrieg warfare to its eventual decline in the face of the challenges of the Eastern Front.

Hummel and Nashorn / Hornisse: German Self-Propelled Artillery in World War II

The Hummel ("bumblebee") and Nashorn ("rhinoceros") are two of Nazi Germany's most widely recognized self-propelled artillery pieces.
The Hummel, with its heavy field howitzer, was indispensable as heavy field artillery despite its open-top fighting compartment. The Nashorn, also known as the Hornisse ("hornet"), utilized the same chassis but mounted the formidable 88 mm antitank gun, becoming one of the most feared pieces of antitank artillery, or Panzerjäger.

This book chronicles the development and use of these vehicles from concept to combat. Through dozens of archival photos, many never before published, as well as detailed photographs of some of the finest existent examples of surviving vehicles, these iconic armored fighting vehicles are explored, and their history is explained.

Wespe: German Self-Propelled Artillery in WWII

Covers the design and use of the self-propelled armored vehicle Wespe in WWII. Also describes 105mm guns, the Alkett weapons carrier and captured vehicles.

Die motorisierte Artillerie und Panzerartillerie des deutschen Heeres

Die Anfänge der Panzerartillerie reichen weit bis in den Ersten Weltkrieg zurück, wobei sie zu der Zeit vornehmlich in Angriff und Verteidigung aus vorbereiteten Feuerstellungen durch langanhaltendes Vernichtungsfeuer gewirkt hatten.
Auch durch den Einfluss von Oberstleutnant Guderian ergaben sich aber neue Perspektiven zum Einsatz der Panzerdivisionen. Insbesondere in Verbindung mit der Artillerie mit ihren empfindlichen Geschützen und der umfangreichen Ausrüstung ergaben sich zahlreiche neue technische und taktische Möglichkeiten, so dass die Panzerartillerie entstand.