Tank destroyers - Germany: books - history and technology

German Tank Destroyers

During the early days of World War II, the need for motorized antitank units became evident as traditional horse- or automobile-drawn units proved ineffective due to their slow pace. Initially mounted on obsolete tank chassis like the Panzerjäger I and II, German engineers later utilized the robust Panzer IV, Panther, and Tiger chassis for tank destroyers.
Recognizing the superiority of enemy antitank guns during the invasion of France and facing formidable Soviet tanks during Barbarossa, German forces swiftly adapted.

In response to the appearance of the potent Soviet T-34 in 1941, Germany introduced the motorized Panzerjäger, offering increased speed and mobility. Subsequent enhancements, such as the 7.5cm gun in 1942, were influenced by frontline reports. Successful conversions, including the lightweight Hetzer based on the modified Panzer 38(t), became formidable tank destroyers deployed effectively by the Wehrmacht.

This illustrated account, featuring hundreds of period photos, thoroughly examines the development and deployment of various tank destroyer models throughout World War II.

Sturmartillerie & Panzerjäger 1939-45 (Osprey)

Originally the German assault gun was designed as an infantry support weapon, but the changing conditions of the battlefields of the Second World War forced it to adapt to perform a number of different roles, most importantly as a tank destroyer, although the infantry support role was never wholly discarded. If the much-glamorised Panzer divisions were the sword of the German army then the assault gun and tank destroyer units were its shield. As the Panzers' grip on the battlefield began to fail, though, it was left to the assault gun and tank destroyer crews to take up the burden.
This volume details the gun's technical development, illustrated with a two-page annotated cutaway.

Contents: Introduction - The Conception - The Stug III Assualt Gun - Manning and Organisation - Tactics - Active Service - Tank Destroyers - Tank Destroyer Tactics - The Key to Mobility - Endnote - The Plates.

The History of the Panzerjäger (Volume 1): Origins and Evolution 1939-42

The German Panzerjäger, or Panzerjägertruppe, was one of the most innovative fighting arms of World War II and its story has never properly been told. Many books have focused on an element of the story - the Hetzer, Jagdpanzer, Jagdpanther. However this is the first time that the whole story of the development and organization of Nazi Germany's anti-tank force will have been covered, from its earliest origins in World War I, through its development in the interwar period, and its baptism of fire in the early days of World War II.

This is the first of two volumes that will trace the story through the glory years of Blitzkrieg and the improvements that were made when Soviet tanks were first encountered, leading to new weapons, tactics and organization.
It is packed with previously unpublished wartime photographs, combat reports, and detailed charts and statistics to give an unparalleled account of this unique arm of the Wehrmacht.

The History of the Panzerjäger (Volume 2) - From Stalingrad to Berlin 1943-45

The German Panzerjäger, or Panzerjägertruppe, was one of the most innovative fighting arms of World War II and its story has never properly been told, until now. Many books have focused on an element of the story - the Hetzer, Jagdpanzer, and Jagdpanther - but this two-volume series represents the first time that the whole history of the development and organization of Nazi Germany's anti-tank force has been revealed. This second volume takes up the story in the mid-war years and follows the development of the Panzerjäger, describing the innovative new vehicles such as the Ferdinand, Elefant and Nashorn.

German Armoured Fighting Vehicle specialist Thomas Anderson also analyses the key role it performed in the War in the Desert and across the Eastern Front, and ultimately in the defence of the Reich itself.

Packed with previously unpublished wartime photographs, combat reports, and detailed charts and statistics, this book offers an unparalleled account of this unique arm of the Wehrmacht.

Hitler's Tank Destroyers - Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives (Images of War)

Dedicated German anti-tank vehicles made their first major appearance in the Second World War as combatants developed effective armoured vehicles and tactics. Some were little more than stopgap solutions, mounting an anti-tank gun on a tracked vehicle to give mobility, while others were more sophisticated designs.

The book covers the development and technology throughout the war that led to tank destroyers like the Panzerjger I, Sturmgeschtz, Marders, Nashorn.
Hetzer, Jagdpanzer, Elefant, Jagdtiger IV and Jagdpanther vehicles being developed.
As the war progressed the tank destroyers fire power became more lethal to meet the ever increasing threat against Soviet armour. Larger and more powerful variants entered the battlefield, but due the overwhelming enemy opposition they were compelled not only to attack armour, but to support ground troops too.

This comprehensive account covers all the Nazis mobile anti-tank vehicles in words and images.

Panzerjäger on the Battlefield (World War Two Photobook Series)

In "Panzerjäger on the Battlefield", Jon Feenstra looks at the German tank-hunters in the 15th book in the 'on the Battlefield' series. Large landscape photos, unseen content from private collections all wrapped up in a hardcover.

Panzerjäger vs KV-1 - Eastern Front, 1941-42 (Osprey)

On the Soviet side, based upon lessons from the Spanish Civil War, the Red Army decided to develop a heavy "breakthrough" tank to smash enemy infantry defenses. This resulted in the KV-1 and KV-2 tanks, introduced in 1939.

At the start of Operation Barbarossa, both these tanks were virtually invulnerable to the weapons of the Panzerjäger and demonstrated their ability to overrun German infantry on several occasions. This advantage gave the Red Army a window of opportunity between the fall of 1941 and the spring of 1942 to use their heavy tanks to repel the German invasion in a series of desperate counteroffensives.

Yet the window of Soviet advantage was a narrow one and the duel between the Soviet KV heavy tanks and German Panzerjäger had a major impact upon the struggle for the strategic initiative in 1941-42.

Leichte Jagdpanzer - Entwicklung, Fertigung, Einsatz (Spielberger)

Jagdpanzer hatte es bis in die ersten Kriegsjahre nicht gegeben, man merkte erst, dass sie fehlen, als die Panzerabwehr-Einheiten nicht mehr mit den schnell vorrückenden Panzern Schritt halten konnten. Daher mussten die Panzerabwehrgeschütze motorisiert werden.
Die ersten Entwicklungen wie der "Marder" waren noch ziemlich provisorisch, später kamen dann niedrigerem flache Typen ohne Turm wie der Pz.Kpfw. IV L/70, die "Guderian-Ente".

Walter J. Spielberger dokumentiert in diesem neu aufgelegten Klassiker jeden Entwicklungsschritt dieser Jagdpanzer und stellt ihr Innenleben mit vielen aussagekräftigen Fotos vor.

Light Jagdpanzer - Development, Production, Operations (Spielberger)

This volume in the Spielberger series presents the light tank destroyers of the Wehrmacht with accurate scale drawings and previously unpublished photographs.

Jagdpanzer 38 (In Focus 1)

The first in a new series of books from Panzerwrecks. As its titles implies, the subject is the German Jagdpanzer 38 tank hunter.
The subject has been written about before and many photos published, but this book combines 20 years of original research and gathering of materials to take a look at the vehicle, using 117 rare large format photographs over 112 pages.

These pictures are supplemented by specially commissioned high quality artwork by Felipe Rodna. The author and artist have worked closely together and incorporated the latest findings to offer the reader the most authentic colour plates of the Jagdpanzer 38 yet published.

Panzerjäger 38 (t) Hetzer & G13 (Volume 1)

Archive photos and color profiles of the Panzerjäger 38 (t) Hetzer and G13. Includes also 3D visualizations.

Jagdpanzer 38 Hetzer 1944-1945 (Osprey)

The Jagdpanzer 38 is one of the best known German armoured fighting vehicles from World War II. Rushed into series production in the record time of less than four months, it was instantly recognisable by the sleek appearance created by its well-sloped armour. Many experts in post-war armour hold the opinion that this tank destroyer was just the answer to Germany's problem of dealing with the numerically superior American M4 Medium tank (known to the British Army as the Sherman) and the Russian T-34.

This title takes a close look at the Jagdpanzer 28 "Hetzer". It features an annotated cutaway as its centre piece and covers the technical details of the jagdpanzer and its variants.

Contents: Design and Development - Production modifications and improvements March 1944 to 1945 - Production history - Design and manufacture by BMM and later Skoda - Capabilities in Combat - Operational History - Tactical Employment - Organisation - Combat history examples - Development of variants - Bergepanzer recovery vehicle and rigid mounted gun version - Commentary on the Colour Artwork - Index.

Schwere Jagdpanzer - Entwicklung, Fertigung, Einsatz

Die Neuauflage der legendären Spielberger-Reihe wird fortgesetzt: Das Auftreten der sowjetischen Panzertypen war für die Deutschen eine böse Überraschung, daher wurde dringend nach Möglichkeiten gesucht, diese zu stoppen.
Somit wurden bestehende Fahrgestelle mit Panzerabwehrkanonen bestückt. Die so entstandenen schweren Jagdpanzer gehörten zu den wirkungsvollsten Waffen und waren in der Lage, selbst auf 3,5 km Entfernung jeden Gegner auszuschalten. Dieser Band dokumentiert die Entwicklung dieser rollenden Festungen und stellt ihr Innenleben mit vielen aussagestarken Fotos vor.

Heavy Jagdpanzer - Development, Production, Operations (Spielberger)

This volume in the Spielberger series presents the Wehrmacht's heavy tank destroyers: Ferdinand, Jagdpanther and Jagdtiger with previously unpublished photos and action reports.

Jagdpanzer: Jagdpanzer IV - Jagdpanther

This book covers the development and use of the Jagdpanzer armored fighting vehicles, including the Jagdpanzer IV and Jagdpanther.

Cromwell vs Jagdpanzer IV : Normandy 1944 (Osprey)

By 1944, the evolution of armoured doctrine had produced very different outcomes in Britain and Germany. Offering a good balance of speed, protection and firepower, the British Cromwell tank was much faster than its German opponent, but the Jagdpanzer IV tank destroyer had a high-velocity main gun and a lower profile that made it formidable on the defensive, especially in ambush situations.

The two types would fight in a series of bloody encounters, from the initial days of the struggle for Normandy through to its climax as the Allies sought to trap their opponents in the Falaise Pocket.

Using archive photographs, specially commissioned artwork and battle reports, this fascinating study expertly assesses the realities of tactical armoured combat during the desperate battles after D-Day.

Jagdpanther Tank Destroyer : German Army and Waffen-SS, Western Europe 1944 -1945 (TankCraft)

Combining the destructive firepower of the 88mm gun with the outstanding mobility of the Panther series, the Jagdpanther is quite probably the best-known tank destroyer of the Second World War.
In the vehicle's first action on 30 July 1944, three Jagdpanthers managed to destroy eleven British tanks in a vicious two minute firefight near the village of Les Loges in Normandy, cementing the Jagdpanther's reputation as a potent tank killer.

In his fifth book in the TankCraft series, Dennis Oliver uses contemporary photographs and meticulously researched, superbly presented colour and monochrome illustrations to tell the story of these heavy self-propelled anti-tank guns and the units which operated them in the German defence of the Western Front.

As with all the books in the TankCraft series, a large part of this work showcases available model kits and aftermarket products, complemented by a gallery of expertly constructed and painted models.
Technical details as well as modifications introduced during production and in the field are also explained giving the modeller all the information and knowledge required.

Jagdpanther vs SU-100 - Eastern Front, 1945 (Osprey)

As World War II in Europe reached its end, armour development and doctrine had experienced several years of massively accelerated change, especially within the crucible of the Eastern Front. The German Jagdpanther and Soviet SU-100, both turretless tank-destroyer designs based on a 'traditional' turret-tank chassis, were the culminating examples of how the progression of experience, resources and time constraints produced vehicles that were well suited for roles of defence and offence, respectively.
The Jagdpanther represented a well-balanced solution and an excellent use of limited resources, while the SU-100 was a natural progression of the SU-85, where numbers produced compensated for rudimentary construction, poor crew comfort and limited optics.

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

Ferdinand / Elefant - Panzerjäger Tiger (P) (Legends of Warfare)

NEW

The Panzerjäger Tiger (P) emerged as a formidable tank destroyer, deployed in limited numbers by the Wehrmacht. Originating from an early design of the Panzer VI Tiger tank, particularly the prototype by Ferdinand Porsche, this series of 90 vehicles, initially named Ferdinand, underwent a transformation after underwhelming performance at Kursk. Following rebuilding and modification, the surviving 48 units were rebranded as Elefant.

This volume chronicles the combat history of both the Ferdinand and Elefant through vintage photos. It also delves into the background of the ill-fated Porsche Tiger design.
The publication features 100 vintage photos and over 110 full-color images of the only two surviving examples, offering detailed insights into the construction and wartime adaptations of these potent tank destroyers.

Der Panzerjäger Ferdinand - Panzerjäger Tiger (P), Porsche Typ 131

Nachdem Henschels Version des schweren Kampfpanzers "Tiger" den Vorzug vor dem Entwurf von Professor Ferdinand Porsche erhalten hatte, sollten die rund hundert übrig gebliebenen Fahrgestelle des "Porsche-Tiger" die Grundlage für einen neuen Panzerjäger bilden - den Panzerjäger "Ferdinand".

Autor Michael Fröhlich schildert auf kompetente Weise alles Wissenswerte über Entstehung, Entwicklung, Technik, Bewaffnung und Schicksal dieses Jagdpanzers, von dem etwa 90 Stück gebaut und ab 1943 in den Kampfeinsatz geschickt wurden.
Viele nie gesehene Illustrationen, technische Zeichnungen und Skizzen runden den Band ab.

Jagdtiger (Vol. 1) - Technical History

The two volume study of Germany's heaviest Jagdpanzer (tank destroyer) is the result of nearly twenty years of exhaustive research.
This volume one, Technical History, presents a well-structured and highly detailed technical analysis of this complex tank destroyer.
Using manufacturer's documentation, drawings, and photographs combined with Intelligence analysis, this work details the origin, design, construction and assembly of the vehicle. The armor, armaments, engine, transmission, suspension systems, electrical and optical equipment, together with the operation and maintenance procedures are included to complete this definitive analysis.