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الاستماع والقراءة

Bob Carruthers

The first vehicle to be produced in any numbers for the Panzerwaffe was the tiny Panzer I known as the MG Panzerwagen. Almost from the outset the limitations of the design for the Panzer I were obvious. It was essentially a training vehicle which was only pressed into service as a last resort. It was to be succeeded by the Panzer II which could at least engage armoured cars and combat against tanks with approximately the same armour as itself. 

Together these two tanks formed the bulk of the armour which between 1939 and 1941 conquered half of Europe. This comprehensive overview of the light Panzers in action was compiled by Emmy Award winning historian Bob Carruthers. It draws heavily on war-time intelligence reports to produce a fascinating insight into the development and combat history of the light Panzers at the tactical and operational level. 

Also featured are rare developments such as the Panzer II flame thrower variant alongside unpublished photographs and illustrations which provide an absorbing study, from an array of primary sources, of the world of the light Panzer and their crews from contemporary Allied sources.

Pen & Sword Military

Hitler's War Machine

Panzers I & II: Germany's Light Tanks

The original how-to manual for handling the German tank in World War II, edited and translated by the Emmy Award-winning historian and author.

During the Second World War, Tiger tank crews had to be trained as quickly and effectively as possible. To assist in this process General Heinz Guderian authorized the publication of the Tigerfibel, the illustrated manual which was issued to Tiger I crews from 1943 onwards. This highly unorthodox publication was full of risqué drawings and humorous illustrations and was designed to convey complex battlefield instructions in a simple and memorable manner.

This unique primary source has now been translated into English by Emmy Award-winning historian Bob Carruthers and published with a new overview and introduction. It makes for indispensable reading for anyone interested in tank warfare in World War II. The manual contains everything the reader could ever wish to know concerning how the crews were instructed to handle the Tiger I under combat conditions, including detailed instructions on aiming, firing, ammunition and close combat. There are extensive sections on maintenance, driving, radio operation and the essentials of commanding the heavy tank.

This priceless information is now being made available to a wider English-speaking audience as an electronic publication for the first time. Fascinating and highly accessible, the Tigerfibel is essential and rewarding reading for all those interested in the history of this famous tank.

This book is part of the Hitler’s War Machine series which draws on primary sources and contemporary documents to provide a new insight into the true nature of Hitler’s Wehrmacht.

Tiger I: The Official Wartime Crew Manual

This photographic journal was originally published in the spring of 1941. It was edited by and carried a forward by Hauptsturmfhrer Gunter d'Alquen, commander of the SS Propaganda Kompanie and editor of the official SS paper, Das Schwarze Korps. Many of the pictures taken in this book feature the men of Waffen SS Standarte "Germania". 

In 1940 the men who bore the word Germania on their cuff bands were fighting as a motorised regiment under the command of SS-Standartenfhrer Karl-Maria Demelhuber. This is a unique account of the Waffen SS on campaign in the west from a primary source, edited by, and with an introduction by Emmy award winning author Bob Carruthers.

The Waffen SS in the West: A Photographic Journal of the SS on Campaign

An overview of the Wehrmacht’s little-known mobile assault guns designed to provide close infantry support against enemy field defenses in World War II.
 
 The Stürmgeschutze rumbling forward into action is one of the iconic images of World War II. As mobile assault guns, the StuGs were essentially designed as infantry support weapons, but they also proved themselves as highly effective tank destroyers.
 
 Written by Emmy Award-winning author Bob Carruthers this fascinating study encompasses the design, development and combat history of the StuG II and IV.
 
 Drawing on a variety of rare primary sources and photographs this outstanding study explains the role of the StuG in context and examines the combat records of the StuG aces such as Franz von Malachowski, and Knight’s Cross holder Oberwachtmeister Hugo Primozic of Stug.Abt.667.
 
 Indispensable reading for anyone with an interest in armored warfare, this book is part of the Hitler’s War Machine series, a new military history range compiled and edited by Emmy Award winning-author and historian Bob Carruthers. The series draws on primary sources and contemporary documents to provide a new insight into the true nature of Hitler’s Wehrmacht.

Sturmgeschütze: Armoured Assault Guns

The Panzer III was designed to be the backbone of the Panzer force and was deployed on every front. However, due to its deficient armament and poor armour, and despite its outstanding reliability, it was obsolete by 1942. This comprehensive overview of the Panzer III in action was compiled by Emmy Award winning historian Bob Carruthers. It draws heavily on war-time intelligence reports to produce a fascinating insight into the development and combat history of the Panzer III at the tactical and operational level. Also featured are rare developments such as the flame thrower variant alongside unpublished photographs and illustrations which provide an absorbing study, from an array of primary sources, of the world of the Panzer III and its crews, which conveys to the modern reader a vivid sense of how they were viewed at the time.

Panzer III: Germany's Medium Tank

The Panther V evidenced a number of problems in combat, and this was the proof of the rushed development programme that was made obvious from the events at Kursk. However, despite its disappointing battlefield debut, the Panther is frequently hailed as the best all round tank of the war. 

This fascinating study by Emmy award winning author and historian Bob Carruthers draws on a wide variety of combat reports and unique primary sources to weigh up the facts in order to produce the definitive single volume overview of a legendary fighting machine. Included are numerous examples of wartime combat reports from both Allied and German sources, additionally there are a large selection of extracts from the Pantherfibel, theoriginal crew training manual. This superb book is essential reading for anyone interested in tank warfare during World War II.

The Panther V in Combat: Guderian's Problem Child

"Once you heard that pinging sound you knew they had got to you, then the depth charges came. Terrible, just terrible." Kurt Wehling, u-boat survivor The steel coffins was the name given to the U-boats of the Kriegsmarine by their own crews. Their fatalistic view of the war was certainly justified; it is estimated that seventy-five per cent of the 39,000 men who sailed in the U-boat fleet paid the ultimate price as the tide of war turned inexorably against Hitler's Germany. This is the illustrated history of the U-boat war from the perspective of the men who sailed into battle in the service of the Third Reich. Drawing heavily on the accounts of the last remaining survivors, 'The U-boat War' traces the grim story of the rise and fall of the grey wolves. The memories of the brief days of the "happy times" of superiority and success were soon replaced by the stark terror of the enfolding nightmare as the realisation dawned that the hunters had become the hunted. Written by Emmy award winning author Bob Carruthers, this powerful account of the U-boat war features extensive personal recollections, rare photographs and extracts from contemporary propaganda magazines producing a vivid picture of what it meant to fight beneath the waves.

Pen & Sword Maritime

Wolf Pack: The U-Boats at War

This unique collection of contemporary combat accounts provides a primary source insight into the reality of artillery operations on the Eastern Front. Mobile, rail and towed artillery are all considered in this fascinating compilation. This book is part of the 'Hitler's War Machine' series, a new military history range compiled and edited by Emmy Award winning author and historian Bob Carruthers. The series draws on primary sources and contemporary documents to provide a new insight into the true nature of Hitler's Wehrmacht. The series consultant is David Mcwhinnie creator of the award winning PBS series 'Battlefield'.

German Artillery in Combat

This is the complete wartime translation by the U.S. Navy of the 1943 edition of the official handbook given to all U-boat commanders. The original handbook was compiled from combat reports and was regularly updated throughout the war. The handbook was an invaluable reference for every operational U-boat commander. Simply written and highly accessible for a wider audience, the U-boat handbook attempted to anticipate every possible situation and to advise on suitable tactics. This superb war-time primary source is enhanced by a rare series of photographs taken on an actual combat patrol and published during the time of the Third Reich in the book U-Boot Auf Feindfahrt.Together the handbook and these rare photographs provide a fascinating glimpse into the world of the U-boats from a first hand perspective, and is essential reading for anyone interested in World War II from primary sources.

The Official U-Boat Commanders Handbook: The Illustrated Edition

This unique collection of contemporary combat accounts provides a primary source insight into the reality of anti-tank warfare on the Eastern Front. Both armoured and infantry based operations are considered. This book is part of the 'Hitler's War Machine' series, a new military history range compiled and edited by Emmy Award winning author and historian Bob Carruthers. The series draws on primary sources and contemporary documents to provide a new insight into the true nature of Hitler's Wehrmacht. The series consultant is David Mcwhinnie creator of the award winning PBS series 'Battlefield'.