Being there . . . . in September 1916 to watch the battle debut of the newly developed AFVs,
Tracked Armored Fighting Vehicles, called “tanks” by the British. The term, “tank”, was uttered
the year before to conceal the real purpose of an invention officially known as a “land ship”, the
first ever developed as a battering ram meant to roar and rumble across a few hundred yards of
rubble or rough ground, crushing barbed wire, and burying German troops in the trenches of
World War I. Crawling baby speed, poor slit visibility, and difficult turning and dodging
maneuverability gave the new weapon a terrible reputation: unsuitable for long range
operations, worthless for subtle tactics, and inaccurate gunfire due to the restricted widths of
their side-mounted gun sponsons, i.e., projecting gun brackets. Later, experiments in tank
warfare during the 1920s and the 1930s focused almost exclusively on infantry support tactics,
independent operations, and single tank versus single enemy tank actions controlled by newly
developed radio communications.
In the late 1920’s, the U.S. and France produced a range of high-speed tanks based on their
revolutionary suspension systems, already influencing the Russian and British tank makers. The
Allies were far ahead in tank-speed design, although their focus was on what they did when
they got there: firing away on advanced heavy-duty machine gun attachments to their tank
turrets instead of the proven deadliest canons of all calibers.
Meanwhile, on the German side, commanding a humble motor transport battalion, was
popular General d.Pz Heinz Guderian, a major intellectual force behind a new kind of German
assault tactic referred to as, ‘’lightning war”, BLITZKRIEG!, combining tanks and anti-tank tanks,
aircraft of all types, and motorized infantry combined in unceasing attack, upon attack,
guaranteeing success after success.
TWO NEW OSPREY BOOKS, KNOWLEDGEABLE AND SURPRISINGLY ENGAGING, DETAIL HOW
GENERAL HEINZE GUDERIAN, WITH HITLER’S EAGER APPROVAL, LAUNCHED A NEW FORM OF
TANK WARFARE, VIA BLITZKRIEG, OR ‘LIGHTNING WAR’, DARING, SWIFT AND FLEET, AND
ULTRA SECRET, TO OVERRUN MOST OF EUROPE, POLAND WHERE HORSEMEN WERE
SLAUGHTERED CHARGING MOBILE NEW PANZERS, MOST OF POPULATED WESTERN RUSSIA TO
WITHIN BLOCKS OF STALINGRAD’S VOLGA, NORTH AFRIA TO EL ALAMEIN, THE BALKANS,
CAUCASUSES, THE LOW COUNTRIES, AND NORWAY. HOWEVER, BY MID-1942, THE FUHRER’S
TIDAL WAVES OF PANZERS HAD LOST THEIR MOMENTUM. THE GERMAN JUGGERNAUTS WERE
FORCED TO ROLL TO A STOP. WHAT HAPPENED?
Reviewed and recommended by Don DeNevi
“GERMAN TANKS IN FRANCE 1940 – – Armor in the Wehrmacht’s greatest Blitzkrieg victory”, by
Steven J. Zaloga, Illustrated by Felipe Rodriguez. New Vanguard 327. Osprey Publishing Ltd,
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc: 2024, 48 pages, 7 ¼” x 9 ¾”, softcover, $20. Visit,
www.ospreypublishing.com.
“JAGDPANZER”, by Thomas Anderson. Osprey Publishing Ltd, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc: 2024,
272 pages, 7 ¾” x 9 7/8”, hardcover, $50. Visit, www.ospreypublishing.com.
Most of the major military publishing companies in this country are not only registering
surprisingly large sales after creating, then enlarging, very specific combat series, each with a
dozen or more selections, but also, and more importantly, by doing so making deep
impressions on their WWII enthusiasts, as well as occasional general readers, with lists of even
more series for the continuance of the new publishing concept. Instead of old-fashioned mini-
chapters, some as short as paragraphs, on highly technical issues or boring broad subjects, why
not publish inexpensive less than a hundred-page softcovers generating hunger for more of the
same subject? With so many topics, and such growing lists of fascinated readers, perhaps, just
guessing, more than a million military-minded readers have rung up sales building their home
libraries.
“GERMAN TANKS IN FRANCE 1940 – – Armor in the Wehrmacht’s greatest Blitzkrieg victory”,
just published, will rivet any reader with its narrative beauty, absolute historical accuracy, and
down-to-earth overall integrity of design, development, operation and history of Panzer
machinery while Germany was at war, 1939-1945. This appears to be the 13 th (!) text of full
color artwork, illustrations, matchless detail, and hitherto unpublished photos. Here, renowned
armor expert Steven Zaloga reassesses the Panzer force that made this literary triumph
possible, explaining that although the Panzers won their early reputation in France, they were
far from the myth of being a technological juggernaut. What few armchair readers know is that
the vast majority of the “feared Panzers” were no more than the small Panzer I and Panzer II
light tanks, while the more effective medium tanks such as the Panzer III and Panzer IV were
relatively few in numbers. Thus, Steven outlines for us the full range of German tanks deployed,
their technical qualities, organization, and tactics, pinpointing how training and doctrine rather
than technology was the real core of Panzer effectiveness. In short, author Zaloga presents us
with new insights into the truth and reality of Germany’s Panzer force in its most important
conquest.
Meanwhile, German armor expert, Thomas Anderson, draws upon his first-hand accounts
and rare previously unseen photographs, as well as this sharp intensive analysis of the self-
propelled tank destroyers that made up a significant proportion of the Panzer and SS-Panzer
divisions in the last two years of World War II.
“JAGDPANZER”, above all, is a unique reference book by one of the world’s best authorities
on the subject of the Panzers’ various canons. Apparently, during the interwar years, the
Wehrmacht settled on the towed 3.7 Panzerabwehrkanone (PaK) as the standard weapon for
the anti-tank units. Yet it was soon clear that more powerful weapons were needed, especially
against the Soviets, and, by mid-1941, the 5cm PaK 38, was adopted, with the 7.5cm PaK 40
following a year later. Such rapid technical developments were coupled with the increasing use
of self-propelled vehicles to mount anti-tank weaponry. At first, these were field-modified
vehicles, but a line of purpose-built Jagdpanzer later entered service. Frankly, fellow buff, I have
no idea what I just wrote, yielding to Einstein’s clearly honest observation, “If you can’t explain
it simply, idiot, you don’t understand it yourself.” Guilty! Doing my inadequate best to explain
Tom’s easy-to-understand narration, I have no idea what any of this means. Read it for yourself.
Upon reading the text, and spending time perusing the details in each of the 150+ photos, many
taken by the tank crewmembers, you’ll yearn for additional Panzer titles, i.e., Panzer III, Panzer
IV, Panzer Reconnaissance, Panzergrenadier, and a host of other Panzer titles.
