The titanic armor battles of the Russian Front are widely known, but the role of Germany's eastern allies is not as well known. Two of these countries, Romania and Hungary, manufactured their own tanks as well as purchasing tanks from Germany. These ranged from older, obsolete types such as the PzKpfw 35(t) all the way up to the latest and best German vehicles including the Tiger I and Hetzer. These tanks played a frequent role in the battles in southern Russia and Ukraine and were especially prominent in the disaster at Stalingrad where the Red Army specifically chose the weaker Romanian and Hungarian salients for their critical envelopment operation. This New Vanguard will provide a broad survey of the various and colorful tanks used. Besides covering the largest of these Axis tank forces, this book will cover the many smaller and lesser known forces including the Italian contingent in Russia, the Finnish armored force, and the small but interesting armored forces of the Russian Vlasov (RONA), Croatian, Bulgarian and Slovakian armies. This subject is seeing increasing interest in the modeling world; for example Tamiya recently announced a PzKpfw 35 (t) (suitable for Romanian, Slovak armies) a Finnish StuG III, and a Finnish BT-42.

The Allies' M10 Tank Destroyer and the Germans' Sturmgeschütz (StuG) lll were the unsung workhorses of the northwest European battlefields of 1944–45. While their mission was not principally fighting one another, their widespread use ensured their frequent encounters, from the Normandy Bocage, to the rubble-strewn streets of Aachen. The StuG lll was the quintessential assault gun, a low-slung, heavily armoured, turret-less vehicle intended to provide direct fire support for infantry formations, whilst the M10 3in Gun Motor Carriage was originally developed as a tank destroyer. However, by 1944 the 3in gun proved ineffectual against the most thickly armored German tanks, and was consequently relegated to infantry support too. Widely deployed in roles their designers had not envisaged, these two armoured fighting vehicles clashed repeatedly during the 11-month campaign, which saw the Allies advance from Normandy to the heart of the Reich. Fully illustrated with specially commissioned artwork, this is the story of their confrontation at the height of World War ll.

Given the merciless way in which the war on the Eastern Front of World War II was conducted, it is difficult to envisage anyone changing sides during the conflict. Yet after the German invasion of Russia in Operation Barbarossa, well over 400,000 former Soviet citizens went on to fight for Nazi Germany. These included not only the 'legions' recruited from non-Russian ethnic groups eager for freedom from Stalin's dictatorship, but also some 100,000 Russians and Cossacks. What began as small local security units of 'Ostruppen', enrolled for the ongoing campaigns against Soviet partisans, were later reorganized, given special systems of uniform and insignia, amalgamated into larger formations, and eventually committed to the front line. This book offers up an essential guide to the appearance, formation and equipment of the myriad Russian and Soviet units that fought for the Germans. It uses rare photographs and revealing colour illustrations to create a peerless visual reference to the troops who switched from one ruthless superpower to another and met with a horrific fate when the fighting was over.

The prowess of the German panzers is the stuff of legend, but it is not generally known that Hitler stole thousands of British, Czech, French, Italian, Polish, and Soviet tanks and armored fighting vehicles to feed his war machine. At its height, more than 25 percent of the German tank fleet was of foreign origin. In this meticulously research investigation, Anthony Tucker-Jones tells this hitherto unrecorded story, describing how captured fighting vehicles were reused by the German military throughout World War II.

Originally published: Winnipeg, Man., Canada: J.J. Fedorowicz Pub., c1996.

This WWII pictorial history sheds light on the armored fighting vehicles built and deployed by Italy, Hungary and other Axis powers on the Eastern Front. In discussions of Second World War military vehicles, German, American and British tanks are given the most focus. Meanwhile, the tanks, self-propelled guns and armored cars built and deployed by Hitler’s Axis allies, have been almost forgotten. Both the rarity of these fighting vehicles and the vital roles they played in battle make them a fascinating subject of photographic history. This selection of previously unpublished wartime photographs provides a visual record of the armored forces thrown into action by Hitler’s allies on the Eastern Front from 1941 to 1945. Illustrated here are the panzers deployed by Bulgaria, Finland, Slovakia, Hungary, Italy and Romania on the Eastern Front and in the Balkans. Hungary’s home-made armor included the Toldi and Turán tanks and Zrínyi self-propelled guns. The Italians produced CV-33 tankettes, Semovente self-propelled guns, Autoblinda and Lancia armored cars and a series of tanks. Romanian and Czech tanks and assault guns were also deployed.

Outlines events on the Eastern Front of World War II from the 1941 German the invasion of the Soviet Union to Stalin's declaration of war with Japan in 1945

The warriors, the weapons, and the furious battles

Extraordinary story of a Dutch volunteer in the Waffen-SS. Vivid details on SS training and combat on the Eastern Front. Account of the little-known siege of Breslau in early 1945.

There is still a widespread assumption that the Second World War was won in the West, when in fact the tide was first turned on the Eastern front. This book, written by two internationally known experts on the subject, argues that Hitler's Ostkrieg was the central event of the global conflict between the Allies and the Axis powers. However, this is much more than a traditional military political history: it deals with Nazi crimes and economic exploitation, with the psychological war. No less significantly, this volume provides a guide to the extensive literature on the war in the East, including largely unknown Soviet writing on the subject. Indispensable for military historians, but also for all scholars who approach this crucial period in world history from a socio-economic or cultural perspective.

An illustrated account of the German soldiers who invaded Russia from 1941 to 1945--chronicles their day-to-day survival in isolation, experiencing what Hitler had not anticipated

Looks at the German generals who lead the Nazi's to victory in Poland and France under Adolf Hitler during the beginning of World War II.

The Eastern Front was the decisive theatre of World War 2. On a 1,200-mile front from the Arctic Circle to the Caspian Sea, in baking summer heat and winter temperatures of -40.C, millions of men and women fought the most vital battle of the war. Had the Germans won in the East, a Nazi victory in World War 2 would have been almost inevitable. In 1941 the Germans suffered their first significant defeat at the gates of Moscow. Twelve months later their army was decisively defeated at Stalingrad. In April 1945 the Red Army stormed Berlin itself and ended the war in Europe. Hitler's flawed dream of conquest in the East brought about the end of the Thousand Year Reich, and all in little over a thousand days.

On 22 June 1941 The Germans launched their long-expected invasion of the Soviet Union. Codenamed ""Operation Barbarossa," after the famous 12th century crusading emperor, what followed was perhaps the greatest clash of arms the world has ever witnessed. With the aid of specially commissioned maps, Barbarossa: The First 7 Days describes the dramatic history of the first week of the invasion of the Soviet Union. The book begins with an extensive overview of the Wehrmacht's success up until 1941, followed by chapters outlining the German High Command's plan of attack and the defensive dispositions of the Soviet forces. The author goes on to describe the opening bombardment, followed by detailed accounts of the three Army Groups' fortunes in the first week of the campaign. The book finishes with an analysis of the remainder of the campaign and the ultimate failure of the Germans to destroy the Red Army and capture Moscow. With first hand accounts from both sides, vivid photographs, detailed fact boxes, and specially commissioned maps of the German advance and the Soviet defensive actions, Barbarossa: The First 7 Days is a comprehensive examination of the first week of the four-year war on the Eastern Front.

Providing a comprehensive and authoritative summary of all the available facts and figures relating to World War II, this text is divided into nine sections for ease of reference.

A chronicle of the war between Russia and Nazi Germany, reconstructing the conflict from Hitler's invasion of Soviet soil to the final retreat and the fall of Berlin