The Tank Killers: A History of America's World War II Tank Destroyer Force - Hardcover

Yeide, Harry

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1932033262 ISBN 13: 9781932033267

Publisher: Casemate, 2005

Synopsis

The Tank Killers is the story of the American Tank Destroyer Force in North Africa, Italy, and the European Theater during World War II. The tank destroyer (TD) was a bold-if some would say flawed-answer to the challenge posed by the seemingly unstoppable German blitzkrieg. The TD was conceived to be light and fast enough to outmaneuver panzer forces and go where tanks could not. At the same time, the TD would wield the firepower needed to kill any German tank on the battlefield. Indeed, American doctrine stipulated that TDs would fight tanks, while American tanks would
concentrate on achieving and exploiting breakthroughs of enemy lines.

The Tank Killers follows the men who fought in the TDs from the formation of the force in 1941 through the victory over the Third Reich in 1945. It is a story of American flexibility and pragmatism in military affairs. Tankdestroyers were among the very first units to land in North Africa in 1942. Their first vehicles were ad hoc affairs: Halftracks and weapons carriers with guns no better than those on tanks and thin armor affording the crews considerably less protection. Almost immediately, the crews realized that their doctrine was incomplete. They began adapting to circumstances, along with their partners in the infantry and armored divisions. By the time that North Africa was in Allied hands, the TD had become a valued tank fighter, assault gun, and artillery piece. The reconnaissance teams in TD battalions, meanwhile, had established a record for daring operations that they would continue for the rest of the war.

The story continues with the invasion of Italy and finally that of Fortress Europe on 6 June 1944. By now, the brass had decreed that half the force would convert to towed guns, a decision that dogged the affected crews through the end of the war. The TD men encountered increasingly lethal enemies, ever more dangerous panzers that were often vulnerable only to their guns while American tank crews watched in frustration as their rounds bounced harmlessly off the thick German armor. They fought under incredibly diverse conditions that demanded constant modification of tactics. Their equipment became ever more deadly. By VE day, the tank destroyer battalions had achieved impressive records, generally with kill/loss rates heavily in their favor. Yet the Army after the war concluded that the concept of a separate TD arm was so fundamentally flawed that not a single battalion existed after November 1946.

The Tank Killers draws heavily on the records of the tank destroyer battalions and the units with which they fought. Veterans of the force add their personal stories.

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1: Seek, Strike, and Destroy
Chapter 2: North Africa: Seeing the Elephant
Chapter 3: From Gloom to Glory
Chapter 4: The Tough Underbelly
Chapter 5: Anzio and Two Roads to Rome
Chapter 6: Storming Fortress Europe
Chapter 7: Armored Thunder
Chapter 8: The Battle for the Border
Chapter 9: The Battle of the Bulge
Chapter 10: Sought, Struck, and Destroyed

Appendix A: Tank Destroyer Battalions by Campaign
Appendix B: Battalion Profiles

Glossary
Notes
Bibliography
Index

About this title

About the Author:

Harry Yeide has been a national security affairs analyst for the federal government for 27 years. He received a BA in political science and German from Muhlenberg College in 1982 and an MA in international affairs from the George Washington University in 1984. In his position with the federal government he has worked as a political, terrorism, and economic analyst on the Soviet Bloc, the Balkans, the Aegean, East Asia, South Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and he has served in numerous assignments overseas. He is the author of a number of works of military history, including The Longest Battle and First to the Rhine.

Review:

“This gritty and well written account of the TD's is a fantastic read....Whether your interest is armour or history I would highly recommend this book.” (Military Modelling)

"...very well-done... ought to be welcome by those of us who enjoy a good read ..." (Missing Lynx)

"...interesting book, and definitely the best coverage of tank destroyers currently on the market." (Stone & Stone Second World War Books)

"...this thoroughly researched and well presented history of a relatively little known, but significant, contributor to victory is a valuable addition to US Army history" (The Journal of America’s Military Past, Winter 2007)

About this edition

• Publisher: Casemate
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1932033262
• ISBN 13: 9781932033267
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256