Search results for ""Author Hans Seidler""

In true Images of War Series style, this authoritative book tells the unique story of Hitler's Luftwaffe Flak and Field Divisions in words and rare images. From the outset of WW2, Go ring's Luftwaffe Flak units saw extensive fighting with their 2cm, 3.7cm and deadly 8.8cm anti-aircraft guns. By the time of the Nazis' invasion of Russia, Luftwaffe ground forces had been expanded and were being used in both the army support and air roles. After initial success on the Eastern Front turned to stalemate and huge losses, Hitler ordered the raising of Luftwaffe Field Divisions to bolster the Army. These were initially under Go ring's command but, in late 1943, were handed over to the Army and re-organised as standard infantry divisions (of three two-battalion rifle regiments) retaining Luftwaffe designations. The most famous was the elite Hermann Go ring Divisions, which was re-organised as a Panzer Division.By 1944 there were no less than twenty-one Luftwaffe Field Divisions plus many similar regiments, fighting on all fronts. Of all German anti-tank weapons, the 8.8cm gun was the most feared and destructive.Luftwaffe Flak and Field Divisions 1939-1945 describes the evolution of this unique element of the Nazi war machine by means of clear text and superb images and will appeal to modellers, war-gamers and Second World War enthusiasts alike

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Hitler's Wehrmacht and SS units will be remembered for their aggressive Blitzkrieg' tactics. But, as the war progressed, the Germans, recognising the offensive capability of armoured warfare, developed an impressive range of anti-tank warfare weaponry and munitions. Using many rare unpublished images this Images of War book covers the full Nazi anti-armour capability from the 3.7cm Pak 35, 5cm Pak 38 and 7.5cm Pak 40 to the versatile 8.8cm Flak feared by the Allies. Also featured are the half-tracks and converted Panzers that pulled or mounted these weapons and carried forward observers and reconnaissance elements. Later hand-held anti-tank weapons came into service and were effective and economic against Allied armour. The Panzer faust, with its shaped charge warhead, became the first disposable anti-tank weapon in history. This comprehensive book shows this formidable range of weapons in action from Poland in 1939, through North Africa and the Eastern Front to the final collapse in 1945.

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Founded in 1922 the Hitler Youth movement was the second oldest Nazi group. Comprising male youths aged 14 - 18, by December 1936 membership stood at over 5 million. During the Second World War the role of Hitlerjugend evolved from assisting with the postal, train and fire services into full war fighting. Recruits went into units such as the elite 12th SS Panzer-Division 'Hitlerjugend' and we see graphic images of this Waffen-SS force in action both on the Eastern and Western fronts. Even as the Nazi cause faced inevitable defeat these units fought with fanatical and disturbing bravery and after defeat in May 1945 elements carried out guerrilla actions in the Bavarian and Austrian mountains. The reader will find much original material on this legendary but distasteful Nazi organisation.

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Sturmgeschutz III was originally designed as an assault weapon, but as war progressed it was increasingly used in a defensive role and evolved into an assault gun and tank destroyer. By 1943 its main role was providing anti-tank support to the units in its area of operation. This consequently led to many StuGs being destroyed in battle. Nonetheless they were very successful as tank killers and destroyed, among others, many bunkers, pillboxes and other defences.The StuG was not considered to be a true tank because it lacked a turret. The gun was mounded directly in the hull, in a casemate-style fashion, with a low profile to reduce vehicle heights, and had a limited lateral traverse of a few degrees in either direction. Thus, the entire vehicle had to be turned in order to acquire targets. Omitting the turret made production much simpler and less costly, enabling greater numbers to be built. Its significantly shorter vertical profile as compared to contemporary tanks made the StuG more difficult to hit.Most assault guns were mounted on the chassis of a Panzer III or Panzer IV, with the resultant model being called either a StuG III or StuG IV respectively. The StuG was one of the most effective tracked vehicles of World War II, and over 10,000 of them were eventually produced.During the course of the war StuG III assault guns were issued to Sturmartillerie Batteries, Sturmgeschutz Abteilungen, Sturmgeschutz Brigades, Sturmartillerie Batteries, Ersatz (Reserve), Abteilungen and Funklenk (Remote Control) Companies. StuG III assault guns served on all fronts of WWII until the end of the war.

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German Machine Guns of the Second World War is a highly illustrated record of the German war machine between 1939 - 1945. Many of the photographs, all from the authors collection, come originally from the albums of individuals who took part in the war. Arranged by theatre chronologically, the book analyses the development of the machine gun and describes how the Germans carefully utilised weapons such as the MG34 and the much vaunted MG42 into both offensive and defensive roles. Supported by a host of other machine guns like the MP28, MP38/40 and the lethal Sturmgerher 44, it depicts how these formidable machine guns fought against an ever increasing enemy threat. Using over 250 rare and unpublished photographs together with detailed captions and accompanying text, this book provides a unique insight into German weaponry from early Blitzkrieg campaigns to the final demise of the Nazi empire.

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Hitler's Defeat on the Western Front 1944-1945 is a compelling account of the Nazis' ten month struggle against the overwhelming Allied military might on the Western Front. Thanks to the successful Images of War format of authoritative text supported by copious, well captioned contemporary images, the reader witnesses the intensity of the fighting from the Normandy beaches, through France and the Low Countries and finally into Germany itself. Despite demoralising withdrawals and reversals the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, Hitlerjugend, Volkssturm with many barely trained conscripts, continued to fight tenaciously inflicting significant losses on their superior enemy. The graphic images are testimony to their exhaustion and resilience but defeat became increasingly certain. Even when the Allies crossed the Rhine in early 1945 with the Russians closing on Berlin from the East, the shattered remnants of Hitler's once all-conquering forces had nowhere to go. That did not stop fanatical elements fighting to the death but the bulk of the survivors accepted surrender as inevitable. This superbly illustrated book captures the drama of that historic period.

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