An expert guide to the tanks that fought for the Axis in the Italian Campaign between 1943 and 1945, the least-known armoured campaign of World War II.
World War II came to Italian soil in 1943 with the landings in Sicily, which the Wehrmacht tried to crush using substantial Panzer offensives. Over the next two years the Allies fought their way north, through some of the most difficult terrain of the war, until the final battles in the Po Valley in the spring of 1945.
In this book, world armour expert Steven J. Zaloga offers a unique survey of Axis armour in the campaign, including the many types of tanks used, their roles and battlefield performance. The Italians deployed a variety of tanks on Sicily in 1943 including war-booty Renault R 35 tanks as well as their best tank destroyer, the Semovente 90/53, while a little-known rump Italian fascist army remained in combat until 1945, equipped in some cases with German tanks. Meanwhile Germany began its campaign equipped with leftovers from North Africa, but later deployed a much more substantial Panzer force. After the armistice Italy's industries continued to manufacture tanks for the Wehrmacht, giving it an exotic selection of both German and Italian tank types.
Illustrated with superb new profiles and including many previously unpublished photos, this book is an essential guide to the tanks that fought the Axis' least-known armoured campaigns.
A noted authority examines the roles played by Germany's Hetzer tank destroyer and the Soviet SU-76M self-propelled gun during the battle for Hungary in 1945.
During World War II, Germany and the Soviet Union soon found that their light tanks were obsolete; while their small guns were no longer useful against the enemy's armoured vehicles, the chassis allowed for installation of a larger gun at the cost of a rotating turret. Keen to utilize existing technology, Germany and the Soviet Union approached this challenge differently. While the Germans turned their PzKpfw 38(t) tank into a tank destroyer, first the open-topped Marder III and then the fully enclosed Jagdpanzer 38(t), nicknamed the 'Hetzer', the Soviet designers turned the T-70 light tank into an infantry support gun capable of engaging enemy armour, its open-topped fighting compartment adding communication with accompanying infantry.
In this study, leading armour expert Peter Samsonov's insightful analysis is complemented by specially commissioned artwork and mapping alongside carefully selected archive and present-day photographs, revealing the origins, development and combat performance of these two types at war. Both were widely employed amid the tank battles of early 1945, as Soviet forces reached deep into Hungary and the Axis armies mounted one last counter-offensive on the Eastern Front, Operation Spring Awakening.
Written by a noted authority, this fully illustrated study describes and depicts the machine guns equipping Soviet and Russian troops after 1945.
Following the USSR's victory in World War II, the Soviet armed forces adopted a succession of new or improved machine guns. At squad level, the 7.62mm RPD and RP-46 light machine guns replaced the DPM, themselves being supplanted by the RPK from 1961. Firing the lighter 5.45×39mm cartridge, the RPK-74 was issued from 1974 and remains in use today. The 5.45mm RPK-16 entered Russian service in 2018.
Having served alongside the 7.62mm PM M1910 Maxim during World War II, the 7.62mm SG-43 medium machine gun was updated as the SGM before being supplanted by the 7.62mm PK general-purpose machine gun, issued from 1961. The improved PKM made its debut in 1969 and still equips Russian troops today, being joined by the PKP in 2001 and the AEK-999 in 2008.
First issued in 1938, the formidable 12.7mm DShK heavy machine gun remains in Russian service today as the DShkM. It was joined by the 14.5mm KPV from 1949, the 12.7mm NSV from 1971 and the 12.7mm Kord from 1998.
In this illustrated survey, Leroy Thompson investigates the origins, development, combat use and legacy of all of these machine guns since 1945, from the start of the Cold War to the 2020s, casting light on their battlefield effectiveness and tactical influence.
This absorbing study describes and illustrates the Indian Army forces that fought in five wars during the second half of the 20th century.
The Indian Army is the world's largest volunteer army, with an enviable history and tradition of valour and gallantry. It was involved in warfare soon after India's independence and has fought five wars between 1947 and 1999, notably against Pakistan (1947–48, 1965, 1971 and 1999) but also against China (1962). Besides these, the Indian Army has been involved in smaller internal conflicts and counter-insurgency operations, some of which continue. The Indian Army has also carried out two military interventions overseas, namely in the Maldives (1988) and in Sri Lanka (1987–90).
The troops who fought in these operations, culminating in 1999's Kargil War against Pakistan, are described and illustrated in this book, written by an Indian Army veteran. The Indian Army's evolving uniforms, insignia and personal equipment are depicted in photographs, some previously unpublished, and eight plates of original colour artwork. The book is an important contribution to our understanding of the Indian Army's contribution to global military history since Independence in 1947.