German and Italian Tanks in Italy 194345

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 Illustrated with superb new profiles and including many previously unpublished photos, this book is an essential guide to the tanks that fought the Axis'' least-known armoured campaigns.

Autorentext
Steven J. Zaloga is a senior analyst for Teal Group Corp., an aerospace consulting firm, where he covers missile and drone technology as well as international arms transfers for clients in the aerospace industry and the government. He served for more than two decades as an adjunct staff member with the Strategy, Forces, and Resources division of the Institute for Defense Analyses, a federal think-tank, retiring in 2021. He is the author of numerous books on military technology and history, including NVG 294 Allied Tanks in Normandy 1944 and NVG 283 American Guided Missiles of World War II. He currently lives in Maryland, USA. Felipe Rodríguez Náñez (aka Felipe Rodna) lives with his wife and two sons in Salamanca, Spain, where he works as an architect and computer graphics artist. He combines his experience in CG art and his passion for modelling in his illustrations, where he looks for a good balance between technical detail and craft.

Inhalt
INTRODUCTION
TECHNICAL FACTORS
­­Italy
Germany
Static tank turret defenses
Italian tanks and AFVs in German service
DOCTRINE AND ORGANIZATION
Italy
Germany
THE CAMPAIGN
Operation Husky: Sicily, July 1943
Italian armored units on Sicily, July 1943
Operation Avalanche: Salerno
Between Avalanche and Shingle: the winter defense lines
Operation Shingle: the landings at Anzio
The road to Rome
BATTLE ANALYSIS
FURTHER READING
INDEX