Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 67 i History of War

Welcome

From the debut of the Mark I in 1916, to the devastating attack of the Abrams and Challengers in Desert Storm, tanks have played an important and often decisive role on battlefields around the world. In this special issue of History of War, we asked experts and historians to pick their ‘greatest’ tanks from across the century and around the world. Of course, comparing a Panzer I with a T-80 would be facile, so our ‘50 Greatest’ list is made based on contributions to and importance within the history of the tank, be it accurate weaponry or impenetrable armour. Don’t agree with our selections? As always you can get in touch with the team at: frontline@futurenet.com…

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History of War|No. 67

D-DAY TANK OPERATIONS

March 1943-June 1944 HOBART’S FUNNIES Unusual tanks are developed by the British 79th Armoured Division for the planned invasion of Normandy. Based on Churchill or Sherman tanks, these armoured vehicles can – among other things – demolish concrete structures, fill trenches, lay matting and clear mines or barbed wire. April 1943-June 1944 DEVELOPING THE DD TANK The Duplex Drive (DD) tank is an amphibious M4 Sherman tank. The Sherman is selected after years of experimentation with other armoured vehicles. As a “swimming” assault tank, the DD can be launched off landing craft. It is provided to American, British and Canadian tank battalions for D-Day. December 1943-March 1944 OPERATION FORTITUDE Fortitude is the deception strategy during the build up to the Normandy landings. Phantom field armies are created in Scotland and…

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History of War|No. 67

COMMANDERS & DESIGNERS

SIR PERCY HOBART THE VETERAN TANK ADVOCATE WHO DEVELOPED THE FAMOUS “FUNNIES” 1885-1957 MAJOR GENERAL UNITED KINGDOM Hobart was originally a Royal Engineers officer who fought in France and Mesopotamia during WWI. His experiences led him to believe that tanks were the future of ground warfare and he joined the newly formed Royal Tanks Corps in 1923. Rising to the rank of colonel in 1928, Hobart created and commanded the 1st Tank Brigade in 1934, while developing new tactics in the context of mobile warfare. In 1937, Hobart was promoted to major general but he was often at odds with the British military establishment who transferred him to Egypt the following year. In North Africa, Hobart raised and trained the nucleus of the future 7th Armoured Division (the “Desert Rats”)…

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History of War|No. 67

GERMANY

The first generation of German armour – Panzers I to IV – were not of themselves superior to their opponents, their effectiveness in the first three years of the Second World War being primarily explicable in terms of how they were employed. It was the Russian Campaign that forced the Germans to embrace a new design to counter the initially superior Soviet T-34 and KV series. This led to the creation of the Panther heavy medium tank and the fielding of the Tiger I and II heavy panzers in the last two years of the conflict. Even though by then the war was lost, German tanks continued to exert heavy losses on its enemies both east and west. After 1945, a medium panzer for the new Bundeswehr led to the…

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History of War|No. 67

GOLAN HEIGHTS

“THE ATTACK WAS PART OF A TWO-PRONGED ASSAULT ON ISRAEL, WITH THE EGYPTIAN ARMY HAVING ATTACKED ACROSS THE SUEZ CANAL ONLY 15 MINUTES BEFORE” At 14:05 on 6 October 1973, the Syrian Army unleashed a massive assault on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The attack was part of a two pronged assault on Israel, with the Egyptian Army having attacked across the Suez Canal only 15 minutes before. Both countries, plus various other Arab allies, were keen to repay the Israelis for their humiliating defeat during the Six Days War of 1967, and regain both their national pride and lost territory. In 1967 the Israelis had fought a fast, aggressive war with strong armoured columns and overwhelming air power hammering the Egyptian and Syrian forces, and taking control of both the…

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History of War|No. 67

ORIGINS OF THE GUARDIA CIVIL

“THE CIVIL GUARD CAME INTO BEING IN MARCH 1844, GIVING SPAIN ITS FIRST ELITE UNIT DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE TO THE CIVILIAN AUTHORITIES” During the early 19th century, Spain found itself in a desperate War of Independence against Napoleonic France (1808-1814). But while this should have produced a broad sentiment of national unity, the reality was the exact opposite. When the French intervened once again in the Spanish political process less than ten years later, putting an end to the ‘Liberal Triennium’ (1820-1823) and restoring King Fernando VII, along with his absolutist prerogatives, the divisions within the royalist camp and among the liberals deepened the divide between political loyalties. The conservative branch of Spanish liberalism, the Moderates, took power in December 1843. They set out to resolve these problems through the establishment…

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History of War|No. 67

LIFE ON “FORMY”

An Illustrious-class, 23,000-ton, aircraft carrier, Formidable was commissioned in November 1940. Measuring 740 feet long with a top speed of 31 knots, the ship was protected by a thick steel flight deck and could carry 36 aircraft. Nicknamed “Formy” by her crew, the ship played a key role in the Battle of Cape Matapan and covered the North African, Sicilian and Italian landings before she attacked Tirpitz and joined the BPF. In the Pacific, Formidable acted as the fleet’s flagship but life onboard was far from prestigious. Quilter recalls that operational conditions in high temperatures were, “Bloody awful. You had a three-inch steel flight deck and underneath you had all these steel compartments with the tropical sun playing on the deck. Forced air went through the ship but you had…

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History of War|No. 67

303 SQUADRON

Director: Denis Delic UK Digital & DVD Release: 29 April Sometimes, by sheer coincidence or creative differences, two films on the same subject emerge nearly simultaneously. This is the case of 303 Squadron, directed by Denis Delic, scheduled for its UK release not long after David Blair’s Hurricane. Both films set out tell the story of Polish pilots fighting against the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain during the summer of 1940 – and both follow similar script structures. However, 303 Squadron makes a more accurate adaptation of the classic book by Arkady Fiedler, and the true lives of the legendary pilots, among them Jan Zumbach and Witold Urbanowicz, portrayed in the film by some of Polands’ most popular actors. It would have been to both films’ advantage to have…

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History of War|No. 67

COMMAND

Author: Anthony King Publisher: Cambridge University Press Price: £19.99 In the wake of troubled campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, it can and has been argued that decision-making in Western armed forces is facing a crisis. This is reflected in the fact that military leaders have been subjected to intense and sustained public criticism, in political as well as media circles. Taking these interventions as a starting point, noted military historian Anthony King examines the transformation of command in the 21st century. The author focuses on the army division, highlighting the development of a phenomenon of collective command. In the 20th century, generals typically directed and led operations personally, and in doing so they exercised a monopoly in decision-making. Their style of command was individualist, sometimes rising to personal heroism. With…

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History of War|No. 67

WIN AN AIRFIX TANK BUNDLE

Although renowned for its iconic aviation scale models, in 2019 Airfix is due to release a new range of WWII tank kits. Collectors and modellers will now be able to re-create some of the most prolific machines of the war, including the Tiger I, Panther and T-34. These beautifully detailed 1:35 kits are currently available for pre-order, due to be released in May, 2019. For more information and the full range of Airfix’s latest model releases, please visit: www.airfix.com This issue, History of War readers have the exclusive chance to win a fantastic bundle of three 1:35 scale tank kits: an M3 Stuart “Honey”, Tiger I (Early version) and a Pz.Kpfw.35(t). This bundle is worth a total value of £81.97. For your chance to win, simply visit HistoryAnswers.co.uk TO VIEW…

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History of War|No. 67

CONTRIBUTORS

TOM GARNER This issue Tom spoke with Keith Quilter, a Fleet Air Arm pilot veteran, who witnessed devastating kamikaze attacks on HMS Formidable during WWII (p. 72). In the Frontline, he explores the role of “Hobart’s Funnies” on D-Day (p. 14). MICHAEL HASKEW Mike is an author and historian, with several published books on a range of WWII topics, as well as the history of armoured warfare. For this special issue he tackles the greatest examples of armour produced from around the world. STUART HADAWAY Located in the border region between Syria and Israel, the Golan Heights saw a brief but bloody tank battle during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. For this issue’s Great Battles, Stuart recounts each stage of this armoured struggle (p. 56). FOR MORE FROM THE HISTORY…

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History of War|No. 67

WHERE WERE THE US TANKS?

Germany First! This was the strategy agreed between Great Britain and the United States during the Second World War. Ever since Dunkirk the British had been aiming at getting back to the continent by one means or another. This idea was well understood in the UK, even in 1940 there were plans to return, for example one officer in September 1940 suggested the forming of Air-Mobile Divisions carried by helicopter for a return to Europe in 1941. There were also discussions about amphibious tanks for any potential landing operation. These deliberations would result in the Duplex Drive tanks used on D-Day. Indeed a great many of the technologies the British developed during the Second World War were used to create the successful landings as part of Operation Neptune. When the…

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History of War|No. 67

RUSSIA

“IN THE FEROCIOUS WAR THAT UNFOLDED IN THE EAST, THE T-34 EMERGED AS ONE OF THE DECISIVE WEAPONS IN THE SOVIET ARSENAL” A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE MAIN GUN When first encountered in June 1941, the 76.2mm main armament of the T-34 could defeat any German tank. It took the Germans until the spring of 1942 to equip their Panzer IV and Assault Guns with more powerful guns that could defeat the T-34. SLOPING ARMOUR The T-34 was the first tank to go into large scale production with sloping armour which provided far more effective protection than implied just by its thickness. The 45mm armour of the glacis was equal to 90mm being angled at 60 degrees. A NEW TANK The tracks carried on the T-34 were from the outset wider than…

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History of War|No. 67

REST OF THE WORLD

ROTATING TURRET The 360-degree rotating turret mounted atop the hull of the French Renault FT-17 light tank redefined the battlefield capabilities of the weapons system, allowing the armoured vehicle to fire in any direction. TRACK CONFIGURATION A large forward idler wheel was fitted to each track to improve the FT-17’s ability to negotiate battlefield hazards such as shell holes and to climb over obstacles that would otherwise impede its progress. HULL CONSTRUCTION The FT-17 was constructed without an actual chassis. Components were attached or riveted directly to the tank’s hull, which was constructed with steel plating. Specifications called for the entire tank to weigh less than seven tons. ENGINE PLACEMENT The four-cylinder Renault petrol engine of the FT-17 light tank was placed at the rear of the vehicle to reduce…

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History of War|No. 67

1973 YOM KIPPUR WAR

01 ZERO HOUR At 1405hr on 6 October 1973, the Syrians launched their three-pronged attack on the Golan Heights, following the main roads. Advancing along these roads allowed the Israelis to concentrate their defences, and partially negated the overwhelming Syrian advantage in numbers. 02 VALLEY OF TEARS Overnight on 6/7 October, and over subsequent days, Syrian armoured formations were thrown into the natural depression between Mount Hermonit and the Booster. Israeli forces on the high ground either side had a natural advantage, although Syrian numbers came close to winning through. 03 BRINK OF SUCCESS By dawn on 7 October, the Syrians had broken through to Ramat Magshimim, and were poised to either swing north and cut off the Golan Heights, or south and around the Sea of…

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History of War|No. 67

CORSAIRS AND KAMIKAZES

The Pacific War of 1941-45 is often perceived as an extremely bloody and almost exclusive clash between the forces of the United States and Imperial Japan. Nevertheless, the Americans were extensively supported by other Allied powers including China, the Netherlands and, perhaps most visibly, Britain and her Dominions. The latter’s most significant contribution in this huge military theatre was the formation of the British Pacific Fleet. One of the largest fleets ever assembled by the Royal Navy, the BPF numbered over 200 different vessels that did not just include those from the RN but also ships from the Australian, Canadian and New Zealand navies. Although the BPF was dwarfed by the USA’s newfound naval might, it was spearheaded by the six carriers of 1st Aircraft Carrier Squadron. This alone consisted…

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History of War|No. 67

RE-CREATING A LANCASTER COCKPIT

Described as an homage to the war films of the 1940s and 50s, Lancaster Skies, directed by Callum Burn, tells the fictional story of a Lancaster bomber crew in the lead-up to a crucial raid on Berlin in 1944. With the story commencing in 1943, the film finds Flight Lieutenant Douglas Miller angry and bereaved by the death of his younger brother. As a former Spitfire pilot, Miller finds himself transferred to Bomber Command and on his new posting discovers he is replacing the highly respected skipper of a Lancaster crew who had just recently been killed in action while saving the lives of his comrades. It is an appointment which does not auger well, with Miller finding it difficult to bond with the crew and to fill the shoes…

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History of War|No. 67

HEROES IN THE SHADOWS HUMANITARIAN ACTION AND COURAGE IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR

Author: Brian Fleming Publisher: Amberley Price: £20.00 In his latest book Dr Brian Fleming returns to a subject in which he is well versed, investigating some of the extraordinary actions undertaken by individuals and organisations, while helping refugees escape persecution during the Second World War. The subject matter is riveting and the tales of courage deserve to be told, so Fleming has provided a great service in researching the stories and presenting them in a single volume. Doubtless countless others could have been included and a big part of the author’s job must have been deciding what to leave out. “THE SUBJECT MATTER IS RIVETING AND THE TALES OF COURAGE DESERVE TO BE TOLD, SO FLEMING HAS PROVIDED A GREAT SERVICE IN RESEARCHING THE STORIES AND PRESENTING THEM” Stories such…

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History of War|No. 67

PANZERARTILLERIE FIREPOWER FOR THE PANZER DIVISIONS

Author Thomas Anderson Publisher Osprey Publishing Price £30 As the German Army formed their new doctrine of mobile warfare based around fast moving armoured columns (Blitzkrieg) in the 1930s, it became clear that artillery was going to be a major problem. Traditional horse-drawn or even motor-drawn field guns could not keep up with the tanks on the move, nor reposition fast enough to support them in action. Instead, self-propelled guns (Panzerartillerie) were developed, in a process fraught with problems. There were never enough resources or factory capacity to keep up with demand, and many types had to be converted from obsolete or captured tank hulls. This ad hoc approach led to numerous technical difficulties, and numbers were seldom sufficient to meet demand. “THIS BOOK LOOKS AT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE…

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History of War|No. 67

TURNOVER TANK

“WITH SUCH A SUCCESSFUL AND REVOLUTIONARY SERVICE HISTORY, IT IS UNSURPRISING THAT THE MARK IV AND ITS OTHER BRITISH VARIANTS WOULD SUBSEQUENTLY BECOME A POPULAR TOY MODEL” This toy was made by Louis Marx and Company Limited in 1931. Louis Marx was initially established in New York in 1919 but production began in Dudley, Worcestershire in 1931. This particular tinplate, clockwork model was based on a World War I armoured vehicle, most probably a British Mark IV tank. Mark IVs were an improved version of the original Mark I tank and they were first introduced at the Battle of Messines in June 1917. Almost 460 were used during the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917, which marked the first large-scale effective use of tanks in warfare. A Mark IV was…

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History of War|No. 67

WAR IN FOCUS

INSPECTING BRITISH PANZERS Taken: 18 May, 1937 German War Minister and Commander-in-Chief, Field Marshall Werner von Blomberg, inspects British tanks during a visit to the Royal Tank Corps at Bovington Camp, Dorset, England. The following year Blomberg was ousted from power by his rivals in high command, and the Ministry of War was incorporated into the new Oberkommando der Wehrmacht. A CENTURY OF ARMOUR Taken: 15 September, 2016 A British Army photographer takes a photograph of a Mark IV replica on display in Trafalgar Square, London. The full-size and working replica, called ‘Big Brute’, was built for the 2011 film Warhorse. In 2016 it appeared in the capital alongside a Challenger 2 tank, to commemorate the centenary of the first ever deployment of tanks in battle, at the Somme in…

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History of War|No. 67

6 JUNE ARMOUR

On 6 June, and during the days afterwards, two armies grappled with all their might, including armoured vehicles. Both sides were using odd-looking tanks. The allies had modified their front line tanks to ensure success and even the odds, while the Germans were using old captured machines, some of which had been modified as well. This meant that D-Day could be called the battle of the Funnies, as both sides employed unusual machines. CENTAUR A DISPOSABLE TANK THAT WENT THE DISTANCE As the invasion’s landing craft approached the beaches, their covering fire from distant warships would lift. In the minutes after this support fire ceased, but before the tanks could unload and provide direct fire, the landing craft were exposed to enemy action with no means of reply. To this…

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History of War|No. 67

UNITED KINGDOM

A pioneer in the development of the tank and its deployment to the battlefield, the British endorsed the earliest armoured fighting vehicles that were tested and entered production during the World War I era. Along with that commitment, a doctrine related to three types of tanks, as well as a specific division of labour, came to dominate the thinking of the British military establishment by the mid-20th century. Light tanks were to be developed for reconnaissance, infantry tanks with plenty of armour protection and heavy weapons were to support ground troops, and cruiser tanks, swift and mobile, were to burst through ruptures in enemy lines, wreak havoc in rear areas, and destroy enemy vehicles in tank versus tank encounters. This perspective dominated the development of tanks in Britain into World…

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History of War|No. 67

UNITED STATES

MAIN ARMAMENT Although trials have been conducted with the 120mm L55 gun, the M256 L44 smoothbore, based on the German Rheinmetall design re-engineered for ease of production in the US, remains the primary weapon of the M1A2 Abrams main battle tank. SECONDARY ARMAMENT A pair of 7.62mm (.30cal) machine guns is installed on a skate mount at the loader’s hatch and coaxially in the turret sighted with the main gun. A 12.7mm (.50cal) machine gun is mounted atop the turret beside the commander’s hatch. ARMOUR PROTECTION Plates of depleted uranium are the foundation of the third generation composite appliqué armour of the M1A2 Abrams, which is based on the original Chobham protection. Its thickness is equal to that of 960mm, nearly 38 inches, of rolled homogeneous steel. QUIET POWERPLANT The…

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History of War|No. 67

ROBERT H. MCCARD

Gunnery Sergeant Robert H. McCard was 25 years old, a fine example of the dedicated, rock-solid non-commissioned officers that were the backbone of the United States Marine Corps. McCard did not wait for his country to enter World War II to become a Marine, enlisting three years earlier in December 1939. By the spring of 1944, McCard was a combat veteran, a platoon sergeant in Company A, 4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division, who had participated in the seizure of the island of Kwajalein in the Marshalls group that January. While the eyes of the world were on the events in French Normandy as Allied soldiers assaulted Hitler’s Fortress Europe, McCard was on the other side of the globe in the Pacific, engaged in a life-and-death struggle against the Japanese…

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History of War|No. 67

“WHISTLING DEATH”

Designed as a carrier-based aircraft, the Corsair had a unique inverted wing and could achieve a top speed of well over 400mph. It was also armed with six machine guns, four cannons and additional payloads of rockets and bombs, which made it extremely formidable against Japanese aircraft. During its WWII service, the Corsair shot down 2,140 enemy aircraft for a loss of 189. Nevertheless, the Corsair’s operational power came at a price during its initial development and Quilter recalls his nervousness during training, “We were s**t-scared of them because they had a bad reputation. They were nicknamed the ‘Ensign Eliminators’ and we were apprehensive. The problem was that the Mark I had some bad traits for deck landing. It had a very bouncy undercarriage and the seat wasn’t very high,…

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History of War|No. 67

MUSEUMS & EVENTS

PERSUASIVE PROPAGANDA The wartime work of a talented graphic artist is being displayed in an exhibition of over 100 posters at the National Army Museum Abram Games (1914-96) was a pioneering graphic artist who was employed to create posters for the Public Relations Department at the British War Office from 1941-45. Games was a staunch socialist of Jewish refugee heritage who joined the British Army in 1940. This was at a time of social unrest when National Service was becoming an unthinkable necessity, particularly when memories were still fresh of the conscription of WWI. Games saw an opportunity to communicate ideas that could help win the war and also bring about social change in Britain. He did this by creating posters that recruited, educated, informed and influenced both soldiers and…

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History of War|No. 67

VIETNAM’S FINAL AIR CAMPAIGN OPERATION LINEBACKER I & II MAY-DECEMBER 1972

Author: Stephen Emerson Publisher: Pen & Sword Military Price: £14.99 In 1972, President Nixon was committed to drawing down US troops in Vietnam, but peace still seemed illusive. To force the North Vietnamese into reaching a serious agreement, he ordered the US Air Force and US Navy to unleash an uninhibited air campaign against the north. For the first time since Operation Rolling Thunder (1965-68) US warplanes returned to the North in earnest, and this time there was to be no political interference in the process. For a year the US commanders were free to conduct a purely military campaign, using the latest aircraft, techniques, and technology, including laser-guided bombs and anti-SAM measures. The campaign was a success, forcing the North into meaningful talks and an acceptable, if temporary, peace.…

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History of War|No. 67

VALLEY OF TEARS

The Heights of Courage: A Tank Leader’s War On The Golan Avigdor Kahalani As the commander of one of Israel’s tank battalions during the four-day battle, Avigdor Kahalani’s book provides a unique blow-by-blow experience of the battle from his perspective, as well as the men under his command. Although first-hand accounts such as this are critical to a full understanding of any battle, and on this topic they are rare in English, it does not provide the full context of the Yom Kippur War and the broader strategies at play, which might make newcomers to the subject left wanting. “AVIGDOR KAHALANI’S BOOK PROVIDES A UNIQUE BLOW-BY-BLOW EXPERIENCE OF THE BATTLE FROM HIS PERSPECTIVE, AS WELL AS THE MEN UNDER HIS COMMAND” Inside Israel’s Northern Command: The Yom Kippur War On…

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