Secrets of history – Panzerkamfwagen IV – my story …
Panzerkamfwagen IV is the only type of German tank that was equipped with German armored troops throughout the Second World War. His history of the creation, equipment, modernization and effectiveness on the battlefield in various war campaigns of the Third Reich was described by Thomas Anderson in the publication “Panzer IV” published by RM Publishing House.
A richly illustrated book also containing maps, tables and sketches will certainly interest lovers and experts in German weapons from World War II. The author, however, before he focused on armored units, and above all the Panzer IV tank presents the genesis of the creation of German armored forces when Adolf Hitler took power in Germany. As the author notes, his policy related to the armament of the German Armed Forces / Deutsche Wehrmacht / began to develop armored forces in the Third Reich, which, as it turned out, was to play a key role on many fronts of World War II. Importantly, the author describes how Reichswehr celebrated the provisions of the Versailles Treaty prohibiting Germany with armored weapons, ordering the construction of … agricultural tractors, including Forest -Landwirtschaftlichter -Akkerschlepper and the so -called Heavy tractors – a grosstactor, which were actually Lands – Landwirtschaftlichter tanks – ACKERTCHPEPPER, which was produced at Henschel from 1934 and popularly called Panzerkamfwagen (Maschinengewehr) Ausführung A, i.e. an armored battle car.
The author in chapter “1936 – 1938 Panzertrup” is written about the special development of German armored forces. Pointing to the border date, i.e. April 1935, when Hitler provocatively rejected the restrictions of the Versailles Treaty, the period for the expansion of the military potential of the Third Reich, which undoubtedly one of the advantages was to be in the future armored vehicles. The author in this chapter focused primarily on technical matters, describing attempts to increase engine power in armored units, armament of the tank, the organizational structure of PanzeBteilung, i.e. the armored battalion and the production of PZKPFW IV on the eve of war. This wide provision showing the technical data of Panzerkamfwagen IV, which was produced in 1939-1945 over 8,500 copies, is also a confirmation of how important the tank model was, which on many fronts of World War II was facing allied and Soviet cars, remaining the basic type of tank in German armored divisions, and Thomas Anderson writes in subsequent chapters already dedicated to war campaigns.
The author, of course, begins with Fall Weiss, i.e. an attack on Poland in September 1939. In subsequent parts of the book Anderson focused, among others at a campaign in France, the conquest of the Balkans, but also fights in North Africa and of course Fall Barbarossa, i.e. a hit on the Soviet Union in 1941. The exact statistics given by the author are extremely valuable in these chapters, including For example, armored forces, which on September 1, 1939 hit Poland, production in individual months of war, technical, organizational changes in the armored forces and very interesting from the point of view of fighting soldiers of armored units reports from warfare.
An interesting fact are also the problems described by the author, which he managed to get out of the reports on war. Particularly interesting are those regarding the problems that arose after the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. Andereson indicates how German technicians have tried to solve problems with moving tanks in muddy and snowy areas, but also describes technical innovations and construction changes in PZKPFW IV.
However, the huge number of photographs presenting PZKPFW IV in various situations, numerous tables, statistics, sketches and fragments of authentic German war documents and reports on the course of war on different fronts on different fronts. Such a richly equipped publication containing the most important information, but also curiosities will certainly be an interesting reading for military lovers and the history of World War II.
Author: Thomas Anderson;
Title: “Panzer IV”;
Publisher: RM Publishing House;
Place and year of release: Warsaw 2024;
Number of pages: 320;
Price: PLN 44.99;
The book can be bought in RM Publishing House
