Allied Armor in Normandy
Yves Buffetaut
This volume in the Casemate Illustrated series explores the Normandy invasion from the perspective of the Allied Armored divisions, looking at how armored vehicles played a central role in the many battles that took place.
Black & white photos, color profiles and maps
Dimensions : 10 X 7 inches
Tanks were the beasts of the Second World War, machines designed to destroy anything and anyone in their path. Throughout the summer of 1944, the Allied forces readily employed tanks and armored vehicles to gain ground in the bloody campaign of Normandy. Heavily armed, they provided a kind of support which no number of infantrymen could offer, battling their way through enemy lines with their guns blazing. From the US 2nd Armored Division named 'Hell on Wheels' to the British 'Achilles' tank, the encounters they had in battle were explosive.
This volume of the Casemate Illustrated series explores the Normandy invasion from the perspective of the Allied Armored divisions, looking at how armored vehicles played a central role in the many battles that took place. It includes over 40 profiles of tanks and armored vehicles, from the American Sherman and Stuart tanks to the bulldozers and amphibious vehicles designed for the beach.
With detailed diagrams and many photos illustrating the composition of the Allied armored divisions and tank regiments present at Normandy, this volume explains the crucial part played by tanks in gaining a foothold in Normandy after the D-Day landings, as well as the significance of many other types of armored vehicles.
Yves Buffetaut is an internationally respected French military historian and editor of Histoire & Collections major magazine, Militaria. He lives in France.
Allied Armored Divisions in Normandy
American Armored Divisions
British Armored Units
Allied Tanks in June
Initial British Offensives
Caen: From Stalemate to Breakthrough
"Casemate's Illustrated Series is a welcome addition to the available literature targeted at the general World War II enthusiast… Though the text is clearly targeted at the reader who is not an advanced specialist in the topics presented; the quality, diversity, and curation that went into the selection of the photographs would be of interest to even the professional historian… To find a book where time and effort went into selecting the illustrations with an eye toward bringing the chosen campaign, weapons, or units to life is something else entirely and well worth your time. Bsed upon what I have seen so far I have no problem recommending the new Casemate Illustrated Series."
- Globe at War
"Casemate has done a splendid job of repackaging this French series for American audiences. New gamers will appreciate the timelines and maps, along with nicely done color side views of equipment. History buffs and grognards will enjoy the orders of battle and tables of organization. Both will find common ground with the highly readable text. I started out in the 70s with old Marshall Cavendish History of the Second World War specials that featured the wonderful John Bachelor illustrations. This series goes beyond them with their easy to follow presentations. I highly recommend them for any reader at any level who is interested in the Second World War"
- War Diary
"These worthwhile works will secure the interest of maneuver commanders seeking to enhance their appreciation of the contribution of World War II American and Allied forces to battlefield success in Normandy. The many illustrations of Allied and German tactical and support vehicles are impressive. Maneuver commanders should also appreciate the shortfalls the Germans experienced due to a complicated forces employment that precluded the massing of panzer forces, the lack of rehearsals in support of repelling the invaders and the devastating effect naval gunfire and aircraft had on the Germans' movement into the beachhead area."
- ARMOR Magazine
Allied Armor in Normandy Reviews
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Pass Guard at Ypres
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Arms of Little Value
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Legacies in Steel
Hermann Hampe, Rick Dauzat
Oscar E. Gilbert, Romain Cansiere