User manual GAMES PC PANZER-ELITE

[. . . ] 3 THE ART OF TANK WARFARE A Guide to World War II Armored Combat for Players of Panzer Elite By Christopher S. The History of Tank Warfare ----------------------------------5 World War I Between the Wars World War II ----------------------------------13 Tank Basics Firepower Protection Mobility Other factors ----------------------------------21 Tanks in the Offensive Tanks in the Defensive Tank against Tank Tank against Infantry Antitank Warfare ----------------------------------34 North Africa Italy Normandy ----------------------------------38 German Tactics German Artillery German Unit Options German Armaments German Units ----------------------------------85 American Tactics American Artillery American Unit Options American Armaments American Units ----------------------------------118 2. Glossary and Abbreviations 4 HOW TO USE THIS BOOK This book is designed as both a historical reference for the armored warfare enthusiasts among us, and as a primer for the novice. The history and development of the tank, covered in the first chapter, is provided in order to give some background on the state of armored vehicle technology in World War II. [. . . ] As the British Eighth Army landed on the southeast coast, the US Seventh Army, under General George S. The American force included the 1st, 9th and 45th Infantry divisions, the 82nd Airborne division, 2nd Armored division, and several mixed infantry and armored brigades and regiments, including two battalions of Rangers. This force was relatively lightly 35 opposed, and easily overpowered the weak German and Italian forces deployed along the west coast. After seizing Gela and Licata, the US forces moved up the coast through Agrigento, Ribera, and Castelvetrano during the remainder of July. Meanwhile, the Axis forces were reinforced by General Hube's Fourteenth Panzer Corps and the Hermann Göring Panzer division from Italy into northeastern Sicily. With the nearly bloodless capture of Palermo in the north, the western half of the island had been captured. Patton's Seventh Army then moved east to relieve pressure on the British forces, which were being held up at Mount Etna by Hube's Panzers, by occupying Falcone in early August. This force continued its advance, crossing the Termini River to attack Messina the following week. By the end of August, Messina had fallen, and Sicily had been secured, although about 100, 000 German and Italian troops had escaped over the Strait of Messina to Italy. The surviving Axis troops were quickly reorganized and reinforced, then placed in position to defend against the expected attack on mainland Italy. This attack, mounted on September 3rd, coincided with the day Italy officially surrendered to the Allies. German occupation forces quickly disarmed the remaining Italian forces, while the Luftwaffe damaged the Italian fleet and while both forces stubbornly resisted the parallel Allied advances up the sides of the Italian peninsula. On September 9th, General Mark Clark led the US Fifth Army, including the 36th and 45th Infantry divisions and the British X Corps, ashore at Salerno. Salerno was defended by the German LXXVI Panzer Corps, which included the 16th and Hermann Göring Panzer divisions, as well as the 3rd, 15th and 29th Panzer Grenadier divisions. This amphibious attack caused German forces in the "boot" to withdraw northwards, allowing the Allies to make rapid progress until they reached the Germans' "Viktor Line, " north of Naples, on October 3rd. Here, German reinforcements, which were arriving from northern Italy, southern France, Austria, and Sardinia, held back the Allied advance long enough for the "Gustav Line" to be prepared farther north, along the Sangro and Garigliano Rivers. 36 It took the Allies all of October and most of November to advance to the Gustav Line. This was mainly due to poor weather and rugged terrain combined with some of the most experienced defenders in the Wehrmacht. These steadfast and dogged units included: I Fallschirmjäger Corps, 26th, 16th, and Hermann Göring Panzer divisions, and 334th, 305th, 94th, 65th, 44th, and 5th (Mountain) Infantry divisions. Matched to counter this force was the US 3rd, 34th, 36th, and 45th Infantry divisions, as well as seven British and Commonwealth Infantry divisions and one British Armored division. Weaknesses within the German force, exploited by the US commanders, allowed the US troops of the 1st Armored division and the 3rd, 34th, and 45th Infantry divisions to advance into Anzio. This position put the US forces well behind the Gustav Line, near Rome, by January 22nd 1944. The 34th and 45th Infantry Divisions were pulled out of the line south of Cassino to compound on the US advances. [. . . ] A machinegun issued at the platoon or company level or mounted on vehicles which is belt-fed and may be air or water-cooled. A type of artillery which uses rockets fired from a multi-barreled launcher. The velocity at which a round leaves the barrel of a gun, usually expressed in meters per second. German designation for a rocket launcher, originally intended to lay smoke screens. [. . . ]