Panther vs Sherman: Battle of the Bulge 1944

by Steven J. Zaloga, Howard Gerrard (Illustrator), Jim Laurier (Illustrator)

Overview

In this book Steven J Zaloga offers a fascinating comparison of the combat performance of the two most important tanks involved in the crucial fighting of 1944, the Sherman and the Panther. Examining the design and development of both tanks, Zaloga notes the obvious superiority that the Panther had over the Sherman and how the highly engineered German tank was eventually beaten back, not necessarily by the improvements made to the Sherman, but rather by the superior numbers of tanks that the Allies were able to put into the field.

Putting the reader into the heart of this battle between quality and quantity Zaloga examines the tactical intricacies of the battles between these two rivals. Using a compelling account of the ferocious fighting in the Ardennes region to explain the successes and failures of each tank he also highlights the fact that a tank can only be as good as its crew, weighing up the impact of low morale, high cost and mediocre crew training on the Panthers superiority. Packed with full-colour battlescenes, technical drawings, photographs, digital gunsight views, extracts from crew training manuals and real combat reports, this book brings to life the titanic battles between the Sherman and the Panther.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781846032929
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	09/23/2008
Series:	Duel , #13
Pages:	80
Sales rank:	614,996
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 9.70(h) x 0.30(d)

About the Author

Steven J. Zaloga received his BA in History from Union College and his MA from Columbia University. He has worked as an analyst in the aerospace industry for three decades, covering missile systems and the international arms trade, and has served with the Institute for Defense Analyses, a federal think tank. 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.

Howard Gerrard studied at the Wallasey School of Art and has been a freelance designer and illustrator for over 20 years. He has won both the Society of British Aerospace Companies Award and the Wilkinson Sword Trophy and has illustrated a number of books for Osprey including Campaign 69: Nagashino 1575 and Campaign 72: Jutland 1916. Howard lives and works in Kent.

Jim Laurier is a native of New England and lives in New Hampshire. He attended Paier School of Art in Hamden, Connecticut, from 1974–78, and since graduating with Honours, he has been working professionally in the field of Fine Art and Illustration. He has been commissioned to paint for the US Air Force and has aviation paintings on permanent display at the Pentagon.

Table of Contents

Introduction · Chronology · Design and development · Technical specifications · The strategic situation · The Combatants · Combat · Statistics and analysis · Aftermath/conclusion

Editorial Reviews

Provides a specialty focus on the machines of war which were designed and developed with the battle environment at hand.” —California Bookwatch (November 2008)

“I truly liked the illustrations by Jim Laurier. Throughout the book, there were side by side comparisons of the vehicles, their turrets, even their gun sights. This backed up the liberal use of photographs showing both vehicles in many different views. This is an easy book to read, and would be welcomed by any reader with an interest in either of these fighting vehicles.” —Thomas Houlihan, World War II Database (September 2009)

“For Duel #13 we have the first repeat antagonists. Both the Panther and the Sherman have been covered before, but not against each other ... [Everything] is superbly covered by author Steven Zaloga and thanks to excellent art work and period photos, his points are well illustrated ... Another superb addition to what has become a very popular series...” —Scott Van Aken, modelingmadness.com (October 2008)

From the Publisher