FEATURES: and
Panzcrjaeer
Panzer Remnants Flammpanzer Quick
Fix:
Flakpanzers on
38 Rocket
In
a
of
Czech and
Firing
Meppen Road
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8 40
out
60
SPWs
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During WW2, both sides employed radical makeshift solutions to gain short-term battlefield advantages, and here we present two of the more extreme examples. We'll take you inside a Flammpanzer 38 and give you a nuts and bolts tour of some mSPWs fitted with rocket launchers by the Americans . You'll also tour the main vehicle dump at Meppen, walk along a road littered with Pakwagons, and view the remains of vehicles stranded on flat cars at war's end. While we try to bring you the unusual and go in-depth with our features; every photo in Panzerwrecks is important to us. Lee literally devotes weeks and weeks to improving them, and he'll spend weeks more working with the printer to insure their high fidelity reproduction. That is why the photos in this book taken by amateurs look as good as those taken by professionals. But good photos need good captions. It is no secret we rely on Jentz & Doyle's Panzer Tracts for proper vehicle 10 and nomenclature . We also rely - heavily - on the input from Martin and Timm and Marek and Barry. (No report written by the Allies would ever contain the information found on page 91 or offer the analyses found on pages 34, 42,52, 59 or 79.) We also thank Phil Dyer, a renowned American armor expert, for the reference to the Calliope report. It is the high expectations of these individuals that we measure PW against, and we had to first impress them with the material in this book before we could call it Panzerwrecks 6. W.Auerbach, Monroe. June 2008 ©2008 lee Archer and William Auerbach. Created by lee Archer and printed by 1010 Printing (UK) Ltd in China. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprod uced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanica l, includ ing photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writi ng from the publishers. Don't st ea l, it's naughty.
Many of the images in this book were taken by servicemen using basic equipment; they are included for their interest and historical value, not necessarily their photographic quality. For the use of their photos we would like to thank : Howard Simon, Howard Liddic, William Beckett, Chris Leeman, 0yvind Leonsen, Don Campbell, David Parker, Claude Gillono, Greg Westbrook, Mark Bowers, Petr Dolezal, Remy Spezzano . US National Archives (NARA), Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum (PISM), ECPA, Vojensky Historicky Ustav (VHU), Lib rary and Archives of Canada (LAC), Archive of Modern Conflict, The Tank Museum (TTM) . We would also like to thank the following: Hans Weber, Martin Block, Timm Haa sler, Tom Jentz, Marek Solar, Barry Crook, Kamen Nevenkin, Stefan De Meyer, Phil Dyer, Susan Strange and Matthias Radu.
Top
of page:
Panzerwrecks cuts
short
its
company
picnic to
meet deadline. W.Auerbach Iii ! 1"1 II , A l l
Published by: William Auerbach . Panzerwrecks. P.O. Box 2332 Monroe, New York 10949-2332 USA . bill@panzerwrecks .c om Lee Archer. P.O. Box 164 Heathfield, Sussex TN21 8WA UK. lee@panzerwrecks .com
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shows no signs of prolonged combat, although the right stowage bin has taken a battering. In front of the fence is a tattered seat presumably originating from the tank. Those with an eye for detail will have spotted the emblem on the left stowage bin of a skull on a dark W.Auerbach background .
On pages 76-79 of Panzerwrecks 2 we showed a number of Panther Ausf.Ds from Pz.Ers. u. Ausb .Abt.35 knocked out in Bamberg, Germany during April 1945. We think that this is another example based upon the style and location of the Balkenkreuz on the turret side and between the exhausts. The 'Zimmerit' coating on the tank is in excellent condition and
1
I Iii' Ill',,' .ll l d p ~ rs o n a l with a Sturmgeschutz III Au sf.D, an unusual sight in 1945. Like some ,,11 ... 1 W I' " k·. in I hi s book, it probably belonged to a training unit thrown into battle to stop I I,. ·
guard, next to the air intake; these were fitted to vehicles destined for Greece, Southern Russia and North Africa. Note the different camouflage patterns on the side of the fighting compartment and above the roadwheels . W.Auerbach
/\ 11" " .. Iii, ' whi ck' has a cylindrical ' Filzbalgvorschaltluftfilter' (pre-filter) on the track
2
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1\ 11)()re complete view of the SturmgeschLitz shows that whoever painted it has gone to a lot of 1IIIIIbic to apply camouflage paint to the area above the roadwheels. The object poking out of the 1:1111 l)arrel is probably the base of a 7.5cm shell.
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se ries Panzerjager I with seven-sided superstructure is a another unusual sight in WI' have no location or date on the photos but they were probably from the same 1111111/: ;lI1d replacement unit as the Panther and Sturmgeschutz, It is unmodified from
those examples seen in the early war years apart from a somewhat oversized Balkenkreuz and the missing armoured cover for the exhaust outlet. On page 4 the GI graphically demonstrates the small size of the Panzerjager, 2x W.Auerbach
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5
hold tree branches that augment the plain Dunkelgelb (RAL 7028) camouflage. The on pages 1-6 were taken by a veteran of the US 9th Armored Division who passed across the bridge at Remagen. W.Auerbach
The side of the Panzerjager I shows the tactical number '222'. A 4. 7cm shell leans next to the driver's visor, the Panzerjagercould carry a total of84 roundsof4 .7cm ammunition. Wire has been looped through the tie-downs at the top of the sides of the fighting compartment and
6
(Iy. E. Westbrook of 92nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, 12th Armored photographed a buddy with this knocked out Panther Ausf.G. On the back of II " I Ii 1I11 () he wrote, "This is a German Tiger tank. It took three hits from a '75' and 14 I , " ,( 11 l. 655. Note the opened pistol port on the side of the superstructure an what appears to be a baby duck emblem on the front. Archive of Modern Conflict - R381..0 1
15
III /'/11 1/(' 1 wrr r k1 W.lI ll1 hoi'
Susice, Czechoslovakia, May 1945. Two trains laden with wrecks are captured motion picture film by US Signal Corps cameramen . On the left is a m.S.P.w. (Sd.Kfz. minus half of its armour, followed by a pair of m.S.P.w. (7.5cm Pak) (Sd.Kfz.25 one being a late production vehicle with rearward hinged engine access hatch. this is a Sturmgeschutz III Ausf.G covered in concrete and without its gun - althou the box mantlet remains . The train on the right shows an ISU-122, a late produ Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.J without the gunner's visor and the bare hull of a Panzer IV/70(V) Jagdpanzer IV. On page 31 the cameraman has turned 180 degrees revealing an em ISU-122 engine bay, the bones of a Panther Ausf.G, a Bergepanther and the rear of Sd.Kfz.251/22 with what appear to be steel capped tracks inside. 4x
30
111i" i., lil c train on the right of page 31. The Sturmgeschutz III Ausf.G in the foreground is v' 'I y ilil c res ling as it is liberally covered in T-34 tracks . These would have been welded onto II\(' ', Iopinl: front plate; some of the welds can still be seen even though the tracks have ,',"II" /\10. v " rid ge is obvious down the middle of the cast 'Topfblende' mantlet, which has
an opening for a coaxial M .G. The Pz .Kpfw.IV Ausf.J behind it was one of a number shi to Hungary between August and December 1944 and has the registration number 'SH above the driver's visor. It has lifting loops on the top corners of the superstructure thickened armour on the turret exhaust fan cover. 2x
32
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IwOGis from the 778th Tank Battalion take turns to pose with a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III in the Hun sruck Mountains during January or February 1945. The tactical number 01 ")1 1]' on the side of the fighting compartment indicates its use by a Panzer-Divison, 1.111 wr I h ~ n ;) SluG Brigade, Infanterie-Division, or Volksgrenadier-Division , all of whom
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had no more than three companies. The l1.Panzer-Division is known to have posse a few Sturmgeschutz at this time and with the large black tactical belonged to 5./Pz.Rgt .15.
34
A Sturmgeschutz III Ausf.G knocked out in Czechoslovakia in 1945. The sign by the drive sprocket reads : "Znicen II . tankovym praporem" (destroyed by 2nd Tank Battalion). On page 74 of Panzerwrecks 3 we showed a wrecked Panther Ausf.G with a similar sign which was knocked out by the 1st Czech Tank Brigade in northern Moravia, perhaps
this Sturmgeschutz was another of their kills? It has unusual 'Schurzen' that cover the fighting compartment, 'Zimmerit' and a 'Rundumfeuer' M .G. mount on the
36
1i11 11t' 11J.Jins of a Sturmgeschutz photographed by Howard. L. Simon of the US 119th A.A.A.
a Kampfgruppe 25 .Panzergrenadier-Division, with two compnni(.! \ 01 '. 11111111:1 ".1 1,,11 1 11 11 1 vehicle is a mess; no engin e deck, broken tra cks and ,,, ho lal',( 'd 1:1111 (II W .I ·, Ii , I I", IIV shot? i 1,,',11111111
1I·II Llil li li near Thionville, France in November 1944. Given the date and location, there I II I W II
I ~ IIII . I '
possibilities as to who operated it; Pz .Jg.Abt.1119 of 19.Volksgrenadier-Division ~
..... .\ . ~" The flamethrower in varying states of disassembly. The report goes on to say: " On dep ressing the operating lever to the fullest extent, three equally spaced clicks are heard . Th e" first click places a cartridge in firing position. The second click fires the cartridge, and
72
-;..
the third click opens the fuel valve. Upon releasing the lever, the fuel valve is closed .11111 the spent or still burning cartridge is ejected." 4x US Army
I<arl -Gerat Nr. V 'Loki' as captured by US forces in Germany, March/April 1945 while on its rail transporter. Significant damage has been caused to one of the transporters, peeling
back the steelwork. rh e promin f'nt recoil housi ng normally seen on top of the gun was l.Archer dismounted for rail travel.
73
=
photograph on this page was taken a little later on July J 2. Th e barre-I Inset: Sgt. O'Brien lying with a shell.
Ill e massive weapon must have been quite a sight. A tanker from a unit operating M36B1s wrote the following on the back of the photo on page 74: "The German 420mm mortar. lli e barrel is big enough for a person to get into. June 20 1945 near Altenkirchen". The
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The chassis number on the rear plate of 6',',,1 tells us this is a Pz .Kpfw.111 Au sf.G built by Al k' I It has a 6b ./Z.W. turret armed with a Scm KwJ I an external mantlet and older type comman di I cupola. We have no location or date fo r 11" photo, but it is quite possible, given the age 011 1, tank that it belonged to a train,ing unit. l.Arcllll'
was disbanded and incorporated into wh at w as left of th e 2.P;) Il /\' 1 account for the Flakpanzer IV 'Wirbelwind' in th e backgrOlln d ~ in C\ ' Illlill ' PzVers.u.ers.Abt.300(Fkl) .
, IH'I '.'· .It the end of the war as photographed by an unknown GI. Th e Pz.Kpfw.11I is Iii ! I,· Irom a Funklenk unit; Pz .Vers .u.ers .Abt .300(Fkl) as corroborat ed by the 'PV-
11'1:,'. 1ra tion number on the driver's front plate and the armoured box for the extra Ihl I''1 ' " pment at the rear of the turret. On 3 April
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i·.·.II " rl l ' l 1,1\1< hi li
1945 the PzV ers.u .ers. Abt.300(Fkl)
77
A Sd.Kfz.250 with a turret? Sadly not. In fact it is merely a humble le.S.P.w. (2cm) (Sd. Kfz.2 50/9) Ausf.B being cut up for scrap with an ISU-122Sin the background (we know it is
