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FEATURES

On the road to Pontedera 13 PzKpfw1I1 (FI) in focus 27 Taming the Tigers 64 Panther forts at Anzio 92

~

The Italian campaign saw servicemen from all corners of the globe come together in a true Allied effort Our photo coverage mirrors this with images from the UK US Poland Canada New Zealand and South Africa These images are backed up unit insignias from the talented hand of Barry Crook Like all other Panzerwrecks this has been a team effort but a special thanks must go to Jeff Plowman for allowing us the use of photos from his collection and to Martin Block for devoting time and effort into identifying units and places Bill my partner in crime deserves the highest praise for sniffing out 1cW material and for keeping me on my toes time after time flmiddot 1 child my Grandfather Roger Archer a Sergeant in

IIIlt I ~ (jeneral Transport Company RASC used to tell IIIlt lilo lll IIi wartime service in North Africa and up into IIily Willlililldsicht I wish I had paid more attention but IIIVIIII w illi I ( 10 was more interesting at the time He was 1 11 11 1111lt111 photographer and while in Italy bought or I oil I 1 111lt 11 II o III l US serviceman which is now with 11 1 11111 id W II IVIII Illm in London with a number of his j dlldl ln l qail o

l Ircher Heathfield July 2009

6---~-----_

I I

1111 1 I 1 1 1 11 W illI II 111 h h Hltprinted 2010 Created by Lee Archer and printed by 1010 11101111 IlIiI 1111111 11 1 I I 1111 111 IIIIWei No part of this publication may be reproduced or

1111 III ~ 111 IV v ll I IIIIIIil III mechanical including photocopy recording or any I Ii I Ii I II 1I I v V II II w lll1 I 1IlIiioll in writing from the publishers Dont steal it s

III I

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 Jeff Plowman John Nicholson US National Archives (NARA) Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum (PISM) Lord Strathconas Horse Archive (Royal Canadians) (LSHA) South African National Museum of Military History (SANMMH) The Tank Museum (TIM) National Army Museum (NAM)

We would also like to thank the following Jeff Plowman Hans Weber Martin Block Timm Haasler WO Ted Macleod from LdSH(RC) Museum Daniele Guglielmi Matthias Radu Juliet McConnell from the National Army Museum Susan Strange of Strange Research and Barry Crook (for his excellent artwork)

Identification of vehicle types and nomenclature is from Panzer Tracts with the assistance of Thomas L Jentz

Top of page Not German not a Panzer and not wrecked but what a paint-job NARA

il ltll _lll l d lIy lillllll111I fllIlriJach Panzerwrecks PO Box 2332 Monroe New York 10949-2332 USA billpanzerwreckscom 11 111 PH Rox 164 Heathfield Sussex TN218WA UK leepanzerwreckscom

FEATURES

On the road to Pontedera 13 PzKpfw1I1 (FI) in focus 27 Taming the Tigers 64 Panther forts at Anzio 92

~

The Italian campaign saw servicemen from all corners of the globe come together in a true Allied effort Our photo coverage mirrors this with images from the UK US Poland Canada New Zealand and South Africa These images are backed up unit insignias from the talented hand of Barry Crook Like all other Panzerwrecks this has been a team effort but a special thanks must go to Jeff Plowman for allowing us the use of photos from his collection and to Martin Block for devoting time and effort into identifying units and places Bill my partner in crime deserves the highest praise for sniffing out 1cW material and for keeping me on my toes time after time flmiddot 1 child my Grandfather Roger Archer a Sergeant in

IIIlt I ~ (jeneral Transport Company RASC used to tell IIIlt lilo lll IIi wartime service in North Africa and up into IIily Willlililldsicht I wish I had paid more attention but IIIVIIII w illi I ( 10 was more interesting at the time He was 1 11 11 1111lt111 photographer and while in Italy bought or I oil I 1 111lt 11 II o III l US serviceman which is now with 11 1 11111 id W II IVIII Illm in London with a number of his j dlldl ln l qail o

l Ircher Heathfield July 2009

6---~-----_

I I

1111 1 I 1 1 1 11 W illI II 111 h h Hltprinted 2010 Created by Lee Archer and printed by 1010 11101111 IlIiI 1111111 11 1 I I 1111 111 IIIIWei No part of this publication may be reproduced or

1111 III ~ 111 IV v ll I IIIIIIil III mechanical including photocopy recording or any I Ii I Ii I II 1I I v V II II w lll1 I 1IlIiioll in writing from the publishers Dont steal it s

III I

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 Jeff Plowman John Nicholson US National Archives (NARA) Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum (PISM) Lord Strathconas Horse Archive (Royal Canadians) (LSHA) South African National Museum of Military History (SANMMH) The Tank Museum (TIM) National Army Museum (NAM)

We would also like to thank the following Jeff Plowman Hans Weber Martin Block Timm Haasler WO Ted Macleod from LdSH(RC) Museum Daniele Guglielmi Matthias Radu Juliet McConnell from the National Army Museum Susan Strange of Strange Research and Barry Crook (for his excellent artwork)

Identification of vehicle types and nomenclature is from Panzer Tracts with the assistance of Thomas L Jentz

Top of page Not German not a Panzer and not wrecked but what a paint-job NARA

il ltll _lll l d lIy lillllll111I fllIlriJach Panzerwrecks PO Box 2332 Monroe New York 10949-2332 USA billpanzerwreckscom 11 111 PH Rox 164 Heathfield Sussex TN218WA UK leepanzerwreckscom

I mther AusfA tactical number 114 has had its gun barrel blown off probably on purpose II was photographed by a US Signal Corps photographer just outside of Torre Tre Ponti on May 1944 The destruction of the gun barrel has wrecked the gun travel lock which is

111 ing next to the drivers visor It has a bow MG port instead of a ball mount indicating 111) t it was assembled before November 1943 The only unit equipped with Panther tanks I I I Ita Iy was IPz Rgt4 US Army

1

The photographs on pages 2 - 7 came with scant information but we do know that they gutted as it is missing much of the engine deck rear plate and we can see a bare interior were taken by a US officer in the Canadian sector of Southern Italy in 1944 Here our The ammunition has been removed and is lying on the ground in the right of the photo officer has an almost sinister look about him as he stands inside a disembowelled PzKpfw Inset Another dead PzKpfwIV This image has not been cleaned of scratches and dust on IV Opposite He and two others check out a PzKpfwIV The tank has been pretty much purpose to show how images look originally 3x BBurns

2

The photographs on pages 2 - 7 came with scant information but we do know that they gutted as it is missing much of the engine deck rear plate and we can see a bare interior were taken by a US officer in the Canadian sector of Southern Italy in 1944 Here our The ammunition has been removed and is lying on the ground in the right of the photo officer has an almost sinister look about him as he stands inside a disembowelled PzKpfw Inset Another dead PzKpfwIV This image has not been cleaned of scratches and dust on IV Opposite He and two others check out a PzKpfwIV The tank has been pretty much purpose to show how images look originally 3x BBurns

2

-

shy

~

~

11 internal explosion has popped out the side of the fighting compartment and engine think that these tanks may have come from IIPzRgt2 of 16Panzer-Division and that they ltI ltk on this Pz KpfwIV AusfH giving the officer and his colleague something to lean were destroyed by the Shermans of 3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) near 11 linst The explosion has also ripped the commanders cupola from the turret roof We Termoli in October 1943 2x BBurns

5

Our officer stands in the superstructureturret assembly of another disembowelled is what remains of the turret platform Eighth Army trucks speed past the wreck Pz KpfwIV in the Termoli area The circular object on the right perched on the left sponson BBurns

6

111l roof of the fighting compartment and gun are missing from this 5turmgeschutz III would have held spare roadwheel s this was a field mod applied to vehicles of PzAbtl03 urns 11IfG and the vehicle has been covered with earth foliage and branches making us and H5tuGeschBrig907 in Italy The extra 5 -hook barely visible on the front of the

I l dllk that it was destroyed by aerial bombs or artillery fire which has also churned up superstructure was only seen on vehicles from PzAbtl03

111( ground The metal bracket partially attached to the side of the fighting compartment BBurns

7

~

~ ~ ~

To quote the photo caption Tanks amp infantry of the 1st Armored Division pass a knocked out German tank about one half mile from Rome on the Appian Way The remains of an old Roman aquaduct that supplied the Capital with water are in the background US 5th Army Rome area Italy 4 June 1944 The tank is a Sturmgeschutz III AusfG from

PzAbt103 of 3Panzergrenadier-Division note the divisional insignia on the bow The Stu rmgeschutze of th is unit usually ca rried spare road wheels in brackets on the side of the fighting compartment which were covered by a small section of Schurzen which carried the tactical number An M4 of the 1st Armored Division passes the wreck US Army

8

111 11 111 Army soldier peers into the turret of a PzKpfwIV AusfJ from either PzAbt129 automatically disable the vehicle by setting off the stowed ammunition The remaining I I crgrenadier-Division or IIPzRgt26 of 26Panzer-Division on 23 November turret SchLirzen show a hand painted camouflage pattern The Panzer has ended its days

i I I I Imiddot (ngine deck bolt on the left has snapped There were two explosives pre-set abandoned in a large crater Note the thickened armoured cover on the turret exhaust fan III 11 1 il1gs one in the engine compartment and one in the fighting compartment to and lack of visors and pistol ports in the turret doors IWM

9

11 internal explosion has popped out the side of the fighting compartment and engine think that these tanks may have come from IIPzRgt2 of 16Panzer-Division and that they ltI ltk on this Pz KpfwIV AusfH giving the officer and his colleague something to lean were destroyed by the Shermans of 3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) near 11 linst The explosion has also ripped the commanders cupola from the turret roof We Termoli in October 1943 2x BBurns

5

Our officer stands in the superstructureturret assembly of another disembowelled is what remains of the turret platform Eighth Army trucks speed past the wreck Pz KpfwIV in the Termoli area The circular object on the right perched on the left sponson BBurns

6

111l roof of the fighting compartment and gun are missing from this 5turmgeschutz III would have held spare roadwheel s this was a field mod applied to vehicles of PzAbtl03 urns 11IfG and the vehicle has been covered with earth foliage and branches making us and H5tuGeschBrig907 in Italy The extra 5 -hook barely visible on the front of the

I l dllk that it was destroyed by aerial bombs or artillery fire which has also churned up superstructure was only seen on vehicles from PzAbtl03

111( ground The metal bracket partially attached to the side of the fighting compartment BBurns

7

~

~ ~ ~

To quote the photo caption Tanks amp infantry of the 1st Armored Division pass a knocked out German tank about one half mile from Rome on the Appian Way The remains of an old Roman aquaduct that supplied the Capital with water are in the background US 5th Army Rome area Italy 4 June 1944 The tank is a Sturmgeschutz III AusfG from

PzAbt103 of 3Panzergrenadier-Division note the divisional insignia on the bow The Stu rmgeschutze of th is unit usually ca rried spare road wheels in brackets on the side of the fighting compartment which were covered by a small section of Schurzen which carried the tactical number An M4 of the 1st Armored Division passes the wreck US Army

8

111 11 111 Army soldier peers into the turret of a PzKpfwIV AusfJ from either PzAbt129 automatically disable the vehicle by setting off the stowed ammunition The remaining I I crgrenadier-Division or IIPzRgt26 of 26Panzer-Division on 23 November turret SchLirzen show a hand painted camouflage pattern The Panzer has ended its days

i I I I Imiddot (ngine deck bolt on the left has snapped There were two explosives pre-set abandoned in a large crater Note the thickened armoured cover on the turret exhaust fan III 11 1 il1gs one in the engine compartment and one in the fighting compartment to and lack of visors and pistol ports in the turret doors IWM

9

Our officer stands in the superstructureturret assembly of another disembowelled is what remains of the turret platform Eighth Army trucks speed past the wreck Pz KpfwIV in the Termoli area The circular object on the right perched on the left sponson BBurns

6

111l roof of the fighting compartment and gun are missing from this 5turmgeschutz III would have held spare roadwheel s this was a field mod applied to vehicles of PzAbtl03 urns 11IfG and the vehicle has been covered with earth foliage and branches making us and H5tuGeschBrig907 in Italy The extra 5 -hook barely visible on the front of the

I l dllk that it was destroyed by aerial bombs or artillery fire which has also churned up superstructure was only seen on vehicles from PzAbtl03

111( ground The metal bracket partially attached to the side of the fighting compartment BBurns

7

~

~ ~ ~

To quote the photo caption Tanks amp infantry of the 1st Armored Division pass a knocked out German tank about one half mile from Rome on the Appian Way The remains of an old Roman aquaduct that supplied the Capital with water are in the background US 5th Army Rome area Italy 4 June 1944 The tank is a Sturmgeschutz III AusfG from

PzAbt103 of 3Panzergrenadier-Division note the divisional insignia on the bow The Stu rmgeschutze of th is unit usually ca rried spare road wheels in brackets on the side of the fighting compartment which were covered by a small section of Schurzen which carried the tactical number An M4 of the 1st Armored Division passes the wreck US Army

8

111 11 111 Army soldier peers into the turret of a PzKpfwIV AusfJ from either PzAbt129 automatically disable the vehicle by setting off the stowed ammunition The remaining I I crgrenadier-Division or IIPzRgt26 of 26Panzer-Division on 23 November turret SchLirzen show a hand painted camouflage pattern The Panzer has ended its days

i I I I Imiddot (ngine deck bolt on the left has snapped There were two explosives pre-set abandoned in a large crater Note the thickened armoured cover on the turret exhaust fan III 11 1 il1gs one in the engine compartment and one in the fighting compartment to and lack of visors and pistol ports in the turret doors IWM

9

111l roof of the fighting compartment and gun are missing from this 5turmgeschutz III would have held spare roadwheel s this was a field mod applied to vehicles of PzAbtl03 urns 11IfG and the vehicle has been covered with earth foliage and branches making us and H5tuGeschBrig907 in Italy The extra 5 -hook barely visible on the front of the

I l dllk that it was destroyed by aerial bombs or artillery fire which has also churned up superstructure was only seen on vehicles from PzAbtl03

111( ground The metal bracket partially attached to the side of the fighting compartment BBurns

7

~

~ ~ ~

To quote the photo caption Tanks amp infantry of the 1st Armored Division pass a knocked out German tank about one half mile from Rome on the Appian Way The remains of an old Roman aquaduct that supplied the Capital with water are in the background US 5th Army Rome area Italy 4 June 1944 The tank is a Sturmgeschutz III AusfG from

PzAbt103 of 3Panzergrenadier-Division note the divisional insignia on the bow The Stu rmgeschutze of th is unit usually ca rried spare road wheels in brackets on the side of the fighting compartment which were covered by a small section of Schurzen which carried the tactical number An M4 of the 1st Armored Division passes the wreck US Army

8

111 11 111 Army soldier peers into the turret of a PzKpfwIV AusfJ from either PzAbt129 automatically disable the vehicle by setting off the stowed ammunition The remaining I I crgrenadier-Division or IIPzRgt26 of 26Panzer-Division on 23 November turret SchLirzen show a hand painted camouflage pattern The Panzer has ended its days

i I I I Imiddot (ngine deck bolt on the left has snapped There were two explosives pre-set abandoned in a large crater Note the thickened armoured cover on the turret exhaust fan III 11 1 il1gs one in the engine compartment and one in the fighting compartment to and lack of visors and pistol ports in the turret doors IWM

9

~

~ ~ ~

To quote the photo caption Tanks amp infantry of the 1st Armored Division pass a knocked out German tank about one half mile from Rome on the Appian Way The remains of an old Roman aquaduct that supplied the Capital with water are in the background US 5th Army Rome area Italy 4 June 1944 The tank is a Sturmgeschutz III AusfG from

PzAbt103 of 3Panzergrenadier-Division note the divisional insignia on the bow The Stu rmgeschutze of th is unit usually ca rried spare road wheels in brackets on the side of the fighting compartment which were covered by a small section of Schurzen which carried the tactical number An M4 of the 1st Armored Division passes the wreck US Army

8

111 11 111 Army soldier peers into the turret of a PzKpfwIV AusfJ from either PzAbt129 automatically disable the vehicle by setting off the stowed ammunition The remaining I I crgrenadier-Division or IIPzRgt26 of 26Panzer-Division on 23 November turret SchLirzen show a hand painted camouflage pattern The Panzer has ended its days

i I I I Imiddot (ngine deck bolt on the left has snapped There were two explosives pre-set abandoned in a large crater Note the thickened armoured cover on the turret exhaust fan III 11 1 il1gs one in the engine compartment and one in the fighting compartment to and lack of visors and pistol ports in the turret doors IWM

9

111 11 111 Army soldier peers into the turret of a PzKpfwIV AusfJ from either PzAbt129 automatically disable the vehicle by setting off the stowed ammunition The remaining I I crgrenadier-Division or IIPzRgt26 of 26Panzer-Division on 23 November turret SchLirzen show a hand painted camouflage pattern The Panzer has ended its days

i I I I Imiddot (ngine deck bolt on the left has snapped There were two explosives pre-set abandoned in a large crater Note the thickened armoured cover on the turret exhaust fan III 11 1 il1gs one in the engine compartment and one in the fighting compartment to and lack of visors and pistol ports in the turret doors IWM

9

This is the same PzKpfwIV as seen on the previous page but two months later in January 1945 after the large crater has filled with rainwater and frozen over Here a Polish soldier clambers the wreck while trying not to fall in Remains of the hand painted camouflage pattern can be seen on the side and rear of the tank along with Zimmerit on the rear The Flammentbter mufflers clearly identify it an AusfJ assembled at Nibelungenwerke August 1944

10

Like lazy dogs snoozing in the sun these vehicles arent going anywhere anytime soon The are specific features of this variant Behind it is a Selbstfahrlafette (Sd Kfz 1O4) witho lugkraftwa gen in the foreground is a Selbstfahrlafette (SdKfz71) with Pritschbau (wood 2cm Flak 38 It has the wider platform for the Flak 38 Both vehicles were serving as ba bOLlrd construction) The sharply angled trackguards and brackets for shovels on the hood load carriers when knocked out near the river Po SANMMH

12

I) II ell first glace appears to be roadside rubbish actually turns out to be the remains of a standard single slit visors for the driver and co driver In the background is another leichter I III (r Funkpanzerwagen (SdKfz2503) This photo shows for the first time an internally Funkpanzerwagen (Sd Kfz 2503) and this time we can determine its an AusfA with a H IIILed Kurbelmast usually associated with the Fu 12 of a Sd Kfz2503 I Note its Sternantenne on the left rear II ill I l rm (stabilising bracket) protruding from the right side wallo) This vehicle has the

13

A US Signal Corps motion picture cameraman captures an M4 passing a wrecked PzKpfw comparison of the size of the two vehicles Opposite The side of the wreck the tactical IV tacti cal number 812 in Ponsacco on 20 July 1944 The Panzer and others in this number and Balkenkreuz have been obscured by charring of the paintwork A Signal feature belonged to 8PzRgt26 of 26Panzer-Division This image makes an excellent Corps cameraman can be seen filming in the background 2x NARA

14

I) II ell first glace appears to be roadside rubbish actually turns out to be the remains of a standard single slit visors for the driver and co driver In the background is another leichter I III (r Funkpanzerwagen (SdKfz2503) This photo shows for the first time an internally Funkpanzerwagen (Sd Kfz 2503) and this time we can determine its an AusfA with a H IIILed Kurbelmast usually associated with the Fu 12 of a Sd Kfz2503 I Note its Sternantenne on the left rear II ill I l rm (stabilising bracket) protruding from the right side wallo) This vehicle has the

13

A US Signal Corps motion picture cameraman captures an M4 passing a wrecked PzKpfw comparison of the size of the two vehicles Opposite The side of the wreck the tactical IV tacti cal number 812 in Ponsacco on 20 July 1944 The Panzer and others in this number and Balkenkreuz have been obscured by charring of the paintwork A Signal feature belonged to 8PzRgt26 of 26Panzer-Division This image makes an excellent Corps cameraman can be seen filming in the background 2x NARA

14

A US Signal Corps motion picture cameraman captures an M4 passing a wrecked PzKpfw comparison of the size of the two vehicles Opposite The side of the wreck the tactical IV tacti cal number 812 in Ponsacco on 20 July 1944 The Panzer and others in this number and Balkenkreuz have been obscured by charring of the paintwork A Signal feature belonged to 8PzRgt26 of 26Panzer-Division This image makes an excellent Corps cameraman can be seen filming in the background 2x NARA

14

(S(Hfl2507) 1 is parked nearby The mortar

Ii I h )s been stowed on the side of the ~i ldI rather than on the back wall and the

111 11111 of the mortar can be s~ensJickingout ofth~ the veh icle Along the rOifd are three PzKpfw

11111 facing the leSPw one nidden und~r the trees I lflother between the two Hans Weber explains the

1)1 1) 1 tactical number on the leSPW The use of two In Pz -AA 26 cal be traced back to early 43 when it was

1(1 I( hutzenBtl 26 From what is known I would piece fogether Iii dlowingCompany denominationwith tactical sign and Co number iIJ dJ~ it$ designating Platoo~ and vehicle In case of50Split the 11 IeJ

I of 4jschwere Kompanieaccording to KStN 1113(gp) dated March 1st I IIHo two units 40- 46 Zugfii hrer (40) and twoschwere MG Gruppen with 1IWs ~ e~ch (41-46)5 is middota GrW Gru ppe with GruppelfLihrer 50 two mortar

IIIIJ I and one ammo carr ier (5153) OppositeHere is the first vehicle an AusfH Or i mmiddot the leSmiddotPw it carries the divisional insignia of26Panzer-Division Behind is the rear

IIfl l her aridejust visible bet~eenthe two are the turret SchLirzen of another Inset The II 1I11ignia was the head of a grenadier within a circle painted in yellow on a black background

rk by BJmy Crook 15ft ~-1110 2x NARA Ix BCrook

17

--- ~-

The two PzKpfwIVs and the le SPw further down the road taken on 18 July by a Signal orps photographer Tank 834 is an AusfH version and has the radio antenna in the

position of em AusfG in addition to the one on the left side of the engine deck It carries a

rough field applied Zimmerit coating and two kill rings on the gun barrel Another fi modification is the steel frame welded to the top of the turret possibly for extra a It also has its tracks on backwards (compare with the other Panzer) 2x US

18

A rather innocuous looking mSPw (SdKfz 251 AusfC) can still be dangerous as the warning painted on its rear doors indicates Little can be gleaned from such photos unless some details emerge In this ca se a faint tactical number 521 appears on the top of the right rear door leading us to believe we have a vehicle from the fifth company of an Aufklarungs Abteilung Candidate units would be 5pzAA26 5PzAA103 (left Italy in August 1944) and 5 Pz AA129 Its licence plate number is WH 1451080 3x lArcher

20

--- ~-

The two PzKpfwIVs and the le SPw further down the road taken on 18 July by a Signal orps photographer Tank 834 is an AusfH version and has the radio antenna in the

position of em AusfG in addition to the one on the left side of the engine deck It carries a

rough field applied Zimmerit coating and two kill rings on the gun barrel Another fi modification is the steel frame welded to the top of the turret possibly for extra a It also has its tracks on backwards (compare with the other Panzer) 2x US

18

A rather innocuous looking mSPw (SdKfz 251 AusfC) can still be dangerous as the warning painted on its rear doors indicates Little can be gleaned from such photos unless some details emerge In this ca se a faint tactical number 521 appears on the top of the right rear door leading us to believe we have a vehicle from the fifth company of an Aufklarungs Abteilung Candidate units would be 5pzAA26 5PzAA103 (left Italy in August 1944) and 5 Pz AA129 Its licence plate number is WH 1451080 3x lArcher

20

A rather innocuous looking mSPw (SdKfz 251 AusfC) can still be dangerous as the warning painted on its rear doors indicates Little can be gleaned from such photos unless some details emerge In this ca se a faint tactical number 521 appears on the top of the right rear door leading us to believe we have a vehicle from the fifth company of an Aufklarungs Abteilung Candidate units would be 5pzAA26 5PzAA103 (left Italy in August 1944) and 5 Pz AA129 Its licence plate number is WH 1451080 3x lArcher

20

1111 1 III - PWS rolled over on their backs provide even fewer clues than the mSPw on Pionierpanzerwagen (SdKfz2517) The tracks are the Stahllaufketten mit Stahlkappen 111 I Ji lt there are clues nonetheless such as the single Obergangsschienen (bridge (Steel capped tracks) that were used from February to July 1944

I II 1 I -low and between the vehicles indicating the at least one of them is a mittlere LArcher

21

This 2cm Flakvierling 38 auf Sf] (Sd Kfz 71) was photographed by a soldier in the 6eme burnt the rubber from the roadwheels It had been towing an ammunition trailer whi Regiment de Tirailleurs Marocains The vehicle has the addition of an armour shield in front has burnt out also Compare the material used in the construction if the drop sides of the radiator on which some battle scars can be seen It is interesting that the shield has with that of page 23 been cut away around the front tow pintle Fire has blackened the rea r compartment and

22

I I II IIW of another Selbstfahrlafette (SdKfz7l) this time caught towing a Sonder right above the open rear doors are some of the internal brackets used to organise the 11 1111 11 I ( (special trailer for 2cm ammo) to support its 2cm Flakvierling 38 Scattered 1800 rounds of ammo carried in this trailer in 20 round magazines Note that the Sf] is

1111 111 1 I e In shell casings The bulbous forged housing with the crank arm is the levelling missing several of its outer road wheels II I 1111 straight lever behind the crumpled fender is the parking brake On the top PISM

23

-ltf~shy

18 September 1943 Gls tow a leEinheits-Pkw with a kIPzFuwg (Sd Kfz261) AusfB named Jaguar This vehicle is interesting as the grenade screens have been removed from the top of the crew compartment and a shield for an MG34 has been fitted similar to

the type found on the Ie and mSPw and it has been field modified by adding an antenna The soldier on the armoured car has a white cloth tied to the end of his rifle - j in case US

24

This 2cm Flakvierling 38 auf Sf] (Sd Kfz 71) was photographed by a soldier in the 6eme burnt the rubber from the roadwheels It had been towing an ammunition trailer whi Regiment de Tirailleurs Marocains The vehicle has the addition of an armour shield in front has burnt out also Compare the material used in the construction if the drop sides of the radiator on which some battle scars can be seen It is interesting that the shield has with that of page 23 been cut away around the front tow pintle Fire has blackened the rea r compartment and

22

I I II IIW of another Selbstfahrlafette (SdKfz7l) this time caught towing a Sonder right above the open rear doors are some of the internal brackets used to organise the 11 1111 11 I ( (special trailer for 2cm ammo) to support its 2cm Flakvierling 38 Scattered 1800 rounds of ammo carried in this trailer in 20 round magazines Note that the Sf] is

1111 111 1 I e In shell casings The bulbous forged housing with the crank arm is the levelling missing several of its outer road wheels II I 1111 straight lever behind the crumpled fender is the parking brake On the top PISM

23

-ltf~shy

18 September 1943 Gls tow a leEinheits-Pkw with a kIPzFuwg (Sd Kfz261) AusfB named Jaguar This vehicle is interesting as the grenade screens have been removed from the top of the crew compartment and a shield for an MG34 has been fitted similar to

the type found on the Ie and mSPw and it has been field modified by adding an antenna The soldier on the armoured car has a white cloth tied to the end of his rifle - j in case US

24

I I II IIW of another Selbstfahrlafette (SdKfz7l) this time caught towing a Sonder right above the open rear doors are some of the internal brackets used to organise the 11 1111 11 I ( (special trailer for 2cm ammo) to support its 2cm Flakvierling 38 Scattered 1800 rounds of ammo carried in this trailer in 20 round magazines Note that the Sf] is

1111 111 1 I e In shell casings The bulbous forged housing with the crank arm is the levelling missing several of its outer road wheels II I 1111 straight lever behind the crumpled fender is the parking brake On the top PISM

23

-ltf~shy

18 September 1943 Gls tow a leEinheits-Pkw with a kIPzFuwg (Sd Kfz261) AusfB named Jaguar This vehicle is interesting as the grenade screens have been removed from the top of the crew compartment and a shield for an MG34 has been fitted similar to

the type found on the Ie and mSPw and it has been field modified by adding an antenna The soldier on the armoured car has a white cloth tied to the end of his rifle - j in case US

24

-ltf~shy

18 September 1943 Gls tow a leEinheits-Pkw with a kIPzFuwg (Sd Kfz261) AusfB named Jaguar This vehicle is interesting as the grenade screens have been removed from the top of the crew compartment and a shield for an MG34 has been fitted similar to

the type found on the Ie and mSPw and it has been field modified by adding an antenna The soldier on the armoured car has a white cloth tied to the end of his rifle - j in case US

24

-~

1 I III II I PZSpWg AB41 201(i) have been pushed into a ditch or crater and captured on books The AB41 was armed with a 2cm Breda 35 gun and two 8mm Breda 38 machine 1111 Iv Polish War photographer The armoured cars carry nameson the sides On the left guns

I I II 11 1 a popular pet name and Winnetou - the Indian Chief in a number of Karl May PISM

25

A British soldier strikes a formal pose with a wrecked PzKpfwIV AusfH or J The tank was can be seen sticking out The tank was subsequently stripped of all useful parts knocked out while at a road junction by a hit to the final drive Another AP projectile has embedded itself in the drivers front plate just next to the radio operators position and

26

I jl lw111 (FI) from 2FlammKpPzRgt26 of 26Panzer-Division photographed by a NZ soldier on the Orsogna shyr II 1 I road in December 1943 A section of the idler wheel has been blown away and the exhaust fan compartment

Archei i I II I are open A small railway loading stencil can be seen underneath the tactical number 1123 Inset One of two I I Idw11I (FI) captured in good condition in the Salerno area and evaluated by the Allies Fahrgestell 77651 It now Imiddotmiddot in the WTS collection in Koblenz Germany lx JPlowman lx US Army

27

ilS~C1

III page This captured PzKpfw11I (FI) Fahrgestell 77651 has tactical number F23 F23 111 1 I were the subjects of a report by the Chemical Officer Fifth Army Col ME Barker

II if I 1 l os on these pages are from this report The flame gun looked like an ordinary cannon I I I I 111 1 being 134cm long and at the flame end 12cm in diameter An additional30mm plate

1[ d to the front of the tank chassis Smoke grenades launched from the side projectors

ill I I he vehicle to blind the enemy during approaches and withdrawals This page top left 111111 I tlame oil tanks was by a suction process which drew oil through a filling hose which

II llched to a flame oil fuel line connection located at right rear of tank Top right Four I I I c extinguishers were carried on the vehicle two on the left side of turret within easy

I I I ank commander one within reach of and along left side of driver and one mounted on middot111 rear outside the tank on an angle iron bracket with a small steel base plate

8x US Army

29

Top left 1 Smoke grenade projectiles 2 Coloured signal flare cartridge 3 Egg grenade and 4 Fuse Top right 1 Flame gun 2 Flame oil orifice 3 Two electric igniters 4 Pilot jets 5 Flame shield The flame shield was designed to facilitate flame oil combustion by having four openings cut into side of shield (10mm wide and 125mm long) Top and

side openings were shielded to restrict spraying of unburned flame oil of pilot jets fl dropping down onto tank Bottom left 1 Demolition charge 2 Fuse 3 Hanging stl bends easily for fastening charge to any object 4 Carrying case Bottom right A s the improvised sight 4x us

SILTCfI NO ONE T~ +- Of - ~~~ltt1

1 I t lll7iY eM

~

ISI2IAIf_gt-~ ~gti llear eiGht forred by peop 01a eu in tal band 11 X 2

X lt~ -

RlAH L I G1T

RONT IGHT

I ~_~XUuy

RONT amp REAR SIaHTS FLAtE TffiOIIlNG ARK III

SKIlNl NCl REgtCRf 110- 10

Drawing not to scale Drafte nan t1tLf

~~

30

o

31

This page 1 Smoke grenade launcher firing box and I firing buttons Opposite page 1 Electric control I 2 Flame oil pressure gauge 3 Flame gun elevating I wheel 4 Turret traversing hand wheel 5 Turret direl dial 6 Fire extinguisher 7 Gas mask Pressure forthe f oil was obtained by operation of a rotary pump attachl an auxiliary motor located within the left rear of the I Flame oil pressure was indicated by a gauge motll directly in front of the tank commander The muzzle of the flame gun contained two pilot jets two elect igniters and one orifice 10mm in diameterforthe exoLJI_ of flame oil To fire the tank commander simu pressed the electric control contacts behind the gauge and depressed the right foot pedal Effective was normally 50 to 60 metres with maximum flame 70 to 75 metres For ease of vertical movement a cou balance weight was attached to the rear of the gun Fl oil fuel was carried in two welded metal tanks each approximately 40 to 50 gallons each located beside tank commander on the inside left and right side of tank chassis The top of the flame oil tanks was low to allow for free rotation of the tank turret Meter ga for the fuel oil tanks were metal rods screwed into the of the tanks

A signal pistol was carried on the right side of the t behind the right shoulder of the tank commander boxes for flares were provided one box directly behind tank commanders seat and one box beside the turret Each box held twelve cartridges One PzKpfw1I1 (FI) found to contain an improvised rack welded to the of the turret directly behind the right rear of the commanders seat for carrying ten egg grenades were secured in the rack by a raised rim around the of the grenade fitting down on top of the rack

2x US

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~~

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Seve-al snipers with automatic wps~

Top left 1 Smoke grenade projectiles 2 Coloured signal flare cartridge 3 Egg grenade and 4 Fuse Top right 1 Flame gun 2 Flame oil orifice 3 Two electric igniters 4 Pilot jets 5 Flame shield The flame shield was designed to facilitate flame oil combustion by having four openings cut into side of shield (10mm wide and 125mm long) Top and

side openings were shielded to restrict spraying of unburned flame oil of pilot jets fl dropping down onto tank Bottom left 1 Demolition charge 2 Fuse 3 Hanging stl bends easily for fastening charge to any object 4 Carrying case Bottom right A s the improvised sight 4x us

SILTCfI NO ONE T~ +- Of - ~~~ltt1

1 I t lll7iY eM

~

ISI2IAIf_gt-~ ~gti llear eiGht forred by peop 01a eu in tal band 11 X 2

X lt~ -

RlAH L I G1T

RONT IGHT

I ~_~XUuy

RONT amp REAR SIaHTS FLAtE TffiOIIlNG ARK III

SKIlNl NCl REgtCRf 110- 10

Drawing not to scale Drafte nan t1tLf

~~

30

o

31

This page 1 Smoke grenade launcher firing box and I firing buttons Opposite page 1 Electric control I 2 Flame oil pressure gauge 3 Flame gun elevating I wheel 4 Turret traversing hand wheel 5 Turret direl dial 6 Fire extinguisher 7 Gas mask Pressure forthe f oil was obtained by operation of a rotary pump attachl an auxiliary motor located within the left rear of the I Flame oil pressure was indicated by a gauge motll directly in front of the tank commander The muzzle of the flame gun contained two pilot jets two elect igniters and one orifice 10mm in diameterforthe exoLJI_ of flame oil To fire the tank commander simu pressed the electric control contacts behind the gauge and depressed the right foot pedal Effective was normally 50 to 60 metres with maximum flame 70 to 75 metres For ease of vertical movement a cou balance weight was attached to the rear of the gun Fl oil fuel was carried in two welded metal tanks each approximately 40 to 50 gallons each located beside tank commander on the inside left and right side of tank chassis The top of the flame oil tanks was low to allow for free rotation of the tank turret Meter ga for the fuel oil tanks were metal rods screwed into the of the tanks

A signal pistol was carried on the right side of the t behind the right shoulder of the tank commander boxes for flares were provided one box directly behind tank commanders seat and one box beside the turret Each box held twelve cartridges One PzKpfw1I1 (FI) found to contain an improvised rack welded to the of the turret directly behind the right rear of the commanders seat for carrying ten egg grenades were secured in the rack by a raised rim around the of the grenade fitting down on top of the rack

2x US

tiOUS ES

Gat J

~~ 1o~1 -ril Jj ta

rak~~~~~~ BL~di~b

cn ~

Fouses (4)

~~

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~ ~

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Seve-al snipers with automatic wps~

o

31

This page 1 Smoke grenade launcher firing box and I firing buttons Opposite page 1 Electric control I 2 Flame oil pressure gauge 3 Flame gun elevating I wheel 4 Turret traversing hand wheel 5 Turret direl dial 6 Fire extinguisher 7 Gas mask Pressure forthe f oil was obtained by operation of a rotary pump attachl an auxiliary motor located within the left rear of the I Flame oil pressure was indicated by a gauge motll directly in front of the tank commander The muzzle of the flame gun contained two pilot jets two elect igniters and one orifice 10mm in diameterforthe exoLJI_ of flame oil To fire the tank commander simu pressed the electric control contacts behind the gauge and depressed the right foot pedal Effective was normally 50 to 60 metres with maximum flame 70 to 75 metres For ease of vertical movement a cou balance weight was attached to the rear of the gun Fl oil fuel was carried in two welded metal tanks each approximately 40 to 50 gallons each located beside tank commander on the inside left and right side of tank chassis The top of the flame oil tanks was low to allow for free rotation of the tank turret Meter ga for the fuel oil tanks were metal rods screwed into the of the tanks

A signal pistol was carried on the right side of the t behind the right shoulder of the tank commander boxes for flares were provided one box directly behind tank commanders seat and one box beside the turret Each box held twelve cartridges One PzKpfw1I1 (FI) found to contain an improvised rack welded to the of the turret directly behind the right rear of the commanders seat for carrying ten egg grenades were secured in the rack by a raised rim around the of the grenade fitting down on top of the rack

2x US

tiOUS ES

Gat J

~~ 1o~1 -ril Jj ta

rak~~~~~~ BL~di~b

cn ~

Fouses (4)

~~

~ (Sj ~

~ ~

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Sniper with 9 rom ~ubtJachilC gun Sniptlr lti tho light laCnlne [U1

Seve-al snipers with automatic wps~

This page 1 Smoke grenade launcher firing box and I firing buttons Opposite page 1 Electric control I 2 Flame oil pressure gauge 3 Flame gun elevating I wheel 4 Turret traversing hand wheel 5 Turret direl dial 6 Fire extinguisher 7 Gas mask Pressure forthe f oil was obtained by operation of a rotary pump attachl an auxiliary motor located within the left rear of the I Flame oil pressure was indicated by a gauge motll directly in front of the tank commander The muzzle of the flame gun contained two pilot jets two elect igniters and one orifice 10mm in diameterforthe exoLJI_ of flame oil To fire the tank commander simu pressed the electric control contacts behind the gauge and depressed the right foot pedal Effective was normally 50 to 60 metres with maximum flame 70 to 75 metres For ease of vertical movement a cou balance weight was attached to the rear of the gun Fl oil fuel was carried in two welded metal tanks each approximately 40 to 50 gallons each located beside tank commander on the inside left and right side of tank chassis The top of the flame oil tanks was low to allow for free rotation of the tank turret Meter ga for the fuel oil tanks were metal rods screwed into the of the tanks

A signal pistol was carried on the right side of the t behind the right shoulder of the tank commander boxes for flares were provided one box directly behind tank commanders seat and one box beside the turret Each box held twelve cartridges One PzKpfw1I1 (FI) found to contain an improvised rack welded to the of the turret directly behind the right rear of the commanders seat for carrying ten egg grenades were secured in the rack by a raised rim around the of the grenade fitting down on top of the rack

2x US

tiOUS ES

Gat J

~~ 1o~1 -ril Jj ta

rak~~~~~~ BL~di~b

cn ~

Fouses (4)

~~

~ (Sj ~

~ ~

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~ ~2 )~ ~ ~

~i10~ ~ ~

Sniper with 9 rom ~ubtJachilC gun Sniptlr lti tho light laCnlne [U1

Seve-al snipers with automatic wps~

tiOUS ES

Gat J

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cn ~

Fouses (4)

~~

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Seve-al snipers with automatic wps~

Three more PzKpfw11I (FI) lie blown apart next to a railway line From Martin Block 16 of the IIPzRgt 2 That platoon was almost wiped out on 991943 when it PzDiv lost five PZKpfw1I1 (FI) forty-one PzKpfw~ eight StuG III one Hummel and two counterattack on Torre di Paestum (40km south of Salerno) Grille during September1943 These Flammpz1I1 certainly belonged to the Pz Flamm-Zug

36

A close up view of the vehicle in the background from the previous page reveals the shape of one of the internalflamefueltanks NARA

37

I I II (Sf) auf Pz38(t) AusfH (Sd Kfz 1381) Grille is among the wrecked enemy by blowing up every road bridge and switchback in the area as they retreated northward 1 1 111 lilmed at Acerno around 20 September 1943 Acerno is about 25 miles east This weapon used two piece ammunition the base of the cartridges can be seen in a box

il lI middot1 I ia lerno In what became a battle of the engineers the Germans took full at the back of the fighting compartment I t il II 01 I he heavily mountainous terrain to delay the advancing American 3rd Division 2x NARA

39

II lw 01 PzKpfwIV AusfG from the same motion picture film Details can be teased out by close examination For example 11111 ii I lI irzen have small loops welded on to hold camouflage a rectangular bracket has been welded to the top of the gun

II I II commanders hatch appears to be missing some parts as it has folded completely flat This vehicle retains its smoke dr I hers on the sides of the turret and still has its antenna mounted on the right side so was probably produced around

1[1 11 I I pulled back from Sicily The thin black outlined tactical number indicates a vehicle from IIPzRgt2 of 16Panzershyhll I 11 42 Another PzKpfwIV AusfG with racks for two jerry cans on the rear 3x NARA 1x US Army

41

A close up view of the vehicle in the background from the previous page reveals the shape of one of the internalflamefueltanks NARA

37

I I II (Sf) auf Pz38(t) AusfH (Sd Kfz 1381) Grille is among the wrecked enemy by blowing up every road bridge and switchback in the area as they retreated northward 1 1 111 lilmed at Acerno around 20 September 1943 Acerno is about 25 miles east This weapon used two piece ammunition the base of the cartridges can be seen in a box

il lI middot1 I ia lerno In what became a battle of the engineers the Germans took full at the back of the fighting compartment I t il II 01 I he heavily mountainous terrain to delay the advancing American 3rd Division 2x NARA

39

II lw 01 PzKpfwIV AusfG from the same motion picture film Details can be teased out by close examination For example 11111 ii I lI irzen have small loops welded on to hold camouflage a rectangular bracket has been welded to the top of the gun

II I II commanders hatch appears to be missing some parts as it has folded completely flat This vehicle retains its smoke dr I hers on the sides of the turret and still has its antenna mounted on the right side so was probably produced around

1[1 11 I I pulled back from Sicily The thin black outlined tactical number indicates a vehicle from IIPzRgt2 of 16Panzershyhll I 11 42 Another PzKpfwIV AusfG with racks for two jerry cans on the rear 3x NARA 1x US Army

41

I I II (Sf) auf Pz38(t) AusfH (Sd Kfz 1381) Grille is among the wrecked enemy by blowing up every road bridge and switchback in the area as they retreated northward 1 1 111 lilmed at Acerno around 20 September 1943 Acerno is about 25 miles east This weapon used two piece ammunition the base of the cartridges can be seen in a box

il lI middot1 I ia lerno In what became a battle of the engineers the Germans took full at the back of the fighting compartment I t il II 01 I he heavily mountainous terrain to delay the advancing American 3rd Division 2x NARA

39

II lw 01 PzKpfwIV AusfG from the same motion picture film Details can be teased out by close examination For example 11111 ii I lI irzen have small loops welded on to hold camouflage a rectangular bracket has been welded to the top of the gun

II I II commanders hatch appears to be missing some parts as it has folded completely flat This vehicle retains its smoke dr I hers on the sides of the turret and still has its antenna mounted on the right side so was probably produced around

1[1 11 I I pulled back from Sicily The thin black outlined tactical number indicates a vehicle from IIPzRgt2 of 16Panzershyhll I 11 42 Another PzKpfwIV AusfG with racks for two jerry cans on the rear 3x NARA 1x US Army

41

II lw 01 PzKpfwIV AusfG from the same motion picture film Details can be teased out by close examination For example 11111 ii I lI irzen have small loops welded on to hold camouflage a rectangular bracket has been welded to the top of the gun

II I II commanders hatch appears to be missing some parts as it has folded completely flat This vehicle retains its smoke dr I hers on the sides of the turret and still has its antenna mounted on the right side so was probably produced around

1[1 11 I I pulled back from Sicily The thin black outlined tactical number indicates a vehicle from IIPzRgt2 of 16Panzershyhll I 11 42 Another PzKpfwIV AusfG with racks for two jerry cans on the rear 3x NARA 1x US Army

41

~

III Iii middot Ihis are often frustrating as vital details are either missing or obscured The I I I III point as he sat himself in front of the tactical number only part of the III 1 II bullbull 111 be seen to the side of his arm The unusual style of Balkenkreuz makes 11111 11 111 11 thi s vehicle could have been operated by SS-Sturmgeschutz-Battalion16 of

16SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Details on the rear wall such as the fan housing are visible since the fighting compartment roof has been blown off The interior RAL 1002 Elfenbein colour appears significantly darker than the RAL 7028 Dunkelgelb applied to the outside

LArcher

A very rare sight A G poses with an M419053 801(i) in a bombed out railway yard in the Spring or Summer of 1944 After the battle of Sicily only 6 out of the 30 vehicles produced were still in service This one has been painted in German camouflage colours given a

Balkenkreuz on the sides and carries the divisional insignia of the 26Panzer-Division might dictatethat PzJgAbt51 the divisions anti-tank unit in Italy might have had it but only joined the division in October of 1944

44

il i11I111 I I poses with the SPG The nose has the rhomboidal marking of an armoured their tracks Inset In Italian use This example was captured from the 10 Raggrupamento lIu l II Iill number 19 The vehicle appears to be held on its rail carriage by a tow Semoventi in Sicily and is shown in Palermo on 24 September 1943 It now resides atI

iilli l l I J I to the front tow hook On the right of the photo are rail wagons blown from Aberdeen Proving Ground in the USA lx LArcher lx US Army

45

The only unit operating the Sturm panzer 43 in Italy was ~I

PzAbt216 and this one was photographed in the summer of by a US soldier It is based on the drivetrain of a PzKpfwIV and was produced between November 1943 and May 19411 hatches on the hull have all been blown out by an explosion

l

46

The only unit operating the Sturm panzer 43 in Italy was ~I

PzAbt216 and this one was photographed in the summer of by a US soldier It is based on the drivetrain of a PzKpfwIV and was produced between November 1943 and May 19411 hatches on the hull have all been blown out by an explosion

l

46

II

0

I

I rom the same US Army film as the Sturm panzer 43 in Panzerwrecks 1 and 5 a one piece commanders cupola hatch and smoke dischargers It was produced between Imiddot WI 0 I 0 middotcl lz Kpfw1I1 AusfN shown near Giuncarico on 23 June 1944 It had belonged February and May 1943 The photograph on page 49 seems to show the end of a 7middot5cm

11 11 I lnzer-Regiment Hermann Goring of Fallschirm-Panzer-Division Hermann round in the gun barrel 111 1 0 white circular insignia can be seen on the front trackguard The Panzer has 3x NARA

47

I II I I I II Ilhotos clearly show the devastation The tank was an AusfN from the Auslauf front and rear and part of a tactical number is visible on the rear of the turret Schurzen 1 1 1I II Ihe hull of an AusfM as it has closure lids on the air intakes and air outlets and Heat from the fire has softened the torsion bars in the suspension making the Panzer ylli ll il ll 1I exhaust muffler The divisional insignia is painted onto the left trackguards appear to sink 2x NARA

51

The effects of war are in no doubt in this photo of a 2cm Flakvierling auf Mercedes-Benz burnt away the front tyre leaving a pile of ash and blistered the paintwork on the arm 4500A destroyed on the 5th Army front and captured on film by a US cameraman Fire has cab

52

ll lence on the film shows this M4 passing a different 2cm Flakvierling auf Sf] (Sd Kfz72) with armoured cab and radiator Another view of this vehicle unavailable 1I It 4500A note how the paint on the front of the cab is not burnt like the to us shows the insignia of Fsch-FlakRgtHG who operated these vehicles in the 16

lilli II l lple and the gun is in a different position An unknown emblem is visible on Batterie of the III Abteilung so perhaps the Flak-truck belongs to them too II I I I llivers door Behind the M4 is another wrecked Flakwagen a 3middot7cm Flak auf NARA

53

I II I I I II Ilhotos clearly show the devastation The tank was an AusfN from the Auslauf front and rear and part of a tactical number is visible on the rear of the turret Schurzen 1 1 1I II Ihe hull of an AusfM as it has closure lids on the air intakes and air outlets and Heat from the fire has softened the torsion bars in the suspension making the Panzer ylli ll il ll 1I exhaust muffler The divisional insignia is painted onto the left trackguards appear to sink 2x NARA

51

The effects of war are in no doubt in this photo of a 2cm Flakvierling auf Mercedes-Benz burnt away the front tyre leaving a pile of ash and blistered the paintwork on the arm 4500A destroyed on the 5th Army front and captured on film by a US cameraman Fire has cab

52

ll lence on the film shows this M4 passing a different 2cm Flakvierling auf Sf] (Sd Kfz72) with armoured cab and radiator Another view of this vehicle unavailable 1I It 4500A note how the paint on the front of the cab is not burnt like the to us shows the insignia of Fsch-FlakRgtHG who operated these vehicles in the 16

lilli II l lple and the gun is in a different position An unknown emblem is visible on Batterie of the III Abteilung so perhaps the Flak-truck belongs to them too II I I I llivers door Behind the M4 is another wrecked Flakwagen a 3middot7cm Flak auf NARA

53

The effects of war are in no doubt in this photo of a 2cm Flakvierling auf Mercedes-Benz burnt away the front tyre leaving a pile of ash and blistered the paintwork on the arm 4500A destroyed on the 5th Army front and captured on film by a US cameraman Fire has cab

52

ll lence on the film shows this M4 passing a different 2cm Flakvierling auf Sf] (Sd Kfz72) with armoured cab and radiator Another view of this vehicle unavailable 1I It 4500A note how the paint on the front of the cab is not burnt like the to us shows the insignia of Fsch-FlakRgtHG who operated these vehicles in the 16

lilli II l lple and the gun is in a different position An unknown emblem is visible on Batterie of the III Abteilung so perhaps the Flak-truck belongs to them too II I I I llivers door Behind the M4 is another wrecked Flakwagen a 3middot7cm Flak auf NARA

53

ll lence on the film shows this M4 passing a different 2cm Flakvierling auf Sf] (Sd Kfz72) with armoured cab and radiator Another view of this vehicle unavailable 1I It 4500A note how the paint on the front of the cab is not burnt like the to us shows the insignia of Fsch-FlakRgtHG who operated these vehicles in the 16

lilli II l lple and the gun is in a different position An unknown emblem is visible on Batterie of the III Abteilung so perhaps the Flak-truck belongs to them too II I I I llivers door Behind the M4 is another wrecked Flakwagen a 3middot7cm Flak auf NARA

53

Sinking Semovente M42 7534 851(i) tactical number 122 from PzJgAbt171 of compartment is where the antenna base should be The all black Balkenkreuz has 71lnfanterie-Division has sunk while crossing a field The sagging appearance of the seen on a number of Semoventes from this unit tracks indicates that they are probably broken The round hole in the roof of the fighting

54

l llI i I I I ) 7534 851(i) from Pz JgAbtl71 with the tactical number 123 from the i ~ l li l I he Semovente shown on the previous page The other side of this vehicle is JPlowman

55

Blown apart then stripped A PzKpfwIV AusfH awaits its ultimate fate the smelting pot gun mantlet Translated the sign reads War Ministry Search Rescue Service It is quite possible that it was stripped by German maintenance units of useful items cooperative enterprise collection centre No 47 before being blown up Traces of Zimmerit coating remain on the glacis hull sides and

56

l llI i I I I ) 7534 851(i) from Pz JgAbtl71 with the tactical number 123 from the i ~ l li l I he Semovente shown on the previous page The other side of this vehicle is JPlowman

55

Blown apart then stripped A PzKpfwIV AusfH awaits its ultimate fate the smelting pot gun mantlet Translated the sign reads War Ministry Search Rescue Service It is quite possible that it was stripped by German maintenance units of useful items cooperative enterprise collection centre No 47 before being blown up Traces of Zimmerit coating remain on the glacis hull sides and

56

Blown apart then stripped A PzKpfwIV AusfH awaits its ultimate fate the smelting pot gun mantlet Translated the sign reads War Ministry Search Rescue Service It is quite possible that it was stripped by German maintenance units of useful items cooperative enterprise collection centre No 47 before being blown up Traces of Zimmerit coating remain on the glacis hull sides and

56

1 1I 1Ir AusfA captured by 8th Army units in Medicina in April 1945 The vehicle is not to be seen on the rest of the hull or superstructure This Bergepanther can be seen 1111 1 1 It ar to have had any camouflage paints applied and is in generally good in the background of page 9 of Panzerwrecks 1 A Polish or New Zealand Army M4 can be

1I11 1 1 irnmerit coating can be seen on the inner hull above thetop track run but seen in the right of the photo PISM

57

II middot US soldier looks over what remains of II I I I 1] 02 auf Sfi11 that has been thoroughly Ii I I A demolition charge has been put I IIII 11 11 barrel the resulting explosion peeling I III I banana skin We would expect the rear Ii III l ighting compartment to separate in a 111 1 which it has done but the drivers front ilil l Ilose armour have disappeared along

I I oj of the side hull as well Two units were 11 11 I III h this Panzerjager in the Italian theatre I III Ilcrmann Goring and FschJgDivl

US Armv

11111 1 01 a rare Italian P40 tank taken over by III 11 11 III and given the designation PzKpfw

1 ( Ily 5 January 1945 five had been issued I I Iut Sud for training and an additional

lzKp under the control of Hoherer 1111 1 1 11 middoti-Fuhrer Italien Two of the company

U I ore known to be 10 And 12 PolizeishyII i I were perhaps not the most form idable

1111 III lcled but they were perhaps the most II I I I I he number 24 on the bow armour

WAuerbach

59

Ravenna 1946 and a war torn StuG 7534 auf M42 is unearthed in desolate countryside casement Martin Block reports The location given as Ravenna would point towards What we see here is the rear of the vehicle with its cannon still in its casement bent 114 Jaeger-Oiv which had its StuGeschAbt 1114 (later PzJgKp 1114 and finally backwards over its engine compartment Note the large hand rails on either side of the Kp 1114) equipped with a mix of M42L18 M42L34 and BeWg M42

60

II middot US soldier looks over what remains of II I I I 1] 02 auf Sfi11 that has been thoroughly Ii I I A demolition charge has been put I IIII 11 11 barrel the resulting explosion peeling I III I banana skin We would expect the rear Ii III l ighting compartment to separate in a 111 1 which it has done but the drivers front ilil l Ilose armour have disappeared along

I I oj of the side hull as well Two units were 11 11 I III h this Panzerjager in the Italian theatre I III Ilcrmann Goring and FschJgDivl

US Armv

11111 1 01 a rare Italian P40 tank taken over by III 11 11 III and given the designation PzKpfw

1 ( Ily 5 January 1945 five had been issued I I Iut Sud for training and an additional

lzKp under the control of Hoherer 1111 1 1 11 middoti-Fuhrer Italien Two of the company

U I ore known to be 10 And 12 PolizeishyII i I were perhaps not the most form idable

1111 III lcled but they were perhaps the most II I I I I he number 24 on the bow armour

WAuerbach

59

Ravenna 1946 and a war torn StuG 7534 auf M42 is unearthed in desolate countryside casement Martin Block reports The location given as Ravenna would point towards What we see here is the rear of the vehicle with its cannon still in its casement bent 114 Jaeger-Oiv which had its StuGeschAbt 1114 (later PzJgKp 1114 and finally backwards over its engine compartment Note the large hand rails on either side of the Kp 1114) equipped with a mix of M42L18 M42L34 and BeWg M42

60

Ravenna 1946 and a war torn StuG 7534 auf M42 is unearthed in desolate countryside casement Martin Block reports The location given as Ravenna would point towards What we see here is the rear of the vehicle with its cannon still in its casement bent 114 Jaeger-Oiv which had its StuGeschAbt 1114 (later PzJgKp 1114 and finally backwards over its engine compartment Note the large hand rails on either side of the Kp 1114) equipped with a mix of M42L18 M42L34 and BeWg M42

60

I II I I1 I I he same vehicle showing a tactical sign and Balkenkreuz on its bow The secondary armament composed of a single MG This assault gun was deemed satisfactory II I I II II vehicle was simplicity itself a gimbal mounted cannon next to the drivers and saw service with both German and Italian troops

111111 1 111 I low superstructure rudimentary optics vision ports and communications and PISM

61

li lli ( bull Is turn a captured Selbstfahrlafette (SdKfzl05) flir 2cm Flak 38 against a also been camouflaged The side armour of the PzKpfwIII could not be penetrated by the 11 1middot II l l KpfwIII AusfL (probably from FschPzRgtHermann Goring) and tryout 2cm which was part of the PzKpfwII specifications although a double hit close together

I 111 11111I 1 lllship It seems they have adopted the Flakwagen as an American star has could probablY take the turret door off and penetrate mild steel elements such as Schurzen Il l lo li l oImiddot d (lfl the equipment box behind the front wheel The rear of the gun shield has and the turret stowage bin NARA

63

li lli ( bull Is turn a captured Selbstfahrlafette (SdKfzl05) flir 2cm Flak 38 against a also been camouflaged The side armour of the PzKpfwIII could not be penetrated by the 11 1middot II l l KpfwIII AusfL (probably from FschPzRgtHermann Goring) and tryout 2cm which was part of the PzKpfwII specifications although a double hit close together

I 111 11111I 1 lllship It seems they have adopted the Flakwagen as an American star has could probablY take the turret door off and penetrate mild steel elements such as Schurzen Il l lo li l oImiddot d (lfl the equipment box behind the front wheel The rear of the gun shield has and the turret stowage bin NARA

63

li i ll I oI Iii rs look over a Tiger I thought to be from sHPzAbt508 in 1944 Like many of the Zimmerit has been burnt and flaked off the turret side and the running gear is I d I Tigers the torsion bars have weakened through extreme heat causing the missing the first outer roadwheel

11 I0 collapse The gun looks shorter than usual because it is at full recoil Most

65

Looking at the other side we can see the blackened gun mantlet and that the loaders patch beside the gunners vision port The commanders cupola has the AA MG periscope cover and commanders hatch are missing Unfortunately no obvious turret fitted to the ring numbers are visible although there is what looks like a small dark painted 3 in a light

66

Iji ll l dll ferent soldier this time a Canadian Only a small part of the rear side and in holders above the heads ofthe driver and radio operator one was to used in the breech I 11( (iI Ida ins any Zimmerit the rest has come off The sagging torsion bars are of the gun the other was to go in the engine compartment

I Ii Iv I( (I 10 the crew setting demolition charges Two charges were carried one each

67

Was it pushed Or did it fall Either way the Eighth Army has erected a Bailey bridge over it Note the foliage wrapped around the gun barrel The photographs caption gives the location as Medicina by this time (April 1945) only the sHPzAbt504 had Tigers in Italy 4x PISM

69

middot

lIt

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-

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l~ lt l Il ldging by the missing engine deck cover and shredded stowage bin it looks like the crew Gill l l dl l ion charge in the engine compartment before leaving the Tiger This page It takes at i JWI flI ers to extricate the Tiger from its predicament

71

This photo taken by a Polish soldier from 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow only gives antenna base on the turret side (just next to the soldiers hand) for controlling sc a location of Gothic Line which is not very helpful It looks like this Tiger has fallen Ladungstrager and would have belonged to the 3Kompanie of sHPzAbt504 or 508 from a road bridge seen in the background and subsequently looted of its wheels and were both outfitted as Funklenk units much of its tracks The Panzer has been outfitted as a Funklenk vehicle with an extra

72

A US tanker poses next to a knocked out Tiger from sHPzAbt504 off Highway 6 near with this motion picture state that it was knocked out by a Bazooka Opposite W Giuncarico on 23 June 1944 The Tiger shows the faint traces of a tactical number 222 hit the turret blew off a sizeable amount of Zimmerit note the chunk taken out of or 223 indicating a sHPzAbtS04 vehicle An AP projectile has hit the turret rear roadwheel escape hatch and another has cracked the upper edge of the hull armour The notes

74

Two Canadians poses with a Tiger from 1sHPzAbt508 near Casa Nadiani over the river the turret the crew could get a good view of the countryside over the top of the gr Pircio The Sherman III next to it was the mount of Lt Cross of NO5 Troop 20 Armoured vines but could see no sign of the enemy When Cross left to join the infantry Regiment (New Zealand) which had been knocked out on 25 September 1944 by a number commander observing from the top story of the farmhouse someone in the crew of rounds from a Tiger that had camouflaged itself beside a house about 1200 yards away it was time to boil the billy He rotated the turret so that he could get at the rations The official history says He had parked it behind a haystack and by standing on top of evidently the movement gave away the tanks position lx LSHA lx jNichol

76

to

111 how things appeared later on when a Polish soldier photographed the wrecks the 111 wheels have been pulled apart or pillaged and the turret turned The Sherman

11 1 worse losing all of its wheels and tracks Was this the Tiger that knocked out Lt Cross

tank A cab-rank of fighter bombers had been called upon to offer fire support and to find the Tigers perhaps they killed it Inset New Zealanders check out the wreck

lx PISM lx JNicholson

77

78

More Allies this time US soldiers pose in the Tiger sel il l previous pages The tank has hooks on the drivers fllltI

to hang spare track links Unlike a number of the otl1li shown it does not appear to have been disabled the 11111

its normal position and all the hatches are intact 2x 1 1

II 1111 II (I II I I iI III I 1 1 I Ibull

W d 1 snapshots of the same Tiger that has nose dived II I what we imagine is a river bed Part of the tactical

II I il iler 3 is barely visible on the turret side The liI () on the left came in a collection of photos taken I II io while the photo on the right is captioned as 111 Cecino All that remains of the loaders hatch are II hinges and the Nahverteidigungswaffe has been il l1 oved or blown out Note the extensive oil and fuel 11111 over the Panzer 2x LArcher

79

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~

Holy cow this Sturmgeschutz III AusfG has taken a battering in Panzerwrecks it has been looted of useful items such as the w ith at least three Allied shells penetrating the SOmm + 30mm roadwheels and return rollers The gun barrel has two kill rings armour and sheariing the bolts on the nose The vehicle had painted in white behind the muzzle brake which itself has been belonged to HStu Gesch Brig242 whose insignia is just visible rotated 90 degrees Inset Drawing of the unit insignia courtesy of on the bow armour opposite the cow Like many wrecks shown Barry Crook lx PISM lx BCrook

80

ll ll mgeschlitz 301 was destroyed off the road to Pontecorvo An explosion has bent the rails around the sides and rear of the II I ording to the caption Assuming that this is correct it would engine deck and blown apart a stowage bin A very careful look at 1 l VI belonged to HStuGeschBrig907 Concrete has been the nose armour under the gun barrel reveals the unit insignia of 111 I(~ d to the roof around the commanders cupola although it HStuGeschBrig907 The field piece is a 7middot5cm FK244 or 245(i) I dlmiddotbatable if this would have added much protection in reality Inset The unit insignia by Barry Crook 1x LArcher lx BCrook

81

--

This Panzerjager Hornisse fur 8middot8cm Pak 431 (Sfl) SdKfz164 tactical number 232 II I

2sPzJgAbt525 was knocked out by a Polish unit near Ronciteili and is shown off the road in August 1944 It was produced during or after May 1943 as it has the h reinforcement for the gun shield and lacks the interior travel lock 2x

82

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Another Hornisse tactical number 233 According to the caption it was knocked out in thoroughly demolished the walls of the fighting compartment and punched holes in t

Roncitelli by 3Szwadron lPulk Ulanow Krechowiekich (3rd Squadron 1st Krechowieski gun barrel gun slide curved armour for the recuperator and drive sprocket Note t

Lancer Regiment) In both cases flanking fire has been responsible but here it has heavier cowls for the brake cooling vents 2x PISM

84

I I

Opposite A Polish trooper stands on the drivers compartment while he poses IIlI his picture A wire mesh covers the air inlet on the side of the fighting I (I mpartment Here the hole in the gun barrel is readily apparent This page 1 lie massive 8middot8 em Pak 431 is out of battery Note the smaller details The fl oor of the fighting compartment is covered in anti -skid plate and down by ~~if~ 111( troopers knees the angle iron holding the superstructure to the hull is I tl loped thereby increasing the length of the weld bead and in turn the 11 ength of the weld

Faenza December 1944 and a SturmgeschLitz M43 mit 10525 853(i) catches the eye of a photographer This vehicle had a wider stance than the M42 mit 75L34 as well as new pointed nose armour When taken over by the Germans they installed both the 7middot5cm L34 and 10middot5cm L25 in the M43 but the 10middotScm sat much lower in the superstructure and did not have the bifurcated wings of the gimbal mount Note the horns on the drive sprocket

El ~

and the extremely low profile of this vehicle overall (Compare to the vehicle on pages - 55) Per Martin Block Besides the 26th Pz Oiv Faenza was also defended by elemeIW of the 27810 and 3050 with the latter being a bit more directly engaged Both infan t divisions fielded a mix of 75 cm M42L18 M42L34 105 cm M43L25 and BefWgM42I their PzJgKp1278 and PzJgKp1305 respectively JPlowman

88

lI btle changes have occurred since the previous picture was taken the foliage and radio antenna have been removed the dlivers visor has been closed and the vehicle has been moved a short distance with a tow rope but the vehicle remains safely 1II ltconced among the ruins of sunny Faenza along with a few of the citys inhabitants lx JPlowman lx lArcher

89

Juarez Leonardis amp DPhillips pose with a SturmgeschLitz L6 mit 4732 630(i) on 10 July for infantry support An explosion has shattered the 15mm thick side armour exposing til 1944 near Grottaferrata These diminutive vehicles had a crew of three and were designed FIAT-SPA 4 cylinder engine LArchor

90

from IPzRgt4 was abandoned near Fiuggi on 3 June 1944 because of a lack of fuel and spare parts The Panther is an AusfA with MG port instead of the MG ball mount JPlowman

91

llie Germans reacted to the Allied landings on Anzio 1111 January 22 1944 much quicker than the Allies pushed inland and only massed British and American Irtillery fires were able to check the ferocious German (ounterattacks that ensued Here two wrecked Irnther AusfAs were captured on motion picture lilm by T4 Nemeth from the 163rd Signal Photo Bn in I segment captioned simply as Wrecked Enemy and II Iied Equipment British 1st Div Front near Aprila lay Aprilia as it is spelled is approx ten miles In la nd from the coast Note the scarring on the fronts of the Panthers

Ilrese Panther As have MG ports in their bows lrId pistol ports in the turrets but have monocular Iun sights placing their manufacture sometime Iround November 1943 The periscope for the loader seems to have been blown out of the Iurret roof of the Panther in the background Only Iraces of Zimmerit coating are evident on these vehicles which would explain the lack of tactical

3x NARA lx LArcher

~

93

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

Looking at the other side we can see the blackened gun mantlet and that the loaders patch beside the gunners vision port The commanders cupola has the AA MG periscope cover and commanders hatch are missing Unfortunately no obvious turret fitted to the ring numbers are visible although there is what looks like a small dark painted 3 in a light

66

Iji ll l dll ferent soldier this time a Canadian Only a small part of the rear side and in holders above the heads ofthe driver and radio operator one was to used in the breech I 11( (iI Ida ins any Zimmerit the rest has come off The sagging torsion bars are of the gun the other was to go in the engine compartment

I Ii Iv I( (I 10 the crew setting demolition charges Two charges were carried one each

67

Was it pushed Or did it fall Either way the Eighth Army has erected a Bailey bridge over it Note the foliage wrapped around the gun barrel The photographs caption gives the location as Medicina by this time (April 1945) only the sHPzAbt504 had Tigers in Italy 4x PISM

69

middot

lIt

J t

-

-t -~

l~ lt l Il ldging by the missing engine deck cover and shredded stowage bin it looks like the crew Gill l l dl l ion charge in the engine compartment before leaving the Tiger This page It takes at i JWI flI ers to extricate the Tiger from its predicament

71

This photo taken by a Polish soldier from 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow only gives antenna base on the turret side (just next to the soldiers hand) for controlling sc a location of Gothic Line which is not very helpful It looks like this Tiger has fallen Ladungstrager and would have belonged to the 3Kompanie of sHPzAbt504 or 508 from a road bridge seen in the background and subsequently looted of its wheels and were both outfitted as Funklenk units much of its tracks The Panzer has been outfitted as a Funklenk vehicle with an extra

72

A US tanker poses next to a knocked out Tiger from sHPzAbt504 off Highway 6 near with this motion picture state that it was knocked out by a Bazooka Opposite W Giuncarico on 23 June 1944 The Tiger shows the faint traces of a tactical number 222 hit the turret blew off a sizeable amount of Zimmerit note the chunk taken out of or 223 indicating a sHPzAbtS04 vehicle An AP projectile has hit the turret rear roadwheel escape hatch and another has cracked the upper edge of the hull armour The notes

74

Two Canadians poses with a Tiger from 1sHPzAbt508 near Casa Nadiani over the river the turret the crew could get a good view of the countryside over the top of the gr Pircio The Sherman III next to it was the mount of Lt Cross of NO5 Troop 20 Armoured vines but could see no sign of the enemy When Cross left to join the infantry Regiment (New Zealand) which had been knocked out on 25 September 1944 by a number commander observing from the top story of the farmhouse someone in the crew of rounds from a Tiger that had camouflaged itself beside a house about 1200 yards away it was time to boil the billy He rotated the turret so that he could get at the rations The official history says He had parked it behind a haystack and by standing on top of evidently the movement gave away the tanks position lx LSHA lx jNichol

76

to

111 how things appeared later on when a Polish soldier photographed the wrecks the 111 wheels have been pulled apart or pillaged and the turret turned The Sherman

11 1 worse losing all of its wheels and tracks Was this the Tiger that knocked out Lt Cross

tank A cab-rank of fighter bombers had been called upon to offer fire support and to find the Tigers perhaps they killed it Inset New Zealanders check out the wreck

lx PISM lx JNicholson

77

78

More Allies this time US soldiers pose in the Tiger sel il l previous pages The tank has hooks on the drivers fllltI

to hang spare track links Unlike a number of the otl1li shown it does not appear to have been disabled the 11111

its normal position and all the hatches are intact 2x 1 1

II 1111 II (I II I I iI III I 1 1 I Ibull

W d 1 snapshots of the same Tiger that has nose dived II I what we imagine is a river bed Part of the tactical

II I il iler 3 is barely visible on the turret side The liI () on the left came in a collection of photos taken I II io while the photo on the right is captioned as 111 Cecino All that remains of the loaders hatch are II hinges and the Nahverteidigungswaffe has been il l1 oved or blown out Note the extensive oil and fuel 11111 over the Panzer 2x LArcher

79

_ _~t-~

J~~Jt7 ~ ~ r bull _

~

Holy cow this Sturmgeschutz III AusfG has taken a battering in Panzerwrecks it has been looted of useful items such as the w ith at least three Allied shells penetrating the SOmm + 30mm roadwheels and return rollers The gun barrel has two kill rings armour and sheariing the bolts on the nose The vehicle had painted in white behind the muzzle brake which itself has been belonged to HStu Gesch Brig242 whose insignia is just visible rotated 90 degrees Inset Drawing of the unit insignia courtesy of on the bow armour opposite the cow Like many wrecks shown Barry Crook lx PISM lx BCrook

80

ll ll mgeschlitz 301 was destroyed off the road to Pontecorvo An explosion has bent the rails around the sides and rear of the II I ording to the caption Assuming that this is correct it would engine deck and blown apart a stowage bin A very careful look at 1 l VI belonged to HStuGeschBrig907 Concrete has been the nose armour under the gun barrel reveals the unit insignia of 111 I(~ d to the roof around the commanders cupola although it HStuGeschBrig907 The field piece is a 7middot5cm FK244 or 245(i) I dlmiddotbatable if this would have added much protection in reality Inset The unit insignia by Barry Crook 1x LArcher lx BCrook

81

--

This Panzerjager Hornisse fur 8middot8cm Pak 431 (Sfl) SdKfz164 tactical number 232 II I

2sPzJgAbt525 was knocked out by a Polish unit near Ronciteili and is shown off the road in August 1944 It was produced during or after May 1943 as it has the h reinforcement for the gun shield and lacks the interior travel lock 2x

82

00

w

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off

the

sid

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all

2x P

ISM

I ~

j1

bull

Another Hornisse tactical number 233 According to the caption it was knocked out in thoroughly demolished the walls of the fighting compartment and punched holes in t

Roncitelli by 3Szwadron lPulk Ulanow Krechowiekich (3rd Squadron 1st Krechowieski gun barrel gun slide curved armour for the recuperator and drive sprocket Note t

Lancer Regiment) In both cases flanking fire has been responsible but here it has heavier cowls for the brake cooling vents 2x PISM

84

I I

Opposite A Polish trooper stands on the drivers compartment while he poses IIlI his picture A wire mesh covers the air inlet on the side of the fighting I (I mpartment Here the hole in the gun barrel is readily apparent This page 1 lie massive 8middot8 em Pak 431 is out of battery Note the smaller details The fl oor of the fighting compartment is covered in anti -skid plate and down by ~~if~ 111( troopers knees the angle iron holding the superstructure to the hull is I tl loped thereby increasing the length of the weld bead and in turn the 11 ength of the weld

Faenza December 1944 and a SturmgeschLitz M43 mit 10525 853(i) catches the eye of a photographer This vehicle had a wider stance than the M42 mit 75L34 as well as new pointed nose armour When taken over by the Germans they installed both the 7middot5cm L34 and 10middot5cm L25 in the M43 but the 10middotScm sat much lower in the superstructure and did not have the bifurcated wings of the gimbal mount Note the horns on the drive sprocket

El ~

and the extremely low profile of this vehicle overall (Compare to the vehicle on pages - 55) Per Martin Block Besides the 26th Pz Oiv Faenza was also defended by elemeIW of the 27810 and 3050 with the latter being a bit more directly engaged Both infan t divisions fielded a mix of 75 cm M42L18 M42L34 105 cm M43L25 and BefWgM42I their PzJgKp1278 and PzJgKp1305 respectively JPlowman

88

lI btle changes have occurred since the previous picture was taken the foliage and radio antenna have been removed the dlivers visor has been closed and the vehicle has been moved a short distance with a tow rope but the vehicle remains safely 1II ltconced among the ruins of sunny Faenza along with a few of the citys inhabitants lx JPlowman lx lArcher

89

Juarez Leonardis amp DPhillips pose with a SturmgeschLitz L6 mit 4732 630(i) on 10 July for infantry support An explosion has shattered the 15mm thick side armour exposing til 1944 near Grottaferrata These diminutive vehicles had a crew of three and were designed FIAT-SPA 4 cylinder engine LArchor

90

from IPzRgt4 was abandoned near Fiuggi on 3 June 1944 because of a lack of fuel and spare parts The Panther is an AusfA with MG port instead of the MG ball mount JPlowman

91

llie Germans reacted to the Allied landings on Anzio 1111 January 22 1944 much quicker than the Allies pushed inland and only massed British and American Irtillery fires were able to check the ferocious German (ounterattacks that ensued Here two wrecked Irnther AusfAs were captured on motion picture lilm by T4 Nemeth from the 163rd Signal Photo Bn in I segment captioned simply as Wrecked Enemy and II Iied Equipment British 1st Div Front near Aprila lay Aprilia as it is spelled is approx ten miles In la nd from the coast Note the scarring on the fronts of the Panthers

Ilrese Panther As have MG ports in their bows lrId pistol ports in the turrets but have monocular Iun sights placing their manufacture sometime Iround November 1943 The periscope for the loader seems to have been blown out of the Iurret roof of the Panther in the background Only Iraces of Zimmerit coating are evident on these vehicles which would explain the lack of tactical

3x NARA lx LArcher

~

93

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

Iji ll l dll ferent soldier this time a Canadian Only a small part of the rear side and in holders above the heads ofthe driver and radio operator one was to used in the breech I 11( (iI Ida ins any Zimmerit the rest has come off The sagging torsion bars are of the gun the other was to go in the engine compartment

I Ii Iv I( (I 10 the crew setting demolition charges Two charges were carried one each

67

Was it pushed Or did it fall Either way the Eighth Army has erected a Bailey bridge over it Note the foliage wrapped around the gun barrel The photographs caption gives the location as Medicina by this time (April 1945) only the sHPzAbt504 had Tigers in Italy 4x PISM

69

middot

lIt

J t

-

-t -~

l~ lt l Il ldging by the missing engine deck cover and shredded stowage bin it looks like the crew Gill l l dl l ion charge in the engine compartment before leaving the Tiger This page It takes at i JWI flI ers to extricate the Tiger from its predicament

71

This photo taken by a Polish soldier from 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow only gives antenna base on the turret side (just next to the soldiers hand) for controlling sc a location of Gothic Line which is not very helpful It looks like this Tiger has fallen Ladungstrager and would have belonged to the 3Kompanie of sHPzAbt504 or 508 from a road bridge seen in the background and subsequently looted of its wheels and were both outfitted as Funklenk units much of its tracks The Panzer has been outfitted as a Funklenk vehicle with an extra

72

A US tanker poses next to a knocked out Tiger from sHPzAbt504 off Highway 6 near with this motion picture state that it was knocked out by a Bazooka Opposite W Giuncarico on 23 June 1944 The Tiger shows the faint traces of a tactical number 222 hit the turret blew off a sizeable amount of Zimmerit note the chunk taken out of or 223 indicating a sHPzAbtS04 vehicle An AP projectile has hit the turret rear roadwheel escape hatch and another has cracked the upper edge of the hull armour The notes

74

Two Canadians poses with a Tiger from 1sHPzAbt508 near Casa Nadiani over the river the turret the crew could get a good view of the countryside over the top of the gr Pircio The Sherman III next to it was the mount of Lt Cross of NO5 Troop 20 Armoured vines but could see no sign of the enemy When Cross left to join the infantry Regiment (New Zealand) which had been knocked out on 25 September 1944 by a number commander observing from the top story of the farmhouse someone in the crew of rounds from a Tiger that had camouflaged itself beside a house about 1200 yards away it was time to boil the billy He rotated the turret so that he could get at the rations The official history says He had parked it behind a haystack and by standing on top of evidently the movement gave away the tanks position lx LSHA lx jNichol

76

to

111 how things appeared later on when a Polish soldier photographed the wrecks the 111 wheels have been pulled apart or pillaged and the turret turned The Sherman

11 1 worse losing all of its wheels and tracks Was this the Tiger that knocked out Lt Cross

tank A cab-rank of fighter bombers had been called upon to offer fire support and to find the Tigers perhaps they killed it Inset New Zealanders check out the wreck

lx PISM lx JNicholson

77

78

More Allies this time US soldiers pose in the Tiger sel il l previous pages The tank has hooks on the drivers fllltI

to hang spare track links Unlike a number of the otl1li shown it does not appear to have been disabled the 11111

its normal position and all the hatches are intact 2x 1 1

II 1111 II (I II I I iI III I 1 1 I Ibull

W d 1 snapshots of the same Tiger that has nose dived II I what we imagine is a river bed Part of the tactical

II I il iler 3 is barely visible on the turret side The liI () on the left came in a collection of photos taken I II io while the photo on the right is captioned as 111 Cecino All that remains of the loaders hatch are II hinges and the Nahverteidigungswaffe has been il l1 oved or blown out Note the extensive oil and fuel 11111 over the Panzer 2x LArcher

79

_ _~t-~

J~~Jt7 ~ ~ r bull _

~

Holy cow this Sturmgeschutz III AusfG has taken a battering in Panzerwrecks it has been looted of useful items such as the w ith at least three Allied shells penetrating the SOmm + 30mm roadwheels and return rollers The gun barrel has two kill rings armour and sheariing the bolts on the nose The vehicle had painted in white behind the muzzle brake which itself has been belonged to HStu Gesch Brig242 whose insignia is just visible rotated 90 degrees Inset Drawing of the unit insignia courtesy of on the bow armour opposite the cow Like many wrecks shown Barry Crook lx PISM lx BCrook

80

ll ll mgeschlitz 301 was destroyed off the road to Pontecorvo An explosion has bent the rails around the sides and rear of the II I ording to the caption Assuming that this is correct it would engine deck and blown apart a stowage bin A very careful look at 1 l VI belonged to HStuGeschBrig907 Concrete has been the nose armour under the gun barrel reveals the unit insignia of 111 I(~ d to the roof around the commanders cupola although it HStuGeschBrig907 The field piece is a 7middot5cm FK244 or 245(i) I dlmiddotbatable if this would have added much protection in reality Inset The unit insignia by Barry Crook 1x LArcher lx BCrook

81

--

This Panzerjager Hornisse fur 8middot8cm Pak 431 (Sfl) SdKfz164 tactical number 232 II I

2sPzJgAbt525 was knocked out by a Polish unit near Ronciteili and is shown off the road in August 1944 It was produced during or after May 1943 as it has the h reinforcement for the gun shield and lacks the interior travel lock 2x

82

00

w

com

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me

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Another Hornisse tactical number 233 According to the caption it was knocked out in thoroughly demolished the walls of the fighting compartment and punched holes in t

Roncitelli by 3Szwadron lPulk Ulanow Krechowiekich (3rd Squadron 1st Krechowieski gun barrel gun slide curved armour for the recuperator and drive sprocket Note t

Lancer Regiment) In both cases flanking fire has been responsible but here it has heavier cowls for the brake cooling vents 2x PISM

84

I I

Opposite A Polish trooper stands on the drivers compartment while he poses IIlI his picture A wire mesh covers the air inlet on the side of the fighting I (I mpartment Here the hole in the gun barrel is readily apparent This page 1 lie massive 8middot8 em Pak 431 is out of battery Note the smaller details The fl oor of the fighting compartment is covered in anti -skid plate and down by ~~if~ 111( troopers knees the angle iron holding the superstructure to the hull is I tl loped thereby increasing the length of the weld bead and in turn the 11 ength of the weld

Faenza December 1944 and a SturmgeschLitz M43 mit 10525 853(i) catches the eye of a photographer This vehicle had a wider stance than the M42 mit 75L34 as well as new pointed nose armour When taken over by the Germans they installed both the 7middot5cm L34 and 10middot5cm L25 in the M43 but the 10middotScm sat much lower in the superstructure and did not have the bifurcated wings of the gimbal mount Note the horns on the drive sprocket

El ~

and the extremely low profile of this vehicle overall (Compare to the vehicle on pages - 55) Per Martin Block Besides the 26th Pz Oiv Faenza was also defended by elemeIW of the 27810 and 3050 with the latter being a bit more directly engaged Both infan t divisions fielded a mix of 75 cm M42L18 M42L34 105 cm M43L25 and BefWgM42I their PzJgKp1278 and PzJgKp1305 respectively JPlowman

88

lI btle changes have occurred since the previous picture was taken the foliage and radio antenna have been removed the dlivers visor has been closed and the vehicle has been moved a short distance with a tow rope but the vehicle remains safely 1II ltconced among the ruins of sunny Faenza along with a few of the citys inhabitants lx JPlowman lx lArcher

89

Juarez Leonardis amp DPhillips pose with a SturmgeschLitz L6 mit 4732 630(i) on 10 July for infantry support An explosion has shattered the 15mm thick side armour exposing til 1944 near Grottaferrata These diminutive vehicles had a crew of three and were designed FIAT-SPA 4 cylinder engine LArchor

90

from IPzRgt4 was abandoned near Fiuggi on 3 June 1944 because of a lack of fuel and spare parts The Panther is an AusfA with MG port instead of the MG ball mount JPlowman

91

llie Germans reacted to the Allied landings on Anzio 1111 January 22 1944 much quicker than the Allies pushed inland and only massed British and American Irtillery fires were able to check the ferocious German (ounterattacks that ensued Here two wrecked Irnther AusfAs were captured on motion picture lilm by T4 Nemeth from the 163rd Signal Photo Bn in I segment captioned simply as Wrecked Enemy and II Iied Equipment British 1st Div Front near Aprila lay Aprilia as it is spelled is approx ten miles In la nd from the coast Note the scarring on the fronts of the Panthers

Ilrese Panther As have MG ports in their bows lrId pistol ports in the turrets but have monocular Iun sights placing their manufacture sometime Iround November 1943 The periscope for the loader seems to have been blown out of the Iurret roof of the Panther in the background Only Iraces of Zimmerit coating are evident on these vehicles which would explain the lack of tactical

3x NARA lx LArcher

~

93

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

Was it pushed Or did it fall Either way the Eighth Army has erected a Bailey bridge over it Note the foliage wrapped around the gun barrel The photographs caption gives the location as Medicina by this time (April 1945) only the sHPzAbt504 had Tigers in Italy 4x PISM

69

middot

lIt

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-

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l~ lt l Il ldging by the missing engine deck cover and shredded stowage bin it looks like the crew Gill l l dl l ion charge in the engine compartment before leaving the Tiger This page It takes at i JWI flI ers to extricate the Tiger from its predicament

71

This photo taken by a Polish soldier from 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow only gives antenna base on the turret side (just next to the soldiers hand) for controlling sc a location of Gothic Line which is not very helpful It looks like this Tiger has fallen Ladungstrager and would have belonged to the 3Kompanie of sHPzAbt504 or 508 from a road bridge seen in the background and subsequently looted of its wheels and were both outfitted as Funklenk units much of its tracks The Panzer has been outfitted as a Funklenk vehicle with an extra

72

A US tanker poses next to a knocked out Tiger from sHPzAbt504 off Highway 6 near with this motion picture state that it was knocked out by a Bazooka Opposite W Giuncarico on 23 June 1944 The Tiger shows the faint traces of a tactical number 222 hit the turret blew off a sizeable amount of Zimmerit note the chunk taken out of or 223 indicating a sHPzAbtS04 vehicle An AP projectile has hit the turret rear roadwheel escape hatch and another has cracked the upper edge of the hull armour The notes

74

Two Canadians poses with a Tiger from 1sHPzAbt508 near Casa Nadiani over the river the turret the crew could get a good view of the countryside over the top of the gr Pircio The Sherman III next to it was the mount of Lt Cross of NO5 Troop 20 Armoured vines but could see no sign of the enemy When Cross left to join the infantry Regiment (New Zealand) which had been knocked out on 25 September 1944 by a number commander observing from the top story of the farmhouse someone in the crew of rounds from a Tiger that had camouflaged itself beside a house about 1200 yards away it was time to boil the billy He rotated the turret so that he could get at the rations The official history says He had parked it behind a haystack and by standing on top of evidently the movement gave away the tanks position lx LSHA lx jNichol

76

to

111 how things appeared later on when a Polish soldier photographed the wrecks the 111 wheels have been pulled apart or pillaged and the turret turned The Sherman

11 1 worse losing all of its wheels and tracks Was this the Tiger that knocked out Lt Cross

tank A cab-rank of fighter bombers had been called upon to offer fire support and to find the Tigers perhaps they killed it Inset New Zealanders check out the wreck

lx PISM lx JNicholson

77

78

More Allies this time US soldiers pose in the Tiger sel il l previous pages The tank has hooks on the drivers fllltI

to hang spare track links Unlike a number of the otl1li shown it does not appear to have been disabled the 11111

its normal position and all the hatches are intact 2x 1 1

II 1111 II (I II I I iI III I 1 1 I Ibull

W d 1 snapshots of the same Tiger that has nose dived II I what we imagine is a river bed Part of the tactical

II I il iler 3 is barely visible on the turret side The liI () on the left came in a collection of photos taken I II io while the photo on the right is captioned as 111 Cecino All that remains of the loaders hatch are II hinges and the Nahverteidigungswaffe has been il l1 oved or blown out Note the extensive oil and fuel 11111 over the Panzer 2x LArcher

79

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Holy cow this Sturmgeschutz III AusfG has taken a battering in Panzerwrecks it has been looted of useful items such as the w ith at least three Allied shells penetrating the SOmm + 30mm roadwheels and return rollers The gun barrel has two kill rings armour and sheariing the bolts on the nose The vehicle had painted in white behind the muzzle brake which itself has been belonged to HStu Gesch Brig242 whose insignia is just visible rotated 90 degrees Inset Drawing of the unit insignia courtesy of on the bow armour opposite the cow Like many wrecks shown Barry Crook lx PISM lx BCrook

80

ll ll mgeschlitz 301 was destroyed off the road to Pontecorvo An explosion has bent the rails around the sides and rear of the II I ording to the caption Assuming that this is correct it would engine deck and blown apart a stowage bin A very careful look at 1 l VI belonged to HStuGeschBrig907 Concrete has been the nose armour under the gun barrel reveals the unit insignia of 111 I(~ d to the roof around the commanders cupola although it HStuGeschBrig907 The field piece is a 7middot5cm FK244 or 245(i) I dlmiddotbatable if this would have added much protection in reality Inset The unit insignia by Barry Crook 1x LArcher lx BCrook

81

--

This Panzerjager Hornisse fur 8middot8cm Pak 431 (Sfl) SdKfz164 tactical number 232 II I

2sPzJgAbt525 was knocked out by a Polish unit near Ronciteili and is shown off the road in August 1944 It was produced during or after May 1943 as it has the h reinforcement for the gun shield and lacks the interior travel lock 2x

82

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Another Hornisse tactical number 233 According to the caption it was knocked out in thoroughly demolished the walls of the fighting compartment and punched holes in t

Roncitelli by 3Szwadron lPulk Ulanow Krechowiekich (3rd Squadron 1st Krechowieski gun barrel gun slide curved armour for the recuperator and drive sprocket Note t

Lancer Regiment) In both cases flanking fire has been responsible but here it has heavier cowls for the brake cooling vents 2x PISM

84

I I

Opposite A Polish trooper stands on the drivers compartment while he poses IIlI his picture A wire mesh covers the air inlet on the side of the fighting I (I mpartment Here the hole in the gun barrel is readily apparent This page 1 lie massive 8middot8 em Pak 431 is out of battery Note the smaller details The fl oor of the fighting compartment is covered in anti -skid plate and down by ~~if~ 111( troopers knees the angle iron holding the superstructure to the hull is I tl loped thereby increasing the length of the weld bead and in turn the 11 ength of the weld

Faenza December 1944 and a SturmgeschLitz M43 mit 10525 853(i) catches the eye of a photographer This vehicle had a wider stance than the M42 mit 75L34 as well as new pointed nose armour When taken over by the Germans they installed both the 7middot5cm L34 and 10middot5cm L25 in the M43 but the 10middotScm sat much lower in the superstructure and did not have the bifurcated wings of the gimbal mount Note the horns on the drive sprocket

El ~

and the extremely low profile of this vehicle overall (Compare to the vehicle on pages - 55) Per Martin Block Besides the 26th Pz Oiv Faenza was also defended by elemeIW of the 27810 and 3050 with the latter being a bit more directly engaged Both infan t divisions fielded a mix of 75 cm M42L18 M42L34 105 cm M43L25 and BefWgM42I their PzJgKp1278 and PzJgKp1305 respectively JPlowman

88

lI btle changes have occurred since the previous picture was taken the foliage and radio antenna have been removed the dlivers visor has been closed and the vehicle has been moved a short distance with a tow rope but the vehicle remains safely 1II ltconced among the ruins of sunny Faenza along with a few of the citys inhabitants lx JPlowman lx lArcher

89

Juarez Leonardis amp DPhillips pose with a SturmgeschLitz L6 mit 4732 630(i) on 10 July for infantry support An explosion has shattered the 15mm thick side armour exposing til 1944 near Grottaferrata These diminutive vehicles had a crew of three and were designed FIAT-SPA 4 cylinder engine LArchor

90

from IPzRgt4 was abandoned near Fiuggi on 3 June 1944 because of a lack of fuel and spare parts The Panther is an AusfA with MG port instead of the MG ball mount JPlowman

91

llie Germans reacted to the Allied landings on Anzio 1111 January 22 1944 much quicker than the Allies pushed inland and only massed British and American Irtillery fires were able to check the ferocious German (ounterattacks that ensued Here two wrecked Irnther AusfAs were captured on motion picture lilm by T4 Nemeth from the 163rd Signal Photo Bn in I segment captioned simply as Wrecked Enemy and II Iied Equipment British 1st Div Front near Aprila lay Aprilia as it is spelled is approx ten miles In la nd from the coast Note the scarring on the fronts of the Panthers

Ilrese Panther As have MG ports in their bows lrId pistol ports in the turrets but have monocular Iun sights placing their manufacture sometime Iround November 1943 The periscope for the loader seems to have been blown out of the Iurret roof of the Panther in the background Only Iraces of Zimmerit coating are evident on these vehicles which would explain the lack of tactical

3x NARA lx LArcher

~

93

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

middot

lIt

J t

-

-t -~

l~ lt l Il ldging by the missing engine deck cover and shredded stowage bin it looks like the crew Gill l l dl l ion charge in the engine compartment before leaving the Tiger This page It takes at i JWI flI ers to extricate the Tiger from its predicament

71

This photo taken by a Polish soldier from 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow only gives antenna base on the turret side (just next to the soldiers hand) for controlling sc a location of Gothic Line which is not very helpful It looks like this Tiger has fallen Ladungstrager and would have belonged to the 3Kompanie of sHPzAbt504 or 508 from a road bridge seen in the background and subsequently looted of its wheels and were both outfitted as Funklenk units much of its tracks The Panzer has been outfitted as a Funklenk vehicle with an extra

72

A US tanker poses next to a knocked out Tiger from sHPzAbt504 off Highway 6 near with this motion picture state that it was knocked out by a Bazooka Opposite W Giuncarico on 23 June 1944 The Tiger shows the faint traces of a tactical number 222 hit the turret blew off a sizeable amount of Zimmerit note the chunk taken out of or 223 indicating a sHPzAbtS04 vehicle An AP projectile has hit the turret rear roadwheel escape hatch and another has cracked the upper edge of the hull armour The notes

74

Two Canadians poses with a Tiger from 1sHPzAbt508 near Casa Nadiani over the river the turret the crew could get a good view of the countryside over the top of the gr Pircio The Sherman III next to it was the mount of Lt Cross of NO5 Troop 20 Armoured vines but could see no sign of the enemy When Cross left to join the infantry Regiment (New Zealand) which had been knocked out on 25 September 1944 by a number commander observing from the top story of the farmhouse someone in the crew of rounds from a Tiger that had camouflaged itself beside a house about 1200 yards away it was time to boil the billy He rotated the turret so that he could get at the rations The official history says He had parked it behind a haystack and by standing on top of evidently the movement gave away the tanks position lx LSHA lx jNichol

76

to

111 how things appeared later on when a Polish soldier photographed the wrecks the 111 wheels have been pulled apart or pillaged and the turret turned The Sherman

11 1 worse losing all of its wheels and tracks Was this the Tiger that knocked out Lt Cross

tank A cab-rank of fighter bombers had been called upon to offer fire support and to find the Tigers perhaps they killed it Inset New Zealanders check out the wreck

lx PISM lx JNicholson

77

78

More Allies this time US soldiers pose in the Tiger sel il l previous pages The tank has hooks on the drivers fllltI

to hang spare track links Unlike a number of the otl1li shown it does not appear to have been disabled the 11111

its normal position and all the hatches are intact 2x 1 1

II 1111 II (I II I I iI III I 1 1 I Ibull

W d 1 snapshots of the same Tiger that has nose dived II I what we imagine is a river bed Part of the tactical

II I il iler 3 is barely visible on the turret side The liI () on the left came in a collection of photos taken I II io while the photo on the right is captioned as 111 Cecino All that remains of the loaders hatch are II hinges and the Nahverteidigungswaffe has been il l1 oved or blown out Note the extensive oil and fuel 11111 over the Panzer 2x LArcher

79

_ _~t-~

J~~Jt7 ~ ~ r bull _

~

Holy cow this Sturmgeschutz III AusfG has taken a battering in Panzerwrecks it has been looted of useful items such as the w ith at least three Allied shells penetrating the SOmm + 30mm roadwheels and return rollers The gun barrel has two kill rings armour and sheariing the bolts on the nose The vehicle had painted in white behind the muzzle brake which itself has been belonged to HStu Gesch Brig242 whose insignia is just visible rotated 90 degrees Inset Drawing of the unit insignia courtesy of on the bow armour opposite the cow Like many wrecks shown Barry Crook lx PISM lx BCrook

80

ll ll mgeschlitz 301 was destroyed off the road to Pontecorvo An explosion has bent the rails around the sides and rear of the II I ording to the caption Assuming that this is correct it would engine deck and blown apart a stowage bin A very careful look at 1 l VI belonged to HStuGeschBrig907 Concrete has been the nose armour under the gun barrel reveals the unit insignia of 111 I(~ d to the roof around the commanders cupola although it HStuGeschBrig907 The field piece is a 7middot5cm FK244 or 245(i) I dlmiddotbatable if this would have added much protection in reality Inset The unit insignia by Barry Crook 1x LArcher lx BCrook

81

--

This Panzerjager Hornisse fur 8middot8cm Pak 431 (Sfl) SdKfz164 tactical number 232 II I

2sPzJgAbt525 was knocked out by a Polish unit near Ronciteili and is shown off the road in August 1944 It was produced during or after May 1943 as it has the h reinforcement for the gun shield and lacks the interior travel lock 2x

82

00

w

com

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me

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ition

s W

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t ap

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onal

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on

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e

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iro

n t

rim

po

pp

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off

the

sid

e w

all

2x P

ISM

I ~

j1

bull

Another Hornisse tactical number 233 According to the caption it was knocked out in thoroughly demolished the walls of the fighting compartment and punched holes in t

Roncitelli by 3Szwadron lPulk Ulanow Krechowiekich (3rd Squadron 1st Krechowieski gun barrel gun slide curved armour for the recuperator and drive sprocket Note t

Lancer Regiment) In both cases flanking fire has been responsible but here it has heavier cowls for the brake cooling vents 2x PISM

84

I I

Opposite A Polish trooper stands on the drivers compartment while he poses IIlI his picture A wire mesh covers the air inlet on the side of the fighting I (I mpartment Here the hole in the gun barrel is readily apparent This page 1 lie massive 8middot8 em Pak 431 is out of battery Note the smaller details The fl oor of the fighting compartment is covered in anti -skid plate and down by ~~if~ 111( troopers knees the angle iron holding the superstructure to the hull is I tl loped thereby increasing the length of the weld bead and in turn the 11 ength of the weld

Faenza December 1944 and a SturmgeschLitz M43 mit 10525 853(i) catches the eye of a photographer This vehicle had a wider stance than the M42 mit 75L34 as well as new pointed nose armour When taken over by the Germans they installed both the 7middot5cm L34 and 10middot5cm L25 in the M43 but the 10middotScm sat much lower in the superstructure and did not have the bifurcated wings of the gimbal mount Note the horns on the drive sprocket

El ~

and the extremely low profile of this vehicle overall (Compare to the vehicle on pages - 55) Per Martin Block Besides the 26th Pz Oiv Faenza was also defended by elemeIW of the 27810 and 3050 with the latter being a bit more directly engaged Both infan t divisions fielded a mix of 75 cm M42L18 M42L34 105 cm M43L25 and BefWgM42I their PzJgKp1278 and PzJgKp1305 respectively JPlowman

88

lI btle changes have occurred since the previous picture was taken the foliage and radio antenna have been removed the dlivers visor has been closed and the vehicle has been moved a short distance with a tow rope but the vehicle remains safely 1II ltconced among the ruins of sunny Faenza along with a few of the citys inhabitants lx JPlowman lx lArcher

89

Juarez Leonardis amp DPhillips pose with a SturmgeschLitz L6 mit 4732 630(i) on 10 July for infantry support An explosion has shattered the 15mm thick side armour exposing til 1944 near Grottaferrata These diminutive vehicles had a crew of three and were designed FIAT-SPA 4 cylinder engine LArchor

90

from IPzRgt4 was abandoned near Fiuggi on 3 June 1944 because of a lack of fuel and spare parts The Panther is an AusfA with MG port instead of the MG ball mount JPlowman

91

llie Germans reacted to the Allied landings on Anzio 1111 January 22 1944 much quicker than the Allies pushed inland and only massed British and American Irtillery fires were able to check the ferocious German (ounterattacks that ensued Here two wrecked Irnther AusfAs were captured on motion picture lilm by T4 Nemeth from the 163rd Signal Photo Bn in I segment captioned simply as Wrecked Enemy and II Iied Equipment British 1st Div Front near Aprila lay Aprilia as it is spelled is approx ten miles In la nd from the coast Note the scarring on the fronts of the Panthers

Ilrese Panther As have MG ports in their bows lrId pistol ports in the turrets but have monocular Iun sights placing their manufacture sometime Iround November 1943 The periscope for the loader seems to have been blown out of the Iurret roof of the Panther in the background Only Iraces of Zimmerit coating are evident on these vehicles which would explain the lack of tactical

3x NARA lx LArcher

~

93

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

l~ lt l Il ldging by the missing engine deck cover and shredded stowage bin it looks like the crew Gill l l dl l ion charge in the engine compartment before leaving the Tiger This page It takes at i JWI flI ers to extricate the Tiger from its predicament

71

This photo taken by a Polish soldier from 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow only gives antenna base on the turret side (just next to the soldiers hand) for controlling sc a location of Gothic Line which is not very helpful It looks like this Tiger has fallen Ladungstrager and would have belonged to the 3Kompanie of sHPzAbt504 or 508 from a road bridge seen in the background and subsequently looted of its wheels and were both outfitted as Funklenk units much of its tracks The Panzer has been outfitted as a Funklenk vehicle with an extra

72

A US tanker poses next to a knocked out Tiger from sHPzAbt504 off Highway 6 near with this motion picture state that it was knocked out by a Bazooka Opposite W Giuncarico on 23 June 1944 The Tiger shows the faint traces of a tactical number 222 hit the turret blew off a sizeable amount of Zimmerit note the chunk taken out of or 223 indicating a sHPzAbtS04 vehicle An AP projectile has hit the turret rear roadwheel escape hatch and another has cracked the upper edge of the hull armour The notes

74

Two Canadians poses with a Tiger from 1sHPzAbt508 near Casa Nadiani over the river the turret the crew could get a good view of the countryside over the top of the gr Pircio The Sherman III next to it was the mount of Lt Cross of NO5 Troop 20 Armoured vines but could see no sign of the enemy When Cross left to join the infantry Regiment (New Zealand) which had been knocked out on 25 September 1944 by a number commander observing from the top story of the farmhouse someone in the crew of rounds from a Tiger that had camouflaged itself beside a house about 1200 yards away it was time to boil the billy He rotated the turret so that he could get at the rations The official history says He had parked it behind a haystack and by standing on top of evidently the movement gave away the tanks position lx LSHA lx jNichol

76

to

111 how things appeared later on when a Polish soldier photographed the wrecks the 111 wheels have been pulled apart or pillaged and the turret turned The Sherman

11 1 worse losing all of its wheels and tracks Was this the Tiger that knocked out Lt Cross

tank A cab-rank of fighter bombers had been called upon to offer fire support and to find the Tigers perhaps they killed it Inset New Zealanders check out the wreck

lx PISM lx JNicholson

77

78

More Allies this time US soldiers pose in the Tiger sel il l previous pages The tank has hooks on the drivers fllltI

to hang spare track links Unlike a number of the otl1li shown it does not appear to have been disabled the 11111

its normal position and all the hatches are intact 2x 1 1

II 1111 II (I II I I iI III I 1 1 I Ibull

W d 1 snapshots of the same Tiger that has nose dived II I what we imagine is a river bed Part of the tactical

II I il iler 3 is barely visible on the turret side The liI () on the left came in a collection of photos taken I II io while the photo on the right is captioned as 111 Cecino All that remains of the loaders hatch are II hinges and the Nahverteidigungswaffe has been il l1 oved or blown out Note the extensive oil and fuel 11111 over the Panzer 2x LArcher

79

_ _~t-~

J~~Jt7 ~ ~ r bull _

~

Holy cow this Sturmgeschutz III AusfG has taken a battering in Panzerwrecks it has been looted of useful items such as the w ith at least three Allied shells penetrating the SOmm + 30mm roadwheels and return rollers The gun barrel has two kill rings armour and sheariing the bolts on the nose The vehicle had painted in white behind the muzzle brake which itself has been belonged to HStu Gesch Brig242 whose insignia is just visible rotated 90 degrees Inset Drawing of the unit insignia courtesy of on the bow armour opposite the cow Like many wrecks shown Barry Crook lx PISM lx BCrook

80

ll ll mgeschlitz 301 was destroyed off the road to Pontecorvo An explosion has bent the rails around the sides and rear of the II I ording to the caption Assuming that this is correct it would engine deck and blown apart a stowage bin A very careful look at 1 l VI belonged to HStuGeschBrig907 Concrete has been the nose armour under the gun barrel reveals the unit insignia of 111 I(~ d to the roof around the commanders cupola although it HStuGeschBrig907 The field piece is a 7middot5cm FK244 or 245(i) I dlmiddotbatable if this would have added much protection in reality Inset The unit insignia by Barry Crook 1x LArcher lx BCrook

81

--

This Panzerjager Hornisse fur 8middot8cm Pak 431 (Sfl) SdKfz164 tactical number 232 II I

2sPzJgAbt525 was knocked out by a Polish unit near Ronciteili and is shown off the road in August 1944 It was produced during or after May 1943 as it has the h reinforcement for the gun shield and lacks the interior travel lock 2x

82

00

w

com

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Another Hornisse tactical number 233 According to the caption it was knocked out in thoroughly demolished the walls of the fighting compartment and punched holes in t

Roncitelli by 3Szwadron lPulk Ulanow Krechowiekich (3rd Squadron 1st Krechowieski gun barrel gun slide curved armour for the recuperator and drive sprocket Note t

Lancer Regiment) In both cases flanking fire has been responsible but here it has heavier cowls for the brake cooling vents 2x PISM

84

I I

Opposite A Polish trooper stands on the drivers compartment while he poses IIlI his picture A wire mesh covers the air inlet on the side of the fighting I (I mpartment Here the hole in the gun barrel is readily apparent This page 1 lie massive 8middot8 em Pak 431 is out of battery Note the smaller details The fl oor of the fighting compartment is covered in anti -skid plate and down by ~~if~ 111( troopers knees the angle iron holding the superstructure to the hull is I tl loped thereby increasing the length of the weld bead and in turn the 11 ength of the weld

Faenza December 1944 and a SturmgeschLitz M43 mit 10525 853(i) catches the eye of a photographer This vehicle had a wider stance than the M42 mit 75L34 as well as new pointed nose armour When taken over by the Germans they installed both the 7middot5cm L34 and 10middot5cm L25 in the M43 but the 10middotScm sat much lower in the superstructure and did not have the bifurcated wings of the gimbal mount Note the horns on the drive sprocket

El ~

and the extremely low profile of this vehicle overall (Compare to the vehicle on pages - 55) Per Martin Block Besides the 26th Pz Oiv Faenza was also defended by elemeIW of the 27810 and 3050 with the latter being a bit more directly engaged Both infan t divisions fielded a mix of 75 cm M42L18 M42L34 105 cm M43L25 and BefWgM42I their PzJgKp1278 and PzJgKp1305 respectively JPlowman

88

lI btle changes have occurred since the previous picture was taken the foliage and radio antenna have been removed the dlivers visor has been closed and the vehicle has been moved a short distance with a tow rope but the vehicle remains safely 1II ltconced among the ruins of sunny Faenza along with a few of the citys inhabitants lx JPlowman lx lArcher

89

Juarez Leonardis amp DPhillips pose with a SturmgeschLitz L6 mit 4732 630(i) on 10 July for infantry support An explosion has shattered the 15mm thick side armour exposing til 1944 near Grottaferrata These diminutive vehicles had a crew of three and were designed FIAT-SPA 4 cylinder engine LArchor

90

from IPzRgt4 was abandoned near Fiuggi on 3 June 1944 because of a lack of fuel and spare parts The Panther is an AusfA with MG port instead of the MG ball mount JPlowman

91

llie Germans reacted to the Allied landings on Anzio 1111 January 22 1944 much quicker than the Allies pushed inland and only massed British and American Irtillery fires were able to check the ferocious German (ounterattacks that ensued Here two wrecked Irnther AusfAs were captured on motion picture lilm by T4 Nemeth from the 163rd Signal Photo Bn in I segment captioned simply as Wrecked Enemy and II Iied Equipment British 1st Div Front near Aprila lay Aprilia as it is spelled is approx ten miles In la nd from the coast Note the scarring on the fronts of the Panthers

Ilrese Panther As have MG ports in their bows lrId pistol ports in the turrets but have monocular Iun sights placing their manufacture sometime Iround November 1943 The periscope for the loader seems to have been blown out of the Iurret roof of the Panther in the background Only Iraces of Zimmerit coating are evident on these vehicles which would explain the lack of tactical

3x NARA lx LArcher

~

93

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

This photo taken by a Polish soldier from 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow only gives antenna base on the turret side (just next to the soldiers hand) for controlling sc a location of Gothic Line which is not very helpful It looks like this Tiger has fallen Ladungstrager and would have belonged to the 3Kompanie of sHPzAbt504 or 508 from a road bridge seen in the background and subsequently looted of its wheels and were both outfitted as Funklenk units much of its tracks The Panzer has been outfitted as a Funklenk vehicle with an extra

72

A US tanker poses next to a knocked out Tiger from sHPzAbt504 off Highway 6 near with this motion picture state that it was knocked out by a Bazooka Opposite W Giuncarico on 23 June 1944 The Tiger shows the faint traces of a tactical number 222 hit the turret blew off a sizeable amount of Zimmerit note the chunk taken out of or 223 indicating a sHPzAbtS04 vehicle An AP projectile has hit the turret rear roadwheel escape hatch and another has cracked the upper edge of the hull armour The notes

74

Two Canadians poses with a Tiger from 1sHPzAbt508 near Casa Nadiani over the river the turret the crew could get a good view of the countryside over the top of the gr Pircio The Sherman III next to it was the mount of Lt Cross of NO5 Troop 20 Armoured vines but could see no sign of the enemy When Cross left to join the infantry Regiment (New Zealand) which had been knocked out on 25 September 1944 by a number commander observing from the top story of the farmhouse someone in the crew of rounds from a Tiger that had camouflaged itself beside a house about 1200 yards away it was time to boil the billy He rotated the turret so that he could get at the rations The official history says He had parked it behind a haystack and by standing on top of evidently the movement gave away the tanks position lx LSHA lx jNichol

76

to

111 how things appeared later on when a Polish soldier photographed the wrecks the 111 wheels have been pulled apart or pillaged and the turret turned The Sherman

11 1 worse losing all of its wheels and tracks Was this the Tiger that knocked out Lt Cross

tank A cab-rank of fighter bombers had been called upon to offer fire support and to find the Tigers perhaps they killed it Inset New Zealanders check out the wreck

lx PISM lx JNicholson

77

78

More Allies this time US soldiers pose in the Tiger sel il l previous pages The tank has hooks on the drivers fllltI

to hang spare track links Unlike a number of the otl1li shown it does not appear to have been disabled the 11111

its normal position and all the hatches are intact 2x 1 1

II 1111 II (I II I I iI III I 1 1 I Ibull

W d 1 snapshots of the same Tiger that has nose dived II I what we imagine is a river bed Part of the tactical

II I il iler 3 is barely visible on the turret side The liI () on the left came in a collection of photos taken I II io while the photo on the right is captioned as 111 Cecino All that remains of the loaders hatch are II hinges and the Nahverteidigungswaffe has been il l1 oved or blown out Note the extensive oil and fuel 11111 over the Panzer 2x LArcher

79

_ _~t-~

J~~Jt7 ~ ~ r bull _

~

Holy cow this Sturmgeschutz III AusfG has taken a battering in Panzerwrecks it has been looted of useful items such as the w ith at least three Allied shells penetrating the SOmm + 30mm roadwheels and return rollers The gun barrel has two kill rings armour and sheariing the bolts on the nose The vehicle had painted in white behind the muzzle brake which itself has been belonged to HStu Gesch Brig242 whose insignia is just visible rotated 90 degrees Inset Drawing of the unit insignia courtesy of on the bow armour opposite the cow Like many wrecks shown Barry Crook lx PISM lx BCrook

80

ll ll mgeschlitz 301 was destroyed off the road to Pontecorvo An explosion has bent the rails around the sides and rear of the II I ording to the caption Assuming that this is correct it would engine deck and blown apart a stowage bin A very careful look at 1 l VI belonged to HStuGeschBrig907 Concrete has been the nose armour under the gun barrel reveals the unit insignia of 111 I(~ d to the roof around the commanders cupola although it HStuGeschBrig907 The field piece is a 7middot5cm FK244 or 245(i) I dlmiddotbatable if this would have added much protection in reality Inset The unit insignia by Barry Crook 1x LArcher lx BCrook

81

--

This Panzerjager Hornisse fur 8middot8cm Pak 431 (Sfl) SdKfz164 tactical number 232 II I

2sPzJgAbt525 was knocked out by a Polish unit near Ronciteili and is shown off the road in August 1944 It was produced during or after May 1943 as it has the h reinforcement for the gun shield and lacks the interior travel lock 2x

82

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ISM

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Another Hornisse tactical number 233 According to the caption it was knocked out in thoroughly demolished the walls of the fighting compartment and punched holes in t

Roncitelli by 3Szwadron lPulk Ulanow Krechowiekich (3rd Squadron 1st Krechowieski gun barrel gun slide curved armour for the recuperator and drive sprocket Note t

Lancer Regiment) In both cases flanking fire has been responsible but here it has heavier cowls for the brake cooling vents 2x PISM

84

I I

Opposite A Polish trooper stands on the drivers compartment while he poses IIlI his picture A wire mesh covers the air inlet on the side of the fighting I (I mpartment Here the hole in the gun barrel is readily apparent This page 1 lie massive 8middot8 em Pak 431 is out of battery Note the smaller details The fl oor of the fighting compartment is covered in anti -skid plate and down by ~~if~ 111( troopers knees the angle iron holding the superstructure to the hull is I tl loped thereby increasing the length of the weld bead and in turn the 11 ength of the weld

Faenza December 1944 and a SturmgeschLitz M43 mit 10525 853(i) catches the eye of a photographer This vehicle had a wider stance than the M42 mit 75L34 as well as new pointed nose armour When taken over by the Germans they installed both the 7middot5cm L34 and 10middot5cm L25 in the M43 but the 10middotScm sat much lower in the superstructure and did not have the bifurcated wings of the gimbal mount Note the horns on the drive sprocket

El ~

and the extremely low profile of this vehicle overall (Compare to the vehicle on pages - 55) Per Martin Block Besides the 26th Pz Oiv Faenza was also defended by elemeIW of the 27810 and 3050 with the latter being a bit more directly engaged Both infan t divisions fielded a mix of 75 cm M42L18 M42L34 105 cm M43L25 and BefWgM42I their PzJgKp1278 and PzJgKp1305 respectively JPlowman

88

lI btle changes have occurred since the previous picture was taken the foliage and radio antenna have been removed the dlivers visor has been closed and the vehicle has been moved a short distance with a tow rope but the vehicle remains safely 1II ltconced among the ruins of sunny Faenza along with a few of the citys inhabitants lx JPlowman lx lArcher

89

Juarez Leonardis amp DPhillips pose with a SturmgeschLitz L6 mit 4732 630(i) on 10 July for infantry support An explosion has shattered the 15mm thick side armour exposing til 1944 near Grottaferrata These diminutive vehicles had a crew of three and were designed FIAT-SPA 4 cylinder engine LArchor

90

from IPzRgt4 was abandoned near Fiuggi on 3 June 1944 because of a lack of fuel and spare parts The Panther is an AusfA with MG port instead of the MG ball mount JPlowman

91

llie Germans reacted to the Allied landings on Anzio 1111 January 22 1944 much quicker than the Allies pushed inland and only massed British and American Irtillery fires were able to check the ferocious German (ounterattacks that ensued Here two wrecked Irnther AusfAs were captured on motion picture lilm by T4 Nemeth from the 163rd Signal Photo Bn in I segment captioned simply as Wrecked Enemy and II Iied Equipment British 1st Div Front near Aprila lay Aprilia as it is spelled is approx ten miles In la nd from the coast Note the scarring on the fronts of the Panthers

Ilrese Panther As have MG ports in their bows lrId pistol ports in the turrets but have monocular Iun sights placing their manufacture sometime Iround November 1943 The periscope for the loader seems to have been blown out of the Iurret roof of the Panther in the background Only Iraces of Zimmerit coating are evident on these vehicles which would explain the lack of tactical

3x NARA lx LArcher

~

93

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

A US tanker poses next to a knocked out Tiger from sHPzAbt504 off Highway 6 near with this motion picture state that it was knocked out by a Bazooka Opposite W Giuncarico on 23 June 1944 The Tiger shows the faint traces of a tactical number 222 hit the turret blew off a sizeable amount of Zimmerit note the chunk taken out of or 223 indicating a sHPzAbtS04 vehicle An AP projectile has hit the turret rear roadwheel escape hatch and another has cracked the upper edge of the hull armour The notes

74

Two Canadians poses with a Tiger from 1sHPzAbt508 near Casa Nadiani over the river the turret the crew could get a good view of the countryside over the top of the gr Pircio The Sherman III next to it was the mount of Lt Cross of NO5 Troop 20 Armoured vines but could see no sign of the enemy When Cross left to join the infantry Regiment (New Zealand) which had been knocked out on 25 September 1944 by a number commander observing from the top story of the farmhouse someone in the crew of rounds from a Tiger that had camouflaged itself beside a house about 1200 yards away it was time to boil the billy He rotated the turret so that he could get at the rations The official history says He had parked it behind a haystack and by standing on top of evidently the movement gave away the tanks position lx LSHA lx jNichol

76

to

111 how things appeared later on when a Polish soldier photographed the wrecks the 111 wheels have been pulled apart or pillaged and the turret turned The Sherman

11 1 worse losing all of its wheels and tracks Was this the Tiger that knocked out Lt Cross

tank A cab-rank of fighter bombers had been called upon to offer fire support and to find the Tigers perhaps they killed it Inset New Zealanders check out the wreck

lx PISM lx JNicholson

77

78

More Allies this time US soldiers pose in the Tiger sel il l previous pages The tank has hooks on the drivers fllltI

to hang spare track links Unlike a number of the otl1li shown it does not appear to have been disabled the 11111

its normal position and all the hatches are intact 2x 1 1

II 1111 II (I II I I iI III I 1 1 I Ibull

W d 1 snapshots of the same Tiger that has nose dived II I what we imagine is a river bed Part of the tactical

II I il iler 3 is barely visible on the turret side The liI () on the left came in a collection of photos taken I II io while the photo on the right is captioned as 111 Cecino All that remains of the loaders hatch are II hinges and the Nahverteidigungswaffe has been il l1 oved or blown out Note the extensive oil and fuel 11111 over the Panzer 2x LArcher

79

_ _~t-~

J~~Jt7 ~ ~ r bull _

~

Holy cow this Sturmgeschutz III AusfG has taken a battering in Panzerwrecks it has been looted of useful items such as the w ith at least three Allied shells penetrating the SOmm + 30mm roadwheels and return rollers The gun barrel has two kill rings armour and sheariing the bolts on the nose The vehicle had painted in white behind the muzzle brake which itself has been belonged to HStu Gesch Brig242 whose insignia is just visible rotated 90 degrees Inset Drawing of the unit insignia courtesy of on the bow armour opposite the cow Like many wrecks shown Barry Crook lx PISM lx BCrook

80

ll ll mgeschlitz 301 was destroyed off the road to Pontecorvo An explosion has bent the rails around the sides and rear of the II I ording to the caption Assuming that this is correct it would engine deck and blown apart a stowage bin A very careful look at 1 l VI belonged to HStuGeschBrig907 Concrete has been the nose armour under the gun barrel reveals the unit insignia of 111 I(~ d to the roof around the commanders cupola although it HStuGeschBrig907 The field piece is a 7middot5cm FK244 or 245(i) I dlmiddotbatable if this would have added much protection in reality Inset The unit insignia by Barry Crook 1x LArcher lx BCrook

81

--

This Panzerjager Hornisse fur 8middot8cm Pak 431 (Sfl) SdKfz164 tactical number 232 II I

2sPzJgAbt525 was knocked out by a Polish unit near Ronciteili and is shown off the road in August 1944 It was produced during or after May 1943 as it has the h reinforcement for the gun shield and lacks the interior travel lock 2x

82

00

w

com

pa rt

me

nt a

ffo

rdin

g g

OO

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Ir

~ C

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_

op

era

tin

g f

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pre

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ition

s W

ha

t ap

pear

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diag

onal

bra

cing

on

th

e

left

sid

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ua

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ngle

iro

n t

rim

po

pp

ed

off

the

sid

e w

all

2x P

ISM

I ~

j1

bull

Another Hornisse tactical number 233 According to the caption it was knocked out in thoroughly demolished the walls of the fighting compartment and punched holes in t

Roncitelli by 3Szwadron lPulk Ulanow Krechowiekich (3rd Squadron 1st Krechowieski gun barrel gun slide curved armour for the recuperator and drive sprocket Note t

Lancer Regiment) In both cases flanking fire has been responsible but here it has heavier cowls for the brake cooling vents 2x PISM

84

I I

Opposite A Polish trooper stands on the drivers compartment while he poses IIlI his picture A wire mesh covers the air inlet on the side of the fighting I (I mpartment Here the hole in the gun barrel is readily apparent This page 1 lie massive 8middot8 em Pak 431 is out of battery Note the smaller details The fl oor of the fighting compartment is covered in anti -skid plate and down by ~~if~ 111( troopers knees the angle iron holding the superstructure to the hull is I tl loped thereby increasing the length of the weld bead and in turn the 11 ength of the weld

Faenza December 1944 and a SturmgeschLitz M43 mit 10525 853(i) catches the eye of a photographer This vehicle had a wider stance than the M42 mit 75L34 as well as new pointed nose armour When taken over by the Germans they installed both the 7middot5cm L34 and 10middot5cm L25 in the M43 but the 10middotScm sat much lower in the superstructure and did not have the bifurcated wings of the gimbal mount Note the horns on the drive sprocket

El ~

and the extremely low profile of this vehicle overall (Compare to the vehicle on pages - 55) Per Martin Block Besides the 26th Pz Oiv Faenza was also defended by elemeIW of the 27810 and 3050 with the latter being a bit more directly engaged Both infan t divisions fielded a mix of 75 cm M42L18 M42L34 105 cm M43L25 and BefWgM42I their PzJgKp1278 and PzJgKp1305 respectively JPlowman

88

lI btle changes have occurred since the previous picture was taken the foliage and radio antenna have been removed the dlivers visor has been closed and the vehicle has been moved a short distance with a tow rope but the vehicle remains safely 1II ltconced among the ruins of sunny Faenza along with a few of the citys inhabitants lx JPlowman lx lArcher

89

Juarez Leonardis amp DPhillips pose with a SturmgeschLitz L6 mit 4732 630(i) on 10 July for infantry support An explosion has shattered the 15mm thick side armour exposing til 1944 near Grottaferrata These diminutive vehicles had a crew of three and were designed FIAT-SPA 4 cylinder engine LArchor

90

from IPzRgt4 was abandoned near Fiuggi on 3 June 1944 because of a lack of fuel and spare parts The Panther is an AusfA with MG port instead of the MG ball mount JPlowman

91

llie Germans reacted to the Allied landings on Anzio 1111 January 22 1944 much quicker than the Allies pushed inland and only massed British and American Irtillery fires were able to check the ferocious German (ounterattacks that ensued Here two wrecked Irnther AusfAs were captured on motion picture lilm by T4 Nemeth from the 163rd Signal Photo Bn in I segment captioned simply as Wrecked Enemy and II Iied Equipment British 1st Div Front near Aprila lay Aprilia as it is spelled is approx ten miles In la nd from the coast Note the scarring on the fronts of the Panthers

Ilrese Panther As have MG ports in their bows lrId pistol ports in the turrets but have monocular Iun sights placing their manufacture sometime Iround November 1943 The periscope for the loader seems to have been blown out of the Iurret roof of the Panther in the background Only Iraces of Zimmerit coating are evident on these vehicles which would explain the lack of tactical

3x NARA lx LArcher

~

93

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

Two Canadians poses with a Tiger from 1sHPzAbt508 near Casa Nadiani over the river the turret the crew could get a good view of the countryside over the top of the gr Pircio The Sherman III next to it was the mount of Lt Cross of NO5 Troop 20 Armoured vines but could see no sign of the enemy When Cross left to join the infantry Regiment (New Zealand) which had been knocked out on 25 September 1944 by a number commander observing from the top story of the farmhouse someone in the crew of rounds from a Tiger that had camouflaged itself beside a house about 1200 yards away it was time to boil the billy He rotated the turret so that he could get at the rations The official history says He had parked it behind a haystack and by standing on top of evidently the movement gave away the tanks position lx LSHA lx jNichol

76

to

111 how things appeared later on when a Polish soldier photographed the wrecks the 111 wheels have been pulled apart or pillaged and the turret turned The Sherman

11 1 worse losing all of its wheels and tracks Was this the Tiger that knocked out Lt Cross

tank A cab-rank of fighter bombers had been called upon to offer fire support and to find the Tigers perhaps they killed it Inset New Zealanders check out the wreck

lx PISM lx JNicholson

77

78

More Allies this time US soldiers pose in the Tiger sel il l previous pages The tank has hooks on the drivers fllltI

to hang spare track links Unlike a number of the otl1li shown it does not appear to have been disabled the 11111

its normal position and all the hatches are intact 2x 1 1

II 1111 II (I II I I iI III I 1 1 I Ibull

W d 1 snapshots of the same Tiger that has nose dived II I what we imagine is a river bed Part of the tactical

II I il iler 3 is barely visible on the turret side The liI () on the left came in a collection of photos taken I II io while the photo on the right is captioned as 111 Cecino All that remains of the loaders hatch are II hinges and the Nahverteidigungswaffe has been il l1 oved or blown out Note the extensive oil and fuel 11111 over the Panzer 2x LArcher

79

_ _~t-~

J~~Jt7 ~ ~ r bull _

~

Holy cow this Sturmgeschutz III AusfG has taken a battering in Panzerwrecks it has been looted of useful items such as the w ith at least three Allied shells penetrating the SOmm + 30mm roadwheels and return rollers The gun barrel has two kill rings armour and sheariing the bolts on the nose The vehicle had painted in white behind the muzzle brake which itself has been belonged to HStu Gesch Brig242 whose insignia is just visible rotated 90 degrees Inset Drawing of the unit insignia courtesy of on the bow armour opposite the cow Like many wrecks shown Barry Crook lx PISM lx BCrook

80

ll ll mgeschlitz 301 was destroyed off the road to Pontecorvo An explosion has bent the rails around the sides and rear of the II I ording to the caption Assuming that this is correct it would engine deck and blown apart a stowage bin A very careful look at 1 l VI belonged to HStuGeschBrig907 Concrete has been the nose armour under the gun barrel reveals the unit insignia of 111 I(~ d to the roof around the commanders cupola although it HStuGeschBrig907 The field piece is a 7middot5cm FK244 or 245(i) I dlmiddotbatable if this would have added much protection in reality Inset The unit insignia by Barry Crook 1x LArcher lx BCrook

81

--

This Panzerjager Hornisse fur 8middot8cm Pak 431 (Sfl) SdKfz164 tactical number 232 II I

2sPzJgAbt525 was knocked out by a Polish unit near Ronciteili and is shown off the road in August 1944 It was produced during or after May 1943 as it has the h reinforcement for the gun shield and lacks the interior travel lock 2x

82

00

w

com

pa rt

me

nt a

ffo

rdin

g g

OO

d V

ISIP

IIIl

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ao

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~ C

-

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tin

g f

rom

pre

pa

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pos

ition

s W

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t ap

pear

s to

be

diag

onal

bra

cing

on

th

e

left

sid

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act

ua

lly a

ngle

iro

n t

rim

po

pp

ed

off

the

sid

e w

all

2x P

ISM

I ~

j1

bull

Another Hornisse tactical number 233 According to the caption it was knocked out in thoroughly demolished the walls of the fighting compartment and punched holes in t

Roncitelli by 3Szwadron lPulk Ulanow Krechowiekich (3rd Squadron 1st Krechowieski gun barrel gun slide curved armour for the recuperator and drive sprocket Note t

Lancer Regiment) In both cases flanking fire has been responsible but here it has heavier cowls for the brake cooling vents 2x PISM

84

I I

Opposite A Polish trooper stands on the drivers compartment while he poses IIlI his picture A wire mesh covers the air inlet on the side of the fighting I (I mpartment Here the hole in the gun barrel is readily apparent This page 1 lie massive 8middot8 em Pak 431 is out of battery Note the smaller details The fl oor of the fighting compartment is covered in anti -skid plate and down by ~~if~ 111( troopers knees the angle iron holding the superstructure to the hull is I tl loped thereby increasing the length of the weld bead and in turn the 11 ength of the weld

Faenza December 1944 and a SturmgeschLitz M43 mit 10525 853(i) catches the eye of a photographer This vehicle had a wider stance than the M42 mit 75L34 as well as new pointed nose armour When taken over by the Germans they installed both the 7middot5cm L34 and 10middot5cm L25 in the M43 but the 10middotScm sat much lower in the superstructure and did not have the bifurcated wings of the gimbal mount Note the horns on the drive sprocket

El ~

and the extremely low profile of this vehicle overall (Compare to the vehicle on pages - 55) Per Martin Block Besides the 26th Pz Oiv Faenza was also defended by elemeIW of the 27810 and 3050 with the latter being a bit more directly engaged Both infan t divisions fielded a mix of 75 cm M42L18 M42L34 105 cm M43L25 and BefWgM42I their PzJgKp1278 and PzJgKp1305 respectively JPlowman

88

lI btle changes have occurred since the previous picture was taken the foliage and radio antenna have been removed the dlivers visor has been closed and the vehicle has been moved a short distance with a tow rope but the vehicle remains safely 1II ltconced among the ruins of sunny Faenza along with a few of the citys inhabitants lx JPlowman lx lArcher

89

Juarez Leonardis amp DPhillips pose with a SturmgeschLitz L6 mit 4732 630(i) on 10 July for infantry support An explosion has shattered the 15mm thick side armour exposing til 1944 near Grottaferrata These diminutive vehicles had a crew of three and were designed FIAT-SPA 4 cylinder engine LArchor

90

from IPzRgt4 was abandoned near Fiuggi on 3 June 1944 because of a lack of fuel and spare parts The Panther is an AusfA with MG port instead of the MG ball mount JPlowman

91

llie Germans reacted to the Allied landings on Anzio 1111 January 22 1944 much quicker than the Allies pushed inland and only massed British and American Irtillery fires were able to check the ferocious German (ounterattacks that ensued Here two wrecked Irnther AusfAs were captured on motion picture lilm by T4 Nemeth from the 163rd Signal Photo Bn in I segment captioned simply as Wrecked Enemy and II Iied Equipment British 1st Div Front near Aprila lay Aprilia as it is spelled is approx ten miles In la nd from the coast Note the scarring on the fronts of the Panthers

Ilrese Panther As have MG ports in their bows lrId pistol ports in the turrets but have monocular Iun sights placing their manufacture sometime Iround November 1943 The periscope for the loader seems to have been blown out of the Iurret roof of the Panther in the background Only Iraces of Zimmerit coating are evident on these vehicles which would explain the lack of tactical

3x NARA lx LArcher

~

93

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

to

111 how things appeared later on when a Polish soldier photographed the wrecks the 111 wheels have been pulled apart or pillaged and the turret turned The Sherman

11 1 worse losing all of its wheels and tracks Was this the Tiger that knocked out Lt Cross

tank A cab-rank of fighter bombers had been called upon to offer fire support and to find the Tigers perhaps they killed it Inset New Zealanders check out the wreck

lx PISM lx JNicholson

77

78

More Allies this time US soldiers pose in the Tiger sel il l previous pages The tank has hooks on the drivers fllltI

to hang spare track links Unlike a number of the otl1li shown it does not appear to have been disabled the 11111

its normal position and all the hatches are intact 2x 1 1

II 1111 II (I II I I iI III I 1 1 I Ibull

W d 1 snapshots of the same Tiger that has nose dived II I what we imagine is a river bed Part of the tactical

II I il iler 3 is barely visible on the turret side The liI () on the left came in a collection of photos taken I II io while the photo on the right is captioned as 111 Cecino All that remains of the loaders hatch are II hinges and the Nahverteidigungswaffe has been il l1 oved or blown out Note the extensive oil and fuel 11111 over the Panzer 2x LArcher

79

_ _~t-~

J~~Jt7 ~ ~ r bull _

~

Holy cow this Sturmgeschutz III AusfG has taken a battering in Panzerwrecks it has been looted of useful items such as the w ith at least three Allied shells penetrating the SOmm + 30mm roadwheels and return rollers The gun barrel has two kill rings armour and sheariing the bolts on the nose The vehicle had painted in white behind the muzzle brake which itself has been belonged to HStu Gesch Brig242 whose insignia is just visible rotated 90 degrees Inset Drawing of the unit insignia courtesy of on the bow armour opposite the cow Like many wrecks shown Barry Crook lx PISM lx BCrook

80

ll ll mgeschlitz 301 was destroyed off the road to Pontecorvo An explosion has bent the rails around the sides and rear of the II I ording to the caption Assuming that this is correct it would engine deck and blown apart a stowage bin A very careful look at 1 l VI belonged to HStuGeschBrig907 Concrete has been the nose armour under the gun barrel reveals the unit insignia of 111 I(~ d to the roof around the commanders cupola although it HStuGeschBrig907 The field piece is a 7middot5cm FK244 or 245(i) I dlmiddotbatable if this would have added much protection in reality Inset The unit insignia by Barry Crook 1x LArcher lx BCrook

81

--

This Panzerjager Hornisse fur 8middot8cm Pak 431 (Sfl) SdKfz164 tactical number 232 II I

2sPzJgAbt525 was knocked out by a Polish unit near Ronciteili and is shown off the road in August 1944 It was produced during or after May 1943 as it has the h reinforcement for the gun shield and lacks the interior travel lock 2x

82

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bull

Another Hornisse tactical number 233 According to the caption it was knocked out in thoroughly demolished the walls of the fighting compartment and punched holes in t

Roncitelli by 3Szwadron lPulk Ulanow Krechowiekich (3rd Squadron 1st Krechowieski gun barrel gun slide curved armour for the recuperator and drive sprocket Note t

Lancer Regiment) In both cases flanking fire has been responsible but here it has heavier cowls for the brake cooling vents 2x PISM

84

I I

Opposite A Polish trooper stands on the drivers compartment while he poses IIlI his picture A wire mesh covers the air inlet on the side of the fighting I (I mpartment Here the hole in the gun barrel is readily apparent This page 1 lie massive 8middot8 em Pak 431 is out of battery Note the smaller details The fl oor of the fighting compartment is covered in anti -skid plate and down by ~~if~ 111( troopers knees the angle iron holding the superstructure to the hull is I tl loped thereby increasing the length of the weld bead and in turn the 11 ength of the weld

Faenza December 1944 and a SturmgeschLitz M43 mit 10525 853(i) catches the eye of a photographer This vehicle had a wider stance than the M42 mit 75L34 as well as new pointed nose armour When taken over by the Germans they installed both the 7middot5cm L34 and 10middot5cm L25 in the M43 but the 10middotScm sat much lower in the superstructure and did not have the bifurcated wings of the gimbal mount Note the horns on the drive sprocket

El ~

and the extremely low profile of this vehicle overall (Compare to the vehicle on pages - 55) Per Martin Block Besides the 26th Pz Oiv Faenza was also defended by elemeIW of the 27810 and 3050 with the latter being a bit more directly engaged Both infan t divisions fielded a mix of 75 cm M42L18 M42L34 105 cm M43L25 and BefWgM42I their PzJgKp1278 and PzJgKp1305 respectively JPlowman

88

lI btle changes have occurred since the previous picture was taken the foliage and radio antenna have been removed the dlivers visor has been closed and the vehicle has been moved a short distance with a tow rope but the vehicle remains safely 1II ltconced among the ruins of sunny Faenza along with a few of the citys inhabitants lx JPlowman lx lArcher

89

Juarez Leonardis amp DPhillips pose with a SturmgeschLitz L6 mit 4732 630(i) on 10 July for infantry support An explosion has shattered the 15mm thick side armour exposing til 1944 near Grottaferrata These diminutive vehicles had a crew of three and were designed FIAT-SPA 4 cylinder engine LArchor

90

from IPzRgt4 was abandoned near Fiuggi on 3 June 1944 because of a lack of fuel and spare parts The Panther is an AusfA with MG port instead of the MG ball mount JPlowman

91

llie Germans reacted to the Allied landings on Anzio 1111 January 22 1944 much quicker than the Allies pushed inland and only massed British and American Irtillery fires were able to check the ferocious German (ounterattacks that ensued Here two wrecked Irnther AusfAs were captured on motion picture lilm by T4 Nemeth from the 163rd Signal Photo Bn in I segment captioned simply as Wrecked Enemy and II Iied Equipment British 1st Div Front near Aprila lay Aprilia as it is spelled is approx ten miles In la nd from the coast Note the scarring on the fronts of the Panthers

Ilrese Panther As have MG ports in their bows lrId pistol ports in the turrets but have monocular Iun sights placing their manufacture sometime Iround November 1943 The periscope for the loader seems to have been blown out of the Iurret roof of the Panther in the background Only Iraces of Zimmerit coating are evident on these vehicles which would explain the lack of tactical

3x NARA lx LArcher

~

93

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

78

More Allies this time US soldiers pose in the Tiger sel il l previous pages The tank has hooks on the drivers fllltI

to hang spare track links Unlike a number of the otl1li shown it does not appear to have been disabled the 11111

its normal position and all the hatches are intact 2x 1 1

II 1111 II (I II I I iI III I 1 1 I Ibull

W d 1 snapshots of the same Tiger that has nose dived II I what we imagine is a river bed Part of the tactical

II I il iler 3 is barely visible on the turret side The liI () on the left came in a collection of photos taken I II io while the photo on the right is captioned as 111 Cecino All that remains of the loaders hatch are II hinges and the Nahverteidigungswaffe has been il l1 oved or blown out Note the extensive oil and fuel 11111 over the Panzer 2x LArcher

79

_ _~t-~

J~~Jt7 ~ ~ r bull _

~

Holy cow this Sturmgeschutz III AusfG has taken a battering in Panzerwrecks it has been looted of useful items such as the w ith at least three Allied shells penetrating the SOmm + 30mm roadwheels and return rollers The gun barrel has two kill rings armour and sheariing the bolts on the nose The vehicle had painted in white behind the muzzle brake which itself has been belonged to HStu Gesch Brig242 whose insignia is just visible rotated 90 degrees Inset Drawing of the unit insignia courtesy of on the bow armour opposite the cow Like many wrecks shown Barry Crook lx PISM lx BCrook

80

ll ll mgeschlitz 301 was destroyed off the road to Pontecorvo An explosion has bent the rails around the sides and rear of the II I ording to the caption Assuming that this is correct it would engine deck and blown apart a stowage bin A very careful look at 1 l VI belonged to HStuGeschBrig907 Concrete has been the nose armour under the gun barrel reveals the unit insignia of 111 I(~ d to the roof around the commanders cupola although it HStuGeschBrig907 The field piece is a 7middot5cm FK244 or 245(i) I dlmiddotbatable if this would have added much protection in reality Inset The unit insignia by Barry Crook 1x LArcher lx BCrook

81

--

This Panzerjager Hornisse fur 8middot8cm Pak 431 (Sfl) SdKfz164 tactical number 232 II I

2sPzJgAbt525 was knocked out by a Polish unit near Ronciteili and is shown off the road in August 1944 It was produced during or after May 1943 as it has the h reinforcement for the gun shield and lacks the interior travel lock 2x

82

00

w

com

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me

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t ap

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diag

onal

bra

cing

on

th

e

left

sid

e is

act

ua

lly a

ngle

iro

n t

rim

po

pp

ed

off

the

sid

e w

all

2x P

ISM

I ~

j1

bull

Another Hornisse tactical number 233 According to the caption it was knocked out in thoroughly demolished the walls of the fighting compartment and punched holes in t

Roncitelli by 3Szwadron lPulk Ulanow Krechowiekich (3rd Squadron 1st Krechowieski gun barrel gun slide curved armour for the recuperator and drive sprocket Note t

Lancer Regiment) In both cases flanking fire has been responsible but here it has heavier cowls for the brake cooling vents 2x PISM

84

I I

Opposite A Polish trooper stands on the drivers compartment while he poses IIlI his picture A wire mesh covers the air inlet on the side of the fighting I (I mpartment Here the hole in the gun barrel is readily apparent This page 1 lie massive 8middot8 em Pak 431 is out of battery Note the smaller details The fl oor of the fighting compartment is covered in anti -skid plate and down by ~~if~ 111( troopers knees the angle iron holding the superstructure to the hull is I tl loped thereby increasing the length of the weld bead and in turn the 11 ength of the weld

Faenza December 1944 and a SturmgeschLitz M43 mit 10525 853(i) catches the eye of a photographer This vehicle had a wider stance than the M42 mit 75L34 as well as new pointed nose armour When taken over by the Germans they installed both the 7middot5cm L34 and 10middot5cm L25 in the M43 but the 10middotScm sat much lower in the superstructure and did not have the bifurcated wings of the gimbal mount Note the horns on the drive sprocket

El ~

and the extremely low profile of this vehicle overall (Compare to the vehicle on pages - 55) Per Martin Block Besides the 26th Pz Oiv Faenza was also defended by elemeIW of the 27810 and 3050 with the latter being a bit more directly engaged Both infan t divisions fielded a mix of 75 cm M42L18 M42L34 105 cm M43L25 and BefWgM42I their PzJgKp1278 and PzJgKp1305 respectively JPlowman

88

lI btle changes have occurred since the previous picture was taken the foliage and radio antenna have been removed the dlivers visor has been closed and the vehicle has been moved a short distance with a tow rope but the vehicle remains safely 1II ltconced among the ruins of sunny Faenza along with a few of the citys inhabitants lx JPlowman lx lArcher

89

Juarez Leonardis amp DPhillips pose with a SturmgeschLitz L6 mit 4732 630(i) on 10 July for infantry support An explosion has shattered the 15mm thick side armour exposing til 1944 near Grottaferrata These diminutive vehicles had a crew of three and were designed FIAT-SPA 4 cylinder engine LArchor

90

from IPzRgt4 was abandoned near Fiuggi on 3 June 1944 because of a lack of fuel and spare parts The Panther is an AusfA with MG port instead of the MG ball mount JPlowman

91

llie Germans reacted to the Allied landings on Anzio 1111 January 22 1944 much quicker than the Allies pushed inland and only massed British and American Irtillery fires were able to check the ferocious German (ounterattacks that ensued Here two wrecked Irnther AusfAs were captured on motion picture lilm by T4 Nemeth from the 163rd Signal Photo Bn in I segment captioned simply as Wrecked Enemy and II Iied Equipment British 1st Div Front near Aprila lay Aprilia as it is spelled is approx ten miles In la nd from the coast Note the scarring on the fronts of the Panthers

Ilrese Panther As have MG ports in their bows lrId pistol ports in the turrets but have monocular Iun sights placing their manufacture sometime Iround November 1943 The periscope for the loader seems to have been blown out of the Iurret roof of the Panther in the background Only Iraces of Zimmerit coating are evident on these vehicles which would explain the lack of tactical

3x NARA lx LArcher

~

93

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

II 1111 II (I II I I iI III I 1 1 I Ibull

W d 1 snapshots of the same Tiger that has nose dived II I what we imagine is a river bed Part of the tactical

II I il iler 3 is barely visible on the turret side The liI () on the left came in a collection of photos taken I II io while the photo on the right is captioned as 111 Cecino All that remains of the loaders hatch are II hinges and the Nahverteidigungswaffe has been il l1 oved or blown out Note the extensive oil and fuel 11111 over the Panzer 2x LArcher

79

_ _~t-~

J~~Jt7 ~ ~ r bull _

~

Holy cow this Sturmgeschutz III AusfG has taken a battering in Panzerwrecks it has been looted of useful items such as the w ith at least three Allied shells penetrating the SOmm + 30mm roadwheels and return rollers The gun barrel has two kill rings armour and sheariing the bolts on the nose The vehicle had painted in white behind the muzzle brake which itself has been belonged to HStu Gesch Brig242 whose insignia is just visible rotated 90 degrees Inset Drawing of the unit insignia courtesy of on the bow armour opposite the cow Like many wrecks shown Barry Crook lx PISM lx BCrook

80

ll ll mgeschlitz 301 was destroyed off the road to Pontecorvo An explosion has bent the rails around the sides and rear of the II I ording to the caption Assuming that this is correct it would engine deck and blown apart a stowage bin A very careful look at 1 l VI belonged to HStuGeschBrig907 Concrete has been the nose armour under the gun barrel reveals the unit insignia of 111 I(~ d to the roof around the commanders cupola although it HStuGeschBrig907 The field piece is a 7middot5cm FK244 or 245(i) I dlmiddotbatable if this would have added much protection in reality Inset The unit insignia by Barry Crook 1x LArcher lx BCrook

81

--

This Panzerjager Hornisse fur 8middot8cm Pak 431 (Sfl) SdKfz164 tactical number 232 II I

2sPzJgAbt525 was knocked out by a Polish unit near Ronciteili and is shown off the road in August 1944 It was produced during or after May 1943 as it has the h reinforcement for the gun shield and lacks the interior travel lock 2x

82

00

w

com

pa rt

me

nt a

ffo

rdin

g g

OO

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~ C

-

~c

- shy

_

op

era

tin

g f

rom

pre

pa

red

pos

ition

s W

ha

t ap

pear

s to

be

diag

onal

bra

cing

on

th

e

left

sid

e is

act

ua

lly a

ngle

iro

n t

rim

po

pp

ed

off

the

sid

e w

all

2x P

ISM

I ~

j1

bull

Another Hornisse tactical number 233 According to the caption it was knocked out in thoroughly demolished the walls of the fighting compartment and punched holes in t

Roncitelli by 3Szwadron lPulk Ulanow Krechowiekich (3rd Squadron 1st Krechowieski gun barrel gun slide curved armour for the recuperator and drive sprocket Note t

Lancer Regiment) In both cases flanking fire has been responsible but here it has heavier cowls for the brake cooling vents 2x PISM

84

I I

Opposite A Polish trooper stands on the drivers compartment while he poses IIlI his picture A wire mesh covers the air inlet on the side of the fighting I (I mpartment Here the hole in the gun barrel is readily apparent This page 1 lie massive 8middot8 em Pak 431 is out of battery Note the smaller details The fl oor of the fighting compartment is covered in anti -skid plate and down by ~~if~ 111( troopers knees the angle iron holding the superstructure to the hull is I tl loped thereby increasing the length of the weld bead and in turn the 11 ength of the weld

Faenza December 1944 and a SturmgeschLitz M43 mit 10525 853(i) catches the eye of a photographer This vehicle had a wider stance than the M42 mit 75L34 as well as new pointed nose armour When taken over by the Germans they installed both the 7middot5cm L34 and 10middot5cm L25 in the M43 but the 10middotScm sat much lower in the superstructure and did not have the bifurcated wings of the gimbal mount Note the horns on the drive sprocket

El ~

and the extremely low profile of this vehicle overall (Compare to the vehicle on pages - 55) Per Martin Block Besides the 26th Pz Oiv Faenza was also defended by elemeIW of the 27810 and 3050 with the latter being a bit more directly engaged Both infan t divisions fielded a mix of 75 cm M42L18 M42L34 105 cm M43L25 and BefWgM42I their PzJgKp1278 and PzJgKp1305 respectively JPlowman

88

lI btle changes have occurred since the previous picture was taken the foliage and radio antenna have been removed the dlivers visor has been closed and the vehicle has been moved a short distance with a tow rope but the vehicle remains safely 1II ltconced among the ruins of sunny Faenza along with a few of the citys inhabitants lx JPlowman lx lArcher

89

Juarez Leonardis amp DPhillips pose with a SturmgeschLitz L6 mit 4732 630(i) on 10 July for infantry support An explosion has shattered the 15mm thick side armour exposing til 1944 near Grottaferrata These diminutive vehicles had a crew of three and were designed FIAT-SPA 4 cylinder engine LArchor

90

from IPzRgt4 was abandoned near Fiuggi on 3 June 1944 because of a lack of fuel and spare parts The Panther is an AusfA with MG port instead of the MG ball mount JPlowman

91

llie Germans reacted to the Allied landings on Anzio 1111 January 22 1944 much quicker than the Allies pushed inland and only massed British and American Irtillery fires were able to check the ferocious German (ounterattacks that ensued Here two wrecked Irnther AusfAs were captured on motion picture lilm by T4 Nemeth from the 163rd Signal Photo Bn in I segment captioned simply as Wrecked Enemy and II Iied Equipment British 1st Div Front near Aprila lay Aprilia as it is spelled is approx ten miles In la nd from the coast Note the scarring on the fronts of the Panthers

Ilrese Panther As have MG ports in their bows lrId pistol ports in the turrets but have monocular Iun sights placing their manufacture sometime Iround November 1943 The periscope for the loader seems to have been blown out of the Iurret roof of the Panther in the background Only Iraces of Zimmerit coating are evident on these vehicles which would explain the lack of tactical

3x NARA lx LArcher

~

93

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

Holy cow this Sturmgeschutz III AusfG has taken a battering in Panzerwrecks it has been looted of useful items such as the w ith at least three Allied shells penetrating the SOmm + 30mm roadwheels and return rollers The gun barrel has two kill rings armour and sheariing the bolts on the nose The vehicle had painted in white behind the muzzle brake which itself has been belonged to HStu Gesch Brig242 whose insignia is just visible rotated 90 degrees Inset Drawing of the unit insignia courtesy of on the bow armour opposite the cow Like many wrecks shown Barry Crook lx PISM lx BCrook

80

ll ll mgeschlitz 301 was destroyed off the road to Pontecorvo An explosion has bent the rails around the sides and rear of the II I ording to the caption Assuming that this is correct it would engine deck and blown apart a stowage bin A very careful look at 1 l VI belonged to HStuGeschBrig907 Concrete has been the nose armour under the gun barrel reveals the unit insignia of 111 I(~ d to the roof around the commanders cupola although it HStuGeschBrig907 The field piece is a 7middot5cm FK244 or 245(i) I dlmiddotbatable if this would have added much protection in reality Inset The unit insignia by Barry Crook 1x LArcher lx BCrook

81

--

This Panzerjager Hornisse fur 8middot8cm Pak 431 (Sfl) SdKfz164 tactical number 232 II I

2sPzJgAbt525 was knocked out by a Polish unit near Ronciteili and is shown off the road in August 1944 It was produced during or after May 1943 as it has the h reinforcement for the gun shield and lacks the interior travel lock 2x

82

00

w

com

pa rt

me

nt a

ffo

rdin

g g

OO

d V

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IIIl

y m

ao

Ir

~ C

-

~c

- shy

_

op

era

tin

g f

rom

pre

pa

red

pos

ition

s W

ha

t ap

pear

s to

be

diag

onal

bra

cing

on

th

e

left

sid

e is

act

ua

lly a

ngle

iro

n t

rim

po

pp

ed

off

the

sid

e w

all

2x P

ISM

I ~

j1

bull

Another Hornisse tactical number 233 According to the caption it was knocked out in thoroughly demolished the walls of the fighting compartment and punched holes in t

Roncitelli by 3Szwadron lPulk Ulanow Krechowiekich (3rd Squadron 1st Krechowieski gun barrel gun slide curved armour for the recuperator and drive sprocket Note t

Lancer Regiment) In both cases flanking fire has been responsible but here it has heavier cowls for the brake cooling vents 2x PISM

84

I I

Opposite A Polish trooper stands on the drivers compartment while he poses IIlI his picture A wire mesh covers the air inlet on the side of the fighting I (I mpartment Here the hole in the gun barrel is readily apparent This page 1 lie massive 8middot8 em Pak 431 is out of battery Note the smaller details The fl oor of the fighting compartment is covered in anti -skid plate and down by ~~if~ 111( troopers knees the angle iron holding the superstructure to the hull is I tl loped thereby increasing the length of the weld bead and in turn the 11 ength of the weld

Faenza December 1944 and a SturmgeschLitz M43 mit 10525 853(i) catches the eye of a photographer This vehicle had a wider stance than the M42 mit 75L34 as well as new pointed nose armour When taken over by the Germans they installed both the 7middot5cm L34 and 10middot5cm L25 in the M43 but the 10middotScm sat much lower in the superstructure and did not have the bifurcated wings of the gimbal mount Note the horns on the drive sprocket

El ~

and the extremely low profile of this vehicle overall (Compare to the vehicle on pages - 55) Per Martin Block Besides the 26th Pz Oiv Faenza was also defended by elemeIW of the 27810 and 3050 with the latter being a bit more directly engaged Both infan t divisions fielded a mix of 75 cm M42L18 M42L34 105 cm M43L25 and BefWgM42I their PzJgKp1278 and PzJgKp1305 respectively JPlowman

88

lI btle changes have occurred since the previous picture was taken the foliage and radio antenna have been removed the dlivers visor has been closed and the vehicle has been moved a short distance with a tow rope but the vehicle remains safely 1II ltconced among the ruins of sunny Faenza along with a few of the citys inhabitants lx JPlowman lx lArcher

89

Juarez Leonardis amp DPhillips pose with a SturmgeschLitz L6 mit 4732 630(i) on 10 July for infantry support An explosion has shattered the 15mm thick side armour exposing til 1944 near Grottaferrata These diminutive vehicles had a crew of three and were designed FIAT-SPA 4 cylinder engine LArchor

90

from IPzRgt4 was abandoned near Fiuggi on 3 June 1944 because of a lack of fuel and spare parts The Panther is an AusfA with MG port instead of the MG ball mount JPlowman

91

llie Germans reacted to the Allied landings on Anzio 1111 January 22 1944 much quicker than the Allies pushed inland and only massed British and American Irtillery fires were able to check the ferocious German (ounterattacks that ensued Here two wrecked Irnther AusfAs were captured on motion picture lilm by T4 Nemeth from the 163rd Signal Photo Bn in I segment captioned simply as Wrecked Enemy and II Iied Equipment British 1st Div Front near Aprila lay Aprilia as it is spelled is approx ten miles In la nd from the coast Note the scarring on the fronts of the Panthers

Ilrese Panther As have MG ports in their bows lrId pistol ports in the turrets but have monocular Iun sights placing their manufacture sometime Iround November 1943 The periscope for the loader seems to have been blown out of the Iurret roof of the Panther in the background Only Iraces of Zimmerit coating are evident on these vehicles which would explain the lack of tactical

3x NARA lx LArcher

~

93

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

ll ll mgeschlitz 301 was destroyed off the road to Pontecorvo An explosion has bent the rails around the sides and rear of the II I ording to the caption Assuming that this is correct it would engine deck and blown apart a stowage bin A very careful look at 1 l VI belonged to HStuGeschBrig907 Concrete has been the nose armour under the gun barrel reveals the unit insignia of 111 I(~ d to the roof around the commanders cupola although it HStuGeschBrig907 The field piece is a 7middot5cm FK244 or 245(i) I dlmiddotbatable if this would have added much protection in reality Inset The unit insignia by Barry Crook 1x LArcher lx BCrook

81

--

This Panzerjager Hornisse fur 8middot8cm Pak 431 (Sfl) SdKfz164 tactical number 232 II I

2sPzJgAbt525 was knocked out by a Polish unit near Ronciteili and is shown off the road in August 1944 It was produced during or after May 1943 as it has the h reinforcement for the gun shield and lacks the interior travel lock 2x

82

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Another Hornisse tactical number 233 According to the caption it was knocked out in thoroughly demolished the walls of the fighting compartment and punched holes in t

Roncitelli by 3Szwadron lPulk Ulanow Krechowiekich (3rd Squadron 1st Krechowieski gun barrel gun slide curved armour for the recuperator and drive sprocket Note t

Lancer Regiment) In both cases flanking fire has been responsible but here it has heavier cowls for the brake cooling vents 2x PISM

84

I I

Opposite A Polish trooper stands on the drivers compartment while he poses IIlI his picture A wire mesh covers the air inlet on the side of the fighting I (I mpartment Here the hole in the gun barrel is readily apparent This page 1 lie massive 8middot8 em Pak 431 is out of battery Note the smaller details The fl oor of the fighting compartment is covered in anti -skid plate and down by ~~if~ 111( troopers knees the angle iron holding the superstructure to the hull is I tl loped thereby increasing the length of the weld bead and in turn the 11 ength of the weld

Faenza December 1944 and a SturmgeschLitz M43 mit 10525 853(i) catches the eye of a photographer This vehicle had a wider stance than the M42 mit 75L34 as well as new pointed nose armour When taken over by the Germans they installed both the 7middot5cm L34 and 10middot5cm L25 in the M43 but the 10middotScm sat much lower in the superstructure and did not have the bifurcated wings of the gimbal mount Note the horns on the drive sprocket

El ~

and the extremely low profile of this vehicle overall (Compare to the vehicle on pages - 55) Per Martin Block Besides the 26th Pz Oiv Faenza was also defended by elemeIW of the 27810 and 3050 with the latter being a bit more directly engaged Both infan t divisions fielded a mix of 75 cm M42L18 M42L34 105 cm M43L25 and BefWgM42I their PzJgKp1278 and PzJgKp1305 respectively JPlowman

88

lI btle changes have occurred since the previous picture was taken the foliage and radio antenna have been removed the dlivers visor has been closed and the vehicle has been moved a short distance with a tow rope but the vehicle remains safely 1II ltconced among the ruins of sunny Faenza along with a few of the citys inhabitants lx JPlowman lx lArcher

89

Juarez Leonardis amp DPhillips pose with a SturmgeschLitz L6 mit 4732 630(i) on 10 July for infantry support An explosion has shattered the 15mm thick side armour exposing til 1944 near Grottaferrata These diminutive vehicles had a crew of three and were designed FIAT-SPA 4 cylinder engine LArchor

90

from IPzRgt4 was abandoned near Fiuggi on 3 June 1944 because of a lack of fuel and spare parts The Panther is an AusfA with MG port instead of the MG ball mount JPlowman

91

llie Germans reacted to the Allied landings on Anzio 1111 January 22 1944 much quicker than the Allies pushed inland and only massed British and American Irtillery fires were able to check the ferocious German (ounterattacks that ensued Here two wrecked Irnther AusfAs were captured on motion picture lilm by T4 Nemeth from the 163rd Signal Photo Bn in I segment captioned simply as Wrecked Enemy and II Iied Equipment British 1st Div Front near Aprila lay Aprilia as it is spelled is approx ten miles In la nd from the coast Note the scarring on the fronts of the Panthers

Ilrese Panther As have MG ports in their bows lrId pistol ports in the turrets but have monocular Iun sights placing their manufacture sometime Iround November 1943 The periscope for the loader seems to have been blown out of the Iurret roof of the Panther in the background Only Iraces of Zimmerit coating are evident on these vehicles which would explain the lack of tactical

3x NARA lx LArcher

~

93

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

--

This Panzerjager Hornisse fur 8middot8cm Pak 431 (Sfl) SdKfz164 tactical number 232 II I

2sPzJgAbt525 was knocked out by a Polish unit near Ronciteili and is shown off the road in August 1944 It was produced during or after May 1943 as it has the h reinforcement for the gun shield and lacks the interior travel lock 2x

82

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onal

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off

the

sid

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all

2x P

ISM

I ~

j1

bull

Another Hornisse tactical number 233 According to the caption it was knocked out in thoroughly demolished the walls of the fighting compartment and punched holes in t

Roncitelli by 3Szwadron lPulk Ulanow Krechowiekich (3rd Squadron 1st Krechowieski gun barrel gun slide curved armour for the recuperator and drive sprocket Note t

Lancer Regiment) In both cases flanking fire has been responsible but here it has heavier cowls for the brake cooling vents 2x PISM

84

I I

Opposite A Polish trooper stands on the drivers compartment while he poses IIlI his picture A wire mesh covers the air inlet on the side of the fighting I (I mpartment Here the hole in the gun barrel is readily apparent This page 1 lie massive 8middot8 em Pak 431 is out of battery Note the smaller details The fl oor of the fighting compartment is covered in anti -skid plate and down by ~~if~ 111( troopers knees the angle iron holding the superstructure to the hull is I tl loped thereby increasing the length of the weld bead and in turn the 11 ength of the weld

Faenza December 1944 and a SturmgeschLitz M43 mit 10525 853(i) catches the eye of a photographer This vehicle had a wider stance than the M42 mit 75L34 as well as new pointed nose armour When taken over by the Germans they installed both the 7middot5cm L34 and 10middot5cm L25 in the M43 but the 10middotScm sat much lower in the superstructure and did not have the bifurcated wings of the gimbal mount Note the horns on the drive sprocket

El ~

and the extremely low profile of this vehicle overall (Compare to the vehicle on pages - 55) Per Martin Block Besides the 26th Pz Oiv Faenza was also defended by elemeIW of the 27810 and 3050 with the latter being a bit more directly engaged Both infan t divisions fielded a mix of 75 cm M42L18 M42L34 105 cm M43L25 and BefWgM42I their PzJgKp1278 and PzJgKp1305 respectively JPlowman

88

lI btle changes have occurred since the previous picture was taken the foliage and radio antenna have been removed the dlivers visor has been closed and the vehicle has been moved a short distance with a tow rope but the vehicle remains safely 1II ltconced among the ruins of sunny Faenza along with a few of the citys inhabitants lx JPlowman lx lArcher

89

Juarez Leonardis amp DPhillips pose with a SturmgeschLitz L6 mit 4732 630(i) on 10 July for infantry support An explosion has shattered the 15mm thick side armour exposing til 1944 near Grottaferrata These diminutive vehicles had a crew of three and were designed FIAT-SPA 4 cylinder engine LArchor

90

from IPzRgt4 was abandoned near Fiuggi on 3 June 1944 because of a lack of fuel and spare parts The Panther is an AusfA with MG port instead of the MG ball mount JPlowman

91

llie Germans reacted to the Allied landings on Anzio 1111 January 22 1944 much quicker than the Allies pushed inland and only massed British and American Irtillery fires were able to check the ferocious German (ounterattacks that ensued Here two wrecked Irnther AusfAs were captured on motion picture lilm by T4 Nemeth from the 163rd Signal Photo Bn in I segment captioned simply as Wrecked Enemy and II Iied Equipment British 1st Div Front near Aprila lay Aprilia as it is spelled is approx ten miles In la nd from the coast Note the scarring on the fronts of the Panthers

Ilrese Panther As have MG ports in their bows lrId pistol ports in the turrets but have monocular Iun sights placing their manufacture sometime Iround November 1943 The periscope for the loader seems to have been blown out of the Iurret roof of the Panther in the background Only Iraces of Zimmerit coating are evident on these vehicles which would explain the lack of tactical

3x NARA lx LArcher

~

93

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

00

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diag

onal

bra

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on

th

e

left

sid

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act

ua

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ngle

iro

n t

rim

po

pp

ed

off

the

sid

e w

all

2x P

ISM

I ~

j1

bull

Another Hornisse tactical number 233 According to the caption it was knocked out in thoroughly demolished the walls of the fighting compartment and punched holes in t

Roncitelli by 3Szwadron lPulk Ulanow Krechowiekich (3rd Squadron 1st Krechowieski gun barrel gun slide curved armour for the recuperator and drive sprocket Note t

Lancer Regiment) In both cases flanking fire has been responsible but here it has heavier cowls for the brake cooling vents 2x PISM

84

I I

Opposite A Polish trooper stands on the drivers compartment while he poses IIlI his picture A wire mesh covers the air inlet on the side of the fighting I (I mpartment Here the hole in the gun barrel is readily apparent This page 1 lie massive 8middot8 em Pak 431 is out of battery Note the smaller details The fl oor of the fighting compartment is covered in anti -skid plate and down by ~~if~ 111( troopers knees the angle iron holding the superstructure to the hull is I tl loped thereby increasing the length of the weld bead and in turn the 11 ength of the weld

Faenza December 1944 and a SturmgeschLitz M43 mit 10525 853(i) catches the eye of a photographer This vehicle had a wider stance than the M42 mit 75L34 as well as new pointed nose armour When taken over by the Germans they installed both the 7middot5cm L34 and 10middot5cm L25 in the M43 but the 10middotScm sat much lower in the superstructure and did not have the bifurcated wings of the gimbal mount Note the horns on the drive sprocket

El ~

and the extremely low profile of this vehicle overall (Compare to the vehicle on pages - 55) Per Martin Block Besides the 26th Pz Oiv Faenza was also defended by elemeIW of the 27810 and 3050 with the latter being a bit more directly engaged Both infan t divisions fielded a mix of 75 cm M42L18 M42L34 105 cm M43L25 and BefWgM42I their PzJgKp1278 and PzJgKp1305 respectively JPlowman

88

lI btle changes have occurred since the previous picture was taken the foliage and radio antenna have been removed the dlivers visor has been closed and the vehicle has been moved a short distance with a tow rope but the vehicle remains safely 1II ltconced among the ruins of sunny Faenza along with a few of the citys inhabitants lx JPlowman lx lArcher

89

Juarez Leonardis amp DPhillips pose with a SturmgeschLitz L6 mit 4732 630(i) on 10 July for infantry support An explosion has shattered the 15mm thick side armour exposing til 1944 near Grottaferrata These diminutive vehicles had a crew of three and were designed FIAT-SPA 4 cylinder engine LArchor

90

from IPzRgt4 was abandoned near Fiuggi on 3 June 1944 because of a lack of fuel and spare parts The Panther is an AusfA with MG port instead of the MG ball mount JPlowman

91

llie Germans reacted to the Allied landings on Anzio 1111 January 22 1944 much quicker than the Allies pushed inland and only massed British and American Irtillery fires were able to check the ferocious German (ounterattacks that ensued Here two wrecked Irnther AusfAs were captured on motion picture lilm by T4 Nemeth from the 163rd Signal Photo Bn in I segment captioned simply as Wrecked Enemy and II Iied Equipment British 1st Div Front near Aprila lay Aprilia as it is spelled is approx ten miles In la nd from the coast Note the scarring on the fronts of the Panthers

Ilrese Panther As have MG ports in their bows lrId pistol ports in the turrets but have monocular Iun sights placing their manufacture sometime Iround November 1943 The periscope for the loader seems to have been blown out of the Iurret roof of the Panther in the background Only Iraces of Zimmerit coating are evident on these vehicles which would explain the lack of tactical

3x NARA lx LArcher

~

93

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

Another Hornisse tactical number 233 According to the caption it was knocked out in thoroughly demolished the walls of the fighting compartment and punched holes in t

Roncitelli by 3Szwadron lPulk Ulanow Krechowiekich (3rd Squadron 1st Krechowieski gun barrel gun slide curved armour for the recuperator and drive sprocket Note t

Lancer Regiment) In both cases flanking fire has been responsible but here it has heavier cowls for the brake cooling vents 2x PISM

84

I I

Opposite A Polish trooper stands on the drivers compartment while he poses IIlI his picture A wire mesh covers the air inlet on the side of the fighting I (I mpartment Here the hole in the gun barrel is readily apparent This page 1 lie massive 8middot8 em Pak 431 is out of battery Note the smaller details The fl oor of the fighting compartment is covered in anti -skid plate and down by ~~if~ 111( troopers knees the angle iron holding the superstructure to the hull is I tl loped thereby increasing the length of the weld bead and in turn the 11 ength of the weld

Faenza December 1944 and a SturmgeschLitz M43 mit 10525 853(i) catches the eye of a photographer This vehicle had a wider stance than the M42 mit 75L34 as well as new pointed nose armour When taken over by the Germans they installed both the 7middot5cm L34 and 10middot5cm L25 in the M43 but the 10middotScm sat much lower in the superstructure and did not have the bifurcated wings of the gimbal mount Note the horns on the drive sprocket

El ~

and the extremely low profile of this vehicle overall (Compare to the vehicle on pages - 55) Per Martin Block Besides the 26th Pz Oiv Faenza was also defended by elemeIW of the 27810 and 3050 with the latter being a bit more directly engaged Both infan t divisions fielded a mix of 75 cm M42L18 M42L34 105 cm M43L25 and BefWgM42I their PzJgKp1278 and PzJgKp1305 respectively JPlowman

88

lI btle changes have occurred since the previous picture was taken the foliage and radio antenna have been removed the dlivers visor has been closed and the vehicle has been moved a short distance with a tow rope but the vehicle remains safely 1II ltconced among the ruins of sunny Faenza along with a few of the citys inhabitants lx JPlowman lx lArcher

89

Juarez Leonardis amp DPhillips pose with a SturmgeschLitz L6 mit 4732 630(i) on 10 July for infantry support An explosion has shattered the 15mm thick side armour exposing til 1944 near Grottaferrata These diminutive vehicles had a crew of three and were designed FIAT-SPA 4 cylinder engine LArchor

90

from IPzRgt4 was abandoned near Fiuggi on 3 June 1944 because of a lack of fuel and spare parts The Panther is an AusfA with MG port instead of the MG ball mount JPlowman

91

llie Germans reacted to the Allied landings on Anzio 1111 January 22 1944 much quicker than the Allies pushed inland and only massed British and American Irtillery fires were able to check the ferocious German (ounterattacks that ensued Here two wrecked Irnther AusfAs were captured on motion picture lilm by T4 Nemeth from the 163rd Signal Photo Bn in I segment captioned simply as Wrecked Enemy and II Iied Equipment British 1st Div Front near Aprila lay Aprilia as it is spelled is approx ten miles In la nd from the coast Note the scarring on the fronts of the Panthers

Ilrese Panther As have MG ports in their bows lrId pistol ports in the turrets but have monocular Iun sights placing their manufacture sometime Iround November 1943 The periscope for the loader seems to have been blown out of the Iurret roof of the Panther in the background Only Iraces of Zimmerit coating are evident on these vehicles which would explain the lack of tactical

3x NARA lx LArcher

~

93

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

I I

Opposite A Polish trooper stands on the drivers compartment while he poses IIlI his picture A wire mesh covers the air inlet on the side of the fighting I (I mpartment Here the hole in the gun barrel is readily apparent This page 1 lie massive 8middot8 em Pak 431 is out of battery Note the smaller details The fl oor of the fighting compartment is covered in anti -skid plate and down by ~~if~ 111( troopers knees the angle iron holding the superstructure to the hull is I tl loped thereby increasing the length of the weld bead and in turn the 11 ength of the weld

Faenza December 1944 and a SturmgeschLitz M43 mit 10525 853(i) catches the eye of a photographer This vehicle had a wider stance than the M42 mit 75L34 as well as new pointed nose armour When taken over by the Germans they installed both the 7middot5cm L34 and 10middot5cm L25 in the M43 but the 10middotScm sat much lower in the superstructure and did not have the bifurcated wings of the gimbal mount Note the horns on the drive sprocket

El ~

and the extremely low profile of this vehicle overall (Compare to the vehicle on pages - 55) Per Martin Block Besides the 26th Pz Oiv Faenza was also defended by elemeIW of the 27810 and 3050 with the latter being a bit more directly engaged Both infan t divisions fielded a mix of 75 cm M42L18 M42L34 105 cm M43L25 and BefWgM42I their PzJgKp1278 and PzJgKp1305 respectively JPlowman

88

lI btle changes have occurred since the previous picture was taken the foliage and radio antenna have been removed the dlivers visor has been closed and the vehicle has been moved a short distance with a tow rope but the vehicle remains safely 1II ltconced among the ruins of sunny Faenza along with a few of the citys inhabitants lx JPlowman lx lArcher

89

Juarez Leonardis amp DPhillips pose with a SturmgeschLitz L6 mit 4732 630(i) on 10 July for infantry support An explosion has shattered the 15mm thick side armour exposing til 1944 near Grottaferrata These diminutive vehicles had a crew of three and were designed FIAT-SPA 4 cylinder engine LArchor

90

from IPzRgt4 was abandoned near Fiuggi on 3 June 1944 because of a lack of fuel and spare parts The Panther is an AusfA with MG port instead of the MG ball mount JPlowman

91

llie Germans reacted to the Allied landings on Anzio 1111 January 22 1944 much quicker than the Allies pushed inland and only massed British and American Irtillery fires were able to check the ferocious German (ounterattacks that ensued Here two wrecked Irnther AusfAs were captured on motion picture lilm by T4 Nemeth from the 163rd Signal Photo Bn in I segment captioned simply as Wrecked Enemy and II Iied Equipment British 1st Div Front near Aprila lay Aprilia as it is spelled is approx ten miles In la nd from the coast Note the scarring on the fronts of the Panthers

Ilrese Panther As have MG ports in their bows lrId pistol ports in the turrets but have monocular Iun sights placing their manufacture sometime Iround November 1943 The periscope for the loader seems to have been blown out of the Iurret roof of the Panther in the background Only Iraces of Zimmerit coating are evident on these vehicles which would explain the lack of tactical

3x NARA lx LArcher

~

93

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

Opposite A Polish trooper stands on the drivers compartment while he poses IIlI his picture A wire mesh covers the air inlet on the side of the fighting I (I mpartment Here the hole in the gun barrel is readily apparent This page 1 lie massive 8middot8 em Pak 431 is out of battery Note the smaller details The fl oor of the fighting compartment is covered in anti -skid plate and down by ~~if~ 111( troopers knees the angle iron holding the superstructure to the hull is I tl loped thereby increasing the length of the weld bead and in turn the 11 ength of the weld

Faenza December 1944 and a SturmgeschLitz M43 mit 10525 853(i) catches the eye of a photographer This vehicle had a wider stance than the M42 mit 75L34 as well as new pointed nose armour When taken over by the Germans they installed both the 7middot5cm L34 and 10middot5cm L25 in the M43 but the 10middotScm sat much lower in the superstructure and did not have the bifurcated wings of the gimbal mount Note the horns on the drive sprocket

El ~

and the extremely low profile of this vehicle overall (Compare to the vehicle on pages - 55) Per Martin Block Besides the 26th Pz Oiv Faenza was also defended by elemeIW of the 27810 and 3050 with the latter being a bit more directly engaged Both infan t divisions fielded a mix of 75 cm M42L18 M42L34 105 cm M43L25 and BefWgM42I their PzJgKp1278 and PzJgKp1305 respectively JPlowman

88

lI btle changes have occurred since the previous picture was taken the foliage and radio antenna have been removed the dlivers visor has been closed and the vehicle has been moved a short distance with a tow rope but the vehicle remains safely 1II ltconced among the ruins of sunny Faenza along with a few of the citys inhabitants lx JPlowman lx lArcher

89

Juarez Leonardis amp DPhillips pose with a SturmgeschLitz L6 mit 4732 630(i) on 10 July for infantry support An explosion has shattered the 15mm thick side armour exposing til 1944 near Grottaferrata These diminutive vehicles had a crew of three and were designed FIAT-SPA 4 cylinder engine LArchor

90

from IPzRgt4 was abandoned near Fiuggi on 3 June 1944 because of a lack of fuel and spare parts The Panther is an AusfA with MG port instead of the MG ball mount JPlowman

91

llie Germans reacted to the Allied landings on Anzio 1111 January 22 1944 much quicker than the Allies pushed inland and only massed British and American Irtillery fires were able to check the ferocious German (ounterattacks that ensued Here two wrecked Irnther AusfAs were captured on motion picture lilm by T4 Nemeth from the 163rd Signal Photo Bn in I segment captioned simply as Wrecked Enemy and II Iied Equipment British 1st Div Front near Aprila lay Aprilia as it is spelled is approx ten miles In la nd from the coast Note the scarring on the fronts of the Panthers

Ilrese Panther As have MG ports in their bows lrId pistol ports in the turrets but have monocular Iun sights placing their manufacture sometime Iround November 1943 The periscope for the loader seems to have been blown out of the Iurret roof of the Panther in the background Only Iraces of Zimmerit coating are evident on these vehicles which would explain the lack of tactical

3x NARA lx LArcher

~

93

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

Faenza December 1944 and a SturmgeschLitz M43 mit 10525 853(i) catches the eye of a photographer This vehicle had a wider stance than the M42 mit 75L34 as well as new pointed nose armour When taken over by the Germans they installed both the 7middot5cm L34 and 10middot5cm L25 in the M43 but the 10middotScm sat much lower in the superstructure and did not have the bifurcated wings of the gimbal mount Note the horns on the drive sprocket

El ~

and the extremely low profile of this vehicle overall (Compare to the vehicle on pages - 55) Per Martin Block Besides the 26th Pz Oiv Faenza was also defended by elemeIW of the 27810 and 3050 with the latter being a bit more directly engaged Both infan t divisions fielded a mix of 75 cm M42L18 M42L34 105 cm M43L25 and BefWgM42I their PzJgKp1278 and PzJgKp1305 respectively JPlowman

88

lI btle changes have occurred since the previous picture was taken the foliage and radio antenna have been removed the dlivers visor has been closed and the vehicle has been moved a short distance with a tow rope but the vehicle remains safely 1II ltconced among the ruins of sunny Faenza along with a few of the citys inhabitants lx JPlowman lx lArcher

89

Juarez Leonardis amp DPhillips pose with a SturmgeschLitz L6 mit 4732 630(i) on 10 July for infantry support An explosion has shattered the 15mm thick side armour exposing til 1944 near Grottaferrata These diminutive vehicles had a crew of three and were designed FIAT-SPA 4 cylinder engine LArchor

90

from IPzRgt4 was abandoned near Fiuggi on 3 June 1944 because of a lack of fuel and spare parts The Panther is an AusfA with MG port instead of the MG ball mount JPlowman

91

llie Germans reacted to the Allied landings on Anzio 1111 January 22 1944 much quicker than the Allies pushed inland and only massed British and American Irtillery fires were able to check the ferocious German (ounterattacks that ensued Here two wrecked Irnther AusfAs were captured on motion picture lilm by T4 Nemeth from the 163rd Signal Photo Bn in I segment captioned simply as Wrecked Enemy and II Iied Equipment British 1st Div Front near Aprila lay Aprilia as it is spelled is approx ten miles In la nd from the coast Note the scarring on the fronts of the Panthers

Ilrese Panther As have MG ports in their bows lrId pistol ports in the turrets but have monocular Iun sights placing their manufacture sometime Iround November 1943 The periscope for the loader seems to have been blown out of the Iurret roof of the Panther in the background Only Iraces of Zimmerit coating are evident on these vehicles which would explain the lack of tactical

3x NARA lx LArcher

~

93

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

lI btle changes have occurred since the previous picture was taken the foliage and radio antenna have been removed the dlivers visor has been closed and the vehicle has been moved a short distance with a tow rope but the vehicle remains safely 1II ltconced among the ruins of sunny Faenza along with a few of the citys inhabitants lx JPlowman lx lArcher

89

Juarez Leonardis amp DPhillips pose with a SturmgeschLitz L6 mit 4732 630(i) on 10 July for infantry support An explosion has shattered the 15mm thick side armour exposing til 1944 near Grottaferrata These diminutive vehicles had a crew of three and were designed FIAT-SPA 4 cylinder engine LArchor

90

from IPzRgt4 was abandoned near Fiuggi on 3 June 1944 because of a lack of fuel and spare parts The Panther is an AusfA with MG port instead of the MG ball mount JPlowman

91

llie Germans reacted to the Allied landings on Anzio 1111 January 22 1944 much quicker than the Allies pushed inland and only massed British and American Irtillery fires were able to check the ferocious German (ounterattacks that ensued Here two wrecked Irnther AusfAs were captured on motion picture lilm by T4 Nemeth from the 163rd Signal Photo Bn in I segment captioned simply as Wrecked Enemy and II Iied Equipment British 1st Div Front near Aprila lay Aprilia as it is spelled is approx ten miles In la nd from the coast Note the scarring on the fronts of the Panthers

Ilrese Panther As have MG ports in their bows lrId pistol ports in the turrets but have monocular Iun sights placing their manufacture sometime Iround November 1943 The periscope for the loader seems to have been blown out of the Iurret roof of the Panther in the background Only Iraces of Zimmerit coating are evident on these vehicles which would explain the lack of tactical

3x NARA lx LArcher

~

93

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

Juarez Leonardis amp DPhillips pose with a SturmgeschLitz L6 mit 4732 630(i) on 10 July for infantry support An explosion has shattered the 15mm thick side armour exposing til 1944 near Grottaferrata These diminutive vehicles had a crew of three and were designed FIAT-SPA 4 cylinder engine LArchor

90

from IPzRgt4 was abandoned near Fiuggi on 3 June 1944 because of a lack of fuel and spare parts The Panther is an AusfA with MG port instead of the MG ball mount JPlowman

91

llie Germans reacted to the Allied landings on Anzio 1111 January 22 1944 much quicker than the Allies pushed inland and only massed British and American Irtillery fires were able to check the ferocious German (ounterattacks that ensued Here two wrecked Irnther AusfAs were captured on motion picture lilm by T4 Nemeth from the 163rd Signal Photo Bn in I segment captioned simply as Wrecked Enemy and II Iied Equipment British 1st Div Front near Aprila lay Aprilia as it is spelled is approx ten miles In la nd from the coast Note the scarring on the fronts of the Panthers

Ilrese Panther As have MG ports in their bows lrId pistol ports in the turrets but have monocular Iun sights placing their manufacture sometime Iround November 1943 The periscope for the loader seems to have been blown out of the Iurret roof of the Panther in the background Only Iraces of Zimmerit coating are evident on these vehicles which would explain the lack of tactical

3x NARA lx LArcher

~

93

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

from IPzRgt4 was abandoned near Fiuggi on 3 June 1944 because of a lack of fuel and spare parts The Panther is an AusfA with MG port instead of the MG ball mount JPlowman

91

llie Germans reacted to the Allied landings on Anzio 1111 January 22 1944 much quicker than the Allies pushed inland and only massed British and American Irtillery fires were able to check the ferocious German (ounterattacks that ensued Here two wrecked Irnther AusfAs were captured on motion picture lilm by T4 Nemeth from the 163rd Signal Photo Bn in I segment captioned simply as Wrecked Enemy and II Iied Equipment British 1st Div Front near Aprila lay Aprilia as it is spelled is approx ten miles In la nd from the coast Note the scarring on the fronts of the Panthers

Ilrese Panther As have MG ports in their bows lrId pistol ports in the turrets but have monocular Iun sights placing their manufacture sometime Iround November 1943 The periscope for the loader seems to have been blown out of the Iurret roof of the Panther in the background Only Iraces of Zimmerit coating are evident on these vehicles which would explain the lack of tactical

3x NARA lx LArcher

~

93

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

llie Germans reacted to the Allied landings on Anzio 1111 January 22 1944 much quicker than the Allies pushed inland and only massed British and American Irtillery fires were able to check the ferocious German (ounterattacks that ensued Here two wrecked Irnther AusfAs were captured on motion picture lilm by T4 Nemeth from the 163rd Signal Photo Bn in I segment captioned simply as Wrecked Enemy and II Iied Equipment British 1st Div Front near Aprila lay Aprilia as it is spelled is approx ten miles In la nd from the coast Note the scarring on the fronts of the Panthers

Ilrese Panther As have MG ports in their bows lrId pistol ports in the turrets but have monocular Iun sights placing their manufacture sometime Iround November 1943 The periscope for the loader seems to have been blown out of the Iurret roof of the Panther in the background Only Iraces of Zimmerit coating are evident on these vehicles which would explain the lack of tactical

3x NARA lx LArcher

~

93

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

The telephone poles in the background follow a railroad track that is just visible in the lower photo on the oppo11t page (along with another Panther) These would appear to be transition vehicles with pistol ports The Germans uImiddot11 the hatches tracks and timbers to make a fort around these two Panzers Inset An HE shell has hit the 16mm tu n middot1 roof armour and collapsed it 3x NARA Ix LArchw

94

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96

~

iI~ middot 2

71 c

bull bull - ~~

Another knocked out Panther AusfA tactical number 311 lies a short distance away mystery considering that it probably interfered with the main weapon being traversed The crew had done their best to conceal the suspension behind a low wall and built up Note that this Panther has the binocular gun sight The loaders periscope is clearly visibl a berm of earth and stone in front of their vehicle but multiple strikes to the right hand silhouetted againstthe sky on the opposite page side of the turret put and end to its career Why the post was not crushed down is a 2x lArcher

96