Tanks in the Battle of the Bulge

Osprey New Vanguard #281

by Steven J. Zaloga

The Battle of the Bulge raises many questions which, until now, have not been adequately answered: How did the major tank types perform during the battle? What were the specific 'lessons learned' from the combat? And did these lessons result in changes to tanks in the subsequent months?
Offering detailed answers to these questions, and many more, this book provides a survey of the principal tank and tank-equivalents (such as tank destroyers and Jagdpanzers) that took part in the Ardennes Campaign of December 1944–January 1945. Beginning with a basic overview of the campaign, accompanied by an order of battle of the major armoured units, it examines the opposing forces, covering the organization of the two tank forces to explain how they were deployed. Author Steven Zaloga also scrutinises the technical balance between the opposing sides, comparing armour, mobility and firepower as well as other important factors such as reliability, crew situational awareness, and tank layout/efficiency.
Full of specially commissioned and highly accurate artwork plates of the tanks themselves, as well as fascinating technical data based on cutting-edge research, this title is the definitive guide to tank warfare in the Battle of the Bulge.

Genres: World War II

98 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 30, 2020

About the author

Steven Zaloga is an author and defense analyst known worldwide for his articles and publications on military technology.  He has written over a hundred books on military technology and military history, including “Armored Thunderbolt: The US Army Sherman in World War II”, one of the most highly regarded histories of the Sherman Tank.  His books have been translated into Japanese, German, Polish, Czech, Romanian, and Russian. He was a special correspondent for Jane’s Intelligence Review and is on the executive board of the Journal of Slavic Military Studies and the New York Military Affairs Symposium. From 1987 through 1992, he was the writer/producer for Video Ordnance Inc., preparing their TV series Firepower.  He holds a BA in history from Union College and an MA in history from Columbia University.

Mr. Zaloga is also a noted scale armor modeler and is a host/moderator of the World War II Allied Discussion group at Missing-Lynx.com, a modelling website. He is a frequent contributor to the UK-based modeling magazine Military Modelling. He is a member of the Armor Modeling and Preservation Society.

Reviews

[Matt Heil · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, while interesting, is a VERY broad overview of armor operations during the Battle of the Bulge. It details what tanks were in use, with what units, and features an operational overview of the action itself. If you're hoping for details of any individual actions, the most you'll find is in the captions. Personally, I was hoping for some details about Panzer Brigade 150, but it only gets a handful of mentions in the text, along with two color profiles. Overall, it does give some new and useful insights into armor operations during this part of the war, as one might expect from Mr. Zaloga, but its scope is far broader than is implied by the New Vanguard format.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short volume should be of interest primarily to modelers and wargamers, but not so much for historians. The illustrations by Felipe Rodriguez are excellent as are the photographs (some good ideas for dioramas). Focus is limited to the tanks engaged in the battle, not the progress of the battle itself. What surprised me is how understrength the German units were. Zaloga gives plenty of reasons for this, a major one being that the Germans cut production of spare parts from 25-30% to 15% leaving many vehicles languishing in repair depots. Additionally, Germany's skilled workers were no longer exempt from military service and were replaced by unskilled workers and slave laborers. There are many tables showing unit strength and equipment types at various stages of the campaign, equipment losses, what percentage of Shermans were equipped with the 75mm vs 76mm gun, for example. I was unaware that the Panthers outnumbered PzIVs in most units, how few Tigers there were, and how little actual use the Germans made of the vehicles made up to look like US tanks. Other tables compare technical and ballistic performance of tank guns. This should be useful to those designing scenarios for wargaming.

[Antonio Bernarda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small but well written insight into the tanks and spgs in the Battle of the Bulge.

[Nigel Brand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource for modellers

Well-researched gem from Mr Zaloga, again.
Will to modellers and wargamers alike. Great illustrations which will help with painting your Late War armies for Flames of War and other miniatures games.

[Johnny Nemec · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was short and to the point and packed effective information in a short time.

[W.HYNDMAN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bulge battle tanks

Yet another excellent book from an acknowledged subject matter expert. Highly recommended for all history buffs and AFV modellers. Brilliant.

[Garrett Olinde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good photos and statistics.