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The Tank Killers: A History of America's World War II Tank Destroyer Force

von Harry Yeide

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The Tank Killers is the story of the American Tank Destroyer Force in North Africa, Italy, and the European Theater during World War II. The tank destroyer (TD) was a bold-if some would say flawed-answer to the challenge posed by the seemingly unstoppable German blitzkrieg. The TD was conceived to be light and fast enough to outmaneuver panzer forces and go where tanks could not. At the same time, the TD would wield the firepower needed to kill any German tank on the battlefield. Indeed, American doctrine stipulated that TDs would fight tanks, while American tanks would concentrate on achieving and exploiting breakthroughs of enemy lines. The Tank Killers follows the men who fought in the TDs from the formation of the force in 1941 through the victory over the Third Reich in 1945. It is a story of American flexibility and pragmatism in military affairs. Tankdestroyers were among the very first units to land in North Africa in 1942. Their first vehicles were ad hoc affairs: Halftracks and weapons carriers with guns no better than those on tanks and thin armor affording the crews considerably less protection. Almost immediately, the crews realized that their doctrine was incomplete. They began adapting to circumstances, along with their partners in the infantry and armored divisions.… (mehr)
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A history of the US Army’s Tank Destroyer force; although equipped with inferior weapons and incorrect doctrine, the tank destroyers still managed to perform adequately in World War II. The first chapter of Yeide’s book covers the development of US antitank doctrine; this worked great in stateside maneuvers but performed poorly when American units were deployed in North Africa – mostly because the Germans didn’t cooperate and behave the way the planners expected. The remainder of Tank Killers narrates many individual actions in the European Theater. (I’m a little disappointed; Dad was the assistant driver and radio operator in a M10 Tank Destroyer in the Pacific Theater; although Yeide mentions once that some TD battalions were deployed to the Pacific, that’s the extent of the coverage).

The individual accounts are typical war stories: the actions of individual Americans in tank destroyer crews. Interspersed are developments in tank destroyer doctrine and equipment; the early M3, a 3-inch gun on a halftrack, was quickly replaced by the fully tracked M10, which in turn was supplemented by the M18 (one of the fastest tracked vehicles ever built, capable of 50mph) and the M36, which finally had a gun capable of penetrating the frontal armor of a German Panther. It’s interesting to note how Americans in the field tended to ignore their own military doctrine and improvise; for example, rather than being concentrated for defense, M36’s were mixed with M4 Shermans in the offense, since the 90mm gun on the M36 could destroy German bunkers while the M4s defended the underarmored M36.

An easy read. Photographs of tank destroyer units in action; an appendix with accounts of every tank destroyer battalion deployed in Europe. Endnotes, bibliography, and a good index. For more on WWII tank destroyers, see M10 and M36 Tank Destroyers. For more on Dad, see A History of the 640th Tank Destroyer Battalion. ( )
  setnahkt | Feb 13, 2023 |
Excellent book but not exactly engrossing unless you like reading about every TD fight that occurred in WWII. Easy to forget which battle was which. The development of the TD force was the interesting part to me. ( )
  marshapetry | Nov 20, 2019 |
Tank Killers: A History of America's World War II Tank Destroyer Force, by Harry Yeide, actually deserves six stars in my mind for the sheer volume of research within its pages. Since I am currently addicted to the online game, World of Tanks (I know there are people reading this saying, ‘I feel for you buddy!’), I thought there might be a chance to pick up a few hints in the operation of Tank Destroyers from Yeide’s book. I was not prepared however for the incredible depth of history and knowledge I’d find. You will find more than just a few details about the towed guns, destroyers, and crews themselves; prepare to be taken right through the United States Army’s experience with this underreported and definitely underappreciated segment of its fighting force during the Second World War in Africa and Europe.

The average person would see a tank destroyer rolling by, and understandably mistakenly identify it as just another tank. In spite of some commanders trying to make them just that, reality was very different. First, you have to take away that picture of men encased in a heavily armoured box on tracks with a big gun sticking out in front of them, and instead, remove the ‘heavily armoured’ part, oh and while you’re at it, remove the top of the turret so everything from bombs, to hand grenades, to bird droppings can fall in amongst the crew. Then, exchange the big gun for a bigger gun, and you have the average tank destroyer. They were fast and maneuverable, although the turret rotation speed left a little to be desired. But that gun – that gun was deadly.

It took a very special breed of soldier to operate the tank destroyers, with an even more special breed operating the ‘towed’ variety of anti-tank guns. Now you have to picture the above mentioned gun, but have it just sitting on a pair of wheels and hauled around by anything from a jeep to a half-track. I can’t imagine the courage it would take to drive up to a clash line, unhook the heavy gun from the tow vehicle, manually swing it around, and then try to hit something that has probably already started shooting at you. Being assigned to a towed anti-tank gun should just include a Silver Star Medal attached to your orders because surely, you’re probably going to do something to earn one. They would be great in a defensive position, but to go chasing after the retreating enemy as they did, well, that just takes a big set of what cannons used to fire.

Frankly, if you have even a passing interesting in anything military, acquire this book. You’ll receive a ton of knowledge you probably don’t already have unless you’ve studied the art of tank killing, or at worse, you’ll be introduced to heroes of the Second World War who define the word hero.

Reviewed by Daniel L Little – December 12, 2017 – www.daniellittle.com ( )
  Sturgeon | Dec 12, 2017 |
I bought this book as I was researching the life of my Grandpa who was in the 631st TD Battalion in WWII. Since most of the military personnel records were lost in a fire in 1973, I was unable to find out much about my Grandpa's individual service. I thought that I would be able to at least learn his movements and locations if I could follow the movements of his battalion. I found this book which chronicles the movements of all of the TD battalions throughout the war and so it has fulfilled its purpose for me. This is generally accepted as the most complete history of the Tank Destroyer units. It is a great book, but does not read as a "can't put it down" narrative. ( )
  LeviDeatrick | Oct 6, 2016 |
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The Tank Killers is the story of the American Tank Destroyer Force in North Africa, Italy, and the European Theater during World War II. The tank destroyer (TD) was a bold-if some would say flawed-answer to the challenge posed by the seemingly unstoppable German blitzkrieg. The TD was conceived to be light and fast enough to outmaneuver panzer forces and go where tanks could not. At the same time, the TD would wield the firepower needed to kill any German tank on the battlefield. Indeed, American doctrine stipulated that TDs would fight tanks, while American tanks would concentrate on achieving and exploiting breakthroughs of enemy lines. The Tank Killers follows the men who fought in the TDs from the formation of the force in 1941 through the victory over the Third Reich in 1945. It is a story of American flexibility and pragmatism in military affairs. Tankdestroyers were among the very first units to land in North Africa in 1942. Their first vehicles were ad hoc affairs: Halftracks and weapons carriers with guns no better than those on tanks and thin armor affording the crews considerably less protection. Almost immediately, the crews realized that their doctrine was incomplete. They began adapting to circumstances, along with their partners in the infantry and armored divisions.

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