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List of author's articles
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21-cm-K 12 (E) 21 cm railroad gun
During World War I, Europe's rail infrastructure enabled the development of rail artillery, which gradually evolved into a life-long weapon system capable of firing very heavy projectiles and causing enormous damage to the target area - and its deployment had a psychological impact on the civilian population.
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22. Panzer-Division
History and combat deployment of the German 22nd Tank Division
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25. Panzer-Division
History and combat deployment of the German 25th Tank Division
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340. Volksgrenadier-Division
History, organizational structure and combat deployment of the People's Grenadier Divisions on the example of 340. Volksgrenadier-Division
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66th Special Purpose Tank Battalion
The history and combat deployment of a unit armed with looted Soviet tanks. The tank detachment was formed for the planned invasion of Malta and, after its withdrawal, sent to the Eastern Front.
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About one unusual friendship
"I would like to pilot Messerschmitt at least once in my life. Let me do one practice circuit ..."
(Request from RAF Lt. Col. Douglas Bader to Luftwaffe Lt. Col. Adolf Galland in August 1941) -
AH-4
Chinese ultralight 155mm howitzer for mountain and airborne units and rapid reaction forces
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Airborne General Eugen Meindl
A biography of a German artillery officer who became a paratrooper general during World War II.
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ArmaLite AR-10
ArmaLite AR-10 is a 7.62 × 51 mm NATO battle rifle developed in the 1950s by Eugene Stoner and manufactured by ArmaLite, then a division of Fairchild Aircraft Corporation. The AR-10 first appeared in 1956 and introduced an innovative direct barrel / stock design, phenolic composites and forged alloys, making it easier to control with automatic firing and weighing more than 1 lb (0.45 kg) less than other infantry rifles. that time.
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Croatian Legion
Croatian volunteers - members of the Reinforced Croatian Infantry Regiment 369, also known as the Croatian Legion - supported Nazi Germany during the invasion of the Soviet Union. The war did not end for them in Stalingrad, at the instigation of the Soviets they formed the First Yugoslav Volunteer Brigade and fought again - this time against the Germans in the Balkans
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Deployment of German small armored combat groups on the example of Panzer-Brigade 101
In response to Soviet successes during the initial phase of the Belarusian strategic offensive against Army Group Center (Operation Bagration), Hitler ordered on July 2, 1944, to build small, highly mobile armored combat groups capable of responding quickly and effectively to enemy breakthroughs. Here is the story of one of them.
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Edgar Feuchtinger
The controversial career of a German general who commanded the 21st Panzer Division during the fighting in Normandy.
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Erwin Rommel
Biography of the German field marshal, one of the most important field commanders of World War II.
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FG 42 - rifle for German paratroopers
Development, construction and combat deployment of an automatic rifle of German airborne units
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Friedrich August Freiherr von der Heydte
Friedrich August Freiherr von der Heydte became a legend of the German airborne troops. During World War II, he fought on all European battlefields and in North Africa. He was nicknamed the "paratrooper with the rosary" for his strong Catholic convictions.
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Fritz Bayerlein
Biography of the German general who commanded the elite Tank Instruction Division during the fighting in Normandy.
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Gerd von Rundstedt
The Prussian aristocrat Gerd von Rundstedt is rightly considered one of the most important German generals. During World War II, he held a high command post thanks to his exceptional abilities, despite his advanced age and ostentatious disinterest in politics and National Socialism.
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Götz von Berlichingen
Götz von Berlichingen (1480-1562) - a soldier and adventurer, a respected commander, mercenary, marauding knight and rebel leader, became world famous more than 200 years after his death in 1773 thanks to Goethe's drama of the same name. He waited for further "visibility" until 1943, when his name was given to the 17th SS Tank Grenadier Division.
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Günther von Kluge
A biography of a German field marshal, a capable but politically naive commander who, at crucial moments, preferred duty to honor.
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Hand-held grenade launcher RGS-50
Hand-held grenade launcher, developed at the instigation of the Soviet KGB, still serves the anti-terrorist police units of the Russian Federation and other post-Soviet republics.
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Heavy Tank Regiment Bäke
A short, but successful history of the regiment (actually rather a battle group) on the Eastern Front in early 1944
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Heinz Pannwitz - Investigator of the assassination of Heydrich
Heinz Pannwitz's Criminal Councilor is known to those interested in history primarily as the head of the Special Commission of Inquiry after the assassination of Heydrich. Less well known is his work in France, where as head of a special commission he tried to expose the activities of the Soviet spy network - the Red Band. As a forensic scientist, Pannwitz preferred psychological coercion to brutal Gestapo methods. During his work in the Protectorate and in France, he tried to misuse the arrested resistance fighters for intelligence games with London and later with Moscow. There is uncertainty about his alleged cooperation with Soviet military intelligence - GRU.
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Hermann Bernhard Ramcke
During his long military career in both world wars, Hermann Bernhard Ramcke, a general of airborne troops, demonstrated the courage and commanding skills for which he was awarded the Knight's Cross with swords and diamonds. He earned the nickname "Dad Ramcke" for the care he always gave to the soldiers under his command.
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Infantry General Günther Blumentritt
Biography of one of the most capable German staff officers, who at the end of World War II proved to be a field commander.
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Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg
Biography of the general who commanded German tank units in France before the Allied invasion and a month after the "D" day.
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LRDG - Long Range Desert Group
The Long Range Desert Group ( LRDG ), a British reconnaissance and raid unit operating in the North African Western Desert during World War II, can be considered the first modern special forces unit. In its missions, it inflicted more significant damage to Axis forces than other British conventional forces of the same strength, with minimal own losses.
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Ludvík Svoboda
A biography of a soldier and a politician whose fate was intrinsically connected with the fate of Czechoslovakia.
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OF-40
The production of Leopard 1 tanks for the Italian army under a license purchased from the German company Krauss-Maffei GmbH enabled OTO Melara SpA to gain experience in the production of modern tanks. After the end of production, the production lines remained unused and the company's management decided to enter the market with a main battle tank of its own design (at first glance inspired by Leopard) intended for export to the Middle East.
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Operation Elbrus (August 1942)
The ascent to the highest mountain of the Caucasus, Elbrus, undertaken by German mountain hunters during the summer offensive on the southern front in 1942, had no military significance. However, they would not be mountain hunters if they resisted the temptation to fly the imperial flag to the highest point where a German soldier could get during World War II. Hitler was so enraged at the climb to "that idiotic peak" that in a fit of rage he demanded a court-martial for "the crazy climbers". Of course, it didn't go that far.
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Operation Greif (Ardennes 1944)
A sabotage operation by German special forces during the winter offensive in the Ardennes under the leadership of the dreaded Lieutenant Colonel Skorzeny.
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Operation Leopard, Kolwezi 1978
The successful rescue mission of the French Foreign Legion Parachute Unit ( 2REP ) was the first operational airborne raid by French troops since 1956. It more than adequately justified the existence and training of 2REP and demonstrated the value of having a unit capable of rapid deployment and implementation. air raids.
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Panzer Brigade 101
Despite its small strength, the Wehrmacht's tank brigade withstood a critical situation during the retreat in the Baltics in the summer of 1944 and defended the deployment of small armored combat groups against Soviet superiority.
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Panzer-Division Tatra
The Tatra Tank Division successfully participated in counterinsurgency and counterguerrilla operations in Slovakia, but had no chance against the Red Army
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Popski's private army
The British Army has never had much sympathy for unconventional personalities. However, after the outbreak of fighting in North Africa, its leadership quickly realised the value of eccentric individuals who knew the Western Desert and could survive in its inhospitable wastelands. It therefore enabled and encouraged the formation of such legendary unconventional units as the SAS and the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG). Then, from December 1942, another irregular unit operated in North Africa (and later Italy) - Popski's Private Army, the smallest British unit under independent command.
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Rheinmetall-Steyr RS-556 assault rifle
Will this new assault rifle succeed in the Bundeswehr tender as the successor to the G36?
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schwere Heeres-Panzerjäger-Abteilung 93
History and combat deployment of the unit armed with heavy tank destroyers Nashorn
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schwere Heeres-Panzerjäger-Kompanie 614
The fate of a unit armed with heavy Elefant tank destroyers is an eloquent testimony to the agony of the Great German Empire in the early spring of the last war year.
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schwere Panzer-Kompanie Hummel
History and combat deployment of forces armed with heavy Tiger tanks from September 1944 to April 1945
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Sniper Vasily Zaitsev: how a legend is created
The sniper Vasily Zaitsev, an icon of the Great Patriotic War, is sometimes considered a mere product of Soviet propaganda. Like anyone who successfully fought in the Stalingrad inferno, Zaitsev deserves respect and admiration. It was the politruks and propagandists who politically exploited his name and fighting prowess. Half-truths and outright fabrications about Vasily Zaitsev have taken on a life of their own, and individual authors of historical and fiction publications have taken them over and copied them from each other. The crown of all this was put on by Annaud's film "The Enemy at the Gates". The name Vasily Zaitsev has thus become synonymous with the term "Soviet sniper", although there were dozens of Soviet snipers with more successful hits during World War II.
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Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 242
Formed for the Afrikakorps, almost destroyed at Stalingrad, it made its way through Italy to the foothills of the Alps. The long journey of an assault gun unit into American captivity.
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Successes and defeats of military intelligence: Crete
Operation Mercury, the German invasion of Crete in May 1941, deprived Britain of a valuable foothold in the Mediterranean. However, the Germans won at the cost of unacceptable losses. The course of the fighting in Crete was significantly affected by the failure of the intelligence services of both warring parties. While the German attackers set out to fight with terribly inaccurate ideas about the targets, the defenders of Crete had enough accurate information, but due to their poor evaluation, they put all their efforts in the wrong direction.
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Successes and defeats of military intelligence: France 1940
The speed with which Nazi Germany defeated France in 1940 shocked the world. The Wehrmacht defeated the French army, which had been considered the most respected military force in Europe for twenty years, in less than seven weeks. The reason for the German victory (and the French defeat) were mainly differences in the military doctrine of the two countries, the operational art of the command corps and the level of training of their troops. The result of the war was also due to the different approach of the French and German armies to the collection of intelligence and, in particular, to its evaluation and use.
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Successes and defeats of military intelligence: Introduction
"No war can be waged without timely and proper reporting"
John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722) -
Successes and defeats of military intelligence: Moscow 1941
The collapse of Operation Typhoon - the German attempt to conquer Moscow - marked the definitive end of the blitzkrieg on the Eastern Front. The Blitzkrieg turned into a war of wear and tear - and Nazi Germany did not have enough human or material resources for it. The initial success of the German winter offensive was made possible by the failure of Soviet military intelligence, which did not anticipate an attack on Moscow at this time of year and was unable to detect German preparations. The Abwehr's traditional underestimation of Red Army power was one of the main causes of the defeat of the Central Army Group, which, thanks to Hitler's ban on retreating, did not end in utter disaster.
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Successes and defeats of military intelligence: Singapore 1942
The fall of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Singapore, took place in the South–East Asian threatre of the Pacific War, when the Empire of Japan captured the British stronghold of Singapore — nicknamed the "Gibraltar of the East" — with fighting in Singapore lasting from 8 to 15 February 1942. Singapore was the foremost British military base and economic port in South–East Asia and was the key to British interwar defence planning for the region. The capture of Singapore resulted in the largest British surrender in history.
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Successes and defeats of military intelligence: the North African battlefield
Rommel's Afrikakorps was aided by initial intelligence on North Africa's information about British troops and their plans. The Allies eventually won mainly due to numerical and material superiority. Without quality intelligence, however, their victory would cost more time, resources and, most importantly, lives.
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Sylvester Stadler
Sylvester Stadler was one of the youngest German generals during World War II. He took command of the 9th SS Tank Division "Hohenstaufen" in just 33 years. During the war, he proved many times directly on the front line that he is an exceptional commander. As one of the 24 SS soldiers, he was the holder of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. His name has never been associated with war crimes.
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T-42 (project of super-heavy tank)
The T-42 was a project of Ing. Grotte from 1932, based on the TG-VI project. This colossus, weighing about 100 tons, about 15 m long and protected by armor up to 70 mm thick, was to be powered by a Grott designed engine of 2000 HP (speed up to 30 km/h) or two AM-34 engines of 800 HP (speed 18 km/h).
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The Americans at Kasserine Pass: a debacle or a useful lesson?
The fighting for the Kasserine Pass in February 1943 between inexperienced American troops and seasoned German veterans is often portrayed, especially by American historians, as a catastrophic defeat. In reality, however, the Americans were able to quickly reclaim the lost territory. Even more valuable was the acquisition of valuable combat experience for future African and especially European campaigns.
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The first Czech spy Emanuel Voska
The Czech-American Emanuel Voska became known as the first Czech spy, a leading figure in the anti-Austrian resistance and a close collaborator of T.G. Masaryk.
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Third Battle of Kharkov
Kharkov. Ukraine's second largest city, an industrial center and a major transport hub. During World War II, it became four times the site of heavy fighting between German and Soviet troops. In October 1941, it was conquered by the German 6th Army. The Soviet attempt to conquer the city in May 1942 was repulsed by the Germans. Less than a year later, in the early spring of 1943, the Red Army gained Kharkov and soon lost it again. During this, the third battle of Kharkov, the 1st Czechoslovak Field Battalion underwent its combat baptism. The city definitely passed into Soviet hands in August 1943.
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Waffen SS Muslim Divisions
Heinrich Himmler's ambition to create the greatest possible private armed forces brought a large number of foreign troops into the Waffen SS. Muslim divisions were definitely among the most bizarre of them. Bosnian and Kosovo Muslim volunteers did not excel in morale or fighting qualities. On the other hand, in a short period of their deployment, especially in the anti-guerrilla battles in the Balkans, they gained a reputation as the most brutal war criminals. The Muslim divisions of the SS Weapons eventually disappeared due to massive desertions rather than combat losses.
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Walter Model
A biography of a field marshal who is considered one of the most brilliant German strategists of World War II.
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ZBD-03
The Chinese airborne combat vehicle, inspired by the Russian BMD-3, lags behind its design in terms of quality.
