The TD men encountered increasingly lethal enemies, ever more dangerous panzers that were often vulnerable only to their guns while American tank crews watched in frustration as their rounds bounced harmlessly off the thick German armor. By now, the brass had decreed that half the force would convert to towed guns, a decision that dogged the affected crews through the end of the war. The story continues with the invasion of Italy and finally that of Fortress Europe on 6 June 1944.
The reconnaissance teams in TD battalions, meanwhile, had established a record for daring operations that they would continue for the rest of the war. By the time that North Africa was in Allied hands, the TD had become a valued tank fighter, assault gun, and artillery piece. They began adapting to circumstances, along with their partners in the infantry and armored divisions. Almost immediately, the crews realized that their doctrine was incomplete. 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. Tankdestroyers were among the very first units to land in North Africa in 1942. It is a story of American flexibility and pragmatism in military affairs. 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.
Indeed, American doctrine stipulated that TDs would fight tanks, while American tanks wouldĬoncentrate on achieving and exploiting breakthroughs of enemy lines. At the same time, the TD would wield the firepower needed to kill any German tank on the battlefield. The TD was conceived to be light and fast enough to outmaneuver panzer forces and go where tanks could not. The tank destroyer (TD) was a bold-if some would say flawed-answer to the challenge posed by the seemingly unstoppable German blitzkrieg. The Tank Killers is the story of the American Tank Destroyer Force in North Africa, Italy, and the European Theater during World War II.
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