Tag: battle of the bulge
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Jagdpanzer 38 „Hetzer“ (Sd.Kfz. 138/2)
Type: Tank Destroyer Nation: Germany Period: World War 2 Location: Bastogne War Museum, Belgium Caught on the back foot Following their 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany’s troops were facing an ever-increasing number of enemy tanks on the Eastern Front. Craving for capable anti-tank vehicles, the Germans upgunned their Panzer IIIs, Panzer IVs…
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M4A3(75)W Sherman „Barracuda“
Type: Medium Tank Nation: USA Period: World War 2 Location: Bastogne, Belgium Major redesign Following the M4A1 and M4A2, the M4A3 was the third Sherman variant to enter production in June 1942. Rated at 500 hp, its liquid-cooled Ford GAA V8 was the most powerful of all five Sherman engines. Before production was stopped in…
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M4 Sherman „Blood & Guts“
Type: Medium Tank Nation: USA Period: World War 2 Location: Wiltz, Luxembourg Standing tall The M4 was considered the “standard” Sherman, although the M4A1, M4A2 and M4A3 all went into production earlier. The first of 6,748 early “small hatch” M4s left the factories in July 1942. Apart from the welded hull, it was basically identical…
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Panzerkampfwagen V Panther Ausf. G (Sd.Kfz. 171)
Type: Medium Tank Nation: Germany Period: World War 2 Location: Restaurant “Le Tank”, Celles, Belgium Gaining weight Although the Germans classified the Panther as a medium tank, its 45-ton weight was more comparable to contemporary Allied heavy tanks like the Soviet KV-1 or the American M26 Pershing. Originally the Panther had been designed to weigh…
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Panzerkampfwagen V Panther Ausf. G (Sd.Kfz. 171)
Type: Medium Tank Nation: Germany Period: World War 2 Location: Grandmenil, Belgium A panic reaction? The Panther was considered one of the best medium tanks of World War 2, but it had to go a very long way to earn this reputation. Its origins date back all the way to 1938, when a project was…
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M24 Chaffee
Type: Light Tank Nation: USA Period: World War 2 Location: Musée National d’Histoire Militaire, Diekirch, Luxembourg The M24 Chaffee was first put into service in late 1944. It was designed to replace the M3 and M5 Stuart light tanks which had become clearly outdated by that stage of the war. The new tank was named…
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Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger Ausf. B (Sd.Kfz. 182)
Type: Heavy Tank Nation: Germany Period: World War 2 Location: December 44 Museum, La Gleize, Belgium Heavyweights The German Tiger II (also known as Tiger Ausf. B) was the heaviest mass-produced turreted tank of World War 2. Weighing over 69 metric tons, its operational combat weight was only surpassed by its derivative, the Jagdtiger tank…
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M4A3E2 Sherman „Jumbo“
Type: Assault Tank/Heavy Tank Nation: USA Period: World War 2 Location: Bastogne Barracks, Belgium The M4A3E2 was designed as an assault tank – basically a heavily armoured infantry support vehicle for breaching fortifications such as the Siegfried Line. Since development of the T14 assault tank had been cancelled and the M26 heavy tank would not…
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M4 Sherman “Ginsling”
Type: Medium Tank Nation: USA Period: World War 2 Location: Wibrin, Belgium The sleeping giant At the beginning of World War 2 the US Armys’ tank force was virtually nonexistent. Even Poland possessed more tanks when they were attacked by Nazi Germany in September 1939. The Great Depression and long years of isolationism had drastically…
tanks_butnothanks 