Steven Zaloga – författare

Some tank crews referred to the American M4 Sherman tank as a "death trap." Others, like Gen. George Patton, believed that the Sherman helped win World War II. So which was it: death trap or war winner? Armor expert Steven Zaloga answers that question by recounting the Sherman's combat history. Focusing on Northwest Europe (but also including a chapter on the Pacific), Zaloga follows the Sherman into action on D-Day, among the Normandy hedgerows, during Patton?s race across France, in the great tank battle at Arracourt in September 1944, at the Battle of the Bulge, across the Rhine, and in the Ruhr pocket in 1945.

In September 1944 Hitler ordered an attack on Gen. George Patton's Third Army, which was deep inside France making for the Rhine and threatening the German industrial heartland beyond. The ensuing battle near Arracourt--the U.S. Army's largest tank-versus-tank clash until the Bulge--went badly for the Germans, who committed their armor piecemeal and whose offensive was shattered in a series of intense, close-range tank duels with the Americans. Armor expert Steven Zaloga deftly reconstructs the battle and shows how American Sherman tanks bested superior German Panthers. Features legendary panzer general Hasso von Manteuffel and U.S. commanders John "Tiger Jack" Wood ("America's Rommel") and Creighton Abrams (namesake of the M1 Abrams tank). Thoroughly researched narrative draws on newly discovered American and German records that provide unprecedented detail.

In this classic of World War II armor, now available in paperback, author Steven Zaloga, a world-renowned expert on the Sherman tank and American armor, compares the Sherman to other tanks, including the Panther and Tiger. Some tank crews referred to the American M4 Sherman tank as a death trap. Others, like Gen. George Patton, believed that the Sherman helped win the war. So which was it: death trap or war winner? Zaloga answers that question by recounting the Sherman’s combat history, focusing on Northwest Europe (but also including a chapter on the Pacific) and following the Sherman into action on D-Day, in Normandy, during Patton’s race across France, in the great tank battle at Arracourt, at the Battle of the Bulge, across the Rhine, and in the Ruhr pocket in 1945. Includes hundreds of photos and riveting accounts of armored warfare during World War II.

This classic, now available in paperback, includes all varieties of American armor in Europe from D-Day, to Normandy, to southern France, the Siegfried Line, the push to the Rhine, and finally, the Battle of the Bulge. Shermans, Hellcats, and many more American and German tanks are covered in nearly 1200 photos along with Steven Zaloga’s expert captions. Perfect for modelers and World War II enthusiasts.

The second in Steven Zaloga’s classic two-volume photo history of American armor in Europe is now available in paperback. Covering the Battle of the Bulge, the Rhine crossings, and the final battles inside Germany, the book is beautifully illustrated with more than 1200 photos of American tanks and armored vehicles as well as many German tanks.