Panzer Wedge: Vol. 2: The German 3rd Panzer Division and Barbarossa's Failure at the Gates of Moscow (Stackpole Military History Series) by Lucke Fritz & Edwards Robert & Olive Michael

Author:Lucke, Fritz & Edwards, Robert & Olive, Michael [Lucke, Fritz]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stackpole Books
Published: 2013-02-01T06:00:00+00:00

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1. The original German is Kanonenpanzer, which means “cannon tank.” These are most likely early versions of self-propelled antitank guns, which will be translated as “tank destroyers.”

2. Although plausible in theory, in actual battlefield situations the mine-dogs tended to run under the Russian tanks they had been trained with rather than those of the Germans.

3. 4. Panzer-Division.

4. The Reichsarbeitsdienst was a paramilitary organization designed to reduce unemployment in the prewar years and, ultimately, prepare young Germans for the military, and a tour of duty—usually a year—was compulsory for all males prior to being eligible for the draft. As the war progressed, many RAD formations actually saw combat duty.

5. In this context, a more accurate translation for Einlagen would be “perks,” but since the word can be interpreted differently and is used again in the next paragraph, it has been translated as given here.

6. A reference to the smoking chimney of the Gulaschkanone, the two-wheeled field oven that was towed by a prime mover or driven by a team of horses.

7. This is the first time in the text that the author makes clear that he is talking about armored personnel carriers, as opposed to personnel carriers, which could also include trucks.

8. The author is referring to his service in the Austrian Bundesheer, prior to its annexation into Germany in 1937. The pre-Anschluß Austrian Army had a tank battalion and several motorized battalions—all of which were eventually incorporated into formations of the German Army.

9. Almost certainly, these were rockets for the Soviet multiple rocket launchers called “Stalin organs” by the Germans.

10. Klaus Störtebeker was a privateer of the fourteenth century who was alleged to have been able to drink four liters of beer in a single gulp.

11. Traditionsverband, 181.

12. This was a general headquarters element that was not assigned to any division or corps.

13. Operation “Typhoon.”

14. Munzel, 96.

15. In essence, a basic load of fuel was enough fuel to allow the unit or formation to operate for 100 kilometers.

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