German, American and British tanks come to mind first whenever the
military vehicles of the Second World War are considered - they get all
the historical attention. The tanks, self-propelled guns and armored
cars built and deployed by the secondary nations in the conflict, in
particular by Hitler's Axis allies, have been almost forgotten. The
rarity of these armored fighting vehicles makes them especially
interesting, and that is why Anthony Tucker-Jones's photographic history
is of such value.
His selection of previously unpublished wartime photographs provides a
visual record of the armored forces thrown into action by Hitler's
allies on the Eastern Front from 1941 to 1945. Illustrated here are the
panzers deployed by Bulgaria, Finland, Slovakia, Hungary, Italy and
Romania on the Eastern Front and in the Balkans. Hungary's homemade
armor included the Toldi and Turán tanks and Zrínyi self-propelled guns.
The Italians produced CV-33 tankettes, Semovente self-propelled guns,
Autoblinda and Lancia armored cars and a series of tanks. Romanian and
Czech tanks and assault guns were also deployed.
Anthony Tucker-Jones's photographic survey of these little known and
underrated military vehicles will be fascinating reading, and a useful
source of reference, for everyone who is interested in the history of
armored and mechanized warfare.
