Hamilton, Aaron S. Bloody Streets

Armor, Artillery and Assault Groups in the Battle of Berlin

This is a comprehensive reference work on tank warfare during the Battle of Berlin. The Red Army launched its last offensive in Europe with the largest concentration of tanks and self-propelled guns to date. Nevertheless, it lost more tanks each day of fighting than in any other Allied battle of World War II. Most of the tank losses in Berlin were caused by a new German weapon: the Panzerfaust. This handheld rocket was used in large numbers for the first time and revolutionized anti-tank warfare. With this new weapon, anyone, regardless of age and with rudimentary training, could easily destroy the largest armored vehicles on the battlefield. To ensure the survival of its tanks and self-propelled guns, the Red Army further developed the concept of the assault group and ordered its tanks to be protected with new anti-tank systems. After the Battle of Berlin, the Soviets fundamentally changed the structure of their tank armies and the associated offensive doctrine. Many of the insights documented by the Red Army at that time are still relevant today for tank tactics in complex terrain. This book presents, for the first time in English, over one hundred pages of Soviet intelligence on the use of tanks, self-propelled guns, artillery, and the development of assault groups in the Battle of Berlin. German anti-tank tactics are detailed based on observations from Red Army combat units involved in the battle. This volume serves as a reference work on tank tactics in the Battle of Berlin. Hundreds of wartime black-and-white photographs of Soviet and German tanks and artillery illustrate the book. Each photograph includes a detailed description with technical specifications and historical context. The photographs are supplemented by over one hundred color profiles, as well as 2D and 3D renderings of German and Soviet tanks, including vehicles from the Allied Lend-Lease program. Furthermore, the book contains hundreds of color photographs of surviving armored vehicles from both sides that saw action in Berlin. These provide modelers with excellent reference material, including all three variants of the T-34/85. Of particular interest are the graphics illustrating the various assault groups of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian Fronts. These were formed to protect the armored units and overcome the determined German resistance. Researchers, tank enthusiasts, and model builders will find a wealth of new material here on the Battle of Berlin from the unique perspective of armored warfare. This is the first of several new volumes on various aspects of the Battle of Berlin, building upon decades of research for the original work, "Bloody Streets."