Baxter, Ian Images of War. Hitler's Panther Tank Battalions 1943-1945. Rare Photographs from Wartimes Archives

From July 1943 to Germany's final defeat in May 1945 the "Panther" main battle tank and its variants were the mainstay of Germanys armoured forces. This superbly engineered fighting vehicle offered a lethal combination of firepower, mobility and protection. As this classic "Images of War" series title reveals, the "Panther" saw non-stop fighting on the Eastern, Western and Italian fronts. Using rare and often unpublished contemporary photographs with full captions and authoritative text, it provides a comprehensive coverage of elite "Panther" battalions in action. The book traces the development of the "Panther", for example into tank hunter ("Jagdpanther"), and also covers the other supporting vehicles that formed part of the "Panther" battalions establishment. These included armoured recovery vehicles, the "Bergepanther", halftracks, the famous Sdkfz. 2 Kettenkrad, gun tractors and communications vehicles.

The book also shows the technical development of the "Panther", such as the "Jagdpanther" armoured fighting vehicle version. In addition to the "Panther" itself, this publication also covers the other vehicles that supported the "Panther" in "its" battalions, including armoured recovery vehicles, e.g. the "Bergepanther", half-track vehicles, tractors and communication vehicles.