For Duel #13 we have the first repeat antagonists. Both the Panther and the Sherman have been covered before, but not against each other. By late 1944, both of these tanks had seen considerable action and both had been modified accordingly, though perhaps not as much as the crews of these vehicles would have liked.

The book looks at the development of the two tanks and makes comparisons between them.  As you know, the Sherman was pretty much the standard medium tank on the western front and the Panther, while not supplanting the older Panzer III and IV tanks, had integrated itself well in the German tank corps. The Sherman was still saddled with less than thick armor, but was a very reliable tank with generally less than 10% unavailable due to repair or maintenance. The Panther, while better armored and with a more powerful gun, was still hampered by poor reliability, especially when it came to the transmission, and Panther units thought that only having 35% out of commission was considered good. The Panther was much more often abandon and not recovered when it suffered even minor problems, like running out of fuel at the front lines, where Shermans in a like situation were generally brought back for repair.

This book concentrates on the effectiveness of the two tanks in the Battle of the Bulge, probably the last great armor campaign on the western front in WWII. As is often the case, it wasn't always paper superiority that won the battle or the Panther would have decimated the Shermans. No, it was tactical considerations of who saw who first, who was able to get into position to attack and other factors that generally determined the victor.

All of this is superbly covered by author Steven Zaloga and thanks to excellent art work and period photos, his points are well illustrated. Several individual tank actions are also fully covered so that the reader can see for themselves how tactical use and numbers were often the deciding factor in any battle.

Another superb addition to what has become a very popular series and one that I know you will find just as good a read as did I. Highly recommended.

October 2008

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