When the Normandy invasion took place, the Germans did not have much in the way of tank forces to oppose the landings. It was the British who had the greatest number of battles against German tanks because their beaches were farther to the east. For the US, the initial battles were in the hedgerow country where it was more likely that the danger to US tanks was the anti-tank gun as there was seriously no maneuver room.

It wasn't until well after Patton's Third Army broke out during Cobra that the US military finally had room to maneuver. Getting all the open ground ahead of them caused the army to outrun its supply lines, so it was pretty much stopped just before the German border. Eventually supplies (especially fuel) caught up, but it also gave the Germans time to bring equipment up to the lines.

Thus the stage was set for the largest tank to tank battles seen by the US in Europe at the time. Arracourt was near the German border and several major German tank units were there to oppose the US forces. This pitted the Sherman against the Panzer IV and the Panther.

The Panzer IV was an older design but fairly equal to the 75 and 76mm Shermans. The Panther was superior in many ways, including a vastly better gun, and greater turret and frontal armor. Of course, the Panther had its weaknesses in lighter armor on the side and rear, as well as a transmission that could not take being abused. Not surprising that more Panthers were lost to mechanical failures than enemy action. The US also had better trained crews, a more reliable tank, and larger numbers.

The results are what one would expect. The German tanks were not good at urban fighting and while they were generally superior in defensive situations, the lack of training showed quite a bit during the ensuing battle. As a note, this is the battle where Creighton Abrams made a name for himself, so it is not surprising that he had a tank named after him.

In this book, which is part of Casemate's Illustrated series, covers the build up to the campaign, the features of the tanks that faced each other, as well as the armies that were involved. It covers the several days of the campaign in fairly good detail. Of course, it is the wealth of photos that really makes this book so interesting and enjoyable. This includes some nicely done full color profiles of some of the tanks involved. In all, it is a great addition to the series and a book that you will very much enjoy.

January 2022

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