"The Panther shot the leading Sherman with a single round, which separated the turret from the hull . . . The turret was rolling away when the Sherman ignited . . . a bright orange flame shot up, followed by a mushroom cloud explosion. . . flashes of tracer exploded across the battlefield . . . I must pay tribute to the crew of the second Sherman, who seemed undaunted . . ."

These eyewitness statements by former Waffen SS troops relate the sheer violence and aggression of tank combat between the late-war panzers and the Allied Sherman and Churchill variants.

Italy 1944: An SS Panther stands guard over a stricken Elefant tank destroyer, as US Army Shermans move in for the kill. Includes a rare account of the Sherman calliope in action.

Normandy 1944: Two Panthers and supporting Panzergrenadiers cause havoc in a British supply line, including combat against the Sherman Firefly and Churchill Crocodile.

The Ardennes 1945: A Jagdtiger takes on a series of US Army Shermans in the final stages of the Ardennes campaign, told in ruthless clarity by the Jagdtiger's 128mm gun crew.

The Battle For The Bunkers: SS Panthers charge a squad of Sherman Firefly tanks, and seek to throw back an assault by Churchill AVRE vehicles on a bunker line.

The Flail Tanks: A desperate battle between Panzer IV and Sherman 'Crab' flail tanks in a Normandy minefield, told by a terrified French observer.

The Panzerfaust Fighters: SS 'Hitlerjugend' anti-tank infantry open fire on a Stuart/Honey light tank, Sherman and Churchill Crocodile in the French hedgerows.

The Tank Destroyer: SS Jagdpanzer IV vehicles do their deadly work on a column of Canadian armor, and face the unstoppable power of Allied fighter-bombers using a new weapon.

With ice-cold detail, phenomenal drama and sense of crisis, these first-hand accounts stand out today as one of the most remarkable testimonies to the experience of tank warfare in WW2. They will fascinate anyone interested in tank combat, the Waffen SS, the Allied tank variants in action and the use of armor in the closing stages of the war.

This book contains selected extracts from the two popular Sprech History books 'SS Panzer - SS Voices' and 'Hitler's Children - Spitting Fire.' Each of those books contains extended and further unique interview material with German panzer crews.