Vorwärts immer - Rückwärts nimmer! An Illustrated Guide to the History and Fate of the German Assault Artillery in WW II. Volume I: The Early Years

The Sturmartillerie were established before the outbreak of World War II as an integrative support arm of the infantry, which was far removed from thorough mobility. Sturmgeschuetze (assault gun) which were turretless tanks armed with a 7.5 cm gun - would push forward the attack breaking any enemy resistance, destroying infantry guns, MG nests and bunkers. Throughout the rest of the war, this young service branch would endeavour to stand against the ever-growing numbers of enemy tanks. The book is the first of a series. Its purpose is to introduce this small, but remarkable service arm to the reader. Development and combat of the first units in battery scale and the later Sturmgeschutz battalions and brigades will be explained by photos, diagrams and coloured artwork. The author turned his attention to the identification of Sturmartillerie units, with markings and characteristics clarified wherever possible. During his research the author relied only on sources found in German archives. Subjective recollections of veterans have been used to illustrate the nature of this service arm.