Dr Jacek Zabielski

This fully illustrated study pits Germany’s Panzer I against the Soviet T-26 in the Spanish Civil War. In 1936, as Spain descended into civil war, both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sent tanks to aid the opposing sides, keen to see how they fared in combat. Armed with twin machine guns, Germany’s Panzer I fought alongside Nationalist troops, while the 45mm-armed Soviet T-26 took the field with Republican forces, with captured examples soon equipping the Nationalists. In this book, Jacek Zabielski reveals the origins, development and combat history of these two types, which remained in front-line service in 1941 as Hitler’s forces invaded the Soviet Union. While both types were soon outclassed by better-armed and -armoured successors, the lessons learned in Spain would shape German and Soviet combined-arms doctrine on the Eastern Front during and after Operation Barbarossa. Featuring specially commissioned artwork, full-colour mapping and archive photographs alongside the authoritative text, this study reveals how the Panzer I and T-26 performed in battle, and their technical and tactical influence throughout World War II.

The Kfz. 13/14 represented a significant step forward for the German army in the realm of armoured scout cars following the devastation of First World War. Initially intended for training purposes, despite their limitations, including inadequate armament, armour, and off-road capabilities, they played a pivotal role in shaping the tactics and strategies of German armoured warfare doctrine. The early scout cars also provided essential training opportunities for crews, helping to develop the skills necessary for operating more advanced armoured vehicles in future conflicts, as well as provided valuable insights into the design of armoured fighting vehicles to the German industry. Despite their contributions to the early development of armoured warfare tactics, Kfz. 13/14 vehicles were already outdated by the outbreak of Second World War and gradually phased out in favour of more modern and capable designs. Nonetheless, their legacy as pioneering platforms in the evolution of armoured reconnaissance vehicles remained significant within the annals of military history. The aim of this book is to tell the lesser-known history of vehicles commonly referred to as "Bathtubs", which despite their unassuming appearance, shaped the generations of German soldiers serving in motorized reconnaissance formations, who after 1939 found themselves at the forefront of armoured formations spreading terror throughout Poland, Low Countries and France.