Dug in 5cm Panzerabwehrkanone 38 (L/60) in Italy

German "Elefant" tank destroyers on the assembly line.

These Schwerer Panzerjäger ("heavy tank-hunter") of the Wehrmacht during World War II, built in small numbers in 1943 under the name "Ferdinand" after its designer, Ferdinand Porsche, using tank hulls that had been produced for the Tiger I tank requirement, but which were rejected in favor of the competing Henschel design.

MG 42 and Camouflaged PaK 40 in Position on the Eastern Front

King Tiger from Schwere Panzer Abteilung 507 that defended the woods around Padeborn 1945

During World War II, Paderborn was bombed by Allied aircraft in 1944 and 1945, resulting in 85% destruction, including many of the historic buildings. It was seized by the US 3rd Armored Division after a pitched battle 31 March - 1 April 1945, in which tanks and flamethrowers were used during combined mechanized-infantry assaults against the city's southwestern, southern and southeastern approaches

8.8 cm Flak 36 camouflaged in the ground role sporting a good number of kill rings

Shattered running gear on an early T-34-76 - Winter 1941

A Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger being stuffed with 88mm ammunition prior to Operation Zitadelle - July 1943

Flipped Over Shermans - Monte Cassino Italy 1944

8.8cm Pak 43/41 "Scheunentor" towed by an Sd.Kfz. 7 on the Eastern Front

Scheunentor translates to barn door, this was not due to the size of the gun shield but instead a reference to the guns manoeuvrability!

Point of View from a Tiger I turret

Here's a gif for you today, a camera mounted on the turret of a Tiger I traverses across an open field with another four Tiger I's in the foreground.

One has to remember that all of these images and videos that provide us with a glimpse into the past; in this case the second world war, were captured by men and a few women on the front lines of combat.  Many of whom paid for their footage with their lives.

German Troops Enjoying Their Fire - Ardennes Forest 44/45

Deep in the Ardennes forest a Panther crew and some German infantry enjoy the warmth of their fire during "Operation Watch on the Rhine" - Hitler's last gamble to halt the Allies in the west, hoping to force them to the negotiating table.

Despite early successes, the battle of the bulge failed in almost all of its objectives.  Running out of fuel a kilometer before the largest fuel dump in Europe, not being able to dislodge the US troops at Bastogne - all of these small failures compounded and ended up costing the German's deeply, by the time the bulge was squeezed out many precious tanks and vehicles had been abandoned, countless lives had been wasted and nothing had been gained.

Abandoned Flak 41 inspected by American soldier at Magdeburg - 1945

The Flak 41 was a Rheinmetall improvement on the famous Krupp "eighty-eight", resulting in a more powerful version than any of the previous ones.  Only very few numbers were produced, but this prompted Krupp to respond with another prototype which ended up becoming the feared Pak 43 & KWK 43 - mounted on the Elefant, Jagdpanther and the Tiger II.

US Hellcat & Sherman Tanks with an abandoned King Tiger

Looming in the backgroiund the massive hulk of a knocked out or abandoned King Tiger sits while numerous Sherman tanks and Hellcat tank destroyers from the 6th Armoured Division rest for a moment.

8.8cm flak mounted on a Vomag Omnibus 7

An interesting photo as the Vomag Omnibus 7 was a civilian transport vehicle.  There isn't a lot of information available about the Omnibus 7.

The variant is known as the Vomag 88mm Flak 18 Waffentrager.  It is an example of the need to get such an excellent but horribly immobile weapon into battle and as maneuverable as possible.

88mm Flak Ambush - Holland 1944

German paratroopers in a trench, supported by a StuG III

British troops fire a captured Pak 40 near Monte Cassino

The Battle of Monte Cassino was a series of four costly assaults by the Allies in the Italian campaign.

The defending German forces held the Winter Line series of three defensive lines across Italy, centered around the town of Monte Cassino - Highway 6 ran through here all the way to Rome.

The plan was to break through and drive onto Rome, it took 123 days, 55,000 casualties to finally dislodge the German defenders.

A grave for fallen comrades

A German panzer crewman stands over the grave of two fallen panzer crewmen - potentially from the Panzer I in the background.

Most likely this photo is taken in 1941 during Operation Barbarossa, as the black panzer beret - the schutzmütze - was phased out and production had ceased in 1941, however it continued to be worn after that date for a while.  The surviving crewman is wearing the newer style of panzer crew headgear which was introduced in early 1940.

Two Tiger II tanks on a Paris street 1944

The heaviest tank on the battlefield, the Tiger II or Königstiger was a formidable foe, but it had its fair share of shortcomings.  From over-complicated engineering, not enough power for the weight of the beast and the lack of quality raw materials led to this monster not being able to perform to its fullest.
However that being said, wherever this tank was deployed, it devastated its opponents.

In this photo two King Tigers of the 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion are passing through a Paris street on the way to the Normandy front in August 1944, ultimately however nothing the German's threw at the invading Allies was enough to halt their advance, and once Operation Bagration was launched it was really only a matter of time before the war for Germany was over.

M3A1 Half-track from the "Ghost Army" 1944

M3A1 half-track with 500 pound speaker, capable of projecting sounds as far as 15 miles. Used by the US 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, aka the Ghost Army, for sonic deception, 1944

Read more about the Ghost Army