{"title":"Jeffrey Plowman","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJeffrey Plowman\u003c\/strong\u003e offers detailed and engaging accounts of pivotal military campaigns, focusing on lesser-known theatres of the Second World War. His works like \u003cem\u003eFighting Tigers in Italy\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eGerman Breakthrough in Greece\u003c\/em\u003e provide a vivid exploration of strategic battles and the human experience within them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIdeal for readers with an interest in \u003cem\u003eHistory \u0026amp; Military\u003c\/em\u003e, Plowman’s narratives balance meticulous research with compelling storytelling, illuminating the complexities of warfare beyond the main fronts.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"fighting-tigers-in-italy-by-jeffrey-plowman-9781399057868","title":"Fighting Tigers in Italy","description":"Of all the tanks in the German arsenal the Tiger was perhaps the one most feared, certainly by the Western Allies from the time they first encountered it in North Africa to the end of the war in Europe. This was no small feat for a tank of which only 1,347 were produced out of a total German tank production of around 27,000 tanks. This is not surprising given that it was armed with the dreaded 88 mm gun, the rounds of which could pass right through a Sherman tank and whose thick frontal armour meant that it was virtually invulnerable to anything the Allies could field at that time.   Though a fearsome weapon on the surface the Tiger was not well suited to offensive operations. It suffered from a weak transmission, which often failed. The lack of suitable recovery vehicles, until the Bergepanther made its appearance, meant the crews would often attempt to tow it with another Tiger rather than abandon it. This usually resulted in the loss of both Tigers as the towing tank also broke down through mechanical failure, brought about by the extra strain imposed on the towing vehicle. However, as a defensive weapon it was second to none, especially in Italy. Here the country's hilly terrain, with its scattering of small villages, restricted the routes of advance the Allies could take. Just the knowledge that Tigers were in the area imposed an extra caution on Allied tank crews, particularly after their duels with its lighter Panzer cousins.   New Zealand troops first met the Tiger during the fighting in Tuscany, their first encounter with this behemoth leaving such a lasting impression on them that the region was dubbed 'Tiger Country'. As stated in one official history “it became a kind of bogey, and the air was full of rumours of more and more Tigers lying await just ahead.” Yet they learned ways, if not to defeat it, to at least nullify its influence on the battlefield. Just how they did this is detailed in first person accounts in the book.  AUTHOR: Jeffrey Plowman is a research biochemist by profession who has had a keen interest in military history for over 45 years. He has made a special study of New Zealand armour and armoured units, extending his interest into the operations of the 2nd New Zealand Division in the Mediterranean theatre in World War II. He has published over twenty five books on these subjects and co-authored a numerous articles in After the Battle and Wheels and Tracks magazines. He has published four books with Pen and Sword: War in the Balkans: The Battle for Greece and Crete 1940-1941, Monte Cassino. Armoured Forces in the Battle for the Gustav Line, Greece 1941: The Death Throes of Blitzkrieg and Tank Attack at Monte Cassino. The Cavendish Road Operation 1944.   70 b\/w illustrations","brand":"Bookreps NZ Limited","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47900352905452,"sku":"9781399057868","price":75.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781399057868-fighting-tigers-in-italy.jpg?v=1783402471"},{"product_id":"german-breakthrough-in-greece-by-jeffrey-plowman-9781399079051","title":"German Breakthrough in Greece","description":"On February 25, 1941 Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, made his first approach to the Australian and New Zealand governments seeking their approval for the use of their troops in his Greek venture. While the New Zealand government was adamant that their forces should have the support of an armoured brigade, the Australian government was more concerned that it would end in an evacuation, a fear also evident among the British planners, a view they were reluctant to share. Fast forward two months and it is now April 14. Ten days have passed since the German invasion of Greece and the Anzacs are in trouble, even if they don't yet know it. The small German motorcycle battalion that has just reached the 21st NZ Battalion positions at Platamon is a harbinger of the panzer battle group yet to come. To the south is the strategic town of Larissa. North of it almost the entire Anzac Corps is spread out along the line of the Olympus mountains, with its western end anchored on Kalabaka, where a small brigade group waits for the appearance of the 1st Armoured Brigade further north. Larissa is their only escape route and the German thrust is aimed straight at it. Worse still, as the fighting intensified at Platamon, the Anzac Corps high command seemed slow to react and almost turned a blind eye to it as they continued to reinforce the west against what was only a perceived threat. That this lone battalion, with four 25-pounders in support, managed to hold off the attackers for as long as they did until Anzac Corps Headquarters finally reacted was certainly not due to the latter's commander, Lieutenant General Thomas Blamey. There is a view in some quarter that this successful delaying action only became possible for the intervention of Blamey's Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier Sydney Rowell. However, the complete evacuation of all Anzac troops north of Larissa may owe much more to the propensity of the New Zealand soldier for misappropriation of other people's assets, in this case British anti-tank mines. In the end this situation was turned around thanks to the actions of small groups of men, whose resilience and resourcefulness, often under extreme circumstances, helped delay the advance. The Germans in turn made a number of blunders, not the least of which were logistic but it could also be put down to overconfidence on their part after their easy victories in France. In the end the entire Anzac Corps escaped the trap, albeit by the skin of their teeth, and the British avoided the wider political ramifications of what could have happened had they lost what was, in New Zealand's case, their sole contribution to British land forces in the Middle East. Just how the Anzac troops in Greece succeeded in the face of what was thrown against them from both sides of the hill is the subject of this book.  AUTHOR: Jeffrey Plowman is a research biochemist by profession, and he has had a keen interest in military history for over thirty-five years. He has made a special study of New Zealand armour and armoured units and he has published eight books as well as many articles and chapters on the subject. For this book he has selected from his own collection of over 10,000 photographs and from various private collections and public archives.   184 b\/w illustrations","brand":"Bookreps NZ Limited","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47900364538092,"sku":"9781399079051","price":75.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781399079051-german-breakthrough-in-greece.jpg?v=1783403147"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/jeffrey-plowman.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}