Publisher's Synopsis
Day of the Panzer transports the reader into the ranks of L Company, 15th Infantry Regiment, Third Infantry Division, and its supporting M-4s of the 756th Tank Battalion during World War II. On August 12, 1944, L Company hit the beaches in southern France unsure of what to expect. After overcoming pockets of resistance along the coast, the tanks and infantry swept westward toward Marseille, nipping at the heels of the retreating German Nineteenth Army. Despite blistered feet and fuel shortages, the Third Division raced north through the Rhône River valley and finally engaged the Nineteenth Army at Montélimar. L Company and its supporting tanks once again led the Regimental charge. In the haste and chaos of the day, they managed to slip the German rearguard and unwittingly attacked the German LXXXV Armeekorps headquarters in the small town of Allan. Both sides were shocked by the ferocity of the battle. Led by a rampaging Panther tank, the Germans counterattacked, and threatened to cut L Company's positions in half. Surrounded and facing annihilation, the Company held fast until reinforcements arrived the next morning. Day of the Panzer conveys the minute-by-minute excitement, confusion and desperation of combat. This book is based on six years of research, drawing from primary documents, dozens of interviews with combatants and eyewitnesses, and visits to the battlefield.
