Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright: Why Kursk is the Most Overhyped Battle in History

[DicedT]

Been wanting to get this off my chest for a while. http://nationalinterest.org/feature/tiger-tiger-burning-bright-why-kursk-the-most-overhyped-17334

Michael

[bayonetbrant]

I think Star just had a heart attack.  And then when he was done w/ his girl, read this and had another

[JasonPratt]

Nice article! -- wait, was that author Martin Caidin the same one who wrote the base novel adapted into The Six Million Dollar Man, and The Final Countdown??

Also, I wouldn't have thought the Elefant was a rejected Tiger variant so much as a mobile anti-tank armor (thus meant for a somewhat different role).

[DicedT]

Nice article! -- wait, was that author Martin Caidin the same one who wrote the base novel adapted into The Six Million Dollar Man, and The Final Countdown??

Also, I wouldn't have thought the Elefant was a rejected Tiger variant so much as a mobile anti-tank armor (thus meant for a somewhat different role).

The same. Caidin actually wrote more non-fiction, including "Samurai" with Saburo Sakai. He was an aviation historian, which is why Kursk was a strange choice. Turns out he also claimed to have telekinetic powers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Caidin

Michael

[Wes]

Nice article! -- wait, was that author Martin Caidin the same one who wrote the base novel adapted into The Six Million Dollar Man, and The Final Countdown??

Also, I wouldn't have thought the Elefant was a rejected Tiger variant so much as a mobile anti-tank armor (thus meant for a somewhat different role).

The Elefant (German for "elephant") was a heavy tank destroyer used by German Wehrmacht Panzerjägers during World War II. It was 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 which was rejected in favour of a Henschel design.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elefant

There were only a few ever built. 50 Ferdinands were converted into Elefants.

For an actual sourced and factual account of Kursk The Battle of Kursk by Glantz/House is the goto book.

[Staggerwing]

Nice article! -- wait, was that author Martin Caidin the same one who wrote the base novel adapted into The Six Million Dollar Man, and The Final Countdown??

Also, I wouldn't have thought the Elefant was a rejected Tiger variant so much as a mobile anti-tank armor (thus meant for a somewhat different role).

The same. Caidin actually wrote more non-fiction, including "Samurai" with Saburo Sakai. He was an aviation historian, which is why Kursk was a strange choice. Turns out he also claimed to have telekinetic powers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Caidin

Michael

Caidin wrote a pretty good novel centered on a B-25 pilot flying in the Pacific campaign. The title is 'Whip", the nickname of the title character. One of the highlights of the novel are his missions flying the gunship variant, with it's ridiculous number of 50-cal MGs all pointing forward.

https://www.amazon.com/Whip-Martin-Caidin/dp/039520707X/ref=la_B001HO4VYO_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471306736&sr=1-5

[besilarius]

Marooned became a pretty good movie about an Apollo (?) spacecraft with failed engines.
And Richard Crenna died in the movie.

[JasonPratt]

I feel like I keep learning this about Caidin over and over again.  O0