There's a few decent references out there that touch on the overall development of armor. The book 'The Great Tanks' and 'Inside the Great Tanks' by Halberstadt are decent starting points. They can generally be found in Barnes and Noble and Borders bookstores, sometimes on the bargain shelf if you're lucky. I got my copy of Inside the Great Tanks for $14.00 about a year ago. Although the title suggests it's an interiors book, they do provide color images throughout, and good exterior detail shots as well. Only trouble is, they don't don't cover everything, and they run from WW2 era up to modern.
For general information about a particular vehicle, the web is still probably the best place to go for generic information and photos. Most of the equipment on armor is pretty generic, tow cables are just that, usually two per vehicle in most instances. Then you'll find the standard pioneer tools, shovels, picks, and tools for track repair, and gun cleanning rods, although most German vehicles had those stowed in a cylindrical tube along the hull sponson. Some Russian tanks carried large 'lumberjack' style handsaws, and most German vehicles carried a heavy duty jack.
Hope that helps.
Jeff