Land forces and warfare Books

Book SynopsisSoldiers to the Last Day: Rhineland- Westphalian 6th Infantry Division, 1935-1945 recounts the history of the German 6th Infantry Division from its formation in 1935 to its destruction at Babruysk in July 1944; then its resurrection and continued fighting until the end of the war. Among the first divisions established by the Wehrmacht, the 6th Infantry Division had one of the longest and bloodiest records of continuous combat of any division—Allied or Axis. Engaging in combat within weeks of the outbreak of WWII, the division fought to the last hour of the war. Based primarily on German sources, in particular the rare divisional and regimental histories and war diaries, and on personal accounts and letters of its soldiers, Soldiers to the Last Day presents the German view of the war from inside divisional headquarters and down to the individual Landser as the division marches across France in 1940, advances to the Volga during Operation Barbarossa, fights the brutal battles of Rzhev, Kursk, Babruysk; and makes last desperate attempts to defend the homeland in 1945. It is a tale of courage, determination, suffering, and in the end—betrayal.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments; Author’s Note; Introduction; 1 From the Ashes; 2 Mobilization and War: First Blood; 3 “Kameraden Wir Marschieren im Westen”; 4 Barbarossa I: Into the Unknown; 5 Barbarossa II: The Volga and Beyond; 6 A Winter in Hell; 7 The First Winter Battle of Rzhev; 8 The Summer Battle of Rzhev; 9 “Wir Halten Rshew!” The Second Winter Battle of Rzhev; 10 Operation Büffel; 11 Operation Freischütz; 12 Zitadelle; 13 The Year of Retreat; 14 Death of a Division; 15 Resurrection and the Warka; 16 Silesian Requiem; Epilogue; Endnotes; Appendix I: Men of the Division; Appendix II: Das Ritterkreuz; Appendix III: Das Birkenkreuz; Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisMilitary historians have often regarded the roll of the Italian military as somewhat "bi-polar." During the First World War, Italy sided with the Allies including Britain, France, Russia and the U.S. against Germany and the Central Powers. During the Second World War it signed on as a member of the Tri-Partite powers joining Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. The legacy of the latter often presents a less than positive appraisal of the Italian soldier's performance... one espoused both by its enemies and allies. However a positive consensus appears when focusing on the Bersaglieri... translating as "sharp shooter"... and acting as shock troops often leading both assaults and defences. As "The Tip of the Spear" they would thus pay the price during the Italian Wars of Unification, the early colonial forays into Africa, WWI, the Ethiopian War and lastly WWII with much Bersaglieri blood soaked up by European soil as well as the burning sands of Africa and frozen in the vastness of Russia. Over 300 images including rare unpublished photographs chronicle Italy's elite "Plumed Warriors."

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Book SynopsisPrimus in armis, 'first in arms', is the motto of the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry, Britain's senior Regiment of volunteer cavalry raised in 1794 against the threat of French invasion. The Wiltshire Yeomanry has served for over 200 years and fought in South Africa, the First and Second World Wars and more recently as individuals in the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of the places where the Regiment fought in the Second War will be familiar to modern readers including Aleppo, Palmyra, Baghdad, and more bizarrely, meeting the Russian army on friendly terms in Tehran. The battle of El Alamein in the western desert was possibly their finest hour. The author has accessed the extensive Regimental archives and interviewed many families of veterans to obtain a glimpse into the personalities of these soldiers. A wealth of unseen material from around the world has surfaced including stories concerning the aristocracy of the inter-war years and the previously forgotten service of the Regiment's most famous officer. This first, illustrated history of 'The Royal Wilts' will appeal to anyone with an interest in the British Army.Table of ContentsIntroduction; Foreword; 1 The First Hundred Years of the Yeomanry Cavalry in Wiltshire; 2 The Early 1900s and the South African War; 3 The Great War; 4 1918-1939; 5 Mobilisation and the Middle Eastern Adventure; 6 El Alamein: The Finest Hour; 7 The Italian Campaign; 8 Yeomanry Tales; 9 The Post-war Era; 10 A (RWY) Squadron The Royal Yeomanry; 11 B (RWY) Squadron The Royal Wessex Yeomanry; 12 Freedom Parades and the RWY Squadrons Reunite Under A New Cap Badge; Appendix: Tank Markings in the Middle East and Italy; Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisUsing only original official period documents from the Second World War this book tries to provide the reader with the same information on the Panzer V Panther tank that was available to British and Commonwealth senior officers and tank crews during the war. As soon as intelligence reports confirmed the existence of the Panther tank the hunt was on to find reliable information on how to knock out this new German tank. Most people believe that the only way to stop a Panther was to penetrate its armour with an armour piercing A.P. round. Luckily the British 17 pdr anti-tank gun could do that but the British were also looking how to knock them out by using other weapons. They tested using high explosive artillery rounds and 20 mm air attack aircraft canon rounds to penetrate and damage the tank's rear engine deck and puncture the vehicle's radiators. Loss of water would cause the engine to overheat and stop working. Tank radiators were large and spares were not carried on the tank. If the Panther could not be recovered back to a maintenance depot the crew would have to abandon the tank and disable it by setting off internal explosive charges.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; Glossary; Introduction; 1 The Panther Tank Prototypes; 2 Panzer V Ausf. D Panther Tank (Sd.Kfz.171); 3 Panzer V Ausf. A Panther Tank (Sd.Kfz.171); 4 Panzer V Ausf. G Panther Tank (Sd.Kfz.171); 5 The Soviet Panther Tank Report; 6 Panther Armour-Thickness Poster; 7 Pamphlet on Attack on Panther PzKw V and Tiger PzKw VI; 8 US Army Pamphlet: How to Kill a Panther; 9 Performance Trials and Workshop Report; 10 Preliminary Report on Armour Quality and Vulnerability of the Panther Tank; 11 Panther, Brief Notes on Fighting Qualities: DTD Fighting Equipment Division; 12 Report of Comprehensive Firing Trials Against the German Panther PzKw V; 13 Authorised Battlefield Modifications; 14 Air Attack Trials; 15 British Anti-Tank Weapons; 16 British Battle Reports; 17 The Armour Report; 18 Panzerketten: German Tank Track Classification System; 19 The Bucket; 20 Surviving Panther Tanks.

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Book Synopsis‘American Panther Tanks’ sounds a strange title for a book, but currently there are five surviving WW2 German Panther tanks in America. It is believed that fourteen captured Panzer V Panther tanks were shipped to the United States after the Second World War. Most were cut up and scrapped after being used for testing and targets on live firing ranges. The Panzer V Ausf.A Panther tank at the American Heritage Museum, Hudson, Massachusetts, near Boston, has been completely restored to a very high standard. The other four Panther tanks are at Fort Benning, Columbus, Georgia, under the care of the U.S. Army Armor and Cavalry Collection (U.S. AACC). They are awaiting their turn to be restored. The first four chapters briefly cover the development and production of the Panzer V Panther tank from the first version, the Ausf.D, to the second version the Ausf.A and to the final production version the Ausf.G, using photographs from other surviving Panther tanks around the world. The fifth chapter explores the design history of the Panther II prototype hull. Only one was built. The remaining chapters are dedicated to a photographic walk-around of the surviving Panther tanks in America.Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1 The Panther tank prototypes; 2 Panzer V Ausf.D Panther tank (Sd.Kfz.171) development; 3 Panzer V Ausf.A Panther tank (Sd.Kfz.171) development; 4 Panzer V Ausf.G Panther tank (Sd.Kfz.171) development; 5 Panther II tank at Fort Benning; 6 Panzer V Ausf.A Panther tank at Fort Benning; 7 Panzer V Ausf.G Panther training tank at Fort Benning; 8 Panzer V Ausf.G Panther tank at Fort Benning; 9 Panzer V Ausf.A Panther tank at the American Heritage Museum; 10 Surviving Panther tanks; Glossary; Bibliography.

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Book Synopsis‘Panzersoldaten!’ is a history of the Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale (MVSN), commonly referred to as the Blackshirts due to their wartime attire. They were an anti-Communist paramilitary organisation that fought for Mussolini while Italy was under fascist rule; following the Duce’s removal from power, the organisation was quickly swept up by the Italian Army, and forced to swear allegiance to the king. Some, however, defected and continued to fight for the Axis alliance as volunteer units in the German Army. This volume covers the history of the Blackshirt Division during the campaign on the Eastern Front, focusing on its relations with the Italian Army, the history of the MVSN, its advance into Ukraine, and the First and Second Battles of the Don River. Morisi, using almost exclusively contemporary resources and battalion war diaries, as well memoirs from senior officers of the division, has created a definitive analysis of the Blackshirts.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; Introduction; 1: The Italian Army and Operation Barbarossa; 2: A History of the MVSN; 3: From the Initial Advance into Ukraine to the Christmas Battle; 4: First and Second Battle of the Don River; 5: The M Armoured Division; Conclusion: final assessment; Bibliography; Appendix: Anthem of the M Battalions.

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Book SynopsisRodolfo Graziani, Marshal of Italy, Viceroy of Ethiopia and one of Mussolini's most valued generals remains to this day a divisive figure in his homeland. Revered by some Italians as a patriot and vilified by others a murderer, his reputation abroad remains one of infamy. To the people of Libya, he's the man who hanged Omar al-Mukhtar. In Ethiopia, the one behind the poison gas bombings. To the British, he is the buffoon-like Italian general whose troops surrendered en masse. But what is the true story of Rodolfo Graziani? This rigorously researched biography draws on private letters and secret communications to reveal a fascinating portrait of Fascist Italy's most notorious military leader. What emerges is a man of glaring contradictions. A Doting family man and a violent soldier. Graziani was a key figure of Italy's momentous 1930s, enjoying widespread popularity during the height of Mussolini's dictatorship, his exploits in Libya and Ethiopia captured the public's imagination. After his death he was largely forgotten. But in 2012, the mausoleum erected in his honour has sparked fresh controversy.Table of Contents1 Disaster in the desert; 2 A home in the mountains; 3 Postcards from Libya; 4 Ethiopia and the use of poison gas; 5 Marquis of Neghelli and executioner of Addis Ababa; 6 Twenty months on Lake Garda; 7 A sentence which is more like an acquittal; 8 What remains; Postscript 2021; Endnotes; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisWhen the Panzer VI Ausf. E Tiger I tank first arrived on the battlefield, it started the Allied and Soviet intelligence race to discover everything they could about this new threat. The British Army quickly needed to know how to knock it out, then communicate that information back to the troops that had to face this new German metal monster either by official means or via newspapers. This is not a typical book on the Tiger tank. It tries to show the reader what the British and Commonwealth forces knew about the Tiger I tank during the war and the results of scientific firing trials. Unpublished Second World War original documents, discovered in different archives, have been transcribed and reproduced along with any existing photographs found in those official secret reports. These include top-secret Bletchley Park and Enigma intercepts of German messages that were decoded and translated before being sent to wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Illustrated with over 360 images, "How to Kill a Tiger Tank" is the definitive examination of a world-changing fighting vehicle.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; Glossary; Introduction; 1: Tiger Tank Development and Production; 2: Operational Deployment; 3: Early 1943 Soviet Army Tiger Tank Pamphlet; 4: Early British Intelligence Reports About the Tiger Tank; 5: The Armour Code; 6: Tunisia Firing Trials Reports; 7: Pamphlet on Attack on Panther Pz Kw V and Tiger Pz Kw VI; 8: British Intercepts of German Coded Messages; 9: 1943 Newspaper Reports on the New Tiger Tank; 10: School of Tank Technology Pz Kw VI (Tiger) Report No 19; 11: The Capture of Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf E (Tiger) Turret No 344; 12: Firing Trials Against Panther and Tiger Tanks, 18-23 September 1944; 13: Part I: Firing Trials Against Pz Kw VI (Tiger) 7-12 March 1945; 14: Part II: Firing Trials Against Pz Kw VI (Tiger) 15-22 March 1945; 15: Part III: Firing Trials Against Pz Kw VI (Tiger) 23-25 April 1945; 16: Part IV: Firing Trials Against Pz Kw VI (Tiger) 26-27 April 1945; 17: British Anti-Tank Weapons; 18: British Battle Reports; 19: Panzerketten (German Tank Track Classification System); 20: The Bucket; 21: Surviving Panzer VI Tiger Tanks; 22: Replica Tiger Tanks; Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisIn this absorbing new history of the ‘Galicia’ Division, David McCormack debunks many of the myths that have resulted in enduring controversies amongst the public, the mainstream media, academics, and politicians. ‘The Galicia Division 1943-45 : Just Ordinary Soldiers?’ provides an objective appraisal of the Ukrainian volunteers and conscripts that have been described as both heroes and villains in equal measure. What were the circumstances that led thousands of Ukrainians to volunteer to fight in Hitler’s crusade against Bolshevism in 1943? Why did coercion replace incentivisation as a means of recruitment in 1944? Why was a decision made by the British authorities to ignore Stalin’s demands for the repatriation of the division in 1945? Did the long established German military doctrine of ‘absolute destruction’ provide the foundations for accusations of war crimes against the division? How can the recent fetishisation of the division by Ukrainian nationalists be explained?Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements; Glossary of German Ranks; Ukrainian Political and Military Resistance Movements; Introduction; 1 Casting Long Shadows: German Military Culture and the Practices of War 1870–1945;2 The Wild East: The Massacre of Jews in L’viv and the Crushing of Ukrainian Nationalist Aspirations in Galicia; 3 A Matter of Expediency: The Formation of the Galician Division; 4 ‘Brother Against Brother’: Anti-Partisan Operations in the Lublin District of the Generalgouvernement ; 5 A Baptism of Fire: The Battle of Brody; 6 Learning to Eat Soup With a Knife: The Role of the Galician Division in the Suppression of the Slovak National Uprising; 7 A Deadly Embrace: Fighting Tito’s Partisans in Slovenia; 8 Holding the Line: The Stabilisation of the Front in Austria; 9 An Uncertain Future: Capitulation and Internment; 10 Guilty by Association?: The Galician Division’s Trial by the Media; Epilogue; Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisFew tank designs have been as effective, versatile and long-lived as that of the British Centurion. Conceived during the Second World War as the answer to the superior German Tiger and Panther tanks and to the lethal 88mm gun, this 52-ton main battle tank incorporated the lessons British designers had learned about armoured fighting vehicles during the conflict, and it was free of the major faults that had impaired the other British tank designs of the time. The Centurion was so successful that it served in the British Army and in numerous other armies across the world from 1945 until the 1990s. Pat Ware's highly illustrated history of this remarkable tank covers its design and development, its technical specifications and the many variants that were produced. He tells the story from the design brief of 1943, through testing and trials to the tank's entry into service. And he traces the course of the Centurion's subsequent career as it was up-dated, up-gunned and adapted to operate in varied conditions and conflicts all over the world including Korea, the Indo-Pakistan wars, Vietnam and the Arab-Israeli wars. His expert account of this remarkable fighting vehicle is accompanied by a series of colour plates showing the main variants of the design and the common ancillary equipment and unit markings. His book is an essential work of reference for enthusiasts.

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Book SynopsisThe M4 Medium Tank - the Sherman - was one of the most famous tanks of the Second World War. It was produced in greater numbers than any other Allied tank, it fought on every front - in Western Europe, on the Eastern Front, in North Africa, Burma, the Pacific - and it continued to serve effectively as a front-line fighting vehicle in the Korean War, the Arab-Israeli wars, the Indo-Pakistani wars. Pat Ware's new history of this remarkable tank covers in detail its design and development, its technical specifications and the many variants that were produced, and he reviews its operational role in conflicts across the world. While the Sherman outclassed the older German tanks it encountered when it was first put into combat in 1942, it was vulnerable to the later German medium and heavy tanks, the Panther and the Tiger I and Tiger II. Yet, as Pat Ware shows, the Sherman was more effective than these superior German tanks because it was cheaper to build, reliable, easy to maintain and produced in such large numbers. It was also adaptable - it was converted into a tank-destroyer, an amphibious tank, a recovery vehicle, a mine-flail, a personnel carrier - and, after the Second World War, the soundness of its original design was proved as it was developed to confront more modern tanks in combat. Pat Ware's expert account of this remarkable fighting vehicle is accompanied by a series of colour plates showing the main variants of the design and the common ancillary equipment and unit markings. His book is an essential work of reference for enthusiasts.

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Book SynopsisThe German Tiger I and Tiger II (known to the Allies as the 'King Tiger' or 'Royal Tiger') were the most famous and formidable heavy tanks of the Second World War. In their day their awesome reputation inspired such apprehension among Allied soldiers that the weaknesses of these brilliant but flawed designs tended to be overlooked. Anthony Tucker-Jones, in this illustrated history, tells the story of their conception and development and reconsiders their operational history, and he dispels the legends and misunderstandings that have grown up around them. The Tigers were over-engineered, required raw materials that were in short supply, were time-consuming to manufacture and difficult to recover from the battlefield. Only around 1,300 of the Tiger I and fewer than 500 of the Tiger II were produced, so they were never going to make anything more than a local impact on the outcome of the fighting on the Western and Eastern fronts. Yet the myth of the Tigers, with their 88mm guns, thick armour and brutal profiles, has grown over time to the extent that they are regarded as the deadliest tanks of the Second World War. Anthony Tucker-Jones's expert account of these remarkable fighting vehicles is accompanied by a series of colour plates showing the main variants of the designs and the common ancillary equipment and unit markings. His book is an essential work of reference for enthusiasts.

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Book SynopsisIn 1991, Coalition special forces were active deep inside Iraq, hunting down SCUD missile launchers before they could be fired. In 2011, US Navy SEALs were responsible for the assassination of the world’s most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden. In 2014, the US Delta Force captured Libyan terrorist Ahmed Abu Khattala, wanted for the attack on the US embassy in Benghazi in 2012. Over the last 25 years elite military formations have played an increasingly important role in the policing of the world’s trouble spots, including rescuing hostages in Afghanistan and fighting Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. Special Forces in Action is a detailed account of the operations of the world’s special forces from 1991 to the present day. From the Gulf War to the invasion of Iraq, via the war in Afghanistan, the search for war criminals in the Balkans, drug gang hunting in South America, hostage rescues in Africa, and the counter-terrorist initiatives since 9/11, the book brings the reader full details of the often clandestine and varied roles of the world’s elite soldiers. Authoritatively written and illustrated with more than 180 photographs and artworks, Special Forces in Action is an expert account of how the world’s special forces have become a vital arm of the modern military machine. Trade ReviewWill suit fans of Andy McNab right down to the ground - the real story, featuring real people and real battles. Stirring and inspirational. * Books Monthly Online 03/08/2015 *Table of ContentsIntroduction 6 The First Gulf War 32 Somalia 54 The Balkans 76 Drug Hunting in South America 92 Sierra Leone 116 Afghanistan 134 Iraq 164 Counter-terrorism 192 Index 218 Picture credits 224

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Book SynopsisMilitary Vehicles is a wide-ranging guide to the world of military mobility in the twentieth century and beyond. In 300 detailed entries, it explores the combat, transport and utility vehicles that have supported military units from World War I to the present day. Categories include armoured personnel carriers, armoured cars, anti- aircraft vehicles, tank destroyers, trucks and transporters, amphibious vehicles, self- propelled artillery and more. From early iron-clad machines such as the German Büssing A5P and the Russian Garford-Putilow armoured cars to advanced machines such as the Italian MICV Dardo and the German LGS Fennek, Military Vehicles examines the development of these powerful weapons of war. Each vehicle featured is illustrated by a full-colour side-profile artwork. The service history and key features of the vehicle are explained, and a detailed specification table lists the country of origin, crew, weight, dimensions, armour, armament, powerplant and performance. The book also features an introductory history of the development of military vehicles from 1900 to the present and a full glossary of technical terms and abbreviations. Presented in a handy, pocket-book size, Military Vehicles is a colourful guide that will interest any enthusiast of military technology and modelling.Table of ContentsIntroduction Amphibious Vehicles Gillois PA Schwimmwagen Type 166 M2 and M3 Arisgator K-61 BAV-485 GAZ-46MAV GT-S Pegaso VAP 3550/1 Vickers 31 Ford GPA LVT-3 LVTP-5 AAAVR7A1 AAA V Anti-Aircraft Vehicles Crotale Shahine Flakpanzer 38 (t) Mobelwagen Wirbelwind Flakpanzer 1 Gepard Roland Sidam 25 Type 87 AWSP SA-4 Ganef SA-6 Gainful SA-8 Gecko SA-13 Gopher SA-10 Grumble SA-11 Gadfly M1 Tunguska ADATS Tracked Rapier Armoured Starstreak M727 HAWK M48 Chaparral MIM-104 (GE) Patriot Anti-Tank Vehicles VBL Raketenjadgpanzer 1 Raketenjadgpanzer 2 Jgd Jaguar 1 and 2 Wiesel TOW Centauro Type 60 Panzerjager 90 FV102 Striker M50 Ontos M901 Armoured Combat Vehicles Austro-Daimler ADGZ Pandur EGESA EE-9 Cascavel Cougar Cardoen Piranha 6X6D PA-II CGV 1906 Autoblinde Peugeot Auto-Mitrailleuse Berliet VUDB Panhard 178 Panhard EBR/FL-11 Panhard EBR/FL-10 Panhard AML 90 AMX-10RC Renault VBC 90 RPX-90 ERC 90 F4 Sagiae Bussing A5P Daimler/15 Daimler DZVR 1919 Schupo-Sonderwagen 21 Pzpw SdKfz 232 (8 Rad) Schutz...SPz 11-2 kurz Autoblinda Lancia IZ Pavesi 35 PS Fiat-Ansaldo L3/35Lf Fiat-OCTOBREDA 6616 OTO Melara R3 Capraia VCC-80/Dardo IFV Sumida M.2593 Type 89 M39 Armd Car WZ/34 TAB-72 Garford-Putilow BMP-1 BTR-80 BMP-3 BTR-90 Bionix 25 Eland Arm'd Car Rooikat VEC Cavalry Scout Landsverk 180 Grenadier Little Willie FV 721 Fox Warrior MICV Dragoon Engineer Vehicles 4KH7FA SB20 Greif ARV SIBMAS ARV Pionierpanzer 1 Skorpion MAN/Krupp Leguan Pionierpanzer Dachs 2 FSB 2000 MAN FSG Bergpanzer 3 Buffalo ARV Keiler Mine-Clearing Faun ATF 70-4 SMT-1 MDK -2M Ural-375E KET-L BREM-1 BgBv 82 Entpannungspanzer 65 Churchill ARC Chieftain AVLB FV106 Samson Challenger ARRV BAT-2 M32 Sherman T15E1 M48 AVLB M88A1 M578 M9 ACE Half-Track Vehicles BMS-1 Alacran OT-810 M23 M28 Somua MCG/S307 SdKfz 10/4 NSU Kettenkrad HK 101 SdKfz 250/3 SdKfz 4/1 Morris-Martel Burford-Kegresse Bedford Traclat Rocket Launchers XLF-40 Pluton 28/32CM Wurfkorper 251 Lars II Type 75 BM-13 BM-31-12 ZiS-6 FROG-7 SS-1c Scud B BM-22 Uragan DR-3 Reys SS-23 Spider 9A52 Smerch Honest John Pershing Lance MLRS BMG-109 Tomahawk M-77 Oganj Self-Propelled Artillery Type 54-1 M-77 Dana F3 BAK 1906 SIG 33 Geschutzwagen SdKfz 135/1 15cm Howitzer Rascal M41M90/53 2S7 SM-240 PRAMS-S G6 Rhino Birch Gun Mk II T19 Tactical Support Vehicles Saurer RR-7 Renault Char TSF Panzerbefehlswagen I Type 82 ABRA/RATAC LGS Fennek M577 Green Archer YP-104 Lynx CR M4 C2V Tracked Infantry Vehicles Saurer 4K 4FA-G1 Cobra Ram/Kangaroo Wasp Mk IIC YW 531 YW 703 OT-62 AMX VCI AMX VTT/TB SPz lang HS30 M113A1G M113 Zelda SU-60 Type 73 BTR-50 MT-LB KIFV K-200 Carden-Loyd Mk VI Bren Gun Carrier FV433 Stormer M75 M59 M114A1E1 M-60P M-80 MICV Trucks & Transporters Steyr-Puch Haflinger Steyr 680 M3 Steyr-Puch P...716M BR-100 Bombi Praga V3S Tatra T 148 Renault UE Laffly W1 5T ACMAT TPK 6.40 Lohr Fardier FL 500 Munitionstransporter IV Raupen Schlepper Ost D-Benz Unimog S 404 B Ford G398 SAM Faun L912/45A MAN 630 L2 Faun SLT 50-2 Elefant MAN N 4510 5t MAN 15 t MAN 40.633 Iveco 6605 TM GAZ-AAA ZiS-5 AT-P GAZ-66 KAMAZ-5320 KAMAZ-4310 krAZ-260 Ural-4320B Bv202 Bv206 Light Dragon Mkii Austin 10 Humber Snipe Bedford OYC Leyland Hippo Mk II M29C Weasel Mack NO M274 Mule M561 Gama-Goat M992 FAASV Oshkosh PLS Wheeled Infantry Vehicles EE3 Jararaca LAV-25 VTP-1 Orca Fahd Patria XA-180 M201 VLTT Panhard M3 VXB-170 Panhard VCR Auverland a3 Borgward B2000 VW 181 Faun Kraka 640 TM 90 TM125 TPz-1 Fuchs Condor ATF 2 Dingo GTK/MRAV FUG RBY Mk 1 RAM V-2L Fiat Campagnola 11-7 AD Fiat Melara 6614 ASA Guardian IVECO 40-10 WM Chaimite V-200 Bravia Commando III BA-20 BA-64 GAZ-67B BRDM-2 BRDM-2 SA-9 BTR-70 UAZ-469B Al Faris AF-40-8-1 Tatrapan Casspir BMR-600 BLR URO VAMTAC Sonderwagen SW1 Roland MOWAG Spy Shorland SB401 Sandringham 6 Supacat ATMP Valkyr FS100 Simba Scout Index

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Book SynopsisWho were the greatest commanders of the American Civil War, and what made them so? In The Great Commanders of the American Civil War, the best military leaders of both sides are pitted against each other and their strengths and weaknesses examined – Robert E. Lee versus George Meade at Gettysburg, Ulysses S. Grant versus Albert Sidney Johnston at Shiloh, William Tecumseh Sherman versus John Bell Hood in the March to the Sea, along with eight other pairs. The book also explores a decisive battle between each pair of adversaries, highlighting the decisions made and why the battle was won. Each featured battle includes a contextual introduction, a description of the action, and an analysis of the aftermath. A specially commissioned colour map illustrating the dispositions and movement of forces brings the subject to life and helps the reader grasp the course of each battle. Featuring full-colour illustrations, paintings and photographs alongside the battle maps, The Great Commanders of the American Civil War is a fascinating comparison of the greatest Confederate and Union military leaders.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Beauregard vs McDowell (First Manassas) 2. Jackson vs Shields (Kernstown) 3. Grant vs Johnston (Shiloh) 4. Farragut vs Lovell (New Orleans) 5. McClellan vs Johnston (Gaines’ Mill) 6. Lee vs McClellan (Antietam) 7. Buell vs Bragg (Perryville) 8. Lee vs Hooker (Chancellorsville) 9. Lee vs Meade (Gettysburg) 10. Grant vs Lee (Spotsylvania) 11. Sherman vs Hood (March to the Sea) Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisScorpion FV101 Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) in British service 1972-2020, The CVRT (Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance Tracked) family of reconnaissance vehicles has been highly successful since its introduction by the British Army in 1972 and it has seen extensive combat from the Falklands War to Afghanistan. Its variants include the lead vehicle, Scorpion, armed with a 76mm gun and the 30mm-armed Scimitar that were both employed in the reconnaissance role with Spartan as an armoured personnel carrier., The combat history of CVRT is one of the most powerful aspects of the Haynes CVRT Scorpion Manual and includes accounts of its first operational deployment during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974; the Falklands War in 1982; the Gulf War in 1991; Somalia in 1993 and the Fourth Anglo-Afghan War, including the testimony of the most highly decorated soldier in the British Army, Mick Flynn, who fought in CVRT from the Falklands to Afghanistan, as well as the recollections of Prince Harry during his service with the Blues and Royals in Afghanistan., Supported by more than 250 photographs and illustrations, Simon Dunstan tells the story of CVRT's development, its anatomy, combat record and how it is operated and maintained by the armies of 16 nations worldwide. The full range of Scorpion variants including Scimitar, Spartan, Striker, Sultan, Samaritan and Stormer are covered, as well several other specialised versions and export models to over a dozen nations., Author: Simon Dunstan tells the story of CVRT's development, its anatomy, combat record with the British Army from the Falklands to Afghanistan, and how it is operated and maintained by the armies of 16 nations worldwide.

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Book SynopsisThe German Panther is arguably the finest medium tank of the Second World War and one of the greatest ever built. Combining unmatched firepower, armour protection and mobility it was the primary nemesis of the Russian T-34 tank on the Eastern Front., Author Mark Healy looks at the development, construction and fighting qualities of the Panther, as well as including insights into what it was like to operate and maintain. He focuses on the surviving Panther Ausf A at the German Armour Museum, Munster, and the UK Tank Museum's Panther Ausf G., Author: Mark Healy is the author of the Haynes T-34 Tank Manual as well as Midway 1942, The Tiger Tank Story and Zitadelle: The German Offensive against the Kursk Salient 14-17 July 1943. He also produced the best-selling video series Die Deutschen Panzer. He lives in Dorset.Table of ContentsCONTENTS 1 THE PANTHER STORY Dealing with Russia – a lesser affair than France! Flawed German assumptions about the Red Army’s tank force The KV-1 and T-34 shock The Panzer Commission to Russia There can be only one The essentials of the MAN Panther 2 PRODUCTION OF THE PANTHER AND ITS VARIANTS Production of the Panther Panther variants: part one The production status of the Panther and the Emergency Panzer Programme of January 1945 Panther variants: part two Panther variants: part three 3 ANATOMY OF THE PANTHER Introduction Part one: the hull exterior Part two: the hull interior Part three: the turret and main armament 4 PANTHER WALK-AROUND 5 PANTHER AT WAR ‘Our problem child’ Into combat – the Panther at Kursk The Panther in Italy Panthers in action on the eastern border of Poland, late summer 1944 Preparing for the invasion in the West Panthers in Normandy Reflections APPENDIX Panther Ausf G specifications Select bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe British and Commonwealth Soldier 1939-45, British soldiers, with their old-fashioned helmets, spring-powered PIAT anti-tank guns and veneration of heroic defeats, may have lost the propaganda war, but their record speaks for itself: they may have started badly in France in 1940 and the Far East in 1941, but they were victorious in the North African desert, in Europe and in India and Burma where the 'Forgotten Army' first held the Japanese and then inflicted at Imphal and Kohima the greatest loss to the Japanese on land. They held back the might of the Panzers in Normandy in 1944, chased the Germans back into Holland and came within a whisker at Arnhem of circumventing the Siegfried Line, and won battle after battle against a fanatical defence on their way to final victory., This book doesn't cover the progress of the Second World War, but looks in detail at the weapons, uniform, accoutrements, equipment and tactics of the Second World War British infantryman, following the themes of the Haynes Great War British Tommy and German Infantryman Manuals., Author: Simon Forty was educated at Sedbergh School and London University's School of Slavonic and East European Studies. He has been involved in publishing for over three decades and specializes in military history having contributed to a large number of books. He was also general editor of World War I: A Visual Encyclopedia. Simon lives in Devon with his wife and two children.Table of ContentsChapter 1 The lessons of WW1 The Hundred Days, pacifism; interwar doctrinal theories: Fuller, mechanised warfare and the cavalry; the arms race of the 1930s; and the birth of the Paras. Chapter 2 Organisation The army of empire: Australia, Canada, India; the organisation of the army and how it changed during the war; manpower crises, arms and services; the regimental system; new arms: the Paras, Commandos, the Territorials, and Dad’s Army. Chapter 3 The soldier National Service: militia and conscription; training; personal documentation; life in the field. Chapter 4 Uniform and equipment Rank and insignia; medals, badges and other titles; decorations; trade and specialist badges; proficiency badges; other badges. Uniforms and equipment: the standard combat uniform and headgear; equipment: gasmask etc, webbing, packs and tools; camouflage; winter clothing; desert clothing; jungle clothing; amphibious warfare; the Paras. Chapter 5 Weapons Pistols, rifles, submachine guns, machine guns, hand grenades, mortars, mines, anti-tank guns, flamethrowers, anti-aircraft guns, infantry guns and howitzers, ammunition. Chapter 7 Medical services RAMC; the infantryman; battalion; regiment; division; corps; army. System of aid to/evacuation of casualties; Commonwealth War Graves Committee. Chapter 8 Women soldiers ATS, FANY, QAIMNS. Chapter 9 Tactics Introduction, in the attack; the squad in combat; in the defence; airpower; artillery; tanks.

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Book SynopsisWith a Foreword by Lord Hague of Richmond The Intelligence Corps is one of the smallest and most secretive elements of the British Army. It has existed in various guises since the early twentieth century, but it was only formally constituted in July 1940. In this book, Michael Ashcroft tells the astonishing stories of some of its most courageous and ingenious figures, who have operated all over the world from the First World War to the present day. Whether carrying out surveillance work on the street, monitoring and analysing communications, working on overseas stakeouts, receiving classified information from a well-placed contact or interrogating the enemy in the heat of war, a hugely diverse range of people have served in the Corps, often supplementing their individual professional skills with original thinking and leadership in the name of the Crown. This book pays tribute to them and shows why, in the words of the 1st Duke of Marlborough, 'No war can be conducted successfully without early and good intelligence.'

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Book SynopsisOne of the greatest and most terrible years in world history.‘This war has now assumed the character’, wrote Benito Mussolini, before 1941 was six months old, ‘of a war between two worlds’, and the Italian dictator had rarely predicted more truly.Before the year had ended, following Hitler’s surprise assault on Russia and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, thirty-seven nations were engaged in an all-out war reminiscent of Armageddon, ‘the battle of that great day of God Almighty’.Richard Collier’s latest narrative spans both this entire, devastating year, as well as the events that led up to it. From the hunting of the Bismarck through the North Atlantic to the triumphs of Rommel’s Afrika Korps, from the horror and heroism of besieged Leningrad to the debacles of Hong Kong, Malaya and the Far East, this is a panorama of truly world-wide proportions.An unputdownable narrative of the most extraordinary year in world history, perfect for readers of Max Hastings, James Holland and Antony Beevor.

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Book SynopsisThe end is in sight but the fight is long: the epic and terrifying conclusion to the greatest conflict in historyGoing into 1944, the Allies knew the tide was turning in their favour. But they still faced a monumental task to get to victory.From the beaches of Normandy on D-Day to those of the Pacific stormed by American marines, from the air drops at Arnhem and the Battle of the Bulge to the final dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, from the sacking of Berlin to the delicate peace that followed, this is a gripping and impeccably researched account of two years that forever changed the world.Filled with both the grand sweep of history, and small, unforgettable details and stories of ordinary soldiers, this is military writing of the very highest calibre, perfect for fans of Jonathan Dimbleby and Ben Macintyre.

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Book SynopsisThe Battle of the Somme has become a byword for sacrifice and senseless slaughter. It had a searing impact on the British mindset that still resonates over a century after it occurred. This largely stems from the events of 1 July 1916, the first day of the battle which cost the British Army over 19,000 dead and nearly another 40,000 wounded, captured and missing, the bloodiest day in the Army''s history.Yet the battle continued for four and a half months and a century of research suggests a far more nuanced picture. Britain was not fighting alone and the French contribution, often overlooked, was clearly very significant. The Somme also saw the very first use of tanks in battle, at Flers-Courcelette on 15 September 1916, an event that changed the course of warfare forever.Moreover, there are now commentators who believe the Somme was a victory, albeit an expensive one. The Somme also had an immense social historical significance, due to both the way it impacted virtually every community in Britain and to the films which held audiences spellbound all over Europe.While a great deal has been written about the Somme, this book is much more than just a history of the battle. It focuses on the equipment and tactics used by both sides and the strategic objectives the battle was designed to achieve. Uniforms, logistics, weapons, all the components of the battleplan are discussed and described in detail in a creative and innovative manner. This new approach to one of the most significant battles in British military history will attract a great degree of interest from a wide range of readers.

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Book SynopsisThe Jeep is among a handful of motor vehicles, along with other classics such as the VW ''Beetle'', the Mini, the E-Type Jaguar and the Citroën 2CV which are deserving of that over used adjective; iconic.During WW2, the Jeep could be found wherever the Allies were fighting and soldiers soon learned that here was a dependable, go-anywhere machine. Waterproofed Jeeps took part in the D-Day landings, before fighting their way across France and the Low Countries and into Germany. In the appalling conditions of the Eastern Front, Jeeps struggled against the odds to win the admiration of the Red Army and in the Far East where roads were non-existent, Jeeps were even adapted to travel on rails. By the time the war was over, more than 640,000 Jeeps had been built by Ford and Willys. After the end of the war another 28,000 were built in France by Hotchkiss during the 1950s.This book, now enlarged and revised with many new pictures covers the story of the development of this iconic military vehicle and the myriad post-war ''lookalikes''. It also provides insights into what is involved in finding, restoring and running a military Jeep more than 80 years since the first prototype was delivered to the US Army in July 1940. It is a reliable guide to help enthusiasts find parts and decide how a particular Jeep can be authentically restored. The book''s author, Pat Ware, is amongst the world''s foremost writers on historical military vehicles, with more than 60 titles and countless magazine articles on his credits.

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the 2023 Military History Matters Book of the Year Award The only way to truly understand what it was like to fight in the Second World War is to listen to the experiences of those men who were there. And often, there was nowhere more dangerous than on the ground. In Footsloggers, Peter Hart reconstructs one infantry battalion's war in staggering detail. Based on his interviews with members of the 16th Durham Light Infantry, Hart bears witness not only to their comradeship, suffering, dreadful losses and individual tragedies, but also their courage and self-sacrifice as they fought their way across North Africa, Italy and Greece. This is a human look at the inhuman nature of war from the author of At Close Range and Burning Steel.Trade ReviewAnother powerful entry in Hart's 'British Band of Brothers' series -- Major Gordon CorriganPowerful, vivid and haunting ... the boredom, horror, humour, and everything else that went with life at the front [makes this] an emotional ride -- Andrew Mulholland * The Past *Praise for Peter Hart: 'Thought provoking, erudite, yet eminently readable and entertaining ... A historian and author at the peak of his powers -- Richard van EmdenExquisite ... Hart lets these [men] speak -- Gerard de Groot * The Times *

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Book SynopsisWith over 140 images, this book covers the various designs of armoured fighting vehicles and protected patrol vehicles employed in the war in Afghanistan. Although the conflict was primarily an infantryman's war, producing specialised protected vehicles became an urgent priority due to the threat from IEDs and legacy mines. While many older vehicles were employed with suitable modifications, the insurgency saw the introduction of many new designs such as the Jackal, Mastiff and Foxhound. The book concentrates on UK and US types, but also features a selection of designs by other participating nations, including France and Canada. Furthermore, the specialised logistics vehicles used to supply the far-flung operating bases in the Sangin valley will be investigated.

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Book SynopsisThe account of the fateful bridge too far…‘It was a bridge too far and perhaps the whole plan was doomed to failure from the start, but we had to try, didn’t we?’17 September 1944: 30,000 airborne soldiers prepare to drop 64 miles behind enemy lines into Nazi-occupied Holland; tens of thousands of ground troops race down Hell’s Highway in tanks and armoured cars, trucks and half-tracks to link up with them. The goal – to secure eight bridges across the Rhine and end the war by Christmas. Ten days later, over 15,000 of these soldiers have died, 6,000 have been taken prisoner.Operation Market Garden was the daring plan to stage a coup de main in occupied territory, gain control of those bridges, and obtain a direct route into Hitler’s Germany. But the operation failed and the allied forces suffered a brutal military defeat.In the 75 years since, tactics have been analysed and blame has been placed, but the heart of Arnhem’s story lies in the selflessness and bravery of those troops that fought, the courage and resilience of the civilians caught up in confrontation, and the pure determination to fight for their lives and their freedom. This is the story of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events.In Ballantyne’s Arnhem, we go into battle with not only the famous commanders in the thick of the action, but also with all those whose fates were determined by their decisions. Based on first-hand interviews, military records, and diaries, we witness the confusion and mayhem of war – from the horrific and devastating to the surreal and mundane. But most of all, we witness the self-sacrifice and valour of the men who gave their lives to liberate strangers in a foreign country.Praise for Arnhem: Ten Days in the Cauldron ‘Reminiscent of Stephen Ambrose at his best… some remarkable stories, which Ballantyne neatly dovetails into a rolling epic’ Dr Harry Bennett, University of Plymouth‘Breath-taking… I thoroughly enjoyed reading this account of Arnhem, adding, if you like, a trench-level perspective to those other accounts written from more senior, and sometimes more detached, points of view. Thoroughly recommended’ British Journal for Military History

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Book SynopsisThe year the once all-conquering German army was finally defeated.By the summer of 1944, Germany was in crisis. The Allied landings had forced another battle arena upon an army already fighting on the vast Eastern front. The July bomb plot attempt on Hitler’s life made the dictator even more paranoid and suspicious of his own military commanders.In this absorbing study, James Lucas examines the army’s changing structure and weaponry throughout this final year of war, and reveals the often surprising measures taken to confront a situation Hitler had never contemplated, and never really accepted.From D-Day to the Battle of the Bulge and on to the Fall of Berlin, the author examines the last battles fought by the German army – which had by no means given up its struggle – as the Allies swept across Europe, charting the very unique experiences of a military force moving from dominance to defeat.Perfect for readers of Antony Beevor and Max Hastings.

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Book SynopsisAfter the first few months of World War I, the Western Front consisted of a relatively static line of trench systems which stretched from the coast of the North Sea southwards to the Swiss border. To try to break through the opposing lines of trenches and barbed wire entanglements, both sides employed huge artillery bombardments followed by attacks by tens of thousands of soldiers. Battles could last for months and led to casualties measured in hundreds of thousands for attacker and defender alike. After most of these attacks, only a short section of the front would have moved and only by a kilometer or two. After Gallipoli, Australians were moved to fight in France on the western Front, in battles including the Battle of the Somme. On the first day of the 1916 Battle of the Somme, 60,000 Allies were casualties, including 20,000 deaths. The principal adversaries on the Western Front, who fielded armies of millions of men, were Germany to the East against a western alliance to the West consisting of France and the United Kingdom with sizable contingents from the British Empire, especially the Dominions. The United States entered the war in 1917 and by the summer of 1918 had an army of around half a million men which rose to a million by the time the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918. For most of World War I, Allied Forces, predominantly those of France and the British Empire, were stalled at trenches on the Western Front. With the last few men who served in World War I now dying out, and the 90th anniversary of the Armistice coming in November 2008, there is no better time to reevaluate this controversial war and shed fresh light on the conflict. With the aid of numerous black and white and color photographs, many previously unpublished, the World War I series recreates the battles and campaigns that raged across the surface of the globe, on land, at sea and in the air. The text is complemented by full-color maps that guide the reader through specific actions and campaigns.Table of ContentsIntroduction –The Entente Cordiale The Schlieffen Plan The Race to the Sea Digging in The Frustrations of 1915 Verdun The Somme The Debut of the Tank Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisModern Artillery brings together 300 of the most important examples of artillery used or designed since 1900. Beginning with the guns that pounded the trenches in World War I, the book details all the major forms of artillery in service throughout the century. From hand-held anti-tank devices, anti-aircraft guns and field pieces of World War II to the recent tactical and strategic missiles, the book provides a wide survey of the development and use of artillery, with the entries conveniently placed into categories for easy reference. Each artillery piece featured is illustrated by a full-colour artwork and accompanied by a detailed specifications table giving the country of origin and technical details of the weapon, including where appropriate the calibre, elevation, muzzle velocity, traverse and range, all measurements being provided in imperial and metric. Each entry also contains a piece of text summarizing the weapon’s development and service history. Presented in a handy, pocket-book size, arranged by type and with 300 colour illustrations, Modern Artillery is an authoritative and accessible reference work, which will appeal to anyone with an interest in military technology.Table of ContentsIntroduction Almirante Padillo 155mm Model 77 Howitzer 22.5cm Heavy Trench Mortar 24.5cm Heavy Trench Mortar 149mm Skoda Model 14 Howitzer Skoda 75mm Mountain Gun M1915 Skoda 305mm Howitzer SBA T-70 ASTROS 2 Avibras X-40 Sexton CSS-1 CSS-2 CSS-3 CSS-4 Type 63 155/45 Norinco SP Gun Type 70 Type 63 47mm Skoda vz 36 10cm Skoda Light Howitzer vz 14/19 M53/59 DANA D-3000 Walid Canone de 75 Mle 1897 Canon de 105mm Schneider Mle 1913 155mm Rimailho Howitzer Model 1904TR 155mm Gun Model TR 155mm Howitzer Mle 1950 194mm Gun GPF Canon de 240 L Model 1884 St Chamond Mortier de 280 sur Chenilles 20mm Tarasque Brandt 60mm LR Gun-mortar 81mm Mortar Mle 27/31 Brandt 120mm Mortar Pluton SSBS S-3 Crotale Mistral Canon de 240 Mle 93/96 sur Affuit-truck St-Chamond Canon de 320 Mle 1870/93 sur Affuit-truck Schneider AMX-13 DCA Mk F3 155mm GCT 155mm Roland Krupp 75mm Field Gun M1903 7.5cm Infantry Gun IG18 75mm Mountain Gun Geb. G. 36 77mm FK16 77mm Field Gun M96nA 10cm M1917 Gun 105mm leFH 18 105mm leFH18(M) 120mm Krupp Howitzer M1905 13.5cm FK 1909 15cm L/40 Feldkanone i.R. 15cm Field Howitzer FH17 sFH18 21cm Howitzer 21cm Mrs 18 The Paris Gun 28cm Kustenhaubitze Big Bertha Rheinmetall Rh202 20mm Flak 30 20mm Flakvierling 38 37mm Flak 37 37mm Flak 43 5cm Flak 41 77mm German 1914 88mm Flak 18 88mm Flak 41 105mm Flak 38 12.8cm Flak 40 7.92mm Panzerbuchse 39 Granatbuchse 39 2.8cm Panzerbuchse 41 37mm Anti-Tank Gun 1918 37mm Pak 35/36 5cm Pak 38 75mm Pak 40 75mm Pak 41 8cm PAW 600 Raketenpanzerbuchse 43 88mm Pak 43/41 Flak 18 12.8cm Pak 44 12.8cm K44 Panzerfaust SGrW 34 81mm Mortar 15cm sIG 33 infantry gun Henschel Hs117 Schmetterling 21cm K12(E) 28cm K5(E) 80cm Gustav German Armoured Trains 38cm Gun ‘Max E’ Gepard StuG III Ausf F StuG III Ausf G sIG 33 Hummel Panzerhaubitse 2000 Panzerwerfer 42 Wurfgranate 42 Nebelwerfer 41 Light Artillery Rocket System (LARS) 155mm Howitzer FH-70 Soltam M68 Gun TCM-20 Soltam 120mm Mortar B-300 Light Support Weapon Rascal Light 155mm SP Howitzer 65mm Mountain Gun Canonne da 75/27 Obice de 75/18 Mod 35 OTO-Melara 105mm Mod 56 149mm Siege Gun, Model of 1877 Obice da 210/22 305mm Howitzer 305/17 Mod 17 20mm Breda Model 35 40mm Breda 40/L/70 45mm Brixia Model 35 Mortar AP/AV 700 multiple grenade launcher SIDAM-25 76mm Otomatic Air Defence Tank Palmaria Type 35/75mm Gun 15cm Howitzer M1915 75mm Type 88 Type 97 Anti-tank Rifle Type 2 Anti-tank Grenade Launcher 47mm Model 01 Anti-tank Gun 50mm Type 89 Grenade discharger 70mm Battalion Gun Type 92 Type 81 Tan-SAM Type 4 Army 20cm Rocket Polish Armoured Train 155mm ODE FH-88 Gun- howitzer CIS-40-AFL Grenade launcher 155mm Gun G-5 G-6 Valkyr 155mm Santa Barbara SB- 155/39 Howitzer 155mm Howitzer FH-77A 40mm Bofors L/60 40mm Bofors L/70 75mm Bofors Model 29 Bofors 75mm Model 34 Bofors RBS-70 Bandkanon Oerlikon GAI-BO1 Oerlikon 20mm Oerlikon GDF-001 35mm RSD 58 GDF-CO3 ADA TS 2.75in Mountain Gun Ordnance QF 13pdr 15pdr BLC Field Gun QF 15pdr Gun Mk 1 Ordnance QF 18pdr Gun Ordnance QF 4.5in Howitzer Ordnance BL 60pdr Mk 1 105mm Light Gun L118 Ordnance BL 5in Howitzer Mk I Ordnance BL 5.5in Gun Mk 2 BL 6in 26-cwt Howitzer Mk 1 BL 6in 30cwt Howitzer 155mm Royal Ordnance Light Towed Howitzer 7.2in Howitzers Marks 1 to 4 BL 8in Howitzer Mark 7 Polsten 20mm Ordnance QF 3in 20cwt 13pdr 9cwt AA Gun 3.7in QF Gun Mk 1 Ordnance QF 4.5in Gun .55in Boys Anti-tank Rifle QF 2pdr Mk VII QF 6pdr 7cwt Gun Mk 2 2.5in Northover Projector Ordnance QF 17pdr Gun 3.7in RCL Gun PIAT 95mm Infantry Howitzer Ordnance ML 3in Mortar Thunderbird Seaslug Bloodhound Blowpipe Rapier Starstreak 12in Railway Howitzer Mk 5 13.5in Gun ‘Sceneshifter’ Bishop Abbot AS-90 2in Rocket 3in Rocket Land Mattress 105mm Howitzer M2A1 105mm Howitzer M3 4.7in Field Gun M1906 155mm Gun M2 155mm Howitzer M198 8in Howitzer M1 240mm Howitzer M1 16in M1919 Coast Gun 914mm Mortar ‘Little David’ M167 Vulcan 37mm M1A2 3in M3 90mm M1 37mm Anti-tank Gun M3 M1A1 2.36in Rocket Launcher 3in Gun M5 106mm RCL Rifle M40A1 M203 Grenade launcher 60mm Mortar M1 60mm Mortar M19 75mm Pack Howitzer M1A1 RAW (Rifleman’s Assault Weapon) SMAW Rocket, MGR-1B, Honest John Pershing MGM-118 Peacekeeper Titan LGM-30F Minuteman 2 BGM-109G Tomahawk Nike Ajax Nike Hercules Talos M48 Chaparral MIM-104 Patriot MIM-23 HAWK FIM-92 Stinger M163 Vulcan M42 Sergeant York M56 M7 Priest M40 M109 M109A6 Paladin M110A2 M8 4.5in MLRS 76.2mm Field Gun M1942 76.2mm Field Gun M1939 122mm D-30 15cm Gun M1877 152mm Gun-Howitzer M1937 (ML-20) 152mm Howitzer M1943 (D- 1) 152mm Howitzer M09/30 203mm Howitzer M1931 (L/25) 23mm ZU-23 85mm M39 PTRS 1941 Anti-tank Rifle PTRD 1941 Anti-tank Rifle 76.2mm Model 1942 AGS-17 Grenade launcher 82mm PM-37 Mortar 82mm Vasilek automatic mortar 120mm M1938 Mortar 160mm Mortar M1943 SS-1 Scud B SS-12 Scaleboard SS-4 Sandal SS-5 Skean SS-11 Sego SS-9 Scarp SS-13 Savage SS-17 Spanker SS-19 Stiletto SS-18 Satan SS-20 Saber SA-1 Guild SA-3 Goa SA-4 Ganef SA-6 Gainful SA-7 Grail SA-8 Gecko ZSU-23-490mm M1 ZSU-57-2 ASU-57 SU-76 M1974 ISU-152 M1973 M-13 M-30 BM-21 BM-27 BM-24 FROG-7 Index

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Book SynopsisWithout the Red (or Soviet) Army, it is likely that the Western Allies would have taken much longer to defeat the Third Reich – they may even have lost altogether. However even decades after the war’s end, little is widely known about this giant organization that numbered millions of soldiers. Broken down by key battles or campaigns within each theatre of war, The Red Army in World War II shows the strengths and organizational structures of the Red Army’s ground forces campaign by campaign, building into a detailed compendium of information. With extensive organizational diagrams and full-colour campaign maps showing the disposition of units, The Red Army in World War II is an easy-to-use guide to the Russian, Polish, Czech and units of other nationalities that served as part of Stalin’s army, their strengths during key campaigns and battles, and details of where they served throughout the war. The book will be an essential reference guide for any serious enthusiast of World War II.Table of ContentsPre-War Years: 1939–41 Defending the Motherland: 1941–42 From Moscow to Stalingrad: 1942 Turning the Tide: 1943 Year of Victories: 1944 Victory in Europe: 1945 Glossary of Key Abbreviations Acknowledgements Index

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Book SynopsisSince its formation on 17 May 1958, The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment has played an extremely full role in the British Army's order of battle, serving in Cyprus, British Guiana (Guyana), Northern Ireland, West Germany, Malta, British Honduras (Belize), Berlin, the Falkland Islands, the Gulf, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq. As a result of a reorganisation of the British Army, reflecting changing operational requirements, The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, the senior County Regiment in the British Army, was merged into a new Regiment, The Rifles, on 1st February 2007.This book tells the story, largely in photographic form, of the many and varied achievements of all parts of the Regimental Family - the 1st Battalion, the Territorial Army, the Cadet Forces, the Regimental Associations and, of course, their families - during forty-eight momentous years.

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Book SynopsisWhen Monty was given Allied command of the D Day landings he wasted no time gathering around him individuals and formations he could trust. Foremost among the latter were two armoured brigades: 4th (Black Desert Rats) and 8th (Red Fox's Mask). Both these brigades had unrivalled fighting records whether in North Africa, Sicily or Italy. They had proved themselves in bitter fighting against Rommel's Afrika Korps and the Italians. Once ashore in Normandy the two superb brigades went on to enhance their reputations on the journey to the heartland of Hitler's Third Reich and final victory. The author has written a fast moving and enthralling account of war at the sharp end.

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Book SynopsisThis book, translated from the original Spanish, is the primary academic and historical study of the Blue Division -- a Falangist initiative involving the dispatch of some forty-thousand Spanish combatants (over a half of whom paid with their lives, health, or liberty) to the Russian Front during the Second World War. Xavier Moreno Julia does not limit himself to relating their deeds under arms, but also analyses -- for the first time -- the political background in detail: the complex relations between the Spanish government and Hitler's Germany; the internal conflicts between the Falangists and the Army; the rise and fall of Franco's brother-in-law, Minister Ramon Serrano Suner, who inspired the Blue Division and became the second most powerful person in Spain; and the attitude of General Agustin Munoz Grandes, commander of the Blue Division, who was encouraged by Berlin to seriously consider the possibility of taking over the reins of Spanish power. In the end, there were 45,500 reasons that led to joining the Blue Division -- one for each young man who decided to enlist. To understand all of the complex reasons behind their military service under German command is impossible at this juncture. It is an irrecoverable past that lies in Spanish cemeteries and on the Russian steppes. This book, based on massive documentation in German, British and Spanish archives, is an essential source of information to understand Spain in the 1940s -- an epoch when the Caudillo's power and the regime's good fortune were less secure than is often believed. Published in association with the Canada Blanch Centre for Contemporary Spanish Studies, LSE.

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Book SynopsisThis book, translated from the original Spanish, is the primary academic and historical study of the Blue Division, a Falangist initiative involving the dispatch of some forty-thousand Spanish combatants (more than a half of whom paid with their lives, health, or liberty) to the Russian Front during the Second World War. Xavier Moreno Julia does not limit himself to relating their deeds under arms, but also analyses for the first time the political background in detail: the complex relations between the Spanish government and Hitler's Germany; the internal conflicts between the Falangists and the Army; the rise and fall of Franco's brother-in-law, Minister Ramón Serrano Suñer, who inspired the Blue Division and became the second most powerful person in Spain; and the attitude of General Agustín Muñoz Grandes, commander of the Blue Division, who was encouraged by Berlin to seriously consider the possibility of taking over the reins of Spanish power. In the end, there were 45,500 reasons that led to joining the Blue Division one for each young man who decided to enlist. To understand all of the complex reasons behind their military service under German command is impossible at this juncture. It is an irrecoverable past that lies in Spanish cemeteries and on the Russian steppes. This book, based on massive documentation in German, British and Spanish archives, is an essential source of information to understand Spain in the 1940s an epoch when the Caudillo's power and the regime's good fortune were less secure than is often believed. Published in association with the Canada Blanch Centre for Contemporary Spanish Studies, LSE.Trade Review"Dr. Moreno has written what undoubtedly will remain the definitive treatment of a difficult and multi-layered subject for the foreseeable future. Both as a unit history and as an analysis of a small, but critically important, segment of Francoist Spain's wartime foreign policy it has no peer. A translation would appear to be a highly desirable undertaking" - Dr. Klaus Schmider (Royal Military Academy Sandhurst), in The Journal of Military History, Lexington (Virginia, USA), 70.3, July 2006, page 865."The great merit of this work by Moreno Julia is that it is first to be free from much of the rhetoric of the trenches, and to address the phenomenon of the Blue Division in a spirit of objectivity and completeness. The first-hand research in national and foreign archives is a first, and a delightful novelty." - Dr. Eduardo Gonzalez Calleja (CSIC, Centro Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas), in Melanges de la Casa de Velazquez, 36.1, 2006, page 329."We must welcome the publication of this book with enthusiasm. It is the work of a Spanish author and a fine testament to the best historical writing, about the recent past, from our country. The book by Moreno Julia is of the best in that it respects information from a number of archive sources. It tackles a question of primary importance. It goes beyond the precise object of his study, making a more global approach. It results, in the end, to be an investigation with definitive conclusions." - Dr. Javier Tusell Gomez (Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia), in "Babelia"; El Pais newspaper, Madrid, 11.12.2004, page 24."Such an exhaustive history - subtle, profound, and free from bitterness -emerges only occasionally in some books. Xavier Moreno Julias study of the Blue Division is, without doubt, one of those books." - Dr. Ricardo Garcia Carcel (Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona) in "ABC Cultural"; ABC newspaper, Madrid, 08.01.2005, page 19."In line with the great works by English speaking historians on a similar theme, here is a total history of the events, without leaving anything out, no matter how insignificant." - Rafael Nunez Florencio, critic and historian, in "El Cultural"; El Mundo newspaper, Madrid, 09.12.2004, page 13"Far from the hundreds of hagiographies and memoirs on the Spaniards who fought for Hitler against the USSR, The Blue Division by Xavier Moreno is the result of an investigation of Spanish, British and German archives and from the oral testimonies of, among others, the minister and brother-in-law of Franco, Ramon Serrano Suner." - Dr. Andreu Mayayo Artal (Barcelona University), in El Periodico newspaper, Barcelona, 25.11.2004, page 11"Xavier Moreno is a solid investigator and a good writer who has based his book on unpublished Spanish and German documents The book is entertaining, and its quality sources and solid investigation combine to make it a fascinating and definitive work." - Dr. Gabriel Cardona Escanero (Barcelona University), in Clio history review, 4.39; Barcelona, January 2005, page 93."Xavier Moreno Julia has gone into the history of the Blue Division as never before: with rigorous and detailed investigation, avoiding ideological obsessions... Like a jigsaw puzzle, where one piece leads to another and yet another, Moreno Julia has brought together eleven years of study." - La Razon newspaper, Madrid, 30.11.2004, page 29."Few history books have such extensive investigation behind them or such an impartial point of view." - ABC newspaper, Madrid, 21.11.2004, page 76."An up to date, profound and detailed reconsideration of one of the saddest episodes of the Second World War - forgotten and characteristic of Francos Spain." - "Revista", in La Vanguardia newspaper, Barcelona, 31.10.2004, page 10."The Blue Division returns from the past in a study of its history by Xavier Moreno In over 500 pages, Moreno analyses the political context in which the Division developed, and the later clash of interests between Falangism and the Spanish Army. The international reactions that the initiative generated occupies a good part of the book, as does a detailed description of the military operations in which the Spanish combatants were engaged." - El Pais newspaper, Madrid, 31.11.2004, page 46."Moreno Julia knows it like nobody else and, in a study praised by his fellow historians, explains it with rigor and without prejudices in The Blue Division. Subtitled Spanish Blood in Russia, 1941-1945. Reading it is a lesson in history." - La Vanguardia newspaper, Barcelona, 12.05.2005, back page."Doctor of contemporary history,Xavier Moreno has proved with his book on the Blue Division that the study of detail illuminates much more. In this case he reveals the politics of this early step in Francoism as a strong light on an ant reveals an ant hill". - "El Sabado", in El Faro de Vigo newspaper, Pontevedra, 05.03.2005, page 1."Letras. The Best of the Year - Non Fiction. The Blue Division. Xavier Moreno thoroughly re-examines the history from Serrano Suners first call to arms until the devastating return. It is an overwhelming portrait of a wretched adventure." - "El Cultural", in El Mundo newspaper, Madrid, 30.12.2004, page 15."Spanish history writing congratulates the appearance of this study with its unmistakeable title which reveals in depth what happened to the 40,000 Spaniards sent to fight with the Germans on the Russian front The book has been written by the doctor in contemporary history, Xavier Moreno Julia, who has searched through and poked his nose into Spanish and German archives, and has obtained live testimony from old combatants." - Mercurio, cultural review, 67; Sevilla, January 2005, page 36."Xavier Morenos Blue Division can be considered the most rigorous and comprehensive book on the Blue Division to date". - "Quadern", in El Pais newspaper, 21.02.2013, page 3."The historian Xavier Moreno Julia is the author of The Blue Division, Spanish Blood in Russia, considered the most rigorous and comprehensive study published so far on this question." - "Mes Periodico", weekly review in El Periodico newspaper, Barcelona, 14.07.2013, page 7.

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Book SynopsisEach great samurai warlord, or daimyo, had a division of troops known as the Hatamoto, 'those who stand under the flag'. The Hatamoto included the personal bodyguards, the senior generals, the standard bearers and colour-guard, the couriers, and the other samurai under the warlord's personal command. Apart from bodyguard and other duties in immediate attendance on the daimyo, both horse and foot guards often played crucial roles in battle. Their intervention could turn defeat into victory, and their collapse meant certain defeat. As favoured warriors under the warlord's eye, members of the bodyguards could hope for promotion, and a few even rose to be daimyo themselves. All the three great leaders of the 16 and 17th centuries - including Oda, Hideyoshi and Tokugawa - had their own elite corps. Such troops were naturally distinguished by dazzling apparel and heraldry, with banners both carried and attached to the back of the armour, all of which will be detailed in an array of colour artwork specially created for this publication.Table of ContentsOrigins of the horse guards – Imperial guards in the Nara period · Emergency of the elite cavalry in the Sengoku period (15th century) · 16th century: the Hojo and Chosokabe families · The organization and role of the warlord’s military staff · 1560s: Oda Nobunaga’s Red Horo and Black Horo guards – battle of Nagashino 1575 · 1580s: Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s Yellow Horo Guard Expansion under the Tokugawa shoguns · Foot guards: development in the 16th–17th centuries · Major battle participation – Okehazama & Imayama · Foot Guards under the Tokugawa

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Book SynopsisGalloglass, from the Gaelic galloglaigh for 'foreign warriors', were mercenaries from the Western Isles of Scotland who fought in the retinues of Irish magnates from the mid-13th century until the early 17th century. This work looks at the clan and family structures of the galloglass, their performance in battle, their weapons and armor and how these were made and by whom. The unique fighting skills and tactics of the galloglass are also studied, as well as how they were organized on the battlefield and their command structures and systems of rank.Trade Review'Cannan's text includes an enormous amount of fascinating detail ... The text is enriched by a wealth of photographs, maps and other graphics, including a series of very fine, full-page, colour reconstruction graphics by Sean O' Brogain. ... Everyone reading this book will gain much in the way of information and a vivid puicture of the lives and impact of Galloglass. Andy Halpin, Ulster Journal of ArchaeologyTable of ContentsIntroduction/ Chronology/ Recruitment/ Training and Selection/ Appearance/ Conditions of Service/ On Campaign/ The Galloglass Experience/ Ethos and Motivation/ Select Bibliography/ Places to Visit/ Glossary/ Index

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Book SynopsisThe history of the often-overlooked chewa Ethiopian warriors and their crucial role in defending their homeland against invasion, as well as their strong influence on political identity and the social infrastructure. Today best known for their role in defending Ethiopia from Italian invasion 1935-41, chewa warriors protected Ethiopia for centuries. Yet, depicted by some 19th-century Western observers as little more than "a horde" of warmongers, and later suppressed by Ethiopian monarchs who sought to create a centralized modern state, their contribution has been neglected. Drawing on oral and written sources, as well as the zeraf poetry through which theyexpressed themselves, this book explores for the first time in depth the history, practices and principles of warriorhood of the chewa, and their wider influence on society and state. Often self-trained individuals who began by defending their communities, by the end of the 19th century there were chewa warrior groups from almost all linguistic groups who fought together to resist foreign invaders. Some chewa enrolled in the service of the Ethiopian "kings of kings", who organized them as named corps that supplemented the formal defence of the state. Today, chewa political identity, which transcended social, familial, political and other groupings, remains deeply rooted in Ethiopian society.Trade ReviewIn Ethiopian Warriorhood: Defence, Land and Society, Tsehai Berhane-Selassie provides a nuanced analysis of the role of the chewa - voluntary, community supported warriors - in the evolution of the Ethiopian state. .[F]or historians of the Horn, this book provides a valuable analysis of state formation that shifts the focus from individual monarchs to a misunderstood group of intermediary actors, and adds a new layer to the complicated history of land rights in Ethiopia. * CANADIAN JOURNAL OF AFRICAN STUDIES / REVUE CANADIENNE DES ÉTUDES AFRICAINES *[Tsehai Berhane-Selassie's] book is a thoroughly researched contribution in the growing literature of Ethiopian social history. It is truly an insider view carefully drawn from oral testimonies such as heroic recitals and various written accounts of historical importance. .The study should truly interest academic scholars, policy makers, students, and education experts alike. * AFRICAN STUDIES QUARTERLY *The book (composed of ten chapters) is well written and extensively footnoted. [...] She [the author] should indeed be congratulated for her splendid contribution to Ethiopian studies. * Aethiopica *It is very recently that indigenous thought acquired currency in the scholarly world. Tsehai's current book is pioneering in this regard. [...]Her book is a thoroughly researched contribution in the growing literature of Ethiopian social history. It is truly an insider view carefully drawn from oral testimonies such as heroic recitals and various written accounts of historical importance. * African Studies Quarterly *Ethiopian Warriorhood provides a data-rich historical ethnography of an imperial institution. From a scholarly perspective, it is a very useful book for students of the modern history and anthropology of the Horn of Africa, as well as of comparative studies on conflict, militarism, and empire. * Journal of Royal Anthropological Institute *A vast and remarkable undertaking, Tsehai's book is a recommended reading for any serious student of Ethiopian history and for all who wish to understand Ethiopia's enduring traditions today. * Orientalistische Literaturzeitung *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction: Traditions of hierarchical warriorhood The historical context of emergent warriors Military lands and power politics Ecological roots of local leadership Social localities of emergent warriors Military training in sports, horsemanship and hunting Political authority and military power Zeraf: symbols and rituals of power and rebellion First Italian invasion, 1896 Guerrilla warfare, 1935-41 Conclusion

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Book SynopsisSturmgeschutz III was originally designed as an assault weapon, but as war progressed it was increasingly used in a defensive role and evolved into an assault gun and tank destroyer. By 1943 its main role was providing anti-tank support to the units in its area of operation. This consequently led to many StuGs being destroyed in battle. Nonetheless they were very successful as tank killers and destroyed, among others, many bunkers, pillboxes and other defences.The StuG was not considered to be a true tank because it lacked a turret. The gun was mounded directly in the hull, in a casemate-style fashion, with a low profile to reduce vehicle heights, and had a limited lateral traverse of a few degrees in either direction. Thus, the entire vehicle had to be turned in order to acquire targets. Omitting the turret made production much simpler and less costly, enabling greater numbers to be built. Its significantly shorter vertical profile as compared to contemporary tanks made the StuG more difficult to hit.Most assault guns were mounted on the chassis of a Panzer III or Panzer IV, with the resultant model being called either a StuG III or StuG IV respectively. The StuG was one of the most effective tracked vehicles of World War II, and over 10,000 of them were eventually produced.During the course of the war StuG III assault guns were issued to Sturmartillerie Batteries, Sturmgeschutz Abteilungen, Sturmgeschutz Brigades, Sturmartillerie Batteries, Ersatz (Reserve), Abteilungen and Funklenk (Remote Control) Companies. StuG III assault guns served on all fronts of WWII until the end of the war.

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Book SynopsisOn 15 September 1916 during the Battle of the Somme, tanks - one of the decisive weapons of twentieth-century warfare - were sent into action for the first time. In his previous books Trevor Pidgeon, one of the leading authorities on the early tanks, has told the story of that memorable day, but only now has his account of later tank operations during the Somme battle become available. In this, his last work which was completed shortly before he died, he reconstructs the tank actions that took place between late September and November when the Somme offensive was closed down. His account gives a vivid insight into the actions and experiences of the tank crews, and it shows the appalling dangers they faced as they manoeuvred their crude, vulnerable and unreliable machines towards the enemy. His book will be essential reading for anyone who is familiar with his previous studies of the subject and for anyone who wants to follow in the tracks of the tanks as they lumbered across the battlefield nearly 100 years ago.

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Book SynopsisThis book tells of the courageous story of men who believed in their heritage, and who, through their heroic teamwork and dedication, stopped the main effort of the German Sixth Army. American veterans who participated in this battle remember the events, even after sixty years, as only yesterday. They also remember their compatriots and friends who died in this battle. The book covers what is essentially a five-day critical battle for the North shoulder of the 'Bulge' at Rochearth-Krinkelt. The Bulge was fought was fought in many areas, but it was won for the First Army on this shoulder.The author, has probed into every possible source for factual information. He has studied official after-action reports, histories and unit reports of organisations involved in the battle. In addition, he has conducted an extensive program of individual contacts, not only with the US Army participants, local villages and resistance fighters, but also with German commanders at various levels in the 3 divisions involved. Such an ample and widespread research effort has enabled the author to separate fact from fiction.Trade ReviewHis knowledge is obviously quite comprehensive and his access to first hand accounts and archive material offers o some really stunning photographs. This book will have huge appeal to those with a strong interest in US operations in north-west Europe and to a general reader who appreciates strong personal accounts. - War History Online

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Book SynopsisThe Mehdi Army militia was a towering force in Iraq during the early years of the post-Saddam era. As an aggressive opponent of foreign occupation and one of the principal antagonists in Iraq's brutal sectarian civil war, the militia was central to the violence that ravaged the country and a pivotal political actor. Growing rapidly in size and strength, and controlling entire districts of Baghdad and broad swathes of southern and central Iraq, the Mehdi Army seemed poised to become a Hezbollah-like 'state within a state' that would remain enormously powerful for years to come. Drawing from extensive field experience in one of Baghdad's most volatile militia-held districts, Krohley exposes how, and why, the militia suddenly and unexpectedly collapsed in the midst of the Americans' 'Surge' of forces during 2008. Building from an examination of the Mehdi Army's social and ideological roots, he presents a neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood study of the militia's changing fortunes that offers unparalleled local detail and specificity. Krohley shows how the Mehdi Army's demise was ultimately a self-inflicted 'death' as opposed to a triumph of its foes.In so doing, he not only challenges prevailing orthodoxies of counterinsurgency doctrine and the mythology of the Surge, but also offers penetrating insights into the battered state of Iraqi society after decades of dictatorship, privation and war.Trade Review'Few subjects in the study of Iraq are as important or as opaque as the military mobilisation of the Shia community, and notably those loyal to the Sadr family. When coalition forces arrived in Iraq in 2003 they and the government they put in place had to contend with the firebrand son of the late Ayatollah Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr and his Jaish al-Mahdi (the Mehdi Army), which numbered as many as 50,000 fighters. Nicholas Krohley has provided a fine first-hand analysis of the history and development of the Sadr Movement and the Mehdi Army which spells out what the latter's return to the field of battle against ISIS may mean for the future of Iraq.' -- Gareth Stansfield, Professor of Middle East Politics, University of Exeter'Krohley's account of the Mehdi Army's campaign in East Baghdad contextualises the Shia insurgency, offering rare insight into the politics and strategy of the Sadrist movement. His book is a stunning example of extraordinary war-time social science research that will have an enduring legacy in the literature of insurgency and counterinsurgency.' -- Montgomery McFate, Minerva Chair, Center for Naval Warfare Studies, US Naval War College and author of Social Science Goes to War: The Human Terrain System in Iraq and Afghanistan'Nick Krohley has produced the first book-length manuscript in English that details the Iraq war through the eyes of Iraqi participants. His examination of the role of the Sadrist movement and its Mehdi Army militia in Eastern Baghdad is absolutely critical to moving beyond the US-centric military histories that have dominated the narrative to date.' -- Douglas A. Ollivant, Managing Partner, Mantid International LLC and ASU Senior Fellow, Future of War Project, New America'A most valuable and original insight into issues and dynamics that have eluded the grasp of Iraq specialists for far too long ... an urgently needed scholarly contribution to our understanding of modern Iraqi history.' -- Fanar Haddad, Research Fellow at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore, and author of Sectarianism in Iraq: Antagonistic Visions of Unity'Nicholas Krohley weaves a masterwork of recent Baghdadi and Iraqi political history, setting his study apart from previous analyses of the surge, which tend to be long on journalism but short on understanding the nuances of Iraqi society. The author's inner anthropologist shines through as he examines the heavily Shiite administrative district known as "New Baghdad" on a sub-district by sub-district level. Indeed, leafing through the nearly 100 pages of notes, scholars may sense the spirit of the late historian Hanna Batatu's classic studies of Iraqi society, albeit with a narrower focus. Krohley challenges the idealization of the U.S.-led surge "as a triumph of full-spectrum counter-insurgency." Indeed, he argues convincingly that the demise of the Mahdi Army was self-inflicted--more of a tactical decision by the Mahdi Army itself to fade into the woodwork and perhaps survive to fight another day--rather than the U.S. victory so many hagiographers of Gen. David Petraeus claim. Krohley's work may be challenged by future writers, but they will need to marshal significant resources to counter his deep and well-researched study.' -- Michael Rubin, Middle East Quarterly

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Book SynopsisThis book gives a focused, military biography of Heinz Guderian, perhaps the most highly respected tank commander of World War II. Guderian was a typical product of the Prussian military elite; the son of a general in the army, there was little doubt that he would follow in his father's footsteps. Some consider Guderian to be the founding father of blitzkrieg warfare, and he certainly brought the whole concept to public attention and prominence, chiefly through the publication of his book Achtung Panzer in 1937. He commanded the XIX (Motorized) Army Corps in the 1939 Polish campaign, and Panzergruppe Guderian during Operation Barbarossa. In March 1943 he became chief inspector of the Panzer forces, but even the great tank commander could achieve little more than to delay the inevitable defeat of Germany.Trade ReviewA fascinating and useful reference source -- Military Modelcraft International

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Book SynopsisThe exploits of the 3rd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment have long been overshadowed by those of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion. Yet the actions of the 3rd Battalion during the D-Day landings were every bit as incredible. This is the astounding story of how, after suffering many immediate casualties on landing, the surviving paratroopers fought on towards their objective against horrendous odds. Using fascinating first-hand accounts of the soldiers and the French civilians who witnessed the Normandy campaign, and illustrated with black and white photographs and maps throughout, the authors offer a unique and comprehensive account of the experiences of the 3rd Battalion from training through to D-Day and beyond.Table of ContentsForeword by Ed Shames, 3rd BN, 506th PIR ·Acknowledgments . Introduction · 1. “Hit it - 13 weeks of pain” - Creation of the 506th PIR · 2. “Time, gentlemen, please” - The 506th at Ramsbury, UK · 3. “Here’s to your dog tags” - Preparations for D-Day · 4. “Jump into the fight” - Operation Overlord · 5. “God, let me live til morning” - D-Night Part 1 · 6. “For Christ’s sake, let’s go” - D-Night Part 2 · 7. “A real feeling of victory” - D-Day: June 6, 1944 · 8. “No word from 3rd Battalion, 506th PIR” - D-Day + 1 · 9. “A pitiful sight” - D-Day + 2 · 10. “Don’t shoot, we’re Americans” - Regrouping and consolidation · 11. “Still an American paratrooper” - POWs and counterattacks ·12. “I ain’t dead yet” - The battle of Bloody Gully , June 13 1944 · 13. “Things are pretty calm right now” - Operations on the Main Line of Resistance · 14. “Go on Yank, have a drink” - Return to Ramsbury · Bibliography · Index

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Book SynopsisAfter the fall of the Western Roman Empire there was a decline in 'professional' cavalry forces, and infantry dominated in the Germanic successor 'barbarian' kingdoms. In the Carolingian and Norman periods from the 9th to the 11th centuries, the cavalry arm gradually expanded from the small remaining aristocratic elite. Even so, the supposedly complete dominance of the 'knight' in the 12th and 13th centuries is grossly exaggerated, as integrated cavalry and infantry tactics were nearly always the key to success. This is a two-part treatment of medieval tactics. Throughout the period there was a steady evolution of training in both individual and unit skills, of armour and weapons, and thus of tactics on the battlefield. This book covers Hastings in 1066 to Legnano in 1176. It also details the two key set piece battles of Bouvines in 1214 and Pelagonia in 1259, the former an example of abject failure of cavalry tactics and the latter a stunning success.Table of ContentsIntroduction /Background – tactical impact of fall of Western Roman Empire /Barbarian tactics – cavalry survives as ultimate reserve and battle-decider –the new stirrups and saddles – battle of Lech, 955 /Carolingians and Normans – a revival of cavalry and mounted infantry – development of new armour and tactics – Hastings 1066 /Combination of cavalry and infantry tactics – importance of northern Italian militia armies – Legnano 1176 /’The Knight Dominant’ – cavalry vs. cavalry tactics – successes and failures analysed

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