Ordnance, weapons technology Books

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Book SynopsisMilitary historians and students of artillery technology will appreciate this illustrated field guide to all the types of mobile (wheeled) field artillery used by US military forces (Army, Navy, Marine Corps) in the modern era. Covering the period from 1875 and the first breechloading rifled guns through types adopted during the Korean War, the book profiles field and infantry artillery, mountain guns, siege artillery, anti-tank guns, and naval landing guns. Each type of gun is described in text, drawings, and photos and includes a history of the type’s development, major features, production, combat use, and comments about surviving examples. The book is a valuable reference for those caring for or collecting these kinds of weapons. It is the first comprehensive guide to American mobile artillery ever to be published.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewIf you have a spare few minutes, check out the review of our book Deadly Beauties by the YouTube account Forgotten Weapons.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewIf you have a spare few minutes, check out the review of our book Deadly Beauties by the YouTube account Forgotten Weapons.

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Book SynopsisFrom bestselling and award-winning war reporter Damien Lewis and for fans of Erik Larsen’s The Splendid and Vile and Alex Kershaw’s The Forgotten 500 comes a thrilling account of one of the most daring raids of WWII…the true story of the race to stop Hitler from developing a top-secret weapon that would change the course of history.   One of the most readable World War 2 history books I have read in years” —We Are the Mighty In the winter of 1941, as Britain faced defeat on all fronts, an RAF reconnaissance pilot photographed an alien-looking object on the French coast near Le Havre. The mysterious device—a “Wurzburg Dish”—appeared to be a new form of radar technology: ultra-compact, highly precise, and pointed directly across the English Channel. Britain’s experts found it hard to believe the Germans had mastered such groundbreaking technology. But one young technic

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Book SynopsisConstitutes a multidisciplinary introduction to the analysis of air defence systems. The text illustrates 12 air defence process models, covering initial detection to kill assessment. These models form the foundation for any air defence system analysis.Table of ContentsThreat characterization; air defence process models and events; tactical environments; anti-aircraft artillery; surface to air missile guidance concepts; missile element models and trim flight simulation; guidance and control; warheads and fuses; simulation and engagement applications; air defence mission modeling, air defence system test and evaluation.

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Book SynopsisThe terrifying new role of technology in a world at warTrade Review‘Manages to meld Hobbes, James Bond [and] science fiction . . . impressive’ -- Anne-Marie Slaughter, New America Foundation‘A must-read for those seeking a framework for understanding and action’ -- John C. Inglis, former Deputy Director of the National Security Agency

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Book SynopsisFeaturing contemporary photographs and full-color artwork, this title explores the action-packed history of the Hotchkiss machine gun and its derivatives, which were used around the globe for nearly fifty years. Created by a long-forgotten Austrian nobleman, Adolf Odkolek von Augezd, the air-cooled Hotchkiss machine gun was the first to function effectively by tapping propellant gas from the bore as the gun fired. Although the Hotchkiss would be overshadowed by the water-cooled Maxim and Vickers Guns, it proved its effectiveness during the Russo-Japanese War. The gun, quirky though it was, was successful enough to persuade Laurence Benét and Henri Mercié to develop the Modèle Portative: a man-portable version which, it was hoped, could move with infantrymen as they advanced. Later mounted on tanks and aircraft, it became the first automatic weapon to obtain a kill in aerial combat. Though it served the French and US armies during World War I (and also tTable of ContentsIntroduction /Development /Use /Impact /Conclusion /Bibliography /Index

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Book SynopsisThis title explores the history of the accurate and reliable Browning High-Power Pistol, which was considered the world''s standard for a semi-automatic combat pistol for half a century.Making its debut in 1935, the Browning High-Power was the world''s most widely used military pistol for much of the 20th century. Military and law-enforcement agencies in more than 90 countries have issued the High-Power and it has seen combat in conflicts from World War II through to the War on Terror. After conquering Belgium, Nazi Germany produced more than 300,000 High-Powers for use by the Waffen-SS, Fallschirmjäger, and others, and after 1945 the High-Power became standard for most NATO-armed forces as well as scores of others. Chambered for the 9×19mm Luger cartridge, John Browning''s High-Power improved on the classic Colt M1911 design, especially in its use of a far simpler takedown system. The pistol''s innovative 13-round magazine, designed by Dieudonné SaivTable of ContentsIntroduction Development Use Impact Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe innovative PIAT anti-tank weapon equipped British and Commonwealth troops during some of the most important battles of World War II. This ground-breaking study brings together first-hand accounts, technical manuals, contemporary reports, and archive photography to create a definitive overview of the PIAT''s history. Designed in 1942, Britain''s innovative Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank (PIAT) provided British and Commonwealth troops with a much-needed means of taking on Germany''s formidable Panzers. Replacing the inadequate Boys anti-tank rifle, it was conceived in the top-secret World War II research and development organization known colloquially as Churchill''s Toyshop, alongside other ingenious weapons such as the sticky bomb, the limpet mine, and the time-pencil fuse.Unlike the more famous US bazooka, the PIAT had its roots in something simpler than rocket science. Operated from the shoulder, the PIAT was a spigot mortar which fired a heavy high-explTrade ReviewThe book, full of great illustrations and sectionalised diagrams, will be of interest to weapon collectors, enthusiasts of weapon development and general readers alike. * GunMart *Table of ContentsIntroduction Development Use Impact Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisReplete with specially commissioned artwork, this lively study assesses the effectiveness of the various weapons equipping the Civil War cavalryman and the decisions made concerning the armament of the US cavalry after 1865.During the American Civil War, the mounted soldiers fighting on both sides of the conflict carried a wide array of weapons, from sabers and lances to carbines, revolvers, and other firearms. Though some sections of the cavalry placed their trust in the sabre, the advent of viable breechloading carbines--especially repeaters such as the Spencer--was to transform warfare within little more than a decade of General Lee''s final surrender at Appomattox. However, output struggled to keep up with unprecedented demands on manufacturing technology and distribution in areas where communication was difficult and in states whose primary aim was to equip their own men rather than contribute to the arming of Federal or Confederate regiments. In addition, the alTrade ReviewCopiously illustrated with colour plates of the various weapons, this is a handsome guide. -- Chris Jarvis * Miniature Wargames *Table of ContentsIntroduction Development Use Impact Conclusion Appendix: US Patents Select Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis study looks at how the Soviet armed forces developed and deployed a range of machine guns that fitted with their offensive and defensive infantry tactics across six years of total war.In 1939, three machine guns dominated the Red Army's front-line infantry firepower the DShK 1938 heavy machine gun, the PM M1910 medium/heavy machine gun and the Degtyaryov DP-27, a lighter, bipod-mounted support weapon. Confronted by cutting-edge German technology during the Great Patriotic War (194145), the Soviets responded with the development of new weaponry, including the RPD light machine gun, the 7.62×54mmR SG43 medium machine gun and the improved version of the DP-27, the DPM. Taken together, all these weapons gave the Red Army a more practical range of support weapons, better able to challenge the Germans for fire superiority on the battlefield. Fully illustrated, this study explains the technology and the tactics of these machine guns. Noted authority Chris McNabTable of ContentsIntroduction Development Use Impact Conclusion Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisFor the first time ever, compare the British and German World War II big guns duelling with each other and harrying shipping in the Channel.One of the longest-running battles of World War II took place across the English Channel, in which huge artillery guns attempted to destroy each other, created psychological terror among the local inhabitants living near the coast, and harassed shipping over a four-year period.Neil Short examines the array of powerful weapons located across the Strait of Dover. Superb colour artworks explore both fixed gun batteries (including ''Jane'' and ''Clem'', and batteries Todt and Lindemann) and railway artillery (such as the German K5 and K12 guns, and the British 18in. ''Boche Buster''). Construction and targeting technology used by each side are also covered in detail, and the locations of all the major sites around Dover and Calais are pinpointed on easy to follow maps.Trade ReviewThis book deserves great praise for highlighting a little known part of the war. -- Simon Dalton * History Book Chat *An unusual subject, recommended. * Tankette *Table of ContentsIntroduction Chronology Design and Development Technical Specifications The Combatants The Strategic Situation Combat Statistics and Analysis Aftermath Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisWhile Germany and Austria-Hungary were well-equipped with sniping rifles in 1914, their Allied opponents were not. This highly illustrated volume tells the inside story of the rifles carried by snipers of all the major powers during World War I.Although military sharpshooting had existed since the 18th century, in 1914 only the German and Austro-Hungarian armies fielded trained snipers armed with scoped rifles. Thus upon the outbreak of World War I, the Allied armies found themselves on the receiving end of a shooting war to which they had no means of response. Only the Canadians brought a dedicated sniping rifle into the trenches, but in small numbers. For the British, although production of a suitable rifle and scope were settled on quickly, the establishment of sniper training was difficult and its success was mostly due to the efforts of a handful of dedicated officers. The French eventually introduced a competent scoped rifle and a sniper training system, as did the ItalianTrade ReviewSpread throughout the book are plenty of archive images, plus some modern photos illustrating preserved examples of the various types of rifle and sight, along with some super artwork which does include some lovely cross-sections showing the mechanism of examples such as the Enfield Model 1917, Mauser GEW 98 and Ross rifles. -- Robin Buckland * Military Model Scene *Table of ContentsIntroduction Development Use Impact Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisFeaturing specially commissioned artwork and carefully chosen photographs, this study charts the SVD Dragunov rifle''s development, combat use and lasting legacy, from Vietnam to Syria.Developed as a medium-range sniping rifle in the Soviet Union during the 1960s, the Dragunov stood out against most Western sniping rifle types by being semi-automatic, a configuration that marginally lowers accuracy compared to bolt-action sniping rifles, but which allows for faster follow-up shots. Even so, the SVD is still capable of taking precision killing shots out to 800m and beyond, making it a thoroughly practical combat weapon for marksmen and snipers.In this fully illustrated study, Chris McNab explores the Dragunov''s development and performance in detail. But the story of this weapon really comes to life with its combat history. It is the world''s most widespread sniping rifle, still in use in the former Soviet armies and sold to more than 40 countries worldwide. ItTrade ReviewThe versatility and effectiveness of this weapon really comes through in this excellent introduction. * Military Modelcraft International *Once again Osprey have educated me with one of their excellent titles covering a niche subject. * The Military Enthusiast Book Club *Table of ContentsIntroduction Development Use Impact Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA “gripping,” (Booklist) “clear-eyed, and honest” (The New York Times Book Review) biography of Samuel Colt—the inventor of the legendary Colt revolver (a.k.a. six-shooter)—which changed the US forever, triggering the industrial revolution and the settlement of the American West.Patented in 1836, the Colt pistol with its revolving cylinder was the first practical firearm that could shoot more than one bullet without reloading. For many reasons, Colt’s gun had a profound effect on American history. Its most immediate impact was on the expansionism of the American west, where white emigrants and US soldiers came to depend on it, and where Native Americans came to dread it. The six-shooter became the iconic weapon of gun-slingers, outlaws, and cowboys—some willing to pay $500 out west for a gun that sold for $25 back east. In making the revolver, Colt also changed American manufacturing—his factory revolutionized industry in the United States. Ultimately, Colt and his gun-making brought together the two most significant forces of change before the Civil War—the industrial revolution in the east, Manifest Destiny in the west. “Written with a journalist’s sense of color and a historian’s eye for the revealing detail” (The Wall Street Journal), Revolver brings the brazenly ambitious and profoundly innovative industrialist and leader Samuel Colt to vivid life. In the space of his forty-seven years, he seemingly lived five lives: he traveled, womanized, drank prodigiously, smuggled guns to Russia, bribed politicians, and supplied the Union Army with the guns they needed to win the Civil War. Colt lived during an age of promise and progress, but also of slavery, corruption, and unbridled greed, and he not only helped to create this America, he completely embodied it. By the time he died in 1862 in Hartford, Connecticut, he was one of the most famous men in nation, and one of the richest. “Offering a panoramic view of American culture during Colt’s life” (LA Review of Books) Revolver is a “rollicking and informative account [that] will delight American history buffs” (Publishers Weekly).

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Book SynopsisCountries around the globe are continuously investing money into weapon development and manufacturing. While weapon design has been a relevant topic, from the Middle Ages to today, the morality of this practice is not commonly presented in research. The Morality of Weapons Design and Development: Emerging Research and Opportunities is an essential scholarly resource that presents detailed discussions on ethical dilemmas in weapons design and innovations. While highlighting relevant topics including projectile and nuclear weapons, the true costs of war, design in peacetime, and weapons development and justification, this book is an ideal resource for researchers, engineers, graduate students, and professionals who have an interest in weapons design, development, and ethics.

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Book SynopsisThis volume offers an innovative and counter-intuitive study of how and why artificial intelligence-infused weapon systems will affect the strategic stability between nuclear-armed states. Johnson demystifies the hype surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) in the context of nuclear weapons and, more broadly, future warfare. The book highlights the potential, multifaceted intersections of this and other disruptive technology – robotics and autonomy, cyber, drone swarming, big data analytics, and quantum communications – with nuclear stability. Anticipating and preparing for the consequences of the AI-empowered weapon systems are fast becoming a critical task for national security and statecraft. Johnson considers the impact of these trends on deterrence, military escalation, and strategic stability between nuclear-armed states – especially China and the United States. The book draws on a wealth of political and cognitive science, strategic studies, and technical analysis to shed light on the coalescence of developments in AI and other disruptive emerging technologies.Artificial intelligence and the future of warfare sketches a clear picture of the potential impact of AI on the digitized battlefield and broadens our understanding of critical questions for international affairs. AI will profoundly change how wars are fought, and how decision-makers think about nuclear deterrence, escalation management, and strategic stability – but not for the reasons you might think.Trade Review'This superb book is a technical tour de force with a timely approach to emerging challenges to nuclear deterrence. In this way, it has significant potential to inform current policy among states as they contemplate – for example – the growth of Chinese nuclear forces.'Rose Gottemoeller, Payne Distinguished Lecturer at the Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University'Johnson has crafted a superb narrative that examines the strategic risks of artificial intelligence and its potential impact on deterrence, stability and the maintenance of nuclear weapon capabilities. His evidence-based recommendations on the responsible application of artificial intelligence will provide policy makers and strategists with a range of ethical responses to the dilemmas of using non-human cognitive functions in national security.'Major General Mick Ryan'Artificial intelligence and the future of warfare present the reader with a clear and elegant understanding of artificial intelligence as it provides a robust technical foundation concerning key technological advances in the evolution of AI for a non-technical audience.'Augusto C. Dall’Agnol, Journal of Strategic Studies 'With Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Warfare, James Johnson truly advances the conversation around intelligence, strategic stability, and technology. Johnson is undoubtedly well-positioned to write this book given his education as a Political Scientist, lengthy career working in China, and intellectual interest in emerging technology, especially Artificial Intelligence (AI). While there are similar books on the intersection of emerging technology and geopolitics, Johnson’s work stands out since it addresses how AI influences intelligence collection and analysis which in turn shapes a state’s perception and actions. This approach is novel making Johnson’s contribution well-worth the time for strategic strategists.'Mark Grzegorzewski, Intelligence and National Security'A significant contribution to the wave of recent scholarship on the potential implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for strategic warfare and great power competition. It is a must-read for strategic studies scholars, decision-makers, and military leaders.'Reuben Steff, Defense & Security Analysis'The book provides a good and comprehensive perspective on the nu­clear power play and strategic stability and how it is shaped by new technological developments.'Thomas Reinhold and Christian Reuter, Z AuBen Sicherheitspolit (2022) -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction: Opening the AI Pandora’s boxPart I: Destabilizing AI renaissance1 Military AI primer2 Artificial intelligence in the 2nd nuclear age Part II: Military AI superpowers3 New challenges to military-techno Pax Americana4 U.S.-China crisis stability under the AI nuclear shadowPart III: Nuclear instability redux?5 Hunting for nuclear weapons in the digital age6 Fast and the furious: Drone swarming and hypersonic weapons7 The AI-cyber security nexus8 Delegating strategic decisions to intelligent machinesConclusion: Managing an AI futureIndex

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Book SynopsisThis book explores the relationship between the state and war within the context of seismic technological change. Through its analysis, the book questions what will happen to war and the state and whether we will reach a point where war leads to the unmaking of the state itself.

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1853, Cavalry: Its History and Tactics had a major impact on military theorists and officers for decades—it was reprinted as a manual during the American Civil War—and its influence on European cavalry performance can be traced into World War I. It is an intelligent work which discusses the history and development of cavalry over the ages, advocates a program of reform for Britain's horsed troops, and covers many aspects of equipment, training, drill, organization, formation, and battlefield tactics. The author, an experienced and gifted cavalryman, first served in the Austrian army, then joined the British army's 15th Hussars in 1839, fought in India, and became the regimental riding master. Captain Nolan's 1852 tour of European armies, wide reading in many languages, and service in Europe and India makes Cavalry an extraordinary statement on mid-nineteenth-century theory and practice.As historian Jon Coulston explains in his introduction, Nolan was writing at the cusp of technological change, drawing upon the experiences of the Napoleonic Wars, continental suppression of the 1848 Revolutions, and Britain's wars in India, but with an eye to firepower developments on the eve of the Crimean War. In 1854, at the Battle of Balaklava, Nolan rode with the written order which unleashed the Charge of the Light Brigade, an action in which he lost his life. Presented here as the first modern reprint, completely retypeset and with a new introduction and further reading by historian Jon Coulston, Nolan's Cavalry remains a hallmark of military history.

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Book SynopsisYou don’t need to be a trained soldier to fully appreciate this official Army handbook (TM 31-210). Written for soldiers in guerilla warfare situations, it demonstrates techniques for constructing weapons that are effective in combat.Straightforward and incredibly user-friendly, it provides insightful information and step-by-step instructions on how to assemble weapons and explosives from common and readily available materials.Over 600 illustrations complement elaborate explanations of how to improvise any number of munitions from easily accessible resources. Whether you’re a highly trained solider or simply a civilian looking to be prepared, the U.S. Army Improvised Munitions Handbook is an invaluable addition to your military library.

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Book SynopsisThe Department of Defense (DOD) acquires goods and services from contractors, federal arsenals, and shipyards to support military operations. Acquisitions is a broad term that applies to more than just the purchase of an item of service; the acquisition process encompasses the design, engineering, construction, testing, deployment, sustainment, and disposal of weapons or related items purchased from a contractor. As set forth by statute and regulation, from concept to deployment, a weapon system must go through a three-step process of identifying a required weapon system, establishing a budget, and acquiring the system. One of DOD''s main efforts to improve acquisitions is the Better Buying Power Initiative. This book provides an overview of the process by which DOD acquires weapon systems and discusses recent major efforts by Congress and the Department of Defense to improve the performance of the acquisition system.

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Book SynopsisAn iconic medieval missile weapon, the deadly longbow made possible the English victories at Crecy and Poitiers at the height of the Hundred Years’ War. The longbow was the weapon at the heart of the English military ascendancy in the century after 1340. Capable of subjecting the enemy to a hail of deadly projectiles, the longbow in the hands of massed archers made possible the extraordinary victories enjoyed by English forces over superior numbers at Crécy and Poitiers, and remained a key battlefield weapon throughout the Wars of the Roses and beyond. It also played a leading role in raiding, siege and naval warfare. Its influence and use spread to the armies of Burgundy, Scotland and other powers, and its reputation as a cost-effective and easily produced weapon led to calls for its widespread adoption among the nascent armies of the American Republic as late as the 1770s.Table of ContentsIntroduction /Development /Use /Impact /Conclusion /Select Bibliography /Index

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Book SynopsisAn illustrated introduction to how British industries, supported by thousands of newly recruited women, strove to meet the nation’s wartime need for munitions, armour, shipping, uniforms and aircraft. During the Second World War (1939–45), Britain stretched every sinew of its industrial might to fend off a Nazi invasion. As the nation stood alone against Fortress Europe, it harnessed, coordinated and maximised its resources, firstly to defend itself and then to help liberate Axis-occupied countries. Wartime Industry uses informative text and beautiful illustrations to show how the men and women of Britain met this unprecedented demand for military and home-front materials. It explores the work of Lord Beaverbrook’s highly organised Ministry of Aircraft Production; the ‘Shadow Factories’ that enabled manufacturers such as Vauxhall and Rootes to make tanks and aircraft; the Royal Ordnance Factories that produced firearms and explosives; the ‘Bevin Boys’ conscripted to work in the coal mines; the Women’s Timber Corps; and war workers – who, together, helped the nation to make it.Table of ContentsIntroduction Raw Materials and Salvage Shipyards Munitions, Tanks and Military Motors Battle Dress, Boots and Utility Goods The Workforce Further Reading Places to Visit Index

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Book SynopsisAn insight into the design, construction and opera, The Soviet T-34 was the most produced tank of the Second World War and its revolutionary sloping armour became a major influence on future tank design. With its combination of heavy firepower, mobility and protection, the T-34 gave the Red Army a war-winning weapon with which to break the German Army on the Eastern Front., A mainstay of the Soviet armoured divisions, it was widely exported after the war and in 2017 it remains in frontline service with many third world countries., Author Mark Healy combines a detailed technical examination of the T-34 with its legendary combat history., Mark Healy is the author of several books including 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 ContentsHaynes Manual treatment of the most successful tank of the Second World War. In series with the Haynes Tiger, Panzer III, Churchill and Sherman Tank Manuals. Authoritative text. Specially commissioned artwork. Fully illustrated with more than 250 photographs and line drawings.

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Book SynopsisTwo supplement volumes round off the British and Commonwealth Armies series. Supplement Volume 1 contains five chapters providing data covering formations in North Africa, the Mediterranean, North-West Europe, Burma / India and Special Forces. The units covered range from 7th Armoured Division in North Africa to Fiji?s military forces.Careful presentation combined with a host of hard-to-find information ensure this will be the standard source for order-of-battle data about the British and Commonwealth armies. All organisations are analysed down to platoon level, and listings include specific types of equipment and weaponry used, along with explanatory notes.

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