Search results for ""Histoire Collections""

The Battle of Bull Run took place in July 1861 and although when all was said and done, its impact was relatively limited, it did have a far-reaching effect on the American Civil War itself. The psychological impact of the battle on the combatants was indeed unquestionable, particularly for the North, and increased general consciousness of the reality of war and the challenges that lay ahead. The first Battle of Manassas was special because it was the first large-scale engagement in which troops were brought to the battle area by train, which enabled the Confederates to overthrow the fewer Federals. About the Author Pascal le Pautremat has a doctorate in contemporary history; he is a lecturer in geopolitics and is a specialist of modern conflicts and crisis.

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The Corsair no doubt appears at the top of the list of mythical aircraft which have left their mark on aviation history. As the author is predominantly an illustrator he has given priority to the illustrations and iconography following with explanations that are deliberately concise but as thorough as possible. His aim was to tell the thirty year story of the Corsair’s extraordinary career from its baptism of fire in the Pacific to the African skies, passing through the Far-East and a less martial, but nonetheless virile, interlude in the colourful and exhilarating world of the Pylon Races. This book, substantially larger than the previous edition published in 2003, does not claim to be exhaustive and is destined as much to the enlightened amateur as to the neophyte, in whom perhaps will appear a new love for the fabulous Bent Wing Bird.

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The M4 Carbine and its variants fire 5.56 x 45mm NATO ammunition and are gas-operated, air-cooled, magazine-fed, selective fire firearms with a 4-position telescoping stock. The M4 can trace its lineage back to earlier carbine versions of the M16, all based on the original AR-15 made by ArmaLite. It is a shorter and lighter version of the M16A2 assault rifle, with selective fire options including semi-automatic and three-round burst. Used predominantly by US forces, and by many special forces around the world, this book provides an illustrated history of its design, development and operational history, including its use in Afghanistan and Iraq.

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This is the first volume of a new collection dedicated to the evolution of techniques and materials used by special services and special forces. To open this new collection dedicated to the evolution of technics and materials used by Special services and Special Forces, the choice of the first issue was an easy one. As early as October 1940, Intelligence Service tries different ways to infiltrate occupied France. Phillip Schneidau is dropped “blind” near Montigny at the edge of Fontainebleau forest. Jumping with a British parachute soon turns out to be one of the best means of infiltration. It is adopted by Allies, including US OSS operational groups and Jedburgh teams. This present study is thus dedicated to Type A and Type X parachutes. Some extra considerations to the following type PX give a better understanding of their differences and the new solutions chosen

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In his previous book, the author discussed a little-known and insufficiently examined area in the history of the Second World War: the fighting in Hungary during the winter of 1944 and 1945 and notably the war's final German offensive, initiated by the 6th Panzer Army in mid-March 1945. In this new work, the author tackles a subject which is the antithesis of his previous one as much from the geographical as the reputational perspective: the famous Battle of the Bulge. This is the first volume to be offered to readers, with an examination of the northern edge of this offensive launched by the 6th Panzer Army. Its deployment during the Battle of the Bulge represented its baptism of fire. Drawing on the examination of thousands of pages of archives focusing as much on American as on German forces, as well as an analysis of the most recent studies combined with site visits, the author reviews the northern sector of the battle for us - a sector which was to be the main axis along which Hitler hoped for nothing less than to shatter the American front, speed towards Antwerp and reverse the course of the war to his benefit. Throughout these pages, the author invites us to follow the fierce and bloody run of the Kampfgruppen from the I.SS-Panzer Division, the failure of the Hitlerjugend in the face of the GIs' determined resistance and the charge ofthe II.SS Panzer Korps. However, this book also specifically provides a detailed review of the special operations which were to facilitate the 6th Panzer Army's achievement of its aims: von der Heydte's paratroopers' night jump or the operations of Otto Skorzeny's 150th Panzer Brigade. Finally, the author provides a detailed survey of preparations for the offensive, the combatants' logistical challenges, the Allied information service fiasco or the suffering of Belgian civilians trapped within this inferno, in the middle of an especially harsh winter. Through this research, the author is able to reveal new factors to us, reexamining cliches and dismissing misconceptions. The reader will find among these pages, alongside a wealth of illustrations and precise maps, answers to many questions including, for instance: how was Patton able to redirect his army so quickly to go to Bastogne's aid? Could the 6th Panzer Army really have reached Antwerp or even the Meuse river? Why could the victorious 1940 offensive not be replicated in 1944, although the Americans were completely taken by surprise? What were the factors explaining the failure of an army seemingly as powerful as the 6th Panzer Army, which represented the Reich's last strategic Panzer reserve and yet still assembled four full SS Panzer divisions, at least in terms of men? Finally, the appendices to this volume offer enthusiasts a wealth of information to enhance their knowledge: for those curious to examine history a little more closely, a series of archive documents has been translated and reproduced - both reports and telegrams, often from or received by the SHAEF. These enable us to approach history from a different angle. We will also find the translation of the surviving fragments of Hitler's harangue to his generals on the 12th of December to strengthen their resolve in this battle in which the fate of the Reich would be played out.

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Waterloo, the plain where Napoleon’s Empire was dealt its final blow after a titanic fight, is not only a name on the map. La Haye-Sainte, Hougoumont, Plancenoit, are real places where men struggled, suffered and died. In this book, the authors retrace the phases of the famous battle. But moreover, they lead the reader deep into history by showing the artifacts, weapons, uniforms and pieces of equipment that have survived after more than two centuries. From Napoleon’s hat to Wellington’s pad, from a simple uniform button to a rusted bayonet found on the very ground of the battlefield, these fabulous relics help us revisit the day of June 18th 1815. Packed with dozens of color images of uniforms and equipment.

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This book covers the daily life of the ordinary German infantryman from 1914 to 1918, through “Michel”, the archetype of the German soldier, the national personification of the German people, the symbol of patriotic union. We see his life, his material surroundings, his joys, his hardships, the way he ate, expressed himself, his relationship to authority, mobilization, moving up to the front, life in the front line and the rear, the fighting, his assignment to the assault troops, care in hospital, combined with an examination of the way uniforms and equipment altered as the war went on. The context of the period is also particularly well rendered thanks to extracts from songs in vogue at the time and a host of anecdotes and accurate details which make this book such a unique collection.

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Gathered in these two volumes is the legendary Luftwaffe aircraft: the Messerschmitt 109 and 110, the Focke-Wulf 190 and the jets that appeared at the end of the conflict. More than 600 color profiles detail a wide variety of insignia and camouflage paints. Together, these two books are an augmented compilation (new photographs, new profiles) and an improvement on the previous editions published in the series Aircraft & Drivers.THIS BOOK IS IN ENGLISH.

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Women's participation in the Second World War is often overlooked, yet thousands of them wore their uniform, working mainly as nurses, but offering also other services, such as managing the enrollment of men in military units. The movement started on a large scale in Great Britain and the Soviet Union, followed by United States and to a lesser extent France, Germany and Italy. With over fifty female volunteer from all over the world represented in colour photographs, this guide will be indispensable for all uniform lovers, collectors, and enthusiasts of military history.

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Having left Gotenhafen July 3, 1940 for a campaign that will last 516 days, the Komet is one of the cargos transformed by the Kriegsmarine to operate as an auxiliary warship for the allied commercial ships. Spreading over the Pacific except the partly frozen waters of the Arctic Ocean, this predator camouflaged as Japanese ships leads the attacks on all oceans, up to the Antarctic, searching for ally ships, creating insecurity across the Australian and New Zealand coasts up to the surroundings of the Panama canal. A fascinating adventure that gives us 200 inedited pictures. The secret meetings with the German supply ships at open sea, the seizure and destruction of the enemy ships, the prisoners gathered aboard, the daily life, the ceremonies, those who fled on land or the meeting with the U-Boote in the Atlantic.

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Through various hundreds of “clichés d’époque”, the journey of this American division that landed in Provence in August 1944 after a long campaign in Italy, leads us just to the heart of Germany, where this military unit is the first to enter the concentration camps of Dachau. This American division had formerly freed a part of Southern France, and then went back up the valley of the Rhone up to the Vosges. As its squads are made up of numerous native american soldiers, the 45th division has achieved copious honours during the three hard battles which could be compared to the battle of Normandy that took over the spotlight the following years.

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With this last volume, pontoneers, permanent gunners or Coastguards gunners, too often left in shadow – as the materials and the guns which they serve and operate – occupy the centre stage.After examining, in volumes 1 and 2, the hardware artillery implemented by Gunners from the end of the Old Regime to First Empire, this third volume discusses some topics of specialists uniformology, and a chapter is dedicated to the Team Train which, although not being a part of the artillery, deserves to appear in this vast panorama of the “Armes savantes”.This was the organisation of Mr de Gribeauval, the Inspector of Artillery, set up slowly over nearly thirty years and which remained more or less as it was until 1825 and which is the object of these three volumes.

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Among the many Americans who fought to liberate Europe in 1944, some arrived on the battlefield with no combat experience while others were already veterans of the North African and Italian campaigns. This book traces the career of fifty soldiers, who, during the conflict held a variety of positions: shock troops, bomber pilot, quartermaster aboard a destroyer or chaplain in a motorized cavalry unit. Several nurses and a telephone operator are included and demonstrate the commitment of the female staff. A short genealogical study precedes each story, allowing the reader to discover the origins and family background of each personnel. A study of official records as well as archival documents kept by the soldier helps trace his military career from draft to theater. The author offers additional perspective through historical newspapers and walking units, providing valuable information on the progress of the fighting that would lead to victory and homecoming for the luckiest. At a time when many veterans of World War II are quickly diminishing, it is important to treasure these moving testimonies of a painful past.

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During the cradle of aviation, at the beginning of the Great War, France had access to only a few dozen military aircraft, with a staff who didn’t quite know what to do with them. However, during the course of the conflict, the embryonic Air Force, dedicated to the creation of reconnaissance and bombing missions, evolved like wildfire to the point that by the Armistice of 11 November 1918, French military aviation had become one of the world's most powerful as a result of the construction of 10,000 aircraft spread throughout nearly 300 squadrons. Having became the first nation equipped with an air force, the French aviation industry in its infancy before the war, had been able to produce in four years 50,000 aircraft, may of which would go on to support a number of her allies, including Britain, Russia and especially the United States.This book provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution of the French Air Force from 1914 to 1918 through a historical narrative peppered with anecdotes and illustrated with many unpublished pictures from the period and profiles of the most iconic devices. The work is complete with full specifications of aircraft built and used by France during the four years of the Great War.

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From July 18 - 20, 1944, British and Canadian forces launched Operation Goodwood in order finally to capture Caen and push the Germans back towards the south, beyond Bourguébus. Among the armored divisions engaged in the fighting, the book follows the British 11th Armoured Division in particular. In four days, the English advanced over six miles and destroyed more than 100 German tanks but at a cost of 5,500 men and 413 tanks destroyed. Didier Lodieu is a recognized specialist of the Battle of Normandy and is the author of a number of works on this period. He gives us a different perspective on Operation Goodwood by following the Guards Armoured Division. The book contains numerous plans and maps and is richly illustrated with many often previously unpublished photographs together with full color armor profiles.

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This is a new series for war gamers and includes lessons on tactics and strategy in a new approach which links facts from history with games. This volume covers the history of the Roman Army from 1st Century BC to 5th Century AD, through the many board games that have simulated this great war machine.

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The links between Napoleon and Italy are too often reduced to its dazzling campaigns of 1796 and 1800. This love story, consisting of moments of happiness, but also resentment, continued well beyond the Battle of Marengo. The story of Napoleon and Italy from 1805 to 1815 is primarily one of constant communication; there was not a single day without two, three or four letters by mail or telegraph, to Milan, Rome and Naples. This permanence in imperial thinking, illustrated the desire to make Italy a model state. Italy was seen as the little brother who should be nurtured with a stern hand, but also with a degree of tenderness. This posthumous work of Juan Carlos Camignani, one of the greatest French specialists of Napoleonic history, this time collaborating with Gilles Boue, historian of the great battles of the Empire, is a real tribute to the beauty of the Italy and the glory of the Emperor. Using more than three hundred rare images, the authors trace the history of Napoleonic Italy and Italian soldiers in the armies of Napoleon. THIS BOOK IS IN ENGLISH.

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This book is dedicated to all groups of 8th Air Force based in Britain from 1943 to 1945 and examines their devices: Spitfire, P-38, P-47 and P-51; with many colour profiles, detailing badges and specific markings. A valuable tool for all designers. THIS BOOK IS IN ENGLISH.

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The commitment of Soviet women to their country during World War II was unprecedented, both in terms of their sheer numbers and also in terms of their unique roles. More than 100,000 of them would join the regular army, or the partisans. Of all the jobs women were allowed to do during the war, one of the toughest and most unlikely was that of the sniper. Here is the incredible story of those who, before the war, were teachers or students, and through the will to defend, or avenge, their country and their families, became snipers.Former deputy officer of the Foreign Legion, author Yuri Obratzov is a specialist in the field of identification.

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Designed in response to the official 1953 program planned to equip the Armée de l’Air with a light supersonic interceptor, the Mirage III is universally acknowledged as one of the most remarkable successes of the French post-war aircraft industry. This delta-winged fighter has a configuration which has since become the hallmark of the French aircraft builder, Dassault, and has rapidly demonstrated its qualities beyond its original frontiers, so much so that 1 400 examples of all variants came off the production lines, purchased by twenty or so countries. This very broad subject has been split into two distinct parts, the first volume dealing with the initial single-seat IIIC and two-seat IIIB versions equipped with the Atar 9B jet engine and the second deals with the improved versions of the fighter with a longer fuselage, powered by an Atar 9C and fitted with a more effective Doppler radar: the IIIE interceptor, the IIIR and RD reconnaissance versions, the 5 and 50 ground attack versions. In line with the name and aim of the collection only the planes used by the Armée de l’Air are described in these books.

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Through their photographic representation, the stories they tell and their actual historical significance, the battlefield relics shown here cast a different light on D-Day and the Battle for Normandy, and extoll the enthusiasm and worthiness of the collectors who preserved them. This important heritage, discovered on the battlefields of a hundred day struggle that spans from June 6, 1944 to the liberation of Paris, the capture of le Havre and the battle for Brest, features many surprising and unexpected artifacts, expressing the sacrifice of civilian victims or the happier times of a long awatied liberation.

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