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Destination Berchtesgaden
By Robert Jackson, John Frayn. 2012
Of the US Armies fighting in Europe at the end of World War II, General Patch's Seventh Army has received…
the least attention from historians. Although over-shadowed by the performance of General Patton and the actions of his US Third Army (breaking out of the Normandy bridgehead, liberating Paris and seizing Remagen bridge), the Seventh Army made a considerable contribution to the Allied victory, particularly their rapid advance through southern Germany and Austria. The Seventh Army landed in Sicily in 1943, and then took part in Operation Anvil in 1944 before advancing across the Rhine and reaching Berchtesgaden itself. Both the successes and setbacks of the Seventh Army are discussed in this volume, as well as discussing the tactical victories and defeats that contributed to the Allied campaign.Bf 109 Aces of North Africa and the Mediterranean
By Jerry Scutts, Chris Davey. 1994
Totally outnumbered throughout their short two-year sojourn in the Western Desert, the crack fighter pilots of the handful of Jagdgeschwader…
in-theatre fought an effective campaign in support of Rommel's Afrika Korps against the British and American forces. Relying almost exclusively on the Luftwaffe's staple fighter of World War 2, the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the battle-hardened aces used the aircraft's superior performance to achieve incredible scores against the Allies. Similarly, once pushed out of North Africa, these units continued to take the fight to the RAF and USAAF from makeshift bases in northern Italy.Rumanian Aces of World War 2
By John Weal, Denes Bernad. 2003
First seeing action in the wake of the German invasion of the USSR in June 1941, the Royal Rumanian Air…
Force had been allied to the Luftwaffe since the Romanian government signed a Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy in November 1940. This book reveals how, despite suffering heavy losses to the numerically superior Russian forces, the Rumanians inflicted even greater casualties on the communists. Locked in bitter conflict with the Soviets until September 1944, when the Red Army poured across the Rumanian frontier and forced an armistice, the modest fighter force claimed 1500+ kills using primarily Bf 109's, E's.C-47/R4D Skytrain Units of the Pacific and CBI
By Chris Davey, David Isby. 2007
C-47 is an aircraft that remains a popular favourite and an acknowledged classic design, carrying out missions every bit as…
strategically important and as dramatic for the aircrew as those of the fighters and bombers. The C-47's wartime operations paved the way for post-war military air transport. It also demonstrated how the USAAF was able to invest in and carry out a mission that it had not devoted much time to preparing for in terms of pre-war doctrine (in contrast to strategic bombing). In addition to linking theatres (by flying across 'the Hump'), it showed how vital it was to operations within a theatre like New Guinea. Even if massed airborne invasions were not carried out in the PTO/CBI, all air arms need transports like the C-47.US Army Paratrooper in the Pacific Theater, 1943-45
By Gordon Rottman. 2012
The two major Army units that operated in the Pacific - the 11th Airborne Division and the 503rd Parachute Regimental…
Combat Team (PRCT) launched small-scale operations on extremely difficult, if not, outright dangerous, terrain, while also conducting amphibious assaults, fighting on jungled hills, swamps and mud. The two units were very different, with the 503rd PRCT being reserved for special purpose missions and the 11th Airborne Division occupying a more traditional role. This title will deal with the background to these two units and their training, before detailing the specific equipment used in the theatre and, finally and most importantly, the combat experience at a personal level of the US Army Paratrooper in the Pacific.When Lenin Lost His Brain
By Giles Milton. 2014
In this marvellous collection of fascinating footnotes, Giles Milton delves into the little-known stories from history. Covering everything from adventure,…
war, murder and slavery to espionage, including the stories of the female Robinson Crusoe, Hitler's final hours, Japan's deadly balloon bomb and the emperor of the United States, these tales deserve to be told.The US Army in World War II
By Mike Chappell, Mark Henry. 2000
It was the Mediterranean theatre which saw the blooding of the US Army against the German Wehrmacht, in North Africa…
in the winter of 1943-44 of World War II (1939-1945). After this rough education the US forces pressed on to Sicily, the South of France and the Italian mainland. Here, faced by difficult terrain , they and their British Commonwealth allies fought a long campaign until VE-Day. This second of a series of three MAA titles covers the uniforms worn on these fronts, including US Army cold weather, airborne and tankers' gear; some particularly interesting and important units, including mountain, Japanese-American and African-American troops; and a variety of crew-served weapons.C-47/R4D Units of the ETO and MTO
By Chris Davey, David Isby. 2005
The C-47 units of the USAAF were an integral part of some of the most dramatic episodes of World War…
II (1939-1945): the airborne assaults in North Africa, Sicily, Normandy, southern France, Operation Market Garden and the crossing of the Rhine. The mass fratricide off Sicily, the night drop for D-Day and the Bastogne supply missions are also covered, along with more typical accounts of training, formation flying, airdrops and casualty evacuation missions. This book details an aircraft that remains a popular favourite and an acknowledged design classic, carrying out missions every bit as strategically important and as dramatic for the aircrew as those of the fighters and bombers.Stirling's Desert Triumph - The SAS Egyptian Airfield Raids 1942
By Gavin Mortimer. 2015
The night of July 26, 1942 saw one of the most audacious raids of World War II, just as the…
outcome of that conflict hung in the balance. In North Africa, a convoy of 18 Allied jeeps carrying Special Air Service personnel appeared out of the early-morning darkness and drove onto the Axis landing strip at Sidi Haneish in the Egyptian desert. Within the space of a few savage minutes 18 Axis aircraft were ablaze; a dozen more were damaged and scores of guards lay dead or wounded. The men responsible for the raid then vanished into the night as swiftly as they had arrived, prompting the Germans to dub the enemy leader, David Stirling, 'The Phantom Major'. Featuring full-color artwork, gripping narrative and incisive analysis, this engaging study recounts the origins, planning, execution and aftermath of the daring raid that made the name of the SAS at the height of World War II.The Doolittle Raid 1942
By Howard Gerrard, Clayton Chun. 2006
Osprey's study of the United States' first offensive response to the Pearl Harbor attacks of World War II (1939-1945). In…
early 1942, the strategic situation was bleak for the United States. She had been in continual retreat since Pearl Harbor, surrendering major areas such as the Philippines, and was preparing for the worst in Hawaii and on the West Coast. The Japanese, on the other hand, had secured a well-defended perimeter, and were set for further expansion. Something needed to happen quickly and be of considerable impact. The April 1942 Doolittle Raid on Japan was a way to achieve this. This book examines the planning, execution, and aftermath of this innovative, daring and risky attack, which would show that the Japanese navy and air forces were anything but invincible.France's Long Reconstruction: In Search of the Modern Republic
By Herrick Chapman. 2018
Postwar recovery required a transformation of France, but what form it should take remained a question. Herrick Chapman charts the…
course of France’s reconstruction from 1944 to 1962, offering insights into the ways the expansion of state power produced fierce controversies at home and unintended consequences abroad in France’s crumbling empire.Japanese Infantryman 1937-45
By Gordon Rottman, Michael Welply. 2005
This book examines in detail the Japanese Infantryman who was, despite comparisons with the notorious German Waffen SS of World…
War II (1939-1945), an enigma to Westerners. Brutal in its treatment of prisoners as well as the inhabitants of the areas that it conquered, the Imperial Japanese Army also had exacting standards for its own men - strict codes of honor compelled Japanese soldiers to fight to the death against the more technologically advanced Allies. Identifying the ways in which the Japanese soldier differed from his Western counterpart, the author explores concepts such as Bushido, Seppuku, Shiki and Hakko Ichi-u in order to understand what motivated Japanese warriors.Okinawa 1945
By Howard Gerrard, Gordon Rottman. 2002
By the spring of 1945 the Allies were sweeping all before them in the Pacific War against Japan, and a…
series of victories had reclaimed many of the islands and territories seized by the Imperial Japanese forces in the early months of the war. The dark days of humiliating defeat were far behind the unstoppable Allied juggernaut - victory was now assured. The question was where the last battle would be fought. That place was the island of Okinawa. This book details the struggle for the island as US Marines and Army units battled determined Japanese defenders in the last battle of World War II (1939-1945).Wives, Mothers & the Red Menace
By Mary Brennan. 2008
In Wives, Mothers, and the Red Menace, Mary Brennan examines conservative women's anti-communist activism in the years immediately after World…
War II. Brennan details the actions and experiences of prominent anti-communists Jean Kerr McCarthy, Margaret Chase Smith, Freda Utley, Doloris Thauwald Bridges, Elizabeth Churchill Brown, and Phyllis Stewart Schlafly. She describes the Cold War context in which these women functioned and the ways in which women saw communism as a very real danger to domestic security and American families. Millions of women, Brennan notes, expanded their notions of household responsibilities to include the crusade against communism. From writing letters and hosting teas to publishing books and running for political office, they campaigned against communism and, incidentally, discovered the power they had to effect change through activism. Brennan reveals how the willingness of these deeply conservative women to leave the domestic sphere and engage publicly in politics evinces the depth of America's postwar fear of communism. She further argues that these conservative, anti-communist women pushed the boundaries of traditional gender roles and challenged assumptions about women as political players by entering political life to publicly promote their ideals. Wives, Mothers, and the Red Menace offers a fascinating analysis of gender and politics at a critical point in American history. Brennan's work will instigate discussions among historians, political scientists, and scholars of women's studies.M8 Greyhound Light Armored Car 1941-91
By Steven Zaloga, Tony Bryan. 2002
The M8 light armored car was the only significant wheeled combat vehicle used by the US Army in World War…
II. In conjunction with the lightly armed utility version, the M20, it was the staple of the army's cavalry squadrons for use in reconnaissance and scouting. First entering combat in Italy in 1943, it was widely used throughout the campaign in northwest Europe, though its off-road performance was found to be wanting. This title describes the design and development of the M8, covering the many variants that were produced during World War II and afterwards, along with a comprehensive survey of its operational use.Japanese Pacific Island Defenses 1941-45
By Gordon Rottman, Ian Palmer. 2003
The prolonged and bloody fighting for control of the Japanese occupied Pacific islands in World War II is a key…
point in 20th-century warfare. No two islands were alike in the systems and nature of their defensive emplacements, and local improvization and command preferences affected both materials used and defensive models. This title details the establishment, construction and effectiveness of Japanese temporary and semi-permanent crew-served weapons positions and individual and small-unit fighting positions. Integrated obstacles and minefields, camouflage and the changing defensive principles are also covered.German Field Fortifications 1939-45
By Gordon Rottman, Ian Palmer. 2004
The German Army of World War II considered itself an offensive, mobile force. The experiences in the trenches in World…
War I had done much to shape its concept of field fortification, and its mobile warfare ethos was intended to prevent the previous war's stalemate. This book addresses frontline defensive field fortifications, built by infantrymen using local materials, and includes rifle platoon positions, trenches, crew-served weapon positions, bunkers, dugouts, shelters and more. It also covers anti-tank and anti-personnel obstacles, as well as field camouflage methods and construction methods. The integration of these positions into permanent systems and theatre-specific defences are also discussed.US Marine Corps 1941-45
By Gordon Rottman, Mike Chappell. 1995
While the US Marine Corps was one of the smallest of American armed services in World War II (1939-1945), its…
contribution to the final victory cannot be overstated. The US Marine Corps may have only comprised 5 percent of America's armed forces, but it suffered 10 percent of all World War II combat casualties. Above all, the amphibious nature of the war in the Pacific imposed on the Marine Corps greater tasks than any it had ever before been called upon to perform. This title details the organization, weapons and equipment of the US Marines of World War II.56th Fighter Group
By Chris Davey, Roger Freeman. 2000
One of the first Thunderbolt groups to see action in the European Theatre of Operations (ETO) with the US Army…
Air Forces, the 56th Fighter Group (FG) was also the only fighter unit within the Eighth Air Force to remain equipped with the mighty P-47 until war's end. Led by the inspirational 'Hub' Zemke, this group was responsible for devising many of the bomber escort tactics employed by VIII Fighter Command between 1943 and 1945. By VE-Day the 56th FG had shot down 100 more enemy aircraft than any other group in the Eighth Air Force, its pilots being credited with 677 kills during 447 missions. The exploits of this elite fighter unit are detailed in this volume together with photographs, their aircraft profiles and insignia.German Seaman 1939-45
By John White, Gordon Williamson. 2001
When re-armament came after World War I, the German Navy was forced to build anew, so the Reichsmarine and its…
successor, the Kriegsmarine, found itself in possession of some of the most modern, powerful and technically advanced vessels in the world. Germany was very selective in picking her sailors and the quality of manpower skill levels was thus very high. This book charts the recruitment, training, service conditions and combat experiences of a typical World War II German sailor, focusing on the main branches of the Navy, as well as the last ditch combat units thrown into action as infantry in the final days of the war.