Military History
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London Transport in the Blitz
Up until the twentieth century, wars were fought on the battlefield; it rarely impacted the civilian population. All this changed with the development of aircraft; suddenly there was an additional dimension to warfare. World War 1 saw the first limited raids on urban areas, but it was World War 2 that forced Britains towns and cities onto the front line. While many town and cities suffered severe damage, it was the greater London area that sustained the longest and most damaging onslaught from the early bombing raids of 1940 through to the V1s and V2s of the later years of the war. Central to the viability of the city during the war was London Transport; not only did its Underground stations provide essential additional air raid shelters, but its buses, trains, trams, and trolley buses had to continue to operate throughout the period, despite sustaining vast damage to vehicles and infrastructure. This book tells its fascinating story.Read more
£16.30£19.00London Transport in the Blitz
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P-38 Lightning Illustrated
The more than 10,000 Lockheed P-38 Lightnings produced during World War II do not even place it in the top 15 combat aircraft produced during that conflict. And yet, the Lightning is one of the most dynamic and successful fighters of that era. The P-38 was the first Lockheed-designed military airplane to be mass produced, and the first twin-engine interceptor flown by the U.S. Army Air Forces. Up until its introduction, most fighters were powered by air-cooled radial engines. The Lightning was powered by a pair of liquid-cooled Allison V-1710 in-line engines. Likewise, fighters….in fact, most….military aircraft were “tail draggers”, but the Lightning was the first modern fighter with tricycle landing gear. The design of the P-38 was radical…..the twin-boom layout….the bubble canopy, and the flush-riveted skins which lowered drag to a point that the Lightning was the first fighter capable of speeds over 400mph made it unique. That radical design also made growth versions possible, and it was the only U.S. fighter whose production spanned the entire war years. When it went into action, it was the first American fighter to shoot down a German airplane and the first fighter capable of escorting bombers all the way to Berlin. It was the mount of the two highest-scoring American aces of the war. P-38s accounted for more Japanese aircraft destroyed than any other single fighter. The speed and high-altitude performance of the Lightning made it the preeminent photo reconnaissance platform of the war. The versatility of the design included ground attack and night fighter missions. The P-38 Lightning was, indeed, one of the most effective and celebrated aircraft of WWII. This pictorial record of the P-38 includes dozens of color photos as well as drawings and period advertisements featuring the iconic P-38 Lightning.
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£15.10P-38 Lightning Illustrated
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British Transport Aircraft of the 1970s and ’80s (Historic Military Aircraft)
Following on in the series of British aircraft in the 1970s and ’80s, this book explores the transport aircraft that served during this time period, including the Argosy, Belfast, Hastings and more.Read more
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Military Aircraft: World’s Greatest Fighters, Bombers and Transport Aircraft from World War I to the Present: World’s Greatest Fighters, Bombers … War I to the Present (The…
Ever since man first took to the air, combat aircraft have been at the cutting edge of aviation technology, resulting in some of the greatest and most complex designs ever built. Military Aircraft features 52 of the most important military aircraft of the last hundred years. The book includes all the main types, from biplane fighters and carrier aircraft to tactical bombers, transport aircraft, multirole fighters, strategic strike aircraft and stealth bombers. Featured aircraft include: the Fokker Dr.1 triplane, the legendary fighter flown by German flying ace Manfred von Richthofen, ‘the Red Baron’, during World War I; the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, Japan’s highly-manoeuvrable fighter that dominated air-to-air combat in the early part of the Pacific War; the tank-busting Il-2 Shturmovik, the most produced aircraft in World War II; the Harrier jump jet, a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) fighter that has been service for more than 40 years; the B-2 Spirit bomber, an American precision strike aircraft used in recent conflicts in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan; and the F-22 Raptor, an air superiority fighter with state-of-the-art stealth technology that makes it almost invisible to radars. Each entry includes a brief description of the model’s development and history, a profile view, key features and specifications. Packed with more than 200 artworks and photographs, Military Aircraft is a colourful guide for the military aviation enthusiast.Read more
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Antonov’s Heavy Transports: From the An-22 to An-225, 1965 to the Present
This book charts the development and service history of the Antonov design bureau’s heavy transport aircraft. In the late 1950s, the Antonov design bureau began developing the An-22 heavy military transport, intended to carry 50 tons. Powered by four 15,000 hp turboprops, it was the world’s heaviest transport when it first flew in February 1965. The four-turbofan An-124 was again the world’s most capable airlifter when it emerged in 1982, with a payload of 120 tons. It proved its worth in military and humanitarian operations and earned acclaim as a commercial freighter after 1991 for carrying heavy and outsized items. The unique six-engined An-225 “”Mriya”” was created for carrying the Buran space shuttle. Despite the demise of the Buran program, the aircraft found use on the heavy/outsized cargo transportation market. It is illustrated by a wealth of new photos and color artwork, as well as line drawings.-Read more
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World War Two Military Vehicles: Transport and Halftracks (World War Two)
This title offers a comprehensive illustrated account of the development of military transport during the period from 1939 to 1945. Covering both Allied and Axis equipment, the book is a superbly illustrated and detailed study into an aspect of military history that has often been ignored by researchers and writers who have concentrated solely on the armoured vehicles.
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TM 9-803 Willys-Overland MB and Ford Model GPW Jeep Technical Manual
Designated as a light truck, the Jeep was the primary four-wheel drive vehicle for the U.S. Army during WWII. The Jeep’s design owed a great deal to Karl Probst, a freelance designer employed by the American Bantam Car Co. Probst’s prototype “Blitz Buggy” was built in a mere 49 days. It clearly impressed the Army in head-to-head competition against a design submitted by Willys-Overland. However the Buggy’s engine failed to meet requirements, and the Army determined that Bantam could not produce the vehicle in quantity. As a result, the Army bought the Bantam design and asked both Willys and Ford to improve it. The Willys model MB, equipped with a L134 straight-4 “Go Devil”engine, was eventually accepted as the standard. Ford models built to Willys specifications were designated GPW (“G” for government vehicle, “P” designating the 80” wheelbase, and “W” indicating the Willys engine design). (Notably, the “GP” part of the designation is often misinterpreted to mean “General Purpose”, and some have suggested this is the reason the vehicle wasnick-named the “Jeep”. In reality it was probably named after a character in the Popeye cartoons). Roughly 640,000 Jeeps were built during WWII by Ford and Willys, and used on every front. Utilitarian, rugged, and easy to maintain, Jeeps saw service as scout cars, ambulances, firefighting vehicles, as tractors for artillery, and more. The vehicle so impressed war correspondent Ernie Pyle that he called it one of the “two most important pieces of non-combat equipment ever developed” — the other being the pocket stove. Jeeps remained in service for the U.S. military in Korea and in the Vietnam War. Created in 1944, this technical manual reveals a great deal about the Jeep’s design and capabilities. Intended as a manual for those charged with operation and maintenance, this manual shows many aspects of its engine, cooling, power, drive train and other systems. Originally labeled restricted, this manual was declassified long ago and is here reprinted in book form. Care has been taken to preserve the integrity of the text.Read more
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Small Unit Tactics and Raids: Two Illustrated Manuals (Small Unit Soldiers)
Small Unit Soldiers use complex tactics and maneuvers to successfully ambush and raid the enemy. Each stage of a successful mission, from infiltration to attacking, requires professional skills and knowledge to flawlessly execute.
Special Operations Veterans teach these skills from experience using real-life examples in this combined printing of the two manuals, Small Unit Tactics and Small Unit Raids. The topics include: Transportation to the Objective, React to Enemy Contact, Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT), Close Quarters Battle (CQB), Exfiltration, and more.
This book has over 500 full color images. Diagrams and photographs are critical to learning physical movements and coordinated maneuvers. These images are perfect for visual learners who are tired of mind-numbing walls of text.
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Modern Military Aircraft (Technical Guides)
Illustrated with detailed artworks of modern military aircraft and their markings with exhaustive captions and specifications, Technical Guide: Modern Military Aircraft is an extensively researched review of the military aircraft deployed by the world’s air forces in recent conflicts in the Balkans, the Caucasus, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and elsewhere. Organised alphabetically by manufacturer, this book includes every type of aircraft in use in the world today, from the F-22 Raptor through the Dassault Mirage 2000 to the MiG-29 and Su-57. The book includes multirole fighters, ground attack aircraft, high-level bombers, reconnaissance aircraft, carrier aircraft, and unmanned drones. The guide is illustrated with profile artworks, three-views, and special cutaway artworks of the more famous aircraft in service, such as the F-15E Strike Eagle, Sukhoi Su-27 and Eurofighter Typhoon. Illustrated with more than 110 artworks, Technical Guide: Modern Military Aircraft is an essential reference guide for modellers and enthusiasts with an interest in modern military aircraft.Read more
£13.20£17.10Modern Military Aircraft (Technical Guides)
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German Fighter Aircraft of World War II: 1939-45 (Technical Guides)
Arranged by type, German Fighter Aircraft of World War II offers a highly illustrated guide to the most important fighters used by the Luftwaffe during the conflict. It features such classics as the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Bf 110, the Heinkel He 100D-1 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 187 and Fw 190, as well as curiosities such as the Arado Ar 68F-1, Henschel Hs 123 and Heinkel He 51B biplanes. Late war innovations, such as the jet and rocket powered Me 262, Me 163 and Heinkel He 162, are also included. Most types are represented in numerous variants and with examples drawn from different theatres of the war. The book includes all the major fighters that served in the invasion of Poland, the defeat of France, the Battle of Britain, Operation Barbarossa, the war in the Mediterranean, the fighting on the Eastern Front and the Defence of the Reich. Each featured profile includes authentic markings and colour schemes, while every separate model is accompanied by detailed specifications. Packed with 110 full-colour artworks, German Fighter Aircraft of World War II is a key reference guide for military modellers and World War II enthusiasts.Read more
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Aircraft, Tanks and Artillery of the Ukraine War (Technical Guides)
Illustrated with accurate artworks of aircraft, armoured fighting vehicles, artillery and missiles, Aircraft, Tanks & Artillery of the Ukraine War is a detailed guide to all the weaponry currently being deployed in the War in Ukraine. The War in Ukraine is being fought using tanks, aircraft and artillery dating from the Cold War deployed alongside state-of-the-art weapons systems supplied by Western powers. Arranged chronologically by type, Aircraft, Tanks & Artillery of the Ukraine War offers a complete survey of the weapons deployed, from the venerable Ilyushin Il-76 strategic airlifter and T-64 medium tank to the latest American-made M142 HIMARS rocket artillery and the Bayraktar TB2 combat drone. The guide is illustrated with accurate profile artworks of fighter aircraft, bombers, attack helicopters, tanks, APCs, artillery systems, missile launchers and unmanned aerial vehicles from Russian, NATO, Turkish and other sources. Illustrated with more than 100 detailed artworks, Aircraft, Tanks & Artillery of the Ukraine War is an essential reference guide for those who want to understand the war being fought in Europe today.
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Battleships of World War I & World War II: 1914-45 (Technical Guides)
For centuries, battleships provided overwhelming firepower at sea. They were not only a major instrument of warfare, but a visible emblem of a nation’s power, wealth and pride. The rise of the aircraft carrier following the Japanese aerial strike on Pearl Harbor in 1941 highlighted the vulnerabilities of the battleship, bringing about its demise as a dominant class of warship.
This book offers a detailed guide to the major types of battleships to fight in the two World Wars. Explore HMS Dreadnought, the first of a class of fast, big-gun battleships to be developed at the beginning of the 20th century; see the great capital ships that exchanged salvos at the battle of Jutland, including the German battlecruiser Derfflinger, which sank the British battleship Queen Mary; find out about the destruction of HMS Hood, which exploded after exchanging fire with the Bismarck, which itself was sunk after a trans-Atlantic chase by a combination of battery fire and aircraft-launched torpedoes; and be amazed at the ‘super-battleship’ Yamato, which despite its size and firepower, made minimal contribution to Japan’s war effort and was sunk by air attack during the defence of Okinawa.
Illustrated with more than 120 vivid artworks and photographs, Technical Guide: Battleships of World War I and World War II is an essential reference guide for modellers and naval warfare enthusiasts.Read more
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American Fighter Aircraft of World War II: 1941-45 (Technical Guides)
The United States Army Air Force (USAAF) came into its own during World War II, building some of the premier fighters of the era. American Fighter Aircraft of World War II is a detailed guide to all the fighter aircraft types deployed by the USAAF and US Navy from 1941 to 1945.
Organised chronologically, this book includes all-time greats, such as the highly- adaptable P-51 Mustang bomber escort, the carrier-based F6F Hellcat – which outperformed the legendary Japanese A6M Zero fighter – and the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, with its distinctive twin-boom design; as well as lesser-known types, such as the Boeing P-26 Peashooter, the high-altitude Republic P-43 Lancer, and the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, the USAAF’s only operational jet fighter during the war. The entries are accompanied by exhaustive captions and specifications.
The guide is illustrated with profile artworks and three-views, as well as two-page dynamic artworks of some of the more famous aircraft in service, such as the P-40 Warhawk ground-attack variant, the twin-engined P-61 Black Widow night-fighter, and the robust P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bomber.
Illustrated with more than 100 authentic artworks with accurate markings and camouflage, American Fighter Aircraft of World War II is an essential reference guide for modellers and military aviation enthusiasts.Read more
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Napoleon’s Cavalry, Artillery and Technical Corps 1799–1815: History, Organization and Equipment
The French Army of Napoleon could count on a brilliant mounted arm, consisting of three main types of cavalry: heavy, medium and light. The first, consisting of carabiniers and cuirassiers, was tasked with conducting frontal charges; the second, consisting of dragoons and lancers, could perform a variety of different duties; the third, consisting of hussars and mounted chasseurs, was tasked with scouting and skirmishing. The various regiments were all dressed in flamboyant uniforms and distinctive equipment. Perhaps more than any other troops they encapsulated the dash and glamour of Napoleonic warfare.Napoleon started his military career as an artillery officer and thus always paid great attention to the quality of his army’s artillery, which consisted of both foot and horse units. Several of Bonaparte’s greatest victories were achieved thanks to the superiority of his artillery, which was with undoubtedly the best in Europe during the period 1799-1815. In addition to cavalry and artillery, the author also covers the minor ‘technical corps’ of Napoleon’s army, such as the engineers and supply train. All are beautifully illustrated by the many color plates in this book, and their organization, equipment and tactics described.
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Small Unit Raids: An Illustrated Manual (Small Unit Soldiers)
Small Unit Raiders utilize advanced tactics known as Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) and Close Quarters Battle (CQB). These tactics prioritize swiftly moving into and out of enemy terrain to destroy, seize, and conduct information warfare.
Special Operations Veterans have written from their own experience with real-life examples, the step-by-step tactics that Soldiers must master. This manual explains in detail how to conduct a successful mission, from infiltration to raiding the enemy.
To completely explain every idea, this manual has over 320 full color images. Diagrams and photographs are critical to learning physical movements and coordinated maneuvers. These images are perfect for visual learners who are tired of mind-numbing walls of text.
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Spitfire (Technical Guides)
If asked to name a British aircraft of World War II, many people would pick the Spitfire. In production and frontline service throughout the war, this Supermarine design matured to become one of the greatest fighter aircraft of all time. By combining superb aerodynamics with one of the best aero-engines ever produced, R. J. Mitchell and his Supermarine team created a pure thoroughbred fighter which became a legend, especially during the Battle of Britain, the type’s baptism of fire. Much loved by its pilots, the Spitfire served as an interceptor, photo-reconnaissance, fighter-bomber and trainer, and it continued to serve in these roles until the 1950s. In total, there were 24 marks of Spitfire and many sub-variants.
Spitfire offers a compact illustrated guide to this most iconic of aircraft, with chapters divided by type and time period. Find out about the Mk VB, the most numerous and hardy model that served in every theatre of war, including flying with the Soviet Air Force on the Eastern Front; marvel at EN409, a Mk XI that achieved a speed record of 975km/h (606mph) in high-speed diving trials; learn about the Spitfire’s role in the Dieppe Raid in 1942, where the Mk Vs and Mk IXs flew over 2000 sorties in support of the landing; and discover well-known Spitfire pilots, included ‘Johnnie’ Johnson, who shot down 34 enemy aircraft and who flew the Spitfire right through his operational career from late 1940 to 1945.
Packed with 100 vivid artworks and photographs, Spitfire is a compact reference guide for lovers of classic aircraft and World War II aviation enthusiasts.Read more
£13.00£17.10Spitfire (Technical Guides)
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Royal Air Force 100 Technical Innovations Manual 2017 (Haynes Technical Innovations Manual)
On 1 April 2018 the RAF celebrates its centenary, marking 100 years since its creation in 1918 out of the merger of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service. The RAF has always been at the forefront of technology, both as an innovator and as a user of innovations. To celebrate the RAF’s first 100 years, Jonathan Falconer showcases a top 100 technical innovations that have been used and/or devised by the Service over the past century, ranging from heated flying suits to radar; and from panel fasteners to the VTOL Harrier.Read more
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American Bomber Aircraft of World War II: 1941-45 (Technical Guides)
The United States built the best strategic bombers of World War II, and by the end of the conflict America’s bombers dominated the skies in both Europe and the Pacific. American Bomber Aircraft of World War II is a detailed guide to all the bombers deployed by the USAAF and US Navy from 1941 to 1945.
Organised chronologically, this book includes all the great types of the era, such as the B-17 Flying Fortress, which led the daylight bombing campaign against German industrial targets; the B-24 Liberator, which carried out the famous raid on the Ploesti oil refinery in Romania in 1943; the rugged Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bomber, flown by US Navy pilots at the Battle Midway in that key turning point in the Pacific War; and the B-29 Superfortress, the aircraft most responsible for degrading Japan’s ability to wage war with their constant aerial attacks throughout 1944 and 1945.
The guide is illustrated with profile artworks and three-views, as well as two-page dynamic artworks of some of the more famous aircraft in service, such as the highly- adaptable B-25 Mitchell, which served in every theatre in a variety of roles, the Douglas Dauntless SBD naval scout plane, and the Martin B-26 Marauder, one of the fastest medium bombers of its era.
Illustrated with more than 100 authentic artworks with accurate markings and camouflage, American Bomber Aircraft of World War II is an essential reference guide for modellers and military aviation enthusiasts.Read more
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The Great Arab Conquests: How the Spread of Islam Changed the World We Live In
A popular history of the Arab invasions that carved out an empire from Spain to China
Today’s Arab world was created at breathtaking speed. Whereas the Roman Empire took over 200 years to reach its fullest extent, the Arab armies overran the whole Middle East, North Africa and Spain within a generation. They annihilated the thousand-year-old Persian Empire and reduced the Byzantine Empire to little more than a city-state based around Constantinople. Within a hundred years of the Prophet’s death, Muslim armies destroyed the Visigoth kingdom of Spain, and crossed the Pyrenees to occupy southern France.
This is the first popular English language account of this astonishing remaking of the political and religious map of the world. Hugh Kennedy’s sweeping narrative reveals how the Arab armies conquered almost everything in their path. One of the few academic historians with a genuine talent for story telling, he offers a compelling mix of larger-than-life characters, battles, treachery and the clash of civilizations.
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Modern Chinese Military Aircraft (Technical Guides): 1990-Present
Illustrated with accurate artworks of military aircraft and their markings, Modern Chinese Military Aircraft is a detailed guide to all the aircraft types deployed by the People’s Republic of China from 1990 to the present. Arranged chronologically by type, the book covers everything from the venerable Cold War era Chengdu J-7, a third-generation fighter still in service, to the J-10 ‘Vigorous Dragon’ multirole fighters that patrol the Taiwan Straits today. The guide is illustrated with accurate profile artworks of some of the best – and least – known aircraft, such as the Shenyang J-8 interceptor, which served in the late Cold War in great numbers and was a copy of the Soviet MiG-21; the anti-tank armed Harbin Z-9 helicopter; the Shenyang J-15 carrier-based fourth-generation multirole fighter; the Caihong 4 surveillance drone; and the latest Chengdu J-20. Illustrated with more than 100 detailed artworks, Modern Chinese Military Aircraft is an essential reference guide for modellers and enthusiasts of military aviation.
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Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: Volume 1: Birth of a Nation (Asia@War)
In 1947, India and Pakistan were partitioned by their former colonial ruler, Great Britain. A job that should have taken ten-years was done in a few months. Britain, drained by two world wars in 40-years, no longer had the will or the money to guide the subcontinent to a peaceful partition by consensus. More importantly, the subcontinent was impatient for Britain’s departure. The British left in haste, leaving unresolved the issue of Kashmir. This triggered five wars between the new states: 1947-48, 1965, 1971, 1999 and continuing insurgency/counterinsurgency that began in 1987. Two other potential wars were narrowly averted in 1987-88 and 2001-02, and a limited one fought in 1999. Since the basic issue remains unresolved, the next war may be only a matter of time.In 1970, East Pakistan voted for independence and armed rebellion. A quick and nasty counterinsurgency suppressed the rebellion. India, seizing the chance to change the balance of power, first backed East Pakistan, then on 21 and 22 November 1971 invaded with eight divisions. India planned also to attack West Pakistan to recover Kashmir, but at the last moment the offensive was called off due to Soviet pressure. Pakistan attacked pre-emptively, and an all-out war resulted. East Pakistan was overrun by India on 16 December; the US and Soviet forced a ceasefire in the West only a day later. For the first time in 800 years, a predominantly Hindu army defeated a Muslim army.
Through extensive use of official records and participant recollections, rare photography and authentic colour profiles, Ravi Rikhye tells the captivating story of the biggest military conflict fought between India and Pakistan to date, and the war that resulted in emergence of Bangladesh as an independent nation.
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To Hell and Back: The Last Train from Hiroshima (Asia/Pacific/Perspectives)
Drawing on the voices of atomic bomb survivors and the new science of forensic archaeology, Charles Pellegrino describes the events and the aftermath of two days in August when nuclear devices, detonated over Japan, changed life on Earth forever. To Hell and Back offers readers a stunning, “you are there” time capsule, wrapped in elegant prose. Charles Pellegrino’s scientific authority and close relationship with the A-bomb survivors make his account the most gripping and authoritative ever written. At the narrative’s core are eyewitness accounts of those who experienced the atomic explosions firsthand-the Japanese civilians on the ground. As the first city targeted, Hiroshima is the focus of most histories. Pellegrino gives equal weight to the bombing of Nagasaki, symbolized by the thirty people who are known to have fled Hiroshima for Nagasaki-where they arrived just in time to survive the second bomb. One of them, Tsutomu Yamaguchi, is the only person who experienced the full effects of both cataclysms within Ground Zero. The second time, the blast effects were diverted around the stairwell behind which Yamaguchi’s office conference was convened-placing him and few others in a shock cocoon that offered protection while the entire building disappeared around them. Pellegrino weaves spellbinding stories together within an illustrated narrative that challenges the “official report,” showing exactly what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki-and why. Also available from compatible vendors is an enhanced e-book version containing never-before-seen video clips of the survivors, their descendants, and the cities as they are today. Filmed by the author during his research in Japan, these 18 videos are placed throughout the text, taking readers beyond the page and offering an eye-opening and personal way to understand how the effects of the atomic bombs are still felt 70 years after detonation.Read more
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US Seventh Fleet, Vietnam 1964–73: American naval power in Southeast Asia
A superbly illustrated examination of how the US Navy’s most powerful fleet fought the Vietnam War, covering all of its elements from aircraft carriers and heavy cruisers to minesweepers and oilers.The US Navy’s Seventh Fleet was at the forefront of America’s campaign in Vietnam for a decade, from the Gulf of Tonkin Incident that began it all to the final evacuation of South Vietnam. Its mission was highly strategic, and while its primary role was to provide carrier-based air power over North Vietnam – from Rolling Thunder through Linebacker – the fleet’s operations were complex, sensitive, and varied, and required all the capabilities of the fleet.
This book is the first overall examination of how US Navy’s most powerful fleet fought and operated in Vietnam. Distilled from thousands of declassified secret documents by renowned US Navy specialist Dr Edward J. Marolda, it offers a unique new portrait of how the Seventh Fleet fought the Vietnam War, from the offensive strike power of naval aviation to the vital role of fleet logistics. As well as the carrier operations, he examines the surface combatant fleet’s gunfire support role, and its raids against the North Vietnamese coast. Dr Marolda also looks at amphibious warfare, fleet air defense, search-and-rescue, and mining and interdiction operations.
Illustrated throughout with archive photos, 3D diagrams and spectacular new artwork, and informed by never-before-translated official documents, publications, and personal accounts from North Vietnamese, Soviet, and Chinese sources, this is the real story behind the US Navy’s Vietnam War.
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£11.00£15.20 -
Japan’s Gestapo: Murder, Mayhem and Torture in Wartime Asia
From the author of Children of the Camps, a look at the disturbing activities of the Kempeitai, Japan’s feared military and secret police.The book opens by explaining the origins, organization, and roles of the Kempeitai apparatus, which exercised virtually unlimited power throughout the Japanese Empire. Author Mark Felton reveals their criminal and collaborationist networks that extorted huge sums of money from hapless citizens and businesses. They ran the Allied POW gulag system that treated captives with merciless and murderous brutality. Other Kempeitai activities included biological and chemical experiments on live subjects, the Maruta vivisection campaign, and widespread slave labor, including “Comfort Women” drawn from all races. Their record of reprisals against military and civilians was unrelenting. For example, Colonel Doolittle’s raid on Tokyo in 1942 resulted in a campaign of revenge not just against captured airmen but thousands of Chinese civilians. Their actions amounted to genocide on a grand scale. Felton backs up his text with firsthand testimonies from survivors who suffered at the hands of this evil organization. He examines how the guilty were brought to justice and the resulting claims for compensation. As a result, Japan’s Gestapo provides comprehensive evidence of the ruthlessness of the Kempeitai against the white and Asian peoples under their control.
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The History and Politics of Star Wars: Death Stars and Democracy (Routledge Studies in Modern History)
This book provides the first detailed and comprehensive examination of all the materials making up the Star Wars franchise relating to the portrayal and representation of real-world history and politics.
Drawing on a variety of sources, including films, published interviews with directors and actors, novels, comics, and computer games, this volume explores the ways in which historical and contemporary events have been repurposed within Star Wars. It focuses on key themes such as fascism and the Galactic Empire, the failures of democracy, the portrayal of warfare, the morality of the Jedi, and the representations of sex, gender, and race. Through these themes, this study highlights the impacts of the fall of the Soviet Union, the War on Terror, and the failures of the United Nations upon the ‘galaxy far, far away’. By analysing and understanding these events and their portrayal within Star Wars, it shows how the most popular media franchise in existence aims to speak about wider contemporary events and issues.
The History and Politics of Star Wars is useful for upper-level undergraduates, postgraduates, and scholars of a variety of disciplines such as transmedia studies, science fiction, cultural studies, and world history and politics in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
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After the Final Whistle: The First Rugby World Cup and the First World War
When Britain’s empire went to war in August 1914, rugby players were the first to volunteer: they led from the front and paid a disproportionate price. When the Armistice came after four long years, their war game was over; even as the last echo of the guns of November faded, it was time to play rugby again. As Allied troops of all nations waited to return home, sport occupied their minds and bodies. In 1919, a grateful Mother Country hosted a rugby tournament for the King’s Cup, to be presented by King George V at Twickenham Stadium. It was a moment of triumph, a celebration of military victory, of Allied unity and of rugby values, moral and physical. Never before had teams from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Britain and France been assembled in one place. Rugby held the first ever ‘World Cup’ – football would not play its own version until 1930. In 2015 the modern Rugby World Cup returns to England and Twickenham as the world remembers the Centenary of the Great War. With a foreword by Jason Leonard, this is the story of rugby’s journey through the First World War to its first World Cup, and how those values endure today.
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DEFENDU: Scientific Self-Defence
The Fairbairn’s system was based on his training and knowledge in boxing, wrestling, savate, jujutsu, judo and fights he was involved in during his police work, Fairbairn began to develop his own system of hand to hand combat, initially referring it as Defendu. It was designed to be simple to learn and to provide effective results. Fairbairn published his book, Defendu, in 1926[2] (reprinted as Scientific Self Defence in 1931), illustrating this method and it is here that the term Defendu first appeared This confused early readers of the book, who assumed that the techniques within had been based mainly in the Eastern martial arts that Fairbairn had learned. Thus, in an attempt to highlight the originality of Fairbairn’s material, the term did not appear in the 1931 edition of the book. Fairbairn was called upon by the British to help train and riot control. The original Defendu was oriented towards self-defence and Allied troops in World War II. Fairbairn and others expanded on this system to create the Close Quarters Combat system that was then taught to the troops. This system was built on Defendu, but modified for military applications, rather than policerestraint, while the Close Quarters Combat system concentrated on rapid disabling of an opponent, with potentially lethal force. The militarised version of Defendu is described in the military manual All in fighting 1942, used as a supplement during WW2 CQB-training. This book was later published in a civilian edition, missing the chapters on bayonet-fighting and rifle sighting, under the name Get Tough! How To Win In Hand-To-Hand Fighting. As Taught To The British Commandos And The U.S. Armed Forces.Read more
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No More Secrets: My part in codebreaking at Bletchley Park and the Pentagon
‘Engaging’ Daily Telegraph
The true and extraordinary story of one of the last surviving women to have worked in codebreaking at both Bletchley Park and the Pentagon.
Born one hundred years ago, Betty Webb MBE, LOH (Legion of Honour) has had a ringside seat to history. After graduating from school, she faced the usual limited opportunities for employment on offer to women at the time. However, with the war in full swing, fate intervened and in 1941, wanting to play her part in the war effort, Betty joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (Women’s Army).
After being interviewed by an intelligence officer, she found herself at Euston station with her kit-bag, a travel warrant in her pocket and instructions to get off the train at Bletchley Park.
Between 1941 and 1945 Betty played a vital role in the top-secret efforts being made to decipher the secret communications of the Germans and later the Japanese. In 1945, as other members of the forces returned home from the war in Europe, she was sent to the Pentagon and was in Washington DC when the atomic bombs fell and when Eisenhower announced the end of the war.
Betty was unable to reveal the true nature of her work, even to her parents, until years later. In this fascinating book, she revisits the key moments of her life and recounts the incredible stories from her time at Bletchley Park.
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£4.80£9.50 -
The Complete MAUS, english edition: Art Spiegelman
The first and only graphic novel to win the Pulitzer Prize, MAUS is a brutally moving work of art about a Holocaust survivor — and the son who survives him
‘The first masterpiece in comic book history’ The New Yorker
Maus tells the story of Vladek Spiegelman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler’s Europe, and his son, a cartoonist coming to terms with his father’s story. Approaching the unspeakable through the diminutive (the Nazis are cats, the Jews mice), Vladek’s harrowing story of survival is woven into the author’s account of his tortured relationship with his aging father.
Against the backdrop of guilt brought by survival, they stage a normal life of small arguments and unhappy visits, studying the bloody pawprints of history and tracking its meaning for those who come next.HAILED AS THE GREATEST GRAPHIC NOVEL OF ALL TIME, THIS COMBINED, DEFINITIVE EDITION INCLUDES MAUS I: A SURVIVOR’S TALE AND MAUS II.
___________________________________________________________________________‘The most affecting and successful narrative ever done about the Holocaust’Wall Street Journal
‘A brutally moving work of art’ Boston Globe
‘No summary can do justice to Spiegelman’s narrative skill’ Adam Gopnik
‘Like all great stories, it tells us more about ourselves than we could ever suspect’ Philip Pullman
‘A capital-G Genius’ Michael Chabon
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£13.00£16.10The Complete MAUS, english edition: Art Spiegelman
£13.00£16.10 -
Russia: Revolution and Civil War 1917-1921
‘A masterpiece of history’
DAILY TELEGRAPHBetween 1917 and 1921 a devastating struggle took place in Russia following the collapse of the Tsarist empire. Many regard this savage civil war as the most influential event of the modern era. An incompatible White alliance of moderate socialists and reactionary monarchists stood little chance against Trotsky’s Red Army and Lenin’s single-minded Communist dictatorship. Terror begat terror, which in turn led to even greater cruelty with man’s inhumanity to man, woman and child. The struggle became a world war by proxy as Churchill deployed weaponry and troops from the British empire, while armed forces from the United States, France, Italy, Japan, Poland and Czechoslovakia played rival parts.
Using the most up to date scholarship and archival research, Antony Beevor, author of the acclaimed international bestseller Stalingrad, assembles the complete picture in a gripping narrative that conveys the conflict through the eyes of everyone from the worker on the streets of Petrograd to the cavalry officer on the battlefield and the woman doctor in an improvised hospital.
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£8.40£10.40Russia: Revolution and Civil War 1917-1921
£8.40£10.40 -
The History of The RAF and The Lancaster Bomber
THE HISTORY OF THE RAF AND THE LANCASTER BOMBER celebrates and commemorates over 100 years of the Royal Air Force. With access to rare RAF archives, Mike Lepine uses photographs and documents to bring the story of the people, planes and missions to life as never before. With a special feature on the Lancaster Bomber which took its maiden flight as a prototype in 1941 and flew in battle in 1942. From its genesis in the horrors of the First World War when pilots were open to the elements in craft made of little more than wood and fabric, to the iconic air battles of the Second World War, through to the lifesaving missions carried out in today’s trouble zones, The History of the RAF looks at the men, women and aircraft that are at the heart of this great service.Read more
£13.30£19.00The History of The RAF and The Lancaster Bomber
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Miss Dior: A Wartime Story of Courage and Couture
Miss Dior is a wartime story of freedom and fascism, beauty and betrayal and ‘a gripping story’ (Antonia Fraser).
‘Exceptional . . . Miss Dior is so much more than a biography. It’s about how necessity can drive people to either terrible deeds or acts of great courage, and how beauty can grow from the worst kinds of horror.’
DAILY TELEGRAPHMiss Dior explores the relationship between the visionary designer Christian Dior and his beloved younger sister Catherine, who inspired his most famous perfume and shaped his vision of femininity. Justine Picardie’s journey takes her to wartime Paris, where Christian honed his couture skills while Catherine dedicated herself to the French Resistance and the battle against the Nazis, until she was captured by the Gestapo and deported to the German concentration camp of Ravensbrück.
Tracing the wartime paths of the Dior siblings leads Picardie deep into other hidden histories, and different forms of resistance and sisterhood. She discovers what it means to believe in beauty and hope, despite our knowledge of darkness and despair, and reveals the timeless solace of the natural world in the aftermath of devastation and destruction.
*A beautiful, full colour package featuring over 200 archival images.*
‘Extraordinary . . . Picardie uses her investigative reporting skills . . . the result is Netflix-worthy and the pace page-turning . . . Catherine’s story shines – the quiet Dior who preferred flowers to fashion, the unsung heroine who survived the abuse of the Third Reich to help liberate France.’
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£14.60£19.00Miss Dior: A Wartime Story of Courage and Couture
£14.60£19.00 -
Recreating Titanic and Her Sisters: A Visual History
On the night of 14–15 April 1912, Titanic, a brand-new, supposedly unsinkable ship, the largest and most luxurious vessel in the world at the time, collided with an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage. Of the 2,208 people on board, only 712 were saved. The rest perished in the icy-cold waters of the North Atlantic, and the tragedy has fascinated and perplexed the world ever since.
This stunning book tells the story of not just the Titanic, but also of its sister ships, Olympic and Britannic. Maritime experts J. Kent Layton, Tad Fitch, and Bill Wormstedt tell the stories of these legendary liners with a compelling narrative alongside original artwork from up-and-coming artists, bringing to life the design, construction and service of the ships together with the wrecks of the ill-fated Titanic and Britannic.
From the cold, starry night when Titanic collided with her iceberg to the tragic wartime loss of Britannic and the impressive reliability of the long-lived Olympic, this cinematic and immersive new study captures all of the glory and drama of the Olympic-class age and allows readers to visualise Titanic and her sisters like never before.
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£25.70£38.00Recreating Titanic and Her Sisters: A Visual History
£25.70£38.00 -
The Last of the Windjammers: v. 2
The second volume embraces the period 1888-1928, forty hard years for the Windjammer. Mr. Lubbock’s virile pen draws wonderful word-pictures of the Last Boom in Sail · The Limejuicers of 1888-89 · The Carriers of the Nineties · The Square Riggers of the Twent eth Century, and so on. He has something to say on the Art of Handling Sail, the unique City of Hankow, Monster Sailing Ships, the capsizing of the Lodore and Blairmore, the naming of Masts, Law’s “Shires”, queer rigs, the wonderful Lancing, the Ports of the World, Weir’s “Banks”, Lost Arts of the Seaman, Clink’s Slowcoaches Shire Line, Captains, the “Glens”, German, Argentine, Norwegian, French, Belgian, Finnish and Danish Training Ships, The Reef Topsail Voice, and so on.Read more
£29.70 -
The Wager
*LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 BALLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION*‘The beauty of The Wager unfurls like a great sail… one of the finest nonfiction books I’ve ever read’ Guardian
‘The greatest sea story ever told’ Spectator
‘A cracking yarn… Grann’s taste for desperate predicaments finds its fullest expression here’ Observer
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES NO. 1 BESTSELLER
From the international bestselling author of KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON and THE LOST CITY OF Z, a mesmerising story of shipwreck, mutiny and murder, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth.
On 28th January 1742, a ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth washed up on the coast of Brazil. Inside were thirty emaciated men, barely alive, and they had an extraordinary tale to tell. They were survivors of His Majesty’s ship the Wager, a British vessel that had left England in 1740 on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain. While chasing a Spanish treasure-filled galleon, the Wager was wrecked on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia. The crew, marooned for months and facing starvation, built the flimsy craft and sailed for more than a hundred days, traversing 2,500 miles of storm-wracked seas. They were greeted as heroes.
Then, six months later, another, even more decrepit, craft landed on the coast of Chile. This boat contained just three castaways and they had a very different story to tell. The thirty sailors who landed in Brazil were not heroes – they were mutineers. The first group responded with counter-charges of their own, of a tyrannical and murderous captain and his henchmen. While stranded on the island the crew had fallen into anarchy, with warring factions fighting for dominion over the barren wilderness. As accusations of treachery and murder flew, the Admiralty convened a court martial to determine who was telling the truth. The stakes were life-and-death—for whomever the court found guilty could hang.
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£14.30£19.00The Wager
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Space: A thrilling human history by Britain’s beloved astronaut Tim Peake
*OUT NOW* From bestselling author and British astronaut Tim Peake, an inspirational human history of space travel, from the Apollo missions to our future forays to Mars. The Right Stuff for a new generation.
‘This book is brilliant – once in a blue moon. A book for the whole family.’ Chris Evans, Virgin Radio
‘An extraordinary book. For anyone – even if you’re not interested in Space. If you’re interested in human stories and the human character – this is delightful.’ BBC Breakfast
‘A fascinating, detailed, playful book drawn from extensive research – Peake met seven Apollo astronauts, Russian cosmonauts and various other space technicians – as well as his considerable personal experience. Lifts the lid on what space is like: the dedication and sacrifice; the politics and pantomime; the practicalities and the peril; the glory and fame; the adjustment back to normal life.’ iPaper
‘A thrilling human history of space’ Daily Mirror
‘The bible of space travel’ Chris Moyles, Radio X
As seen in the major TV series Secrets of Our Universe with Tim Peake.
Only 628 people in human history have left Earth. This is their story.
Astronaut Tim Peake traces the lives of the remarkable men and women who have forged the way for humanity beyond Earth, from Yuri Gagarin to Neil Armstrong, from Valentina Tereshkova to Peggy Whitson.
Full of fascinating insight into our greatest pioneers and unsung heroes, and astonishing detail only an astronaut would know, Peake’s book is the first of its kind to chronicle the human evolution of space exploration over sixty years, from our first forays to now. In the process, Peake reveals what spaceflight is really like: the wondrous view of Earth, the surreal weightlessness, the extraordinary danger, the surprising humdrum, the unexpected humour, the new-found perspective, the years of training, the psychological pressures, the gruelling physical toll, the thrill of launch and the trepidation of re-entry.
In the next few years, NASA will send the first woman and the first person of colour to step on the lunar surface. What will separate these upcoming moonwalkers from the legendary Apollo crews? Does it still take a derring-do attitude, super-human fitness, intelligence, plus ‘the right stuff’ – a fabled grace under pressure? And how will astronauts travel even further – to Mars and beyond?
Space: The Human Story reveals all.
‘Space enthusiasts will snap up Peake’s compelling book in their droves, but his account of courage,
camaraderie and the determination to go where few have gone before deserves to be read by a much wider audience too’ – Daily ExpressRead more
£10.50£20.90 -
Space: A thrilling human history by Britain’s beloved astronaut Tim Peake
*OUT NOW* From bestselling author and British astronaut Tim Peake, an inspirational human history of space travel, from the Apollo missions to our future forays to Mars. The Right Stuff for a new generation.
‘This book is brilliant – once in a blue moon. A book for the whole family.’ Chris Evans, Virgin Radio
‘An extraordinary book. For anyone – even if you’re not interested in Space. If you’re interested in human stories and the human character – this is delightful.’ BBC Breakfast
‘A fascinating, detailed, playful book drawn from extensive research – Peake met seven Apollo astronauts, Russian cosmonauts and various other space technicians – as well as his considerable personal experience. Lifts the lid on what space is like: the dedication and sacrifice; the politics and pantomime; the practicalities and the peril; the glory and fame; the adjustment back to normal life.’ iPaper
‘A thrilling human history of space’ Daily Mirror
‘The bible of space travel’ Chris Moyles, Radio X
As seen in the major TV series Secrets of Our Universe with Tim Peake.
Only 628 people in human history have left Earth. This is their story.
Astronaut Tim Peake traces the lives of the remarkable men and women who have forged the way for humanity beyond Earth, from Yuri Gagarin to Neil Armstrong, from Valentina Tereshkova to Peggy Whitson.
Full of fascinating insight into our greatest pioneers and unsung heroes, and astonishing detail only an astronaut would know, Peake’s book is the first of its kind to chronicle the human evolution of space exploration over sixty years, from our first forays to now. In the process, Peake reveals what spaceflight is really like: the wondrous view of Earth, the surreal weightlessness, the extraordinary danger, the surprising humdrum, the unexpected humour, the new-found perspective, the years of training, the psychological pressures, the gruelling physical toll, the thrill of launch and the trepidation of re-entry.
In the next few years, NASA will send the first woman and the first person of colour to step on the lunar surface. What will separate these upcoming moonwalkers from the legendary Apollo crews? Does it still take a derring-do attitude, super-human fitness, intelligence, plus ‘the right stuff’ – a fabled grace under pressure? And how will astronauts travel even further – to Mars and beyond?
Space: The Human Story reveals all.
‘Space enthusiasts will snap up Peake’s compelling book in their droves, but his account of courage,
camaraderie and the determination to go where few have gone before deserves to be read by a much wider audience too’ – Daily ExpressRead more
£10.50£20.90 -
Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad: A Family Memoir of Miraculous Survival
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
‘Epic, moving and important’ ROBERT HARRIS
‘A modern classic’ OBSERVER
‘An unforgettable epic of a book’DAILY MAIL
From longstanding political columnist and commentator Daniel Finkelstein, a powerful memoir exploring both his mother and his father’s devastating experiences of persecution, resistance and survival during the Second World War.
Daniel’s mother Mirjam Wiener was the youngest of three daughters born in Germany to Alfred and Margarete Wiener. Alfred, a decorated hero from the Great War, is now widely acknowledged to have been the first person to recognise the existential danger Hitler posed to the Jews and began, in 1933, to catalogue in detail Nazi crimes. After moving his family to Amsterdam, he relocated his library to London and was preparing to bring over his wife and children when Germany invaded the Netherlands. Before long, the family was rounded up, robbed and sent to starve in Bergen-Belsen.
Daniel’s father Ludwik was born in Lwów, the only child of a prosperous Jewish family. In 1939, after Hitler and Stalin carved up Poland, Ludwik’s father was arrested and sentenced to hard labour in the Gulag. Meanwhile, deported to Siberia and working as a slave labourer on a collective farm, Ludwik survived the freezing winters in a tiny house he built from cow dung.
Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad is a deeply moving, personal and at times horrifying memoir about Finkelstein’s parents’ experiences at the hands of the two genocidal dictators of the twentieth century. It is a story of persecution; survival; and the consequences of totalitarianism told with the almost unimaginable bravery of two ordinary families shining through.
‘Danny Finkelstein has written an elegant, moving account of the history of one family, and in doing so shines light on the history of the 20th century. If you want to understand Hitler and Stalin, read this book about people whose lives were upended by both of them’ ANNE APPLEBAUM, author of Gulag: A History, winner of the Pulitzer Prize
Daniel Finkelstein’s book ‘Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad’ was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 26-06-2023.
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£20.99£25.00 -
The D-Day Visitor’s Handbook, 80th Anniversary Edition: Your Guide to the Normandy Battlefields and WWII Paris, Revised and Updated
Updated for the 80th anniversary of D-Day.For families of the heroes who fought on the beaches of Normandy during World War II, for fans of Saving Private Ryan, or for traveller interested in history, here is the complete guide to visiting one of the world’s most historic battlefields.
The D-Day Visitor’s Handbook includes everything you need to know to plan and make your visit to the site of the biggest seaborne invasion in history. This compact guidebook not only describes the most significant land invasion of World War II, but provides detailed battlefield maps and tours, identifies monuments and attractions, and locates museums and historical sites to make your planning easier and less stressful.
This guide provides everything you need ahead of your visit, including:
- Easy-to-follow maps and tours
- Where to stay, dine, and shop
- Lists of the best D-Day museums
- How to find war relics still at the battlefield sites
- Historical context for each site, including a description of military action there
- A special bonus guide to World War II history and sites in Paris
The D-Day Visitor’s Handbook contains a wealth of detailed information that is perfect for those considering travelling to France, anyone about to visit these sites, veterans, students of military history, and any others who wish to learn about the history of this legendary battle.
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£10.65£10.99 -
German Field Artillery of World War II: 325 (New Vanguard)
An illustrated study of the big guns of Hitler’s army -– the Wehrmacht’s field artillery, its capabilities and its role in German fighting units of World War II.Often overshadowed in military history by the tanks and aircraft of Blitzkrieg, Germany’s artillery was key to its methods of waging war throughout World War II. Field artillery remained the primary killer on the battlefield, often responsible for three-quarters of combat casualties inflicted.
Redressing the balance, this book surveys the major Wehrmacht guns of the war, and the basic organizational structure of the German field artillery. Its primary focus is on the divisional field guns, especially the lFH 18 10.5cm field howitzer and the 15cm sFH 18 field howitzer that formed the backbone of German artillery. A brief survey is also made of the infantry guns used at the regimental level, and of corps-level heavy artillery. The issue of the use of”Beutewaffen,” captured war-booty field guns, is also looked at, as is the Nebelwerfer and schwere Wurfgerät rocket artillery.
With archive photos and meticulously detailed new illustrations, this book provides a concise study of the German Army’s big guns of World War II, how they were organized and how they were used, both on the Eastern and Western fronts.
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£11.95£12.99
