The evolution of the battleship through centuries of war, told by a nautical expert and author of The Mighty Hood. During its reign from the sixteenth century to the mid-twentieth, the battleship was the most powerful weapon of war known to man. Strategically, it determined a war's outcome. Tactically, it dominated every sea battle. But at the Battle of Taranto in 1940 and the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, carrier-borne aircraft made a decisive display of superiority over the once-mighty battleship. Thus World War II heralded the end of the era of The Great Ship. In The Great Ship, noted naval historian Ernle Bradford traces the evolution of battleships through centuries of conflict and innovation. Selecting one or two ships from each period, Bradford illustrates their use in action and the significant roles they played in the course of history.

Sharpen your knowledge of swords with Kristen B. Neuschel as she takes you through a captivating 1,000 years of French and English history. Living by the Sword reveals that warrior culture, with the sword as its ultimate symbol, was deeply rooted in ritual long before the introduction of gunpowder weapons transformed the battlefield. Neuschel argues that objects have agency and that decoding their meaning involves seeing them in motion: bought, sold, exchanged, refurbished, written about, displayed, and used in ceremony. Drawing on evidence about swords (from wills, inventories, records of armories, and treasuries) in the possession of nobles and royalty, she explores the meanings people attached to them from the contexts in which they appeared. These environments included other prestige goods such as tapestries, jewels, and tableware-all used to construct and display status. Living by the Sword draws on an exciting diversity of sources from archaeology, military and social history, literature, and material culture studies to inspire students and educated lay readers (including collectors and reenactors) to stretch the boundaries of what they know as the "war and culture" genre.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1915 Edition.

From the jungles of Vietnam to the unforgiving deserts of Afghanistan and Iraq, one breed of soldier has achieved legendary status in the arena of combat -- the sniper. Their only mission: wait, watch, and when the target is in sight, put the...
Crosshairs on the Kill Zone
From the authors of the classic sniper chronicle "One Shot-One Kill" comes a new generation of true tales from some of the most expert and deadly marksmen in the world. Meet Adelbert Waldron II, whose 109 confirmed kills in Vietnam made him the most successful sniper in American military history, and Tom "Moose" Ferran, who coined the term "Fetch ," whereupon the infantry would retrieve the sniper's dead quarry. Also included are stories from snipers in Beirut, the Bosnian conflict, and both wars with Iraq -- including the feat of Sergeants Joshua Hamblin and Owen Mulder, who took down thirty-two enemy soldiers in a single day outside Baghdad in 2003.
The military sniper has evolved into one of the most dangerous and highly-skilled warrior professions. They suffer through weather, terrain, and enemy action, lay unmoving for days on end, and take out their targets with unerring accuracy -- proving that the deadliest weapon in any battle, anywhere in the world, is a single well-aimed shot.

This book is a fascinating discussion of the development of the military equipment of the earliest organized armies. Dan Howard describes the development of weapons, armour and chariots, how they were made and their tactical use in battle. Spanning from the introduction of massed infantry by the Sumerians (c. 26th century BC) through to the collapse of the chariot civilizations (c. 12th century BC), this is the period of the epic struggles described in the Old Testament and Homer's Iliad, the clashes of mighty empires like those of the Babylonians, Egyptians and Hittites. The author draws on the latest research and archaeology, as well as his own experiences of using and making replica weapons and armour, to challenge established views and bring fresh insights to this fascinating period of military history. The main regions of discussion are the Aegean, the Near East and the Middle East but some reference is also made to other relevant cultures such as the Aryan Indians and the Shang Chinese.

Military logistics is a relatively new word to describe a very old practice; the supply, movement and maintenance of an armed force both in peace time and under operational conditions. Logistic considerations are generally built into battle plans at an early stage. Without logistics, tanks, armored personnel carriers, artillery pieces, aircraft are just numbers on a table of organization and equipment. Through this book an endeavor has been made to understand the logistics of People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China. An introduction to the theory of supply chain management and logistics of foreign Armies is discussed. Today 'Revolution in Military Logistics' (RML) is taking place in the People's Liberation Army. An attempt has been made to study this evolution, development and rapid modernization of the People's Liberation Army logistics.

This book consists of fifteen cartoons inspired by an 1866 Harper's Weekly article about the hypothetical length of the Thirty Years' War at different periods in time and extending into the future when both sides had developed the ultimate weapons to end all wars. Of course, war is inspired by the devil.

Airpower is credited with success in Afghanistan, Desert Storm, and Serbia, but in Vietnam all of America's aerial might could not defeat a vastly outnumbered Third World force on bicycles. With a panoramic sweep and shocking frankness unrivaled in the current literature, Ken Werrell, one of today's most experienced airpower historians, reveals the true extent of the technological evolution that fueled this transformation. Chasing the Silver Bullet traces in unprecedented detail the evolution of the Air Force's entire inventory since the Korean War, from the ill-fated F-105 fighter-bomber to the F-117 stealth fighter, but one of its chief contributions is its analysis of the strategies and doctrine that fashioned the hardware.
Werrell's exhaustive research and sage analysis challenge the Air Force's mantra that precision-guided munitions delivered from long-range, stealthy aircraft are America's true war heroes. Desert Storm gave us the wrong impression about airpower technology and Werrell corrects that mistake with this landmark study, rendering superficial all other books about Desert Storm and current capabilities.
Objective, even-handed, and unimpressed with the bells and whistles of new technology, Werrell understands how airpower works.

2014 Reprint of 1936 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. In this classic work on the subject, Keith covers the selection, use, and hand loading of revolver cartridges in various calibers. Keith covers both revolvers that have remained popular to this day, as well as many that were popular several decades ago and have since fallen into obscurity. Elmer Keith uses his wealth of experience with the sixgun to analyze and recommend the correct cartridges and calibers for various situations. This is not only a manual covering the practical use of the revolver, but is also a valuable reference for anyone interested in the history and development of the modern revolver cartridges.

This volume covers all of the major radar and infrared guided air to air missiles in current and projected near-term service. Emphasis is placed upon modern missile systems, which entered service in the 1990's and early 2000's, although all major missile systems currently in service are covered including older types, which have been serving since the 1970's. The combat use of the various missiles systems over the past three decades is also covered.

This book consists of fifteen cartoons inspired by an 1866 Harper's Weekly article about the hypothetical length of the Thirty Years' War at different periods in time and extending into the future when both sides had developed the ultimate weapons to end all wars. Of course, war is inspired by the devil.

GPS Declassified examines the development of GPS from its secret, Cold War military roots to its emergence as a worldwide consumer industry. Drawing on previously unexplored documents, the authors examine how military rivalries influenced the creation of GPS and shaped public perceptions about its origin. Since the United States’ first program to launch a satellite in the late 1950s, the nation has pursued dual paths into space—one military and secret, the other scientific and public. Among the many commercial spinoffs this approach has produced, GPS arguably boasts the greatest impact on our daily lives. Told by a son of a navy insider—whose work helped lay the foundations for the system—and a science and technology journalist, the story chronicles the research and technological advances required for the development of GPS. The authors peek behind the scenes at pivotal events in GPS history. They note how the technology moved from the laboratory to the battlefield to the dashboard and the smartphone, and they raise the specter of how this technology and its surrounding industry affect public policy. Insights into how the system works and how it fits into a long history of advances in navigation tie into discussions of the myriad applications for GPS.

Primitive Weapons Miscellany collects seven early papers on primitive weapons like boomerangs, harpoons, slings, and blowguns, taken primarily from anthropological journals. These papers show examples of the weapons, and describe their use in hunting prey. This volume includes facsimile reprints of The Cane Blowgun in Catawba and Southeastern Ethnology (Frank G. Speck), Boomerangs (Gilbert T. Walker), Australian Throwing Sticks, Throwing-Clubs, and Boomerangs (D. S. Davidson), Distribution and Use of Slings in Pre-Columbian America . . . (Philip Ainsworth Means), Sling Contrivances for Projectile Weapons (F. Krause), Throwing Sticks in the National Museum (Otis T. Mason), and Aboriginal American Harpoons (Otis T. Mason).