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Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > Land forces & warfare
Exporting British Policing is a comprehensive study of British
military policing in liberated Europe during the Second World War.
Preventing and detecting thefts, receiving and profiteering
together with the maintenance of order in its broadest sense are,
in the peacetime world, generally confided to the police. However,
the Second World War witnessed the use of civilian police to create
a detective division of the British Army's Military Police (SIB),
and the use of British civilian police, alongside American police,
as Civil Affairs Officers to restore order and civil
administration. Part One follows the men of the SIB from their
pre-war careers to confrontations with mafiosi and their
investigations into widespread organised crime and war crimes
during which they were constantly hampered by being seen as a
Cinderella service commanded by 'temporary gentlemen'. Part Two
focuses on the police officers who served in Civil Affairs who
tended to come from higher ranks in the civilian police than those
who served in SIB. During the war they occupied towns with the
assault troops, and then sought to reorganise local administration;
at the end of the war in the British Zones of Germany and Austria
they sought to turn both new Schutzmanner and police veterans of
the Third Reich into British Bobbies. Using memoirs and anecdotes,
Emsley critically draws on the subjective experiences of these
police personnel, assessing the successes of these wartime efforts
for preventing and investigating crimes such as theft and
profiteering and highlighting the importance of historical
precedent, given current difficulties faced by international
policing organizations in enforcing democratic police reform in
post-conflict societies.
Sturmgeschutz III was originally designed as an assault weapon, but
as war progressed it was increasingly used in a defensive role and
evolved into an assault gun and tank destroyer. By 1943 its main
role was providing anti-tank support to the units in its area of
operation. This consequently led to many StuGs being destroyed in
battle. Nonetheless they were very successful as tank killers and
destroyed, among others, many bunkers, pillboxes and other
defences.The StuG was not considered to be a true tank because it
lacked a turret. The gun was mounded directly in the hull, in a
casemate-style fashion, with a low profile to reduce vehicle
heights, and had a limited lateral traverse of a few degrees in
either direction. Thus, the entire vehicle had to be turned in
order to acquire targets. Omitting the turret made production much
simpler and less costly, enabling greater numbers to be built. Its
significantly shorter vertical profile as compared to contemporary
tanks made the StuG more difficult to hit.Most assault guns were
mounted on the chassis of a Panzer III or Panzer IV, with the
resultant model being called either a StuG III or StuG IV
respectively. The StuG was one of the most effective tracked
vehicles of World War II, and over 10,000 of them were eventually
produced.During the course of the war StuG III assault guns were
issued to Sturmartillerie Batteries, Sturmgeschutz Abteilungen,
Sturmgeschutz Brigades, Sturmartillerie Batteries, Ersatz
(Reserve), Abteilungen and Funklenk (Remote Control) Companies.
StuG III assault guns served on all fronts of WWII until the end of
the war.
The Constitution provides Congress with broad powers over the Armed
Forces, including the power "to raise and support Armies," "to
provide and maintain a Navy," and "to make Rules for the Government
and Regulation of the land and naval Forces. "It also provides the
Senate with the authority to provide Advice and Consent on
presidential nominations of all other Officers of the United
States, which includes military officers. On the basis of its
constitutional authority, Congress has passed a number of laws
which govern important aspects of military officer personnel
management, including appointments, assignments, grade structure,
promotions, and separations. This book provides an overview of
active duty general and flag officers (GFOs) in the United States
Armed Forces -- including authorizations, duties, and compensation
-- historical trends in the proportion of GFOs relative to the
total force, criticisms and justifications of GFO to total force
proportions, and statutory controls.
The Mortarmen is an untold story of world War II. The book details
the fighting history of the men of the 87th Chemical Mortar
Battalion. The battalion was armed with the powerful 4.2 mortars
and following its landing on Utah Beach on D-Day fought in every
major engagement in France, Belgium, and Germany.
The 4.2 mortar battalions were the most sought after fire support
units in Europe. The 87th was in combat for 326 days and the book
follows each of the four companies as they participate in the
Battle for Normandy, the fight for Cherbourg, the battles of Aachen
and the Hurtgen Forest, the Battle of the Bulge, and finally the
crossing of the Rhine and the final victory in Germany.
The book contains excepts of diaries and quotations from the men
who fought in the unit and from some of the German soldiers who
opposed them. It is a story of heroism, tragedy, and the triumph of
soldiers fighting for freedom.
Veterans of the 87th Speak out about The Mortarmen:
"The author has performed admirably in depicting the complete story
of the 87th Mortar BN from training camps thru D-Day and the entire
WWII operations in Europe.
"A great contribution to WWII History, comparable to Stephen
Ambrose's story of E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne
Division in 'Band of Brothers'."
1st Lt. Sam Deal
B Company
87th Chemical Mortar Battalion
__________________
"I browsed your book first, and now am reading it line by line
slowly. You have done the most wonderful job in the writing, You
have brought back all the feelings, the fear, the wonder, the
comradeship; all of those feelings and more. I thank you "
Alexander Cannon
Pvt. BCompany
87th CMB
__________________
"This is an important book because it tells, for the first time,
the history of the critical role of this group of 4 mortar
companies of men, of the 87th Mortar Battalion, which was
positioned just behind the front lines, giving direct support to
the infantry companies or battalions that had critical assignments
in World War II.
"This book is must reading for those interested in the full history
of WW II."
Ralph Gerald Jerry Portis
Staff Sgt. C Company
87th CMB
__________________
"What a great job you did putting all this historical data
together; weaving the whole thing with personal, anecdotal
recollections and whipping the whole thing into an informative and
entertaining historical document."
H.R. Bob Loomis
Sgt. D Company
87th CMB
El Salvador's civil war began in 1980 and ended twelve bloody years
later.It saw extreme violence on both sides, including the
terrorising and targetingof civilians by death squads, recruitment
of child soldiers, and the death anddisappearance of more than
75,000 people. Examining El Salvador's vibrantlife-story literature
written in the aftermath of this terrible conflict-includingmemoirs
and testimonials-Erik Ching seeks to understand how thewar has come
to be remembered and rebattled by Salvadorans and what thatmeans
for their society today. Ching identifies four memory communities
that dominate nationalpostwar views: civilian elites, military
officers, guerrilla commanders, andworking class and poor
testimonialists. Pushing distinct and divergent stories,these
groups are today engaged in what Ching terms a "narrative
battle"for control over the memory of the war. Their ongoing
publications in themarketplace of ideas tend to direct Salvadorans'
attempts to negotiate thewar's meaning and legacy, and Ching
suggests that a more open, coordinatedreconciliation process is
needed in this postconflict society. In the meantime,El Salvador,
fractured by conflicting interpretations of its national trauma,is
hindered in dealing with the immediate problems posed by the nexus
ofneoliberalism, gang violence, and outmigration.
Italian performance in the First World War has been generally
disparaged or ignored compared to that of the armies on the Western
Front, and troop morale in particular has been seen as a major
weakness of the Italian army. In this first book-length study of
Italian morale in any language, Vanda Wilcox reassesses Italian
policy and performance from the perspective both of the army as an
institution and of the ordinary soldiers who found themselves
fighting a brutally hard war. Wilcox analyses and contextualises
Italy's notoriously hard military discipline along with leadership,
training methods and logistics before considering the reactions of
the troops and tracing the interactions between institutions and
individuals. Restoring historical agency to soldiers often
considered passive and indifferent, Wilcox illustrates how and why
Italians complied, endured or resisted the army's demands through
balancing their civilian and military identities.
Selected for the 2019 Commandant's Professional Reading List J.
Glenn Gray entered the army as a private in May 1941, having been
drafted on the same day he was informed of his doctorate in
philosophy from Columbia University. He was discharged as a second
lieutenant in October 1945, having been awarded a battlefield
commission during fighting in France. Gray saw service in North
Africa, Italy, France, and Germany in a counter-espionage unit.
Fourteen years after his discharge, Gray began to reread his war
journals and letters in an attempt to find some meaning in his
wartime experiences. The result is The Warriors, a philosophical
meditation on what warfare does to us and an examination of the
reasons soldiers act as they do. Gray explains the attractions of
battle—the adrenaline rush, the esprit de corps—and analyzes
the many rationalizations made by combat troops to justify their
actions. In the end, Gray notes, “War reveals dimensions of human
nature both above and below the acceptable standards for
humanity.”
Readers have come to expect a level of detail and critical rigour
from the established military historian and author Bryan Perrett.
They will not be disappointed at all here by this new publication.
Focussing predominantly on the British armoured car units of World
War One, it also untangles many fascinating strands forming the
history of modern warfare. Full of detail, it acquaints the reader
with the complete history of the armoured car, from invention
onwards, setting the history of its Great War service career firmly
in context. Well written in an accessible style, this publication
serves as an impressive tribute to the armoured car, one of the
most effective weapons utilised by the allies during the course of
the Great War.
Steven Preece was a Royal Marine Commando from 1983 to 1990,
serving first at entry-level and then as a lance-corporal. Amongst
the Marines is Steven's first-hand account of his years as an elite
soldier, focusing directly on the excessive and often shocking
lifestyle of the Marines during this time, and impact this had on
his own personality and behaviour. Preece fulfilled his childhood
ambition by earning the coveted Green Beret when he was 18. He was
unaware, however, of the brutal rite of passage that awaited him
and all the other 'pieces of skin' [new recruits]. Violence in the
Marines, as Steven discovered, was not limited to the battlefield
but a continual part of a pervasive culture of bullying and
aggression. It did not take long for Preece to be accepted into
this culture and to adopt it as his own. On duty he was fit,
committed and loyal, while off duty he displayed a mammoth capacity
for drinking, fighting and womanising. On home leave, Steven found
it increasingly hard to adapt to civilian life. His drinking
sessions in local pubs frequently ended in fights with the locals
and even in violence against members of his own family. Preece
earned a reputation amongst his fellow Marines for pranks and
dangerous behaviour; and this eventually led him to be
court-maritialled. To his relief and surprise, however, Preece was
fully acquitted by the court. Amongst the Marines is an unflinching
expose of the culture of the Marines, from foul practical jokes and
rough justice to the off-duty orgies of drink, sex and violence. It
is a no-holds-barred account of the many shocking incidents Preece
witnessed and participated in, from his first day as a new recruit
to his exit from the Marines with his reputation intact and his
scores settled once and for all.
Most Americans are familiar with major Civil War battles such as
Manassas (Bull Run), Shiloh, and Gettysburg, which have been
extensively analyzed by generations of historians. However, not all
of the war's engagements were fought in a conventional manner by
regular forces. Often referred to as "the wars within the war,"
guerrilla combat touched states from Virginia to New Mexico.
Guerrillas fought for the Union, the Confederacy, their ethnic
groups, their tribes, and their families. They were deadly forces
that plundered, tortured, and terrorized those in their path, and
their impact is not yet fully understood. In this richly diverse
volume, Joseph M. Beilein Jr. and Matthew C. Hulbert assemble a
team of both rising and eminent scholars to examine guerrilla
warfare in the South during the Civil War. Together, they discuss
irregular combat as practiced by various communities in multiple
contexts, including how it was used by Native Americans, the
factors that motivated raiders in the border states, and the women
who participated as messengers, informants, collaborators, and
combatants. They also explore how the Civil War guerrilla has been
mythologized in history, literature, and folklore. The Civil War
Guerrilla sheds new light on the ways in which thousands of men,
women, and children experienced and remembered the Civil War as a
conflict of irregular wills and tactics. Through thorough research
and analysis, this timely book provides readers with a
comprehensive examination of the guerrilla soldier and his role in
the deadliest war in U.S. history.
In the immediate aftermath of World War II, the United States Army
became the principal agent of American foreign policy. The army
designed, implemented, and administered the occupations of the
defeated Axis powers Germany and Japan, as well as many other
nations. Generals such as Lucius Clay in Germany, Douglas MacArthur
in Japan, Mark Clark in Austria, and John Hodge in Korea presided
over these territories as proconsuls. At the beginning of the Cold
War, more than 300 million people lived under some form of U.S.
military authority. The army's influence on nation-building at the
time was profound, but most scholarship on foreign policy during
this period concentrates on diplomacy at the highest levels of
civilian government rather than the armed forces' governance at the
local level. In Army Diplomacy, Hudson explains how U.S. Army
policies in the occupied nations represented the culmination of
more than a century of military doctrine. Focusing on Germany,
Austria, and Korea, Hudson's analysis reveals that while the
post--World War II American occupations are often remembered as
overwhelming successes, the actual results were mixed. His study
draws on military sociology and institutional analysis as well as
international relations theory to demonstrate how "bottom-up"
decisions not only inform but also create higher-level policy. As
the debate over post-conflict occupations continues, this
fascinating work offers a valuable perspective on an important yet
underexplored facet of Cold War history.
This book unveils the role of a hitherto unrecognized group of men
who, long before the International Brigades made its name in the
Spanish Civil War, also found reasons to fight under the Spanish
flag. Their enemy was not fascism, but what could be at times an
equally overbearing ideology: Napoleon's imperialism. Although
small in number, British volunteers played a surprisingly
influential role in the conduct of war operations, in politics,
gender and social equality, in cultural life both in Britain and
Spain and even in relation to emancipation movements in Latin
America. Some became prisoners of war while a few served with
guerrilla forces. Many of the works published about the Peninsular
War in the last two decades have adopted an Anglocentric narrative,
writing the Spanish forces out of victories, or have tended to
present the war, not as much won by the allies, but lost by the
French. This book takes a radically different approach by drawing
on previously untapped archival sources to argue that victory was
the outcome of a truly transnational effort.
Will Britain take him in... or mark him as its enemy?'A brilliantly
realised world of Imperial ambition and native resistance' Simon
Scarrow'Wonderful, distinct characters' Conn IgguldenFaustus
Valerianus is the son of a Roman father and a British mother, a
captive sold among the spoils after Claudius's invasion. Now both
parents have died within a month of each other, and so he sells the
family farm and enlists, joining legendary general Agricola's
campaign to conquer the entirety of the British Isles culminating
in a devastating battle amongst Caledonia's dark mountains. But
Faustus will have to contend with more than ferocious British
warriors and whip-cracking elements. For the bonds of blood can
weigh heavy on one's soul. The call of his mother's true people.
His father's restless shadow. Faustus must carry them with him... A
deeply moving, gripping, epic historical drama, perfect for fans of
Rosemary Sutcliff, Ben Kane and Simon Scarrow. Praise for Shadow of
the Eagle 'Faustus is a fascinating character and it's a treat to
see how he negotiates the challenges he faces. His duties in the
service of Rome comprise a truly Faustian pact!' Simon Scarrow 'I
adored Faustus and Constantia in particular. Great sense of humour
throughout. This is a terrific read' Conn Iggulden 'I only need one
word to describe this stunning novel: masterful' Anthony Riches,
Sunday Times bestselling author of Wounds of Honour 'Blood, steel,
honour, and a deep and gripping tale of the Roman army on the
frontier of the empire. Hunter has created an instant classic' S J
A Turney, author of the Marius' Mules series 'A haunting,
historical epic' Gordon Doherty, author of Sons of Rome
'Enthralling and authentic historical roman fiction, that brings
the period alive and keeps you turning the page' Alex Gough, author
of Emperor's Sword
Colonel George M. Chinn's (1902--1987) life story reads more like
fiction than the biography of a Kentucky soldier. A smart and
fun-loving character, Chinn attended Centre College and played on
the famous "Praying Colonels" football team that won the 1921
national championship. After graduation, he returned to his home in
Mercer County and partnered with munitions expert "Tunnel" Smith to
dynamite a cliff. The resulting hole became Chinn's Cave House -- a
diner that also functioned as an underground gambling operation
during Prohibition. He even served as Governor A. B. "Happy"
Chandler's bodyguard before joining the Marine Corps in 1943. In
Kentucky Maverick, Carlton Jackson details the life of a legendary
and highly decorated Marine whose career spanned both world wars,
the Korean War, and Vietnam. Chinn's service paired a love of
history with a special kind of genius: he documented the history of
military technology while designing innovative weapons such as the
M-19 automatic grenade launcher, which is still used in the armed
forces today. After leaving the Corps, Chinn leaned on his many
connections to become the director of the Kentucky Historical
Society. Carlton Jackson's entertaining biography weaves together
outrageous tales of gunplay and politics while revealing Chinn's
sense of humor, unbending will, and a sense of destiny that could
only be fulfilled by a true twentieth-century Renaissance man.
The horrors of the First World War were the product of a new and
unprecedented type of industrial warfare. To survive and win
demanded not just new technology but the techniques to use it
effectively. In Surviving Trench Warfare, Bill Rawling takes a
close look at how technology and tactics came together in the
Canadian Corps.
Drawing on a wide range of sources, from interviews to staff
reports, Rawling describes the range of new weapons that the
Canadians adopted, including tanks, trench mortars, and poison gas,
making it clear that the decisive factor in the war was not the new
technology itself but how the Canadians responded to it. Only
through intensive training, specialization, and close coordination
between infantry and artillery could the Canadians overcome the
deadly trinity of machine-guns, barbed wire, and artillery.
Surviving Trench Warfare offers a whole new understanding of the
First World War, replacing the image of a static trench war with
one in which soldiers actively struggled for control over their
weapons and their environment, and achieved it.
Released to coincide with the centenary of the First World War,
this edition includes a new introduction and afterword reflecting
the latest scholarship on the conduct of the war.
Volume 2 on the famed Sherman medium tank covers the welded-hull,
radial-engine-equipped M4 and documents its development and
production through its many variations, as well as its combat use
around the globe. Produced by Chrysler, Pressed Steel Car Company,
Alco, Pullman-Standard, and Baldwin Locomotive Works, the M4 bore
the brunt of fighting until late summer 1944, when the M4A3 began
to become available in quantity. Powered by a 9-cylinder air-cooled
radial engine, the M4 fought in North Africa both with US and
British forces, across northwestern Europe, and leapfrogged across
the Pacific islands both with the Army and Marines. The evolving
design went through three major hull designs, multiple turret
designs, and armament with either a 75 mm gun or a 105 mm
weapon-all of which are detailed. Part of the Legends of Warfare
series.
This indispensable Civil War reference profiles some 2,300 staff
officers in Robert E. Lee's famous Army of Northern Virginia. These
men--ordnance officers, engineers, aides-de-camp, and
quartermasters, among others--worked at the side of many of the
Confederacy's greatest figures, helping to feed and clothe the
army, maintain its discipline, and operate its military machinery.
A typical entry includes the officer's full name, the date and
place of his birth and death, details of his education and
occupation, and a synopsis of his military record. An introduction
discusses the role of staff officers in the Confederate army,
describes the evolution and importance of individual staff
positions, and makes some broad generalizations about the officers'
common characteristics. Two appendixes provide a list of more than
3,000 staff officers who served in other armies of the Confederacy
and complete rosters of known staff officers of each general in the
Army of Northern Virginia. Synthesizing the contents of thousands
of unpublished official documents, Staff Officers in Gray will be
of interest to anyone studying the battles, personnel, and
organization of the Army of Northern Virginia.
"Learning to Forget" analyzes the evolution of US counterinsurgency
(COIN) doctrine over the last five decades. Beginning with an
extensive section on the lessons of Vietnam, it traces the decline
of COIN in the 1970s, then the rebirth of low intensity conflict
through the Reagan years, in the conflict in Bosnia, and finally in
the campaigns of Iraq and Afghanistan. Ultimately it closes the
loop by explaining how, by confronting the lessons of Vietnam, the
US Army found a way out of those most recent wars. In the process
it provides an illustration of how military leaders make use of
history and demonstrates the difficulties of drawing lessons from
the past that can usefully be applied to contemporary
circumstances.
The book outlines how the construction of lessons is tied to the
construction of historical memory and demonstrates how histories
are constructed to serve the needs of the present. In so doing, it
creates a new theory of doctrinal development.
Merry Hell is the only complete history of the 25th Canadian
infantry battalion, which was recruited in the autumn and winter of
1914-15 and served overseas from spring 1915 until spring 1919.
Author Robert N Clements, who served in the battalion throughout
that period and rose from private to captain, wrote the story many
years after the war, based on his personal memories and
experiences. As such, his story reflects two unique perspectives on
Canadian military history - the remarkably fresh recollections and
anecdotes of a veteran, and the outlook of a man eager to share
what his generation contributed to the nation's history, character,
and identity.
Professional military historian Brian Douglas Tennyson
buttresses Clements's story with a valuable critical apparatus,
including an analytical introduction that contextualizes the
history and notes that explain unfamiliar points and people. Merry
Hell is a captivating tale for those who enjoy stories of war and
battle, and one that will entertain readers with Clements's richly
colourful anecdotes and witty poems, none of which have been
published before.
Little is known about the Tamil liberation cause and struggle, as
it has been widely dismissed by global powers of all persuasions -
the USA, Russia, China and India - each driven by their own real
politik reasons and self-interests. Isolated in their struggle and
condemned by world opinion, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam
(LTTE) nonetheless proved capable of withstanding all external
forces for a period of decades, drawing large numbers of Tamils,
both inside Sri Lanka and outside in the Tamil Diaspora, to support
its cause. The LTTE created a progressive internal movement that
succeeded in breaking down ancient caste barriers that had resisted
the political inducements and leadership of figures such as Gandhi,
and inculcated a climate of social justice and equality. This book,
written by a Diaspora Tamil engaged in human rights work in the
Tamil-controlled area of Vanni up until it was overrun by Sri
Lankan forces, provides a compelling insider's look at the
motivations, issues and complexities of this largely secret civil
war. This is what life was like on the ground inside
Tamil-controlled territory where the forces of war were held at bay
- until 2009 when it was overrun by the Sri Lankan army and the
Tamil genocide began.
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