The idea of late medieval arms and armour often conjures up images of lumbering warriors, clad in heavy plate armour, hacking away at with each other with enormous weapons - depictions perpetuated in both bad literature and bad movies. In this introductory guide, replete with fabulous photography and marvellous anecdotes, internationally-renowned edged weapons expert Robert Woosnam-Savage describes the brutal reality of personal protection and attack in the so-called 'age of chivalry'. From Bannockburn to Bosworth, Poitiers to Pavia, this book is an indispensable introduction to an iconic era.

Imperial Bayonets examines the maneuvering systems of the French, Prussians, Russians, Austrians and British from 1792 to 1815. It studies infantry maneuvers and firepower, cavalry maneuvers, and artillery. It is THE definitive work on Napoleonic tactics and a must read for anyone wanting to understand the fundamentals of period tactics. It provides not only a discussion of every major maneuver of the five major powers, i.e. from line to square, or column, but does time and motion studies of how long it would take to execute those maneuvers and compares them to the other nations. It covers infantry and cavalry maneuvers on this level. It performs an analysis of both musketry effectiveness and artillery effectiveness, providing curves that demonstrate the effectiveness of both. It also covers brigade maneuvers and army marches.

South of the Norman city of Caen, the twin features of the Verrières and Bourguebus ridges were key stepping stones for the British Second Army in late July 1944 - taking them was crucial if it was to be successful in its attempt to break out of the Normandy bridgehead. To capture this vital ground, Allied forces would have to defeat arguably the strongest German armoured formation in Normandy: the I. SS-Panzerkorps "Leibstandarte." The resulting battles of late July and early August 1944 saw powerful German defensive counterattacks south of Caen inflict tremendous casualties, regain lost ground and at times defeat Anglo-Canadian operations in detail. Viewed by the German leadership as militarily critical, the majority of its armored assets were deployed to dominate this excellent tank country east of the Orne river. These defeats and the experience of meeting an enemy with near-equal resources exposed a flawed Anglo-Canadian offensive tactical doctrine that was overly dependent on the supremacy of its artillery forces. Furthermore, weaknesses in Allied tank technology inhibited their armored forces from fighting a decisive armored battle, forcing Anglo-Canadian infantry and artillery forces to further rely on First World War "Bite and Hold" tactics, massively supported by artillery. Confronted with the full force of the Panzerwaffe, Anglo-Canadian doctrine at times floundered. In response, the Royal Artillery and Royal Canadian Artillery units pummelled the German tankers and grenadiers, but despite their best efforts, ground could not be captured by concentrated artillery fire alone. This is a detailed account of the success of I. SS-Panzerkorps' defensive operations, aimed at holding the Vèrrieres-Bourgebus ridges in late July 1944.

"Exceptional military history worthy of its heroic subject." -Matthew J. Davenport In the vein of Band of Brothers and American Sniper, a riveting history of Alvin York, the World War I legend who killed two dozen Germans and captured more than 100, detailing York's heroics yet also restoring the unsung heroes of his patrol to their rightful place in history-from renowned World War I historian James Carl Nelson. October 8, 1918 was a banner day for heroes of the American Expeditionary Force. Thirteen men performed heroic deeds that would earn them Medals of Honor. Of this group, one man emerged as the single greatest American hero of the Great War: Alvin Cullum York. A poor young farmer from Tennessee, Sergeant York was said to have single-handedly killed two dozen Germans and captured another 132 of the enemy plus thirty-five machine guns before noon on that fateful Day of Valor. York would become an American legend, celebrated in magazines, books, and a blockbuster biopic starring Gary Cooper. The film, Sergeant York, told of a hell-raiser from backwoods Tennessee who had a come-to-Jesus moment, then wrestled with his newfound Christian convictions to become one of the greatest heroes the U.S. Army had ever known. It was a great story-but not the whole story. In this absorbing history, James Carl Nelson unspools, for the first time, the complete story of Alvin York and the events that occurred in the Argonne Forest on that day. Nelson gives voice, in particular, to the sixteen "others" who fought beside York. Hailing from big cities and small towns across the U.S. as well as several foreign countries, these soldiers included a patrician Connecticut farmer whose lineage could be traced back to the American Revolution, a poor runaway from Massachusetts who joined the Army under a false name, and a Polish immigrant who enlisted in hopes of expediting his citizenship. The York Patrol shines a long overdue spotlight on these men and York, and pays homage to their bravery and sacrifice. Illustrated with 25 black-and-white images, The York Patrol is a rousing tale of courage, tragedy, and heroism.

At Gettysburg, PA, during three days of July 1863, 160,000 men fought one of the most fierce and storied battles of the US Civil War. Nearly one in three of those men ended up a casualty of that battle, and when the two armies departed a few days later, 21,000 wounded remained. This book is the story of how those soldiers were cared for in a town of 2,500 people. Historian and author of several other guides to Gettysburg, James Gindlesperger provides a context for the medical and organizational constraints of the era and then provides details about the aid stations and field hospitals created in the aftermath of the battle. Filled with historical and contemporary photos, as well as stories about the soldiers and their healers, this book is a detailed guide for visitors to the site as well as others interested in American Civil War history.

Current and future adversaries will likely simultaneously employ a combination of different types of warfare. Non-state actors may mostly employ irregular forms of warfare, but will also clearly support, encourage, and participate in conventional conflicts if it serves their ends to do so. Similarly, nation-states may well engage in irregular conflicts in addition to conventional types of warfare to achieve their goals. The emerging theaters of hybrid and cyber-warfare reflect this changing nature of contemporary warfare. They transcend national boundaries, social and economic classes, and political ideologies. In these types of warfare there are no longer any clearly defined enemies, just as there are no longer any clearly defined allies. As a conceptual response to this kind of warfare, the "comprehensive approach" offers the best path forward, but must still be fully refined and analyzed before being applied effectively. This can only be accomplished through a coordinated and coherent strategy, along with regular consultations and interaction among all the actors involved. These factors will not only have enduring consequences for the future structure and training of most armed forces in the world, but they will also affect the politics of international security and defense policy while posing a challenge for theories of politics and international relations. This volume brings together leading international experts from different schools of thought to provide an overview of this topic.

From the author of the celebrated Great War memoir

Every evening since 1928 the Last Post has been played under the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres at 8 o'clock sharp. In 2015 this ceremony will take place for the 30,000th time. On 9 July 2015, this large scale participative event will take place in fire stations all around the world. Government leaders, sports stars, veterans but most of all common people visit the Menin Gate Memorial every day. Philip Vanoutrive spent one year photographing this impressive tradition. Ian Connerty wrote the story, enriched with unique archive photos.

Electronic health records (EHRs) play an important role in optimizing the health care provided to active duty servicemembers and veterans. When a servicemember leaves military service by way of discharge, separation, or retirement he or she may become eligible for VA benefits and services including VA health care. Transitioning their health care information from one large health care system (Department of Defense; DOD) to the other (Department of Veterans Affairs; VA) involves coordination of data and information between DOD and VA. Longstanding concern that this exchange be effective has been expressed in many quarters, including Congress. The purpose of this book is to provide a background on the long-standing efforts in sharing health information between DOD and VA. The book also describes changes to the integrated electronic health record system and evaluates the departments' current plans; and determines whether the departments are effectively collaborating on management of the program.

The essays presented in this issue provide an international overview of military-pedagogical thinking and acting. They reflect the sometimes close correspondence between the answers provided by military scholars to questions related to the content and function of military ethics and morale. These answers are so comprehensive as to suggest themselves as a starting point for further deliberations on military pedagogy but also in the fields of other applied pedagogic specialties. The authors who have contributed to this book make it clear, as a group, how the national defence of peace and freedom may be transformed into a pertinent international responsibility and competence for the safeguarding of world peace.

The United States increasingly relies on unmanned aerial vehicles, better known as drones, to target insurgent and terrorist groups around the world. Drones have a number of advantages that could fundamentally alter how the United States engages in counterinsurgency and counter-terrorism operations. Unmanned aerial systems comprise a rapidly growing portion of the military budget, and have been a long-term interest of Congress. At times, Congress has encouraged the development of such systems; in other instances, it has attempted to rein in or better organise the Department of Defense's efforts. This book discusses the effectiveness of drone strikes in counterinsurgency and counter-terrorism campaigns; and focuses on the military uses of UAS.

The unemployment rate for all veterans has risen since the beginning of the economic downturn, but the unemployment rate for Native Americans living on tribal land has been higher. In addition, tribal land is frequently located in remote areas characterised by limited economic development, which can make finding a job challenging. A range of federal programs provide employment assistance that can serve veterans of any race or ethnicity; in addition, other federal programs offer similar services to Native Americans (veterans and non-veterans alike). The Department of Labor's (DOL) Veterans' Employment and Training Service administers several grant programs to support eligible veterans through the Jobs for Veterans State Grants Program. This book provides recommendations for improving employment and job training opportunities for Native American Veterans on tribal lands, especially through the utilisation of resources for Veterans; and reviews current and prior government-to-government relations between tribal organisations and the Department of Labor Veterans' Employment and Training Service (DOL-VETS).

The primary objective of the military health system, which includes the Defense Department's hospitals, clinics, and medical personnel, is to maintain the health of military personnel so they can carry out their military missions and to be prepared to deliver health care during wartime. The military health system also covers dependants of active duty personnel, military retirees and their dependants, including some members of the reserve components. This book answers several frequently asked questions about military health care, and provides responses to frequently asked questions about health care provided to veterans through the Veterans Health Administration.

This title provides an overview of the benefits, issues, policies and programs relating to military service-members. Topics discussed in this issue include medication needs during transitions for service-members; the Veterans Paralympics Program; disabled veterans benefits; current life insurance programs for veterans; overview of the appeal process for veteran's claims; the U.S. Court of Appeals for veterans claims; and a descriptive analysis of both non-monetary and monetary burial benefits and national cemeteries.

The United States cannot be confident that our critical Information Technology (IT) systems will work under attack from a sophisticated and well-resourced opponent utilising cyber capabilities in combination with all of their military and intelligence capabilities. While the Department of Defense takes great care to secure the use and operation of the "hardware" of its weapon systems, these security practices have not kept up with the cyber adversary tactics and capabilities. Further, the same level of resource and attention is not spent on the complex network of information technology (IT) systems that are used to support and operate those weapons or critical cyber capabilities embedded within them. This book provides recommendations for a workable framework; details about how the Department could prepare to operate in a cyber-contested environment; and the task force describes the specific aspects of the cloud computing configuration that are relevant to avoid the simple choice of public or private clouds.

Cuba is continuing to see a big upswing in American and Canadian tourism since relations between the nations were relaxed a couple years ago. As locals and thrifty travelers know, the cheapest, healthiest, most scenic-and often fastest-way to travel in Cuba is by bicycle. The rides vary in length, many combining to create multiday loops. Detailed directions describe rides leaving Havana to the west and east. Subsequent rides are clustered in the three best regions of Cuba for cycling: Pinar del Rio, Central Cuba, and the Oriente. Organized cleverly by regions outside Havana that are just made for cycling, this guide will include 36 rides that make the most of every mile. In addition to directions, maps, and a scenic itinerary for each ride, there will also be crucial information for the bicycling traveler, including where to get supplies and equipment, how to safely park your bike, safety tips, and more.