The M16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage (M16 MGMC) also known as M16 half-track, was a US self-propelled antiaircraft gun built during World War Two. The chassis of the half-rack armored personnel carrier was used to build various variants of self-propelled guns. They were tested on training grounds. Some of them were accepted for military service, series production and then they would see combat. These mainly included self-propelled antiaircraft guns armed with large-caliber 12.7 mm machine guns. In the Autumn of 1941, the first vehicles of this type were tested. The basic requirement of their design was to combine the half-track transporter chassis with a self-propelled revolving turret, the very same as the ones mounted on the bomber aircraft.

Most World War II submarine stories are glorifications of war written by submarine captains about their own boats. The USS Pampanito, however, was not a typical submarine. The sub and its crew caused plenty of destruction, but they found the pinnacle of their honor and fame in a dramatic sea rescue. Gregory F. Michno relates the experiences of the crewmen -- both enlisted men and officers -- who served on the USS Pampanito.

The Pampanito story begins with the boat's construction in 1943, continues through its six combat missions, and concludes with its decommissioning after the war in 1945. The heart of the book is the September 12, 1944, attack on a Japanese convoy carrying English and Australian POWs from the Burma-Siam Railway (of Bridge on the River Kwai fame) to prison camps in Japan. The Pampanito helped sink two of the prison ships, unwittingly killing hundreds of Allied soldiers, but then returned to rescue the victims. The crew picked a record seventy-three men from the sea.

The perfect way to study for the ASVAB whether you have two months, one month, or even one week left to prepare! The ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) consists of ten subtests, including Electronics Information, Automotive and Shop Information, Mechanical Comprehension, and Assembling Objects, that help determine what job in the U.S. military a successful enlistee is qualified for. More than one million people per year participate in the ASVAB qualifying program. Features of this plan-to-ace-the-test product include: Timed, boxed calendars for preparing to take the test--two-month study calendar, one-month study calendar, and one-week study calendar Diagnostic test that helps test-takers pinpoint strengths and weaknesses so they can focus their review on topics in which they need the most help Subject reviews that succinctly cover need-to-know topics on the test Model practice test with answers and explanations

Design work on the Skyraider began at the behest of the US Navy late in WWII. Production began in 1946, and the type made its combat debut in the hands of naval aviators during the Korean War. In the following years, the rugged airframe and powerful engine meant that the type could be adapted into ever-expanding roles of attack, reconnaissance, weather, and electronic-countermeasure types. Though regarded by many as obsolete, in Vietnam the Skyraider again saw combat, now in the hands of not only US Navy and Marine pilots, but also USAF and Republic of Vietnam airmen. Capable of flying low and slow while armed with a massive array of ordnance, the Skyraider not only took on the role of attack aircraft but was also used as air cover for troops on the ground. Its impressive payload earned it the nickname of the "flying dump truck," while its reliance on a massive radial engine in an otherwise jet age caused others to refer to the Skyraider as the "Spad," in homage to the WWI fighter.

Some aircraft inspire passion, others nostalgia, but others, often the unsung heroes, are more of a connoisseur's choice. The Handley Page Victor easily falls into this last category. In this follow-up to _The Handley Page Victor: The History and Development of a Classic Jet,_ Volumes _I_ and _II,_ Roger Brooks extends his earlier historical narratives, this time offering an action-packed and riveting memoir of a career spanning forty years. The book charts changes as they occurred in the aeronautical industry from the 1950's onwards and, as such, it should appeal to both individuals who were caught up in events at the time as well as students of the era. In addition to the aircraft itself, Roger worked extensively with tankers, refuelling the Victor as it took part in a variety of operations in the fraught Cold War era. He brings all aspects of his career to life across these pages, offering the kind of details that can only be gained by first-hand experience.

The elegant Sunderland was the RAF's staple maritime patrol aircraft through out WWII. Crucial in the Battle of the Atlantic, the Sunderland was instrumental in defeating the U-Boat menace which threatened to starve the UK into submission. Nicknamed the Flying Porcupine due to its heavy armory of 14 guns, the Sunderland proved an immediate success in battle. Aside from its world-wide use with the RAF, it saw action with the RAAF, RNZAF and RCAF. This is the first book devoted to the Sunderland's WWII service to be published in over a decade.

A classic of maritime history updated with new information, John P. Holland, 1841-1914 is the sole full-length biography of the man whose technological innovations led to the launching of the first modern submarine in May 1897. While David Bushnell may be considered the father of the submarine, Holland devised the technical improvements that enabled a craft to operate equally effectively whether submerged or surfaced, and it was his design that the U.S. Navy purchased in 1900. Richard Knowles Morris draws on diaries and papers left by his grandfather, a longtime friend of Holland and an superintending engineer of the Holland Torpedo Boat Company (later Electric Boat), to trace the inventor's eventful life. Morris recounts Holland's early years, his frustration in dealing with the Fenians and the U.S. Navy, and his company's negotiations with Japan, Great Britain, and Russia for Holland boats. Of particular interest is the selection of photographs that offer an enlightening pictorial of early submarine history.

A gripping account of the Second World War, from the perspective of a young tank commander. In 1944, David Render was a nineteen-year-old second lieutenant fresh from Sandhurst when he was sent to France. Joining the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry five days after the D-Day landings, the combat-hardened men he was sent to command did not expect him to last long. However, in the following weeks of ferocious fighting in which more than 90 per cent of his fellow tank commanders became casualties, his ability to emerge unscathed from countless combat engagements earned him the nickname of the 'Inevitable Mr Render'. In Tank Action Render tells his remarkable story, spanning every major episode of the last year of the Second World War from the invasion of Normandy to the fall of Germany. Ultimately it is a story of survival, comradeship and the ability to stand up and be counted as a leader in combat.

The Stuart light tanks were the first tanks taken into combat by US troops during WWII. Production of these vehicles can be broken into two categories: the early tanks powered by air-cooled radial engines, and late vehicles powered by twin V-8 engines. This volume explores the late vehicles with Cadillac water-cooled engines, the M5 and M5A1, as well as the M8 Howitzer Motor Carriage. Stuart light tanks, though lightly armed and armored, were mechanically sound and widely used by US forces in Europe and the Pacific, as well as by Allied nations. Through dozens of archival photos, including previously unpublished images, as well as detailed photographs of some of the finest existing examples of these vehicles, this early-war combat vehicle is explored, and its history is explained. A companion volume explores the early M3, M3A1, and M3A3 versions.

At a time when multiple wars are raging across much of the Middle East, it is almost forgotten that it was Abu al-Qasim Abbas ibn Firnas ibn Wirdas at-Takurni - an Andalusian inventor, physician and engineer - who was the first person to undertake experiments in flying with any degree of success. That was back in the 9th Century A.D. Nigh on a thousand years later the Arab World's critical strategic location made it almost inevitable that these regions would be drawn into the imperial rivalries of the leading European powers, while the Ottoman Empire struggled to maintain its existing position in the area. This in turn meant that the first bombs to be dropped by military aircraft fell on Arab soil. Not surprisingly, as the Arab countries slowly achieved their independence, they too wanted to have air forces. In 1948 the first such Arab air forces were thrown into battle in an ill-fated attempt to keep Palestine as a primarily Arab country. Based on decades of consistent research, but also newly available sources in both Arabic and various European languages, and richly illustrated with a wide range of authentic photography, Volume 1 of the Air Power and the Arab World, 1909-1955 mini-series is telling the story of the men and machines of the first half century of military aviation in the Arab World.

This is an important study of the new types of warships which evolved in the navies of the Mediterranean in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC, and of their use by Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans in the fleets and naval battles in the second and first centuries, culminating in the Battle of Aktion. The book includes a catalogue and discussion of the iconography of the ships with over fifty illustrations from coins, sculptures and other objects. John Coates discusses reconstructions, crews, ships and tactics illuminated by the recent experiments with the reconstructed trireme Olympias . Complete with gazetteer, glossary, bibliography and indexes.

The Convair B-58 Hustler, with its distinctive delta wing shape, would become the world's first supersonic bomber, and the first aircraft to fly to Mach 2. With development beginning in 1949, the B-58, which could not carry conventional weapons, would become part of the US nuclear arsenal during the height of the Cold War. Although these bombers were initially considered difficult to operate, in time the hand-chosen crews who flew them came to love and respect the aircraft. Throughout the 1960s, crews flying the B-58 set numerous speed and distance records. These planes were tremendously expensive to operate, and it was budget issues that forced the early retirement of the bomber. Today there are only a handful of remaining examples, all of which are on display in the US.

Rigidly organised and harshly disciplined, the Georgian Royal Navy was an orderly and efficient fighting force which played a major role in Great Britain's wars of the 18th and early 19th centuries.

This concise book explores what it was like to be a sailor in the Georgian Navy - focusing on the period from 1714 to 1820, this book examines the Navy within its wider historical, national, organisational and military context, and reveals exactly what it took to survive a life in its service. It looks at how a seaman could join the Royal Navy, including the notorious 'press gangs'; what was meant by 'learning the ropes'; and the severe punishments that could be levied for even minor misdemeanours as a result of the Articles of War. Military tactics, including manning the guns and tactics for fending off pirates are also revealed, as is the problem of maintaining a healthy diet at sea - and the steps that sailors themselves could take to avoid the dreaded scurvy.

Covering other fascinating topics as wide-ranging as exploration, mutiny, storms, shipwrecks, and women on board ships, this 'Sailor's Guide' explores the lives of the Navy's officers and sailors, using extracts from contemporary documents and writings to reconstruct their experiences in vivid detail.

Since the end of World War II, the strategic bombing of Germany has inspired numerous studies, countless books and several documentary films, and it is not surprising. With more than one million tons of bombs dropped, close to 300,000 civilians killed, 700,000 wounded and in excess of 3,500,000 industrial and residential structures destroyed, the Allied bomber offensive was industrial war on a grand scale. The air battle that raged over Germany has often been described as a battle between Allied and German fighters but what has been frequently missed by historians on all sides is the impact of German anti-aircraft defences (flak). Though often dismissed as ineffective and a waste of valuable material and personnel, the German flak arm made a major contribution to the defence of the Third Reich - at least half of the American aircraft shot down over Germany fell to flak, and according to the RAF Official History, it was estimated that flak accounted for 1229 of 3302 aircraft lost by Bomber Command between 1942 and April 1945. Additionally, the strategic role of flak extended beyond simply shooting down aircraft - its other, more important task was to force bombers to drop their ordnance sooner or from a higher altitude, thus reducing bombing accuracy. Both these roles are explored in depth in this detailed study of the German flak defences and of their adversaries, the Allied heavy bombers. Containing full-colour illustrations including cockpit scenes and armament views, this is the definitive guide to the much-overlooked conflict between Allied planes and German anti-aircraft defences.

The story of an iconic model in the long history of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, the WLA, which was used by Allied forces during WWII, is told for the first time. Developed for the US Army's mechanized cavalry, it became the leading US military motorcycle of the war. It served the US armed services as a messenger and military police vehicle. The Red Army's motorcycle battalions, reconnaissance units of its tank armies, also used them as their primary vehicle. The armies of the Soviet Union, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, China, and Brazil also made use of the model and its variants. It is known today as the "Liberator"; discover the history and stories of individuals who rode this icon to war and why the model is now a favorite among civilian collectors.

The little-known yet fascinating story of when two of the most iconic aircraft of World War II dueled in the skies above Australia.

Fully illustrated with detailed full-color artwork, this is the gripping story of two iconic aircraft facing off against each other above Australia.

Just weeks after Pearl Harbor, Darwin was mauled by a massive Japanese attack. Without a single fighter to defend Australian soil, the Australian government made a special appeal to Britain for Spitfires.

A year later the Spitfire VC-equipped No 1 Fighter Wing, RAAF, faced the battle-hardened 202nd Kokutai of the IJNAF, equipped with A6M2 Zero-sens, over Darwin. This was a grueling campaign between evenly matched foes, fought in isolation from the main South Pacific battlegrounds. Pilots on either side had significant combat experience, including a number of Battle of Britain veterans. The Spitfire had superior flight characteristics but was hampered by short range and material defects in the tropical conditions, while the Japanese employed better tactics and combat doctrine inflicting serious losses on overconfident the Commonwealth forces.

The torpedo-bomber was a very short-lived weapon system, operational for scarcely half a century from just prior WWI to the 1960s. Yet during its brief existence it transformed naval warfare, extending the ship-killing range of ships and coastal defences to hundreds of miles. The Royal Navy and Fleet Air Arm led the way, recording the first sinking of a ship by aerial torpedo in August 1915 but all major navies eagerly developed their own torpedo bomber forces. The torpedo-bomber reached its zenith in WWII, particularly from 1940-42, with notable successes at the Battle of Taranto, the sinking of the Bismarck and Pearl Harbor. It was the weapon of choice for both the US and Japanese in the big Pacific battles such as Midway. In the latter stages of the war, increasingly effective anti-aircraft fire and interceptor aircraft started to render it obsolete, a process completed post-war by long-range anti-ship missiles. Jean-Denis Lepage traces the development of torpedo bombers worldwide, describing their tactics, operational history and the aircraft themselves, including such well-loved types as the Swordfish, Beaufighter and Avenger. Over 300 aircraft are beautifully illustrated.

This first of two volumes on de Havilland's "Wooden Wonder" covers the night-fighter and fighter-bomber variants of the deadly Mosquito. The development of the multirole Mosquito, from its original bomber and photoreconnaissance operational function to that of a night-fighter and fighter-bomber configuration, was initiated by the latent threat of a renewal of the 1940-41 "Blitz." Over the ensuing years of WWII, the Mosquito attacked the enemy with sorties across a 24-hour time span, challenging the German Nachtjagd with aerial interceptions, as well as attacks on Luftwaffe airfields. Pinpoint assaults on specialist targets was another aspect of Mosquito fighter-bomber operations, whose destructive effect on the Axis was constantly felt. Also covered are the Mosquito's operations with the Fleet Air Arm, as well as postwar use. Part of the Legends of Warfare series.

The German Panzerartillerie was one of the key components of the Panzer divisions that were the spearhead of the German forces in the years when they overran most of Western Europe and reached as far as the gates of Moscow in the East. Warfare in the age of Blitzkrieg required fast-moving, mobile artillery that could support forward units at the front line, and the Panzerartillerie provided that for the Wehrmacht. The Allies had no answer or equivalent to them until the US entry into the war.

Drawing on original material from German archives and private collections, including some images that have never been published before, German armour expert Thomas Anderson explores the formation and development of this force from its early days in the 1930s, through the glory days of Blitzkrieg warfare to its eventual decline in the face of the challenges of the Eastern Front.

Even today the Martin B-26 Marauder continues to look sleek and streamlined. Although receiving less wartime publicity than Americas other medium of WWII, the B-25, in the European theater the B-26 delivered twice the tonnage of bombs and had a lower loss rate. This volume explores the history of this oft-overlooked but widely used aircraft. The story of this historic medium bomber is told through carefully researched archival photos, as well as photographs of preserved examples, illuminated through detailed captions, thereby illustrating not only the use of the Marauder, but also the details of its construction. Large, clear photos, coupled with descriptive and informative captions, put the reader on the airfield and in the sky with this historic aircraft. Part of the Legends of Warfare series.

The Lavi fighter program, the largest weapons-development effort ever undertaken by the State of Israel, envisioned a new generation of high-performance aircraft. In a controversial strategy, Israel Aircraft Industries intended to develop and manufacture the fighters in Israel with American financial support. The sophisticated planes, developed in the mid-1980s, were unique in design and intended to make up the majority of the Israeli air force. Though considerable prestige and money were at stake, developmental costs increased and doubts arose as to whether the Lavi could indeed be the warplane it was meant to be. Eventually the program became a microcosm for the ambitions, fears, and internal divisions that shaped both the U.S.-Israeli relationship and Israeli society itself. But the fighter never made it to operational service, and until now, the full breadth and significance of the Lavi story have never been examined and presented. Lavi: The United States, Israel, and a Controversial Fighter Jet traces the evolution of the Lavi fighter from its genesis in the 1970s to its scrapping in August 1987. John W. Golan examines the roles of Israeli military icons and political leaders such as Ezer Weizman, Ariel Sharon, Menachem Begin, and Yitzhak Rabin in the program and in relation to their counterparts in the United States. On the American side, Golan traces the evolution of government policy toward the program, detailing the complex picture of the U.S. foreign policy apparatus and of U.S.-Israeli relations in general-from President Reagan's public endorsement of the program on the White House lawn to Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger's unremitting attempts to cancel it in succeeding years.

Over the last 30 years, the 'technical' or armed pick-up truck has become arguably the most ubiquitous military land vehicle of modern warfare.

Harking back to the armed Jeeps and Chevrolet trucks of the SAS and Long Range Desert Group in North Africa in World War II, the world's first insurgent technicals were those of the Sahrawi People's Liberation Army in Algeria in the late 1970s, followed by the Chadian use of technical in the so-called Toyota War against Libya. Since then, technicals have seen use in Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, as well as being used by Western and Russian Special Forces.

Fully illustrated with commissioned artwork and providing rigorous analysis, this is the first history of how this deceptively simple fighting vehicle has been used and developed in conflicts worldwide.

This is one of the new Icon titles from Haynes. Originally published in the classic manual size, this compact format will appeal to trade outlets and gift markets. The legendary Supermarine Spitfire receives the famous Haynes manual treatment with the full co-operation and authorisation of the Royal Air Force. Here is a unique perspective on what it takes to own, restore and operate a Spitfire, as well as an insight into the engineering and construction of this remarkable fighter aircraft. This highly detailed book is based around the Spitfire Mk IX at RAF Coningsby.