The Diary of Lt.Col. allen Whitty Worcestershire Regiment 1914-1919

Of all the military assignments in Vietnam, perhaps none was more challenging than the defense of the Mekong River Delta region. Operating deep within the Viet Cong--controlled Delta, the 9th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army was charged with protecting the area and its population against Communist insurgents and ensuring the success of the South Vietnamese government's pacification program. Faced with unrelenting physical hardships, a tenacious enemy, and the region's rugged terrain, the 9th Division established strategies and quantifiable goals for completing their mission, effectively writing a blueprint for combating guerilla warfare that influenced army tacticians for decades to come. In The 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam: Unparalleled and Unequaled, Ira A. Hunt Jr. details the innovative strategies of the 9th Division in their fight to overcome the Viet Cong. Based on Hunt's experience as colonel and division chief of staff, the volume documents how the 9th Division's combat effectiveness peaked in 1969. A wealth of illustrative material, including photos, maps, charts, and tables, deepens understanding of the region's hazardous environment and clarifies the circumstances of the division's failures and successes. A welcome addition to scholarship on the Vietnam War, The 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam will find an audience with enthusiasts and scholars of military history.

An inventive study of relations between the National Guard and the Regular Army during World War II, Guard Wars follows the Pennsylvania National Guard's 28th Infantry Division from its peacetime status through training and into combat in Western Europe. The broader story, spanning the years 1939 1945, sheds light on the National Guard, the U.S. Army, and American identities and priorities during the war years. Michael E. Weaver carefully tracks the division s difficult transformation into a combat-ready unit and highlights General Omar Bradley's extraordinary capacity for leadership which turned the Pennsylvanians from the least capable to one of the more capable units, a claim dearly tested in the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest. This absorbing and informative analysis chronicles the nation's response to the extreme demands of a world war, and the flexibility its leaders and soldiers displayed in the chaos of combat."

The Black Devils March is an account of how the 1st (and only) Polish Armoured Division in the West under the leadership of General Stanislaw Maczek, arose out of the ashes of defeat and while attempting to avoid the internal politics of the Polish Government in Exile, was able to return to Europe in August 1944. In Europe the Division achieved glory, honour and victory but was unable to liberate Poland owing to the politics of the post-war settlement in Europe. The account of the formation and combat service of the Division is fully researched from Polish, English and German sources, and includes training in Scotland, the unit's sharp introduction to warfare in the Normandy bocage, the Falaise Gap and Hill 262, the advance into Belgium and Holland, and final victory on German soil. The text is supported by nearly 100 photographs (many previously unpublished), maps, and detailed appendices, including a list of the Division's medal recipients. The politics of the Polish Army are examined as well as the historical legacy of the Polish soldier in exile. This helps the reader understand the frustration of the Poles as they sought to form an armoured unit - not only was it of value as part of the Polish Army fighting alongside the Allies, it was also of considerable political value to the Poles as they sought to preserve their dignity and sovereignty. The conclusion points to a rather hollow victory for the Poles by May 1945, as Germany may have been vanquished but Poland remained occupied, this time by the Soviet Union.

The night broke open in a storm of explosions and fire. The sound of shells whizzing overhead, screeching through the night like wounded pheasants, was terrifying. When the shells exploded prematurely overhead, a rain of shrapnel fell on the men below--better than when the shells exploded in the trenches...In A More Unbending Battle, journalist and author Pete Nelson chronicles the little-known story of the 369th Infantry Regiment--the first African-American regiment mustered to fight in WWI. Recruited from all walks of Harlem life, the regiment had to fight alongside the French because America's segregation policy prohibited them from fighting with white U.S. soldiers. Despite extraordinary odds and racism, the 369th became one of the most successful--and infamous--regiments of the war. The Harlem Hellfighters, as their enemies named them, spent longer than any other American unit in combat, were the first Allied unit to reach the Rhine, and showed extraordinary valor on the battlefield, with many soldiers winning the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honor. Replete with vivid accounts of battlefield heroics, A More Unbending Battle is the thrilling story of the dauntless Harlem Hellfighters.

Salford was late in recruiting for its Pals battalions, with many of its men already joining Territorial units and a new Pals battalion in Manchester. Yet within a year it had raised four Pals battalions and a reserve battalion. Raised mainly from Lancashire's most notorious slums, the men trained together in Wales, North East England and on Salisbury Plain, they had great expectations of success. On the 1st of July 1916 the Somme offensive was launched and in the very epicentre of that cauldron the first three of Salford's battalions were thrown at the massive defences of Thiepval - the men were decimated, Salford was shattered. Michael Stedman records the impact of the war from the start on Salford and follows the difficulties and triumphs. Whether the actions small or great the author writes graphically about them all. Unusual photographs and a variety of sources make this both a readable and a scholarly account.

Much of the Civil War west of the Mississippi was a war of waiting for action, of foraging already stripped land for an army that supposedly could provision itself, and of disease in camp, while trying to hold out against Union pressure. There were none of the major engagements that characterized the conflict farther east. Instead, small units of confederate cavalry and infantry skirmished with Federal forces in Arkansas, Missouri, and Louisiana, trying to hold the western Confederacy together. The many units of Texans who joined this fight had a second objective - to keep the enemy out of their home state by placing themselves ""between the enemy and Texas."" Historian Anne J. Bailey studies one Texas unit, Parsons's Cavalry Brigade, to show how the war west of the Mississippi was fought. Historian Norman D. Brown calls this ""the definitive study of Parsons's Cavalry Brigade; the story will not need to be told again."" Exhaustively researched and written with literary grace, ""Between the Enemy and Texas"" is a ""must"" book for anyone interested in the role of mounted troops in the Trans-Mississippi Department.

On an early morning in the fall of 1942, Kemp McLaughlin's group set out for a raid on a French target. Immediately after dropping its bombs, McLaughlin's plane was hit. A huge fire burned a four-foot hole in his wing, his waist gunner bailed out, his radio operator was wounded, the plane lost all oxygen, and his pilot put on a parachute and sat on the escape hatch, waiting for the plane to explode. And this was only McLaughlin's first sortie. McLaughlin went on to pilot the mission command plane on the second raid against Schweinfurt, the largest air raid in history, which resulted in the destruction of 70 percent of German ball bearing production capability. McLaughlin also participated in the bombing of heavy water installations in Norway. The Mighty Eighth in WWII also includes the stories of downed pilots in France and Holland who traveled under the cover of night through the countryside, evading the Nazis who had seen their planes go down. As a group leader, McLaughlin was responsible for the planning and execution of air raids, forced to follow the directives of senior (and sometimes less informed) officers. His position as one of the managers of the massive sky trains allows him to provide unique insight into the work of maintenance and armament crews, preflight briefings, and off-duty activities of the airmen. No other memoir of World War II reveals so much about both the actual bombing runs against Nazi Germany and the management of personnel and material that made those airborne armadas possible.

Scorned by allies and enemies alike, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) was one of the most maligned fighting forces in modern history. Cobbled together by U.S. advisers from the remnants of the French-inspired Vietnamese National Army, it was effectively pushed aside by the Americans in 1965. When toward the end of the war the army was compelled to reassert itself, it was too little, too late for all concerned.

In this first in-depth history of the ARVN from 1955 to 1975, Robert Brigham takes readers into the barracks and training centers of the ARVN to plumb the hearts and souls of these forgotten soldiers. Through his masterly command of Vietnamese-language sources-diaries, memoirs, letters, oral interviews, and more-he explores the lives of ordinary men, focusing on troop morale and motivation within the context of traditional Vietnamese society and a regime that made impossible demands upon its soldiers.

Offering keen insights into ARVN veterans' lives as both soldiers and devout kinsmen, Brigham reveals what they thought about their American allies, their Communist enemies, and their own government. He describes the conscription policy that forced these men into the army for indefinite periods with a shameful lack of training and battlefield preparation and examines how soldiers felt about barracks life in provinces far from their homes. He also explores the cultural causes of the ARVN's estrangement from the government and describes key military engagements that defined the achievements, failures, and limitations of the ARVN as a fighting force. Along the way, he explodes some of the myths about ARVN soldiers' cowardice, corruption, and lack of patriotism that have made the ARVN the scapegoat for America's defeat.

Ultimately, as Brigham shows, without any real political commitment to a divided Vietnam or vision for the future, the ARVN retreated into a subnational culture that redefined the war's meaning: saving their families. His fascinating book gives us a fuller understanding not only of the Vietnam War but also of the problems associated with U.S. nation building through military intervention.

The Home Guard was created in July 1940, and all Officers were listed in the Home Guard Lists which were issued at intervals throughout the war, each covering one of the UK Military Commands. These Command Lists give details of the relevant units down the chain of command. Officers are listed by unit and rank (with details of any decorations awarded during the Second World War up to 1941 or previously). Some entries identify service in previous units. These volumes are of great use to family and local historians wanting to track down the commissioned service of individuals; and for military enthusiasts and collectors they are also a useful way of tracking military service and Defence Medal entitlement. This volume on the South Eastern Command covers the Greater London Area.

Created in July 1940, the Home Guard was not entitled to use military ranks until February 1941. All Officers were then listed in the Home Guard List, which was compiled in seven separate sections. Each section gives details of the relevant units proceeding down the chain of command from Areas to Zones, Groups, and Battalions. Officers are listed within their units together with details of ranks (with dates) and any decorations. Some entries identify service in previous units. By making the Home Guard Lists available to a wider audience, it now becomes possible to trace Home Guard Service and Defence Medal entitlements. A useful volume for military historians and collectors, as well as family historians.

Created in July 1940, the Home Guard was not entitled to use military ranks until February 1941.All officers were then listed in the Home Guard List that was compiled in seven separate section. Each List gives details of all units proceeding down the chain of command from Areas to Zones, Groups, and Battalions. Officers are listed within their unit together with details of ranks (and dates) and decorations. Some entries identify service in previous units. These volumes allow for a much wider dissemination of this information that identifies personnel that did Home Guard service as officers and thus traces entitlements to the Defence Medal. This is a very useful volume for military historians and collectors, as well as family historians.

Created in July 1940, the Home Guard was not entitled to use military ranks until February 1942, after which date all officers appeared in the Home Guards Lists, each covering a different Command. These Command Lists give details of relevant units proceeding down the chain of command. Officers, together with their Decorations (awarded for World War Two and before) are listed by unit and rank; some entries identify service in previous units. The volume has an alphabetical index. This is a good genealogical source of reference for family and local historians. It also allows military enthusiasts and collectors to identify Home Guard service and thence Defence Medal entitlement. The Western Command is the largest of the Commands, covered the western side of Great Britain from Herefordshire, through Wales and Cheshire to the industrial centres of Lancashire, then onwards to the Lakeland counties of Cumberland and Westmoreland. On its eastern borders it encompassed the Midland counties of Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Shropshire and Staffordshire.

The New Scots, the men of the army the Scottish covenanters sent to Ireland, were the most formidable opponents of the Irish confederates for several crucial years in the 1640s, preventing them conquering all Ireland and destroying the Protestant plantation in Ulster. The greatest challenge to the power of the covenanters in Scotland at a time when they seemed invincible came from a largely Irish army, sent to Scotland by the confederates and commanded by the royalist marquis of Montrose. Thus the relations of Scotland and Ireland are clearly of great importance in understanding the complex 'War of the Three Kingdoms' and the interactions of the civil wars and revolutions of England, Scotland and Ireland in the mid-seventeenth century. But though historians have studied Anglo-Scottish and Anglo-Irish relations extensively, Scottish-Irish relations have been largely neglected. Scottish Covenanters and Irish Confederates attempts to fill this gap, and in doing so provides the first comprehensive study of the Scottish Army in Ireland.

During the course of the Second World War, the United States Army raised and maintained eighty-nine combat divisions, including sixteen armored divisions. Most of those units were created during the war and served only for the duration of the conflict. After going overseas and fighting to achieve victory, most of the World War II divisions were disbanded and faded into obscurity.

This heavily illustrated narrative is the story of one of those units, the 12th Armored Division, which trained on the plains of West Texas at Camp Barkeley near Abilene. From its initial action, to the liberation of Nazi death camps, to the ultimate victory and peace, the division's story serves as a vehicle to study the many temporary army units that served our country during its most trying time.

The Home Guard was created in July 1940, and all Officers were listed in the Home Guard Lists which were issued at intervals throughout the war, each covering one of the UK Military Commands. These Command Lists give details of the relevant units down the chain of command. Officers are listed by unit and rank (with details of any decorations awarded during the Second World War up to 1941 or previously). Some entries identify service in previous units. These volumes are of great use to family and local historians wanting to track down the commissioned service of individuals; and for military enthusiasts and collectors they are also a useful way of tracking military service and Defence Medal entitlement. This volume on the South Eastern Command covers the counties of Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

Beaten Paths are Safest - was the motto of The Reconnaissance Regiment. This book tells the story of the 61st Recce Regiment whose own official history was never completed for the period 23rd Feb 1944 to 1st October 1944. Roy Howard who compiled the book served with the Regiment through the period in question which saw 61st Recce land on "Gold Beach" on D-Day followed by continuous active service up to and including the German Ardennes offensive when the 50th Northumbrian Division, of which the Regiment was a part, disbanded. Roy's book consists of personal memoirs of events together with a considerable amount of material from The Old Comrades Association newsletter. Sadly, the author died in 1996 but the book has been completed by his son Mark, as a tribute to his father and all the members of the 61st Reconnaissance Regiment.

For years, one of the most essential sources for study of the Normandy invasion was known only to a select few and nearly unobtainable even to those who knew of its existence. It has never before been translated. None of the major English language histories of the Normandy Invasion refer to it, even though it is the history of the only German armoured division that was in place in the Caen area at the moment of the invasion. It reveals key facts that are missing elsewhere. At long last, Werner Kortenhaus' history of the 21. Panzer Division has been published in English. Kortenhaus' account of the division's subsequent commitment, in the Lorraine - Saar Region - Alsace area provides intriguing detail on this little known sector as the southern wing of Patton's 3rd Army strove for the Upper Rhine area of Germany. The last section follows the division after its hasty transfer to the Oder Front, facing the final Russian onslaught on Berlin. In revising and updating his account, originally released in two massive typed volumes, Die Schlacht um Caen, 1944, Caumont, Falaise Seine, der Einsatz der 21. Panzer Division in 1989 and Lothringen Elsass, der Ostfront, der Einsatz der 21. Panzer Division in 1990, Werner Kortenhaus has exhaustively researched all available sources in German, French and English to supplement his own experiences and those of his fellows and the many individuals whom he interviewed. The result is a seamless account of the Normandy invasion in the British sector from the German viewpoint that sheds new light on many controversial issues. The account continues, following the division and surrounding events during the retreat to the Seine and the division's later commitment in Alsace - Lorraine and, finally, on the Oder Front against the Soviet Union, and its eventual demise in the horrors of the Halbe pocket. The account is not restricted to the history of the 21. Panzer Division, but includes detailed analysis and exposition of actions of adjoining divisions and of the larger picture, from the German viewpoint. Helion's English edition includes a large number of rare photographs and a separately-bound book of newly-commissioned colour maps. Werner Kortenhaus' study represents a significant contribution to English language material available regarding a Heer Panzer division, besides its extensive coverage of German armoured operations in Normandy, Lorraine, Alsace and elsewhere.