"Pinned down in a ditch next to the vehicles, they returned the fire with three M-I rifles, two carbines, and a submachine gun. . . . The enemy was using . . . several automatic weapons . . . and after about five minutes . . . began to flank the cars to the left. . . ." These words may seem to have been written by an advance infantry unit or a combat brigade, carrying out an assault against entrenched enemy troops. Instead, this hair-raising narrative comes from the diary of "B" Company of the 1303 Engineer General Service Regiment, a "non-combat" unit attached to Patton's Third Army during his epic pursuit of the retreating German forces across France during August, 1944. Though the 1303 (called "the thirteen-third" by its soldiers) was supposed to perform its duties outside the zone of armed conflict, these men found themselves acting as the southern flank of Patton's rapid advance. More than once, they had to re-build bridges the Germans had hastily destroyed in order to permit the continued advance of American troops--often doing so under enemy fire. Twice they were called upon to deploy as infantry in holding back German attacks. Careful editing and annotation by military historian Joseph C. Firzharris corrects occasional lapses in the diary, clarifies references, and provides important context for following the movements and understanding the importance of Company B, the 1303, and its sister regiments. Patton's Fighting Bridge Builders rewards its readers with a new understanding of both the messiness and the bravery of the Second World War.

From the D-Day landings in June 1944 to the final declaration of peace the following year the Allied forces fought a bitter battle to the end against Hitler's Nazi Germany. Sean Longden re-tells the unexpected true story of life among the ranks of Field Marshall Montgomery's 21st Army group and reveals a tale of sex, burglary, rape, pillage and alcohol. Uncovering new material from interviews, documents and personal accounts, Sean Longden recounts what really happened on the road to Berlin. 'A meticulously-researched, utterly absorbing account of the human story behind the battle to crush Hitler's forces.' Yorkshire Post 'From D-Day to VE Day, historian Sean Longden reveals the sex 'n' rock 'n' drugs 'n' rock 'n' roll of soldiering' The Times

The story of an Ohio regiment in the Civil War Originally published in 1902 by Henry O. Harden's newspaper publishing company, History of the 90th Ohio Volunteer Infantry tells its story through the soldiers' personal letters, diary entries, and memoirs. Formed in response to Confederate maneuvers in Kentucky in 1862, this regiment was comprised of men from Fairfield, Fayette, Hocking, Perry, Pickaway, and Vinton counties. They served in the Civil War from 1862 to 1865 and spent much of their time in Tennessee bravely participating in such battles as Stones River, Tullahoma, Chickamauga, Resaca, Kennesaw Mountain, Atlanta, Franklin, and Nashville. History of the 90th Ohio Volunteer Infantry contains the memories and voices of the men who served in this unit. Asked to reflect on their experiences nearly 40 years after their service, these men recalled the miles they marched, the friends they made and lost, the hardships they suffered, the fear they felt, and the jokes they enjoyed. Harden covers the entire life of this regiment, from the formation and early days to the fate of every member at the close of the war. With its primary-source descriptions of battles, miscellaneous stories and poetry, and listing of every member and his fate, this book will be welcomed by those interested in the Civil War and the role Ohio played in it.

The origin of the Western military tradition in Greece 750-362 BC is fraught with controversies, such as the date and nature of the phalanx, the role of agricultural destruction and the existence of rules and ritualistic practices. This volume collects papers significant for specific points in debates or theoretical value in shaping and critiquing controversial viewpoints. An introduction offers a critical analysis of recent trends in ancient military history and provides a bibliographical essay contextualizing the papers within the framework of debates with a guide to further reading.

This book provides a photographic history of one of England's oldest un-amalgamated Country Regiments. Formed in 1689 the Regiment served widely at home and around the world in India, the Far East, the Mediterranean, North America, the Caribbean and Antarctica. Beginning in 1858, it highlights Victorian and Edwardian service in Malta, New Brunswick, Burma and India. During the First World War, the Regiment, greatly expanded to thirty-eight Battalions, serving throughout the war on the Western Front and at various times in the Mediterranean, Gallipoli, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Salonika and Macedonia. In the inter-war years the Regiment served at home and overseas in India, Palestine and Malta. During the Second World War the Cheshire's served in France during 1940, in Malta, North Africa, the Middle East in PAI Force and in North West Europe from June 1944 until the end of the war. Post-war service included Palestine, Egypt, Malaysia, Cyprus with the UN, Germany, Ireland, Belize and Hong Kong. The 200 photographs contained in this book are drawn from the regimental archives and highlight the diverse activities and places associated with the Cheshire Regiment over the past 150 years during times of peace and war. Dr Ronald Barr is a senior lecturer in history at Chester College and is Director of the College's Military Studies programme which is taught at the Cheshire Military Museum. He has a long-standing interest in military history and his previous works include: The Progressive Army: US Army Command and Administration.

The 92nd Infantry (""Buffalo"") Division was the last segregated (all-black) U.S. Army division and the only black division to fight in World War II in Europe. The few media references to the division have reflected generally unfavorable contemporary evaluations by white commanders. The present work reflects an analysis of numerous records and interviews that refute the negative impressions and demonstrate that these 13,500 soldiers gained their share of victories under hardships no others were expected to meet. The photographs are on 16 pages of special, high-quality, glossy plates.

The Scots Guards can trace their history back to 1642 when the regiment was raised as the King's Lifeguard of Foot by the Marquis of Argyll. From those early beginnings the Scots Guards have played a pivotal role in the history of the British Army. They fought on many different battlefields, from the Battle of Namurin to Waterloo. Going through various name changes the regiment became known as the Scots Guards in 1877, and fought at Telel Kebir in 1882, Mahdi in 1885 and the Boer War. At the First Battle of Ypres the regiment lost three quarters of its strength and won five VCs on the Western Front. In the Second World War Scots Guards fought in Norway, North Africa, Italy and from Normandy to the Baltic. Post-war the regiment has fought in Malaya, Suez, Borneo and in the Falklands. Its history is one of perseverance, of great bravery and of privation in time of war. Its troops have served Britain for five centuries, which is a record few can match. Within the pages of The Scots Guards are over 200 images of the regiment and its men at their best, in battle and in play, and the images and accompanying text are a unique record of a unique regiment.

For generations, the county of Shropshire has maintained a range of volunteer military units - infantry, cavalry, artillery, medical and the rest - which have served effectively and loyally in peacetime and in war. In times of national emergency, their numbers have been swelled by the creation if new military formations, raised purely to meet the crisis of war and which, their duty done, have ceased to exist. This book (a companion to The King's Shropshire Light Infantry 1881 - 1968 in the Images of England series), presents a selection of photographs of these 'part-time' soldiers of Shropshire between peacetime and through two World Wars, on ceremonial duty, on active service and in training. The photographs follow the story of the Shropshire Yeomanry, the local Militia, the Rifle Volunteers, the Territorial Army and the Shropshire Royal Horse Artillery from the 1870s towards the present day, with additional glances at other short-lived or war-raised units which were called into existence as need demanded. As with other countries, Shropshire has fought hard to maintain its military connections and to preserve and enhance their fine reputation. It is hoped that the publication of these photographs will be a reminder of that proud heritage and be of general interest to military historians and to veterans and families of those who served their country. PETER DUCKERS is Curator of the Shropshire Regimental Museum in Shrewsbury Castle.

This unique photographic history of the Dorsetshire Regiment conveys the history and spirit of a county regiment which was raised in 1702 and continued its service until amalgamation with the Devons in 1958. With over 200 photographs taken from the regimental archives in the Keep Military Museum in Dorchester, the book illustrates the regiment's service around the world in war and peace, showing the gallant action of both regular, volunteer and territorial forces. The author has constructed a book that will provide a nostalgic look at the recent past, as well as tracing the regiment's more distant history. This endearing collection provides an unparalleled insight into the Dorsetshires and gives a glimpse of many of the men who served with the regiment not only on campaign but also in providing garrisons for the Empire. Most of these photographs are in print for the first time ans will provide nostalgic pleasure for many.

This intriguing collection of around 200 photographs illustrates the distinguished service of a South Wales regiment which can be traced back to the early eighteenth century and which had close links to the Royal Hospital, Chelsea. It illustrates the history of the 1st and 2nd Battalions, The Welsh Regiment, formed from the 41st (The Welch) Regiment of Infantry and the 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment, which saw worldwide service in the days of the Empire and beyond. Supported at home, until 1908, by one Militia Battalion and four Volunteer Battalions, and after 1908 by four Territorial Battalions, the Regiment could truly be described as the indigenous infantry of south and south-west Wales. The book also traces the expanded Regiment which participated valiantly in the First World War. Officially renamed the The Welch Regiment in 1920, restoring the old English spelling, the Regiment continued to add to its outstanding record of service. During the Second World War Battalions fought in North Africa, Crete, Sicily, Italy, the North West Frontier as well as with the 14th Army in Burma. In 1948, the 2nd Battalion was disbanded, but the 1st went on to service in Korea, on the Rhine, North Africa and Hong Kong, interspersed with peaceful interludes in the United Kingdom. However, in 1969, the 1st Battalion, The Welch Regiment, amalgamated with the 1st Battalion, The South Wales Borderers, to form the 1st Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Wales, thus bringing to a close two and half centuries of loyal independent service. This collection, taken from the regimental archives and for the most part unpublished, presents a stunning pictorial history of the Regiment's achievements, showing their gallant service all over the world.

This book shows the illustrious history of the York and Lancaster Regiment, or the 'young and lovelies' (one of their numerous nicknames), and illustrates the regiment's service around the globe. It shows the regiment its earliest days in the 65th and 86th Regiments of Foot when they saw action in Guadeloupe, Martinique and Havana in the Seven Years War, as early as 1752 and the 65th and in East India as the 85th to amalgamation due to Cardwell's military reforms in 1881, to disbandment in 1968. With over 200 photographs from the regimental archives in the York and Lancaster Museum in Rotherham, the book illustrates the regiment's service around the world in war and peace, showing the gallant action of both regular, volunteer and territorial forces. The author has constructed a book that will provide old and new soldiers with a nostalgic look at the recent past, as well as tracing the regiment's more distant history. This endearing collection provides an unparalleled insight into the York and Lancaster Regiment and gives a glimpse at many of the men who served with the regiment both at work and leisure. Most of these photographs are in print for the first time and will provide nostalgic pleasure for many.

A large format, color volume on Fredericks cavalry regiments. All currasier, dragoon and hussar regiments are illustrated with two color pages for each regiment, and informative text including the history of each formation to their dissolution.

The most famous field and garrison regiments of Fredericks army documented in a splendid large volume. Impressive color illustrations and informative text. Regimental chronicles, lists of regimental commanders etc.

This fascinating illustrated regimental history contains photographs taken over a period of 11 years. During this time the Regiment served in most parts of the Empire including areas as diverse as India and Burma, South Africa and Norway, Kenya and Brunei. The Regiment, the 51st Foot, was raised in Leeds in 1755 and is one of the six Minden Regiments where, at the Battle of Minden (1759), British infantry beat off and drove back three waves of attacking French cavalry. In 1881 the 51st King's Own Light Infantry was coupled with the 105th Madras European Light Infantry to form the 1st and 2nd Battalions, respectively, of the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. In 1927, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, was appointed Colonel-in-Chief. The recruiting area was mainly the industrial West Riding, South and North Yorkshire. The Regiment has a distinguished record and was involved in most of the great conflicts of the past 250 years. With 226 photographs from the Regiment's own archive at the Regimental Museum (housed within the Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Museum), as well as images from the Imperial War Museum, the National Archive of Canada, newspapers, the regimental journal, The Bugle, and former officers and men of the Regiment, this volume provides an interesting pictorial insight into the history of the Regiment.

Military historians have often regarded the roll of the Italian military as somewhat "bi-polar." During the First World War, Italy sided with the Allies including Britain, France, Russia and the U.S. against Germany and the Central Powers. During the Second World War it signed on as a member of the Tri-Partite powers joining Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. The legacy of the latter often presents a less than positive appraisal of the Italian soldier's performance... one espoused both by its enemies and allies. However a positive consensus appears when focusing on the Bersaglieri... translating as "sharp shooter"... and acting as shock troops often leading both assaults and defences. As "The Tip of the Spear" they would thus pay the price during the Italian Wars of Unification, the early colonial forays into Africa, WWI, the Ethiopian War and lastly WWII with much Bersaglieri blood soaked up by European soil as well as the burning sands of Africa and frozen in the vastness of Russia. Over 300 images including rare unpublished photographs chronicle Italy's elite "Plumed Warriors."

This historical account covers the 25th Regiment North Carolina Infantry Troops during the Civil War. Farmers and farmers' sons left their mountain homesteads to enlist with the regiment at Asheville in July and August 1861 and to defend their homeland from a Yankee invasion. The book chronicles the unit's defensive activities in the Carolina coastal regions and the battlefield actions at Seven Days, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Plymouth, Richmond and Petersburg. In addition, casualty and desertion statistics are included, along with a complete regimental roster and 118 photos, illustrations, and maps.

At the beginning of the Great War, assault units did not exist. If one was to compare the Caslow assault detachment (Sturmabteilung Caslow) with the Rohr assault detachment then battalion (Sturmbattalion) which succeeded it, it is easy to maintain that the former - an experimental detachment - gave rise a year later to the latter, a remarkable combat and training unit. The book supplements existing works on the subject of the Sturmbatallion Nr 5 (Rohr) and offers among other things an exceptional number of illustrations in a small format, which has never previously been available. Indeed, it allows a closer look at this assault unit, showing different aspects over a period of about three years. The text is drawn from the account written by Schwerin and a number of other sources. It particularly studies the circumstances in which the unit's fighting took place.

This is a comprehensive record of the 761st Tank Battalion, the first African American armored unit to enter combat. Assigned at various times to the Third, Seventh and Ninth armies, the ""Black Panthers"" fought major engagements in six European countries and participated in four major Allied campaigns, inflicting 130,000 casualties on the German army and capturing or destroying thousands of weapons, despite severe weather, difficult terrain, heavily fortified enemy positions, extreme shortages of replacement personnel and equipment, and an overall casualty rate approaching 50 percent. Richly illustrated and containing many interviews with surviving members of the 761st, this work gives long overdue recognition to the unit whose motto was ""Come Out Fighting."" It recounts the events that in 1978-33 years after the end of World War II - led to the 761st Tank Battalion's receiving a Presidential Unit Citation, the highest honor a unit can receive. Also described are the efforts that resulted, in 1997-53 years after giving his life on the battlefield - in the Medal of Honor being posthumously awarded to Sergeant Ruben Rivers.

In a debate in the Senate on July 9, 1866, contemplating the formation of a black infantry regiment, some senators observed that "if it was a privilege to serve in the Army, the colored troops had earned the privilege by their gallantry, and that if it was a duty, they should not be allowed to shirk it." Indeed, black soldiers had been serving since the Revolutionary War, but now, for the first time, they became part of the regular army, enjoying the same privileges, performing the same duties, and facing the same tedium and occasional danger that were every soldier's lot, but with the added burden of the intense racism of the time. Buffalo Soldier Regiment offers a detailed record of the service, exploits, travels, and traditions of one of these units, the "grand old Twenty-fifth."

Drawing on a wealth of official records, reports, and personal recollections, this book reconstructs the experiences of the Twenty-fifth Regiment from its formation in 1869 through its service in the border town of Nogales, Arizona, in 1926. Following the troops as they move all over the country, we see the soldiers engaged in scouting, escort and guard duty, and road building; skirmishing with Indians; quelling labor riots; fighting forest fires; and even campaigning in Cuba and the Philippines. From its moments of drama to its depictions of garrison life and accounts of the regiment's Bicycle Corps and baseball team, this volume preserves a vital part of America's complex history.

The 12th Virginia has an amazing history. John Wilkes Booth stood in the ranks of one of its future companies at John Brown's hanging. The regiment refused to have Stonewall Jackson appointed its first colonel. Its men first saw combat in naval battles, including Hampton Roads and First Drewry's Bluff, before embarrassing themselves at Seven Pines-their first land battle-just outside Richmond. Thereafter, the 12th's record is one of hard-fighting from the Seven Days' Battles all the way to Appomattox. Its remarkable story is told here in full for the first time in John Horn's The Petersburg Regiment in the Civil War: A History of the 12th Virginia Infantry from John Brown's Hanging to Appomattox, 1859-1865. The Virginians of the 12th found themselves in some of the most pivotal battles of the war under Generals William Mahone and later, David Weisiger. After distinguishing themselves at Second Manassas, they were hit hard at Crampton's Gap in the South Mountain fighting and were only able to field 25 men three days later at Sharpsburg. Good service at Chancellorsville followed. Its Gettysburg performance, however, tied to General Mahone's mysterious behavior there, remains controversial. The Virginians played a key role in Longstreet's flank attack at the Wilderness as well as in his near-fatal wounding, launched a bayonet charge at Spotsylvania, and captured their first enemy flag. The regiment truly came into its own during the nine-month siege of Petersburg, where it fought in a host of bloody battles including the Crater, Jerusalem Plank Road, Globe Tavern, Second Reams Station, Burgess Mill, and Hatcher's Run. Two days before the surrender at Appomattox the regiment fought in the rear guard action at Cumberland Church-General Lee's final victory of the war. Horn's definitive history is grounded in decades of archival research that uncovered scores of previously unused accounts. The result is a lively, driving, up-tempo regimental history that not only describes the unit's marches and battles, but includes personal glimpses into the lives of the Virginians who made up the 12th regiment. Tables compare the 12th's fighting prowess with friend and foe, and an appendix resolves the lingering controversy over the fate of the regiment's last battle flag. With thirty-two original maps, numerous photos, diagrams, tables, and appendices, a glossary, and many explanatory footnotes, The Petersburg Regiment in the Civil War will long be hailed as one of the finest regimental histories ever penned.

It was November 1806. The explorers had gone without food for one day, then two. Their leader, not yet thirty, drove on, determined to ascend the great mountain. Waist deep in snow, he reluctantly turned back. But Zebulon Pike had not been defeated. His name remained on the unclimbed peak-and new adventures lay ahead of him and his republic. In Citizen Explorer, historian Jared Orsi provides the first modern biography of this soldier and explorer, who rivaled contemporaries Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Born in 1779, Pike joined the army and served in frontier posts in the Ohio River valley before embarking on a series of astonishing expeditions. He sought the headwaters of the Mississippi and later the sources of the Arkansas and Red Rivers, which led him to Pike's Peak and capture by Spanish forces. Along the way, he met Aaron Burr and General James Wilkinson; Auguste and Pierre Couteau, patriarchs of St. Louis's most powerful fur-trading family, who sought to make themselves indispensible to Jefferson's administration; as well as British fur-traders, Native Americans, and officers of the Spanish empire, all of whom resisted the expansion of the United States. Through Pike's life, Orsi examines how American nationalism thinned as it stretched west, from the Jeffersonian idealism on the Atlantic to a practical, materialist sensibility on the frontier. Surveying and gathering data, Pike sought to incorporate these distant territories into the republic, to overlay the west with the American map grid; yet he became increasingly dependent for survival on people who had no attachment to the nation he served. He eventually died in that service, in a victorious battle in the War of 1812. Written from an environmental perspective, rich in cultural and political context, Citizen Explorer is a state-of-the-art biography of a remarkable man.

Stirring accounts of the almost legendary campaigns of the United States Fourth Armored Division, universally recognized as ""Patton's Best,"" from its pre-World War II origins up through its famous relief of the 101st Airborne Division during the Battle of the Bulge are presented in this book. The break out of Normandy at Avranches, the isolation of the Brittany peninsula, the armored thrust across France, the tank battles at Arracourt that cemented the reputation of the Fourth Armored, the brutal struggle in Lorraine, and, ultimately, the legendary drive to Bastogne are among the topics. The accounts were assembled through the use of original unit combat diaries and after-action reports, memoirs of key historical figures and abundant supplementary documents and correspondences. But the essence of the book are the first-hand recollections from members of the division gathered by the author. It comes with maps, drawings and photographs.

Commanded by the controversial Major-General Ivo Thomas, the 43rd (Wessex) Division was branded the Fighting Yellow Devils' out of respect by its Wehrmacht and Waffen SS opponents. The 43rd's distinctive divisional badge of a golden Wyvern - half-serpent half-dragon - was to be seen in all the ferocious battles in Normandy, the Low Countries and Germany between June 1944 and May 1945. They suffered 12,500 casualties including 3,000 killed in action. The 43rd had its roots firmly in the West of England, drawing its infantry battalions from the county regiments of Cornwall, Dorset, Hampshire, Somerset, Wiltshire and Worcester, with occasional reinforcements during the Normandy campaign by 'foreign' regiments from Berkshire, Essex and other counties. This book tells the story of the division's campaign in Northwest Europe, from Normandy to Bremerhaven, in the words of the soldiers who actually fought with it: privates, sergeants and young company commanders, all have their individual tales to tell. Here are first-hand accounts of the landings on the shores of Normandy; the battles for the River Odon, Hill 112, Maltot and Mont Pincon; the break-out to the River Seine and the forcing of the vital bridgehead at Vernon; the only infantry division to make a single-handed attempt to relieve Arnhem - a gallant and costly failure; the clearance of the Roer triangle (Operation Blackcock) and the Reichswald (Operation Veritable); the crossing of the River Rhine and the advance northwards to take the port of Bremen; and the final triumphant advance to the Cuxhaven peninsula northwest of Hamburg.

_The Leeds Rifles_ is a detailed chronicle of the four Battalions of Riflemen who left Leeds for the Western Front. In 1914, just as now, they were more numerous and less fashionable than the City Battalion, The Pals and their full war time story has never been told. This volume describes their volunteer origins and how they came to be woven into the social fabric of Leeds from where they drew their enduring esprit de corps, discipline and resolve. It takes the reader on a journey across the Western Front contrasting the First Line Battalions lot, to stand in the mud of Ypres and endure all without breaking with the Second Line Battalions blooding at Bullecourt and transformation as part of an elite assault Division that went on to occupy Germany. It s told in part, by those who were there and experienced the fear, elation and the sadness of loss and who took strength from their Volunteer ethos and their common origins in Leeds. All the Leeds Rifles main battles are described in detail as are the helter-skelter actions of the Last 100 Days of mobile warfare and escalating casualties, when the defeated but still defiant German Army found itself in full and final retreat. Follow the fortunes of these enfants de Yorkshire , these Leeds Lads as they speak out from the pages of history with a very familiar accent.

A history of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry