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Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > Special & elite forces

Relentless Strike - The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command (Paperback): Sean Naylor Relentless Strike - The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command (Paperback)
Sean Naylor 1
R605 R510 Discovery Miles 5 100 Save R95 (16%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days
Roman Standards & Standard-Bearers (1): 112 BC-AD 192 (Paperback): Raffaele Damato Roman Standards & Standard-Bearers (1): 112 BC-AD 192 (Paperback)
Raffaele Damato; Illustrated by Peter Dennis
R448 R362 Discovery Miles 3 620 Save R86 (19%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Roman unit standards played a important role, both ceremonially and on the battlefield. With the armies of the late Roman Republic and early Empire continually engaged on the frontiers, the soldiers selected for the dangerous honour of carrying them were figures of particular renown and splendour.

Standard-bearers wore special armour, with the heads and pelts of animals such as bears, wolves, or even lions draped over their helmets and shoulders. The standards themselves varied greatly, from the legion's Eagle and imperial portrait image to various cohort signa, flags (vexilla) and even dragon 'windsocks' (dracones) copied from barbarian enemies and allies.

This first volume of a two-part series by Roman army expert, Rafaele D'Amato uses detailed colour plates and the latest research to examine these vital cogs in the Roman army machine that drove its soldiers to conquer the known world.

Seal Team Six - Memoirs of an Elite Navy Seal Sniper (Paperback): Howard E. Wasdin, Stephen Templin Seal Team Six - Memoirs of an Elite Navy Seal Sniper (Paperback)
Howard E. Wasdin, Stephen Templin
R605 R524 Discovery Miles 5 240 Save R81 (13%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

When the Navy sends their elite, they send the SEALs. When the SEALs send their elite, they send SEAL Team Six.

In this dramatic, behind-the-scenes chronicle, Howard E. Wasdin takes readers deep inside the world of Navy SEALS and Special Forces snipers, beginning with the grueling selection process of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S)--the toughest and longest military training in the world. After graduating, Wasdin saw combat in Operation Desert Storm as a member of SEAL Team Two. Then the Green Course: the selection process to join the legendary SEAL Team Six--a secret unit tasked with counterterrorism, hostage rescue, and counterinsurgency. As a member of Team Six, sniper school followed and Wasdin became one of the best snipers on the planet.

Soon he was fighting for his life. The mission: capture or kill Somalian warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. From rooftops, helicopters, and alleys, Wasdin hunted Aidid and killed his men whenever possible. But everything went quickly to hell. The Battle of Mogadishu, as it become known, left eighteen American soldiers dead and seventy-three wounded. Wasdin's tale is one of the most thrilling and inspiring military memoirs in years.

Born For War - One SAS Trooper's Extraordinary Account of the Falklands War (Hardcover): Tony Hoare Born For War - One SAS Trooper's Extraordinary Account of the Falklands War (Hardcover)
Tony Hoare
R533 R438 Discovery Miles 4 380 Save R95 (18%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

'Tony is the real deal.' Andy McNab The full, explosive, boots-on-the-ground story of the Falklands War, from a soldier at the heart of the action, published for the 40th anniversary of the conflict. Tony Hoare always knew he wanted to be in the SAS. Both his grandfather and father had been soldiers, and so Tony signed up for the Cadets at 13, then the Infantry at 17 and enlisted into the Royal Green Jackets before passing arduous SAS selection in 1978. Less than four years later, Tony and his team were sent to a collection of islands just off the coast of Argentina called the Falklands, where tensions were rising and war was on the horizon. No amount of training could prepare Tony for what happened over the course of the next twelve weeks, as the Falkland Islands became a battleground between British and Argentinian forces. As helicopters crashed and ships sank, Tony, at the centre of the action, battled across treacherous terrain and against a fearsome enemy, doing whatever it took to retake the islands. From one of the only soldiers who was on the frontline throughout the entire conflict, this is a thrilling account of what really happened in the Falklands, an explosive story of land, sea and air battles from a trooper who saw it all.

British Light Infantry in the American Revolution (Paperback): Robbie MacNiven British Light Infantry in the American Revolution (Paperback)
Robbie MacNiven; Illustrated by Stephen Walsh
R447 R361 Discovery Miles 3 610 Save R86 (19%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

During the Seven Years' War (1755-63), a number of independent light-infantry outfits served under British command and dedicated light companies were added to the British Army's regular infantry battalions. The light companies were disbanded after the war but the prominent role played by light infantry was not forgotten, and in 1771-72 light-infantry companies were reinstated in every regiment in the British Isles. Although William Howe formed a training camp at Salisbury in 1774 specifically to practise light-infantry doctrine, the outbreak of the American Revolution in 1775 found the British Army wanting, and the light companies were no different. After evacuating Boston in March 1776, Howe began to remodel and drill his army at Halifax, standardizing lighter uniform and emphasizing more open-order tactics. He also brigaded his light companies together into composite battalions, which went on to fight in almost every major engagement during the American Revolution. They spearheaded British assaults, using night-time surprise and relying upon the bayonet in engagements such as Paoli and Old Tappan. They also matched their regular and irregular opponents in bush-fighting, and at times fought in far-flung detachments alongside Native American and Loyalist allies on the frontier. Featuring specially commissioned full-colour artwork, this book offers a comprehensive guide to the formation, uniform, equipment, doctrines and tactics of these elite light infantry companies and battalions, and considers how, over the course of the war they developed a fearsome reputation, and exemplified the psychological characteristics exhibited by crack military units across history.

The Shetland 'Bus' (Paperback): Stephen Wynn The Shetland 'Bus' (Paperback)
Stephen Wynn
R460 R375 Discovery Miles 3 750 Save R85 (18%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

The Shetland Bus was not a bus, but the nickname of a special operations group that set up a route across the North Sea between Norway and the Shetland Islands, north-east of mainland Scotland. The first voyage was made by Norwegian sailors to help their compatriots in occupied Norway, but soon the Secret Intelligence Service and the Special Operations Executive asked if they would be prepared to carry cargoes of British agents and equipment, as well. Fourteen boats of different sizes were originally used, and Flemington House in Shetland was commandeered as the operation's HQ. The first official journey was carried out by the Norwegian fishing vessel the Aksel, which left Luna Ness on 30 August 1941 on route to Bremen in Norway. This book examines that first journey, as well later ones, and discusses the agents and operations which members of the Shetland Bus were involved in throughout the war. It also looks at the donation of 3 submarine chasers to the operation, made in October 1943, by the United States Navy. These torpedo-type boats were 110 ft long and very fast, allowing journey times between Shetland and Norway to be greatly reduced and carried out in greater safety. The story of the Shetland Bus would be nothing without the individuals involved, both the sailors of the boats and the agents who were carried between the two countries. These were very brave individuals who helped maintain an important lifeline to the beleaguered Norwegians. It also allowed British and Norwegian agents a way in to Norway so that they could liaise with the Norwegian Underground movement and carry out important missions against the German occupiers.

The SS - A History 1919-1945 (Paperback, New Ed): Robert Lewis Koehl The SS - A History 1919-1945 (Paperback, New Ed)
Robert Lewis Koehl
R400 R329 Discovery Miles 3 290 Save R71 (18%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The SS grew out of Adolf Hitler's and Heinrich Himmler's obsession to prevent the treachery they believed to have caused the German defeat in the First World War. It was to be an elite corps of politically aware soldiers whose primary aim was to prevent the undermining of the Nazi Party by rendering its potential enemies "harmless." This disturbing story reveals not only the inner workings of the SS, but also its paramount role in the mass murder of Europe's Jews, homosexuals, and gypsies; its organization of the death squads throughout occupied Europe; and the military campaigns undertaken by the Waffen SS.

First Casualty - The Untold Story of the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11 (Paperback): Toby Harnden First Casualty - The Untold Story of the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11 (Paperback)
Toby Harnden
R508 R412 Discovery Miles 4 120 Save R96 (19%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days
Black Ops - Secret Military Operations (Hardcover): Nigel West Black Ops - Secret Military Operations (Hardcover)
Nigel West 1
R455 R364 Discovery Miles 3 640 Save R91 (20%) Ships in 5 - 10 working days

Black Ops is a thrilling compendium of undercover warfare from around the world. Here you will meet the most hardened soldiers and operatives facing extraordinary dangers deep behind enemy lines. The book features many amazing stories from World War II, such as the assassination of Holocaust architect Reinhard Heydrich by Britain's Special Operations Executive, which in 1940 received its mission from Churchill to 'set Europe ablaze' in the battle against Nazi tyranny. Also told are the stories of Stalin's favourite spy; the little-known account of how Japanese military codes were cracked; and Operation Mincemeat, which led to the invasion of Sicily. Written by a leading military intelligence expert, Black Ops ranges across a century of remarkable clandestine operations. Starting with Hans Carl Lody, the first German spy during World War I, we also have the plot to assassinate Lenin; the origins of strategic deception; and the Cold War defection of Oleg Gordievsky from the Soviet Union. The book is brought right up to date with the plot to assassinate Osama bin Laden by Navy SEALS in 2011, and the attempted assassination of the Skripals in the UK in 2018, leading to fears that the world is on the brink of a new Cold War. A compelling anthology of spies, soldiers, mercenaries and assassins, Black Ops tells the secret history of 20th- and 21st-century warfare.

Operation Eagle Claw 1980 - The disastrous bid to end the Iran hostage crisis (Paperback): Justin Williamson Operation Eagle Claw 1980 - The disastrous bid to end the Iran hostage crisis (Paperback)
Justin Williamson; Illustrated by Jim Laurier, Johnny Shumate, Alan Gilliland
R424 R344 Discovery Miles 3 440 Save R80 (19%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Following months of negotiations after the seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran on 4 November 1979, President Jimmy Carter ordered the newly formed Delta Force to conduct a raid into Iran to free the hostages. The raid, Operation Eagle Claw, was risky to say the least. US forces would have to fly into the deserts of Iran on C-130s; marry up with carrier-based RH-53D helicopters; fly to hide sites near Tehran; approach the Embassy via trucks; seize the Embassy and rescue the hostages; board the helicopters descending on Tehran; fly to an airbase captured by more US forces; and then fly out on C-141s and to freedom. Unfortunately, and unsurprisingly given the complexity of the mission, things went wrong from the start and when the mission was called off at the refueling site at Desert One, the resulting collision between aircraft killed eight US personnel. This title tells the full story of this tragic operation, supported by maps, photographs, and specially-commissioned bird's-eye-views and battlescenes which reveal the complexity and scale of the proposed rescue and the disaster which followed.

Who Dares Wins - The sequel to BORN FEARLESS, the Sunday Times bestseller (Paperback): Phil Campion Who Dares Wins - The sequel to BORN FEARLESS, the Sunday Times bestseller (Paperback)
Phil Campion
R283 R233 Discovery Miles 2 330 Save R50 (18%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

JOIN SAS LEGEND PHIL CAMPION AS HE SHARES HIS DEEPLY PERSONAL LIFE STORY, WARTS AND ALL In WHO DARES WINS Big Phil Campion reveals his chequered past, from terrible abuse suffered in a string of kids' homes to psychological abuse suffered at a top public school. Phil guides you through his soldiering career, from the so called "green army" to the brutal trial of SAS selection and all that followed. This includes years spent providing private military services across war-torn and risk-laden Africa; in between he was body-guarded the likes of Led Zep, Oasis, Kasabian, Dizzy Rascal and Pro Green. Phil takes you on his gripping, behind-the-scenes adventure acting as a roving reporter for Sky TV in Syria and Northern Iraq, more often than not under fire. Brave, riveting and truly revelatory, WHO DARES WINS is packed full of jaw-dropping stories to quicken the blood, while also telling of the psychological toll a life in conflict took on the author. 'One of the best first-hand accounts of life in combat ever written' Andy McNab on Born Fearless

Alpini: Italian Mountain Troops: 1872 to the Present (Hardcover): Enrico Finazzer Alpini: Italian Mountain Troops: 1872 to the Present (Hardcover)
Enrico Finazzer
R1,160 R870 Discovery Miles 8 700 Save R290 (25%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This is a comprehensive history of Italian mountain troops (the Alpine infantry "Alpini" and the mountain artillery "Artiglieria da Montagna") from the 1870s to the present. The Alpini suffered a crushing defeat to the Ethiopian army at Adwa in 1896. During WWI, the Italian mountain troops fought against Austrian Gebirgsjager high in the Alps. This fighting, known as the war of snow and ice, involved some of the most demanding mountaineering and high-elevation combat of the modern era. Grueling mountain battles continued during the Second World War, and the Alpini remained ready to fight through the Cold War and beyond. The book addresses unit organization and development, missions, and uniforms and equipment from the inception of these units, through both world wars, and to the present. The narrative history of the Alpini is accompanied by more than 300 photographs. This is the first English-language history of this elite troop.

US Army Small Unit Tactics Handbook (Hardcover): Paul D Lefavor US Army Small Unit Tactics Handbook (Hardcover)
Paul D Lefavor
R1,037 Discovery Miles 10 370 Ships in 10 - 15 working days
I Had a Row With a German - A Battle of Britain Casualty (Hardcover): Dilip Sarkar I Had a Row With a German - A Battle of Britain Casualty (Hardcover)
Dilip Sarkar
R624 R512 Discovery Miles 5 120 Save R112 (18%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Thomas Percy Gleave began his RAF career in 1930, three years later becoming a member of the RAF aerobatic team. He joined Bomber Command on 1 January 1939, but at the outbreak of war Gleave requested a return to Fighter Command. He took command of 253 Squadron just in time for the start of the Battle of Britain, acquiring fame for claiming five Messerschmitt Bf 109s in a single day. Tom Gleave, however, is remembered more for the misfortune which befell him on 31 August 1940. On that day he was shot down and badly burned when his Hurricane caught fire. In his memoir Tom Gleave tells of the early days of his encounters with the German aircraft in dramatic detail and, particularly of that dreadful day when he escaped his dying aircraft with severe burns to much of his body and his face. After being taken to Orpington Hospital, Gleave was transferred to Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead where he was one of the first pilots to undergo plastic surgery by Archie, later Sir Archibald, Mclndoe and his brilliant colleague, Percy Jayes. Gleave received leg and facial grafts, and his nose was reconstructed. The Guinea Pig Club was formed at Queen Victoria Hospital on 20 July 1941, with Mclndoe as President and Gleave as Vice-President and a Founder Member, being the club's first and only Chief Guinea Pig until his death in 1993. Originally written in 1941, this moving and graphic story is not one of despair but of overcoming adversity with cheerful determination not to allow circumstances of the past to determine the future. For, despite his terrible wounds, Tom Cleave returned to duty, becoming station commander of RAF Northolt and later RAF Manston. Above all, I Had a Row With a German is a ripping yarn of the cut and thrust of the Battle of Britain by one of Churchill's memorable Few'.

Mad Dog Killers - The Story of a Congo Mercenary (Paperback): Ivan Smith Mad Dog Killers - The Story of a Congo Mercenary (Paperback)
Ivan Smith
R189 R148 Discovery Miles 1 480 Save R41 (22%) Ships in 5 - 10 working days

During that long hot summer of 1964, Ivan Smith, a Mercenary volunteering the Arm'ee Nationale congolais, came to witness and understand fear, the law of the jungle and the lust for killing that permeates Africa. A member of 'Mad Mike' Hoare's 5 Commando group, he and his companions were nominally soliders but there was little in the way of campaigns, tactics and discipline. Of conventional warfare there was none. Loyalty to country or unit did not exist and fear of death was the only commander. Many more mercenaries died from an accidental discharge, in a drunken shoot-out or from a bullet in the back than were ever killed in action by Simba rebels. Nearly half a century later, Ivan Smith re-lives the nightmare that was the Congo.

The Truth About Truman School (Paperback): Dori Butler The Truth About Truman School (Paperback)
Dori Butler
R240 R200 Discovery Miles 2 000 Save R40 (17%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

When Zebby and Amr create the website thetruthabouttruman.com, they want it to be honest. They want it to be about the real Truman Middle School, to say things that the school newspaper would never say, and to give everyone a chance to say what they want to say, too. But given the chance, some people will say anythingaanything to hurt someone else. And when rumors about one popular student escalate to cruel new levels, it's clear the truth about Truman School is more harrowing than anyone ever imagined.

Leave No Man Behind - The Untold Story of the Rangers' Unrelenting Search for Marcus Luttrell, the Navy SEAL Lone Survivor... Leave No Man Behind - The Untold Story of the Rangers' Unrelenting Search for Marcus Luttrell, the Navy SEAL Lone Survivor in Afghanistan (Paperback)
Tony Brooks, Bob Welch
R503 R418 Discovery Miles 4 180 Save R85 (17%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

A story of courage, perseverance, and patriotism behind the 75th Ranger Regiment's rescue mission following one of the deadliest Special Ops incidents in Afghanistan-a grueling search for twelve Navy SEAL casualties and eight downed Night Stalkers . . . but just one lone survivor On June 28th, 2005, a four-man Navy SEAL reconnaissance team under Operation Red Wings was ambushed in northeastern Afghanistan-as depicted in the book and film Lone Survivor. A quick reaction force was dispatched. Turbine 33, carrying eight Navy SEALs and eight members of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, was struck by a rocket propelled grenade-careening the dual rotor Chinook toward the rugged peak of Sawtalo Sar. The result was the single deadliest incident in Special Operations history at the time. Commanders called on the largest element of US Special Forces, the 75th Ranger Regiment. The rescue mission: Operation Red Wings II. Author Tony Brooks gives a first-hand account of the daring recovery of Turbine 33 and the subsequent search for the remaining compromised Navy SEAL recon team-one of whom was Marcus Luttrell, the lone survivor. The Rangers were up against lack of intel, treacherous terrain, violent weather, and an enemy that was raised to fight. Tony Brooks lived-and many of his fellow Rangers died-by the axiom, "Leave No Man Behind." He is the first to tell the story other books and films have omitted, one of overcoming overwhelming odds to accomplish a mission: to bring every American soldier home.

Forgotten Heroes of the Battle of Britain (Hardcover): Dilip Sarkar Forgotten Heroes of the Battle of Britain (Hardcover)
Dilip Sarkar
R789 R651 Discovery Miles 6 510 Save R138 (17%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Lasting sixteen weeks during the momentous year of 1940, the Battle of Britain ended with the Luftwaffe having failed to achieve the decisive victory that Hitler had demanded. Whilst the technical details of the aircraft and weapons involved are, of course, crucial to our understanding of the events that summer, the Battle was fought by human beings - and it is that human experience and contribution, to this author, is the most important thing to acknowledge, record and share. Nearly 3,000 Fighter Command aircrew fought in the Battle of Britain, immortalised by Churchill as The Few'. Of these, 544 lost their lives that blood-stained summer, and 700 more would die before the Second World War ended - a victory very likely impossible had The Few not held out in 1940. The names of some of these young men, aces such as Douglas Bader, Sailor' Malan and Eric Lock, were well-known to the free world at the time - and certainly the legless Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader remains, even today, the best-known British fighter pilot of the war. However, the vast majority of The Few remained anonymous, owing partially to Air Ministry policy and equally a desire to play down their august achievements. Since the Second World War, the memoirs of a number of the Few have been published, privately and commercially, and books have been written about others. The record is a rich legacy, overall - and yet, if we investigate the Battle of Britain further, we find many forgotten heroes, no less-deserving of recognition. This book, therefore, seeks to explore the lives and contribution made by certain of these men, to give currency back to their brave deeds. In truth, the list of deserving subjects is virtually endless; those included in this book are individuals whose stories have crossed the author's path at some stage during his long career - and which he feels are truly Forgotten Heroes'. Clearly, then the list is not definitive, and could never be, but these men at least now have their stories told.

Marine Air-Ground Task Force - The Pinnace of Combined Arms Warfare (Paperback): Nick Tran Marine Air-Ground Task Force - The Pinnace of Combined Arms Warfare (Paperback)
Nick Tran
R538 R435 Discovery Miles 4 350 Save R103 (19%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days
Bomber Squadron - Men Who Flew with XV Squadron (Hardcover): Martyn R.Ford- Jones Bomber Squadron - Men Who Flew with XV Squadron (Hardcover)
Martyn R.Ford- Jones
R774 R637 Discovery Miles 6 370 Save R137 (18%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

During the Second World War, thousands of young men volunteered for service with the Royal Air Force. Some of these became fighter pilots, but a great many more were destined to be trained as members of bomber aircrew; pilots, navigators, wireless operators, bomb aimers, air gunners and flight engineers. On completion of their training a number of these men were posted to XV Squadron, a highly regarded frontline bomb squadron which had been formed during the First World War. Bomber Squadron -Men Who Flew with XV relates the personal stories of a small number of these men, giving an insight to their anxious moments when flying on operational sorties, staring death in the face in the form of enemy night-fighters and ground fire, and relaxing with them during their off-duty hours. The book also reveals the motivations, emotions and personal attitudes of these men, who flew into combat on an almost nightly basis. Their stories encompass the whole six years of the war, over which period XV Squadron flew a range of different bomber aircraft including Fairey Battles, Bristol Blenheims, Vickers Wellingtons, Short Stirlings and Avro Lancasters.

Helmet for my Pillow - The World War Two Pacific Classic (Paperback): Robert Leckie Helmet for my Pillow - The World War Two Pacific Classic (Paperback)
Robert Leckie 1
R392 R318 Discovery Miles 3 180 Save R74 (19%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

The inspiration behind the HBO series THE PACIFIC Here is one of the most riveting first-person accounts to ever come out of World War 2. Robert Leckie was 21 when he enlisted in the US Marine Corps in January 1942. In Helmet for My Pillow we follow his journey, from boot camp on Parris Island, South Carolina, all the way to the raging battles in the Pacific, where some of the war's fiercest fighting took place. Recounting his service with the 1st Marine Division and the brutal action on Guadalcanal, New Britain and Peleliu, Leckie spares no detail of the horrors and sacrifice of war, painting an unsentimental portrait of how real warriors are made, fight, and all too often die in the defence of their country. From the live-for-today rowdiness of Marines on leave to the terrors of jungle warfare against an enemy determined to fight to the last man, Leckie describes what it's really like when victory can only be measured inch by bloody inch. Unparalleled in its immediacy and accuracy, Helmet for My Pillow tells the gripping true story of an ordinary soldier fighting in extraordinary conditions. This is a book that brings you as close to the mud, the blood, and the experience of war as it is safe to come. 'Helmet for My Pillow is a grand and epic prose poem. Robert Leckie's theme is the purely human experience of war in the Pacific, written in the graceful imagery of a human being who - somehow - survived' Tom Hanks

Special Forces Berlin - Clandestine Cold War Operations of the Us Army's Elite, 1956-1990 (Hardcover): James Stejskal Special Forces Berlin - Clandestine Cold War Operations of the Us Army's Elite, 1956-1990 (Hardcover)
James Stejskal 1
R772 R612 Discovery Miles 6 120 Save R160 (21%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

It is a little-known fact that during the Cold War, two U.S. Army Special Forces detachments were stationed far behind the Iron Curtain in West Berlin. The existence and missions of the two detachments were highly classified secrets. The massive armies of the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies posed a huge threat to the nations of Western Europe. US military planners decided they needed a plan to slow the juggernaut they expected when and if a war began. The plan was Special Forces Berlin. The first 40 men who came to Berlin in mid-1956 were soon reinforced by 60 more and these 100 soldiers (and their successors) would stand ready to go to war at only two hours' notice, in a hostile area occupied by nearly one million Warsaw Pact forces, until 1990. Their mission should hostilities commence was to wreak havoc behind enemy lines, and buy time for vastly outnumbered NATO forces to conduct a breakout from the city. In reality it was an ambitious and extremely dangerous mission, even suicidal. Highly trained and fluent in German, each man was allocated a specific area. They were skilled in clandestine operations, sabotage, intelligence tradecraft and able to act if necessary as independent operators, blending into the local population and working unseen in a city awash with spies looking for information on their every move. Special Forces Berlin was a one of a kind unit that had no parallel. It left a legacy of a new type of soldier expert in unconventional warfare, one that was sought after for other deployments including the attempted rescue of American hostages from Tehran in 1979. With the U.S. government officially acknowledging their existence in 2014, their incredible story can now be told.

The Death Company (Paperback): Cristoforo Baseggio The Death Company (Paperback)
Cristoforo Baseggio; Translated by Gabriele Costarella
R591 Discovery Miles 5 910 Ships in 10 - 15 working days
Combat Vehicles of Russia's Special Forces - Spetsnaz, airborne, Arctic and interior troops (Paperback): Mark Galeotti Combat Vehicles of Russia's Special Forces - Spetsnaz, airborne, Arctic and interior troops (Paperback)
Mark Galeotti; Illustrated by Adam Hook
R358 R290 Discovery Miles 2 900 Save R68 (19%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Elite forces need elite vehicles. As Vladimir Putin has devoted effort and funds into modernising Russia's armed forces and turning them into an instrument geared not just for defending the Motherland but also projecting power beyond its borders, Russia has seen a growing emphasis on special and specialist forces. Traditionally, the elite Spetsnaz commandos had to make do with regular vehicles or civilian-based 'technicals', not least to conceal their presence (or, indeed, very existence). Now, increasingly at the forefront of Russian power projection, the Spetsnaz are acquiring more capable, versatile vehicles, such as the paratroopers' BTR-D personnel carrier, and also experimenting with exotic, specialist new acquisitions, such as the Chaborz M-3 buggy and Yamaha Grizzly all-terrain vehicle. The other elite branches of Russia's forces, such as the Arctic-warfare troops of the 200th Independent Motor Rifle Brigade, the paratroopers of the Air Assault Troops (VDV), the Naval Infantry, and the elite units of the security forces are also developing and fielding new vehicles for their specialist roles, from combat snowmobiles to urban-warfare vehicles. From highly-mobile LMVs able to operate in the deserts of Syria or the streets of Ukraine, through dedicated fire-support vehicles such as the air-droppable Sprut-SD or the massive BMPT 'Terminator', to amphibious tanks and drone-equipped security trucks, these are the workhorses of Russia's special forces. This study explores all these combat vehicles in detail, combining expert analysis from Russia expert Mark Galeotti with highly accurate full-colour illustrations and photographs.

Counterinsurgency - Theory and Reality (Hardcover): Daniel Whittingham, Stuart Mitchell Counterinsurgency - Theory and Reality (Hardcover)
Daniel Whittingham, Stuart Mitchell
R480 Discovery Miles 4 800 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Counterinsurgency is defined as efforts to defeat and confine a rebellion against a constituted authority. While it has become a buzz-word in the last twenty years, it is as old as society itself. This concise history discusses the development of modern counterinsurgency over the last two hundred years, beginning with the origins of modern insurgency from the concept of 'small wars' and colonial warfare, through the ideas of early insurgents including Clausewitz and the theories of Lawrence of Arabia, to the methods of 20th-century insurgents, including Mao and Che Guevara. It then examines a number of post-1945 insurgencies and how western armies have tried to counter them, in particular how the French tried to counter insurgencies in Indochina and Algeria, and then the US in Vietnam, and the reaction to the American experience there. This is compared with the British approach in the years after World War II, particularly in Malaya, but also in Kenya and Northern Ireland. Against that backdrop there is an examination of counterinsurgency in Afghanistan and Iraq, the rise of COIN literature, and the subsequent backlash against that literature. The book concludes with a discussion on the future of COIN.

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