A beautifully illustrated history of the iconic ocean-going gunboats of British 'gunboat diplomacy', the hundreds of little warships that for 50 years demonstrated the power of the Royal Navy worldwide, and which maintained and enforced the rule of the British Empire at its peak. In recent years the phrase 'gunboat diplomacy' has been used to describe the crude use of naval power to bully or coerce a weaker nation. During the reign of Queen Victoria, 'gunboat diplomacy' was viewed very differently. It was the use of a very limited naval force to encourage global stability and to protect British overseas trade. This very subtle use of naval power was a vital cornerstone of the Pax Britannica. Between the Crimean War (1854-56) and 1904, when the gunboat era came to an abrupt end, the Royal Navy's ocean-going gunboats underpinned Britain's position as a global power and fulfilled the country's role as a 'global policeman'. Created during the Crimean War, these gunboats first saw action in China. However, they were also used to hunt down pirates in the coasts and rivers of Borneo and Malaya, to quell insurrections and revolts in the Caribbean or hunt slavers off the African coast. The first gunboats were designed for service in the Crimean War, but during the 1860s a new generation of ships began entering service - vessels designed specifically to fulfill this global policing role. Better-designed gunboats followed, but by the 1880s, the need for them was waning . The axe finally fell in 1904 when Admiral 'Jackie' Fisher brought the gunboat era to an end in order to help fund the new age of the dreadnought. This exciting New Vanguard title describes the rise and fall of the gunboat, the appearance and capability of these vital warships, and what life was like on board. It also examines key actions they were involved in.

This fully illustrated volume compares two of the most iconic AFV's: the SU-152/ISU-152 and the Tiger, used on the Eastern Front during World War II. On the Eastern Front in 1943, the Tiger-equipped heavy Panzer battalions gave German armoured divisions an unmatched capability that cost the Red Army dearly. The Tiger's 88mm gun had the potential to carve through Soviet defences in the attack and cause havoc amongst advancing Soviet armoured formations when used in defence. Neither of the Red Army's heavy tanks (the KV-1 and KV-2) could match the Tiger's gun, and, more importantly, penetrate its armour at anything approaching standard combat range. The Soviet response was a stopgap Tiger-killing vehicle that mounted a 152mm artillery piece onto the KV tank's chassis: the SU-152. The latter would evolve into the ISU-152 in late 1943 (mounting the same powerful gun on an IS chassis). This fascinating book describes the mighty duels fought between these opposing AFVs. The colour illustrations explore key details of both the SU-152/ISU-152 and Eastern Front Tigers, including armament, ammunition and crew positions, and the period photographs show rarely seen views of these iconic AFVs in action. How each attempted to best the other using its strengths and advantages is documented across a wide range of dramatic Eastern Front armoured battles.

Captured Tanks in German Service: Small Tanks and Armored Tractors 1939-45

Convair B-36 Peacemaker, A Photo Chronicle explores the history of the Strategic Air Command's biggest bomber that helped keep the peace during the early years of the Cold War. The six-engined B-36 - later ten engine - was the first intercontinental bomber that could fly across continents, hit its target, and return to base unrefueled - long a dream of air planners. Presented here through the use of historical photographs is the history of this magnificent airplane, from its origin just prior to America's entry into World War II in 1941, to its final days in 1959 when its last missions were flown. This book will give the reader a concise overview of the story of the Peacemaker in the 1940s-1950s. A serial number listing is included, as well as a list of all ten B-36 bomb wings.

During the years preceding and during WW2, the RAF and the Royal Aircraft Establishment were responsible for the selection and procurement of British military aircraft and also to evaluate their capabilities against captured enemy models whenever possible. During the lend-lease agreement with the USA, the RAF and Fleet Air Arm operated several American designs, each of which was tested to evaluate its potential. This book looks at the key area of fighter aircraft and includes the test results and pilot's own first-hand accounts of flying seventeen different models, designed in the UK, America and Germany. The reader will learn of the possibilities of air superiority offered by these types and also their weaknesses. Types included are The Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire, Boulton Paul Defiant, Hawker Tempest and Typhoon, Bell Airacobra, Messerschmitt Bf 109, Focke-Wulf Fw 190, Brewster Buffalo, Curtiss Tomahawk, North American Mustang, Grumman Martlet, Republic Thunderbolt, and Vought Corsair. All aircraft that saw a great deal of action throughout the War and which are now part of legend.

This new book is an in-depth study covering John K. "Jack" Northrop\s quest for a clean flying machine. Covered are: Northrop\s initial N-1M project, the N-9M, XP-56, through the B-35 project, B-49 project, and the huge bombers planned only on the drawing board.\nIncluded are over 300 black and white and color photographs, as well as drawings and statistical data on all of the Northrop flying wing and tailless aircraft.\nGarry Pape is also the author of Queen of the Midnight Skies: The Story of American\s Air Force Night Fighters. John and Donna Campbell are also the authors of Talisman: A Collection of Nose Art. Both books are available from Schiffer Publishing Ltd.

A PDF version of this book is available for free in open access via www.tandfebooks.com as well as the OAPEN Library platform, www.oapen.org. It has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 3.0 license and is part of the OAPEN-UK research project. This book examines the current debate on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, notably the international non-proliferation regime and how to implement its disarmament provisions. Discussing the requirements of a new international consensus on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, this book builds on the three pillars of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT): non-proliferation, disarmament and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. It reviews the impact of Cold War and post-Cold War policies on current disarmament initiatives and analyses contemporary proliferation problems: how to deal with the states that never joined the NPT (India, Pakistan and Israel); how states that have been moving toward nuclear weapons have been brought back to non-nuclear-weapon status; and, in particular, how to deal with Iran and North Korea. The analysis centres on the relationship between disarmament and non-proliferation in an increasingly multi-centric world involving China and India as well as the US, the European powers and Russia. It concludes with a description and discussion of three different worlds without nuclear weapons and their implications for nuclear disarmament policies. This book will be of great interest to all students of arms control, strategic studies, war and conflict studies, and IR/security studies in general Sverre Lodgaard is a Senior Research Fellow at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Oslo

The Fw 190D-9 - the 'long-nosed' Dora - represented the cutting edge and pinnacle of wartime Germany's piston-engine aviation development. This new history by leading German aviation specialist Robert Forsyth reveals what it was like to pilot her in combat as Germany desperately battled to remain in the war. Arguably one of the finest piston-engined fighters ever built, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9 raised the bar in terms of aircraft design and operational capability during World War II. Designed by Kurt Tank, the 'long-nosed' Fw 190D9 'Dora' bettered most of the fighters that the Allied and Soviet air forces could field when it first appeared in the skies over the Western and Eastern Fronts in 1944. Indeed, with experienced German pilots at the controls it proved to be an immediate match for even the later-mark Griffon Spitfire and the P-51D/K. Well-armed, with two 13mm machine guns and two 20mm cannon, the D-9 began to equip Luftwaffe units from August 1944. Later on in the war, one of the key missions of the D-9 was to provide top cover for Me 262 jet fighters when they were at their most vulnerable during take-off and landing. Featuring first-hand accounts, photographs, artwork and innovative and colourful 3D ribbon diagrams, this fascinating volume portrays what it was like to fly the superlative Fw 190D-9 in combat, providing a realistic insight in to how German pilots used the superb Focke-Wulf aircraft in combat against American, British and Russian fighters in the Defence of the Reich in 1944-45.

The Astute-class is the largest, most advanced and most powerful attack submarine ever operated by the Royal Navy, combining world-leading sensors, design and weaponry in a versatile vessel. The submarines are nuclear-propelled and fuelled by a nuclear reactor powerful enough to supply a city the size of Southampton. Its advanced technology means the submarines will never need to be refuelled. They employ the latest sonar technology, using the largest number of hydrophones ever fitted to a submarine. Linked with powerful onboard electronics these provide the submarines with outstanding sensitivity. The Astute submarines are armed with the latest versions of Spearfish heavy-weight torpedoes and Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles., Author: Professor Jonathan Gates is a defence consultant whose career has spanned 35 years. In 2000 he joined BAE Systems with responsibility for the integration of the Type 45 destroyer design programme with the development of the principal weapon system, Sea Viper. He is the author of the Haynes Type 45 Destroyer Manual. He lives in Bath.

A fully illustrated study of the extraordinarily successful early-generation jet, the F2H Banshee, a frontline aircraft that served with 27 US Navy and US Marine Corps squadrons and three Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) squadrons. The F2H Banshee was an extraordinarily successful early-generation jet that outlasted both contemporary and more modern fighter types on the decks of the US Navy's aircraft carriers in the 1950s. It served in a variety of roles and was a frontline aircraft for more than a decade in an era when jet fighters came and went with relatively short service careers. This book examines the entire service life of the F2H in the service of the US Navy, US Marine Corps and the RCN. Initially created as a replacement aircraft for McDonnell's pioneering FH1 Phantom, the F2H served in the Korean War as a strike fighter, close air support aircraft, B29 escort, and photoreconnaissance aircraft, including the latter's forays over the Soviet Union and China. Post service in Korea, the Banshee served as a carrier based nuclear strike aircraft, followed by its service as a defensive fighter for antisubmarine aircraft carriers. Filled with first-hand accounts and rare colour photographs, this is the engrossing story of the F2H Banshee, exploring its variety of roles in service and detailing the technology development that improved the aircraft's capabilities over time.

Northern 'Q': The History of Royal Air Force, Leuchars takes its title from the long standing primary role as one of the oldest airfields in the UK. Leuchars began its links with military aviation as far back as 1911 with the arrival of the Royal Engineers who established a balloon squadron for reconnaissance training. Following the outbreak of war in 1939, the station was identified as an ideal location to launch maritime operations under Coastal Command. By the end of the war, Leuchars, like so many other airfields, was under the threat of redundancy as many airfields were rendered surplus to requirements. The developing international situation placed a shift in defence with the Cold War and Leuchars was once more deemed to be in an ideal and vital position. From 1950, this corner of north-east Fife has been on permanent guard with every type of operational interceptor in RAF service. Now politics from austerity to Scottish independence, rather than sound judgement, is setting the agenda as the RAF leave for Lossiemouth in Moray.

Covers the use and design of the Panzer II armored fighting vehicle.

The North American XB-70 is one of the most unusual looking aircraft in aviation history, and only two were constructed. It was originally designed as a Mach 3 high-altitude bomber, but was later used as a research aircraft. This new book by John Campbell and Garry Pape gives a short, detailed history of the XB-70, including production, flight tests, and the fatal crash of Aircraft #2 in 1965. Aircraft #1 is now at the U.S. Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB.

A new study of tank warfare used in the Soviet offensive of Operation Bagration, which destroyed Army Group Center. Operation Bagration, the 1944 summer campaign on the Russian Front, has been called "Hitler's Greatest Defeat." The operation involved substantial tank and armored vehicles on both sides but the German forces were severely hampered by the transfer of dozens of Panzer divisions to France to repel an expected Allied invasion. Forced to make hard decisions, German tank forces in the central Belarus sector were weak compared to the heavy concentration of Panzers in northern Ukraine. The Red Army exploited this vulnerability, crushing Army Group Center, and pushing beyond the Soviet frontier into Poland and East Prussia. With this crucial victory secured, the Red Army conducted successive offensives beyond the Carpathian Mountains, arriving at the Vistula river in Poland, and forcing Romania to switch sides. The Red Army had embarked on a major tank modernization after the Kursk battles of 1943 and as a result, Operation Bagration saw the first widespread use of T-34-85 and IS-2 tanks as well as self-propelled guns. Germany's Panther tank finally reached technical maturity in the summer of 1944 but small numbers weakened its battlefield impact, while other innovations such as the Tiger II heavy tank failed to leave their mark. Using new photos and a fascinating selection of color illustrations explaining the camouflage and markings of these tanks, this book describes how the tanks and AFVs on both sides contributed to the eventual defeat of Army Group Center.

The primary focus of this book is on the arms and armour of Europe, but also included are neighbouring cultures where these had a direct influence on developments and changes within Europe, from late Roman cavalry armour, Byzantium and the East, to the influence of the Golden Horde. A Companion to Medieval Arms and Armour covers the entire period from the fifth to the fifteenth century, a thousand years which saw huge changes in military technology in most of the world's major civilisations. Arms and armour in Europe are the principal focus of the studies, but those of neighbouring civilisations, including the Byzantine Empire, eastern Europe, the steppes and the Islamic world, are also investigated, both for the impact upon them of European technological developments, and for their influence upon developments within western Europe. Arms and armour in Europe developed dramatically during the thousand years from the fifth to the fifteenth century. During this broad sweep of time civilisations rose and fell and population movements swept from east to west, bringing in their wake advances and modifications absorbed and expanded by indigenous populations. So although the primary focus of this book is on the arms and armour of Europe, it also includes neighbouring cultures where these had a direct influence on developments and changes within Europe, from late Roman cavalry armour, Byzantium and the Eastto the influence of the Golden Horde. A truly impressive band of specialists cover issues ranging from the migrations to the first firearms, divided into three sections: From the Fall of Rome to the Eleventh Century, Emergence ofA European Tradition in the High Middle Ages, and New Influences and New Challenges of the Late Middle Ages; throughout there is particular emphasis on the social and technological aspects of medieval military affairs. Contributors: ANDREA BABUIN, JON COULSTON, TIM DAWSON, CLAUDE GAIER, MICHAEL GORELIK, JOHN HALDON, MARCO MORIN, HELMUT NICKEL, DAVID NICOLLE, EWART OAKESHOTT, ANNE PEDERSON, SHIHAB AL-SARRAF, ALAN WILLIAMS.

Covered are the radio and wire controlled vehicles as used by the Wehrmacht in 1943-1945. These vehicles were used for mine clearance, explosive charge carriers, and other uses.

This new, extensively researched volume (volume two in the series) is a comprehensive guide to the history, development, wear, and use of uniforms and equipment during American military advisors involvement in the Vietnam War. Included are insignia, headgear, camouflage uniforms, modified items, Flak vests, boots, clothing accessories, paper items and personal items from the years 1957-1972, all examined in great detail. Using re-constructed and period photos, the author presents the look and appearance of American Army, Navy, and Marine Corps advisors in Vietnam. ARVN Ranger, Airborne, and ARVN infantry advisors, all have their own chapter, along with Junk Force, RAG Force, and South Vietnamese Naval and Marine Corps advisors.

How do international systems deal with the threat and use of weapons of war? In this sophisticated yet accessible analysis, a leading strategic analyst takes readers deep into twentieth century history to answer this question. Weapons of mass destruction, and the counter threat of retaliation, have been central concerns in strategic decision- making in World War I, the legacy of World War II, and the Cold War era.

Few people can traverse issues of global confl ict with more historical insight than George Quester. His writing is lucid, and his information either new or imperfectly understood in the past. Quester details the ways weapons of war have infl uenced the forging of policies in the twenty-fi rst century. He argues for the retention of appropriate weapons systems, but also for care in when they are used. Priorities exist, but they depend on whether a state is dealing with major powers or rogue states. And off ensive weapons may well become an option in response to non-state terrorist groups or for that matter state-sponsored terrorist acts.

When aggression has already occurred, the world is less likely to regard military response as a violation of the peace. Quester cites Clausewitz's adage that the aggressor is always willing to exploit the world's preference for peace. The rise of the human rights movement adds more complexities to preemptive war and prevention, since the line between civilian and military casualties becomes increasingly blurred. The risks may be great, the choices are few--but the needs of military policy making remain high on the agenda. As a result, the concerns discussed here will be on the global political agenda for years to come.

In 1983, more than one million Germans joined together to protest NATO's deployment of nuclear missiles in Europe. International media overflowed with images of marches, rallies, and human chains as protesters blockaded depots and agitated for disarmament. Though they failed to halt the deployment, the episode was a decisive one for German society, revealing deep divisions in the nation's political culture while continuing to mobilize activists. This volume provides a comprehensive reference work on the "Euromissiles" crisis as experienced by its various protagonists, analyzing NATO's diplomatic and military maneuvering and tracing the political, cultural, and moral discourses that surrounded the missiles' deployment in East and West Germany.

Mutant Ecologies traces the spinning of new synthetic threads into the web of life. It is a critical cartography of the shifting landscapes of capital accumulation conjured by recent developments in genomic science, genome editing and the biotech industry. CRISPR crops, fast-growing salmons, heat-resistant Slick (TM) cows, Friendly (TM) Mosquitoes, humanised mice, pigs growing human organs - these are but a few of the dazzling new life-forms that have recently emerged from corporate and university laboratories around the world, all promising to lubricate the circuits of capital accumulation in distinct ways. The deliberate induction of genetic mutations is increasingly central to business operations in a number of sectors, from agriculture to pharmaceuticals. While the Nobel Committee recently proclaimed the life sciences to have entered 'a new epoch', the authors show how these technological innovations continue to operate within a socio-historical context defined by the iron rules of capitalist competition and exploitation. Capital no longer contents itself with simply appropriating the living bodies of plants and animals. It purposefully designs their internal metabolism, and in that way it redesigns the countless living vectors that constitute the global biosphere. It is driving a biological revolution, which will ripple through the everyday lives of people everywhere.

Drawing upon the latest literary and archaeological research, this is an in-depth study of the Roman Army units based in the Eastern Provinces during the turbulent third century of the Roman Empire. In this book, eminent Roman historian, Dr Raffaele D'Amato, looks at the notoriously under-represented history of the Roman armies during the middle 3rd Century whose records have been obscured by the chaotic civil wars of that period between usurpers to the Imperial authority of Rome. Following on from the previous title, MAA 527, Roman Army Units in the Western Provinces (2): 3rd Century AD, this book considers the evidence for troops in the Eastern half of the Empire specifically around the Balkans, Mesopotamia, the Middle East and North Africa and looks at the weakness of Imperial central authority which inevitably led to local particularism and a wide range of appearance in regional commands. Dr D'Amato uses literary, painted, sculptural and archaeological sources to reconstruct this little-understood period of Roman military history and, with the aid of meticulous coloured artwork, photos and detailed charts, reconstructs the appearance and campaigns of the Roman forces stationed in the East.

Using maps, contemporary photographs, and new artwork, this book examines the Hellcat and the naval aviators who flew them. Joining combat in the Pacific in late 1943, the Hellcat squadrons soon demonstrated their ascendency over their Japanese opponents, culminating in the great "Marianas Turkey Shoot" during the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944. The fighter proved to be a dream for pilots to fly, allowing both novice and veteran Naval Aviators alike to prevail in largescale aerial combats. From October 1944 to January 1945, the Fast Carriers supported General MacArthur's invasion of the Philippines. Featuring specially commissioned armament views and battlescenes, this book covers the key role played by Naval Aviators flying the Hellcat into action during the Fast Carrier Task Force's strikes against the Philippines in September and October 1944. Using maps, contemporary photographs, and technical diagrams, the volume examines the highly effective tactics used to prevail against large enemy formations, and reveals the training that underpinned the success enjoyed by the Naval Aviators and their Hellcats. The key combat actions are vividly described through 3D ribbon diagrams providing a step-by-step depiction of the main dogfights featured in the book, as well as action reports, both from previously unknown pilots and from more famous Hellcat aces.

The Second World War saw the apex of piston-engine aircraft design, and ushered the world into the jet age. Anybody who studies aviation will know the names: Spitfire, Mustang, Zero, Messerschmitt, Shturmovik. But there were many more aircraft to take to the skies before and during the war, and frequently their stories remain unknown. This book seeks to tell those stories, to bring to the fore the forgotten warbirds. From the valiant Poles fighting the might of the Luftwaffe in their obsolescent craft, to the varied and excellent craft of the French Armee De l'Air, to the graceful craft of Italy's Regia Aeronautica. With stops around the globe, this book seeks to tell the tales of the forgotten or the doomed or the never-quites. The stories of these aircraft, drawn from Allies and Axis nations alike, bring forth a fuller picture of aviation during the greatest airborne conflict in world history. Telling these stories will give readers an interesting, and informative, look into the past-with personal reflections and a call to arms for the study of history itself.

The most versatile German aircraft of WWII is shown in its many uses and on a variety of war fronts.

Richard Bueschel revises and updates his classic series of books on Japanese Naval and Army Air Force aircraft of World War II. The JAAF Nakajima Ki-84 HAYATE (Frank) is presented in this volume. All variations and markings are covered in this fifth book in a multi-volume series.