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Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > Weapons & equipment
This is the second volume in a two-part illustrated study of the October 23-26 Battle of Leyte Gulf, which resulted in a decisive defeat for the Japanese. The Battle of Leyte Gulf-the largest naval battle in history-comprised four major actions conducted over the course of two days, plus several associated minor clashes. The size and complexity of this epic battle remains unmatched, with two United States Navy (USN) fleets (Third and Seventh) facing a much-reduced Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), severely outnumbered and fatally lacking in airpower. Complementing the first volume's coverage of the IJN's First Diversion Attack Force at the battles of the Sibuyan Sea and off Samar, this superbly illustrated second volume focuses on the forces supporting the main Japanese thrust. Naval expert Mark Stille reveals how the Japanese Main Body succeeded in its mission of luring the US Third Fleet to the north, but at a tremendous cost in the ensuing Battle off Cape Engano. Also explored in full visual detail is the fate of the small detachment of seven IJN ships ordered to attack into Leyte Gulf through Surigao Strait in the south. The resulting Battle of Surigao Strait on October 25, 1944 would prove to be the last battleship duel in history.
In the seventh part of PeKo Publishing s photo-monograph series, we deal with the popular German heavy tank, the Tiger I. This publication shows the tank s major and minor changes through the 105 black-and-white photographs in the book.
For centuries, ships' commanders kept journals that recorded their missions. These included voyages of discovery to unknown lands, engagements in war and sea and general trade. Many of their logs, diaries and letters were lodged at The National Archives and give a vivid picture of the situations that they encountered. Entries range from Captain James Cook's notes of his discovery of the South Pacific and Australia, to logs of the great naval battles, such as Trafalgar and the Battle of the Nile. From the ships that attempted to stop piracy in the Caribbean, to the surgeons who recorded the health of the men they tended and naturalists who noted the exotic plants and animals they encountered, comes a fascinating picture of life at sea, richly illustrated with maps, drawings and facsimile documents found alongside the logs in the archives.
Joshua Chamberlain has fascinated historians and readers ever since his service in the Civil War caused his commanding officers to sit up and take notice when the young professor was on the field. What makes a man a gifted soldier and natural leader? In this compelling book, Diane Monroe Smith argues that finding the answer requires a consideration of Chamberlain's entire life, not just his few years on the battlefield. Truly understanding Chamberlain is impossible, Smith maintains, without exploring the life of Joshua's soul mate and wife of almost fifty years, Fanny. In this dual biography, Fanny emerges as a bright, talented woman who kept Professor, General, and then Governor Chamberlain on his toes. But you don't have to take Smith's word for it. Liberally quoting from years of correspondence, the author invites you to judge for yourself.
A History of the Samurai tells the complete story of Japan's legendary warrior class from beginning to end--an epic tale of intrigue, bloodshed and bravery that is central to an understanding of the Japanese character and of Japanese history. It describes in detail the core Samurai philosophy of Bushido--"the way of the warrior"--a complex code of conduct embracing ideals of honor and loyalty that continues to govern the Japanese way of life today. Historian Jonathan Lopez-Vera offers a compelling look at these enigmatic warriors including: The lives of famous Samurai--Miyamoto Musashi, Japan's greatest swordsman; Tomoe Gozen, the woman who became a Samurai; Tokugawa Ieyasu, the last Shogun; and many more The tragic tale of the 47 Ronin who chose honor over their own lives and were forced to commit ritual suicide after avenging their fallen master The philosophy of Bushido, "the Way of the Warrior," the code of conduct that embraced the ideals of honor and loyalty and governed the Samurai way of living The decline of the Samurai and their transformation from rough, battle-hardened warriors to highly educated philosopher-poets Illustrated with 125 archival prints and photos, the nobility and grandeur of the Samurai is brilliantly showcased in this book. Readers will enjoy immersing themselves in the Samurai's world, as historian Jonathan Lopez-Vera traces the fascinating story of the rise and fall of these enigmatic warriors throughout Japanese history.
The Junkers Ju 388 was a high-altitude aircraft developed from the Ju 88. In its bomber and reconnaissance versions it would elude enemy fighters by flying high, while as a heavy fighter and night-fighter it was to intercept the Boeing B-29 and the feared DeHavilland Mosquito. In developing this last member of the Ju 88 family, the Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke was able to draw on a wealth of experience with high-altitude aircraft such as the Ju 49, EF 61 and Ju 86 P/R. The Luftwaffe had great plans for the Ju 388. In the summer of 1944 it was one of the five remaining aircraft types in Delivery Plan 226, along with the Me 262, Ar 234, Ta 152 and Do 335. These five types were to fill all roles. With the exception of the Ju 388, all of these aircraft have been dealt with extensively in aviation literature. This book closes a gap in the available literature, reconstructing for the first time from original documents the complete story of the Ju 388.
Whistling Death is the true story, by the test pilot, of the rush to produce the F4U Corsair, the Navy fighter that brought America air superiority over the Japanese Zero in World War II. Here is the crash program - complete with crash landings - powered by the dedicated men and women of the home front who designed and built this revolutionary, tide-turning airplane. Boone T. Guyton, an experimental test pilot at Chance Vought during and after World War II, flew 105 types of aircraft in 45 years as a pilot.
An absorbing study of the duels fought between the US Navy’s escort warships and Hitler’s U-boats between December 1941 and May 1945. Although the Battle of the Atlantic lasted several years, its most critical phase began once the United States entered World War II. By December 1941, the British had mastered the U-boat threat in the Eastern Atlantic, only to see the front abruptly expand to regions the US Navy would patrol, chiefly the Atlantic Seaboard. Unless the US Navy overcame the U-boat threat, the Allies would struggle to win. The Battle of the Atlantic was made up of thousands of individual duels: aircraft against U-boats, aircraft against aircraft, aircraft against ships—but most crucially, ships against U-boats. The individual clashes between Germany’s U-boats and the Allied warships escorting the vital convoys often comprised one-on-one actions. These stories provide the focus of this detailed work. The technical details of the U-boats, destroyers, and destroyer escorts involved are explored in stunning illustrations, including ship and submarine profiles and weaponry artworks, and key clashes are brought to life in dramatic battlescenes. Among the clashes covered are including USS Kearny vs. U-568, USS Roper (DD-147) vs U-85, USS Eugene E. Elmore (DE-686) vs U-549, and USS Atherton (DE-169) vs U-853.
'Excellent ... a raw and visceral, bird's-eye view of the action from the men who were there' The Times This is the story of a tank regiment: the 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry in the Second World War. Raw and visceral personal recollections from the men themselves recall some of the most dramatic and horrific scenes imaginable - the sheer nerve-wracking tension of serving in highly inflammable Sherman tanks, the sudden impact of German shells, the desperate scramble to bail out, and the awful fate of those who couldn't. Even if they made it out of the tank, they were still vulnerable to being brutally cut down by German infantry. Yet amidst these horrors, the humanity of these men shines through. And as we follow in their tracks, through letters, diaries and eye-witness accounts, they will change how we think about tank warfare forever.
In 1915-18, ANZAC and Ottoman soldiers clashed on numerous battlefields, from Gallipoli to Jerusalem. This illustrated study investigates the two sides' fighting men. The Gallipoli campaign of 1915-16 pitched the Australian and New Zealand volunteers known as the ANZACs into a series of desperate battles with the Ottoman soldiers defending their homeland. In August 1915, the bitter struggle for the high ground known as Chunuk Bair saw the peak change hands as the Allies sought to overcome the stalemate that set in following the landings in April. The ANZACs also played a key part in the battle of Lone Pine, intended to divert Ottoman attention away from the bid to seize Chunuk Bair. The Gallipoli campaign ended in Allied evacuation in the opening days of 1916. Thereafter, many ANZAC units remained in the Middle East and played a decisive role in the Allies' hard-fought advance through Palestine that finally forced the Turks to the peace table. The fateful battle of Beersheba in October 1917 pitted Australian mounted infantry against Ottoman foot soldiers as the Allies moved on Jerusalem. In this book, noted military historian Si Sheppard examines the fighting men on both sides who fought at Lone Pine, Chunuk Bair and Beersheba. The authoritative text is supported by specially commissioned artwork and mapping plus carefully chosen archive photographs.
Unexploded ordnance is comprised of mines, shells and bombs. This represents a serious danger on old battlefields and military test ranges. Clean-up of such areas is difficult and expensive, particularly since existing detection techniques, when set to high sensitivity, have a high false alarm rate due to other non-hazardous objects. Reviewing the unexploded ordnance problem, including mines and existing electromagnetic detection technology, this book gives a detailed treatment of target signatures (natural frequencies and related parameters) for identification and discrimination from false targets.
For the first time, this richly illustrated book offers a comprehensive, detailed examination of the legendary Messerschmitt Bf 110, Me 210, and Me 410 series. By 1935 the Bf 109 had made Messerschmitt the leading manufacturer of fighter aircraft in Germany. The twin-engined Bf 110 followed on its heels in 1936, a type the Luftwaffe took on in large numbers as a long-range fighter, heavy-fighter, fighter-bomber, night-fighter and reconnaissance platform. As its successor, Messerschmitt developed the better performing Me 210, which flew for the first time in 1939. But this airframe soon began manifesting serious design flaws, and accidents with the Me 210 quickly started piling up due to the type's questionable flight handling characteristics. The Luftwaffe refused to accept any more aircraft as a result, and at a stroke the type's overzealous full scale production ground to a halt. More powerful engines and a number of design changes saw this aircraft produced from 1943 to 1944 under the designation of Me 410, and as such the type gave an excellent accounting of itself in service with the Luftwaffe.
In Understanding and Explaining the Iranian Nuclear 'Crisis': Theoretical Approaches, Halit M.E. Tagma and Paul E. Lenze, Jr. analyze the 'crisis' surrounding Iran's nuclear program through a variety of theoretical approaches, including realism, world-systems theory, liberal institutionalism, domestic politics, and multi-level games. Through these theories, Tagma and Lenze use established academic perspectives to create a more objective understanding and explanation of the debates and issues. Introducing the concept of eclectic pluralism to the study of international relations, Understanding and Explaining the Iranian Nuclear 'Crisis' presents theoretical approaches side by side to explore a complex and evolving international dispute.
Drawing upon Soviet sources, this book assesses the evolving organization, uniforms, insignia, weaponry and personal equipment of Soviet naval infantry units from 1917 to 1991. Featuring eight plates of specially commissioned artwork alongside carefully chosen archive photographs, this study charts the history and appearance of the Soviet Union's naval infantry, from the October Revolution to the end of the Soviet era. Although Russian naval infantry achieved fame during the October Revolution they were quickly disbanded, only being re-established in 1939. Following the Axis invasion of 1941 some 500,000 Soviet Navy personnel served on land, fighting in the defence of Leningrad, Odessa and Sevastopol and the recapture of the Crimea in 1943-44; Soviet naval troops also participated in the invasion of Manchuria in 1945. During the Cold War era the Soviet Union developed an amphibious assault capability that had a vital strategic role - to capture an aggressor's geographical exits to the oceans and thereby forestall threats to Soviet submarine bases. Naval infantry forces could deploy a wealth of firepower assets, while the use of amphibious ships, hovercraft and helicopters aided their rapid deployment, even amid ice-bound terrain in the Arctic. All of these developments are described and illustrated in absorbing detail in this study.
Covers the use and design of the Panzer I armored fighting vehicle.
This handbook provides critical analyses of the theory and practices of small arms proliferation and its impact on conflicts and organized violence in Africa. It examines the terrains, institutions, factors and actors that drive armed conflict and arms proliferation, and further explores the nature, scope, and dynamics of conflicts across the continent, as well as the extent to which these conflicts are exacerbated by the proliferation of small arms. The volume features rich analyses by contributors who are acquainted with, and widely experienced in, the formal and informal structures of arms proliferation and control, and their repercussions on violence, instability and insecurity across Africa. The chapters dissect the challenges of small arms and light weapons in Africa with a view to understanding roots causes and drivers, and generating a fresh body of analyses that adds value to the existing conversation on conflict management and peacebuilding in Africa. With contributions from scholars, development practitioners, defence and security professionals and civil society activists, the handbook seeks to serve as a reference for students, researchers, and policy makers on small arms proliferation, control and regulation; defence and security practitioners; and those involved in countering violence and managing conflicts in Africa.
An illustrated exploration of the dramatic aerial combats between the US Navy's long-range bomber and Japanese flying boats in the Pacific War. Edward Young explores these rarely written about combats, examining the aggressive and strategic tactics deployed by both US Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy Air Force and analyzing the technical improvements installed throughout the war. The PB4Y-1/2 Liberator/Privateer was the US Navy's first four-engined, land-based bomber, adapted and allocated to fight the U-boat menace in the Atlantic and protect the vast reaches of the Pacific Ocean. The long range, speed, armament and bomb load of the PB4Y-1 enabled the US Navy's Pacific squadrons to adopt more aggressive tactics. The PB4Y-1, and its follow-on PB4Y-2, engaged in dangerous bombing missions against Japanese installations, shipping strikes, and air combat. On the other side, with its doctrine of making the first strike against an enemy fleet, the Imperial Japanese Navy recognized the vital importance of maritime reconnaissance, relying on carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft, ship-borne floatplanes and, for long-range maritime patrol, flying boats. The Japanese would continue to develop their aircraft throughout the war, resulting, among others, in the H6K 'Mavis' and the H8K2 'Emily', which despite never achieving a victory, was regarded by the Allied pilots as the most difficult Japanese aircraft to destroy. Enriched with specially commissioned artwork, including armament and cockpit views, battlescenes and technical diagrams, this title analyses technical specifications in detail. By including first-hand accounts, aviation expert Edward Young provides a detailed account of these one-sided yet dramatic and aggressive combats.
Naval aviation special markings and nose art is a field that has been largely ignored, primarily due to the lack of coverage in mainstream aviation history publications. Research into archives, feedback from veterans, and personal photographs by the authors, Jim Meehan and William Tate, have documented thousands of previously unknown individual aircraft with these markings. Paint Locker Magic: A History of Naval Aviation Special Markings and Artwork covers markings on US Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard aircraft over the 100 year history of US naval aviation. This fascinating and visually resplendent book includes illustrations of special markings and nose art on early canvas-covered airplanes through the World War 2 era when nose art flourished and on into the jet age, the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, and up to the present war on terror with aircraft marked to commemorate the 9-11 terrorist attacks. This coverage includes fighters and attack aircraft of the carrier navy and the patrol aircraft, transports blimps, research and test aircraft and helicopters. Markings include personal nose art and pinups, shark mouth and similar markings, cartoons depicting special missions, Christmas and similar markings and tributes.
This new book will be an essential reference for modellers and wargamers who build and paint World War II British armoured fighting vehicles. It provides extensive information on different types of vehicles, describing when they were used, by whom and for what purpose. In addition, the many modifications made to vehicles during the war are included, with guidance on how to create these for models. Step-by-step building and painting guides illustrate vehicles in 1/35, 1/72 and 1/76 scale. This book features models, often with a comparison of models from different manufacturers, for the following: M3 Grant Mk1, including a North African version; Cromwell Mk IV; Royal Marine Centaur; Cavalier Observation Post; Sherman M4A1 and Crab; Crusader III AA Mk 1; Matilda; Morris and Guy Quads; Bedford QLs; Scammell Pioneer Heavy Artillery tractor conversion; Anti-tank guns, e.g. the 'Pheasant', field guns, anti-aircraft guns, etc and, finally, figures which include uniform painting guides.
This book covers the design and use of the Tiger I armored fighting vehicle.
A detailed study of United States Air Force, Army, Army Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps aircrew survival equipment. Items covered are: survival vests, leggings, and chaps, life preservers, survival (ejection) seat and back pad kits, personal survival kits and first aid kits, etc. Tag and label information is provided for each item.
A beautifully presented, two-volume collection, uniquely chronicling the story and history of the most recognizable aircraft of World War II and the pinup girls whose images graced these legendary warbirds. Flying into combat with our boys, inspiring and providing our U.S. soldiers with sweetly seductive reminders of home, these pinups are a reminder of the All American good life GIs were fighting for. For the first time, Michael Malak has merged classic 1940s style Hollywood photographs in black and white and sepia recreations for the vintage at heart, as well as full color HDR (High Dynamic Range) photographs for the modern art lover. This book takes the viewer through the history of these magnificent warbirds and the role they played in World War II, and provides detailed, factual information about each of them courtesy of the Yanks Air Museum, home of these exquisite warbirds. Several world renowned pinup artists of today, such as Greg Hildebrandt, have contributed their time and talent to take part in this project, providing original artwork for Wings of Angels in the tradition of legendary pinup artists Gil Elvgren and Alberto Vargas.
This invaluable resource offers students a comprehensive overview of the Manhattan Project and the decision to drop the atomic bomb, with more than 80 in-depth articles on a variety of topics and dozens of key primary source documents. This book provides everything readers need to know about the Manhattan Project, the U.S. program that led to the development of the atomic bomb during World War II. It begins with a detailed introduction to the project and includes an alphabetical collection of relevant entries on such topics as the Enola Gay, the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb; Enrico Fermi, creator of the first nuclear reactor; Hiroshima, the target of the first atomic bomb; and Robert Oppenheimer, director of the Manhattan Project. Dozens of primary sources include eyewitness accounts, government memos, letters, press releases, and other important documents relevant to the establishment and success of the Manhattan Project. A set of four essays written by prominent scholars address whether the United States was justified in dropping the atomic bomb on Japan. The book also includes a comprehensive chronology that reveals key moments related to the creation of the world's first nuclear weapon as well as a bibliography of resources that points readers toward additional information on the Manhattan Project, nuclear weapons, and World War II. Provides an important resource for understanding the decision-making process and programs that led to the successful development of the atomic bomb Offers readers the critical material to understand the controversial decision by President Harry Truman to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki Provides an A through Z review of all the key reference content needed to form the complete picture of the Manhattan Project Introduces readers to many of the key primary source documents related to the Manhattan Project and the atomic bomb
At the dawn of the Atomic Age, Americans encountered troubling new questions brought about by the nuclear revolution: In a representative democracy, who is responsible for national public safety? How do citizens imagine themselves as members of the national collective when faced with the priority of individual survival? What do nuclear weapons mean for transparency and accountability in government? What role should scientific experts occupy within a democratic government? Nuclear weapons created a new arena for debating individual and collective rights. In turn, they threatened to destabilize the very basis of American citizenship. As Sarah E. Robey shows in Atomic Americans, people negotiated the contours of nuclear citizenship through overlapping public discussions about survival. Policymakers and citizens disagreed about the scale of civil defense programs and other public safety measures. As the public learned more about the dangers of nuclear fallout, critics articulated concerns about whether the federal government was operating in its citizens' best interests. By the early 1960s, a significant antinuclear movement had emerged, which ultimately contributed to the 1963 nuclear testing ban. Atomic Americans tells the story of a thoughtful body politic engaged in rewriting the rubric of rights and responsibilities that made up American citizenship in the Atomic Age. |
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