This study explains how the armies of North and South Vietnam, newly equipped with the most modern Soviet and US tanks and weaponry, fought the decisive armored battles of the Easter Offensive. Wearied by years of fighting against Viet Cong guerillas and North Vietnamese regulars, the United States had almost completely withdrawn its forces from Vietnam by early 1972. Determined to halt the expansion and improvement of South Vietnamese forces under the U.S. "Vietnamization" program, North Vietnam launched a major fourteen-division attack in March 1972 against the South that became known as the "Easter Offensive." Hanoi's assault was spearheaded by 1,200 tanks and was counteracted on the opposite side by Saigon's newly equipped armored force using U.S. medium tanks. The result was ferocious fighting between major Cold War-era U.S. and Soviet tanks and mechanized equipment, pitting M-48 medium and M-41 light tanks against their T- 54 and PT-76 rivals in a variety of combat environments ranging from dense jungle to urban terrain. Both sides employed cutting-edge weaponry for the first time, including the U.S. TOW and Soviet 9M14 Malyutk wire-guided anti-tank missiles. This volume examines the tanks, armored forces and weapons that clashed in this little-known campaign in detail, using after-action reports from the battlefield and other primary sources to analyze the technical and organizational factors that shaped the outcome. Despite the ARVN's defensive success in October 1972, North Vietnam massively expanded its armor forces over the next two years while U.S. support waned. This imbalance with key strategic misjudgments by the South Vietnamese President led to the stunning defeat of the South in 1975 when T54 tanks crashed through the fence surrounding the Presidential palace and took Saigon on 30 April 1975.

The highly anticipated follow-up to Phantom Boys! Once again Richard Pike has brought together brilliant, hitherto unpublished, accounts across eighteen chapters. With both British and American perspectives, Phantom Boys 2 is packed with exhilarating action. Throughout the book Richard Pike captures the drama and emotion of life in the cockpit in vivid detail. With such engrossing stories, readers will be gripped by this captivating book.

Examines Eighth Army's 1,000-strong tank force - rebuilt, reorganized, and equipped with brand-new Sherman and Churchill tanks - that secured victory at the Second Battle of El Alamein. When Eighth Army retired into the defensive line at El Alamein on 30 June 1942, it was tired, dispirited and had lost almost all its tanks during a string of defeats at Gazala, Tobruk and Mersa Matruh. After savage defensive fighting at First Alamein, the reinforced Desert Rats defeated Rommel's last offensive in a tank-to-tank clash at Alam Halfa in September. The next month, a completely rebuilt and reorganized Eighth Army, equipped with over 1,000 tanks including the American M4 Sherman, launched the offensive that would finally drive Rommel out of Africa. Montgomery shaped the Eighth Army according to his own military ideas, and on 23 October was able to attack the Axis defenses with the largest force of armoured divisions in its history, with the 1st, 8th and 10th united in a new 'corps de chasse' intended to defeat the Afrika Korps at its own game, and the 7th and two infantry support tank brigades assigned to support the XXX and XIII Corps. With the exception of the A9, 10 and 13 cruisers of 1940-41, as the offensive began, the Eighth Army contained every type of tank employed during the North Africa campaign. Using detailed illustrations of the tanks involved with an analysis of the tactics employed for battle, this is a focused examination of the tank forces that won the Second Battle of El Alamein - the most famous British Army victory of World War II, and one of the turning points of the war.

Soviet bombers were a varied lot during the Second World War, ranging from single-engined biplanes such as the 1920's era Polikarpov U-2 to the excellent and modern twin-engined Tu-2 medium bomber. Although the use of four-engined strategic bombers was mostly limited to use of the huge Pe-8 bomber, the Soviets used many other aircraft for both strategic and tactical bombing. As the bombers of the Red Air Force were mainly tasked with supporting the Red Army, most of the bombers were used for tactical bombing, attacking tanks, troop convoys, trains, and airfields. This book will deal with both strategic bombers and tactical bombers, but will concentrate on the smaller tactical bombers, as this is where the Red Air Force's emphasis lay. Such types as the Il-4, the Su-2, the aforementioned Tu-2, and the most important bomber of all, the Il-2 Shturmovik attack bomber, will be described in great detail, including not only details on the aircraft themselves, but how they were deployed in combat. The one truly strategic bomber, the Pe-8, will not be forgotten, and neither will the comparatively tiny U-2 biplane, which was so effective in its use as a night-time "nuisance" raider that the Germans copied the tactic wholesale. Accurate colour profiles in some number will accompany the text in this comprehensive work on Soviet bombers.

This new volume straps the reader into the cockpit of the P-51B/C as the Mustang-equipped fighter groups of the 'Mighty Eighth' Air Force attempt to defend massed heavy bomber formations from deadly Luftwaffe fighters charged with defending the Third Reich. Luftwaffe Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering admitted that the appearance of long-range Mustangs over Berlin spelled the end of the Jagdwaffe's ability to defeat American daylight bombing. But the Mustang was far more than an escort - it was a deadly hunter that could out-perform nearly every German fighter when it was introduced into combat. Entering combat in Europe in December 1943, P-51Bs and P-51Cs had advantages over German Bf 109s and Fw 190s in respect to the altitude they could reach, their rate of climb and top speed. Initially tapped for close bomber escort, Mustangs were quickly turned loose to range ahead of the bomber stream in order to challenge German fighters before they could assemble to engage the bombers en masse. Thanks to the Mustang's superior performance, USAAF pilots effectively blunted the Luftwaffe's tried and tested tactic for destroying B-17s and B-24s. Boldness and aggression in aerial combat meant that P-51B/C pilots inflicted a rapidly mounting toll on their German counterparts in the West during the early months of 1944, contributing mightily to Allied air superiority over northern France on D-Day. This volume, packed full of first-hand accounts, expertly recreates the combat conditions and flying realities for Mustang pilots (including headline aces such as Don Blakeslee and Don Gentile, as well as lesser known aviators). It is heavily illustrated with photographs, artwork and innovative and colourful 3D ribbon diagrams, which will provide a realistic overview of the most dynamic dogfights in aviation history.

This study looks at how the Soviet armed forces developed and deployed a range of machine guns that fitted with their offensive and defensive infantry tactics across six years of total war. In 1939, three machine guns dominated the Red Army's front-line infantry firepower - the DShK 1938 heavy machine gun, the PM M1910 medium/heavy machine gun and the Degtyaryov DP-27, a lighter, bipod-mounted support weapon. Confronted by cutting-edge German technology during the Great Patriotic War (1941-45), the Soviets responded with the development of new weaponry, including the RPD light machine gun, the 7.62x54mmR SG43 medium machine gun and the improved version of the DP-27, the DPM. Taken together, all these weapons gave the Red Army a more practical range of support weapons, better able to challenge the Germans for fire superiority on the battlefield. Fully illustrated, this study explains the technology and the tactics of these machine guns. Noted authority Chris McNab sets out how these machine guns were distributed and tactically applied and provides numerous examples of the weapons in action, from assault teams on the streets of Stalingrad to tank crews struggling for survival at Kursk. The book also reflects upon the weapons' post-war service; many of the machine guns remain in front-line use today. Illustrated with high-quality photographs and specially commissioned artwork, this is a deep analysis of these essential tools of warfare within the Soviet forces.

The British Scorpion and Scimitar are among the most successful armoured reconnaissance vehicles ever built and, almost fifty years after the initial design was introduced, updated versions are still in service today. These compact, manoeuvrable and fast-moving light tanks played a significant peace-keeping role in conflict zones around the world and went into action during wars in the Falklands, the Gulf and Iraq. They are also a popular subject with tank modellers and enthusiasts which is why David Grummitt's expert history and guide is such a valuable source of reference. As well as describing in detail their technical development and operational history, he gives a full account of the wide range of modelling kits and accessories available in all the popular scales. Included is a modelling gallery which features six builds covering a range of Scorpions and Scimitars serving with different nations and a section of large-scale colour profiles which provide both information and inspiration for modellers and military enthusiasts alike.

The Landing Ship Tank (LST) is one of the most famous of the many World War II amphibious warfare ships. Capable of discharging its cargo directly on to shore and extracting itself, the LST provided the backbone of all Allied landings between 1943 and 1945, notably during the D-Day invasion. Through its history, the LST saw service from late 1942 until late 2002, when the US Navy decommissioned the USS Frederick (LST-1184), the last ship of its type. This book reveals the development and use of the LST, including its excellence beyond its initial design expectations.

This book is the first detailed, illustrated guide to the military uniforms, civilian clothing, and equipment worn and used by Soviet soldiers and Mujahideen warriors in Afghanistan from December 1979 to February 1989. With over 500 images, this book presents front-line soldiers, NCOs, and officers in the main combat branches of the Soviet armed forces as well as Mujahideen warriors, actually ordinary Afghans, who were thrust by fate into the midst of a relentless guerrilla war against one of the largest regular armies in the world. Uniforms presented in this book are assembled in configurations confirmed by wartime photos. All photographs taken for this book are genuine service-issue or private-purchase Soviet and Afghan Mujahideen items.

This fully illustrated study assesses the origins, development, and combat record of the legendary Tiger and Churchill Tanks during World War II. The Tiger and the Churchill are two of the most recognizable heavily armoured tanks of World War II. Both were designed hastily in the early years of the war, and both witnessed inauspicious debuts in battle in August 1942 (the Churchill in the disaster at Dieppe, the Tiger near Leningrad). Despite their heavy weight, both tanks, which were intended to serve in breakthrough operations, had surprisingly good tactical mobility. Yet there were key differences between them too, chiefly in the effectiveness of their main armament. This fascinating and detailed work explores the design and development of these famous tanks and its influence on their head-to-head encounters, the effectiveness of the support services each tank relied upon, and the skills and experiences of the crews that fought in them. The specific battlefield conditions of Normandy in June and July 1944 are also examined, exploring the effect they had on the duels between these two heavyweight AFVs.

This title covers 100 years of wartime motorcycles, from the first machines of World War I to the diesel-powered types and quad bikes of today, with 230 photographs. It is a complete reference guide to a century of military motorcycles, from their first use at the beginning of the 20th century to the sophisticated models of today. It discusses machine-gun motorcycles, tracked motorcycles, diesel motorcycles, ATVs and quad bikes. It explains the anatomy of the military motorcycle - its frame, engine, transmission, final drive, front forks, rear forks, suspension and brakes. It features over 230 commissioned and rare photographs from archives, museums and private collections. During the early years of World War I, motorcycles started to enter military service, replacing the mounted despatch rider and providing a means of mechanizing machine-gun and stretcher units. This fully illustrated book covers the lively history of the military motorcycle, highlighting the varied roles motorcycles have played, as well as how the vehicles have evolved over time. It provides a country-by-country overview of military motorcycles in France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, the USA, the USSR and Japan. An expertly written volume, it provides enthusiasts with key information about the history of these diverse multi-tasking vehicles.

The ShipCraft' series provides in-depth information about building and modifying model kits of famous warship types. Lavishly illustrated, each book takes the modeller through a brief history of the subject, highlighting differences between ships and changes in their appearance over their careers. This includes paint schemes and camouflage, featuring colour profiles and highly detailed line drawings and scale plans. The modelling section reviews the strengths and weaknesses of available kits, lists commercial accessory sets for super-detailing of the subjects, and provides hints on modifying and improving the basic kit. This is followed by an extensive photographic gallery of selected high-quality models in a variety of scales, and the book concludes with a section on research references - books, monographs, large-scale plans and relevant websites. This volume covers the many variations of Royal Navy wartime escort destroyers, both the purpose-built Hunt' class and the conversions from older fleet destroyers. The Hunts' were built in four groups (Types I to IV), while the old V&W' classes were modified to Long Range Escort, Short Range Escort and Wair' (anti-aircraft) variants. Also included are the fifty ex-US flush-deckers' that became the Town' class. With its unparalleled level of visual information - paint schemes, models, line drawings and photographs - this book is simply the best reference for any modelmaker setting out to build any of these numerous escort types.

How much can you really find out about the Weapons of the First World War in five minutes? This handy little history book will surpass all your expectations and leave you well versed on all you wish to know, and maybe even a little bit more... What was the deadliest weapon? Why did officers refuse to carry pistols? How was gas fired at the enemy? And how successful was it? How did tanks get their name? Jam-packed with facts and first-hand accounts of the action, all woven together in an accessible way by an expert in the field, this 5 Minute History is a valuable addition to anyone's bookshelf, ready to be delved into at a moment's notice.

Of all the Allied bombers of WWII, the Douglas A-20 Havoc is probably the least well known, but was a major contributor to the air war effort, flying yeoman and unheralded missions not only for the USAAF, but also for the Royal Air Forces of Britain, South Africa, and Australia; the Vichy and Free French Air Forces; and most importantly, for the Soviet Army and Navy Air Forces, where more A-20s flew than with the USAAF. This is the sixth in the "Ultimate Look" series and presents the same meticulous depth of research as the other books, using a multitude of original sources, technical manuals, and photographs. It includes an in-depth look into the history of the Douglas Company, its founder, Donald Douglas, and its legendary designer, Ed Heinemann. This book is truly the definitive look at the Havoc.

Addressing an increasingly complex array of nuclear weapons challenges in the future will require talented young people with the necessary technical and policy expertise to contribute to sound decisionmaking on nuclear issues over time. To that end, the CSIS Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) runs a yearly Nuclear Scholars Initiative for graduate students and young professionals. Those accepted into the program are hosted once per month at CSIS in Washington, DC, where they participate in daylong workshops with senior government officials and policy experts. Over the course of the six-month program, scholars are required to prepare a research paper. This volume is a collection of the 2014 papers from the Nuclear Scholars Initiative.

In five turbulent years the members of this highly successful Luftwaffe fighter unit developed into such a close-knit team that even now - almost fifty years later - that bond still exists. This unique photo history was compiled with assistance from the air and ground crews of JG 54.\nThe 400+ photographs document the story of the Grunherz-Geschwader from its formation in the spring of 1939 to the final battles in the courland pocket in the spring of 1945. Within the timespan lay the arduous years of operations in Poland, France, the Channel Front, the Balkans, Russia, Finland and the defense of the Reich. \nWerner Held is the author of many books on the Luftwaffe of World War II including The German Fighter Units over Russia, and the Luftwaffe in the North African Campaign (both available from Schiffer Publishing). Hannes Trautloft is a former Geschwaderkommodore of JG 54. Ekkerhard Bob is a former Staffelkapitan in JG 54.

This book describes the procurement, operation and technical aspects of the legendary Messerschmitt Me 109 in Swiss service during and after World War II. The aircraft and its procurement during the 1930s and 1940s are described in detail, as are the internal quarrels and errors in planning. The Me 109G "Gustav" is extensively discussed, and a chapter on camouflage paint and markings will be of special interest to modelers. The book also contains nearly 450 mostly unpublished photographs, including color. Georg Hoch was born in 1943 in Zurich, and was an instructor in the Luftwaffe. His specialties included aircraft armament, structure, and war repairs.

A study of the Soviet and NATO armored forces that faced each other off in Central Europe in the early Cold War, and how their technology, tactics, and doctrine were all rapidly developed. For 45 years, the most disputed point in the World was the dividing line between East and West in Europe; here the use and development of tanks was key. In this fully illustrated study, author Steve Zaloga, describes how Soviet and NATO tanks were deployed in the early years of the Cold War, and how a generation of tanks such as the Soviet T-44/T-54 and IS-3, British Centurion, US Army M26/M46 Pershing (all developed during World War II) saw extensive service after the war had ended. Initial post-war generation tanks including the Soviet T-54A, T-10 heavy tank, British late-model Centurions, Conqueror, US Army M41, M47, M48 and the French AMX-13 are examined in detail alongside the most important technical trends of the era: the development of shaped-charge anti-tank projectiles, the influence of anti-tank missiles, and the introduction of chemical/nuclear protection and night fighting equipment. The book also considers the influence of post-war doctrine and tactics on tank technology and the effect of regional conflicts such as the 1950 Korean War, the war in Indo-China, and the 1956 Mid East War on tank warfare.

The 448th Bomb Group from its inception at Gowen Field, Idaho, in 1943 until the cessation of hostilities in Europe in 1945. An in-depth, personal look into the men who carried the war to the heart of the German Reich. Although the 448th Bomb Group never received the notoriety of some of the more famous Groups of the Eighth Air Force, it was one of the many units that successfully completed its mission every day. Among the unsung heroes of World War II were these normal men who completed their missions, day after day.

Germany's V-2 looks at one of the major technological advances of the Second World War, the V-2 ballistic missile. Although dwarfed by today's giant rockets, the V-2 represented a quantum leap beyond anything previously built. During the last six months of the war in Europe, Germany launched thousands of these missiles against the Allies. This book traces the origins and development of the V-2, from groups of individual experimenters in the 1930s to its use as a weapon system. Particular emphasis is paid to such topics as the structure and components of the missile, its ground support equipment, and field procedures. After the war, the V-2 formed the foundation for the space programs of the Soviet Union and United States. Information is included on previously ignored V-2 launches in the United States.

Recipient of the 1991 Scholarly Achievement Award of the North Central Sociological Association Minutes To Midnight is a timely examination of one of the preeminent moral, political, and economic dilemmas of our time. McCrea and Markle explore the dynamics of social movements behind antinuclear weapons campaigns in America--from the earliest post-war atomic scientists' movement to the "ban the bomb" efforts to the ill-fated Freeze movement of the 1980s. The authors note that the atomic scientists' movement was the first attempt by scientists--as scientists--to protest the uses of their own creation. They locate contemporary problems in their historical context by exploring the ways in which traditional pacifist groups provided the infrastructure and directly presaged--in strategy, tactics, and organizational dilemmas--the Freeze movement. The authors use their information on antinuclear protest activity as a way of understanding how social movements are founded, how they fare, and how social change occurs in postindustrial society. This highly readable book will be of interest to a broad interdisciplinary audience of scholars, professionals, graduate students, and upper-division undergraduates in political science, peace studies, American studies, sociology and the study of social movements, international relations, and history. "An excellent supplementary reading in college courses on social movements and political sociology. . . will stimulate discussion and debate on perhaps the most important issue of the century." --Contemporary Sociology "The book clearly applies social theory to richly described cases of American protests against nuclear weapons; admirably, the cases are viewed as linked within a broad historical context." --Louis Kriesberg, Syracuse University "For those interested in group theory. . . it does compile some useful information on the strategies and tactics of the various associations discussed. Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, and general readers." --Choice

Messerschmitt Me 262: Arrow to the Future tells the dramatic story of the Me 262\s combat career as a fascinating chain of events in which planning, luck, and even blind stupidity played important roles. Even by today\s engineering standards, magnificent is the only word to describe the effort to bring the plane\s jet engines, which eclipsed the performance of all contemporary aircraft, from the laboratory to production in an amazingly short time.\nArrow to the Futrue also tells the story of the people who flew the Me262 in combat. Their complete accounts bring their missions to life and set the plane in the historical context of the war. The German narratives are complemented by the accounts of Americans who flew against the Me 262 - for instance, the team of crack USAAF pilots known as "Watsons\s Whizzers," who literally stole a fleet of jet aircraft from German airfields at the end of the war.\nAlso described are the postwar efforts to test and preserve the Me 262. Included is a description of the efforts to obtain one of these aircraft for display at the National Air and Space Museum, and the painstaking efforts by the team at the Smithsonian\s Paul E. Garber Facility for Preservation, Restoration, and Storage to restore the Me 262 to its pristine condition.\nThis new reprint edition is lavishly illustrated with more than 100 photographs, including operational photos from World War II, color views of the cockpit, and interior and exterior shots of the restored Me 262. In addition to the striking photographs, there are expert technical drawings, cutaway illustrations, and equipment and conversion tables. \nWalter J. Boyne is the author of many books including The Smithsonian Book of Flight, The Leading Edge, Boeing B-52: A Documentary History and Phantom in Combat, as well as the novels The Wild Blue, Trophy for Eagles and Air Force Eagles.

The story of U. S. nuclear testing between 1945 and 1963 is a vivid and exciting one, but also one of profound importance. It is a story of trailblazing scientific progress, weapons of mass destruction, superpower rivalry, accidents, radiological contamination, politics, and diplomacy. The testing of weapons that defined the course and consequences of the Cold War was itself a crucial dimension to the narrative of that conflict. Further, the central question of why conduct nuclear tests was debated among politicians, generals, civilians, and scientists. The book focuses on this question and on the United States as it was the first nation to test and use nuclear weapons. The U.S. also has remained ahead of all other powers in achieving significant testing milestones and has conducted more nuclear tests than any other nuclear power. It first argues that nuclear weapons testing was for the most part a rational state act that provided essential information about nuclear weapons and their use. This information, in turn, illuminated other important issues, such as the details of test cessation agreements.Second, crucial to the history of nuclear testing as a rational state act was the idea of its normalization, a process that began under Truman. The norm of nuclear testing as an acceptable state action however was undermined by Eisenhower's moratorium of 1958-1961. The ensuing political dilemma surrounding the tests led under Kennedy found a resolution only through the Limited Test Ban Treaty. Lastly, the book argues that part of the reason why Washington accepted the Limited Test Ban Treaty in 1963 was because it recognized that it had accomplished all that could realistically be expected from atmospheric weapons testing. Overall, it was a victory for those who argued in favor of national security over diplomatic and environmental costs that normalized nuclear weapons tests. Today, as states continue to pursue nuclear weaponry, nuclear testing remains an important political issue in the 21st century, making the study of its history vital.

By 1944 the German army was on the defensive on all fronts and Allied bombing was putting increasing pressure on the nation's industrial output. Since the earliest days of the war the Germans had experimented with mounting anti-tank weapons on obsolete chassis and one of the most successful of these would prove to be the Jagdpanzer 38, more often referred to today as the Hetzer. Small and unimposing the Hetzer's appearance belied its effectiveness. Armed with the powerful 7.5cm L/48 gun, the same weapon fitted to the Jadgpanzer IV, the Hetzer featured armour sloped armour plates of up to 60mm thickness and was capable of a top speed of 42 kilometres per hour. Almost 3,000 examples were assembled and its low cost and ease of production meant that it was Germany's most important tank killer of the late war period. In his latest book in the TankCraft series Dennis Oliver uses archive photos and extensively researched colour illustrations to examine the Hetzer tank destroyers and the units of the German Army and Waffen-SS that operated them during the last months of the Second World war. A key section of his book displays available model kits and aftermarket products, complemented by a gallery of beautifully constructed and painted models in various scales. Technical details as well as modifications introduced during production and in the field are also examined providing everything the modeller needs to recreate an accurate representation of these historic tanks.