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Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > Weapons & equipment

MiG-29 Flight Manual (Paperback): Alan R. Wise MiG-29 Flight Manual (Paperback)
Alan R. Wise
R642 R596 Discovery Miles 5 960 Save R46 (7%) Ships in 18 - 22 working days

The MiG-29 Fulcrum is acknowledged as the finest lightweight, multi-role fighter ever produced in Russia. It was designed to operate under wartime conditions and fight head-to-head with Western combat aircraft such as the U.S. F-16 Falcon, F/A-18 Hornet, French Mirage 2000, Rafale, and Swedish JAS-39 Grippen. Roughly the size of the F/A-18 Hornet, the Mach 2.3 capable Fulcrum has also demonstrated many extraordinary capabilities and set several world records, including topping the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird in altitude. Presently in service with the Russian Air Force, as well as the air forces of Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, India, Germany, Yugoslavia, Serbia, Iraq, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Syria, Poland, Malaysia, Hungary, and Yemen, the MiG-29 has proved to be a rugged and capable fighter that will continue to be a factor in future conflicts, both as ally or foe. It is with this in mind that MiG-29 Flight Manual: Unclassified was created - to provide a rare and unprecedented glimpse inside a top Russian aircraft. Using information that only a few years ago was highly classified, this translated text presents an extraordinary look at the capabilities and complexities of one of the very best fighters of the current age.

Chemical Warfare in Australia - Australia's Involvement In Chemical Warfare 1914 - Today (Hardcover, 2nd edition): Geoff... Chemical Warfare in Australia - Australia's Involvement In Chemical Warfare 1914 - Today (Hardcover, 2nd edition)
Geoff Plunkett
R1,153 Discovery Miles 11 530 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This Meticulously researched book unearths a sixty year secret. As the Japanese swept south towards Australia in late 1941, they carried chemical weapons, already used with deadly effect in China. Forced to counter the chemical warfare threat, Australia covertly imported 1,000,000 chemical weapons - including 16 types of mustard gas - and hid them in tunnels and other sites around the country. This book tells the story of the importation, storage and 'live trials' of the deadly weapons. It reveals details of the chemical warfare agents themselves, Australia's retaliatory plans, the involvement of the USA, the lack of training of the weapons handlers and, finally, the dangerous disposal of the volatile agents. Most of all, this is the story of the men who lived with the deadly weapons on a daily basis, handling them constantly despite the immense risks and suffering as a consequence. They were the Chemical Warfare Armourers and almost every armourer suffered physically and often mentally from the effects of the weapons and the terrible burden of maintaining secrecy. This remarkable book contains over 300 photographs - many taken surreptitiously - that illustrate all too starkly the conditions and the danger to which these men were exposed. This is an unprecedented visual history. This book is published in association with the Army History Unit and is a volume in the Australian Army History Collection.

Indian Aircraft Industry - Possible Invention for Success in the Twenty First Century (Hardcover): Vivek Kapur Indian Aircraft Industry - Possible Invention for Success in the Twenty First Century (Hardcover)
Vivek Kapur
R1,516 Discovery Miles 15 160 Ships in 18 - 22 working days
U.S. Army Guerrilla Warfare Handbook (Hardcover, Reprint ed.): Army U.S. Army Guerrilla Warfare Handbook (Hardcover, Reprint ed.)
Army
R711 Discovery Miles 7 110 Ships in 18 - 22 working days
Flying Tiger - International Relations Theory and the Politics of Advanced Weapons (Hardcover): Ulrich Krotz Flying Tiger - International Relations Theory and the Politics of Advanced Weapons (Hardcover)
Ulrich Krotz
R2,006 Discovery Miles 20 060 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Ulrich Krotz's Flying Tiger takes a relatively obscure episode-the joint Franco-German production of a state-of-the-art and very expensive military helicopter, the Tiger Helicopter (used in the James Bond film Goldeneye, incidentally)-to make a groundbreaking theoretical contribution to international relations scholarship. The rivalry between Germany and France in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is of course well known. It was directly or indirectly responsible for four cataclysmic wars, and until relatively recently, the idea that these two states could become close partners seemed implausible. Yet following World War II and the birth of the European Union, they became the closest of allies. In fact, they collaborated for three decades on the most sophisticated weapon that the EU has produced: the Tiger. How did this occur, and what does this happy albeit unforeseen outcome tell us about how interstate relations really work? Through the lens of the Tiger, Krotz draws from two theoretical approaches-social constructivism and historical institutionalism-to reframe our understanding of how international relationships evolve. International relations scholars have always focused on relations between states, yet have failed to think in any sustained way about how interstate relationships both remold domestic realities and derive from them. How does a relationship between states impact upon a state internally? And how do the internal institutional dynamics of a state limit such relationships? While International Relations scholars have touched on these issues, until now no one has provided a sustained, finely grained, and historically informed analysis that explains how international relations socially constructs domestic realities and how in turn domestic politics and institutions structure interstate relationships. Krotz's account of how the Tiger project was funded and how the device was built perfectly illustrates his theoretical claims about the dialectical relationship of 'high' interstate politics and 'low' domestic politics. Two famous rivals completely reshaped their relationship through a complicated, decades-long process in which the nuts and bolts of domestic politics-approvals for state funding as well as laws regarding corporations and technology transfer, for instance-were instrumental in creating a new reality.

Nuclear Weapons and Nonproliferation - A Reference Handbook, 2nd Edition (Hardcover, 2nd Revised edition): Sarah J. Diehl,... Nuclear Weapons and Nonproliferation - A Reference Handbook, 2nd Edition (Hardcover, 2nd Revised edition)
Sarah J. Diehl, James Clay Moltz
R2,064 Discovery Miles 20 640 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

An updated edition of ABC-CLIO's classic reference book on nuclear arms programs and proliferation in nations around the world. Fully updated and revised since its initial publication, Nuclear Weapons and Nonproliferation, Second Edition explores all key issues related to the proliferation of nuclear weapons and efforts to curb them, from the U.S. atomic bomb project during World War II to current debates on nuclear terrorism, North Korea's nuclear test, and Iran's enrichment program. Nuclear Weapons and Nonproliferation, Second Edition clarifies weapons-related policy debates from both U.S. and international perspectives, offering a detailed look at current technologies, arsenals, weapons tests, and nonproliferation efforts. Readers will find expert analysis of such crucial recent events as Libya's disarmament, the failed WMD search in Iraq, A.Q. Khan's nuclear technology black market, "dirty bombs," developments in North Korea and Iran, and the U.S. plan to aid India's nuclear program-plus recent progress (or lack thereof) on a range of treaties and initiatives. Primary documents include an excerpt from the 1945 U.S. report on the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the text of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and the UN resolution sanctioning North Korea for its nuclear test A detailed and updated chronology highlights major events between 1939-2007 pertaining to the buildup of nuclear weapons and the efforts to control and dismantle them

The Doomsday Machine - Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner (Paperback): Daniel Ellsberg The Doomsday Machine - Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner (Paperback)
Daniel Ellsberg 1
R429 R389 Discovery Miles 3 890 Save R40 (9%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

From the legendary whistle-blower who revealed the Pentagon Papers, the first insider exposé of the terrifying dangers of America's hidden, seventy-year-long nuclear policy.

At the same time former presidential advisor Daniel Ellsberg famously took the Pentagon Papers, he also took with him a cache of top-secret documents related to America's nuclear program in the 1960s. Here for the first time he reveals the contents of those now-declassified documents and makes clear their shocking relevance for today.

The Doomsday Machine is Ellsberg's account of the most dangerous arms build-up in the history of civilisation, whose legacy - and proposed renewal under the Trump administration - threatens the very survival of humanity.

Military Aircraft, 1919-1945 - An Illustrated History of Their Impact (Hardcover): Justin D Murphy, Matthew A. McNiece Military Aircraft, 1919-1945 - An Illustrated History of Their Impact (Hardcover)
Justin D Murphy, Matthew A. McNiece
R3,051 R2,729 Discovery Miles 27 290 Save R322 (11%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

An in-depth history of the time when airpower became the great equalizer, changing military strategy forever and bringing once-safe targets in reach. Military Aircraft, 1919-1945: An Illustrated History of Their Impact covers a crucial era in modern warfare technology. Ranging from the development of airpower doctrines in the aftermath of World War I to the aircraft and missions that put those doctrines into action during World War II, it provides an expert summing-up of the decades when the use of aircraft in battle came of age. In chapters covering both the history of air power and specific types of aircraft (fighters, bombers, reconnaissance and auxiliary planes), Military Aircraft, 1919-1945 introduces key theorists and designers, describes important changes in technology and production, and recreates spectacular episodes from Pearl Harbor to the London Blitz to the Enola Gay. Readers will see the dramatic impact of the first generation of modern military aircraft on land and sea. They will also see how the expansion of war to the skies brought economic opportunity to some home fronts, and looming terror and devastation to others. Comparative charts of aircraft production of the major powers during the interwar years and the Second World War Approximately 80 photographs and tables of the most important aircraft of the era, organized by type and by country

U.S. Army Special Forces Guide to Unconventional Warfare - Devices and Techniques for Incendiaries (Hardcover, Reprint ed.):... U.S. Army Special Forces Guide to Unconventional Warfare - Devices and Techniques for Incendiaries (Hardcover, Reprint ed.)
Army
R647 Discovery Miles 6 470 Ships in 18 - 22 working days
State of Doom - Bernard Brodie, The Bomb, and the Birth of the Bipolar World (Hardcover): Barry Scott Zellen State of Doom - Bernard Brodie, The Bomb, and the Birth of the Bipolar World (Hardcover)
Barry Scott Zellen
R4,968 Discovery Miles 49 680 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The book examines Bernard Brodie's strategic and philosophical response to the nuclear age, embedding his work within the classical theories of Carl von Clausewitz. Bernard Brodie (1910-1978) was a leading 20th century theorist and philosopher of war. A key architect of American nuclear strategy, Brodie was one of the first civilian defense intellectuals to cross over into the military world. "State of Doom" explores Brodie's evolution as a theorist and his response to the technological innovations that transformed warfare from WWII to the Vietnam War. It situates his theoretical development within the classical theories of Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831), as Brodie came to be known as "America's Clausewitz." While his first influential works focused on naval strategy, his most lasting impact came within the field of nuclear strategic thinking. Brodie helped conceptualize America's strategy of deterrence, later taking into account America's loss of nuclear monopoly, thermonuclear weapons, and intercontinental missiles. This in-depth exploration of Brodie's strategic and philosophical response to the nuclear age and of his effort to reconcile Clausewitz's theories to the new challenges of the nuclear era will make this book a must read to anyone in strategic studies, international relations, and philosophy of war.

Pakistan's Tactical Nuclear Weapons - Conflict Redux (Microfilm): Gurmeet Kanwal, Monika Chansoria Pakistan's Tactical Nuclear Weapons - Conflict Redux (Microfilm)
Gurmeet Kanwal, Monika Chansoria
R1,493 Discovery Miles 14 930 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

Tactical Nuclear Weapons (TNWs), often referred to as "battlefield," "sub-strategic," or "non-strategic" nuclear weapons, usually have a plutonium core and are typically distinct from strategic nuclear weapons. Therefore, they warrant a separate consideration in the realm of nuclear security. The yield of such weapons is generally lower than that of strategic nuclear weapons and may range from the relatively low 0.1 kiloton to a few kilotons. Pakistan's quest to acquire tactical nuclear weapons has added a dangerous dimension to the already precarious strategic equation in South Asia. The security discourse in the subcontinent revolves around the perennial apprehension of a conventional or sub-conventional conflict triggering a chain reaction, eventually paving the way for a potential nuclear crisis haunting peace and stability in the region. Pakistan believes that the successful testing of the 60-km nuclear-capable short-range missile Hatf-9 (Nasr) "adds deterrence value to Pakistan's strategic weapons development programme at shorter ranges." In paradox, the fact remains that this step has further lowered Pakistan's nuclear threshold through the likely use of TNWs. The introduction of TNWs into the tactical battle area further exacerbates credibility of their control. Pakistan has not formally declared a nuclear doctrine, but it is well known that nuclear weapons are its first line of defence. The use of TNWs in the India-Pakistan case will alter the strategic scenario completely as Pakistan would threaten India with the use of TNWs in the event of New Delhi responding against Islamabad with a conventional strike in reaction to a 26/11-style terrorist attack. Pakistan forgets that given its offensive strategic posture and continuing involvement in terror strikes in India, it is New Delhi which is confronted with the problem of developing a strategy to counter Pakistan's "first-strike" and proxy war in the light of its declared "no-first-use" policy. This edited volume attempts to address and decipher complex issues, including aspects such as China's WMD collaboration with Pakistan, nuclear command and control dynamics within Pakistan, overall rationale and implications of TNWs, safety and security of nuclear weapons, scenarios for nuclear usage, India's potential response options and, more specifically, the technical aspects of the Nasr delivery system.

Thinking About Nuclear Weapons - Principles, Problems, Prospects (Hardcover): Michael Quinlan Thinking About Nuclear Weapons - Principles, Problems, Prospects (Hardcover)
Michael Quinlan
R1,707 Discovery Miles 17 070 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The book reflects the author's experience across more than forty years in assessing and forming policy about nuclear weapons, mostly at senior levels close to the centre both of British governmental decision-making and of NATO's development of plans and deployments, with much interaction also with comparable levels of United States activity in the Pentagon and the State department. Part I of the book seeks to distill, from this exceptional background of practical experience, basic conceptual ways of understanding the revolution brought about by nuclear weapons. It also surveys NATO's progressive development of thinking about nuclear deterrence, and then discusses the deep moral dilemmas posed - for all possible standpoints - by the existence of such weapons. Part II considers the risks and costs of nuclear-weapon possession, including proliferation dangers, and looks at both successful and unsuccessful ideas about how to manage them. Part III illustrates specific issues by reviewing the history and current policies of one long-established possessor, the United Kingdom, and two more recent ones, India and Pakistan. Part IV turns to the future, examines the goal of eventually abolishing all nuclear armouries, and then discusses the practical agenda, short of such a goal, which governments can usefully tackle in reducing the risks of proliferation and other dangers while not surrendering prematurely the war-prevention benefits which nuclear weapons have brought since 1945.
This book is a project of the Oxford Leverhulme Programme on the Changing Character of War.

Reinventing Warfare 1914-18 - Novel Munitions and Tactics of Trench Warfare (Hardcover, New): Anthony Saunders Reinventing Warfare 1914-18 - Novel Munitions and Tactics of Trench Warfare (Hardcover, New)
Anthony Saunders
R4,648 Discovery Miles 46 480 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This title presents new research highlighting the invention of new weaponry and its front-line combat use. No army went to war in 1914 ready to conduct trench warfare operations. All the armies of the First World War discovered that prolonged trench warfare required new types of munitions alongside the conventional howitzers, large-calibre guns and explosive shells. This volume examines how the British went about inventing and manufacturing new weaponry such as hand grenades, rifle grenades and trench mortars when no body of knowledge about trench warfare munitions existed. It also examines how tactics were developed for these new munitions. Based on new research, this is the first book to discuss the complexity of invention and manufacture of novel weapons such as the Mills grenade and the Stokes mortar, and to consider the relationship between technical design and operational tactics on the ground. In so doing the book presents a different model of the trench warfare conducted by the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front, and also provides a blueprint to understanding the relationship between technology and tactics applicable to all types of weapons and warfare. "Continuum Studies in Military History" offers up-to-date, scholarly accounts of war and military history. Unrestricted by period or geography, the series aims to provide free-standing works that are attuned to conceptual and historiographical developments in the field while being based on original scholarship.

American Arsenal - A Century of Waging War (Hardcover, New): Patrick Coffey American Arsenal - A Century of Waging War (Hardcover, New)
Patrick Coffey
R1,138 Discovery Miles 11 380 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

When America declared war on Germany in 1917, the United States had only 200,000 men under arms, a twentieth of the German army's strength, and its planes were no match for the Luftwaffe. Less than a century later, the United States today has by far the world's largest military budget and provides over 40% of the world's armaments. In American Arsenal Patrick Coffey examines America's military transformation from an isolationist state to a world superpower with a defense budget over $600 billion. Focusing on sixteen specific developments, Coffey illustrates the unplanned, often haphazard nature of this transformation, which has been driven by political, military, technological, and commercial interests. Beginning with Thomas Edison's work on submarine technology, American Arsenal moves from World War I to the present conflicts in the Middle East, covering topics from chemical weapons, strategic bombing, and the nuclear standoff with the Soviet Union, to "smart" bombs, hand-held anti-aircraft missiles, and the Predator and other drone aircrafts. Coffey traces the story of each advance in weaponry from drawing board to battlefield, and includes fascinating portraits the men who invented and deployed them-Robert Oppenheimer, head of the Manhattan Project; Curtis LeMay, who sent the Enola Gray to drop the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki; Herman Kahn, nuclear strategist and model for Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove; Abraham Karem, inventor of the Predator and many others. Coffey also examines the increasingly detached nature of modern American warfare-the ultimate goal is to remove soldiers from the battlefield entirely-which limits casualties (211,454 in Vietnam and only 1,231 in the Gulf War) but also lessens the political and psychological costs of going to war. Examining the backstories of every major American weapons development, American Arsenal is essential reading for anyone interested in the ongoing evolution of the U.S. defense program.

U.S. Army Improvised Munitions Handbook (Hardcover, Reprint ed.): Army U.S. Army Improvised Munitions Handbook (Hardcover, Reprint ed.)
Army
R709 Discovery Miles 7 090 Ships in 18 - 22 working days
Tigers at War (Hardcover): Bob Carruthers Tigers at War (Hardcover)
Bob Carruthers
R889 Discovery Miles 8 890 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

This unique volume combines the book Tiger I In Combat with a facsimile of the original German wartime crew manual for the Tiger tank, the Tigerfibel. This overview draws on a wide variety of primary source accounts of the Tiger I in action from both the Allied and the German perspective. Rare photographs, technical drawings and contemporary reports of the Tiger in combat help to set aside the myths and bring the reality into focus. General Heinz Guderian authorised the publication of the Tigerfibel from 1943 onwards. This highly unorthodox publication was full of risqu drawings and humorous illustrations and was designed to convey complex battlefield instructions in a simple and memorable manner. The manual contains everything the reader could ever wish to know concerning how the crews were instructed to handle the Tiger I under combat conditions. The Tigerfibel contains detailed instructions on aiming, firing, ammunition and close combat. There are extensive sections on maintenance, driving, radio operation and the essentials of commanding a Tiger I in combat. This book contains the original German publication with a complete English translation, new overview and introduction by Emmy Award winning historian Bob Carruthers. Highly accessible, this book is essential and rewarding reading for all readers interested in the history of the Tiger I.

Nuclear Tsunami - The Japanese Government and America's Role in the Fukushima Disaster (Hardcover): Richard Krooth, Morris... Nuclear Tsunami - The Japanese Government and America's Role in the Fukushima Disaster (Hardcover)
Richard Krooth, Morris Edelson, Hiroshi Fukurai
R3,512 Discovery Miles 35 120 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

This book begins with the analysis of America's post-war intelligence operations, propaganda campaigns, and strategic psychological warfare in Japan. Banking on nuclear safety myths, Japan promoted an aggressive policy of locating and building nuclear power plants in depopulated areas suffering from a significant decline of local industries and economies. The Fukushima nuclear disaster substantiated that U.S. propaganda programs left a long lasting legacy in Japan and beyond and created the fertile ground for the future nuclear disaster. The book reveals Japan's tripartite organization of the dominating state, media-monopoly, and nuclear-plant oligarchy advancing nuclear proliferation. It details America's unprecedented pro-nuclear propaganda campaigns; Japan's secret ambitions to develop its own nuclear bombs; U.S. dumping of reprocessed plutonium on Japan; and the joint U.S.-Nippon propaganda campaigns for "safe" nuclear-power and the current "safe-nuclear particles" myths. The study shows how the bankruptcy of the central state has led to increased burdens on the population in post-nuclear tsunami era, and the ensuing dangerous ionization of the population now reaching into the future.

Second World War British Military Camouflage - Designing Deception (Hardcover): Isla Forsyth Second World War British Military Camouflage - Designing Deception (Hardcover)
Isla Forsyth
R4,576 Discovery Miles 45 760 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

Second World War British Military Camouflage offers an original approach to the cultures and geographies of military conflict, through a study of the history of camouflage. Isla Forsyth narrates the scientific biography of Dr Hugh Cott (1900-1987), eminent zoologist and artist turned camoufleur, and entwines this with the lives of other camouflage practitioners, to trace the sites of camouflage's developments. Moving through the scientists' fieldsite, the committee boardroom, the military training site and the soldiers' battlefield, this book uncovers the history of this ambiguous military invention, and subverts a long-dominant narrative of camouflage as solely a protective technology. This study demonstrates that, as camouflage transformed battlefields into unsettling theatres of war, there were lasting consequences not only for military technology and knowledge, but also for the ethics of battle and the individuals enrolled in this process.

Trident and International Law - Scotland's Obligations (Paperback, New): Rebecca Johnson, Angie Zelter Trident and International Law - Scotland's Obligations (Paperback, New)
Rebecca Johnson, Angie Zelter
R337 Discovery Miles 3 370 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Challenging the legality of UK nuclear policy as a further generation of nuclear-armed submarines is developed, Trident and International Law asks who is really accountable for Coulport and Faslane. The UK government in Westminster controls nuclear policy decisions even though Britain's nuclear submarines and warheads are all based in Scotland, at Faslane and Coulport. The Scottish Government therefore has responsibilities under domestic and international law relating to the deployment of nuclear weapons in Scotland. Public concern about nuclear deployments, and particularly the security and proliferation implications of modernising Trident, led the Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy, the Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre and Trident Ploughshares to organise an international conference on 'Trident and International Law: Scotland's Obligations' in Edinburgh in 2009. This book presents the key papers and documents, with additional arguments from renowned legal scholars. The findings should be of interest to lawyers, policymakers and citizens with interest or responsibilities in legal and nuclear issues, public safety and human security. Whilst focusing on Scotland, this book raises serious questions for nuclear weapon deployments worldwide.

Hospital Preparation for Bioterror - A Medical and Biomedical Systems Approach (Hardcover): Joseph H. McIsaac Hospital Preparation for Bioterror - A Medical and Biomedical Systems Approach (Hardcover)
Joseph H. McIsaac
R2,520 Discovery Miles 25 200 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

"Hospital Preparation for Bioterror" provides an extremely timely guide to improving the readiness of hospitals or healthcare organizations to manage mass casualties as a result of bioterrorism, biological warfare, and natural disasters. Contributions from leading law enforcement agencies, hospital administrators, clinical engineers, surgeons and terror-prevention professionals provide the most comprehensive, well-rounded source for this valuable information. Chapters on logistics and protecting the infrastructure help personnel distinguish the specific risks and vulnerabilities of each unique institution and assists in identifying specific solutions for disaster and bioterrorism preparedness.
-Principles and techniques discussed are applicable to all disasters, both large and small, not just bioterrorism
-Technical aspects such as hospital power and telecommunications are covered, in addition to patient care, response to mass casualties, large-scale drills, and surge capacity.
-Organized along functional lines, patient flow, medical specialty, and infrastructure
-A complimentary website with supplementary materials, check-lists, and references enhances the text and provides additional resources for preparedness.

Royal and Urban Gunpowder Weapons in Late Medieval England (Hardcover): Dan Spencer Royal and Urban Gunpowder Weapons in Late Medieval England (Hardcover)
Dan Spencer
R3,324 Discovery Miles 33 240 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

First comprehensive study of English artillery in the late Middle Ages, bringing out its full impact on areas beyond the military. One of the most important technological developments of the Middle Ages was the adoption of gunpowder weapons in medieval Europe. From the fourteenth century onwards, this new technology was to eventually transform the conduct ofwarfare beyond all recognition with important implications for European and global history. Guns came to be used in all aspects of military operations, with kings, nobles and burgesses all spending large sums of money on these prestigious weapons. The growing effectiveness of gunpowder artillery prompted major changes in the design of fortifications, the composition of armies, the management of logistics and administrative systems. This book is the first full-length study of the unique English experience of gunpowder weapons, tracing their development from their introduction in the reign of Edward III to the end of the fifteenth century. The rich records of the English Exchequer and urban accounts are used to explore their role in campaigns, in sieges, on the battlefield, at sea and their role in the defence of towns, royal castles and the fortifications of the Pale of Calais. It provides a comprehensive framework for the speed of technological advances and the factors responsible for these changes, as well as an in-depth discussion of individual gun types. DAN SPENCER obtained his PhD from the University of Southampton.

Firearms - The Life Story of a Technology (Hardcover, New): Roger Pauly Firearms - The Life Story of a Technology (Hardcover, New)
Roger Pauly
R1,699 Discovery Miles 16 990 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

Guns have existed in various forms for hundreds of years, and few objects have had such an immense impact on the history of the world. But how did firearms develop? Why did the styles of guns change over the years? Firearms tells the "life story" of the gun, from the hand-held weapons of ancient humans, to the medieval guns of China that propelled objects by chemical reactions, to the modern assault rifle, the gun as the primary weapon in the modern army, and the gun as a tool for hunting. Not only does the book demonstrate how firearms developed--an evolution dependent upon years of trial and error, and often based on the recurrent need for power, accuracy and a fast rate of fire--but it shows how these advances directly affected the everyday life of people in almost every civilization on earth. Firearms provides both students and interested lay readers with insights on how this ubiquitous technology came to be. The work does not focus on just one type of firearm, but covers all types of relevant weapons. Exploring the "life-story" of the gun enables the reader to understand how the firearm came of age in Europe, where competition between nations led to the development of different types of firearms--now known as matchlock, wheelock, and flintlock. As successful as these designs were, it was the precision manufacturing of industrialization that would allow the invention of revolvers, breechloaders, and repeating rifles. Eventually, recognition that the gas and recoil of a shot could be used to reload a gun encouraged development of the semi- and fully-automatic weapons that dominate firearm designs today. Firearms includes a timeline of significant developments in the history of guns, and a bibliography of the most important works for further research.

Rockets and Missiles - The Life Story of a Technology (Hardcover): A.Bowdoin Van Riper Rockets and Missiles - The Life Story of a Technology (Hardcover)
A.Bowdoin Van Riper
R1,697 Discovery Miles 16 970 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

Beginning with World War II, missiles transformed the art of war. For the first time, cities of warring nations were vulnerable to sudden, unannounced, long-distance destruction. At the same time, rockets made possible one of the great triumphs of the modern age—the exploration of space. Rockets and Missiles traces the history of the technology that led to both the great fear of global warfare, and the great excitement of the Space Age. Beginning with the origins of rocketry in medieval and early modern Asia, the volume focuses on rocketry in late-20th-century Western Europe, Russia, and the United States, and also covers the spread of rocket technology in East Asia, the Middle East, and elsewhere. Rockets and Missiles covers everything any student or interested layperson would need to understand the history of rocketry. The introduction reviews basic principles of physics and basic elements of chemical rocket technology. Chapters trace the history of rockets from their origins to the present day, with a particular emphasis on the years since World War II. All three principal uses of rocket technology are covered in detail: missiles as long-range strategic weapons and short-range tactical weapons, and rockets as launch vehicles for sending payloads into space The book concludes with a survey of several types of non-chemical rockets now under development for use in outer space. While Rockets and Missiles covers the development of the technology, including how rockets improved in performance, reliability, and versatility. The book also stresses the impact of rocket technology—both military and civilian—on everyday life.

The Tank Book - The Definitive Visual History of Armoured Vehicles (Hardcover): Dk The Tank Book - The Definitive Visual History of Armoured Vehicles (Hardcover)
Dk
R913 R784 Discovery Miles 7 840 Save R129 (14%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

Get up close to more than 400 of the most important tanks and armoured vehicles ever built. In 1916, the British built a machine that was impervious to enemy fire, and could dominate the battlefield, crushing obstacles and barbed wire in its path. The first tank, or "Mother" as it was known, had arrived. In The Tank Book you can view it in detail, along with other iconic models, including the German Panzer, the legendary Tiger, the Vickers Medium Mark II, the Centurion, and the Hellcat - the fastest armoured fighting vehicle ever. This comprehensive volume takes you through the most exciting story in recent military history with the development of heavy artillery, anti-tank weaponry, and the men - such as Sir William Tritton and Mikail Koshkin - who designed these awe-inspiring beasts. It shows each key model in stunning detail, highlighting elements such as their armour and weaponry, and much more besides. Produced in association with The Tank Museum, The Tank Book traces the tank's development in response to two world wars, Korea, Vietnam, the Cold War, and many other conflicts. If you are interested in modern warfare, The Tank Book is truly unmissable reading.

Jager - Europe's First Special Operations Forces: History, Organization, Arms & Equipment of the Austro-Hungarian... Jager - Europe's First Special Operations Forces: History, Organization, Arms & Equipment of the Austro-Hungarian Empire's Elite Light Infantry to 1866 (Hardcover)
James V Capua, Col Carl M Kruger
R1,381 Discovery Miles 13 810 Ships in 18 - 22 working days
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