An illustrated account of the first jet-powered combat aircraft, the Messerschmitt Me 262, and its short but action-packed career during World War 2.

Powered by the Jumo 004 jet engine, the Me 262 outclassed anything the Allies had in terms of speed and firepower, offering, as an interceptor, a formidable punch with four 30 mm MK 108 nose-mounted cannon. Such a blend of armament and speed allowed the Me 262A-1a not just to inflict carnage on the Allied heavy bomber formations, but also to evade their fighter escorts – even the later marks of Spitfire and the formidable American P-51 Mustang.

In this new study, Luftwaffe historian Robert Forsyth utilises first-hand accounts from Me 262 pilots to chronicle actions against Allied bombers and their escorts, as well as detailing hit-and-run bomber attacks on road junctions, Allied airfields, vehicle columns, troop assemblies and supply dumps. All of these aspects of the Me 262 are enhanced by vivid illustrations, including archival photographs and specially commissioned profile artworks.

From the Wright Brothers' famous "Wright Flyer" in 1903, to the "Concorde" in 1969 this book emphasizes the great strides made in aircraft construction in the sixty-six years between these two famous designs. Presented in chronological order are thirty-seven classic designs that changed the history of flight: The Wright Flyer, Junkers J1, Fokker Dr. I, Junkers Ju 52, Polikarpov I-16, Messerschmitt Bf 109, Boeing B-17, Douglas DC-3/C-47, Messerschmitt Bf 110, Junkers Ju 88, Macchi MC.200-207, Messerschmitt Me 209, Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa, Lockheed P-38 Lightning, Heinkel He 178, Hawker Tornadeo/Typhoon, Ilyushin II-2 Sturmovik, Arado Ar 240, Chance Vought F4U Corsair, North American P-51 Mustang, De Havilland Mosquito, Messerschmitt Me 262, Hawker Tempest, Arado Ar 234, Dornier Do 335, Republic F-84F Thunderstreak, Hawker Hunter, North American F-100 Super Sabre, Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, Saab J35 Draken, Vought F-8 Crusader, Mikoyan/Gurevich MiG-21, Dassault-Breguet Mirage III/5, Northrop T-38 Talon, Hawker Siddeley Harrier, Dornier Do 31 and the Aerospatiale/BAC Concorde.\nEach aircraft is shown in photographs, scale line drawings from various perspectives, and presents the various models, prototypes and export models - technical aspects and measurements are also given.

A history of the enduring Essex-class ships, the US Navy's finest and most numerous fleet carrier during World War II, which were modernized repeatedly and served with distinction. The Essex class was the USN's war-winning ship class of the Pacific War. Of the 24 ships completed, 14 saw action, making the Essex class the largest class of fleet aircraft carriers ever built. These ships had a fine balance of striking power, protection, and speed and were modernized during and after the war. There were five distinct programs carried out, adding not only angled flight decks for jet operations, but repeated upgrades to sensors, weapons, and equipment. Essex-class carriers were used in a number of roles and provided the vast majority of US Navy air power in the Korean War, and a sizeable proportion of air power in the Vietnam conflict. However, as the "super carriers" began to enter service in the early 1960s, the Essex class was relegated to secondary roles- a single Essex carrier served until 1991 as the US Navy's training carrier. Using detailed artwork and photos, this book provides an in-depth portrait of this important and enduring class of ship, and looks at its development and modifications while considering the many and varied actions it took part in.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki evoke powerful and sombre associations of holocaust and apocalypse, a vision that gives rise to Japanese hibakusha cinema, which attempts to come to terms with the bombings in a number of ways. Including contributions from such renowned theorists as Donald Richie and Susan Sontag, Hibakusha Cinema focuses critical attention upon this little-studied yet vitally important trend in Japanese film. Assembled chronologically, the anthology begins with rare, early commentary and closes with new criticism specially prepared for this volume. The essays explore the metatextuality of Hiroshima and Nagasaki via film and television renderings of hibakusha experiences as well as Japanese projections of future nuclear wars. Hibakusha Cinema assesses a broad range of Japanese film to locate this significant theme: the essays cover documentary and dramatic films made under strict, Occupation-era censorship; the historical docudramas of the 1950s and 1980s; the widespread though critically neglected nuclear monster subgenre; and apocalyptic manga films and videos.

A study of the design, development and eventual fates of the uncompleted super-battleships intended to be built before and during World War II. At the start of World War II the battleship was still king, and all the major powers were designing even mightier battleships to surpass their most modern and powerful classes. But when World War II broke out, aircraft carriers would dominate naval warfare, and none of these monster warships were completed. In this book, naval expert Mark Stille uncovers these lost battleships as they are reconstructed with superb new full-colour artwork. The US Navy wanted five Montana-class ships, based on the Iowas but with a heavier main battery and improved protection, and the Royal Navy began work on three 16in-gun Lion-class fast battleships. The German Navy developed its H-class designs: initially an improved Bismack-class, they became more fantastical, culminating in the 141,500-ton, 20in-gun H-44. The Japanese A-150 was based on the Yamato-class but with 20.1in guns, while the 15 ships planned for the USSR's Sovetsky Soyuz-class would have rivalled the Montanas in size. Explaining the design, intended roles and fate of these ships, this is the story of the last battleship designs in history.

Focusing on East Asia, this book sets out a framework for analyzing infectious disease threats in security terms. It covers the security significance of naturally occurring disease outbreak events such as SARS and avian influenza, the development and use of biological weapons by state and non-state actors, and the security risks associated with laboratory research on pathogenic micro-organisms.

Christian Enemark devises a conceptual framework for securitization that is useful for policy makers by using the overlaps and synergies between different infectious disease threats. The book draws heavily on material from public health and scientific literature to illustrate the cross-disciplinary requirements for addressing infectious diseases challenges in security terms. Fast-moving, naturally occurring disease threats are of increasing concern to governments and individuals, and it is therefore important to recognize their close relationship to the security challenges posed by Biological Weaponsand pathogen research.

Disease and Security will be of much interest to students of international security, public health and Asian politics.

This book explores China's approach to the nuclear programs in Pakistan, Iran, and North Korea. A major power with access to nuclear technology, China has a significant impact on international nuclear weapons proliferation, but its attitude towards the spread of the bomb has been inconsistent. China's mixed record raises a broader question: why, when and how do states support potential nuclear proliferators? This book develops a framework for analyzing such questions, by putting forth three factors that are likely to determine a state's policy: (1) the risk of changes in the nuclear status or military doctrines of competitors; (2) the recipient's status and strategic value; and (3) the extent of pressure from third parties to halt nuclear assistance. It then demonstrates how these factors help explain China's policies towards Pakistan, Iran, and North Korea. Overall, the book finds that China has been a selective and strategic supporter of nuclear proliferators. While nuclear proliferation is a security challenge to China in some settings, in others, it wants to help its friends build the bomb. This book will be of much interest to students of international security, nuclear proliferation, Chinese foreign policy and International Relations in general.

In its diversity of perspectives, The Unfinished Atomic Bomb: Shadows and Reflections is testament to the ways in which contemplations of the A-bomb are endlessly shifting, rarely fixed on the same point or perspective. The compilation of this book is significant in this regard, offering Japanese, American, Australian, and European perspectives. In doing so, the essays here represent a complex series of interpretations of the bombing of Hiroshima, and its implications both for history, and for the present day. From Kuznick's extensive biographical account of the Hiroshima bomb pilot, Paul Tibbets, and contentious questions about the moral and strategic efficacy of dropping the A-bomb and how that has resonated through time, to Jacobs' reflections on the different ways in which Hiroshima and its memorialization are experienced today, each chapter considers how this moment in time emerges, persistently, in public and cultural consciousness. The discussions here are often difficult, sometimes controversial, and at times oppositional, reflecting the characteristics of A-bomb scholarship more broadly. The aim is to explore the various ways in which Hiroshima is remembered, but also to consider the ongoing legacy and impact of atomic warfare, the reverberations of which remain powerfully felt.

In the late nineteenth century the advent of the modern torpedo woke the Royal Navy to a potent threat to its domination, not seriously challenged since Trafalgar. For the first time a relatively cheap weapon had the potential to sink the largest, and costliest exponents of sea power. Not surprisingly, Britain's traditional rivals invested heavily in the new technology that promised to overthrow the naval status quo.The Royal Navy was also quick to adopt the new weapon, but the British concentrated on developing counters to the essentially offensive tactics associated with torpedo-carrying small craft. From these efforts came 'torpedo catchers', torpedo-gunboats and eventually the torpedo-boat destroyer, a type so successful that it eclipsed and the usurped the torpedo-boat itself. With its title shortened to 'destroyer', the type evolved rapidly and was soon in service in many navies, but in none was the evolution as rapid or as radical as in the Royal NavyThis book is the first detailed study of their early days, combining technical history with an appreciation of the changing role of destroyers and the tactics of their deployment. Like all of Friedman's books, it reveals the rationale and not just the process of important technological developments.

This book describes and illustrates the armies of the embattled Ottoman Turkish Empire involved in 19th-century wars during the Empire’s long spiral of decline. During the so called ‘long 19th century’, between the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 and the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the difficulties faced by the Ottoman Turkish Empire were a recurrent factor in international geopolitics. Against a background of Russian–Ottoman rivalry, France and Britain supported the Empire during the Crimean War (1854–56), but not in the Russo–Turkish War (1877–78). Portraying the uniforms, arms and appearance of Ottoman troops during this period, this book traces the history of the Ottoman Empire throughout this period, when no fewer than ten wars of regional insurgency and foreign expansion against the Empire were fought in territories in south-eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Using rare photos and illustrations from Turkish, Balkan and other sources, author, Gabriele Esposito details the history of the multi-ethnic Ottoman armies periodic attempts to modernize which enabled them to win some victories at a tactical level. But the Empire – ‘the sick man of Europe’ – lacked a coherent strategy or sufficient resources, and failed attempts to crush regional uprisings and to defend borders, saw the steady loss of territories. Due to misgovernment and economic failure, unrest finally boiled over in 1908–09, reducing the sultan’s court to a largely ceremonial role, and installing a military government by the ‘Young Turks’ led by the general Enver Pasha. This book is a vivid description of the organization, operations, uniforms and equipment of one of the most active and varied armies of the ‘long 19th century’ and paints a detailed picture of the Ottoman Empire's struggle to maintain control of its territories.

The Pzkpfw III tank was the mainstay of the Panzer divisions during the Blitzkrieg era and made up the bulk of the armoured force sent to North Africa. Although less heavily armoured than many of its opponents it was sturdy and reliable and its main armament was the equal of any enemy weapon it was called upon to face. Operating in one of the most inhospitable environments on earth the Pzkpfw III was at the forefront of the dramatic advances of 1941 and the defensive efforts of the following year, all undertaken in the incredible vastness of the Libyan desert. This volume of the TankCraft series concludes the story of the tank's North African service, examining the models that took part in the campaign beginning with the retreat from El Alamein and ending with the surrender of the last Axis forces in Tunisia in May 1943. Using archive photos and extensively researched colour illustrations to examine the Pzkpfw III and the units that operated this deservedly famous armoured vehicle during the final battles in North Africa. 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.

In How Nuclear Weapons Spread, Frank Barnaby examines the far-reaching effects - both beneficial and detrimental - of nuclear weapons. He looks in detail at the nuclear programmes of Third World countries, including India, Israel and Pakistan which have or could very rapidly acquire nuclear weapons, and assesses the nuclear capabilities of countries such as Iran, Iraq and North Korea. He also considers the alarming possibility that terrorists might obtain nuclear weapons, and considers methods of controlling their spread.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203168321

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.

In this book, the authors explore the controversial Iranian nuclear programme through the conceptual lens of nuclear hedging. In 2002, revelations regarding undeclared nuclear facilities thrust Iran's nuclear activities under the spotlight and prompted concerns that Tehran was pursuing nuclear weapons. Iran has always denied nuclear weapons aspirations, yet it cannot be disputed that the Islamic Republic has gone well beyond what is required for a civil nuclear programme based on energy production and scientific research. What, then, is the nature and significance of Iran's nuclear behaviour? Does it form part of a coherent strategy? What can Iran's actions in the nuclear field tell us about Tehran's intentions? And what does the Iranian case teach us about proliferation behaviour more generally? This book addresses these questions by exploring the nature of nuclear hedging and how this approach might be identified, before applying this logic to the Iranian case. It provides fresh insights into the inherently opaque area of nuclear proliferation and a more nuanced interpretation of the Iranian nuclear challenge.

Shown are the weaponry, uniforms and other equipment of the German paratroops as used on all fronts throughout World War II.

This record of incredible developments in bomber technology spans over a century of innovation. The book is divided into three sections. The first section deals with the development of bombers and the major conflicts in which bombers have been used, such as the Blitz and Dambusters missions of World War II, and the Libya raids and Gulf Wars of modern times. The second section is a comprehensive A-Z of World War bombers, 1914-45, and the third section focuses on more recent jet bombers and the latest developments in warfare. The use of 'stealth' in bomber technology was also a particularly important development during the Cold War. Each aircraft in the book is listed alphabetically by manufacturer, and is accompanied by a specification box containing information about the country of origin, first flight, powers, armaments, size, weight and performance. This fully updated illustrated reference book, with its easily accessible information, is perfect for enthusiasts in the subject.

North Korea is perilously close to developing strategic nuclear weapons capable of hitting the United States and its East Asian allies. Since their first nuclear test in 2006, North Korea has struggled to perfect the required delivery systems. Kim Jong-un's regime now appears to be close, however. Sung Chull Kim, Michael D. Cohen, and the volume contributors contend that the time to prevent North Korea from achieving this capability is virtually over; scholars and policymakers must turn their attention to how to deter a nuclear North Korea. The United States, South Korea, and Japan must also come to terms with the fact that North Korea will be able to deter them with its nuclear arsenal. How will the erratic Kim Jong-un behave when North Korea develops the capability to hit medium- and long-range targets with nuclear weapons? How will and should the United States, South Korea, Japan, and China respond, and what will this mean for regional stability in the short term and long term? The international group of authors in this volume address these questions and offer a timely analysis of the consequences of an operational North Korean nuclear capability for international security.

Global politics has changed with unaccustomed swiftness since the end of the Cold War. Eastern Europe is free; the Soviet Union has broken up; China presses free market economic reform; and the United States and Russia have declared a joint commitment to end nuclear war. The force of these changes has created a new agenda for global politics and security policy. This does not mean that nuclear weapons have lost their centrality. Nuclear development programs continue in the major holders of advanced weapons. In Israel, Pakistan, India, North Korea, Iraq, and Iran nuclear intentions are subject to widespread speculation and scrutiny. Negotiations for renewal of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty remind us that the treaty requires serious efforts to abolish nuclear weapons. Nuclear Choices points out that the Cold War's end has not banished mistrust. Instead, it has opened the door to frank conversation about the usefulness of force and the need to address common fears. States now face a global choice among alternative nuclear futures. If they desire to avoid runaway nuclear development, the choices come down to three: the status quo, disengagement, or abolition. Larkin argues that if they chose the status quo, they elect a world in which only terror and self-restraint keep devastation at bay, a world in which instant destruction is possible. This study focuses on the nuclear weapons programs of Great Britain, China, and France, because they may be less familiar to students of international affairs. Each of these countries has developed a substantial nuclear capability that could decisively shape the result of coming global nuclear decisions. Larkin concludes that these three minipowers could conclude that nuclearism serves their interests, refuse disengagement, and encourage proliferation. If they are prepared to abandon nuclearism, they have tremendous political leverage on Russia, the United States, and also on undeclared and aspiring nuclear weapons states. For now, only the United Kingdom, France, and China maintain sufficient warhead inventories and production capabilities to have strong effects on how the United States and Russia view their own strategic capabilities. Nuclear Choices asserts that governments, polities, and parties today do not know how to guarantee themselves against weapons of mass destruction. They must either acquire the political and social means to achieve such guarantees or accept a world in which nuclearism will continue to cast its shadow over all aspects of nation building. It will be of interest to political scientists, policymakers, military analysts, and those interested hi the nuclear issue.

What is a realist response to nuclear weapons? This book is animated by the idea that contemporary attempts to confront the challenge of nuclear weapons and other global security problems would benefit from richer historical foundations. Returning to the decade of deep, thermonuclear anxiety inaugurated in the early 1950s, the authors focus on four creative intellectuals - Gunther Anders, John H. Herz, Lewis Mumford and Bertrand Russell - whose work they reclaim under the label of 'nuclear realism'. This book brings out an important, oppositional and resolutely global strand of political thought that combines realist insights about nuclear weapons with radical proposals for social and political transformation as the only escape from a profoundly endangered planet. Nuclear Realism is a highly original and provocative study that will be of great use to advanced undergraduates, graduates and scholars of political theory, International Relations and Cold War history.

Tank and mechanized forces spearhead Red Army operations from the gates of Stalingrad to the center of Berlin. This new book profiles Six Soviet commanders who rose to lead six tank armies created by the Red Army on the eastern front during the Second World War: Mikhail Efimov Katukov, Semen Ill'ich Bogdanov, Pavel Semenovich Rybalko, Dmitri Danilovich Lelyushenko, Pavel Alekseevich Rotmistrov, and Andrei Grigorevich Kravchenko. Each tank commanders' combat career is examined, as is the rise of Red Army forces, and reveals these lesser known leaders and their operations to western military history readers. Richard N. Armstrong, a colonel in the United States Army, has served in military intelligence since 1969, and holds a military historian specialty. He has published historical and professional articles on Red Army operations and Soviet military affairs. He wrote the Combat Studies Institute monograph, Soviet Operational Deception: The Red Cloak, and edited Red Armor Combat Orders; Combat Regulations for Tank and Mechanized Forces 1944.

This examination of nuclear arms control addresses the question of what kind of posture do second generation nuclear weapons states adopt in a world in which the presumption of non-proliferation is accepted?

First Published in 1991. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.