In 1964 Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, activated a joint unconventional task force known as the Studies and Observation Group--MACV-SOG. As a cover its mission was to conduct analysis of lessons learned in combat involved all branches of service. SOG's real mission was to conduct covert strategic reconnaissance missions into Laos, Cambodia, and South Vietnam as well as sabotage and 'Black' psychological operations. Ground, air, and naval assets were employed to insert, collect, extract, and otherwise support these operations. Drawing on detailed, first-hand accounts of the experiences of the service, including action on operations, this book will shed light on one of the most crucial units of the Vietnam War.

Few tank designs have been as effective, versatile and long-lived as that of the British Centurion. Conceived during the Second World War as the answer to the superior German Tiger and Panther tanks and to the lethal 88mm gun, this 52-ton main battle tank incorporated the lessons British designers had learned about armoured fighting vehicles during the conflict, and it was free of the major faults that had impaired the other British tank designs of the time. The Centurion was so successful that it served in the British Army and in numerous other armies across the world from 1945 until the 1990s. Pat Ware's highly illustrated history of this remarkable tank covers its design and development, its technical specifications and the many variants that were produced. He tells the story from the design brief of 1943, through testing and trials to the tank's entry into service. And he traces the course of the Centurion's subsequent career as it was up-dated, up-gunned and adapted to operate in varied conditions and conflicts all over the world including Korea, the Indo-Pakistan wars, Vietnam and the Arab-Israeli wars. His expert account of this remarkable fighting vehicle is accompanied by a series of colour plates showing the main variants of the design and the common ancillary equipment and unit markings. His book is an essential work of reference for enthusiasts.

The M4 Medium Tank - the Sherman - was one of the most famous tanks of the Second World War. It was produced in greater numbers than any other Allied tank, it fought on every front - in Western Europe, on the Eastern Front, in North Africa, Burma, the Pacific - and it continued to serve effectively as a front-line fighting vehicle in the Korean War, the Arab-Israeli wars, the Indo-Pakistani wars. Pat Ware's new history of this remarkable tank covers in detail its design and development, its technical specifications and the many variants that were produced, and he reviews its operational role in conflicts across the world. While the Sherman outclassed the older German tanks it encountered when it was first put into combat in 1942, it was vulnerable to the later German medium and heavy tanks, the Panther and the Tiger I and Tiger II. Yet, as Pat Ware shows, the Sherman was more effective than these superior German tanks because it was cheaper to build, reliable, easy to maintain and produced in such large numbers. It was also adaptable - it was converted into a tank-destroyer, an amphibious tank, a recovery vehicle, a mine-flail, a personnel carrier - and, after the Second World War, the soundness of its original design was proved as it was developed to confront more modern tanks in combat. Pat Ware's expert account of this remarkable fighting vehicle is accompanied by a series of colour plates showing the main variants of the design and the common ancillary equipment and unit markings. His book is an essential work of reference for enthusiasts.

The rapid development of the tank as an offensive weapon following its introduction in World War I gave artillery theorists cause for concern during the 1920s and 1930s. By the beginning of World War II anti-tank guns had been developed, initially at around 37mm and 2 pounds in weight of shot. By the end of the war, monster anti-tank weapons were being developed, able to penetrate an armour thickness of up to 200mm at a range of 1,000 yards. This book explores the British efforts to keep up in a war of development, which saw heavier and more powerful guns eventually replaced by experimental ideas in an attempt to stop the German onslaught.

With the vast expansion of the Roman Empire came a need for more and more fortifications to defend it. The borders of the Empire stretched through wildly different terrains which demanded a huge variety of different fortifications, depending on the local conditions and the threats faced by the different areas. The adoption of local troops (auxiliaries) and local building techniques at key strategic points on the outskirts of the empire led to an intriguing mix of strong Roman structure with unique culturally diverse elements. Describing the development of these hugely varied defensive systems, Duncan Campbell delves into the operation and social history behind the fortifications. With detailed color artwork and maps, he traces their history through the Batavian Revolt of the 1st century AD, which saw auxiliary units scattered far from their native regions, until the decline of the late-3rd and 4th centuries placed their fortifications in an increasingly pressurized and eventually untenable position.

The catapult (katapeltikon) was developed around 400 BC by engineers and craftsmen assembled by Dionysius I of Syracuse. Catapults are mentioned in Athens in the 360s and 350s BC, and by the 330s young men were routinely trained in their use. During these years, artillery appears to have been considered as a defensive weapon. They finally appear in the hands of an aggressor in 340 BC when Philip of Macedon assaulted Perinthus, but it was left to Alexander to fully develop the use of catapults. Under the Romans, catapults initially went through some minor variations with a view to improving their performance. This title decribes the development and operational use of siege artillery throughout the classical period.

The Battle of Verdun is one of the most well known and infamous battles in history. While the battle is remembered for acts of horror, bravery, and honor, it is also closely entwined with the ring of fortifications built to defend the key town of Verdun on the Meuse River that lay in the path of the German attack.
When one thinks of Verdun, one also thinks of Douaumont and Vaux, two forts on the far edge of the battlefield that came to symbolize the French struggle to regain their land from the Germans. In the months after its capture, Fort Douaumont's turtle-shaped heights stood as an ultimate objective and driving force for the French Army. The terrible combat that took place in the tunnels of Fort Vaux serves as an example of how the French attempted to hold on to the last inch of land to the last man.
From 1874 to the outbreak of World War I in 1914, construction and improvement of the fortifications of Verdun continued non-stop. It was considered by military engineers to be the strongest place in Europe and indeed it may have been in terms of flanking fire coverage of the battlefield, firepower from its 155mmnn and 75mm guns and howitzers, and its concrete protection. However, none of this came to the mind of General Petain when, after the unanticipated and successive destruction of the forts of Liege, Namur, Antwerp, and Maubeuge by the German heavy siege guns, he decided that permanent forts were no longer of great value.
As a result, all of Verdun's artillery pieces not in fixed turrets were removed and the fortress garrisons stripped down to maintenance crews. Thus, it was a very different fortress that faced the Germans in 1916. However, as the battle progressed and the value of the forts, not only as patriotic symbols but strategic objectives and powerful strongholds was regained, the tide turned again, affecting not only the outcome of the battle, but future military engineering concepts and ideas that would ultimately produce the Maginot Line.

The North Vietnamese Army is often forgotten by the histories of the Vietnam War. Commonly mistaken for the locally raised Viet Cong guerrillas, the NVA was in fact an entirely different force for the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. After first supporting the VC in the Republic of Vietnam in 1958, the NVA entered into their own violent armed struggle as the war escalated. Entire divisions and vast numbers of NVA troops were sent south, conducting large-scale operations in a conventional war fought almost entirely by the NVA, and not the VC, as is often believed. Despite limited armor, artillery and air support, the NVA were an extremely politicized and professional force with strict control measures and leadership concepts - soldiers were expected to be totally committed to the cause, and to sacrifice all to ensure its success. Gordon Rottman follows the fascinating life of the highly motivated infantryman from conscription and induction through training to real combat experiences. Covering the evolution of the forces from 1958 onwards, this book takes an in-depth look at the civilian and military lives of the soldiers, while accompanying artwork details the uniforms, weapons and equipment used by the NVA in their clash against America and her allies.