|
Showing 1 - 18 of
18 matches in All Departments
The Kalashnikov AK-47 is the most ubiquitous assault rifle in the
world, with more AK-47s and its variants in use than any other
individual small arm. Created by Senior Sergeant Mikhail
Kalashnikov, and first adopted by the USSR soon after World War II,
its production continues to this day, with an estimated 75 million
produced worldwide. It is the longest serving post-World War II
military weapon and its ease of use, durability and low production
costs ensure that it's use will continue for generations to come.
This book takes a look at the complete history of the weapon,
discussing its design, development, and usage, taking its story
from the great armies of the Soviet Union to the insurgents and
criminal gangs that often employ the weapon today.
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.
Private Henrik Hahnemann is an eighteen-year-old Missouri farm boy
growing up in the hard scrabble times of the Great Depression.
Known for his hunting skills, his close-knit family often depend on
him to bring home dinner. Shaken and bitter by the attack on Pearl
Harbor, he is fixated on revenge and chooses the Marine Corps as
the means for his personal retribution. Granted an early high
school graduation, "Handyman" Henrik struggled with the change from
a peaceful famer's son, but his platoon come to recognize his
shooting and hunting skills. When the chips were down he summons
the determination necessary to survive against hopeless odds.
Superior Private Obatia Yoshiro is an average twenty-year-old
student expected to eventually take over his father's glassworks.
To most an unassuming economics student, he has another side
face=Calibri>- a side shaped by long hours crewing an uncle's
fishing boat where he is exposed to the physical and mental demands
of the elements. His school plans suddenly undermined by a draft
notice, he makes the best of a dismal and brutal life of absolute
obligation and unquestioning obedience. Both will end up on a
rugged and brutal South Pacific island called Guadalcanal, where,
two determined nations pit all they could spare; committing every
airplane, ship, and soldier they could funnel into the cauldron.
Values and beliefs, discipline and obedience, massed firepower or
skill at arms face=Calibri>- what will prevail in this
nightmare?
During the Vietnam War, the Viet Cong were frequently unable to
hold their own in stand-up fights against US and allied forces who
were superior in strength, firepower, mobility, and logistics. They
relied instead on traditional guerrilla warfare tactics including
small-scale hit- and-run attacks, ambushes, terrorist actions, and
precision attacks against bases. These included one of the oldest
of guerrilla weapons - the boobytrap. Booby traps could be made in
large numbers in village workshops and jungle camps using locally
available materials as well as modern munitions. The VC were adept
at making booby traps 'invisible' in the varied terrain of Vietnam,
often emplacing them in locations and surroundings totally
unexpected by their enemies. Booby traps could be incredibly simple
or startlingly complex and ingenious, ranging from pointed sticks
to command-detonated submerged floating river mines. Besides a wide
variety of booby traps, they also used land and water mines, both
contact/pressure-detonated and command-detonated. Between January
1965 and June 1970 11 percent of US troop deaths in action and 17
percent of injuries were by caused booby traps and mines. This
fascinating title explores not only the wide variety of booby traps
employed by the Viet Cong, but also their various uses in halting,
stalling, or locating an enemy, and the many evolutions these traps
underwent in order to retain the element of surprise. Written by a
Vietnam veteran with first-hand experience of such traps, this is
an engaging look at one of the most frightening aspects of
guerrilla warfare.
Over the eight years of the Vietnam War, US forces used three major
types of equipment sets, with numerous modifications for particular
circumstances. Different equipments were also used by Special
Forces, the South Vietnamese, and other allied ground troops.
Vietnam War US & Allied Combat Equipments offers a
comprehensive examination of the gear that US and allied soldiers
had strapped around their bodies, what they contained, and what
those items were used for. Fully illustrated with photographs and
artwork detailing how each piece of equipment was used and written
by a Special Forces veteran of the conflict, this book will
fascinate enthusiasts of military equipment and will be an ideal
reference guide for re-enactors, modellers and collectors of
Vietnam War memorabilia.
The slang, the unique vocabulary of the soldiers and Marines
serving in Vietnam was a mishmash of words and phrases reaching
back to the Korean War, World War II, and even earlier. At the same
time it used words and phrases reflecting the country's changing
protest culture at home, ideological and poetical doctrine, ethical
and cultural conflicts, and racialism and the drug culture. The
slanguage in Vietnam was made even more complex by the Pidgin
Vietnamese-English used by Americans and Vietnamese alike. American
culture and society were changing rapidly and drastically at home
and this bled into Vietnam. In the jungles, swamps, and hills of
Vietnam soldier and marine slang also followed the traditional path
of what was important to their daily lives: their leaders, the
harsh environment, food, uniforms, weapons, equipment, and how they
fought and lived in the country.
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.
The field equipment of the German Army in World War II was closely
related to that used throughout World War I and earlier, yet it was
of relatively light weight, ruggedly constructed, well designed,
functional, and generally of a high quality, though this
deteriorated in the later war years. A high degree of design
standardisation was maintained in most categories of equipment,
though materials and their colours often varied widely. There were
also many different specialisations for the various arms of service
as well as theatres of combat, such as the Afrikakorps in the
Western Desert. This title investigates all manner of German combat
equipments throughout World War II, from belt buckles to magazine
pouches.
As infantry units advanced across Europe the only support they
could rely on from day to day was that provided by the heavy
weapons of their own units. While thundering tanks struck fear into
the hearts of their enemies it was the machine guns, mortars and
light cannon that proved to be most important, causing the majority
of casualties suffered during World War II. Common principles were
shared across units but the wide variety of weapons available to
the different armies altered the way they were used in battle.
Focusing on the US, British, German and Soviet troops, this title
offers a comprehensive guide to infantry fire support tactics used
through World War II. Combat reports are complemented by specially
commissioned artwork to show the way in which tactics varied, and
highlight how developments obliged opposing armies to review their
own methods.
The United States Marine Corps came into its own in the Pacific Islands campaign against Japan in World War II. From Guadalcanal to Okinawa, US Marines formed the tip of the spear as Allied forces sought to push the Japanese back to their Home Islands.
This fascinating study tracks the deployments of the various Marine divisions throughout the war and explains their composition, but also goes deeper, to detail the individual regiments - the focus of the marines' identity and pride. It explains the organization of the Marine infantry regiment and its equipment, and how they evolved during the war. The marine infantryman's evolving uniforms, field equipment and weapons are illustrated throughout using specially commissioned artwork and detailed descriptions to produce a fitting portrait of the US military's elite fighting force in the Pacific.
On August 17-18, 1942, 211 men of the US Marine Corps' 2nd Raider
Battalion conducted a daring amphibious raid on the
Japanese-occupied Makin Island in the South Pacific. This ambitious
but flawed operation was intended to divert Japanese reinforcements
bound for Guadalcanal, over 1,000 miles to the southwest, in the
wake of the US landings there ten days earlier; the Raiders were to
destroy the seaplane base and radio station, take prisoners, and
collect intelligence. Although yielding limited results, it was to
be an invaluable test of the innovative training and tactics
employed by the Raiders, and a crucial boost to national morale at
this difficult stage in the war. Featuring specially commissioned
full-colour artwork and expert analysis, this gripping account of
the fateful Makin Raid tells the whole story, from the plan's
conception to its troubled execution and aftermath.
In June 1941 the US Army's air organisations were consolidated
under a single command, the Army Air Forces or AAF. Its expansion
was rapid and massive, and its contribution to the war effort was
substantial. Books abound describing the AAF's impressive combat
record, but little has been published to record what the men inside
the machines wore to stay alive and effective in the air and on the
ground, or, as often as not, in the water. Gordon L. Rottman's
detailed treatment discusses the flying clothes, accessories and
equipment worn and used by individual airmen fighting their often
desperate battles in the sky.
Even when Western Allied troops gained a foothold in Normandy,
World War II in Europe was far from over. The route to Germany's
interior and the Nazis final surrender was long, arduous and
blood-stained. The Wehrmacht's stubborn resistance and the shocking
losses suffered by US, British, Canadian and 'Free European' troops
meant that the Allies had to adapt and refine small-unit tactics,
battle-drills, and their use of weapons and munitions. The troops
who finally met up with the Red Army in Germany were a very
different fighting force to the one that struggled up the beaches
of northern France. This book offers a comprehensive guide to the
late-war Allied troops, exploring their uniforms, equipment,
organization and tactics. Detailed description and accurate colour
pictures illustrate the means by which the Allied troops on the
ground evolved to the point of winning the war on the Western
Front.
|
The Hand Grenade (Paperback)
Gordon L. Rottman; Illustrated by Johnny Shumate, Alan Gilliland
|
R490
R442
Discovery Miles 4 420
Save R48 (10%)
|
Ships in 9 - 15 working days
|
"The Hand Grenade" is the dramatic story, covering its origins,
development, use - in the World Wars and into the present day - and
lasting influence on close-quarter combat and infantry tactics.
Allowing the user to inflict damage on his opponent within throwing
range without leaving cover, the portable, lethally efficient hand
grenade is a ubiquitous weapon of modern warfare, and has now found
its way into law-enforcement arsenals too. In this engaging study
the origins, development, combat use and lasting legacy of the
military hand grenade are explored and assessed, accompanied by
specially commissioned full-color artwork and an array of revealing
photographs of grenades in use and in close-up.
In the early hours of June 6, 1944, the first of over 150,000
Allied soldiers stormed five beaches in Normandy against fierce
German resistance. They were specially trained and task-organized
in a range of different landing teams depending on their means of
transport, their tasks, and the resistance they anticipated. The
first assault infantry were accompanied by tankers, combat
engineers, and other specialist personnel, to breach German
obstacles, knock out defensive positions, and to defend and prepare
the beaches for the follow-on waves. On some beaches the plans
worked, on others they were disrupted by bad weather, faulty
timing, or enemy fire, with consequences that varied from
survivable confusion to absolute carnage. This is an in-depth study
of the uniforms, equipment, weapons, passage, landings, and tactics
of US, British and Canadian assault units during the period from
before H-Hour on June 6 to dawn on June 7.
In an effort to provide the US infantryman with more firepower to
cover the range gap between the hand grenade and the light mortar,
the 40mm M79 grenade launcher - a shoulder-fired, single-shot
weapon - entered service with US forces in 1961. Reliable, easy to
use, and lethally effective, the M79 soon became an iconic symbol
of the Vietnam War and had a profound influence on small-unit
tactics. As the Vietnam conflict continued, it was joined on the
front line by experimental models such as the magazine-fed T148E1,
as well as two launchers intended to be fitted under the barrel of
the new M16 assault rifle: Colt's XM148 and AAI Corporation's M203.
The M203 remains in US Army service today, while the US Marine
Corps now also fields the M32 multiple grenade launcher - like the
M79, a standalone weapon. Featuring full-colour artwork, this is
the story of the rugged and formidable grenade launchers that
equipped the United States and its allies in Vietnam and beyond
from the 1960s to the present day.
|
You may like...
Morbius
Jared Leto, Matt Smith, …
DVD
R179
Discovery Miles 1 790
Loot
Nadine Gordimer
Paperback
(2)
R398
R330
Discovery Miles 3 300
Loot
Nadine Gordimer
Paperback
(2)
R398
R330
Discovery Miles 3 300
3 Days To Live
James Patterson
Paperback
R240
R192
Discovery Miles 1 920
|