Featuring many detailed drawings, this history of military trains and railways from 1853 through 1953 describes how the railroad transformed the nature of warfare. Transport and logistics are discussed for armored trains, rail-borne artillery and armored combat vehicles, medical evacuation trains and draisines (light auxiliary vehicles such as handcars). The railroad's role in establishing European colonial empires in Asia and Africa is examined. Conflicts covered include the Boer Wars, the American Civil War, the Austro-Prussian War, the Franco-Prussian War, the Russo-Turkish War, World War I, the Finnish Civil War, the Spanish Civil War, World War II and the French Indochina War.

This dictionary gives an enormous amount of basic information on the Third Reich era by listing, and often depicting, German terms connected to Nazism and the Germany of World War II. It includes ranks, badges, insignia, regalia, medals, flags and banners, weapons, uniforms, equipment, vehicles, fortifications, airplanes, battleships, main Nazi concepts and organisations, slogans, sayings, code names, nicknames, slang words, places of importance, events and battles, treaties and alliances, industry and economics, justice, art, religion, education, political parties, newspapers, laws, institutions, and short biographies of Nazi leaders. To make the rise of Nazism comprehensible, aspects of the Weimar Republic have also been considered. In all there are 1,650 entries and 234 illustrations.

From the time the Romans first set foot on England's shore in 55 BC, the British Isles have faced a constant threat of foreign invasion. As a result, the landscapes of England, Scotland, and Ireland are dotted with ancient defensive fortifications as varied as their makers. Iron Age Celtic "hillforts," Roman castra and Hadrian's Wall, Anglo-Saxon dykes and Alfredian burhs, Norman mottes and stone-keeps, Edwardian castles, Irish tower houses--they all served to repel ancient intruders and many still stand as tangible relics of a remarkable past. This study chronicles the development of British fortifications from prehistoric times through the end of Richard III's reign in 1485, providing the history of each type of structure, relevant examples, and information on weapons and siege warfare. More than 250 illustrations vividly detail each ediface's construction and configuration.

During the Nazi regime's swift rise to power, no single target of nazification took higher priority than Germany's young people. Well aware that the Nazi party could only thrive through the support of future generations, Hitler instituted a youth movement, the Hitler Jugend, which indoctrinated the easily malleable students of Germany's schools and universities. Along with its female counterpart in the Bund Deutscher Madel (The League of German Girls), the Hitler Youth produced thousands of young Germans who were deeply and fanatically indoctrinated into the Nazi racist ideology.This illustrated book outlines the history and development of the Hitler Youth from its origins in 1922 until it was disbanded by the allied powers in 1945. The topics include: early German non-Nazi and religious youth movements which were adapted and absorbed by the Hitler Youth; Baldur von Schirach and other Reich youth leaders; the Hitler Youth's organization, structure, uniforms, ranking system, flags, and regalia; sports and other common training activities; the place and role of women and girls in the Third Reich; the appearance of German youth opposition groups such as the Swing Youth and the Edelweiss Pirates; and the origins, structure, and combat records of the 12th Waffen SS division, which consisted primarily of Hitler Youth members. The book also includes appendices providing a chronology and the Hitler Youth's song ""Vorwarts! Vorwarts!"" (""Forward! Forward!"").

One of the most significant innovations in modern warfare has been the appearance and development of air power, a technology which demanded technical and financial investment on a whole new scale and which ultimately changed the fundamental nature of war itself. This book covers the history and development of the German air force from 1935 to 1945, with descriptions and illustrations of almost all of the Luftwaffe's airplanes, including fighters, jet fighters, dive-bombers, ground attackers, medium and heavy bombers, jet bombers, seaplanes, flying boats and carrier planes, transport and gliders, reconnaissance and training aircrafts, helicopters, and many futuristic projects and other rarities.

In addition to focusing on detailed descriptions of the aircrafts themselves, the book also focuses on the Luftwaffe's traditions, strategies, and organization. Topics include: the air force's achievements and failures; uniforms, regalia, and ranks of organization; the airplanes' nomenclature, camouflage, and markings; and the aircrafts' manufacturers, engineers, designers, and flying and ground personnel. The book also deals with the Luftwaffe's ground units, such as the Luftwaffe Infantry Divisions, the elite HG Division and paratroopers, anti-aircraft artillery, women in service, and auxiliary forces. Black and white line drawings provide visual references to the Luftwaffe's airplanes, uniforms, medals, weapons, and flags.

This book gives the reader a straightforward and continuous survey of the history of the French Foreign Legion. By outlining the Legion's vicissitudes, victorious campaigns, epic marches, heroic and sometimes hopeless stands, dirtiest combats and dramatic defeats, but also by briefly placing the Legion back in the historical background of France, and by describing its development, organization, uniforms, equipments and weapons, the author hopes to dispel myths, and try to give a true and accurate picture of what the French Foreign Legion has been from 1831 until today. There are well-researched, detailed line drawings throughout.

During the Middle Ages, castles and other fortified buildings were a common feature of the European landscape. As central powers rose and fell, the insecurity of the time inspired a revival of fortification techniques first introduced in the Roman Empire. Despite limitations in construction techniques and manpower, medieval fortifications were continuously adapted to meet new political circumstances and weapons technology. Here is an illustrated guide to the architecture of medieval fortifications, from the first castles to the fortified cities of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. In hundreds of detailed and thoroughly researched pen-and-ink drawings, artist Jean-Denis G.G. Lepage introduces the reader to a heterogeneous group of buildings whose unique characteristics show the development and diversity of European medieval military architecture. Each drawing is accompanied by detailed text describing types of buildings (e.g., motte-and-bailey castles), built-in defenses (arrow slits, pepper-pot towers), and particular castles and cities (the Mont-Saint-Michel, the city of Jerusalem). Elements of medieval warfare and weaponry are also covered in drawings and text.

A man of genuine inventiveness, versatility and reformist ideas, Marshal Sebastien Le Preste de Vauban built a formidable ring of fortresses to protect Franc's national frontiers. More than just a fortification designer, Vauban was also a gifted economist, author, and political strategist. This book tells the complete story of Vauban's exceptional career, placing his lifework within the background of Louis XIV's reign and revealing his lasting influences in France and other nations. With the aid of numerous illustrations, 17th century bastioned fortification, artillery, and seige warfare are described in detail, and Vauban's contributions that are still standing today are particularly highlighted.

This book describes and illustrates French fortifications from 1715 (the death of Louis XIV) to 1815 (the fall of Napoleon), focusing particularly on the Napoleonic era. After an historical background, it covers the heritage of the Ancien Regime with the important contributions of Vauban (the bastioned defense), Gribeauval's reforms in artillery, and Montalembert's innovations. Chapters explore the style of Napoleonic fortifications, siege warfare, artillery and engineering corps, as well as the Napoleonic achievements in France, Italy, German and the Netherlands, including projects that were planned but never completed. Included are nearly 250 line drawings of historic fortifications.