Merriam Press Military Reprint 9. First Edition (August 2012). Reprint of the November 1944 edition of the War Department Manual for M2 Browning .50 Caliber HB (Heavy Barrel) Machine Gun. Covers description, disassembling and assembling, care and cleaning, functional operation, stoppages, accessories, spare parts, ammunition, training (ground and vehicular mounts), anti-aircraft gunnery, advice to instructors, appendices (preliminary gunner's test, familiarization firing, and aerial target course), and index. 88 illustrations.

Merriam Press Military Monograph 5. Fifth Edition (January 2012). At the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge two of the most important localities were Bastogne and St. Vith, with their the road nets which, if held, would disrupt the plan of any aggressor. Bastogne was an important communications center and has received much of the attention, causing many to lose sight of the importance of St. Vith and the gallant stand made for its defense by elements of the 106th Division and CCB, 7th Armored Division. It was CCB which influenced the subsequent action and caused the enemy so much delay and so many casualties. Though armor was not designed primarily for the role of the defensive, the operation was nevertheless a good example of how it can assume such role in an emergency. This is a detailed, well-written history of a highly significant battle. This is a brand new edition (not a facsimile reprint) of a booklet originally published by the Armor School at Ft. Knox in 1966. Contents: Foreword of 1966; Foreword; Editor's Note; Introduction; Chapter 1: The Front on 16 December 1944; Chapter 2: The German Strike; Chapter 3: The March to St. Vith; Chapter 4: The Defense is Organized; Chapter 5: The Line Holds on 18 December 1944; Chapter 6: Events of 19 December 1944; Chapter 7: Events of 20 December 1944; Chapter 8: Events of 21 December 1944; Chapter 9: Events of 22 December 1944; Chapter 10: The Seventh Day: 23 December 1944; Chapter 11: Supply Difficulties; Chapter 12: An Inventory; Chapter 13: Lessons; Chapter 14: Back to St. Vith; Appendix 1: Allied Order of Battle, 0530, 16 December 1944; Appendix2: German Order of Battle, 0530, 16 December 1944; Appendix 3: Troop List, 7th Armored Division; Appendix 4: Honors; Bibliography. 9 photos; 11 maps; 2 order of battle charts; 4 appendices.

Merriam Press Military Reprint MR26 (First Reprint Edition, 2015). This work is a handy overview of every experimental and production tank built in the United States between 1918 and 1947. Each vehicle is covered with a full page photo and a page of data giving the vehicle nomenclature (official name), date produced, total production, armament, armor, maximum speed, weight, engine, suspension and tracks, plus a remarks section which is often critical of weaknesses in the vehicle. This is a very useful photographic resource of American tank development from World War I through 1947. Originally published 1 September 1947 by AGF Board No. 2, Fort Knox, Kentucky, this Merriam Press edition is a facsimile reprint. 94 photos.

Merriam Press Personal Chronicle 6. First Edition (July 2013). A collection of photographs depicting more than 20 years of flower and vegetable gardening in a Bennington, Vermont, backyard, from seed to planting to harvesting, by the author. 51 B&W and color photos.

Merriam Press Military Reprint 18. First Edition (November 2012). Full-color reprint of Naval aircrewman's gunnery manual, OPNAV 33-40/NAVAER 00 80S-40, of 1944, issued by Aviation Training Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, U.S. Navy, in Collaboration with U.S. Army Air Forces. Provides detailed coverage of the Caliber .50 Browning Machine Gun, M2, its operation, field stripping and assembly, handling, safety rules, cycle of operation, adjustments, care and cleaning, gun mount adapters, ammunition, loading ammunition, pre-flight checks, post-flight checks, trouble shooting, as well as the Caliber .45 Automatic Pistol and the Caliber .30 Browning Machine Gun, M2. Also covers Sighting and Sights and Turrets (Grumman Ball, Erco Teardrop, Erco Ball, Martin Ball, Martin Electric Upper Deck, Martin Hydraulic Upper Deck, Martin Hydraulic Tail, Consolidated Tail, Sperry Retractable Ball, Bendix Upper Deck, and Emerson Bow). Hundreds of photographs and illustrations, with color throughout. Original complete copies are extremely rare.

Merriam Press Military Monograph 91. Fourth Edition (December 2012). A selection of articles on the war in the Philippines during World War II. Contents: The Japanese Conquest of the Philippines, 1941-42; The First U.S. Tank Action in World War II; 200th and 515th Coast Artillery (Anti-Aircraft) Regiments in the Philippines; Target: Corregidor; Battles for the Central Philippines, September 1944; A Doctor in Bataan; The Philippine Inland Seas Defense Project; Corregidor: An Airborne Assault; The 3rd Field Artillery Battalion (Provisional) in the Philippines, 1941-42; M16 Half-tracks in the Philippines; World War II's Last Bitter Battle; The Battling Bantams of Leyte Gulf; Mail from Corregidor, 1942; Minister Remembers Bataan Death March; The U.S. Navy at Bataan; I Was a Guard on the Bataan Death March; The 26th Cavalry in the Philippines: A Classic Delaying Action; Interrogation of Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita, IJN: Battle of the Philippine Sea and Battle for Leyte Gulf; Interrogation of Vice Admiral Kzutaka Shirachi, IJN: Occupation of the Philippines and Dutch East Indies; Hunted by Japs for Years, American Flier is Rescued. Maps, illustrations.

Merriam Press Military Monograph 7. Sixth Edition (February 2012). A rare period report, originally published in mid-1945. This brand new reissue (not a facsimile reprint) collects together three reports conducted by units of the U.S. Seventh Army's G-2 Section: Dachau, Concentration Camp by OSS Section, covering history, composition, organization, and groupings of prisoners; Dachau, Concentration Camp and Town by PWB Section, covering the camp and the townspeople; Dachau, Concentration Camp by CIC Detachment, covering liberation, life at Dachau, experimental stations, and executions. Appendices: Diary of E. K. (male inmate); Statement of E. H. (female inmate); Special Case Reports; Miscellaneous; Organization of the Camp; Survey of Internees by Nationalities at Liberation; Number of Internees Processed; Number of Deaths; Executions; International Prisoners' Committee. Foreword by William W. Quinn, Colonel, G.S.C., Assistant Chief of Staff, G-2, U.S. Seventh Army: Dachau 1933-1945, will stand for all time as one of history's most gruesome symbols of inhumanity. There our troops found sights, sounds and stenches horrible beyond belief, cruelties so enormous as to be incomprehensible to the normal mind. Dachau and death were synonymous. No words or pictures can carry the full impact of these unbelievable scenes but this report presents some of the outstanding facts and photographs in order to emphasize the type of crime which elements of the SS committed thousands of times a day, to remind us of the ghastly capabilities of certain classes of men, to strengthen our determination that they and their works shall vanish from the earth. The sections comprising this report were prepared by the agencies indicated. They remain substantially as they were originally submitted in the belief that to consolidate this material in a single literary style would seriously weaken its realism. 31 photos.

Merriam Press Military Reprint 16. First Edition (September 2012). This USAF Historical Study, by Professor Richard Suchenwirth, is one of a series of historical studies written by, or based on information supplied by, former officers of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) for the U.S. Air Force Historical Division. This study examines the Luftwaffe's defeat and indicates its major causes, the so-called "turning points." Contents: Origins of the Luftwaffe's Defeat; Further Progress Towards Defeat; Critical Battles and Turning Points of the War (Battle of Britain; War Against Soviet Russia; Lack of Strategic Air Warfare Against Russia; Malta; Stalingrad; The Lost Fighter Battle; The Jet Fighter).

Merriam Press Military Reprint 14. First Edition (August 2012). Pilot handbook for the Bell P-39K-1 and P-39L-1 Airacobra fighter aircraft. This edition includes revisions through April 15, 1944. Coverage of the aircraft and its equipment, pilot operating instructions, flight operation data, operational equipment, armament, and US/British glossary of nomenclature. 23 photos and drawings, 6 charts.

Merriam Press Military Reprint 13. First Edition (August 2012). This is the July-Sept. 1944 manual covering the Remote Control Turret (RCT) gunnery system for the Boeing B-29 Superfortress heavy bomber. Part I: Instructions for Using and Harmonizing the R.C.T. System (B-29 and Its Guns; Sighting Station Controls; The Sight; Other Instructions for Using RCT in Combat; Getting Ready for a Mission; Pre-Flight, Crew Duty, In Air, and Post-flight Check Lists). Part II: Harmonization in the B-29 (The Job of Harmonization; What You Need to Harmonize; The Harmonization Procedure; The Leveling Procedure). 185 photos and drawings.

Merriam Press Military Reprint 11. First Edition (August 2012). This is the pilot's handbook of flight operating instructions for the Republic P-47B Thunderbolt fighter powered with the R-2800-1 engine, issued by the Air Service Command, Air Force Section, Patterson Field, Fairfield, Ohio, in September 1942. Contents: Description; Pilot Operating Instructions; Flight Operation Data; Communications Equipment; Armament; Operation of Oxygen Equipment; Appendix: USA-British Glossary of Nomenclature; 44 photos and illustrations; 5 charts.

Merriam Press Military Reprint 2. First Reprint Edition (June 2012). Originally published in World War II by the USAAF, this book was compiled as an aid to Junior Officer Pilots that they may better understand the building and functioning of a Fighter Squadron: "In a Fighter Squadron the Fighting spirit must be predominant. Such a spirit cannot be manufactured; it does not come in books. How can it be attained: In a 'Fighting' squadron this trait does not manifest itself in one an nor in one department, but in all men and in all departments. It is aggressiveness; it is an understanding of the word 'duty'; it is a man's pride in his work-whatever it may be-it is sacrifice; it is the ultimate conviction in a man's heart that he, as a man, has a job to complete before he can rest; and at present that job is winning this war." Contents: Introduction; Table of Organization; Duties of Squadron Department Heads; Plans and Training Schedule; Reports; Miscellaneous Subjects; Conclusion; 4 figures.

Merriam Press Military Monograph MM162. Fifth Edition (January 2012). Concise history of the formation and engagements of this Belgian Waffen-SS unit, and their well-known leader, Leon Degrelle. Includes photos never before published. Contents: Chapter 1: Introduction; Chapter 2: Formation and First Engagements of 5th SS-Sturmbrigade "Wallonien"; Chapter 3: The Cherkassy-Korsun Envelopment; Chapter 4: "Wallonien" in Estonia; Chapter 5: Formation and Development of the 28th Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division "Wallonien"; Chapter 6: Last Battles of the "Wallonien" Division; Chapter 7: Europe in Cherkassy; Chapter 8: Portrait of a "Wallonien" Volunteer; Chapter 9: Cherkassy Breakout Figures; Bibliography. 58 photos; 4 maps; 4 illustrations; Cover art by Ramiro Bujeiro.

Merriam Press Military Monograph 124. Fourth Edition (February 2012). First published as Chapters IX and X of The Campaigns of the Pacific War as part of the USSBS series in 1946. Primarily concerned with naval operations, including naval and land-based air operations, it covers both American and Japanese plans and operations in this theater of the war. The bulk of this work is composed of more than a dozen appendices, many of which are, or contain, extensive charts and tables of information, including orders of battle, strengths, casualties, losses, rosters, postwar question and answer historical interrogations, and translations of Japanese directives, operations orders, dispatches, reports, war diary excerpts, etc. Very important and useful source of highly detailed information. Contents: Chapter 1: Central Pacific Operations: From 1 June 1943 to 1 March 1944 Including the Gilbert-Marshall Islands Campaign; Appendix 68: Strength of Opposing Ground Forces, Casualties and Japanese Garrison Strength in the Central Pacific; Appendix 69: Extracts from Official Reports of the Imperial Japanese Government Concerning the Gilbert-Marshalls Campaign; Chapter 2: The Central Pacific Campaign, 1 March to 1 September 1944, Including the Occupation of the Marianas; Appendix 71: Combined Fleet Ultrasecret Operation Order 73; Appendix 72: Imperial Headquarters Directive 373; Appendix 73: Combined Fleet Ultrasecret Dispatch 041213; Appendix 74: United States Forces Involved; Appendix 75: Chain of Command, Japanese Forces in Marianas-Carolines, 1 June 1944; Appendix 76: Order of Battle, Defense Forces in Ogasawara-Marianas-Carolines, 1 June; Appendix 77: 1 June 1944-Assigned Strength, Base Air Forces, Marianas and Carolines (No Army Air in Central Pacific); Appendix 78: Battle of the Philippine Sea, 19-20 June 1944 Task Organization-First Mobile Fleet; Appendix 79: First Mobile Fleet Classified No. 1048 (5 September 1944): Detailed Battle Report of AGO Operations; Appendix 80: From the Files of the Navy Board of Merit; Appendix 81: Translation of Japanese Documents; 4 maps; 14 appendices.

Merriam Press Military Monograph 25. Fifth Edition (January 2012). This work provides an interesting view of German as well as enemy operations, tactics, strategies, equipment, weapons, and more, through an interview with a little-known but highly capable panzer general of the Wehrmacht, who saw considerable service in Europe and the Eastern Front during the war. Includes a brief biographical sketch of General Balck.

Merriam Press Military Monograph 145. Second Edition (March 2012). Only twenty-four years old, and married less than two years to his sweetheart, the author's great uncle Ensign Newman K. Perry, of Columbia, South Carolina, was the only officer killed, when sixty-five sailors lost their lives in the 1905 explosion of the gunboat Bennington in San Diego harbor. This book uses the author's narrative, unique family photos and memorabilia, actual newspaper articles and postcards, and documents to tell of Perry's naval career, of the love story of Perry and his beloved young wife, Vipont, and of the horrific and tragic peacetime ship explosion. There are also several special eyewitness accounts of the event. Details are included about both turn-of-the-century San Diego and Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Vipont's hometown. Through the descriptions of the injuries and death of Perry, and of the suffering and loss of life of the other men, one can comprehend the magnitude of this disaster. It caused the US Navy and other government officials to make important changes in navy standards and procedures that led to greater safety for future sailors. Perry was regarded as a gallant and brilliant young officer, who was expected to have a fine naval career, thus, his untimely death, which he faced with great courage, was met with deep sorrow by his friends and family. * Introduction * Newman Kershaw Perry * Perry Serves at Sea... * ... While Vipont Waits at Stockbridge * Formal Engagement and Wedding Invitation * Military Wedding * St. Paul's Church * Merwin House * Marriage and Move to California * USS Bennington * Fatal Boiler Explosion on Gunboat Bennington * Lt. Newman K. Perry Died a Hero's Death * Mrs. Perry Prostrated * President Roosevelt Shocked by Bennington Disaster * Burial of Forty-Seven Dead * Eyewitness Account * The Funeral of Ensign Perry * Perry's Widow Thanks San Diego and Departs for Stockbridge * Perry is Buried in Stockbridge * Mrs. Newman K. Perry * Mare Island Naval Shipyard * USS Bennington Monument * USS Newman K. Perry DD 883 * Epilogue * What Happened to the Bennington? * Full Color * 133 photos, illustrations, documents. About the Author: A native of Columbia, South Carolina, Mrs. Riddle now resides in North Carolina with her husband Joe. Their two daughters, son, son-in-law and grandson live nearby. She graduated from Mary Baldwin College and worked for over a decade for the Federal Government in Washington, D.C. Her interests are history, photography, travel, genealogy research in France and Great Britain, and music. She sings in both a large symphony chorus and in her church choir. A distant relative of Theodore Roosevelt, she is a member of the Theodore Roosevelt Association.