Sherman Medium Tank

Author: Dennis Oliver
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
ISBN: 1399065092
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 136

Book Description
The Sherman tank served with most Allied armies during the Second World War and it is justly famous for the role it played in the Normandy landings and the subsequent drive into Germany. But the part played by the British commonwealth armored units in the Italian campaign is less well known and in his latest volume in the TankCraft series Dennis Oliver uses wartime photos, extensively researched text and highly-detailed color illustrations to cover the Sherman tanks of the Canadian, New Zealand and South African armies that battled their way up the Italian peninsula. Although it was often out-gunned by its opponents the Sherman’s ability to handle the worst terrain and its mechanical reliability ensured that it was at the forefront of every battle and contributed greatly to the final Allied victory. Examined in this book are both the 75mm armed version and the potent tank killer referred to toady as the Firefly, as well as a number of little-known field modifications. A large part of this work showcases 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 vehicles.

War in the Balkans

Author: Jeffrey Plowman
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1781592489
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 162

Book Description
Jeffrey Plowman's photographic history traces the course of the entire Balkan campaign from the first moves of the Italians through Albania and the invasion of Jugoslavia and Bulgaria by German forces through to the battle for Greece and the final airborne assault on Crete. ??He gives equal weight to every stage of the campaign he doesn't just combine the first stages and treat them as an introduction to the battle for Crete and he covers all the forces involved the Germans, the Greeks, the Commonwealth troops. By shifting the focus to the mainland, he views the campaign as a whole, and he offers a balanced portrayal of a conflict that is often overlooked in histories of this phase of the Second World War. ??Most of the graphic photographs he has selected have never been published before, and many come from private sources. They are a unique visual record of the military vehicles, tanks, aircraft, artillery and other equipment used by the opposing armies seventy years ago. They also show the conditions the soldiers faced, and the Balkan landscapes over which they fought, and they give a powerful impression of the reality of battle for the men themselves.

Deception in War

Author: Jon Latimer
Publisher: Abrams
ISBN: 1590209362
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 395

Book Description
From the Trojan Horse to Gulf War subterfuge, this far-reaching military history examines the importance and ingenuity of wartime deception campaigns. The art of military deception is as old as the art of war. This fascinating account of the practice draws on conflicts from around the world and across millennia. The examples stretch from the very beginnings of recorded military history—Pharaoh Ramses II's campaign against the Hittites in 1294 B.C.—to modern times, when technology has placed a stunning array of devices into the arsenals of military commanders. Military historians often underestimate the importance of deception in warfare. This book is the first to fully describe its value. Jon Latimer demonstrates how simple tricks have been devastatingly effective. He also explores how technology has increased the range and subtlety of what is possible—including bogus radio traffic, virtual images, even false smells. Deception in War includes examples from land, sea, and air to show how great commanders have always had, as Winston Churchill put it, that indispensable “element of legerdemain, an original and sinister touch, which leaves the enemy puzzled as well as beaten.”

Sherman Crab Flail Tank

Author: David Fletcher
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1780967454
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 110

Book Description
The Sherman Crab Flail tank was the powerful culmination of a series of mine-clearing flail tanks developed during World War II. Here, David Fletcher recounts how the Sherman Crabs were among the first tanks ashore on D-Day and as the war progressed they were in constant demand both for formal attacks and more incidental operations. Following the development of the tank and its use in the war, he details the US Army's initial lack of interest in the flail, but how after cooperative actions with the British, they too decided to adopt the type themselves. In addition to its special mine-clearing role the Sherman Crab was also capable of fighting in tank duels, and this book includes dramatic accounts of its use by the famous 79th Armoured Division and the US Army. The author explores the beginnings of the design in the Matilda Scorpion and Baron flails, developed for the Valentine and M3 Grant tanks, through to the Sherman, and particularly the Crab version. This detailed account of one of the most interesting tanks in the Funnies series is a delight for any modeller or tank enthusiast.

The Korean War

Author: Stanley Sandler
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
ISBN: 0813157218
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 348

Book Description
The Korean War has been termed "The Forgotten War" or the "Unknown War." It is a conflict which never assumed the mythic character of the American Civil War or World War II. However, this book asserts, it would be impossible to understand the Cold War and indeed post 1945 global history without knowledge of the Korean War. Providing a history of the Korean peninsula before the war and including a detailed analysis of the fighting itself, The Korean War goes beyond the battlefield to deal with the war in the air, ground attack, and air evacuation. The study also evaluates the contributions of the UN naval forces, the impact of the war on various homefronts and issues such as defectors, opposition to the war, racial segregation and integration, POWs and the media. Recently-released Soviet documents are used to assess the role of China, the Soviet Union, North and South Korea and the allied forces in the conflict. This fascinating work offers a unique analysis of the Korean War and will be invaluable to students of twentieth-century history, particularly those concerned with American and Pacific history.

The American Miracle

Author: Michael Medved
Publisher:
ISBN: 0553447262
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 418

Book Description
Among the stirring, illogical episodes described here: a band of desperate religious refugees find themselves blown hopelessly off course, only to be deposited at the one spot on a wild continent best suited for their survival; George Washington's beaten army, surrounded by a ruthless foe and on the verge of annihilation, manages an impossible escape due to a freakish change in the weather; a famous conqueror known for seizing territory, frustrated by a slave rebellion and a frozen harbor, impulsively hands Thomas Jefferson a tract of land that doubles the size of the United States; a weary soldier picks up three cigars left behind in an open field and notices the stogies have been wrapped in a handwritten description of the enemy's secret battle plans--a revelation that gives Lincoln the supernatural sign he's awaited in order to free the slaves.

Hidden Ally

Author: Arthur L. Funk
Publisher: Praeger
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 376

Book Description
How did the French Resistance and Allied forces work together to liberate southern France from the Germans during World War II? Arthur Funk gives the first detailed account of the complex British, French, and American operations in 1944, an account that uses a wealth of original source material on both sides of the Atlantic to evaluate the role of the French Resistance and to assess the problems in coordinating Allied military activities. The study should be of great interest to historians, history buffs, and colleges and universities that wish to fill this gap in the historiography of World War II. The first half of the book deals with preparations for the Allied landings in August 1944, telling about agents first in contact with the French Resistance and about the work of Allied missions, French groups, and British officers and teams directed from London and Algiers. The second half of the book covers the collaboration of French Forces of the Interior with the U.S. Seventh Army in the liberation of Marseilles, Lyon, and other cities in southeastern France. Filled with interesting detail about major figures in the war and little-known agents and officers, the book is unique in weaving together recently declassified OSS sources in Washington with British and French archival information that is rarely noted. Maps and photographs are included in the book, and a useful bibliography is also provided.

Tigers in Combat

Author: Wolfgang Schneider
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 0811769216
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 381

Book Description
• Hundreds of photos--many of them rare--of Tiger tanks and their crews • Color illustrations by Jean Restayn focus on markings, camouflage, and insignia • Inventories and timelines for each unit In this follow-up to Tigers in Combat I (0-8117-3171-5), Wolfgang Schneider turns his attention to the Tiger tanks of the Waffen-SS and the Wehrmacht's "named" units, such as the Großdeutschland Division, Company Hummel, and Tiger Group Meyer. Based on combat diaries, the text tells the history of each unit, but most of the book is devoted to photos of the tanks and the men who manned them. It offers as unique and comprehensive a look at these lethal machines as is possible decades after World War II.

American Signal Intelligence in Northwest Africa and Western Europe

Author: George Howe
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781478361404
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 276

Book Description
The volume at hand, Dr. George F. Howe's American Signals Intelligence in Northwest Africa and Western Europe is important professional reading for those interested in cryptologic history or in World War II. Dr. Howe's book deals primarily with organizational matters for providing SIGINT support in combat. Thus, the reader will not find stories of high-level cryptanalysis underlying big decisions by famous leaders. In my estimation, by concentrating on the less flashy aspects of wartime support in favor of the background work, Dr. Howe has again added a dimension of great worth to our knowledge of SIGINT and of the war. The study of World War II SIGINT has concentrated, by and large, on ULTRA, the exploitation of high-grade cryptographic systems used by Germany and Japan, and the use of ULTRA material by senior wartime decision makers. This effort unquestionably is important for understanding the decisions and events of that terrible era, but the overwhelming focus on this aspect has resulted in a slightly skewed understanding. The production of ULTRA and its effective use depended on a strong and well-organized structure working in conjunction with now-legendary cryptanalysts. Since the distribution of ULTRA was limited to a small number of officers and civilian leaders, the bulk of SIGINT support to the warfighter cam from tactical SIGINT units working at or near the front lines. This is an important subject for understanding what happened in World War II and for studying the principles of SIGINT organization today. United State Cryptologic History, Sources in Cryptologic History, National Security Agency.

Multi-Domain Battle in the Southwest Pacific Theater of World War II

Author: Combat Studies Institute Press
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781086087291
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 188

Book Description
"Multi-Domain Battle in the Southwest Pacific Theater of World War II" provides a historical account of how US forces used synchronized operations in the air, maritime, information, and land domains to defeat the Japanese Empire. This work offers a historical case that illuminates current thinking about future campaigns in which coordination among all domains will be critical for success.