ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN E-BOOK. On 22 June 1941 Germany attacked the Soviet Union and her Panzer divisions were to play a major role in this titanic struggle. Although overwhelmed by Soviet numbers, the superior skill and capability of the German Panzer...

Although often overlooked in favour of the U-boats or battleships, the vast majority of the Kriegsmarine was formed of the smaller vessels of the coastal forces. These ships and boats, which included minesweepers, torpedo boats, patrol boats, and...

Some 150,000 Irish-American immigrants served in the Union Army, most of them from Boston, New York and Chicago, and about 40,000 fought in the Confederate Army. Out of the array of Irish-American units involved in the conflict, perhaps the best known...

The Americans lagged behind their European contemporaries in military aviation in the late 1930s, and it took the Battle of Britain to awaken America to the necessity of having aircraft that could defend targets against night-time attack by bomber...

The road to Gettysburg began at Brandy Station on 9 June 1863. Early on that morning, General Pleasanton launched his men across the Rappahannock at Beverley's Ford to the north of Brandy Station and Kelly's Ford to the south. General JEB Stuart was...

The Soviet Union began assisting the People's Republic of China in its establishment of a modern air force in 1950, when Soviet Air Force regiments were sent to train local pilots. China's involvement in the Korean War in late October 1950 inevitably...

Bonaparte's Grande Arm.e, one of the most renowned battle-winning machines in history, evolved from a merging of the professional army of the Ancien R.gime and the volunteers and conscripts of the Revolutionary lev.e en masse - although the contribution...

The most powerfully gunned tank fielded by the Allies during World War II was the Sherman Firefly. An ordinary American-built Sherman modified by the British, the Firefly had the firepower that could finally match the awesome German tanks that had...

Designed to change the course of the war, the V weapons required ambitious plans to defend their expensive and complicated launch sites. Steven J Zaloga describes the configuration and planned deployment of heavy missile sites, as well as the unique...

In 2006 the title 'Highlanders' finally disappeared from the British Army's list of infantry regiments after nearly 270 years. Throughout this period Scottish Highland units distinguished themselves in battle, but it was in the 19th-century heyday of the...

Discover the history of a classic duel as the finest American and German pilots are pitted against each other in the war-torn skies over Europe, in two of the most advanced fighter planes of the age, the P-51 Mustang and the Fw 190. This first book in a...

During the final years of the 20th century, the most significant break-through in military weaponry was the concept of Stealth technology, and the first mass-produced weapon to utilize this to perfection was the F-117 Nighthawk. Originally delivered in...

US Special Forces in Vietnam created the Civilian Irregular Defence Group (CIDG), a large paramilitary organization designed to protect the local population from Viet Cong incursions, whilst conducting border surveillance, raids and combat patrols in the...

The Military Order of Teutonic Knights was one of the three most famous Crusading Orders, on a par with the Templars and the Hospitallers. Originally focusing on the preservation of the Crusader States in the Middle East, after the loss of their Middle...

About half a million African Americans served overseas during World War II, almost all in segregated second-line units. This artificially limited their potential contribution, but their work - especially along the logistic lifelines of the fighting...

The United States has been developing space for many years, and satellites provide the US Military with an unparaleled advantage over its adversaries. Constellations of both military and civilian satellites provide protection and support for military...

The submarine was the invisible but formidable weapon of the Royal Navy during World War II. This book examines the three major classes - 'S', 'T' and 'U' - detailing their design, development and modification. The major submarine engagements of the war...

In 1940 a British offensive in the Western Desert provoked a major Italian military disaster. By early February 1941 the whole of Cyrenaica had been lost, and German help became necessary to avoid the loss of all of Libya. On 14 February 1941 the first...

The F-15E Strike Eagle has been at the center of every single conflict in which the US has been involved since 1990. This remarkable aircraft has repeatedly struck targets where no other Coalition, NATO or US fighter has been able to go, breaking records...

Although harsh and inhospitable, the North African theatre of World War II proved to be a perfect environment for irregular warfare and the deployment of Special Forces. Following Italy's entry into the war in June 1940, the Western Desert became the...

The Bell Huey Cobra was the very first purpose-designed helicopter gunship to become operational and to see combat. Designed in the mid-1960s as an interim solution for an armed escort and close-support weapon to support the US Army in the Vietnam War,...

In April 1685, James II ascended the English throne. An overt Catholic, James proved unpopular with his Protestant subjects, and a group of nobles invited the Dutch prince William of Orange to take the throne in the Glorious Revolution of 1688; James II...

Entering service at the end of the Battle of Britain, the pugnacious Bristol Beaufighter was deployed in numbers by Fighter Command just in time for the start of the Luftwaffe's night 'Blitz' on Britain. Flown by specialised nightfighter squadrons -...

The 'military machine' by which Napoleon and his indispensable chief of staff Marshal Berthier commanded and controlled his huge armies on campaign numbered some 1,500 officers and men, organized in the different bureaux of his military and civilian...

This book gives a detailed and authentic account of the life and experiences of French warship crews from the Revolution up to Trafalgar. It describes the recruitment and composition of crews, the different duties performed and the living conditions they...

Undoubtedly the most famous of any nation's aviation units in World War 1 was the legendary Jagdgeschwader Nr 1, or 'The Flying Circus' as its respectful foes labelled it. Germany's first true fighter wing, it would always be associated with its first...

South-east Europe is one of the most neglected fronts of the Napoleonic Wars; yet on the coast of the Adriatic Sea - broadly, former Western Yugoslavia and the Ionian Islands - France struggled to hold a vital strategic outpost dominating Austrian and...

The defence of the 9th-century kingdom of Wessex under King Alfred against the 'Great Viking Army' is one of the major military achievements of Early Medieval history. While the guerrilla warfare in the Somerset marshes and the battle of Edington are...

In the course of the Peninsular War, Wellington's army fought several hard battles and smaller actions, but it was the bloody sieges that troubled him more than anything else. Indeed, the performance of his army during the sieges was probably the most...

For many people the epitome of the British soldier of the late Victorian period is the Redcoat who fought in southern Africa in the 1870s. This title covers the key period of the wars against the Zulu and Boers; the dramatic battles of Rorke's Drift,...

The M4 Sherman tank was the mainstay of the Western allies between 1942 and 1945. Fast and modern it was a big success and was transported as far afield as Russia and North Africa. The American Chief of Staff claimed in November 1943 it was 'hailed...

First seeing action in the wake of the German invasion of the USSR in June 1941, the Royal Rumanian Air Force had been allied to the Luftwaffe since the Romanian government signed a Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy in November 1940. This book...

The history of the Mongol conquests is a catalogue of superlatives. No army in the world has ever conquered so much territory, and few armies have provoked such terror as the Mongol hordes. So vast was the extent of the Mongol Empire that the samurai of...

The German Navy of World War II was small in number, but contained some of the most technologically advanced capital ships in the world. This meant that although the Kriegsmarine never felt capable of encountering the might of the British Navy in a fleet...

This volume is the second half of the story of the French artillery during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. It covers the howitzers, mortars and large siege (16- and 24-pdrs) and garrison (8- and 12-pdrs) guns, placing a special emphasis on their...

By the outbreak of World War II, Germany had done much to replace the Kaiser's High Seas Fleet, which was scuttled following their surrender at the end of World War I. Forced to build anew, the Kriegsmarine possessed some of the most technically advanced...

By the Spring of 1781, the American Revolutionary War had dragged on for almost six years and the outcome still hung in the balance. When the British commander Lord Cornwallis launched his invasion of North Carolina in early 1781, his objective was to...

As early as the 11th century, Italian warfare was developing along lines which were unique in medieval Europe. This fragmented, cosmopolitan region, increasingly rich from international trade, saw the rise of independent cities able to fund armies of...

Finland's premier fighter squadron during World War 2, Lentolaivue 24 (Flying Squadron 24) first saw action during the bloody Winter War of 1939-40, when the Soviet Red Army launched a surprise attack on the small Scandinavian country - the squadron...

Perhaps the most influential arm of either army in the prosecution of the American Civil War, the artillery of both sides grew to be highly professional organizations, centralizing their artillery, organizing artillery battalions from individual...

The Baltic nations - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - enjoyed a brief independence between the World Wars before being annexed by the USSR in 1940. The grim experience of Soviet occupation made it inevitable that after the German invasion of Russia in...

As the Second World War dragged on, heavy German losses in armoured vehicles and tanks ensured that assault gun units had to play an increasingly vital role in supporting the beleaguered infantry and countering Allied armour, particularly on the Eastern...

The 14th-century knight lived in a century of change, in terms of both recruitment methods and the appearance of fighting men. This book describes all aspects of the knight's life, including his training in the castle yard and the hard knocks of...

The ashigaru were the foot soldiers of old Japan. Although recruited first to swell an army's numbers and paid only by loot, the samurai began to realise their worth, particularly with arquebuses and spears, until well-trained ashigaru made up a vital...

Flying aircraft such as the Macchi 200-202, Fiat G.50 and biplane Fiat CR.42, the Italian fighter pilots were recognised by their Allied counterparts as brave opponents blessed with sound flying abilities, but employing under-gunned and underpowered...

After the British garrison of Fort William Henry in the colony of New York surrendered to the besieging army of the French commander Marquis de Montcalm in August 1757, it appeared that this particular episode of the French and Indian War was over. What...

The Grumman F4F Wildcat and the Mitsubishi A6M Zero-sen were contemporaries, although designed to very different requirements. The Wildcat, ruggedly built to survive the rigors of carrier operations, was the best carrier fighter the US Navy had available...

The battle of Talavera in 1809 was one of the major battles of the Peninsular War and Arthur Wellesley's first victory in Spain itself, following which he was created Viscount Wellington of Talavera and Wellington. Although Wellesely's forces were...