Warrior 127
Author: Ed Gilbert
Illustrator: Raffaele Ruggeri
About this book
'Were it not for the Navajo Code Talkers the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima and other places' (Anonymous, Marine Corps signal officer). Ed Gilbert uses personal interviews with veterans to tell their fascinating story. Beginning with the first operational use of Native American languages in World War I, he explores how in World War II the US again came to employ this subtle, but powerful 'weapon.' Despite all efforts, the Japanese were never able to decode their messages and the Navajo code talkers contributed significantly to US victories in the Pacific. Approximately 400 Navajos served in this crucial role. Their legend of the 'code talker' has been celebrated by Hollywood in films, such as Windtalkers, and this book reveals the real-life story of their extraordinary involvement in World War II.
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16.75 €
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Warrior 112
Author: Gordon L. Rottman
Illustrator: Howard Gerrard
About this book
The Marine Corps began World War II with less than 66,000 officers and men. Yet despite suffering 10 per cent of the overall American casualties, the Marines were able to build on their proud traditions and history to transform a small branch of service into a premier combined arms amphibious assault force. Regardless of its expansion by 750 percent, the Corps was able to maintain its sense of tradition, instill that into thousands of new Marines, and create an elite arm of service. In this book, Gordon Rottman, follows a Marine Corps rifleman through his draft, training and participation in assaults such as: Roi-Namur in the Marshall Islands, Saipan and Tinian in the Mariana Islands, and Iwo Jima.
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16.75 €
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Warrior 119
Author: Gregory Fremont-Barnes
Illustrator: Seán Ó’Brógáin
About this book
Gregory Fremont-Barnes examines the lives of the American Bomber Crewmen of the Eighth Air Force, 'The Mighty Eighth', who manned, maintained and repaired the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses and the B-24 Liberators that flew from the airfields of England. He highlights the physical and psychological strain placed on these men, who required brute strength to control the aircraft on long bombing missions and extraordinary endurance to fly for hours at 20,000 feet at temperatures below freezing in unpressurised cabins. In addition to this, with Luftwaffe fighters and anti-aircraft fire to contend with, it required incredible skill and some luck to return from a mission unscathed. This book is a fitting tribute to these often uncelebrated heroes who took the war deep into the Third Reich, as well as a fascinating historical account of their experiences.
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16.75 €
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Warrior 109
Author: Ed Gilbert
Illustrator: Howard Gerrard
About this book
The US Marine Raider was an elite within an elite. Modeled on British Commandoes, they were the earliest forerunners of the various special operations units of the modern US military. These units would conduct operations with only the equipment they could carry on their backs; their heaviest weapons were light mortars and light machine-guns. Highly trained in close-in fighting, the Raiders were expected to be equally skilled in watercraft, jungle survival, and jungle warfare. This book details the Raiders' experiences through some of the toughest raining ever to be experienced by a Marine and onto combat during the Makin Raid, and through the horrific jungle battles of the Solomon Islands.
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16.75 €
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Warrior 92
Author: Kenneth W Estes
Illustrator: Howard Gerrard
About this book
The ferocity of the Pacific war almost defied the available military technology. In this environment the evolving use of tanks by the US Marine Corps played a significant role; at the end of the Battle of Okinawa, Major General Lemuel Shepherd wrote in his report that 'if any one supporting arm can be singled out as having contributed more than any others during the progress of the campaign, the tank would certainly be selected.' This book traces the history of the US Marine Corps tank crewman, including the significant changes in doctrine, equipment, and organization that the war brought, and his experience fighting in the Pacific theater.
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16.75 €
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Warrior 78
Author: Steven J. Zaloga
Illustrator: Howard Gerrard
About this book
Revealing what it was like to live and fight in a medium tank this book is structured around the career of a single tanker from 37th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division. The focus is largely on the crew of an M4 Sherman, though light tank service is also studied. Tank operation required a well- trained and well-coordinated crew. The crew positions and roles of tank commander, gunner, driver, loader, and assistant driver are all covered in detail, together with recruitment procedure, specialist training, and the variety of specialized clothing and personal weaponry.
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16.75 €
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Warrior 82
Author: Robert Hargis
Illustrator: Velimir Vuksic
About this book
This book takes a close look at the Dolphins of the US Navy submarine force, it covers recruitment, training, service conditions and combat experiences, and discusses the effects of advances in torpedo technology on crew roles. The Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 battered the surface fleet, but the submarine force escaped unharmed. It was up to the Silent Service to spearhead the naval war against Japan, cutting her supply routes and neutralizing her naval threat. By August 1945, US Navy submarines had made 488 war patrols. The achievements of the Silent Service were not without consequence - 3,500 American crewmen lost their lives.
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16.75 €
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Warrior 56
Author: Robert S Rush
Illustrator: Elizabeth Sharp
About this book
The ETO is seen by many as the major theater of World War II, with more infantry regiments serving there than any other. This title follows one soldier (Joseph) as he is drafted in February 1941, trains with the 22d Infantry in the United States and then ships to England in January 1944. On D-Day he lands on Utah Beach and in the following months fights through France, Belgium, and into Germany. The problems the common soldier faced between June 1944 and May 1945 are dealt with in particular in this authoritative and moving book.
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16.75 €
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Warrior 53
Author: Robert S Rush
Illustrator: Elizabeth Sharp
About this book
Between November 1942 and May 1945, US Army infantry units fought in eight named campaigns in the Mediterranean Theater. This title follows one soldier from enlistment in 1942, through training in a Replacement Training Center, assignment to the 1st Battalion 133d Regiment, 34th Infantry Division (Red Bull), and into combat. Among the battles covered are Fondouk Pass, Hill 609, Salerno, Monte Cassino, Anzio and the fighting in the Po Valley. A key focus is on the Heavy Weapons Company, which consisted of two machine gun platoons and one mortar platoon. The training and combat roles of the machine gunner's Military Occupational Specialty are discussed in detail.
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16.75 €
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Warrior 45
Author: Robert S Rush
Illustrator: Elizabeth Sharp
About this book
This title deals with the experiences of the American soldiers who fought the Japanese across the Pacific islands, and the specific nature of this combat environment. It follows a hypothetical soldier, ‘Michael’, through his enlistment into and training with the 165th Infantry Regiment (New York National Guard). It takes him through the 1941 maneuvers the 27th Infantry Division participated in, the transfer to Oahu, and into the reality of daily life and combat in the Pacific theater from 1942 to 1945, including Makin, Saipan and Okinawa. It also looks at the PTO administrative procedures for replacements, and medical and psychiatric care of the ordinary soldier. Whilst the focus is on one individual, the experiences of the many are examined and woven into an intricate and meticulous narrative.
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16.75 €
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Warrior 52
Author: Robert Hargis
Illustrator: John White
About this book
The US naval aviator of World War II played a pivotal part in the winning of the war. From the warm waters of the Pacific to the icy conditions of the Bering Sea (including the battle of Midway), the Naval aviator was on hand to fight the enemy in any and all conditions. Between 1940 and 1942 the training of the naval aviator lasted eleven months, divided into five separate and distinct phases. From phase one, known as the Elimination or E base for short, through to final assignment to a carrier based squadron, the training was demanding and unrelenting.This title examines the life and experiences of the US Naval Aviator in all three types of carrier squadron - fighters (VF), dive-bombers (VB) and the torpedo squadrons (VT). From recruitment to battle, the detail of what it was like to fly and fight for the US Navy is brought vividly to life.
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16.75 €
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Warrior 141
Author: Edward M. Young
Illustrator: Adam Hook
About this book
Merrill’s Marauders were the first American Army infantry unit to fight in the China-Burma-India theatre, and one of the most renowned units to come out of World War II. The Marauders established a lasting reputation for hard fighting and tenacity in the face of adversity, combating a determined enemy, some of the most difficult and disease-ridden terrain in the world, and a seemingly indifferent higher command. Pushed beyond the limit of their endurance, at the end of nearly six months of operations behind Japanese lines, the remaining Marauders were withdrawn from combat after suffering over 90% casualties. Because of its courageous actions, the unit received the very rare honour of having every member presented with a Bronze Star for gallantry. This book explores the creation, training and combat experiences of the Marauders, one of the most famous units in the US Army’s roll of honour.
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16.75 €
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Warrior 66
Author: Alan Jeffreys
Illustrators: Kevin Lyles Jeff Vanelle
About this book
This title focuses on the experience, tactics, training and weapons of the British soldier from the Fall of Malaya and Singapore until the Reconquest of Burma. It takes a close look at jungle warfare training in India and the ensuing action in Burma, tracing the development of tactics and doctrine: this formed the basis for the victories in the Arakan and the battles of Kohima and Imphal. The soldier's view of India, the entertainment available on leave, food rationing and other supplies such as cigarettes, the introduction of the forces newspaper SEAC, and the medical problems of malaria are all explored in detail.
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16.75 €
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Warrior 69
Author: Mir Bahmanyar
Illustrator: Michael Welply
About this book
This title follows one recruit through commando, raiding and amphibious training in Scotland, and into action. It shows how the Rangers differed from the standard infantryman in both their combat mission and their combat skills, and how tactics were modified in the light of lessons learned. The experiences of battle covered include the Rangers' first action during the 1942 Dieppe raid, fighting elite Italian Bersaglieri units at Station de Sened and the Afrika Korps at Dernaia Pass in 1943, spearheading the invasion of Sicily and Italy in late 1943, and the gruelling combat up the Italian boot until war's end. Packed with first hand accounts, and many unpublished photographs, it provides a vivid description of life among the elite soldiers of Darby's Rangers.
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16.75 €
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Warrior 160
Author: Tim Moreman
Illustrator: Steve Noon
About this book
The Desert Rats earned their famous nickname fighting against Axis forces in North Africa. At first the name referred to troops of the 7th Armoured Division, but later expanded to cover all Commonwealth troops: British, Australian, New Zealand and Indian, who fought in the desert from 1940–43. This book opens with a look at the unique conditions that the Desert Rats encountered in the Western Desert, then examines the recruitment and training of the men, and the evolving fighting methods and training of what eventually became the Eighth Army. Using photographs and newly commissioned artwork, the book also covers the distinctive dress, equipment and weapons carried into battle by the Desert Rats.
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16.75 €
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Warrior 133
Author: Terry Crowdy
Illustrator: Steve Noon
About this book
On average a Special Operations Executive (SOE) agent would be dead within three months of being parachuted into action. Terry Crowdy tells the extraordinary story of these agents, some of whom were women as young as 22, following them through their experiences beginning with their recruitment and their unorthodox training methods, which included hand-to-hand combat and parachuting. Packed with photographs and full-colour artwork, this book recounts the incredible combat missions of the SOE agents from their role in the attacks on a heavy water plant in Norway, to operations in the field with Yugoslav and Greek partisans, as well as sabotage missions ranging from blowing up bridges to the raising of full-scale partisan armies as they attempted to fulfill Churchill’s directive to set occupied Europe ablaze.
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16.75 €
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Warrior 55
Author: Osamu Tagaya
Illustrator: John White
About this book
The fateful attack on Pearl Harbor forced the Western world to revise its opinion of Japan’s airmen. Before the war, Japanese aviators had been seen as figures of ridicule and disdain; yet the ruthless skill and efficiency of their performance in December 1941 and the months that followed won them a new reputation as a breed of oriental superman. This book explores the world of the Imperial Japanese Naval airman, from the zenith of his wartime career until the turning of the tide, when the skill and experience of the average Japanese airman declined. Cultural and social background, recruitment, training, daily life and combat experience are all covered.
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16.75 €
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Warrior 95
Author: Gordon L. Rottman
Illustrator: Michael Welply
About this book
This book examines in detail the Japanese Infantryman who was, despite comparisons with the notorious German Waffen SS, an enigma to Westerners. Brutal in its treatment of prisoners as well as the inhabitants of the areas that it conquered, the Imperial Japanese Army also had exacting standards for its own men - strict codes of honor compelled Japanese soldiers to fight to the death against the more technologically advanced Allies. Identifying the ways in which the Japanese soldier differed from his Western counterpart, the author explores concepts such as Bushido, Seppuku, Shiki and Hakko Ichi-u in order to understand what motivated Japanese warriors.
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16.75 €
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Warrior 136
Author: Tim Moreman
Illustrator: Peter Dennis
About this book
The Chindits were a specially organised, equipped and trained body of men employing innovative fighting methods based on ideas originally developed by Major-General Orde Wingate. Raised to fight deep behind Japanese lines in the Burmese Jungle in World War II, their contribution to the Allied cause remains controversial to this day. Accompanied by full-colour illustrations this book describes the origins of this elite formation, detailing their recruitment, training and specialist fighting methods, and reveals the distinctive dress, equipment and weapons used, as well as the immense hardships suffered by the officers and men involved.
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16.75 €
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Warrior 117
Author: Terry Crowdy
Illustrator: Steve Noon
About this book
Working as an underground force, the French Resistance was initially formed spontaneously from scattered groups of the displaced and discontent. As the war progressed the Resistance developed into a secret army, terrorizing the occupying forces and would-be collaborators alike although they were unprotected by the Geneva Convention and faced torture and execution if captured. Striking photographs, coupled with first-hand accounts of capture and its terrible consequences, create an engaging and human history of the French Resistance fighter. Terry Crowdy details the military achievements, tactics, backgrounds and motivations of the patriots whose assistance helped ensure the success of the D-Day landings and French liberation.
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16.75 €
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Warrior 73
Illustrator: Velimir Vuksic
About this book
The civil war that raged in Yugoslavia following the German invasion in 1941 was brutal, uncompromising and complex, pitting royalists, fascists communists, ethnic groups, and the Axis powers against one another in a shifting and bloody theatre of war. The Partisan forces under the command of Josip Broz Tito were a constant thorn in the side of the Wehrmacht divisions in the Balkans, prompting numerous anti-partisan operations. Using primary source material, stunning contemporary images and personal accounts, this book explores a well-known but little published subject for the first time, bringing to light the development, training, weaponry, tactics and combat experiences of Tito's formidable guerrilla force, and the events of this bloody theatre of World War II.
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16.75 €
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Warrior 144
Authors: Pier Paolo Battistelli Piero Crociani
Illustrator: Giuseppe Rava
About this book
This book documents the experiences of the Italian armed Fascist militia, the Camicie Nere (Blackshirts), from the Italian–Ethiopian war of 1935–36, through the Spanish Civil War to the end of World War II. It explores their origins, development, recruitment, training, conditions of service, uniforms and equipment, battle experience, political and ideological motivation. The Blackshirt legions were raised under army control from 1928, and were employed in 1933 in Libya in counterinsurgency operations against the Senussi tribes; from 1935 in Italy’s war against Ethiopia; and during the Spanish Civil War. Following the outbreak of World War II, the Blackshirts fought in North Africa, Greece, Croatia, on the Eastern Front and finally in Italy itself following the Allied invasion.
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16.75 €
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