Superb volume covering numerous American tanks and armoured vehicles Stackpole present this beautifully illustrated volume of more than 1,000 photos of American tanks and armoured vehicles. From Shermans to Hellcats all varieties of American armour are covered in extensive detail. This volume compl[...]
Poland was the first of the Allied nations to succumb to German aggression in the Second World War, but by the most tortuous of routes her army managed to remain in the field through all five years of bloody fighting. Polish soldiers fought in nearly every major campaign in the European theatre, and[...]
The Kremlin's Nuclear Sword examines how the Soviet aerospace industry shaped many of the key defense decisions during the Cold War. Drawing from elusive Russian source material and interviews with many Russian and Ukrainian engineers, Steven J. Zaloga presents a definitive account of Russia's strat[...]
The prevailing Western view of Russia's Cold War strategic nuclear weapons policy is that it resulted from a two-part interplay between the leaders of the Communist Party and the military. Steven J. Zaloga has found that a third contributor--the Russian defense industry--also played a vital role.
The titanic armor battles of the Russian Front are widely known, but the role of Germany's eastern allies is not as well known. Two of these countries, Romania and Hungary, manufactured their own tanks as well as purchasing tanks from Germany. These ranged from older, obsolete types such as the PzKp[...]
The Allies' M10 Tank Destroyer and the Germans' Sturmgeschutz (StuG) lll were the unsung workhorses of the northwest European battlefields of 1944-45. While their mission was not principally fighting one another, their widespread use ensured their frequent encounters, from the Normandy Bocage, to th[...]
The armour clashes in May 1940 were the biggest the world had yet seen, as the sweeping German advances of that period came to epitomize Blitzkrieg. The Wehrmacht's Panzer III was well matched by the French Somua S35 tanks, the two representing very different design philosophies and yet both ranking[...]
The sequel to French Tanks of World War II (1), this title focuses primarily on France's cavalry armored vehicles, including the light reconnaissance tanks such as the AMR and AMC families, the famous Somua S.35 cavalry tanks and the extensive array of armored half-track and armored cars used by the[...]
This title offers a detailed study of a successful but little-known German tank of World War II, the Panzer 38(t). Germany's annexation of Czech provinces in 1938 gave it control of the large Czech armament industry, one of the jewels of which was the very modern LT 38 tank. The type was fully integ[...]
In the summer of 1944, plans began for a complex operation to seize a Rhine river bridge at Arnhem in the Netherlands. The American portion of the airborne mission was to employ two divisions of the US XVIII Airborne Corps to seize key terrain features that otherwise might delay the advance of Briti[...]
From the moment that the M4 Sherman had been matched against German Panther and Tiger tanks, the American tank crews had known that their vehicles were outclassed by the opposition. What was needed was a more powerful tank, more heavily armed and armored, that could take-on the powerful German panze[...]
The D-Day landings of 6 June 1944 were the largest amphibious military operation ever mounted. During the late spring and early summer of 1944 the roads and ports of Southern England were thronged with the troops, vehicles and ships of the invasion force. The greatest armada the world had ever seen [...]
The D-Day landings of 6 June 1944 were the largest amphibious military operation ever mounted. During the late Spring and early summer of 1944 the roads and ports of southern England were thronged with the troops, vehicles and ships of the invasion force. The greatest armada the world had ever seen [...]
The German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 began World War II in Europe. The outcome of the campaign was a foregone conclusion. It pitted the newly modernized army of Europe's great industrial power against the much smaller Polish army. To further tip the scales, Germany signed a pact with th[...]
The history of US light tanks during World War II is a chequered one. The Light Battalions of US Armored Divisions were initially filled with M3A1 and M5 Stuart tanks, however, on the battlefields of North Africa it was realised that these were disastrously under armoured and gunned, and a replaceme[...]
The German A-4 ballistic missile, better known by its propaganda name of V-2, was the world's first successful ballistic missile, breaking through the atmosphere to reach its target quicker. It was a forerunner of Cold War ballistic missiles and its combat use in 1944-45 set the pattern for the use [...]
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 widely as the best tank on the battlefield today...[...]
The armored division were the shock force of the US Army's combat formulations during the fighting in northwest Europe in the final year of the war. This book examines the combat mission of the armored division in the US Army wartime doctrine. The organization of the US armored division is examined,[...]
Entering service in the early 1960s, the M109 Self-Propelled Howitzer has been in production for 34 years and forms the backbone of US Army and Reserve artillery units. The M109A6 is the latest development of the M109 series and incorporates advanced fire control systems that enable it to have the f[...]
The M18 76mm Gun Motor Carriage was developed for the US Army's Tank Destroyer Command. It was the only tank destroyer deployed during World War II actually based on their requirements for speed and firepower. This book examines the development of this vehicle, the controversies over the need for hi[...]
The first deployment of the V-1 was in June 1944 when, following two years of tests, Hitler gave the order to attack England. Known to the Allies as the "Buzz Bomb" or "Doodlebug", the V-1 was the world's first cruise missile. This book explores the V-1 in detail, from its initial concept, first use[...]
The T-54 and T-55 tanks are the most widely manufactured tanks of all time. They have become ubiquitous to wars around the globe since the 1950s, starting with Hungary in 1956, and including the Arab-Israeli wars of 1967, 1973 and 1982, the Vietnam war of 1967-75, the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-88, the A[...]
Although they are less well known than the more glamorous armored divisions, vast numbers of separate tank and tank destroyer battalions were in service in the European Theater of Operations from 1944 to 1945, engaged in supporting the infantry divisions. This title focuses on these units: the stand[...]
The Battle of the Bulge was the largest and most costly battle fought by the US Army in World War II. The Ardennes fighting was Hitler's last gamble on the Western Front, crippling the Wehrmacht in the West for the remainder of the war. This volume offers a fresh analysis of this crucial battle. Fol[...]
The jeep was the most famous military vehicle of World War II, and its name has become synonymous with a whole class of military and civilian all-terrain vehicles. The jeep originated in a prewar US Army requirement for a simple, inexpensive, and robust vehicle for basic utility chores. Its simple d[...]