"An in-depth illustrated history of one of the most successful post-war British tanks" from the author of Special Forces Vehicles (Forces Pension Society).Few tank designs have been as effective, versatile and long-lived as that of the British Centurion. Conceived during the Second World War as the answer to the superior German Tiger and Panther tanks and to the lethal 88mm gun, this 52-ton main battle tank incorporated the lessons British designers had lea...

This pictorial history of the legendary American tank combines color photographs, commissioned illustrations and authoritative information.The M4 Sherman was one of the most famous tanks of the Second World War. Produced in greater numbers than any other Allied tank, it fought on every front, and continued to serve as a front-line fighting vehicle in the Korean War, the Arab-Israeli wars, and the Indo-Pakistani wars. This detailed history of the Sherman covers its ...

A pictorial history and analysis of the infamous World War II German tanks.The German Tiger I and Tiger II (known to the Allies as the King Tiger or Royal Tiger) were the most famous and formidable heavy tanks of the Second World War. In their day, their awesome reputation inspired such apprehension among Allied soldiers that the weaknesses of these brilliant but flawed designs tended to be overlooked.Anthony Tucker-Jones, in this illustrated history, tells t...

In 1964 Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, activated a joint unconventional task force known as the Studies and Observation Group-MACV-SOG. As a cover its mission was to conduct analysis of lessons learned in combat by all branches of service. SOG's real mission was to conduct covert strategic reconnaissance missions into Laos, Cambodia and South Vietnam as well as sabotage and 'Black' psychological operations. Ground, air and naval assets were employed to insert, collect, extract, and ...

In the second half of the third millennium BC the Indo-European tribe known as the Hittites migrated and settled in Central Anatolia, at that time a land of small city-states whose rulers lived in fortresses.These fortifications enabled the Hittites to transform themselves into a Bronze Age super-power, defeating the Egyptians at Kadesh in c.1274 BC. Konstantin Nossov examines the fortifications constructed by the Hittites in their efforts to sustain and then halt ...

The task of Germany's new Große Kreuzer at the beginning of the 20th century was to form an independent reconnaissance division that was able to perform special tasks.With a speed superiority of at least 3 knots, they should also be capable of fighting in the line, and would thus require heavy armour and good defensive qualities. The battlecruisers that were built did indeed have a remarkable ability to withstand battle damage, as demonstrated by the Goeben, which ...

Discover where events in the Old and New Testaments took place and see how people lived in Biblical times.Take a trip around the Holy Land with these beautifully drawn maps, which show where events from the Bible took place. You can follow the journeys of the patriarchs, view inside Solomon's Temple, witness Jesus' miracles, and see exactly where Paul traveled while spreading the message of Christianity. As well as recapping many of the stories from both Old and Ne...

In May 1943 a specially established RAF squadron made its permanent imprint on military aviation history by flying a high-risk, low level, nighttime attack against German hydro-electric dams vital to the Nazi armaments industry in the Ruhr Valley. A comparatively tiny part of Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris' four-month-long “Battle of the Ruhr” this one raid had an impact totally out of proportion to the small number of aircraft involved. It highlights the synergy of science and techno...

Despite all technological advances, final mastery of any battlefield depends upon the tight-knit group of footsoldiers trained to manoeuvre, shoot and dig in.This first of a two-part study examines the methods by which the Western infantry of World War II - the German, British and US armies - actually brought their firepower to bear. Drawing upon period training manuals for the evolving theory, and on personal memoirs for the individual practice, this first book co...

In 1965, soon after the first US combat troops had arrived in Vietnam, it was realized that in some areas the Viet Cong had developed vast tunnel complexes in which to hide from the enemy. It was long known that such complexes existed, but it was not realized just how extensive they were in some areas, how important they were to the Viet Cong, and how difficult it was to detect and neutralize them. At first infantrymen volunteered to enter the tunnels armed with only pistols and flashlight...

In 1965, soon after the first US combat troops had arrived in Vietnam, it was realized that in some areas the Viet Cong had developed vast tunnel complexes in which to hide from the enemy.It was long known that such complexes existed, but it was not realized just how extensive they were in some areas, how important they were to the Viet Cong, and how difficult it was to detect and neutralize them. At first infantrymen volunteered to enter the tunnels armed with onl...

Two major Army units operated in the Pacific – the 11th Airborne Division and the 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team (PRCT).They launched small-scale operations on extremely difficult, if not, outright dangerous, terrain, while also conducting amphibious assaults, fighting on jungled hills, swamps and mud. The two units were very different, with the 503rd PRCT being reserved for special purpose missions and the 11th Airborne Division occupying a more traditiona...