Bøker av David Nicolle

Focusses on day-to-day events in the First Arab-Israeli War, in the air, at sea, and on the ground.Volume 11 of the Air Power and the Arab World, 1909-1955 mini-series continues the story of the men and machines of the first half century of military aviation in the Arab world. It focuses upon combat operations during the period of the Palestine War from 1 June to 31 August 1948.By that time, in Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan and newly-independent Syria and Lebanon, major efforts had already been made to strengthen these countries' armed forces. Egypt, Iraq, and Syria launched all-out efforts to bolster their air forces, and threw these into combat. While most subsequent commentators and historians stress they had failed to perform, if appearing at all, closer investigation and the removal many of layers of propaganda that have obscured the realities of this first Arab-Israeli War, show that the Arab air forces performed much better than previously thought.Arguably, available aircraft, armament, spares, and personnel had their limitations and weaknesses, and these had also become apparent as the fighting intensified and losses began to mouth. However, information from both official and unofficial Arab sources - published and unpublished - leaves no doubt about the commitment and courageous efforts of almost everybody involved.Volume 11 of Air Power and the Arab World focusses on day-to-day events in the First Arab-Israeli War, in the air, at sea, and on the ground. It does so in remarkable detail thanks to access to previously unpublished official military documentation, supplemented by translations from publications in Arabic, containing both official and personal accounts by those involved. The most remarkable of these is the Operational Diary of the REAF's Tactical Air Force based at el-Arish, in north-eastern Sinai.Air Power and the Arab World Volume 11 is illustrated by a rich collection of original period photographs - many of these never published before - and specially commissioned color illustrations.

Air Power and the Arab World, 1909-1955 Volume 10 continues the story of the men and machines of the first half-century of military aviation in the Arab world. It tells the story of the first two weeks of the first of the Arab-Israeli Wars - also known as the Palestine War - in May 1948. Whilst part of an ongoing series, this volume stands alone as a history of the period covered.By that time, in Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan, newly-independent Syria, Lebanon, and, to a lesser extent, Saudi Arabia, significant efforts had already been made to strengthen these countries' armed forces. Where Egypt, Iraq and Syria were concerned, these efforts included a determination to improve or, in the case of Syria, to establish their air forces. All three air forces were thrown into the First Phase of the Palestine War and, in the view of most subsequent commentators or historians, they had failed to perform as well as their government and populations had expected. However, closer investigation and the removal of layers of propaganda which have obscured the realities of this first Arab-Israeli War show that the Arab air forces performed better than is generally realized. Arguably, they had their limitations and weaknesses, and these had also become apparent as the fighting intensified and losses began to mount. All this was always clearly pointed out in Arabic sources, both official and unofficial, unpublished, or published only with limited circulation.Volume 10 of Air Power and the Arab World focuses on day-to-day events on the ground, in the air and at sea during this hard-fought phase. It does so in remarkable detail because the authors have accessed previously unpublished Arab official military documents supplemented by translations from Arabic books and articles containing official and personal accounts by those involved. Perhaps the most remarkable such source is the Operational Diary of the Royal Egyptian Air Force's Tactical Air Force based at al-Arish in north-eastern Sinai.Air Power and the Arab World, 1909-1955 Volume 10 is illustrated by abundant photographs from previously unused, or very rarely used, private and official sources, and includes specially commissioned color artworks.

Volume 6 of this mini-series continues the story of the men and machines of the first half century of military aviation in the Arab World. It looks at the first efforts to revive both the REAF and the RIrqAF, along with events in the air and on the ground elsewhere in the Arab World until the beginning of 1941.

Describes the uniforms, weaponry, military practices and daily life of the Saracen cavalry during the time of the Crusades in the early 12th century. They were not only expert fighters, but also well-educated and skilled in medicine.

A detailed reconstruction of the operational history, camouflage colours, markings, and operational service of MiG-designed fighters in six air forces of the Middle East, from 1967-1975.

The first authoritative and richly illustrated account about air warfare in the Arab World of the period 1911-1955. Volume 4 cover the period of 1936-1941.

Analyses of different aspects of the history of warfare in the Mediterranean in the eleventh and twelfth centuries.The kingdom of Sicily plays a huge part in the history of the Norman people; their conquest brought in a new era of invasion, interaction and integration in the Mediterranean, However, much previous scholarship has tended to concentrate on their activities in England and the Holy Land. This volume aims to redress the balance by focusing on the Hautevilles, their successors and their followers. It considers the operational, tactical, technical and logistical aspects of the conduct of war in the South throughout the eleventh and twelfth centuries, looking also at its impact on Italian and Sicilian multi-cultural society. Topics include the narratives of the Norman expansion, exchanges and diffusion between the "e;military cultures"e; of the Normans and the peoples they encountered in the South, and their varied policies of conquest, consolidation and expansion in the different operational theatres of land and sea. Dr GEORGIOS THEOTOKIS is Lecturer at Ibn Haldun University, Istanbul. Contributors: Matthew Bennett, Daniel P. Franke, Michael S. Fulton, Serban V. Marin, David Nicolle, Francesca Petrizzo, Luigi Russo, Charles D. Stanton, Georgios Theotokis, James Titterton.

Based on decades of research and newly available sources in Arabic and European languages, and illustrated with authentic photography, Volume 2 of the 'Air Power and the Arab World, 1909-1955' continues the story of the men and machines of the first half century of military aviation in the Arab World.

Explains how the Ottoman Turks conquered South East Europe. Sets the final fall of the Roman Byzantine Empire in its full context.

Sixty years since the tripartite aggression of France, Great Britain and Israel against Egypt, this is the first account about Egyptian military operations during the Suez War of 1956 (or 'Suez Crisis', as it is known in the West). Based on research with the help of official Egyptian documentation and recollections of crucial participants, this book provides an unique and exclusive insight into the 'other side' of a war that many consider has marked 'the end of the British Empire'. From the Western point of view, the situation is usually explained in quite simple terms: in retaliation for President Gamal Abdel Nasser's nationalization of the Universal Suez Canal Company - and thus the strategically important waterway of the Suez Canal - France and Great Britain (operating in concert with Israel) launched the operation codenamed 'Musketeer'. Divided into three phases, each shaded into the other; this aimed at obliterating the Egyptian Air Force, occupying the whole of the Suez Canal and toppling Nasser's government. From the Egyptian point of view, backgrounds were much more complex than this. Striving to modernize the country, a new and inexperienced government in Cairo launched a number of major projects, including one for the construction of a gigantic Asswan Dam on the Nile. The only Western power ready to help finance this project, the USA conditioned its support with basing rights for its military. With the last British soldiers still about to leave the country - and thus end Egypt's occupation by foreign powers for the first time in 2,000 years - Nasser found this unacceptable. Around the same time, Egypt found itself under pressure from Israeli raids against border posts on the Sinai. Left without a solution, Cairo decided to nationalize the Suez Canal in order to finance the Aswan Dam project, but also to start purchasing arms from the Soviet Union. In an attempt to bolster Egyptian defenses without antagonizing Western powers, Nasser concluded the so-called 'Czech Arms deal' with Moscow - resulting in the acquisition of Soviet arms via Czechoslovakia. Little known in Cairo at the time, such moves tripped several 'red lines' in Israel and in the West - in turn prompting aggression that culminated in a war. Wings over Sinai is, first and foremost, an account of the battle for survival of the Egyptian Air Force (EAF). Caught in the middle of conversion to Soviet-types, this proved more than a match for Israel, but were hopelessly ill-prepared to face the military might of Great Britain and France too. Sustained, days-long air strikes on Egyptian air bases caused heavy damage, but were nowhere near as crippling as the losses usually claimed and assessed by the British, French and Israelis. The EAF not only survived that conflict in quite a good order, but also quickly recovered. This story is told against the backdrop of the fighting on the ground and the air and naval invasion by British and French forces. Richly illustrated with plenty of new and previously unpublished photographs, maps (and 15 color profiles), this action-packed volume is illustrates all aspects of camouflage, markings and various equipment of British and Soviet origin in Egyptian military service as of 1956.

This volume deals principally with Western Europe and Byzantium, which for many centuries learnt from the Muslims in matters of arms, armour and military technology. Several articles also focus on military interactions in the Crusader states.

In the early decades of the 8th century AD, Islamic forces were flooding into Europe through the Iberian peninsula, threatening Frankish and Burgundian territory and raiding it with ever-increasing ferocity. At the battle of Poitiers, also known as Tours, Christian forces under the Frankish leader Charles Martel "The Hammer" (grandfather of Charlemagne) confronted a massive invading Islamic army. The Franks were victorious, effectively halting the northward advance of Islam and preserving Christianity as the dominant faith in Europe. Expert medievalist David Nicolle draws on contemporary sources to reconstruct this turning-point battle, places it in its historical context and reviews its background and immediate and longer-term historical consequences.

In terms of the development of siege warfare, the mediaeval world was probably the most inventive in history. This text explores a range of devices and details the changes in siege warfare brought about by the mixing of traditions from Greece, Rome, Persia, India and China.

The clash between King Richard I 'The Lionheart' of England and Saladin has become legendary. Throughout the ages, military enthusiasts have been fascinated by the strategy of the resolute, heavily armed Anglo-Saxon army versus their more lightly armed opponents. Richard's inability to recapture Jerusalem was disappointing, but it proved to the crusaders that Saladin was not invincible. This book describes the struggle that has evolved into a mythic campaign for the Holy City of Jerusalem, providing an in-depth look at the battle, the personalities involved and the tactics employed by each army.

One of the key battles of the Hundred Years' War, the Battle of Poitiers had huge political consequences. Fought in the picturesque Loire Valley, it led to the capture of King John and a treaty that subsequently gave England half of France.

For almost five centuries the Moors were the cutting edge of the Islamic assault on the Christian world. This title details the Arab, Berber, Almoravid and Almohad armies of Muslim Spain, including the powerful Emirate of Cordoba that terrorized Christian Spain and Europe.

The very name El Cid sums up much of the special character of medieval Spanish warfare. It comes from the Arabic al sayyid, master or chieftain, and seems to have been given to Rodrigo de Vivar by his Muslim foes. But was it given in recognition of El Cid's victories against Islam in the 'Reconquista' - or because this Castilian nobleman was as content to serve beside the Muslims as to fight them? The story of the Christian conquest of the Iberian peninsula which gave rise to the legend of El Cid, is here examined by David Nicolle, who outlines the history, tactics, arms and armour of the period.

Salah al Din Yusif ibn Ayyub, known to his Muslim contemporaries as al Nasi, 'The Victorious', and to an admiring Europe as Saladin, is the most famous single figure in the history of the Crusades, being even better known outside the English-speaking world than his Christian foe Richard the Lionheart. Traditionally portrayed as a quiet, deeply religious and even humble man, Saladin was a typical product of his day and his culture. This title shows how the societies and military systems that he and his successors led from defeat to eventual triumph were far more sophisticated than is generally realised, and brings vividly to life the history, organisation, arms and armour of Saladin and the Saracens.