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Of Islands, Ports, and Sea Lanes provides a unique insight into the significance of African and Indian Ocean ports and sea lanes during the Second World War.

This book is a history of the Battle of Mons in August 1914. It diverges widely from the story enshrined as fact in the Official History, and by subsequent accounts dependant on it. It is based on an examination of the war diaries of almost every British unit involved in the battle, with particular reference to the artillery, thus illuminating the tactical intentions of all arms in every phase of the battle. The artillery had made tactical preparations for the handling of their guns in battle. All units in the British Army conformed to Field Service Regulations. The central role that both these played in the battle is explored.In documenting the orders to, and subsequent actions of, junior units, many routinely referenced statements in even recent publications pertaining to the battle are challenged. The British went into battle without much of its field artillery. The German field artillery went into battle with totally defective ammunition. These two facts alone profoundly alter the conventional narrative. The primary importance of well-positioned artillery, supporting British army manoeuvres, is explained. The routine protection that the guns supplied to their allocated infantry battalions is described; and the devastating effect of German howitzer fire on a number of British infantry and artillery units documented.Each of the three senior British generals reacted differently to the stress of battle, and their anxieties can be followed and explored in detail. General French, in command of the British Expeditionary Force, remained in tighter control of events than is generally portrayed. General Smith-Dorrien, of II Corps, is confirmed as the main architect of the fighting on the day; and with luck on his side, fought an almost faultless campaign. Both were relying on General Haig, to bring his I Corps up in support II Corps. Not only did he disobey this order to advance, but he did not warn either General French or II Corps that he was withholding support. This breached Army Regulations, and endangered the whole force. The records reveal that he side-lined his staff, and issued such a series of orders and counter-orders, that he exasperated and demoralised his men. General Haig¿s report on the battle is an oft-quoted primary source. From the day before the battle, it is so inaccurate as to be almost valueless as a summary of events. If the full details of his actions on the day had been known at the time, he could have been dismissed for incompetence. He might even have been court-martialled.How each of the three generals perceived the role of the artillery under their command is also explored, from the point of view of their previous military experience. The origins of the poor use of artillery by the British Army later in the war can be traced back; partly to the professional army structure of 1914 and the qualities that would be lost as their casualties mounted; and partly to cavalry generals winning out over infantry generals in the direction of future campaigns of the British army.The Battle of Mons was a dress-rehearsal for the war on the Western Front. It was of disproportionate importance in determining how the British army was handled in the future. It deserves to be better understood by students of the period.

The aerial operations during the Revolutions of 1922 and 1947 in Paraguay, covering all the recce, light bombing missions, as well as the few dogfights.

This work seeks to address the notion of German numerical-weakness in terms of Germany's ability to replace its losses and regenerate its military strength, and assess just how accurate this argument was during the crucial first half of the Russo-German War (June 1941-June 1943).

A diary of a young British officer during the campaigns of the Duke of York against the French between 1793 and 1795.

An analysis and evaluation of the British army sent to Egypt in 1801 to eject the French Army of the Orient.

Religious, military, political, and social history is explored through the varied personal experiences of Catholic chaplains on the Western Front.

The shared experiences and sacrifices of Scots in London in World War One - often untold stories and unseen pictures illustrate this fascinating new account.

The first book to undertake a systematic and detailed analysis of the role of British corps command on the Western Front in World War One.

The increased focus on counterinsurgency warfare and US nation building efforts after the attacks of 11 September 2001 reignited interest in military advising within military and other government organizations, private think tanks, and defense related contractors. Most studies on the subject, based on the chronological scope and numerical preponderance of ground advising missions, has quite naturally focused on these past efforts. Less attention has been given to air or naval advisory missions. This work seeks in part to help redress this current imbalance by examining a number of historical case studies dealing with air advisory efforts. By examining a number of historical case studies, this volume analyzes the challenges and opportunities inherent in aerial advisory efforts and offers insights into the methods by which such missions succeed or fail. Air advisory missions date almost to the first days of powered flight.Air advisory efforts have a number of unique elements based on the fundamental role of advanced technology and the extensive resource requirements associated with aviation operations. For example, air advisory efforts are profoundly influenced by the types of aircraft involved and the types of mission flown. Likewise, the issues of maintenance support and the infrastructure needed for these missions plays a key role in determining capabilities available to the host nation. In the case of infrastructure, airfields, fuelling depots, maintenance and repair facilities, and radar and communications equipment offer a few of the most obvious requirements to support flight operations.The early history of advisory efforts reveal issues that remain relevant today, including questions related to the nature of aerial technology to be shared, the type of training to be provided, and the potential economic benefits that might accrue to the donor nation as a result of the sale of aviation technology to the host country. In many respects, air advisory efforts raise a number of profound strategic questions for the donor nation. Among others, these questions relate to the type of technology to be shared, the nature of training to be given, the role of foreign advisors in operations, the issue of infrastructure development and auxiliary training programs, the preparation of foreign advisors for their duties, and perhaps most significantly the development of the type of capabilities required to address the host nation¿s security environment. Via a series of historical case studies, this volume explores these questions and others.

A groundbreaking book when first published in Russia in 2005, now Valeriy Zamulin's study of the crucible of combat during the titanic clash at Kursk - the fighting at Prokhorovka - is available in English.

Hot Skies over Yemen is a richly illustrated and unique point of reference about one segment of modern aerial warfare in Yemen that remains entirely unknown until today.

This book is a study of the Anglo Dutch war of 1672 to 1674, describing the naval battles which were fought, and the men and ships which fought them.

The replacement of Infantry casualties in British battalions during the First World War.

This study was compiled by the Red Army General Staff's military-historical directorate, which was charged with collecting and analyzing the war's experience. It shows that while the Germans defeats at Moscow and Stalingrad showed that Hitler could not win the war in the East, the outcome of Kursk demonstrated beyond a doubt that he would lose it.

A book which covers the relationship between the British and the Sikhs in the eighteenth and nineteenth century.

This book traces the failures of the US-supported FNLA, the growth and reorganization of the MPLA into a conventional army; deployment of Cuban military contingents; and the performance and experiences of the MPLA and Cuban forces at war with South Africans and the third Angolan insurgent group - UNITA.

Originally envisaged and acquired as a `pure' interceptor, before long the Mirage F.1 in Iraqi service proved a highly capable multi-role platform aircraft, and was widely deployed not only for ground attack but also anti-shipping purposes, as an aerial tanker, and for delivering long-range pin-point attacks.

The first extensive English-language description of the Vyborg Offensive undertaken in summer 1944 by the Leningrad Front against Finland.

This is a story of an East Coast town during the Great War.

The supply services of the BEF of 1939 were wholly unprepared for modern warfare and paid the price by their defeat, mitigated only by the bloody-mindedness of the men.

History of the military forces of the Gulf states that were mostly British Protected States. Illustrated with scores of photographs and maps.

A book of postcards of RMS Adriatic II from a personal collection.

Rollback: The Red Army¿s Winter Offensive along the Southwestern Strategic Direction, 1942¿43 covers the period from mid-December 1942 to mid-February 1943, one of the most critical periods of the war on the Eastern Front. It was here that following the encirclement of an entire German army at Stalingrad, the Soviets sought to take advantage of the ruptured Axis front in southern Russia to finish off the Germans¿ Italian and Hungarian allies and liberate the economically vital areas of eastern Ukraine.This study is drawn from a number of wartime and postwar articles, published by the General Staff¿s directorate for the study of wartime experience. Also featured are documents relating to the operational-strategic conduct of the various operations, which were compiled and published after the fall of the Soviet Union. Several articles deal with the preparation for and conduct of the Southwestern Front¿s Middle Don operation of December 1942. Originally intended as an ambitious offensive to cut off the German forces in the North Caucasus by driving on to Rostov, the operation was later reoriented to meet the threat of the German effort to relieve Stalingrad. The offensive not only accomplished its objective of turning back the German attack, thus dooming the Stalingrad garrison, but also destroyed the Italian army in the East as well. The Soviet Voronezh Front then struck further up the Don River, and in the Ostrogozhsk¿Rossosh¿ operation destroyed what remained of the Italian forces in the area, as well as the Hungarian army. This enabled the Red Army to capture Khar¿kov and push nearly to the Dnepr River by mid-February, before being thrown back by a skillful German counteroffensive. The territorial results of this operation set the stage for the front¿s subsequent Voronezh¿Kastornoe operation, which enabled the Soviets to push as far west as Kursk before exhaustion and growing German resistance brought the offensive to a halt. Further to the south, the Soviets were able to capture Voroshilovgrad and penetrate into the industrial Donets Basin.The book also contains a detailed Soviet examination of the employment of tank and mechanized corps during the campaign. The conclusions reached here had a direct bearing on the restructuring of the Red Army¿s tank armies in time for the summer campaign of 1943.

The papers and letters of Mynors Farmar vividly recount the battles he was involved in both as a fighting soldier and staff officer from 1898-1918.

The Jacobite Rising of 1745 could not have taken place without French support. French ships carried Charles Edward Stuart to Scotland, French gold financed his campaign, and French weapons equipped many of his troops. Yet the actual French military contribution to the campaign was small, and its role is frequently neglected.This book seeks to redress this balance by looking in detail at the French military contribution to the Jacobite ¿45: the first detachment of troops to sail with the Prince ¿ who instead of landing in Scotland found themselves caught up in an intense naval battle; the staff officers and professionals who helped Charles organise his army on modern European lines; and the Irish and Scots regulars who fought with distinction at Inverurie, Falkrik, and Culloden.As with many aspects of the ¿45, myths and misconceptions aplenty have arisen about the nature and significance of the French contribution. New archival research enables a better picture to be obtained than ever before of the men who made up the rank and file of this contingent, and of the background and fates of those who led them. New analysis is offered, too, as to details of the uniforms worn by the detachments serving in Scotland, re-considering existing sources and also bringing out new information.Taken together, the result is to fill an important gap in our understanding of these dramatic events, one of the last occasions that foreign troops fought on British soil.

Charles Nedham was just twenty when he arrived in India in July 1845 as an ensign in HM 10th Foot. For the next four and a half years he lived as a young officer on duty in the sub-continent, finally seeing action in the Second Sikh War at the siege of Multan and the battle of Gujerat. His journal which he illustrated with fine pencil drawings of various sites and buildings offers glimpses of life in peace and war in India, as well as the contempt and prejudices shown by the British towards the native population. He was equally cynical and critical towards a number of the British commanders for their poor handling of the campaign. The journal provides a window into attitudes towards the empire, as well as the life of a bachelor officer in the early 19th century.

The Great War, 1914-1918 resulted in enormous numbers of casualties who had sustained filthy contaminated wounds from high explosive shellfire, bomb and mortar blast, and from rifle and machine gun bullet. Such wounds were frequently multiple, severe, and almost invariably became infected. Surgical experience from previous conflicts was of little value, and it became quickly apparent that early surgical intervention with radical removal of all dead and devitalized tissue was absolutely vital to help reduce the chances of infections, especially the lethal gas gangrene, from developing.