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During the 1930s the Soviet Union launched a major effort to create a modern Air Force. That process required training tens of thousands of pilots. Among those pilots were larger numbers of young women, training shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts.

"The Battle of Moscow, 1941-1942" is a detailed examination of one of the major turning points of World War II, as seen from the Soviet side.

On the outskirts of west Belfast in Northern Ireland, and in the shadow of the Black Mountain, is situated the predominantly Catholic community of Andersonstown.

Kangzhan: Guide to Chinese Ground Forces 1937-45 is the first ready reference to the organization and armament of Chinese ground forces during the Sino-Japanese War of 1937-45. The work integrates Chinese, Japanese and Western sources to examine the details of the structure and weapons of the period. Recent scholarship has contributed greatly to our understanding of China's role in the war, but this is the first book to deal with the bottom-level underpinnings of this massive army, crucial to an understanding of its tactical and operational utility. An introductory chapter discusses the military operations in China, often given short shrift in World War II histories. The work then traces the evolution of the national army's organizational structure from the end of the Northern Expedition to the conclusion of World War II. Included are tables of organization and strength reports for the wartime period. The armament section illustrates and details not only the characteristics of the many and varied weapons used in China, many seen nowhere else, but also their acquisition and such local production as was undertaken. This is complemented by a chapter on the arsenals and their evolution and production programs. The Chinese army was one of the largest of the war and it, and Japan's, fought longer than any other. It faced unique challenges, including fragmented loyalties, huge expanses of territory, poor logistics networks, inadequate arms supplies, and, often, incompetence and corruption. Nevertheless, they fought bravely in major battles through 1941 and were able to counterpunch effectively in important regions through the rest of the war. Aimed at both military historians and wargamers, this work fills an important gap in our understanding of this, the most under-appreciated army of the war.

Based on the written testimonies and personal archives of two veterans of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment attached to the famous US 82nd Airborne Division, this book tells the story of two young Americans who unwittingly became actors in one of the greatest crusades against tyranny the world has ever known. In order to better understand the motivations of those young men, the author describes their family upbringing, taking us through the youth and adolescence of these heroes in an America directly hit by the crisis of the 1930s. He shows us the similarity in the education received in the family, at school and in church, and belief in the same values which constituted the foundation of rural society in the American Heartland. He then vividly describes -almost on a day-to-day basis - the rigorous training undertaken by a trainee parachutist in different camps throughout the USA, before finally pinning the much-sought-after Wings on his chest. Finally the big day arrived -D-Day. We follow the emotions, fear, but also the feat of arms of our heroes. Together, we jump from a C-47 rocked by the explosions of shells and machine-gun fire, and find ourselves in the hostile Normandy woodland crawling with the enemy, and at times far from the planned Drop Zone. With the help of original plans and unpublished photos, the author discovers unknown details and specifies precisely the movements between June 6th and 10th 1944 of small elements of the 82nd Airborne Division, principally between the two bridges over the flooded valley of the Merderet at La Fière and Chef-du-Pont. The capture of just these two passages was necessary for the American troops whose objective was to cut off the Cotentin peninsula thus isolating Cherbourg and preventing enemy reinforcements to move north. The epilogue tells how these fierce warriors, still alive after three years of war and innumerable battles, returned to their homeland, readapted - at times with difficulty- to civilian life, married and in time had children. This is a worthy addition to the available literature concerning the 82nd Airborne Division and its key role in the Normandy invasion of 1944.

"Farr's book assesses Horne's command style, his relationship with the Canadians and his dealings with the commander-in-chief; this is where the value of the book lies, and that value is considerable. Farr has plugged quite a considerable gap in the biographical writings of the war.

This is a translation of the 1867 work by Alexander Hold, 'Geschichte der Feldzugs in Italien 1866', which describes in detail the campaign of the previous year, fought between the armed forces of the Austrian empire and the kingdom of Italy in the Austrian province of Venetia, the southern Tyrol and on the Adriatic Sea.

"Original edition: Campagne de l'Armee du Nord en 1870-71 by Louis Faidherbe, published Paris 1872"--Title page verso.

Fighter pilot Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron) lacked innate aerobatic ability. As a tyro, he attempted to solve this problem through denial, going so far as to sneer at stunting as pointless. Great War air combat experience proved quite the reverse, and so we would anticipate a short and sad fighting life for the fellow. Yet the Red Baron became the Great War's single greatest scorer, as measured by total victories. How did he do it? This book is concerned with tactics, especially those tactics used by the Red Baron and his opponents. It offers the how and why of Great War aerial combat. The author leans heavily on his expertise in engineering and aerodynamic techniques to explain this, with his reasoning presented in a readable, non-mathematical style. Absent are both the usual propaganda-laced Air Service reports and psychobabble. Offered instead is the logic behind Great War aerial combat; i.e., those elements determining success or failure in the Red Baron's air war. Gunnery experience led to the machine gun as the weapon best suited for aerial combat. Joined with a suitable aircraft, the extremely successful Fokker diving attack resulted. In reaction, effective defensive techniques arose, using forms of shrewd tactical cooperation by two-seater crews: pilot and gunner. These are detailed. Numbers mattered, establishing the level of assault firepower. Tactics of machines flying together in formation are given, as well as those of 'formation busters', intent upon reversing the odds and turning large numbers into a disadvantage. A pilot's nature and emotions had much to do with choosing between the options defining tactics. What were the aces like? How were tactics tailored to suit personality? What traits made for the ability to grapple with a jammed machine gun? A dozen high achievers are examined in terms of tactics and background. In a fascinating study Leon Bennett covers all of these aspects of WWI aerial combat, and more. Similarly, the author turns his attention to examining the cause of von Richthofen's death, employing the tools of logic, rather than merely accepting one of the many conflicting eyewitness reports as truth. In doing so, much testimony is exposed as unlikely. The bullet scatter to be expected from ground anti-aircraft fire matters greatly, and is developed, along with the odds against lone riflemen hoping to hit a fast-moving low altitude target. The most dangerous altitude for front-line crossing is established. The author concludes by rating the possibility of a rifleman downing the Red Baron as quite realistic - certainly as likely as any of the more celebrated possibilities. This is an important book, offering a groundbreaking account of WWI aerial tactics, and a thorough examination of the final combat and death of the Red Baron.

Many books have been written about the Second World War and the majority of them either concentrate on a particular battle, campaign or unit. Individual accounts are certainly in a minority and those from the lower ranks even more scarcer. Helion and Co Ltd are therefore pleased to announce the publication of Diary of A Red Devil in paperback.

An Active Service traces a young Sid Dowland from civilian life into the tough environment of the Guards Depot in the 1930s and then on to a Guards service Battalion in London and pre-war Egypt. The outbreak of war found Sid taking part in the retreat to Dunkirk and then service in North Africa before volunteering for the SAS.