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A comprehensive history of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) from its inception in 2004 until replacement in 2007 by UNAMID.A comprehensive history of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) from its inception in 2004 until replacement in 2007 by UNAMID.In response to the ongoing civil war in Darfur that began in 2003, the African Union deployed a peacekeeping force to the region in 2004. Initially just 150-strong, this force would grow to some 7,000 by the following year.Peacekeeping in Darfur: The AMIS provides a comprehensive history of AMIS I, II and III, the context to the conflict in Darfur and the various participants. It further describes the support provided by the European Union and the eventual transition of AMIS into UNAMID (African Union - United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur) in 2007. The author brings his personal experience of operations as part of AMIS and the role of the Hungarian Defence Forces to this book.Peacekeeping in Darfur: The AMIS is extensively illustrated by the author's own photographs taken while participating in the mission and includes specially commissioned artworks.
A modern history of the 46th Division and their evolution in combat effectiveness and reexamining historical interpretations of key figures and events.This groundbreaking modern history of the 46th (North Midland) Division draws upon a vast array of largely neglected sources from a variety of archives, and challenges some comfortable assumptions. University historians' increasingly positive views of Haig are challenged by primary evidence of his own blatant willingness to change his mind to protect his promotion prospects. The overall theme is of how the ordinary Tommies of 46th Division learnt to fight more effectively and ultimately stormed the Hindenburg Line. In dealing with the Somme, the book effectively rewrites our understanding of Third Army's experience; the book demonstrates that Middlebrook was mistaken in accepting the claim by Major General Stuart-Wortley that he was sacked for saving his men from further slaughter. That chapter concludes with the evidence of young subalterns, bringing to life moments in history that illuminate a generation's experience of the carnage of war. All previous large-scale studies have focused on elite units, but this book follows this un-fancied, often belittled, division along the learning curve of the British Army. The book therefore develops the view put forward in studies of the Canadian Corps, and reflected in modern biographies of leading commanders, that the British Army gradually developed the system of "bite and hold". The poignant chapter on a "Shot at Dawn" and the concluding chapter on the poor postwar treatment of the many miners make this book more than a purely military history by linking the First World War to its social, political and economic context.
Recent research reveals the New Model Army's reliance on a centralized supply system from London, challenging the plunder-focused view.The orthodox view of modern writers that armies of the 17th century relied more upon plunder and free quarter is highly pervasive, yet more recent research suggests that during the British Civil Wars there were increasing changes to this custom. The creation, politics, religious identity, officer corps and military campaigns (especially the Battle of Naseby) of the New Model Army, commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax, have been the focus for various writers, nonetheless, little attention has been paid to the supply and logistics of this force. The result has been a critical gap in the understanding of the recruitment, victualling, ordnance, ammunition, clothing, arming, and logistics employed by the Committee of the Army in both the initial establishment of the New Model and its subsequent campaigns. The methods of sustaining this military force of up to 17,000 men in the field necessarily called for a largely centralised system which operated at an increasingly physical distance from London and the army's headquarters at Reading. Hence, this study challenges the prevailing view that Fairfax's troops increasingly relied upon local sources during 1645 and 1646, rather than an organized system of supply from London manufacturers and other commercial means. Hence, this highly relevant and important topic adds significantly to our knowledge of the supply, strengths and appearance of the New Model, and will appeal to academics, local historians, re-enactors and wargamers.
During the English Civil War, Newark held immense strategic value as a crossing over the River Trent before the Humber estuary. Dubbed the 'Key to the North', it stands at the intersection of two major highways. This new military history, incorporating fresh research, marks the town's first comprehensive account in a century.The Duke of Newcastle sent Sir John Henderson, an experienced soldier, with 4,000 Horse to secure the town for the King in December 1642 and turn the town into a secure royalist garrison. It was to remain under royalist control, in spite of three sieges through until May 1646, when it was ordered by Charles I to surrender on terms.Over the period of the first Civil War it was visited separately by Charles and his Queen, Henrietta Marie with their substantial accompanying armies, tripling the population of the town. During the second siege (1644) Prince Rupert achieved one of his greatest victories of the war by not only breaking the siege, but also inflicting a crushing defeat upon the parliamentarian forces besieging the town.
Explores the official attire, weaponry, and equipment of French colonial troops in North America (1683-1760) through detailed illustrations and rare artifacts.Frontier Soldiers of New France examines the official and regulation dress, weapons and equipment of the regular colonial troops maintained by the French government in North America from 1683 to 1760, including unpublished information with a focus on new illustrations, line drawings, and photos of rare portraits and surviving artefacts from public and private collections.This volume is the first of a series of three that will present all the regular forces that served in New France from 1683, when the first permanent garrisons of royal troops arrived, to September 1760. Many North American military campaigns of that era have been, and continue to be, covered in countless history books. The purpose of this work is, however, to be the first to present in detail the organisation and especially the material culture of all military participants, be they generals or private soldiers. There have been some sections of books, usually brief, and articles devoted to organisation, armament, dress, and equipment previously published. The aim of this work is to present a complete record of these aspects.To achieve this goal, three veteran researchers have consulted primary documents preserved in archives and collections on both sides of the Atlantic during the last half century and have united their efforts to produce a wide-ranging and as accurate as possible record. The result is often intriguing and attractive, both in the regulation uniforms worn by officers and soldiers that might be seen by onlookers at frontier forts as far as the known world (to Europeans) or at fortresses such as Québec and Louisbourg. The weapons and equipment were usually somewhat distinctive. They had weapons, clothing and equipment that became specially adapted to North America's wilderness, thanks to their First Nations allies, be it in the primaeval forests crisscrossed by great rivers and lakes or at the great central plains, which will be covered in volume 2. Volume 3 will be devoted to the battalions detached from the French regular metropolitan army commanded, from 1756, by Montcalm who led an arguably heroic resistance against overwhelming British and American forces. They, too, had surprising aspects of material culture; for instance, the battalions that came in 1755 had different uniforms in Canada than their regulation dress in France.The work is illustrated with period paintings and prints, as well as museum-quality artwork by internationally acclaimed military artists lauded for accuracy combined with fine art. Indeed, some works have already graced academic publications and displays in museums and historic sites.
King George's Army: British Regiments and the Men who Led Them 1793-1815 will contain five volumes, with coverage given to army administration and cavalry regiments (Volume 1), infantry regiments (Volumes 2, 3 and 4), and ordnance (Volume 5). It is the natural extension to the web series of the same name by the same author which existed on The Napoleon Series from 2009 until 2019, but greatly expanded to include substantially more biographical information as well as biographies of leading political figures concerned with the administration of the army as well as commanders in chief of all major commands.Volume 3 covers in great detail the 31st to 60th Regiments of Foot within the army of King George III for the period of the Great War with France; and the men who commanded them. Regimental data provided includes shortform regimental lineages, service locations and dispositions for the era, battle honours won, tables of authorised establishments, demographics of the field officer cohorts and the men, and even sources of recruits from the militia. But the book is essentially concerned with the field officers, the lieutenant colonels and majors who commanded the regiments, and Volume 3 alone contains over 900 mini-biographies of men who exercised such command, including their dates of birth and death, parentage, education, career (including political), awards and honours, and places of residence. Volumes 4 and 5 will extend the coverage to ultimately record over 4,500 biographies across more than 200 regiments.These biographies will show the regimental system in action, officers routinely transferring between regiments for advancement or opportunity, captains who were also (brevet) colonels, many who retired early, some who stayed the distance to become major generals and beyond. Where it has been possible to accurately ascertain, advancement by purchase, exchange or promotion has also been noted.Readers with military ancestors will no doubt find much of interest within, and the author hopes that the work will allow readers to break down a few 'brick walls'; either through connecting to the officers recorded, or through an understanding of the movements of the regiments around the world, or from the volunteering patterns of the militia regiments into the regular army.Encyclopaedic in scope, and aimed to be a lasting source of reference material for the British army that fought the French Revolution and Napoleon between 1793 and 1815, King George's Army: British Regiments and the Men who Led Them will hopefully be a necessary addition to every military and family history library for years to come.
Over the last decade Yemen has been the scene of warfare involving the employment of advanced air delivered weapons of Western origin by Saudi Arabia, of insurgent warfare conducted by al-Qaeda, of improvised 'technicals', and of ballistic missiles. As a result of this ongoing conflict, Yemen has become the scene of what the United Nations have described as one of the worst ongoing humanitarian disasters of modern times and in which tens of thousands of people have died and millions have been displaced.At the time of writing Yemen has again attracted international attention as tensions in the Red Sea grow following Houthi attacks on international shipping and the consequent responses of the USA and Great Britain.In Unfinished War: A Journey through Yemen's Civil War, Egyptian photojournalist Asmaa Waguih takes us on a remarkable visual tour of Yemen, once thought of as a beautiful and mysterious land that was the realm of the Queen of Sheba, with over 150 full color photographs contrasting scenes of everyday life for the people of this nation with the effects of an ongoing conflict between rival Yemeni factions, regional powers and their proxies.
Presents firsthand accounts from British 1st Airborne Division veterans, RAF aircrew, and XXX Corps during Operation MARKET and the Arnhem evacuation.Airborne to Arnhem Volume 3 is the final volume of reminiscences of the Battle of Arnhem, Operation MARKET, 17th- 26th September 1944 published by Helion and Company. The three volumes contain over 150 personal accounts received from veterans of the 1st Airborne Division alongside those from RAF aircrew and XXX Corps.The study is the culmination of over forty years of research concentrating on the British 1st Airborne Division's role in the capture of the north end of the Arnhem bridge and the subsequent fighting around the Oosterbeek perimeter and the eventual evacuation across the Neder Rijn.Volume 3 completes the accounts from members of the 4th Parachute Brigade with 156 Parachute Battalion and the 4th Parachute Squadron, Royal Engineers. In addition there are reminiscences from members of 250 (Airborne) Light Composite Company, Royal Army Service Corps responsible for collecting supplies dropped by the RAF.The Royal Artillery, both 1st Airborne Division and 2nd Army in the form of the 1st Airlanding Light Regiment, RA, the 1st Forward Observation Unit, RA and the 64th Medium Regiment, RA, XXX Corps are covered in detail. Interspersed throughout are additional accounts from Glider Pilots including those that delivered the glider contingent of the 1st Independent Polish Parachute Brigade and an account from the 3rd Polish Parachute Battalion dropped around Driel.Finally the volume covers the major contribution to the entire operation made by the Royal Air Force including 38 and 46 Groups and the fighter aircraft tasked with ground support and resupply cover.After nine days under siege, the evacuation of the survivors of the 1st Airborne Division is first covered with the disastrous diversionary attack by the 4th Battalion, Dorset Regiment and the withdrawal itself with accounts from members of the 553 and 260 Field Companies, Royal Engineers, XXX Corps who were tasked along with their Canadian fellow engineers to evacuate the survivors across the Neder Rijn.Each volume in the series contains extensive chapter introductions to provide the reader with a background to the events described by the participants themselves. The entire series is lavishly illustrated with wartime and post-war photographs, many in color with detailed accompanying maps illustrating the positions of the units involved at various stages of the battle.
The utilization of air power by the Communist regime in Russia during the revolutionary period and civil war to control its territories in Central Asia is an intriguing aspect of military history often overlooked in Western narratives. The region, which bordered Iran, Afghanistan, and China, and included the ancient cities of Samarkand and Bukhara, held strategic significance for both the Russian Empire and the subsequent USSR. Attempts to impose Russian or communist ideologies on the indigenous tribal populations clashed with deeply rooted Islamic traditions, leading to resistance movements such as the Basmachi uprising.The Basmachi insurgency, viewed as defenders of traditional tribal values by the local populace, was perceived as mere banditry by the Russian and Soviet authorities. Policing such vast and challenging terrain, where environmental conditions posed significant hazards alongside armed opposition, necessitated innovative approaches. Consequently, the Soviets turned to air power as a means of controlling these remote regions.Despite inventive tactics, the aircraft employed by the Soviets in Central Asia during the inter-war period were often outdated, worn-out, or repurposed from other theaters of operation. This reliance on obsolete or marginal aircraft highlights the resource constraints faced by the Soviet military during this tumultuous period.Soviet Military Aviation in Central Asia: 1917-41 offers a detailed exploration of the inter-war use of air power in Soviet Central Asia, drawing from Russian-language sources and photographic archives. The book provides insights into the challenges faced by the Soviet military in maintaining control over the region, accompanied by rare photographs and unique color artworks depicting the aircraft utilized during this era. Through this lens, readers can gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of military strategy and conflict in Central Asia during the early twentieth century.
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.
In Europe, the first two decades of the eighteenth century were characterised by almost constant warfare. Western and Central Europe had been involved in the Nine Years' War that ended in 1697. The peace was shortlived and by 1701 Western Europe was once again plunged into a new conflict, the War of Spanish Succession. Elsewhere, Denmark, Russia, Saxony and eventually Prussia all sought to dismember the Swedish Empire and share it amongst themselves. This conflict, known as the Great Northern War, was to last over twenty years. Designed to refight the battles of the period, Captain General is an expansion book for the popular rule set In Deo Veritas. The rules focus on the command decisions needed to maintain the motivation of the army. The battle scenarios offer the player a series of different challenges from the wars of the early eighteenth century. Battles are played at the brigade level with all major elements on 75mm/3" wide bases. Using smaller scale figures (6-15mm) lets players give their units a realistic feel. The ground scale of 1" = 40yds means the typical 6ft x 4 ft table is large enough to accommodate most battles of the period. Most players will already have everything needed to play (d6, tape measure and a deck of cards). More scenarios and game support will become available in the future. To learn the rules will take 2 hours or so using some of the smaller battles. Once you have become familiar with the core elements then your games will flow more quickly and a larger battle such as Blenheim should last for 3-4 hours depending on the arrival of the reinforcements. Nothing is certain, but generals that hone their skills are more likely to be victorious. You will need a copy of In Deo Veritas: Fast Play Rules for Exciting Seventeenth Century Battles in Smaller Scales to use this book.
The Caring General is the first published biography of Sir Harold Goodeve Ruggles-Brise. Born to the distinguished family of Spains Hall, Essex, he was an outstanding soldier who saw active service in South Africa and on the Western Front in the Great War. Harold married into one of the most famous aristocratic families in Scotland by taking as his wife Lady Dorothea Stewart Murray, oldest daughter of the 7th Duke of Atholl. Drawing extensively on their previously unpublished letters and diaries, The Caring General paints a vivid picture of army life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the battlefield and the home front.Born in 1864 Harold attended Winchester College and went up to Oxford. He excelled as a sportsman, particularly as a cricketer, playing for MCC, Essex and winning an Oxford Blue. Harold was a Grenadier, being commissioned into 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards and whilst stationed in Bermuda became a friend of Prince George of Wales. Lady Dorothea accompanied her husband on his posting to Gibraltar although he was soon to sail for South Africa as Brigade Major, Guards Brigade. This was Harold's first experience of war and he distinguished himself on and off the battlefield. His letters are detailed and candid, covering some of the most significant characters and actions in the war. With mentions in dispatches and staff appointments with 9th and 11th Divisions behind him, Harold returned home and was awarded the Queen's Medal with seven clasps.At home, Harold was to mastermind the military element of Queen Victoria's funeral before promotion to Colonel, 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards. He went on to hold the prestigious position of Commandant at the Hythe School of Musketry where our soldiers received outstanding training in the use of rifle and machine gun. The trumpet of war sounded in 1914 and Harold headed for Belgium in command of 20th Brigade, part of the famous 7th Division. In late 1914 they found themselves near Ypres, heavily outnumbered by German forces. During brutal fighting 20th Brigade suffered appalling losses, the Grenadiers being decimated. Harold was stretchered off the battlefield with near fatal wounds.After a painful recovery Harold commanded and trained 40th (Bantam) Division and headed for France. His letters describe life in the trenches near Lens, trench raids, the ruined Somme landscape and attacks on key German positions. Returning home he commanded 73rd Division Home Forces before returning to France in 1918 as Haig's Military Secretary. It fell to Harold to inform Sir Hubert Gough that he was being relieved of his command. Lady Dorothea served in a Voluntary Aid Detachment and her letters to Harold contain fascinating accounts as varied as her witnessing a fatal air raid on Hythe and having tea with the wife of Napoleon III.In retirement Harold dedicated himself to supporting veterans, becoming General Secretary of The Officers' Association. Harold died in 1927 having lived by both the motto of Winchester College, 'Manners Makyth Man' and Sandhurst, 'Serve to Lead'.
"These volumes provide a detailed and nuanced account of the April 1974 coup, with a surprising emphasis on the multifaceted role of airpower in its success. Extensive bibliographies and notes make them useful to serious historians. There are copious photographs throughout, as well as large sections of full-color drawings." - The Journal of the Air Force Historical FoundationIn March 1974, a climate of conspiracy reigned in Portugal. Premier Marcello Caetano, insisted on the continuation of the Portuguese presence in Africa and the wars being waged against the liberation movements in Angola, Mozambique and Guinea. Costa Gomes and Spínola, Portugal's two most senior generals, did not share this view. Spínola, with Costa Gomes's permission, had published Portugal e o Futuro (Portugal and the Future), a book that questioned the policy that had been followed until then, and caused a major political earthquake throughout Portugal and its colonies.At the same time, a movement of young captains prepared the overthrow of the regime. Tired of the war in Africa and the government's inability to solve the overseas problem, the conspirators drew up plans to end the dictatorship and establish a democratic regime in Portugal. A first coup attempt on 16 March 1974 was neutralized by government forces, but the second attempt on 25 April was an overwhelming success. In under 24 hours, the insurgents controlled the streets of the capital and Marcello Caetano was surrounded by rebel forces. With no options remaining, Caetano would hand power to General Spínola, who would become the new leader of the emerging regime. The people took to the streets of Lisbon to give red flowers to the soldiers, earning these events the name of 'The Carnation Revolution.'Carnation Revolution Volume 2: Coup in Portugal, April 1974 offers a detailed account of the intertwining political and military events of March and April 1974 in and around Lisbon as power swung irretrievably from a dictatorial government to a military intent on ending the colonial wars in Africa and restoring democracy to Portugal. This volume is illustrated throughout with original photographs and includes specially commissioned color artworks.
The Battle of the Sambre, 4 November 1918, was a decisive British victory. The battle has, however, been largely neglected by historians: it was the last large-scale, set-piece battle fought by the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front: the Armistice was only one week away. Seven Victoria Crosses were won and the poet Wilfred Owen was killed in action. In scale it was similar to the first day of the Battle of the Somme: thirteen divisions of the BEF led the assault on a frontage of approximately twenty miles, supported by over 1,000 guns, with initial plans presuming an involvement of up to 70 tanks and armoured cars. The German Army was determined to hold a defensive line incorporating the Mormal Forest and the Sambre-Oise Canal, hoping to buy time for a strategic withdrawal to as yet incomplete defensive positions between Antwerp and the Meuse and thereby negotiate a compromise peace in the spring of 1919. This is the only book devoted solely to this battle and includes original, bespoke, color maps covering every inch of the battlefield. This volume analyses the battle at the operational and tactical levels: the BEF was no longer striving for a breakthrough - sequential 'bite and hold' was now the accepted method of advance. Drawing on information largely from unpublished archives, including over 300 formation/unit war diaries, Dr Clayton casts a critical eye over the day's events, examining the difference between plan and reality; the tactical proficiency of units engaged; the competence of commanders, some of whom proved capable of pragmatic flexibility in the face of stubborn enemy resistance and were able to adapt or even abandon original plans in order to ensure ultimate success. The role of the Royal Engineers is also highlighted, their tasks including devising improvised bridging equipment to facilitate the crossing of the waterway. Other questions are raised and answered: to what extent was this an 'all-arms' battle? Where does this engagement fit in the context of the BEF's 'learning curve'? Was it necessary to fight the battle at all? Was it indeed decisive?Dr Clayton's analysis places the battle into its wider strategic context and reaches important, new conclusions: that this victory, hard-won as it was by a British army hampered by logistical, geographical and meteorological constraints and worn down by the almost continuous hard fighting of the summer and autumn, irrevocably and finally crushed the will of the German defenders, leading to a pursuit of a demoralized, broken and beaten army, whose means of continued resistance had been destroyed thus expediting the armistice.
There have been two major studies in recent years that have explored the roles and responsibilities of British generals at different levels within the British Expeditionary Force's command structure. Dr Simon Innes-Robbins has written about the generals at predominantly GHQ and Army levels while Dr Andy Simpson has explored the development of the role of corps commanders during the Great War. For the first time Dr Trevor Harvey's study provides an analysis of command at the level of the infantry brigade. His study is based on a critical period during the Great War, the period from late in the Battle of the Somme to the end of the Battle of Arras in mid-May 1917.Dr Harvey's analysis is based on the service records of 116 brigadier-generals whose brigades played some part in the Battle of Arras. He explores their roles, responsibilities and backgrounds, both in theory and in practice, in the lead-up to and during the battle to explain and illustrate the range and limitations of their commands. Based on this analysis, Dr Harvey presents case studies of five brigadier-generals, their staff officers and their battalion commanders. Each brigadier-general has been selected from one of the five corps that participated in the Battle of Arras which provides an operational backdrop to the exploration of their roles. The brigadier-generals exhibit, in different combinations, their different operational experiences, their different career paths and their different personal characteristics. In undertaking his research, Dr Harvey has drawn on a wide variety sources, including diaries, letters and personal papers privately held by descendants of his chosen subjects. From the evidence drawn from the case studies, Dr Harvey identifies a series of threads about the responsibilities and actions which these brigade commanders share. He argues that the application of these threads enables the orthodox 'administration and training' interpretation of the role of brigadier-generals to be successfully challenged as both unnecessarily narrow and unduly limited. Dr Harvey's study has been praised by his examiners because 'it provides unique and original insights on British operations on the Western Front in 1916-17 which will be of great interest to scholars interested in British generalship during the First World War. This ground-breaking study is a significant addition to the historiography of generalship during the Great War.
"...an invaluable read for anyone interested in the Gallipoli operation, but also for those seeking to understand combat, in any conflict." -- The NYMAS ReviewThe Gallipoli Landing of 25 April 1915 is arguably Australia's best known battle. It is commemorated each year with a national holiday, services, parades and great media attention. 2015, the centenary of the Gallipoli Campaign, was marked by great publicity and the release of many books, articles, films, documentaries and television series. Despite this attention, the Landing is still a poorly understood battle, with the historiography colored by a century of misinformation, assumption, folklore and legend. The Landing in the Dawn: Dissecting a Legend - The Landing at Anzac, Gallipoli, 25 April 1915, re-examines and reconstructs the Anzac Landing by applying a new approach to an old topic - it uses the aggregate experience of a single, first-wave battalion over a single day, primarily through the investigation of veteran's letters and diaries, to create a body of evidence with which to construct a history of the battle. This approach might be expected to shed light on these men's experiences only, but their accounts surprisingly divulge sufficient detail to allow an unprecedented reconstruction and re-examination of the battle. Thus it effectively places much of the battlefield under a microscope. The use of veterans' accounts to re-tell the story of the Landing is not new. Anecdotes have for many years been layered over the known history, established in C.E.W. Bean, Official History of Australia in the War: The Story of ANZAC, Volume I, as the standard existing narrative. Here, detail extracted from an unprecedented range of primary and secondary sources, is used to reconstruct the history of the day, elevating participants' accounts from anecdote to eye-witness testimony. This shift in the way evidence is used to reinterpret the day, rather than simply painting it into the existing canvas, changes the way the battle is perceived. Even though more than 100 years have passed since the Landing, and well over 1,000 books have been written about the campaign, much can be learned by returning to the "primary source, the soldier." The Landing has not been previously studied at this level of detail. This work complements Bean's by providing new evidence and digging deeper than Bean had the opportunity to do. It potentially rewrites the history of the Landing. This is not an exclusive Australian story - for example, one third of the battalion examined were born in the British Isles. This volume, the most current and comprehensive study since Bean's, has been rightly described as a major contribution that will change the way the legendary amphibious operation is viewed.
The Indian Army was the largest volunteer army during the Second World War. Indian Army divisions fought in the Middle East, North Africa and Italy - and went to make up the overwhelming majority of the troops in South East Asia. Over two million personnel served in the Indian Army - and India provided the base for supplies for the Middle Eastern and South East Asian theaters. This monograph is a modern historical interpretation of the Indian Army as a holistic organization during the Second World War. It will look at training in India - charting how the Indian Army developed a more comprehensive training structure than any other Commonwealth country. This was achieved through both the dissemination of doctrine and the professionalism of a small coterie of Indian Army officers who brought about a military culture within the Indian Army - starting in the 1930s - that came to fruition during the Second World War, which informed the formal learning process. Finally, it will show that the Indian Army was reorganized after experiences of the First World War. During the interwar period, the army developed training and belief for both fighting on the North West Frontier, and as an aid to civil power. With the outbreak of the Second World War, in addition to these roles, the army had to expand and adapt to fighting modern professional armies in the difficult terrains of desert, jungle and mountain warfare. A clear development of doctrine and training can be seen, with many pamphlets being produced by GHQ India that were, in turn, used to formulate training within formations and then used in divisional, brigade and unit training instructions - thus a clear line of process can be seen not only from GHQ India down to brigade and battalion level, but also upwards from battalion and brigade level based on experience in battle that was absorbed into new training instructions. Together with the added impetus for education in the army, by 1945 the Indian Army had become a modern, professional and national army.
The employment of the first tanks by the British Army on the Western Front in September 1916, although symbolic rather than decisive in its effects, ushered in a new form of warfare - tank warfare. While much has been written on the history of the tank, this volume brings together a collection of essays which uncover new aspects of the history of these early machines. Leading military historians from Britain, France and Germany offer insights into the emergence of the tank before the First World War, during the conflict, as well as what happened to them after the guns fell silent on the Western Front. Based on painstaking research in archives across Europe, each of the chapters sheds new light on different aspects of the history of First World tanks. Two chapters consider why the Germans failed to recognize the possibilities of the tank and why they were so slow to develop their own machines after the first British tank attack in 1916. Two other chapters chart the history of French tanks on the Western Front and after the end of the war. Tank communication, the employment of British tanks on the Western Front, as well as the activities of British Tank Corps intelligence, are also explained. The use of British tanks in Palestine and in the Russian Civil War is examined in detail for the first time. The volume also reflects on the impact of the Battle of Cambrai, both in terms of its psychological impact in Britain and the power it exerted over military debates until the end of the Second World War. The aim of the book is to reconsider the history of First World War tanks by widening the historical perspective beyond Britain, to include France and Germany, and by reflecting on the pre-1914 and post-1918 history of the these new weapons of war.
When the Japanese Empire went to war with the Allies in December 1941, it had already been fighting in China for 10 years. During that time it had conquered huge areas of China, and subjugated millions of people. The Japanese needed to control the Chinese population in these occupied territories, and for this reason they set up governments from amongst the leaders of the Chinese who were willing to co-operate with them. These so-called 'puppet' governments were designed to rule on behalf of the Japanese while firmly under their overall control. In turn, the 'puppet' governments needed their own 'independent' armed forces. These 'puppet' armies were large in number, reaching a total of well over 1 million before 1945. Although poorly-armed and equipped, these forces had an influence on the Japanese war effort through sheer numbers.The Chinese 'puppet' soldiers ranged from the well-drilled and trained regular Army of the Last Emperor of China, Pu Yi, who ruled the newly-formed state of Manchukuo, 1932-45, to the irregular Mongol cavalry who served alongside Japanese troops in the 'secret war' waged in the Mongolian hinterlands.The troops were dismissed as traitors by the Chinese fighting the Japanese, and they were equally despised by the Japanese themselves. The troops were motivated by a range of reasons, from simple survival to a loyalty to their commander. The fact that so many Chinese were willing to fight for the Japanese was embarrassing to all sides, and for this reason has been largely ignored in previous histories of the war in the East. In the first of a three volume series, Philip Jowett tells the story of the Chinese who fought for the Japanese over a 14 year period.
This book examines the capabilities and performance of the Italian army in the North African campaign and its significant contributions to the Axis effort there.
On 22 August 1914, on a battlefield one hundred kilometers wide, stretching from Luxembourg to the River Meuse, two French and two German armies clashed in a series of encounters known collectively as the Battle of the Ardennes. On that day 27,000 young French soldiers died, the bloodiest day in the military history of France, most of them in the Ardennes, and yet it is almost unknown to English-speaking readers. There has never been an operational study of the Battle of the Ardennes, in any language, at best a single chapter in a history of greater scope, at least a monograph of an individual tactical encounter within the overall battle. This book fills a glaring gap in the study of the opening phase of the First World War the Battles of the Frontiers and provides fresh insight into both French and German plans for the prosecution of what was supposed to be a short war.At the center of this book lies a mystery. In a key encounter battle one French army corps led by a future Minister of War, General Pierre Roques, outnumbered its immediate opposition by nearly six-to-one and yet dismally failed to capitalize on that superiority. The question is how, and why. Intriguingly there is a six-hour gap in the war diaries of all General Roques' units, it smacks of a cover-up. By a thorough investigation of German sources, and through the discovery of three vital messages buried in the French archives, it is now possible to piece together what happened during those missing hours and show how Roques threw away an opportunity to break the German line and advance unopposed deep into the hinterland beyond. The chimera of a clean break and exploitation, that was to haunt the Allied High Command for the next four years in the trenches of the Western Front, was a brief and tantalizing opportunity for General Roques.The final part of this book seeks to answer the question "why?" The history of both French and German pre-war preparation reveals the political, economic and cultural differences that shaped the two opposing national armies. Those differences, in turn, predicated the behavior of General Roques and his men as well as that of his German opponent. With a clear understanding of those differences, the reader may now understand how the French lost their best opportunity not only to stymie the Schlieffen Plan, but to change the course of the rest of the war.The author's text is supported by a separate map book containing 60 newly-commissioned color maps.
"This book does a great job of making sense of what initially seems like a confusion of political groups. The major events of the time help to weave the story of a nation trying to find the best way to govern itself during the period of 1955 until 1974. Very much worth picking up." - ModelingMadness.ComOperativo Independencia Volume 1 covers the lengthy background of Operation Independence between 1955 and 1974, with a brief description of all subversive guerrilla groups, the Argentine Security Forces organization, and the ERP and Montoneros organizations.International Marxist terrorism won the sympathy of many university students, Catholic movements and intellectuals in Argentina in the 1960s and 1970s, using terms such as 'dependency, imperialism, subjugation, colonialism and dictatorship'. Many of these young people had been catechists linked to Third World priests, but instead of taking the peaceful path of Christian preaching, they chose the bloody path of arms. Marxism-Leninism managed to penetrate the minds of socially well-off young people, convincing them that armed struggle was the only valid alternative against military dictatorships and Yankee imperialism. This is how they recruited hundreds of young people who later saw their lives and dreams cut short by a useless fight against a well-armed and highly professional Army.Although the first groups began to appear after the overthrow of General Juan Domingo Perón in 1955, the main guerrilla groups would only appear towards the end of the 1960s. They would 'prepare' the ground for Perón to return to the country and be President again. Perón called them 'Wonderful Youth', but he had created a monster he could not handle in his last years of life.All these groups were inspired by the successful Cuban revolution led by Fidel Castro in 1959 with an Argentine, Ernesto Guevara, aka Che, and unrealistically thought that they could seize power and turn Argentina into a 'socialist homeland' in the best Cuban style. But Argentina was not Cuba, and the Argentine Armed Forces, despite suffering deep divisions and internal conflicts, were powerful, well-armed and well-trained. Their members were highly motivated to defend the political model at the time.The subversive bands aimed to produce chaos in the country, infiltrating the Peronist mass, destroying institutions, and supporting violence against the state. To achieve their objectives, the guerrilla groups resorted to the most despicable acts: kidnapping politicians, police and military officers, diplomats, and national or foreign businessmen or their relatives for ransom; hijackings; taking prisons to free their fellow terrorists; bombing politicians' or military officers' houses, foreign factories, police stations and military bases; to the assassination of politicians, police and army officers, including even a former president, General Aramburu.Everything had an objective: to create chaos in the country to prepare for the coming of Perón. When the military governments gave way to free elections, with the Peronist candidate Héctor Cámpora winning in 1973, guerrilla activity did not decrease but instead increased significantly. Cámpora belonged to the Peronist left and was greatly influenced by his two Montonero sons, so Montoneros held crucial government positions. That cost him a severe reprimand from the Peronist leader, and when General Perón assumed the presidency, he declared these groups illegal and began to fight them. But there was also the Peronist right wing in the CGT (General Confederation of Labor) and later the so-called Triple A (Argentine Anti-Communist Alliance) led by José López Rega, which would be in charge of avenging those murders and kidnappings of trade unionists by Marxist groups, especially between 1973 and 1976.General Perón did not live much longer, and it was his wife, the vice president, who, upon assuming the presidency, had to face the severe problem of the guerrillas. Although her government ordered Operation Independence, she would not see the end of this story either, which would occur in another military government led by Lieutenant General Videla towards the end of the 1970s.Operativo Independencia Volume 1 covers the long period that began after the overthrow of the government of Perón in 1955 until 1974, the year before the launch of Operativo Independencia. All the subversive groups that appeared in that period, their prominent leaders and actions are covered. Of all of them, only two would be protagonists of the most violent crimes in the mid-1970s in Argentina, the People's Revolutionary Army (ERP) and the Montoneros, whose organization is detailed in this volume.
A comprehensive history of the Sixth Fleet, detailing its role in the Mediterranean from post-World War II through the Cold War to recent conflicts and interventions.The Sixth Fleet has projected the naval power of the United States into the Mediterranean for over 70 years. This work covers the history of the fleet from its inception after the Second World War, through the Cold War, to the War on Terror and the Ukrainian crisis.The Sixth Fleet was created in response to the need for a strong naval force in the Mediterranean Sea to counter the danger posed to the countries bordering the Mediterranean by the naval forces of the former Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact countries, whose presence threatened the commercial traffic through the Strait of Gibraltar, the Suez Canal, and the Black Sea. In recent decades, several US government departments have considered eliminating the Fleet, but the events in Ukraine in 2022 demonstrated the ongoing need for such a naval force as a deterrent.The book lists most aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers, destroyers, frigates, submarines, transports, and other support vessels that have been part of the Fleet. It also contains an essential chapter on the US Marine Corps elements, which have always been part of the Fleet. It also describes the aircraft embarked on aircraft carriers and landing ships. Finally, there is a chapter describing all the Fleet's interventions supporting Allied countries, including interventions in areas affected by natural disasters.The Sixth Fleet is a powerful naval force that has proven its utility as a deterrent.
Reconstructs the infamous New Year assault on Grozny, detailing the chaotic defeat of Russian forces through veteran accounts, research, and footage.The New Year assault on Grozny by Russian forces was the most famous and controversial action of the 1st Chechen War. Entering Grozny from four directions, Russian troops with poor knowledge of the city and totally unprepared found themselves trapped, isolated and annihilated by numerous Chechen detachments. Unfortunately, due to the complexity and chaotic nature of the events, almost no official documentation exists. The reconstruction of the assault has been created from numerous veteran accounts, research publications, and video footage. Battle for Grozny is the first attempt to present a complete picture to the English-speaking audience.At first, the resistance offered by Chechens on 31 December 1994 had been relatively moderate and sporadic. All Russian forces besides the Group West managed to reach their objectives way before the planned timeline. The 131st Separate Motor-Rifle Brigade received a controversial order to move towards the railway station. With no knowledge of Grozny and never having trained for urban combat, the Brigade moved in and reached the station by noon, meeting the 81st Motor-Rifle Regiment. In the late afternoon, Chechens started to hammer Russian forces from multiple directions, knocking out the armor one by one. Trying to organize defensive lines, both units were suffering heavy casualties while all relief efforts were completely blocked by Chechens. During the night and the next day most of the Russian units left Grozny with disastrous losses in men and materiel. On the morning of 1 January, Russian aviation mistakenly attacked the positions of the 129th Motor-Rifle Regiment with devastating results - making it the worst friendly fire incident of the entire war. The only Group that managed to hold their positions was that of General Lev Rokhlin, who skillfully organized the defenses of the city hospital and cannery plant, leaving a narrow corridor for reinforcements.Battle for Grozny, Volume 2, is based on numerous little-known publications, veterans' accounts from both sides, extensive pictorial and video footage, and focuses on the reconstruction of the events that happened over two days of a New Year.
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