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During World War II, the United States Marine Corps (USMC) evolved into a powerful multi-division force, playing a central role in the Pacific theater. Among its lesser-known units were the Paramarines and the Raiders. The Paramarines, the Marine parachute troops, were formed in 1942, with the first operational unit taking part in the Guadalcanal and Tulagi battles. Though their only combat jump occurred in southern France with an OSS unit, they saw action as infantry in the Solomons Campaign before being disbanded in 1944. The Raiders, modeled after the British Commandos, were a hard-hitting assault force trained to strike swiftly from any location. The initial group trained in Scotland became the foundation of the 1st and 2nd Raider Battalions. Pioneers in camouflage, they used black-dyed shirts and trousers, sprayed their green uniforms, and crafted helmet covers from burlap and netting. In this book, Jim Moran, a collector and researcher, delves into the uniforms and gear used by these elite units. Illustrated with over 200 photos, including close-ups of surviving items, it offers a detailed guide to their distinctive equipment. Supported by the US Marine Corps Historical Center, this work serves as an essential reference for collectors, historians, and enthusiasts.

The British Atlantic locomotive flourished in the first decade of the nineteenth century especially on the relatively level stretches of the East Coast mainline. This book describes the design, construction, history, operation and performance of the Great Northern, Great Central, North Eastern and North British Atlantics and the London Brighton & South Coast engines that were developed from the GN design. More unusual were the Lancashire & Yorkshire 'Highflyers' which were some of the earliest and also included are the most powerful of all, Churchward's Great Western Atlantics (converted to 4-6-0s later) and his three French Compounds. Most had been replaced by 4-6-0 and 4-6-2 designs by the 1920s and were withdrawn before the Second World War, though a few lingered to the post-war period and just reached the era of British Railways, though only the Brighton Atlantics survived longer. The last of all, 32424 Beachy Head, was withdrawn in 1958 and has been recreated for the Heritage industry. The book concludes with a brief look for comparative purposes at some of the most influential Atlantics on the rest of the world's railways.

As the Allies broke out of Normandy in June 1944 and pushed into France and the Low Countries they soon found that their supplies lines became more and more extended. They needed a proper working port on the Channel that would enable them to bring in more men and materiel to fight the Germans in Europe and alleviate their supply issues. Antwerp was the prize they were after but the Germans had it covered so other ports needed to be captured as a matter of urgency. This is the story of the capture of Dieppe, Le Havre, Boulogne and Calais and the Siege of Dunkirk that the Allies decided to do while they concentrated on capturing and bringing only the port of Antwerp. It was a siege that was to last until the end of the war.

Final Fantasy Villains celebrates and analyzes the major villains of the series, all the way from the original princess-kidnapping Garland to the sociopathic Annabella Rosfeld. While other wikis might give dry chronicles of their actions, this book tells us who they are, where they come from, and what motivates them. Are they the heroes of their own stories? What did the original designers intend? In the absence of official intent, what might their backstories be, given what we see on screen? The book even deep dives into some of the more obscure villains, like the opera-crashing Ultros and the school bully Seifer. It also looks at some characters traditionally thought of as heroes in villainous lights, such as Cecil during his dark knight phase and Kain when he succumbs to his jealousy. Each major villain's write up contains at least one image, including the suplexed phantom train from Final Fantasy VI, and a humorous caption. All sixteen of the main line titles are covered, in addition to one bonus chapter on Final Fantasy Tactics. The author writes about these characters with a mixture of tongue-in-cheek levity and more serious analysis where appropriate, connecting them to some of the emotions that make us all human.

We have all heard of the Black Death and how it scythed its way through England and the rest of Europe in the late 1340s, and we hear that a third or perhaps even half of the entire English population died in this terrible pandemic. However the numbers are so vast that the victims become little more than statistics. They blur into a kind of unreality, a mute testimony to a catastrophe beyond imagination or comprehension. The Black Death in England aims to rectify this by giving names to some of the people who died in the fourteenth-century epidemics of the Plague Years and recognises those who lived through it, recreating something of their lives and what they went through.

Despite the vast amount of work written and published about London, there has never before been a full-length book covering the history of that part of the Thames Valley before the arrival of the Romans. Beginning in the Cretaceous Era, which ended 66 million years ago, Prehistoric London examines the geology of this part of Britain and explains why this particular section of the Thames proved to be the ideal location for a city. It describes, too, the animals and people who were attracted to the area by the conditions there. From the time of the dinosaurs, through to the Iron Age and the Roman invasion in 43 AD, this is a comprehensive account of London before London. It is the story of the land, and those who dwelt there, before anybody had thought of founding a city on the banks of the Thames. In addition to being a history book, though, Prehistoric London is also a lively guidebook which explains how to explore modern London and find such things as Iron Age hillforts and a site where anybody can dig sharks' teeth from the sand of a 55-million-year-old seabed. This book will reveal the backstory of London and show readers what was happening in the capital long before a single stone was laid of the city we know today.

As Anthony Tucker-Jones shows in this highly illustrated, wide-ranging history, for most of the Cold War the tank retained its pre-eminence on the battlefield. The Arab-Israeli wars witnessed some of the biggest tank battles of all time, and tanks played key roles in conflicts in Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan as well as in the Iran-Iraq War and the wars fought between India and Pakistan. But then in the mid-1960s anti-tank weapons became ever deadlier and the Mechanised Infantry Fighting Vehicle (MIFV), which was designed to support infantry and fight tanks, emerged and the heyday of the tank was over. Chapters cover each major phase in the evolution of the tank and of tank warfare during the period, from the battles fought in the late 1940s and 1950s with Second World War armoured vehicles like the T-34 and the Sherman, through to the designs common in the 1960s and 1970s like the T-55, Centurion, Challenger and M60 Patton, to the confrontation between the M1 Abrams and the T-72 during the Gulf War in 1991. Technical and design developments are important elements throughout the story, but so are dramatic changes in tactics and armaments which mean the tank has an increasingly uncertain role in modern warfare.

A graphic study of military and military revolution in the pivotal 17th century in the context of the Thirty Years War, shown by dramatic battle scenes, personal, heroic and tragic for all levels of society, and all strikingly brought to life. The first 'world war' in Europe was a global conflict, showing that early modern war, despite the Enlightenment argument which contrasts medieval military brutality with modern mores, early modern warfare was full of horror and innocent suffering, reinforced modern weaponry and state support. With striking quotes from commanders to foot-soldiers, readers feel 'involved' and the story moves from battle-field tactics to strategy, Grand Strategy and international relations. Here is the modern military state at the heart of the 17th century military evolution and revolution leading to modern and contemporary international warfare.

All monarchs have need of those to whom they give their trust. Never was this more essential than for the kings of Medieval England. From the Norman victory of 1066 to the bloody demise of Richard III in 1485, the stings and arrows of royal life bred relentless vigilance, distrust, and paranoia. This volume covers a period of 419 years. It starts with a bloody battle and ends with a bloody battle. To understand the lives and actions of court favourites, one must also know about the monarchs they served. In this book, you will read short biographies of each monarch, followed by a few of those courtiers to whom they gave their trust, not always deserved. You will read about the vicious actions of William the Conqueror, who, despite his victory on Senlac Hill, took five years to subdue the English, but who could not have achieved his victories without trusted lieutenants like William Fitz Osbern. How Stephen's innate indolence almost lost him England, had it not been for William of Ypres, and how Matilda's half-brother, Robert of Gloucester, kept her hopes of finally sitting on the throne bequeathed to her by her father Henry I alive. The Plantagenet kings changed the face of England, often bringing riches to those who hitched their wagons to the monarchy. Men still revered today, like William Marshal, known as The Greatest Knight, who faithfully served five kings. Various younger brothers held high church offices. Not all served to enrich themselves. John Beauchamp became a favourite of Edward III but was not overtly mercenary. The Wars of the Roses left England virtually bankrupt. The favourites on either side, the Lancastrian Somersets and the Yorkist Nevilles, gained enormous wealth and power, determined to fight to the death. The death that ended it was Richard III's on 22nd August 1485, when Henry Tudor grabbed the throne, and the Tudor Age began.

Major Malcolm 'The Bobber' Robertson OBE MC had been profoundly affected by his service in the First World War at Ypres and on the Somme, and prayed that the boys of Sunnyside, the Winchester College house that he ran, would be spared the like. By 1938, he knew that war was coming again, and as each set of boys left he tried to follow their fortunes and to support them and their families as best he could. The resulting correspondence between The Bobber and former pupils in every theatre of war, as well as to and from their parents and siblings, forms a precious and unique record of the impact of the Second World War on the Winchester community. Together with photographs, diaries, and memoirs from almost all the forty boys who sat down with The Bobber for the 1938 house photograph, their letters provide us with a vivid depiction of the wartime careers of the boys, for whom Robertson felt a huge personal responsibility. In this magnificent book these sources reveal the boys' doubts, successes, boredom, captures, narrow escapes, loves, lifechanging wounds, and - in the case of exactly one in four of them - their deaths. A Noble Company is an ambitious project which gives the reader an inspiring insight into these young men's wartime experiences.

Seventy years ago, the Nuremberg Trials were in full swing in Germany. In the dock were the leaders of the Nazi regime and most eventually received their just desserts. But what happened to the other war criminals?In June 1946, Lord Russell of Liverpool became Deputy Judge Advocate and legal adviser to the Commander in Chief for the British Army of the Rhine in respect of all trials held by British Military Courts of German war criminals. He later wrote;'At the outbreak of the Second World War, the treatment of prisoners was governed by the Geneva Prisoner of War Convention of 1929, the Preamble of which stated that the aim of the signatories was to alleviate the conditions of prisoners of war. 'During the war, however, the provisions of the Convention were repeatedly disregarded by Germany. Prisoners were subjected to brutality and ill-treatment, employed on prohibited and dangerous work, handed over to the SD for "special treatment" in pursuance of Hitler's Commando Order, lynched in the streets by German civilians, sent to concentration camps, shot on recapture after escaping, and even massacred after they had laid down their arms and surrendered.'Tens of thousands of Allied prisoners of war died at the hands of the Nazis and their Italian allies. This book is for them - lest we forget.

Assassination has been a political and military tool for thousands of years. In the view of many generals and emperors, it was cheaper and more effective than assembling an army and pitching soldiers into combat with the enemy - when the result was never clear cut or easy to achieve. The twentieth century was, perhaps more than any other period, an era of military, political and social assassinations. Their effect was invariably huge, world-changing in some instances. From the killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in 1914 to the murder of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948, from the death of John Lennon to the assassination of men like President Kennedy and Martin Luther King, the assassin's bombs, bullets, and knives cut a swathe across modern society. 'Assassinations that Shaped the Twentieth Century' logs and describes many of the more notable killings. It places the assassinations in context, charting their effect and significance. The book also looks at 'failed' assassination attempts and at killings that were planned but never carried out. Written in Phil Carradice's easy and elegant style, the book is thoroughly researched and presented in a logical manner. It is an essential addition to the bookshelves of anyone with an interest in twentieth-century history.

'The infantryman always bears the brunt' according to Field-Marshal Wavell in 1945. The 'Poor Bloody Infantry,' 'The Grunts on the Ground,' the infantry have often been seen as the humble, indeed shunned, relations of others, from cavalry to tanks. This book is their story, one from the dawn of human conflict to the present day, a study that looks round the world to consider fighting, weaponry, recruitment, contexts and impact. Infantry as the shock of assault as well as firepower, as the force in state-to-state conflict and in civil warfare, in symmetrical and asymmetrical warfare, are considered, as are the different accounts of development that are offered. Central to the military and to combat, infantry has also served many non-combat roles, notably as the arm of government. Indeed, infantry can be crucial to political history and nation-building, from coups to iconic battles

Border Battles describes the events which took place on the battlefields of the Anglo-Scottish Wars, 1018-1513. Author Chris Peers links these with a historical narrative of the campaigns, the political situation which gave rise to them and the geographical factors which shaped them. Included are the two dramatic battles at Alnwick in 1093 & 1174 which highlighted the superiority of Anglo-Norman cavalry, the little known battle of Carham, battles at Berwick on Tweed - the most fought over town in Britain - and Flodden, the largest and bloodiest battle ever fought in the region between the two warring kingdoms, among others. A chapter is also given to the castles built during this period to defend Northumberland against Scottish incursions, which remain important features in the landscape, discussing the general principles of medieval defensive structures as well as the specific strategic situation, especially at Bamborough, Warkworth, Alnwick and Chillingham castles. A complementary volume to The Highland Battles (2020) and Clan Battles (2023), each chapter concludes with a guide to visiting the sites, and the book will be illustrated with photographs of both the featured battlefields and other notable sites of interest.

Have you ever played a video game and wondered how it was made? Do you have an idea for a game but don't know how to create it? Maybe you're curious about the skills needed to land a job as a video games developer?This book breaks down the tools and techniques behind making games, providing practical advice to help you create experiences that grab players and transport them to worlds of mystery and adventure. Packed with examples and tips, Designing Video Games details each step in the process:* Thinking up and evaluating ideas. * Turning ideas into designs. * Understanding your audience. * Creating game content. * Using psychological techniques. * Fixing common development problems. * Polishing, marketing, and releasing games. Yes, you absolutely have what it takes to make great video games. This book will show you how.

The First Witches: Women of Power in the Classical World takes you on a journey into the world of Classical literature, from the adventurous Homeric epic of the Odyssey to the grim warfare of Lucan's De Bello Civili. In doing so, you will be introduced to a handful of powerful women who will later be labelled as "witches". The chapters focus upon two specific groups of women from the Graeco-Roman world: the divine Hecate and the formidable yet beautiful Circe, who first feature in Greek texts, and the nefarious Thessalian witches and Erictho, who become marked antagonists in Roman literature. Both Hecate and Circe are fundamentally divine, yet early in their mythologies, they harbour characteristics that will become distinct tropes of witchcraft from being associated with the underworld, lunar lore and dangerous transformative powers. With the onset of increased social tensions in the late Roman Republican to early imperial periods, these divine women become increasingly more demonised within the literature, culminating in Hecate becoming a consort for witches and Circe a seductress and the epitome of the femme fatale. Simultaneous to these representations, Roman writers adopted a stock character within prose and verse of the hag-witch who was shocking in both appearance and character, displaying many elements of moral turpitude and a disturbing penchant for bestial activities such as cannibalism and the kidnapping and killing of infants. Thus, the hag-witch, most commonly associated with the world of the modern witch hunts and within the pages of modern fairy tale, was born. This book, therefore, provides a readable overview of how the Western witch originated. So profound was the impact of the classical witch upon Western thought and literature that she even lives on today as a prototype of the gruesome woman found in folklore, horror stories and movies. This is why the studying and reading of classical works is so relevant today as it was for our forebears since the literature contains the very ingredients that help to captivate our imaginations and our fears. The authors of the literature and the characters within it will continue to serve as powerful reminders of how the Western world came to be.

In London, as the eighteenth century began, there had been significant recovery from the Great Plague and the Great Fire in the past three decades. Tracts of the city had been rebuilt and the population was growing once more. The city, largely through England's success in battles at sea, was taking centre stage in Europe and, critically, through taking the lion's share of the lands of the New World of America and snatching slave trading rights in West Africa. England had great wealth at its fingertips and London was at the heart of all of it. People flocked to the capital to seek their fortune. Wealthy people invested in the new companies exploiting Africa or set up manufacturing concerns in the city. They moved into large houses in the wealthy area of the Strand and spread into other prosperous areas such as Cavendish Place. Their houses were staffed by teams of domestic servants. At the other end of the income scale, people were leaving their rural homes where traditional jobs as labourers and in the fields were drying up, hoping to make a living in London. So many people arrived searching for work that there were too few jobs and many opportunities to be exploited. With no safety net, they had to resort to desperate measures to survive. Babies were abandoned on the mounds of animal and human waste which towered over the overcrowded alleys. Some were dead, others dying. People walked past this tragic sight every day and chose to do nothing. One man, however, a ship-builder from Lyme, decided on a plan to save them. The vilification of illegitimate babies and the general disdain for the poor meant that it took Thomas Coram years to garner enough support to get his plan to save the babies off the ground. However, when, in 1739, he was able to found England's first institution for abandoned and illegitimate babies, it became a place for London's high society to be seen. Royalty, politicians and scientists joined the crowds of people who went to the London Foundling Hospital to see the works of Hogarth or listen to Handel perform. It became the most fashionable charity in London. But even this could not stop the babies dying.

Discover the untold stories of Africa's warrior queens, rulers who defied empires, led armies, and shaped the course of history. In African Women of the Ancient World, journey through millennia to uncover the lives of powerful women like Queen Amanirenas, who challenged the might of Rome, Queen Nzinga Mbande, who fought against the Portuguese slave trade, and Dahia al-Kahina, who defended North Africa from Arab invasion. These extraordinary women, often overshadowed by their male counterparts, ruled with unparalleled strategy, pride, and ferocity, navigating their nations through intense battles and radical changes. From the great Pharaoh Hatshepsut of Egypt to Queen Makeda of Sheba, whose legacy is intertwined with the legends of King Solomon, these rulers are the unsung champions of ancient history. In this volume Clark brings these remarkable figures to life, drawing from excellent sources to illuminate their conquests and reigns. A treasure trove for scholars and history enthusiasts alike, this book offers a compelling exploration of the women who fiercely defended their lands and people, and whose stories are finally being told.

This is a story of 'ordinary' people - ordinary people who were caught up in the cataclysm of events in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s. A discovery of letters that had been carefully kept for decades since that time led to the uncovering of a family story that took the author on a journey in the footsteps of her husband's grandparents through Germany, Belgium, and France. Hermann Hartog (1887-1942) was a Jewish teacher in the north-west of Germany at a time of increasing anti-Semitism. He and his wife, Henny (1897-1942) recognised that Germany was becoming an unsafe place for Jews and sent their daughters to England for safety. As a leader of his community, Hermann stayed for as long as he could. After 'Kristallnacht' in November 1938, Hermann was arrested with other Jewish men and sent to the concentration camp at Sachsenhausen. He was later released on condition that he would leave the country. Hermann and Henny fled Germany for Brussels, but when Belgium was invaded in 1940 they were sent to Paris, and then found refuge in a village in the south-west of France. Here, 'ordinary' people gave them shelter, work and friendship - and shared their lives during the dark days of 1941 and 1942. When French police - acting on the orders of the Vichy government and the Nazi occupiers of France - arrested Hermann and Henny, it was part of a round-up of Jews to deport them for extermination. After a long journey, they were murdered in Auschwitz in September 1942. An active memory of the Hartog family lives on. In France and Germany, 'ordinary' people remember their names, commemorate their legacy, and work to build communities where tolerance, acceptance, and friendship can thrive.