Images of War (Pen & Sword Books)
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Challenger 2
The British Main Battle Tank
by Robert Griffin
Part 2 of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
For much of the Cold War, the British Army's main battle tanks (MBT) were first the Centurion and then the Chieftain. The question of the latter's replacement became urgent when in 1980 MBT80 was canceled. While the Royal Ordnance Challenger (originally the Shir 2) was acquired as a stop gap its design and capability limitations quickly became apparent.
Vickers then took over the Royal Ordnance tank building facility and against stiff foreign competition developed the Challenger 2. This superbly researched and illustrated book tells the story of the evolution and subsequent successful career of Challenger 2 which has seen distinguished service in war and peace since 1990 and has proved itself one of the worlds most formidable fighting vehicles. The authors do not shy away from technical detail and make comparisons with competitors. The result is an objective and authoritative work which will delight military equipment buffs, modelers and war gamers.
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Stalag Luft III
The German Pow Camp That Inspired The Great Escape
by Charles Messenger
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
In early 1942 the Third Reich opened a maximum security prisoner-of-war camp in Lower Silesia for captured Allied airmen. Called Stalag Luft III, the camp soon came to contain some of the most inventive escapers ever known.
The escapers were led by Squadron Leader Roger Bushell, codenamed 'Big X'. In March 1944, Bushell masterminded an attempt to smuggle hundreds of POWs down a tunnel built right under the noses of their guards. In fact, 76 Allied airmen clambered into the tunnel and only three made successful escapes.
This remarkable breakout would be immortalized in the famous Hollywood film The Great Escape, in which the bravery of the men was rightly celebrated. Behind the scenes photographs from the film are included in this definitive pictorial work on the most famous POW camp of World War II.
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Hitler versus Stalin
The Eastern Front 1944–1945 - Warsaw to Berlin
by Nik Cornish
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
In the fourth and final volume of Nik Cornish's photographic history of the Second World War on the Eastern Front the defeat of the German army, the destruction and occupation of the cities in eastern Germany and the humiliation of the German people are shown in over 150 mostly unpublished wartime photographs. The extent of the fighting, from the Baltic in the north to the Balkans in the south, is recorded in a selection of graphic images, as is the tenacity and desperation of the German resistance and the unstoppable force of the Red Army as offensive after offensive crushed the Third Reich. While most of the photographs show the Red Army, its troops, equipment and the conditions in which it fought, the shattered cities of Germany and eastern Europe and the suffering and destitution of the civilians are recorded in graphic detail.
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The Soviet-Afghan War
Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives
by Anthony Tucker-Jones
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
This photographic history of the Soviet-Afghan War of 1979 to 1989 gives a fascinating insight into a grim conflict that prefigured the American-led campaign in that country. In an unequal struggle, the mujahedeen resisted for ten years, then triumphed over Moscow. For the Soviet Union, the futile intervention has been compared to the similar humiliation suffered by the United States in Vietnam. For the Afghans the victory was just one episode in the long history of their efforts to free their territory from the interference of foreign powers. By focusing on the Soviet use of heavy weaponry, Anthony Tucker-Jones shows the imbalance at the heart of a conflict in which the mechanized, industrial might of a super power was set against lightly armed partisans who became experts in infiltration tactics and ambushes. His work is a visual record of the tactics and the equipment the Soviets used to counter the resistance and protect vulnerable convoys.
It also shows what this grueling conflict was like for the Soviet soldiers, the guerrilla fighters and the Afghan population, and it puts the present war in Afghanistan in a thought-provoking historical perspective.
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Armoured Warfare in the Battle for Normandy
Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives
by Anthony Tucker-Jones
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
"The remarkable photographs collected together for this book show in graphic detail the role armor played in the Allied struggle to exploit the D-Day landings and liberate occupied France and the skill and tenacity of the German panzer units that confronted them. The struggle gave rise to a sequence of battles that were among the most intense, and critical, of any fought in the Second World War. Anthony Tucker-Jones traces the entire course of the armored campaign through the photographs the D-Day landings, the first clashes of the opposing tanks and antitank guns, then the Allied operations Epsom, Charnwood, Goodwood, Cobra-that culminated in the Allied breakthrough and the destruction of the German 5th Panzer Army at Falaise. The images offer a fascinating inside view of the fighting itself and of the widespread destruction and horrific casualties that went with it. But they also record the routines of tank warfare, and give a vivid impression of the experience of the tank crews of the day and of the tanks they operated the German Mk IVs, Panthers, Tigers and self-propelled guns, and the Allied Shermans, Churchills and specialized tanks Hobarts Funnies that confronted each other in the French countryside and towns. "
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German Machine Guns of the Second World War
Rare Photographs From Wartime Archives
by Hans Seidler
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
German Machine Guns of the Second World War is a highly illustrated record of the German war machine between 1939 1945. Many of the photographs, all from the authors collection, come originally from the albums of individuals who took part in the war.
Arranged by theatre chronologically, the book analyses the development of the machine gun and describes how the Germans carefully utilised weapons such as the MG34 and the much vaunted MG42 into both offensive and defensive roles. Supported by a host of other machine guns like the MP28, MP38/40 and the lethal Sturmgerher 44, it depicts how these formidable machine guns fought against an ever increasing enemy threat.
Using over 250 rare and unpublished photographs together with detailed captions and accompanying text, this book provides a unique insight into German weaponry from early Blitzkrieg campaigns to the final demise of the Nazi empire.
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German Guns of the Third Reich
Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives
by Ian Baxter
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
"German Guns of the Third Reich is an illustrated record of German light and heavy artillery, heavy mortars, anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns at war. Using previously unpublished photographs, many of which have come from the albums of individuals who took part in the war, it presents a unique visual account of the various German guns that were deployed for action between 1939 and 1945. The book analyses the development of the German gun at war and shows how it became of decisive importance for the preparation and the successful conduct of atta and defense. It describes how German forces carefully built up their assault forces utilizing all available guns and making into an effective killing machine. It shows how various Panzerjger and Panzergrenadier units fought on the battlefield using a host of antitank guns with lethal effect. Throughout the book it depicts life as a gunner, how the guns were deployed for action, and illustrates the various modes of transport that were used to move the guns from one battle front to another. Each chapter details the various guns that went into production and eventually saw action on the battlefield. "
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Blitzkrieg in the West
Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives
by Ian Baxter
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
"This superbly illustrated book captures the dramatic action of May and June 1940. The speed and ferocity of the German onslaught took the Allies by surprise as Hitlers land and air forces annihilated the inferior opposition. After 9 months stalemate the collapse was cataclysmic and Holland and Belgium quickly fell leaving the British and French forces outflanked and outfought. Panic set in and huge numbers of civilian refugees clogged the roads making the Allies withdrawal even more precarious. The miracle of Dunkirk saved vast numbers of British and French forces but could not prevent the surrender of France, leaving Britain to fight on virtually alone. The splendid photographs in this Images of War series book tell the story of this extraordinary period of history. They include previously unseen images of Rommels Ghost Division."
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The Germans at Arras
Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives
by David Bilton
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
During the Great War a German publisher produced a number of photographic books that are of considerable interest to the modern-day reader. These were based on the photographs taken by the German regiments that found themselves stationed there during the War. This, the first book, covers the Battle of Arras in 1917, one of the largest in the War.
In addition to the introduction giving the historical context there are 350 photographs of the villages and towns, trenches, troop movements, cemeteries and dealing with civilians. These photos vividly convey what the areas of Lens, Arras, Bullecourt, Havrincourt, Cambrai, Douai were like under German occupation. This book is not just a memory-rich diary for the thousands of soldiers who fought there but also a valuable record of the period.
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Nazi Concentration Camp Overseers
Sonderkommandos, Kapos & Trawniki - Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives
by Ian Baxter
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
The Nazis' vast concentration camp network and, later, the 'Final Solution' program made heavy demands on the SS whose responsibility it was. The use of 'overseers' minimized costs and enabled the camps to run with fewer SS personnel. As this well researched book describes, there were three principal groups of 'helpers': Sonderkommandos, Kapos and Trawniki.
The Sonderkommandos' duties included unloading Jews from trains, collecting their possessions and allocating work details. Under SS supervision, they also ran the gas chambers and crematoria.
The Kapos oversaw the Sonderkommandos. Many were originally prisoner functionaries recruited from violent criminal gangs and had a well-deserved reputation for brutality.
The third group, known as Trawniki or Trawnikimänner, were Central and Eastern European collaborators recruited from Russian POW camps. While some served in a military capacity, others played an instrumental role in the Holocaust program, rounding up and transporting Jews from the ghettos to the concentration camps.
The graphic images and text of this Images of War series work demonstrate that the 'overseer' system was extensive and effective as its members competed without scruple to maintain the favor of their SS masters while pitting victim against victim.
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The Battle of Okinawa 1945
The Pacific War's Last Invasion
by Jon Diamond
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
The American campaign to capture Okinawa, codenamed Operation ICEBERG was fought from 1 April to 22 June 1945. 350 miles from Japan, Okinawa was intended to be the staging area for the Allied invasion of the Japanese mainland.
The Japanese Thirty Second Army defenders were on land and the Imperial Navy at sea fought tenaciously. They faced the US Tenth Army, comprising the US Army XXIV Corps and the US Marines' III Amphibious Corps.
As the author of this superb Images of War book describes in words and pictures this was one of the most bitterly fought and costly campaigns of the Second World War. Ground troops faced an enemy whose vocabulary did not include 'surrender' and at sea the US Fifth Fleet, supported by elements of the Royal Navy, had to contend with kamikaze ('divine wind') attacks by suicide air attacks and over 700 explosive laden suicide boats.
The Okinawa campaign is synonymous with American courage and determination to defeat a formidably ruthless enemy. The campaign was the subject of 'Hacksaw Ridge' , the recent Hollywood blockbuster- this is the real story.
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The British on the Somme 1916
by Bob Carruthers
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
This new volume in the long-running Images of War series features the actions of the British Army on the Somme. Not only is the book comprised of rare photographs illustrating the actions of the British army fighting on the Somme, but it is accompanied by a powerful text written by Official War Correspondent Philip Gibbs, who was an eyewitness to the events. Photographs from the battlefield illustrate the terrible conditions, which the British forces on the battlefield endured in the notorious engagement, which has become synonymous with vainglorious sacrifice.
This book incorporates a wide range of images encompassing the actions of the British infantry and their supporting artillery. Also featured are images, which depict the almost incomprehensible reality of landscape, which characterized the war in the trenches. Portraits of the British troops are contrasted with German prisoners of war and the endless battle to get the supply columns through to the front.
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T-54/55
The Soviet Army's Cold War Main Battle Tank
by Anthony Tucker-Jones
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
The Soviet T-54/55 is probably the best-known tank of the Cold War, and it was produced in greater numbers than any other tank in history. It first went into service just after the Second World War and over 70,000 were made, and its design was so successful that it even outlasted its successor the T-62. For a generation it formed the backbone of the armored forces of the Warsaw Pact and it was exported all over the world, remaining in the front-line until the 1990s. This photographic history in the Images of War series by Anthony Tucker-Jones is the ideal introduction to it. In over 150 archive photographs and a detailed analytical text, he traces the design and development of the T-54/55 and records its operational history. He describes how it was conceived as a main battle tank, an all-rounder, contrasting with the light, medium and heavy tanks produced in the past, and it proved to be extraordinarily effective. It was as adaptable as it was long-lasting, different versions being produced by China, Czechoslovakia, Poland and Romania. Its relatively simple design also meant it was easy to maintain even in difficult conditions and it was used by armies across the Third World, in particular in wars in Angola, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Somalia. Anthony Tucker-Jones's history of this remarkable armored vehicle will be absorbing reading for tank enthusiasts and a valuable source for modelers.
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Great War Fighter Aces, 1916–1918
Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives
by Norman Franks
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
By the close of 1916, the air war over France was progressing amazingly. The Royal Flying Corps, the French Air Force and the opposing German Air Service, were all engaged in fierce aerial conflict and the Allied air forces were following a particularly successful if aggressive policy. They were taking the war to the Germans by constantly crossing the massive trench system that stretched from the North Sea to the Swiss border. With observation and bombing aircraft requiring constant protection from the German fighter Jastas, the fighter aces on both sides soon gained publicity and fame as a result of their daily engagements. This book explores the many ways in which fighter pilots developed tactics in order to outdo the opposition in the fight for allied victory. In so doing, they achieved high honors, on account of their prowess in the skies. It also looks at the development of militarized flight during the course of these key years, revealing how each side constantly endeavored to improve their aircraft and their gunnery.
By early 1918, the Americans were also starting to take part in the war against Germany, and any number of US citizens were joining both the French Air Service as well as manning their own Aero Squadrons. This publication covers the development of American air combat, whilst also recording the efforts of some of their ace pilots flying both British and French aircraft with precision and skill.
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M65 Atomic Cannon
Rare Photographs From Wartime Archives
by David Doyle
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
Through historic photos, this volume traces the development, production and deployment of this iconic piece of military equipment from the drawing boards to the Cold War battlefields of Europe. In 1949, the US Army wanted an artillery gun that could fire a nuclear warhead in the event that guided missiles and long-range bombers proved insufficient in delivering atomic weapons. The result was the M65, 280mm Atomic Cannon. On May 25, 1953, at 0830 hours, an M65 of A Battery, 867th Field Artillery Battalion, let loose with the only nuclear round the type would ever fire. Six battalions of the M65 would eventually be deployed, most in Europe with one battalion sent to the Korean Peninsula. Though never used in combat, they served as a significant tactical nuclear deterrent in the early stages of the Cold War.
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Air War Over North Africa
Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives
by David Mitchelhill-Green
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
The year 1942 began badly for the Allies. German U-boats were indiscriminately sinking merchant shipping off America's east coast and in the Caribbean. Allied fortunes were no better in the Far East under the relentless Japanese advance. America was struggling to hold the Philippines, while the Soviet Union was fighting a series of bitter winter battles against Hitler's Wehrmacht at the gates of Moscow. General Erwin Rommel's surprise offensive in North Africa brought a renewed threat to the Middle East in mid-1942, which hastened the transfer of U.S. aircraft to Egypt to assist the beleaguered British. The vast, sprawling deserts of North Africa were a new and strange terrain to American aircrew. Confronted by sand storms, flooding rains, extremes of temperature and primitive living conditions, the United States Army Air Forces were pitted against an experienced and determined enemy. U.S. air power nevertheless played a decisive role in the Allied invasion of Northwest Africa and the subsequent surrender of Axis forces in Tunisia in May 1943. Later bombing missions flown from North Africa struck Axis targets across Europe and supported the Allied invasions of Sicily and mainland Italy. This book is a pictorial account of U.S. fighter aircraft and bombers - including the iconic B-17 Flying Fortress, P-38 Lightning and B-24 Liberator - and the aircrews that fought to establish ascendancy over North African skies and beyond.
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Auschwitz Death Camp
Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives
by Ian Baxter
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
The concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau was the site of the single largest mass murder in history. Over one million mainly Jewish men, women, and children were murdered in its gas chambers. Countless more died as a result of disease and starvation. 'Auschwitz Death Camp' is a chilling pictorial record of this infamous establishment. Using some 250 photographs together with detailed captions and accompanying text, it describes how Auschwitz evolved from a brutal labor camp at the beginning of the war into what was literally a factory of death. The images how people lived, worked and died at Auschwitz. The book covers the men who conceived and constructed this killing machine, and how the camp provided a vast labor pool for various industrial complexes erected in the vicinity. 'Auschwitz Death Camp' is shocking proof of the magnitude of horror inflicted by the Nazis on innocent men, women and children. Such evil should not be forgotten lest it reappear.
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Hitler's Mountain Troops, 1939–1945
Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives
by Ian Baxter
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
Hitler’s mountain troops or Gebirgsjager were a group of elite soldiers ready for battle, whatever the conditions. These mountain men were trained to ski, climb and endure long marches, survive appalling conditions and were given a role as crack shock troops. Yet many of the campaigns in which the Gebirgsjager fought were on level ground where they had little opportunity to demonstrate their unique skills. Instead, they were invariably employed as assault infantry in conventional battle, a role in which every individual trooper excelled, but not one for which they had been trained.
They fought in virtually all theaters of World War II, notably on the Eastern Front, where operations took them into the Caucasus. The Gebirgsjager were proud to wear the Edelweiss, the famous badge that set them apart and distinguished them as Hitler’s mountain men. This superb book shows the Gebirgsjager in training and action from Poland, Norway and France, through Yugoslavia, the Eastern Front and in the closing stages of the War.
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German Armour Lost on the Eastern Front
by Bob Carruthers
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
Rare photographs from both German and Russian sources: Today there are very few surviving vehicles from the Wehrmacht. which illustrate the fate of many of the armored fighting vehicles of Hitlers much vaunted Panzerwaffe-
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United States Marine Corps in Vietnam
by Michael Green
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
A pictorial history "jam packed full of excellent visual and textual history of US Marine Corps operations in the Vietnam War" (AMPS).
With the American-supported South Vietnamese government verging on collapse in early 1965, President Lyndon Johnson decided to commit conventional ground forces in the form of a United States Marine Corps brigade of approximately 3,000 men on March 8, 1965. So began a massive and costly ten-year commitment.
At its height in 1968, the USMC had 86,000 men in South Vietnam. Almost a half million Marines would eventually rotate in out of South Vietnam during their typical one-year tours of duty. In the end, the fighting during well-known battles at Con Tien, Chu Lai, Hue, Khe Sanh, and Dong Ha-and thousands of now forgotten smaller-scale engagements-would cost the USMC 13,070 killed in action and 88,630 wounded, more casualties than they suffered during the Second World War.
In this book, well-known military historian Michael Green, using hundreds of dramatic images, tells the gallant story of the Marines' contribution to an unwinnable war; the battles; their equipment, from rifles to helicopters and jets; and the strategy adopted by the Corps.
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Brandenburger
Wartime Photographs of Wilhelm Walther
by Anthony Rogers
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
In March 1940, Oberleutnant Wilhelm Walther transferred from Aufklärungs-Abteilung 5, an armored reconnaissance unit, to Bau-Lehr-Bataillon z.b.V. 800 – forerunner of what would soon be known as the 'Brandenburger'. Two months later, he led a commando action in the Netherlands and became the first of his unit to be awarded the Ritterkreuz (Knight's Cross). By May 1944, Walther was an Oberstleutnant and an experienced regimental commander in what had evolved as the Division 'Brandenburg'. He would eventually join Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny's SS-Jagdverbände as Chief of Staff, before seeing out the last days of the war with the short-lived Schutzkorps Alpenland. More than 200 images, together with English captions, portray the life and times of this career officer, from the German annexation of the Sudetenland in 1938, to operations in Russia, Greece and the Balkans during 1941–44. In comparison with other units of the Second World War, relatively little has been published about Germany's commando forces. This is hardly surprising, considering the paucity of source material available and the air of mystery and intrigue still surrounding this specialist formation. This unique collection of rare images was sourced from the photograph album of Wilhelm Walther and is sure to appeal to all with an interest in the war in the West and on the Eastern Front, as well as to militaria collectors, modelers and re-enactment groups.
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Narvik and the Norwegian Campaign 1940
by Philip Jowett
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
The Norwegian campaign, fought in 1940, early in the Second World War in Europe, is overshadowed by the campaign in Poland that preceded it and the German blitzkrieg in the Low Countries and France that followed, yet it was a close contest from the military point of view and it had a far-reaching impact on the rest of the war. Philip Jowett's photographic history is a vivid introduction to it. In a concise text and a selection of over 150 photographs he traces the entire course of the fighting in Norway on land, at sea and in the air. He describes how important it was for the Allies – the Norwegians, British and French – to defend northern Norway against the Germans, in particular to retain control of the strategic port of Narvik. The book documents in fascinating detail the troops involved, the aircraft and the large naval forces, and gives an insight into the main episodes in the conflict including the struggle for Narvik and the major clashes at sea which culminated in the loss of the Royal Navy's aircraft carrier Glorious. The photographs are especially valuable in that they show the harsh conditions in which the fighting took place and offer us a direct impression of the experience of the men who were there.
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Prelude to War
The Raf, 1934–1939
by Martin Derry
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
Through the use of contemporary photographs and informative captions, Prelude To War: The RAF 1936-1939 chronicles many of the RAF's aircraft that continued to serve in the years immediately preceding the start of hostilities in 1939, a period of rapid technological change and mechanical innovation at a time when many European nations held their collective breath as, yet again, they witnessed the steady rise of German militarism and, ultimately, conquest.
Forced to take note of this emerging threat the British government authorized a policy of modernizing and re-equipping Britain's armed forces. This process, frequently confusing and fitful, was by 1936 taking shape with the RAF at the forefront of modernization, although as Winston Churchill solemnly noted in 1937, 'It was no longer in our power to forestall Hitler or to regain air parity. Nothing could now prevent the German Army and the German Air Force from becoming the strongest in Europe…we could only improve our position. We could not cure it.'
To this day, isolated perceptions still linger to the effect that by September 1939 the RAF had become an all-monoplane force with Fighter Command fielding countless squadrons of Hurricanes and Spitfires ready to overwhelm any enemy insolent enough to enter British skies. Similarly, the same perceptions suggest that a confident Bomber Command stood ready to darken German skies with armadas of modern bombers. These notions were wide of the mark – such was the power of propaganda!
Certainly, numbers of monoplanes did exist, but until the aircraft industry could expand to cope with the demands of a modern war, fleets of obsolescent biplanes had to be employed in secondary roles, with others remaining in the front line until monoplanes could replace them: there was no other choice.
It is hoped that this modest work will shed light on some of the RAF's better known aircraft of the period, but more particularly upon those that remain virtually unknown today and which might be described as having 'also ran'.
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Early Jet Bombers, 1944–1954
by Leo Marriott
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
The author of Early Jet Fighters: 1944-1954 turns his attention to jet bombers in another stunning pictorial history: "Don't miss out on this one." -IPMS/USA
Using over 200 archive photographs, Leo Marriott gives us a powerful portrait of the first decade in the development of the jet bomber. This was a time of intense technical innovation that transformed the design and capabilities of the bomber and gave birth to a range of classic military aircraft in the USA, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. The photographs take the story from the earliest jet bombers constructed in Germany toward the end of the Second World War to the successful designs both sides depended on through the first phase of the Cold War.
The pace of development was rapid and remarkable, from initial prototypes built in Germany-the Arado 234 and the Junkers Ju. 287-to the fleets of advanced jet bombers like the British Canberra and V-bombers, the American B-47 and B-52, and the Soviet Il-28 Beagle and Tu-16 Badger. The images of the prototypes give a fascinating insight into the extraordinary technical challenges and the ambition and inventiveness of the designers and manufacturers who overcame them.
"Excellent coverage of a lesser-known aspect of airpower development . . . the wealth of photos makes it enjoyable and interesting." -Air Power History
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8th SS Cavalry Division Florian Geyer
by Ian Baxter
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
Covers the operations of a leading SS Calvary Regiment and describes fighting under desperate conditions on the Eastern Front.
Formed in 1942 8th SS Cavalry Division Florian Geyer was soon deployed to the Eastern Front where Hitler's ambition to conquer Russia was stalling badly. In common with other SS units the Division was responsible for razing towns and villages, poisoning wells and genocide often against unarmed civilians. This scorched earth policy was aimed at hindering the Red Army's advance. After moving South, the Division took part in the retreat from the Dnieper River before operating in Hungary and Croatia. The end came when trapped in Budapest by Soviet and Romanian forces, the Division was destroyed in December 1944. By the end of the siege only 800 of the 30,000 men in the SS Corps reached German lines. Using many startling contemporary images, this latest book in the Author's Images of War series vividly illustrates the horror of warfare on the Eastern Front.
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US Naval Aviation, 1945–2003
by Leo Marriott
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
In this the highly illustrated second volume of his history of US naval aviation, Leo Marriott takes the reader through the extraordinary developments in design and capability that transformed American aircraft and aircraft carriers after the Second World War, and he describes the succession of conflicts in which they were deployed. Increasingly, advanced jets replaced propeller-driven aircraft and nuclearpowered carriers allowed the US Navy to project American military power across the world. As the many remarkable photographs in this book show, wherever naval aviation was involved, it played a crucial role, especially in the wars in Korea and Vietnam.
The vessels built in the 1940s to fight in the war against Japan gave way to a new generation of super carriers. Supersonic fighters and strike aircraft entered service – the F-8 Crusaders and F-4 Phantoms of the Vietnam era, then the F-14 Tomcat, F/A-18 Hornet and S-3 Viking of more recent times. Carrier-based helicopters became more important, first for search-and-rescue missions, then for anti-submarine warfare and for landing assault forces. Throughout this period of the Cold War the US Navy's carriers and aviation served to demonstrate American power worldwide and to counter the threat represented by the Soviet Union's challenge to US mastery of the seas.
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Twin Mustang
The North American F-82 at War
by Alan C. Carey
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
One of the most unusual and remarkable American fighter aircraft, the F-82 Twin Mustang was the last mass production propeller-driven fighter acquired by the U.S. Air Force. Originally intended as a very long-range fighter escort for the Boeing B-29 Superfortress during World War II, it arrived too late to see combat and evolved into a night and all-weather fighter during the post-war years. Combat operations in the Korean War followed, along with a host of other dynamic episodes of deployment. This work traces the developmental, operational, and combat history of this unique American fighter and features 120 photographs and illustrations, many of which have never been published before.
Seven chapters, all extensively illustrated, cover the aircraft's development, descriptions of the variants and sub-types, details of initial entry into service, three chapters covering the F-82's service in the Korean War, and a final chapter detailing the type's removal from the Korean War Theatre in February 1952, to see out its operational days in the Alaskan Air Defence Command.
An appendix section follows, featuring tables of the different variants, an illustrated list of known nose art applied to F-82s, and an entry of losses suffered in the Korean War. All these additional details bring new points of interest to the popular Images of War format, making for a richer, more informative reading experience.
Focussing on an overlooked type, deployed in a conflict often side-lined within mainstream war histories, this publication offers a much deserved platform upon which to appreciate this dynamic and immensely interesting aircraft.
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Russian Armour in the Second World War
by Michael Green
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
It was the Stalin's tanks and armoured fighting vehicles and their crews that finally pushed the German Army back from the outskirts of Moscow in late 1941 and early 1942. Proof of the Red Army tanks' and AFVs' effectiveness came at the Battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943 when they defeated the cream of the Panzertruppen, From that point on, the tanks and armoured fighting vehicles of the Red Army continued their offensive operations until they victoriously entered Berlin in April and May 1945. This latest book in the Images of War series paints a broad picture of Russian tanks and armoured fighting vehicles that defeated the might of Hitler's Panzer Armies. American expert Michael Green provides us not only historical images of the full range of Russian armour but also exterior and interior colour photos of preserved and restored tanks and AFVs from the period.
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The French Army in the Great War
by David Bilton
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
There have been few books written in English about the French Army during the Great War. Those that have are scarcely illustrated. This book aims to provide a highly readable and succinct account of the work of the French Army on the Western Front, as well as provide the reader with a wealth of photographs that show the daily life of the French soldier both in and out of the trenches. All of the images are contemporary, many coming from wartime and postwar magazines, interspersed with many previously unpublished images. The book aims to give a concise overview of the war seen through French eyes and includes the casualties incurred. Although the May 1917 mutinies were an important but brief part of the story, they are not dealt with at any length because they can distract from the main story of the valor shown by the French troops in battles were the casualties were extremely high. Also included is a lengthy introduction which explains the structure of the army at the onset of the war and some of the problems it faced, and a section that looks at the uniforms worn and how they changed during the war.
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The Royal Armoured Corps in the Cold War, 1946–1990
by Robert Griffin
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
The Royal Armored Corps composition may have changed dramatically during the four and a half decades of The Cold War but its role in the nations defense has been predominant. This highly informative book focuses on the deployment of the British Army’s armored regiments from the end of the Second World War, their vehicles and equipment, the creation of the British Army of the Rhine, NATO commitments and other peripheral missions. The characteristics and variants of the Centurion, the powerful but short lived Conqueror, the Chieftain and Challenger are covered in expert text and by numerous images. The RAC in the Cold War is a tribute to the men who served in these famous regiment and their stories make fascinating reading.
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FV430 Series
by Robert Griffin
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
During the Second World War the British infantry found itself lacking suitable transport to cope with the fast moving German Blitzkrieg tactics. Various stopgap measures were introduced with mixed success but, with the postwar nuclear biological and chemical threat, it was imperative that a robust solution was found. The FV300 and FV400 Cambridge carriers paved the way for the introduction of the AFV430 series in the 1960s at the height of the Cold War. Initially a basic armored personnel carrier, the series grew to cover a multitude of roles: command, recovery, mortar, Swingfire, and remote mine clearing to name but a selection. Over 50 years later variants are still in service. This classic Images of War book not only describes in words and images the AFV430 series but traces the development of infantry carriers for the British Army.
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Panzer I and II
The Birth of Hitler's Panzerwaffe
by Anthony Tucker-Jones
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
While the Panzer I and II are not as famous as the German tanks produced later in the Second World War, they played a vital role in Hitler's early blitzkrieg campaigns and in the Nazi rearmament program pursued, at first in secret, by the Nazi regime during the 1930s. Anthony Tucker-Jones's photographic history of their design, development and wartime service is an ideal introduction to them.
Both Panzers saw combat during the invasions of Poland and France, the Low Countries and Scandinavia during 1939-40. Although by the time the Wehrmacht invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, the Panzer I had been virtually phased out of service, in the form of self-propelled guns they continued to see combat well into 1943. The Panzer II was also phased out with the panzer regiments in late 1943, yet it remained in action on secondary fronts and, as the self-propelled Marder II antitank gun and Wespe artillery variant, it saw active service with the panzer and panzer grenadier divisions until the end of the war. The Panzer I and II were the precursors of the formidable range of medium and heavy tanks that followed the Panzer III and IV and the Panther and Tiger and this book is a fascinating record of them.
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US Naval Aviation, 1898–1945
The Pioneering Years to the Second World War
by Leo Marriott
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
This pictorial history tells the story of US naval aviation from its early beginnings in the 1920s to its dominance in the Pacific theater of WWII.
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor sank or crippled almost all of the battleships in the US Navy's Pacific Fleet. But the fleet's aircraft carriers survived-and soon demonstrated the power of US naval aviation. Thanks to pioneering technology and far-sighted pre-war policy, the US Navy had the necessary ships, aircraft, and crews to turn the tide of the Pacific war.
With more than 200 rare photographs, Leo Marriott traces the growth of US naval aviation from the flimsy seaplanes of the first years of the twentieth century to the mighty armadas that challenged those of the Japanese and, after the carrier battles at Coral Sea and Midway, led the advance across the Pacific. Marriott puts special focus on the navy's first aircraft carriers of the 1920s, the tremendous progress made in the decades between the wars in tactics and strategy, and the innovative design of ships and aircraft themselves.
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Fallschirmjäger: German Paratroopers, 1937–1941
by François Cochet
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
As elite troops, the German Fallschirmjäger (paratroopers) were regularly engaged in front line combat during the Second World War. Their famed actions such as the fighting in Scandinavia, the taking of the Belgian fortress Eden-Emal in May 1940, and the Battle for Crete just a year later, have given them the reputation of being determined, courageous and loyal soldiers. This book covers the early years of the Fallschirmstruppen (paratroop units) before the beginning of the war, until the height of their successes in 1941, after which the Fallschirmjäger were more often deployed in a more 'traditional' way, even though high-risk actions (such as at Monte Cassino, the Gran Sasso Raid) allowed them to reconnect once more with their glorious past.
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Red Army Auxiliary Armoured Vehicles, 1930–1945
by Alexey Tarasov
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
During the 1930s in the Soviet Union a remarkable range of auxiliary armoured vehicles were produced for the Red Army which have rarely had the attention they deserve, and Alexey Tarasov's photographic history is the ideal guide to them. These innovative designs demonstrate the diversity and innovation of the Soviet arms industry. Among them were armoured flails, ambulances, bridge-layers, flame-throwers and amphibious cars which prefigure similar designs made by western engineers during the Second World War. As this selection of rare photographs shows, Soviet designers were in many ways ahead of their time and it was short-sighted internal policy and the shortcomings of Soviet industry which led to the cancellation or postponement of many of these promising projects. As a result, when faced with Operation Barbarossa in 1941 the Red Army lacked the auxiliary armour that would have helped to stem the German advance. Alexey Tarasov's in-depth research and the rare photographs he has assembled give a fascinating insight into a little-known aspect of the history of Soviet armoured vehicles.
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The Royal Army Medical Corps in the Great War
by Timothy McCracken
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) supported the British Army throughout the First World War treating sick and wounded military personnel. The RAMC also had a range of sanitation responsibilities. The military nursing services and voluntary medical personnel provided vital support to RAMC medical units and hospitals, ensuring the effective treatment of casualties.
The size of the armies, the intensity of the combat, the power of modern weaponry and the global nature of conflict meant the number of casualties proved challenging for the medical services of all combatants, including the RAMC. Consequently a number of innovative solutions were needed, and one such innovation developed by British medical services was the use of barges for the evacuation of seriously wounded casualties.
A range of previously unpublished photographs, in thematic chapters considering aspects such as service in the United Kingdom, global warfare and commemoration, illustrate experiences of RAMC and medical personnel during the First World War.
The book contributes to wider understanding of the RAMC and medical services in the First World War, and as such will be of relevance to readers with an interest in medical, social and photographic history.
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Himmler's Death Squad
Einsatzgruppen in Action, 1939–1944
by Ian Baxter
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
The murderous activities of Himmler's Einsatzgruppen—or death squads—rank high among the horrors of the Nazi regime during the Second World War. These hand-picked groups followed in the wake of Waffen-SS and Wehrmacht units advancing intro Eastern Europe and Soviet Russia. Their mass murder of civilians in the occupied territories will never be accurately quantified but is likely to have exceeded two million people, including some 1.3 million of the 6,000,00 Jews who perished in the Holocaust. The graphic and shocking photographs in this Images of War book not only show the hunt for and rounding up of civilians, communists, Jews and Romani people but the active support given to the Einsatzgruppen by SS units and Wehrmacht units. The latter strenuously denied any collusion, but the photographic evidence here refutes this.
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United States Navy Submarines 1900–2019
by Michael Green
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
In 1900, the US Navy took its first submarine, the Holland VI, into service. With a single torpedo tube, it had a crew of six, weighed eighty-two tons, and traveled submerged at 6.2mph at a depth of up to seventy-five feet.
Contrast this to the 18 Ohio Class nuclear-powered submarines that entered service in 1981. Weighing 21,000 tons with a crew of 155, its underwater speed is estimated at thirty mph at a depth of some one thousand feet. It carries sixteen nuclear warhead ballistic missiles with a range of 4,600 miles.
This photographic history in the Images of War series provides detailed insight into the many US Navy submarine classes. Particularly fascinating is the post Second World War program of nuclear powered submarines stating with the Nautilus and progressing to the Skate, Thresher, Sturgeon, Los Angeles, and George Washington. Admiral Hyman G Rickover's role as father of the nuclear navy is also examined in detail.
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Essex Class Aircraft Carriers, 1943–1991
by Leo Marriott
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
A photographic history of the US Essex-class aircraft carriers of World War II-including the USS Intrepid that now serves as a New York City museum.
Essex-class aircraft carriers played an essential role in the victory of the United States over Japan in the Second World War, and Leo Marriott's photographic history is a fascinating introduction to them. Without these remarkable ships, the island-hopping campaign of American forces across the Pacific towards Japan would not have been possible. They also took part in the Korean and Vietnam wars that followed.
During the Second World War they were at the center of the powerful task groups that could put up hundreds of aircraft to support forces on the ground. They were also prime targets for Japanese air attacks, in particular the kamikaze suicide missions. A total of twenty-four were eventually commissioned including several after the end of the war.
The selection of rare photographs and the expert text cover the evolution of US aircraft carrier design prior to the Second World War and look at the factors which shaped the design and construction of the Essex class. Included are dramatic action shots of the new breed of naval aircraft that was launched from their flight decks, including Hellcat and Corsair fighters that took on the Japanese and the carrier-borne jets that flew over Korea and Vietnam.
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Tiger I & Tiger II
by Anthony Tucker-Jones
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
The German Tiger I and Tiger II (known to the Allies as the 'King Tiger' or 'Royal Tiger') were the most famous and formidable heavy tanks of the Second World War. In their day their awesome reputation inspired such apprehension among Allied soldiers that the weaknesses of these brilliant but flawed designs tended to be overlooked. Anthony Tucker-Jones, in this illustrated history, tells the story of their conception and development and reconsiders their operational history, and he dispels the legends and misunderstandings that have grown up around them.
The Tigers were over-engineered, required raw materials that were in short supply, were time-consuming to manufacture and difficult to recover from the battlefield. Only around 1,300 of the Tiger I and fewer than 500 of the Tiger II were produced, so they were never going to make anything more than a local impact on the outcome of the fighting. Yet the myth of the Tigers, with their 88mm guns, thick armour and brutal profiles, has grown over time to the extent that they are regarded as the deadliest tanks of the Second World War.
Anthony Tucker-Jones's expert account of these remarkable fighting vehicles is accompanied by a series of colour plates showing the main variants of the designs and the common ancillary equipment and unit markings.
Anthony Tucker-Jones is a prolific writer on the history of fighting vehicles and armoured warfare. He has also written extensively on military affairs and terrorism. After a career in the intelligence community, he became a freelance defence writer and military historian. His most recent books are Armoured Warfare on the Eastern Front, Armoured Warfare in the North African Campaign, Armoured Warfare in the Battle for Normandy, The Kalashnikov in Combat and The Soviet-Afghan War.
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Great War Fighter Aces, 1914–1916
by Norman Franks
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
Here, Norman Franks tells the story, in words and images, of the emergence of some of the greatest fighter aces to see action during the first half of the First World War. He explores the manner in which the situation developed from late 1914 to the late summer of 1916, the point at which Oswald Boelcke helped form the German Jasta system that would prove so devastating to the RFC and RNAS. Utilizing images drawn from his large personal archive of photographs, Franks profiles some of the greatest and most notorious aces, as well as the aircraft in which they flew. The first years of the war saw some of the bravest acts of pilot gallantry and ingenuity play out. Franks celebrates the legacy of just a handful of these individuals, participants on both sides, including Boelcke's premier ace Manfred Von Richtofen, Lanoe Hawker, Georges Guynemer, Albert Ball, Lionel Rees, Wilhelm Frankl, and Stanley Dallas amongst many others.
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The United States Marine Corps in the Korean War
by Michael Green
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
This pictorial history covers the US Marine Corps' outstanding contribution, organization, tactics, fighting doctrine and weaponry during the Korean War.
On June 25, 1950, the North Korean Army invaded South Korea. Among the US forces sent to South Korea was the 1st Marine Division. In September 1950, the Division audaciously landed deep behind enemy lines at Inchon port, throwing the North Korea Army into disarray.
In November 1950, the Chinese Army invaded North Korea with eight divisions tasked with the destruction of the 1st Marine Division at the Chosin Reservoir. The Marines made a 78-mile fighting withdrawal in arctic conditions before being evacuated by the US Navy.
In February 1951, the 1st Marine Division returned to combat assisting Eighth (US) Army to repulse five Chinese Army offensives over four months. By November 1951, the large-scale operations by the opposing sides had ended, replaced by a stalemate which lasted until the 27 July, 1953 armistice. With rare wartime images, this volume vividly chronicles the bitter three-year conflict.
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United States Infantry Weapons of the Second World War
by Michael Green
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
During the arduous campaigns in theatres of war from the Pacific to North West Europe, American infantry weapons played a key role in the eventual victory over the Axis forces. In so doing they earned a special reputation for ruggedness and reliability. In addition to being used by US ground forces they were widely adopted by other Allied nations.
Expert author Michael Green puts the full range of small arms, be they rifles, submachine guns, shotguns, pistols, machine guns as well as mortars, anti-tank weapons and close infantry support artillery under the microscope.
Many names such as the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) and the incomparable semi-automatic Garand will be well known whereas others (the Johnson Rifle and Reising SMG) are not. The typically informative text completes the wide range of photographic images.
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MacArthur's Papua New Guinea Offensive, 1942–1943
by Jon Diamond
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
The Japanese seizure of Rabaul on New Britain in January 1942 directly threatened Northern Australia and, as a result, General Douglas MacArthur took command of the Southwest Pacific Area. In July 1942, the Japanese attacked south across the Owen Stanley mountain range. Thanks to the hasty deployment of Australian militiamen and veteran Imperial Force troops the Japanese were halted at Ioribaiwa Ridge just 27 miles from Port Moresby. MacArthur's priority was to regain Northeast New Guinea and New Britain. The capture of airfields at Buna and reoccupation of Gona and Sanananda Point were prerequisites. The Allied offensive opened on 16 November 1942 with Australian infantrymen and light tanks alongside the US 32nd Infantry Division. Overcoming the Japanese and the inhospitable terrain in tropical conditions proved the toughest of challenges. It remains an achievement of the highest order that the campaign ended successfully on 22 January 1943. This account with its clear text and superb imagery is a worthy tribute to those who fought and, all too often, died there.
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The Malayan Emergency
The Crucial Years: 1949–53
by Mark Forsdike
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
From 1948 through the 1950s British and Commonwealth forces fought a ruthless communist insurgency on the Malay peninsula. Thanks to sound generalship and the dedication and resilience of the officers and men, the security forces eventually broke the terrorists' resolve. 1st Battalion The Suffolk Regiment was just one of many British units involved in this successful campaign, known as the Malayan Emergency. Their tour between 1949 and 1953 coincided with the most crucial years when the future of the country and, arguably, the South East Asia region lay in the balance. As this book describes in words and superb contemporary images how the Battalion, the majority of whom were National Servicemen, operated under the most demanding jungle and climatic conditions, earning itself an enviable reputation. The Battalion's experiences are well recorded here and typify those of tens of thousand servicemen whose efforts secured a unique victory.
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The German Siege of Leningrad, 1941–1944
by Ian Baxter
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
Drawing on a superb collection of rare and unpublished photographs with detailed captions and explanatory text, this dramatic book vividly portrays every aspect of the siege of Leningrad.
The historic 872 day siege of Leningrad by German Army Group North began in earnest on 8 September 1941 and was not lifted until 27 January 1944. During this period the Red Army made numerous desperate attempts to break the blockade, which the Nazis and their Spanish and Finnish allies doggedly resisted. Eventually, due to overwhelming enemy pressure, Hitler's forces were compelled to retreat, but not before looting and destroying numerous historic palaces and landmarks and looting their priceless art collections.
The bitter and prolonged fighting often under appalling climatic conditions resulted in many thousands of casualties for both sides from direct action and constant indirect artillery and air attack. Arguably most shocking was the loss of life due to the systematic starvation of the civilian population trapped inside and the intentional destruction of its buildings.
Drawing on a superb collection of rare and unpublished photographs with detailed captions and explanatory text, this dramatic book vividly portrays every aspect of the siege which has the dubious claim of being arguably the most costly in human and material terms of any in recent military history.
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T-34
by Anthony Tucker-Jones
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
It could be said that the T-34 was the tank that won the Second World War. In total 57,000 were produced between 1941 and 1945. Stalin's tank factories outstripped Hitler's by a factor of three to one, and production of the T-34 also exceeded that of the famed American M4 Sherman. Not only did this output swamp German panzer production, the T-34 was a robust no frills war-winning design easy to manufacture and reliable. Its sloping armor was innovative at the time and its wide tracks suited it to off-road warfare. Crucially it required little maintenance in comparison to German tanks, and its chassis was used as the basis for a range of assault guns, the SU-85, SU-100 and SU-122. Anthony Tucker-Jones's photographic history of this exceptional armored vehicle follows its story through the course of the war, from its combat debut against the Wehrmacht during Operation Barbarossa, through the Red Army's defeats and retreats of 1941 and 1942 to the tide-turning victories at Stalingrad and Kursk and on through the long, rapid Soviet advance across Ukraine and Byelorussia to Berlin. As well as a range of rare archive photographs and photographs of a surviving example of the T-34, the book features specially commissioned color illustrations.
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Allied Armoured Fighting Vehicles of the Second World War
by Michael Green
Part of the Images of War (Pen & Sword Books) series
Expert author Michael Green has compiled a full inventory of the armored fighting vehicles developed and deployed by the Allied armies during the six year war against Nazi Germany and her Axis partners.
Tank destroyers included the US Army's M18 Hellcat and M36 Jackson, the British Archer and Achilles and the Soviets SU-85, SU-100 and SU-122. Self-propelled artillery vehicles provide indirect fire support. Examples of these were the British Bishop and Sexton, the US M7 Army Priest and The Red Army’s SU-152 Beast Slayer.
For reconnaissance the Allies fielded armored cars and scout cars such as the Daimler Dingo, the US M8 Greyhound and T17 Staghound, and the Russian BA-10, —20 and -64. AFVs such as the British full tracked Universal Carrier and US M3 halftracks were fitted with a range of weapon systems, such as mortars or machine guns.
All these and many more AFVs are expertly described in words and captioned images in this comprehensive work which is the companion volume to the authors Allied Tanks of the Second World War.