A Dangerous Assignment
An Artillery Forward Observer in World War II
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
Rare memoir of a risky job performed by relatively few troops. Honest and observant narrative describes the good, bad, and ugly of the war. Covers World War II's closing months, in eastern France and Germany.
Luftwaffe Fighters and Bombers
The Battle of Britain
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
The Battle of Britain (July to October 1940), one of World War II's turning points, as seen by the German attackers who ultimately lost the battle.
Fist From the Sky
Japan's Dive-Bomber Ace of World War II
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
• Fascinating look from the Japanese side at Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Midway
• Fully authorized account including contemporary interviews with those that flew with Lt. Cdr. Egusa
Lieutenant Commander Takashige Egusa was one of the Imperial Japanese Navy's most skillful and influential dive-bomber pilots. He led an attack force against Pearl Harbor, calmly circling his special flame-red Aichi dive bomber before selecting his target. Assaults on the deadly gun batteries of Wake Island followed, as well as air support for the invasion of Ambon. Badly burned at Midway, Egusa returned to duty, only to be killed on his final mission. As one Japanese officer said, "He was the 'God of Dive-Bombing.'" Fully placed in historical context and backed by a wealth of detail from archives, family records, photographs, and memories of contemporaries, the full story of Egusa's bravery, leadership qualities, and illustrious career comes to life.
Dive Bomber!
Aircraft, Technology, and Tactics in World War II
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
Details on planes like the German Stuka, the American Dauntless, the Japanese Aichi D3A1 "Val," the Soviet PE-2, and numerous others. Riveting accounts of aerial combat. Includes maps, diagrams, tables, and photos.
War in the Aegean
The Campaign for the Eastern Mediterranean in World War II
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
First complete retelling of an important but little-known campaign. Eyewitness accounts from a colorful cast of German SS troops, British commandos, partisans, spies, Greek pirates, and more.
Iron Knights
The U.S. 66th Armored Regiment in World War II
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
• Combat history of the U.S. Army's oldest armored regiment
• Tank battles in North Africa, Sicily, Normandy, and the Battle of the Bulge
• The 66th Armored Regiment is still active today and has served in Iraq
From its baptism of fire in the mud of the Western Front in 1918 to its triumphant march into Berlin in July 1945, this is the story of the U.S. 66th Armored Regiment. It was the only American heavy tank unit to see combat in World War I, and between the two wars, the regiment served as a laboratory for new ideas and equipment. After training under Gen. George S. Patton, the 66th distinguished itself in numerous battles during World War II, earning six battle streamers for the unit and a Medal of Honor for one of its officers.
Ghost, Thunderbolt, and Wizard
Mosby, Morgan, and Forrest in the Civil War
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
Noted Ranger historian Robert W. Black turns his attention to a trio of the Confederacy's, and America's, most infamous raiders and cavalrymen: John Singleton Mosby, John Hunt Morgan, and Nathan Bedford Forrest. Combining speed, mobility, and boldness, these three soldiers struck critical blows against the Union during the Civil War, including Morgan's notorious 1863 raid that penetrated farther north than any other uniformed Confederate force. While not overlooking their flaws, Black believes these men revolutionized warfare and sees them as forerunners of the Rangers and Special Forces of the modern era.
A Soldier in the Cockpit
From Rifles to Typhoons in World War II
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
I could see a carpet of twinkling lights from the ack ack all along the rail sidings which bordered the canal. I dove onto these with my cannons going. Then suddenly, when the attention of all the guns turned on me, I realized how foolhardy I was being. I ran the guns along the row of rail trucks-opened the throttle wide and pulled straight up for the clouds-with tracers crossing in front and on all sides of the plane.
Ron Pottinger started the war as a rifleman in the Royal Fusiliers, then transferred to the Royal Air Force, where he began flying the 7.5-ton Hawker Typhoon. He flew dozens of dangerous ground attack missions over occupied Europe through bad weather, heavy flak, and enemy fighters before being shot down and taken prisoner.
Typhoon Attack
The Legendary British Fighter in Combat in World War II
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
• Lively tales of aerial combat in the legendary Typhoon fighter
• History of the plane and the men who flew it in World War II
• Based on interviews with the pilots themselves
The Typhoon fighter played a pivotal role in the Allies' success in the air and on the ground in World War II, from the Normandy beachhead to the Battle of the Bulge and the final battle for Germany. Norman Franks describes what it was really like to fly at low level and attack trains and tanks or to roll over at 12,000 feet and then roar down into an inferno of German flak.
The Great Ships
British Battleships in World War II
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
Authoritative study of the battleship in World War II. Stirring episodes of naval combat. Covers the famous chase after the Bismarck, the sinking of the Scharnhorst, the coastal bombardments on D-Day, and other actions.
Penalty Strike
The Memoirs of a Red Army Penal Company Commander 1943–45
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
From a decorated officer, an extremely rare account of a World War II Soviet military unit comprised of prisoners of war.
Made up of soldiers who conducted "unauthorized retreats," former POWs deemed untrustworthy, and Gulag prisoners, the Red Army's penal units carried out some of the most terrifying assignments on the Eastern Front, such as storming German machine-gun nests. Alexander Pyl'cyn led his penal company in the Soviets' massive offensive in the summer of 1944, the Vistula-Oder operation into eastern Germany, and the bitter assault on Berlin in 1945. He survived the war, but 80 percent of his men did not.
The Brandenburger Commandos
Germany's Elite Warrior Spies in World War II
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
Rare look into the secret military operations of Hitler's Germany Page-turning narrative detailing the unit's exploits Very few books have been written about this clandestine operations unit, which was run by the German Army's intelligence service. Trained to be quick, mobile, and self-reliant and steeped in local customs and languages, the Brandenburgers operated behind enemy lines around the world. From Western Europe to Romania, Russia, Egypt, Afghanistan, and World War II's other fronts, they seized bridges and other strategic targets and engaged in sabotage, espionage, and other daring missions-often bending the rules of war in the process. Although the unit was dissolved in 1944, its tactics influenced special forces around the world both during the war and after.
Armor Battles of the Waffen-SS
1943–45
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
The Waffen SS were considered the elite of the German armed forces in the Second World War and were involved in almost continuous combat. From the sweeping tank battle of Kursk on the Russian front to the bitter fighting among the hedgerows of Normandy and the last great offensive in the Ardennes, forever immortalized in history at the Battle of the Bulge, these men and their tanks made history. Will Fey was a highly decorated German panzer commander in WWII.
Panzer Aces III
German Tank Commanders in Combat in World War II
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
Action-packed stories of legendary tank soldiers in combat. You-are-there approach lets readers relive the experiences of German panzer crews. First time in English.
Twilight of the Gods
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
• Rare account of a non-German who fought in the elite Waffen-SS • New information on the 11th SS Panzergrenadier Division • No-holds-barred narrative of the Eastern Front This is the story of Erik Wallin, a Swede who volunteered for the Waffen-SS, serving in the panzer reconnaissance battalion of the 11th SS Panzergrenadier Division, a unit composed mainly of volunteers from Scandinavia. The division saw combat in the Courland Pocket, along the Oder River, and in Berlin. Thorolf Hillblad lives in Idaho.
Penalty Strike
The Memoirs of a Red Army Penal Company Commander, 1943–45
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
• Extremely rare (possibly the only) book-length account of a Soviet penal unit in World War II • Gritty, intense style conveys the brutality of war on the Eastern Front Composed of convicts--soldiers who conducted "unauthorized retreats," former Soviet POWs deemed untrustworthy, and Gulag prisoners--the Red Army's penal units received the most difficult, dangerous assignments, such as breaking through the enemy's defenses. So punishing was life in these units that officers in regular formations threatened to send recalcitrant troops to penal battalions. Alexander Pyl'cyn led his penal unit through the Soviets' massive offensive in the summer of 1944, the Vistula-Oder operation into eastern Germany, and the bitter assault on Berlin in 1945. He survived the war, but 80 percent of his men did not. Alexander Pyl'cyn, drafted into the Red Army at eighteen in 1941 and wounded three times, earned the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of the Great Patriotic War, and the Order of the Red Star for his actions during the war. He lives in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Ship-Busters
British Torpedo-Bombers in World War II
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
• Epic story of low-level strikes on Axis navies in World War II
• One of the most dangerous forms of air attack used during the war
• Written by a participant
This stirring book recounts how British torpedo-bombers took the war to enemy naval fleets and shipping vessels during World War II. Episodes covered include the attack by a single plane on a German battleship, the torpedoing of the Gneisenau in Brest harbor, and the vital blows against the supply lines of Rommel's Afrika Korps in the Mediterranean.
The Seeds of Disaster
The Development of French Army Doctrine, 1919-39
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
An examination of the military doctrine that animated the French defense against the German invasion in 1940.
Armor Battles of the Waffen SS
1943–45
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
The Waffen SS were considered the elite of the German armed forces in the Second World War and were involved in almost continuous combat. From the sweeping tank battle of Kursk on the Russian front to the bitter fighting among the hedgerows of Normandy and the last great offensive in the Ardennes, forever immortalized in history as the Battle of the Bulge, these men and their tanks made history.
Luftwaffe Fighter-Bombers Over Britain
The German Air Force's Tip and Run Campaign, 1942-43
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
• Chronicles the air war above Britain from March 1942 to June 1943 and includes in-the-cockpit accounts from German and British pilots
• Assesses offensive and defensive tactics
• Incorporates hundreds of rarely seen photos
As the Battle of Britain came to a close, the Luftwaffe began arming its single-engine fighters with bombs and using them instead of bombers for many daylight raids against shipping and coastal installations, railways, fuel depots, and other military and civilian objectives. The fighter-bombers also launched unopposed attacks against London and numerous other cities and towns across England. Known as "tip and run" attacks, these raids had a detrimental effect on British morale.
The Brandenburger Commandos
Germany's Elite Warrior Spies in World War II
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
• Rare look into the secret military operations of Hitler's Germany
• Page-turning narrative detailing the unit's exploits
Very few books have been written about this clandestine operations unit, which was run by the German Army's intelligence service. Trained to be quick, mobile, and self-reliant and steeped in local customs and languages, the Brandenburgers operated behind enemy lines around the world. From Western Europe to Romania, Russia, Egypt, Afghanistan, and World War II's other fronts, they seized bridges and other strategic targets and engaged in sabotage, espionage, and other daring missions-often bending the rules of war in the process. Although the unit was dissolved in 1944, its tactics influenced special forces around the world both during the war and after.
The Battle of Sicily
How the Allies Lost Their Chance for Total Victory
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
The campaign for Sicily from the Axis point of view. Reassesses the German Army's performance. Details about German commanders who have been neglected by historians.
Forging the Thunderbolt
History of the U.S. Army's Armored Forces, 1917-45
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
Features a detailed look at the career of Gen. Adna Romanza Chaffee, the "Father of the Armored Force." Careful study of the battles fought during and between the wars for the armored forces' very survival. Photos of the men and machines that made the American Armored Corps a legend.
Blossoming Silk Against the Rising Sun
U.S. and Japanese Paratroopers at War in the Pacific in World War II
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
Complete account of airborne operations in the Pacific theater. Firsthand descriptions from American and Japanese paratroopers. Detailed maps illustrate battles.
War of the White Death
Finland against the Soviet Union, 1939-40
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
• Compelling account of the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union
• The Soviets expected to crush Finnish forces in mere days, but the Finns broke the Red Army's advance and held out for almost four months
• Authentic depiction of frontline fighting in the harshest of conditions
• Based on eyewitness testimony, war diaries, battle reports, and other records
Witness to Gettysburg
Inside the Battle That Changed the Course of the Civil War
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
From the events that led to the clash at Gettysburg in July 1863 to the retreat of Robert E. Lee's defeated Confederates, Richard Wheeler uses the words of participants--both Northern and Southern--to bring one of the Civil War's bloodiest, most pivotal battles to life.
Panzergrenadier Aces
German Mechanized Infantrymen in World War II
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
Exciting stories of the infantrymen who supported Germany's tanks. How tanks and infantry cooperated at the small-unit level. First time in English.
Penalty Strike
The Memoirs of a Red Army Penal Company Commander, 1943-45
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
• Extremely rare (possibly the only) book-length account of a Soviet penal unit in World War II
• Gritty, intense style conveys the brutality of war on the Eastern Front
Composed of convicts--soldiers who conducted "unauthorized retreats," former Soviet POWs deemed untrustworthy, and Gulag prisoners--the Red Army's penal units received the most difficult, dangerous assignments, such as breaking through the enemy's defenses. So punishing was life in these units that officers in regular formations threatened to send recalcitrant troops to penal battalions. Alexander Pyl'cyn led his penal unit through the Soviets' massive offensive in the summer of 1944, the Vistula-Oder operation into eastern Germany, and the bitter assault on Berlin in 1945. He survived the war, but 80 percent of his men did not.
The Brigade
The Fifth Canadian Infantry Brigade in World War II
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
Battalion- and company-level account of the vital contributions of Canadian soldiers to victory in Europe in World War II. Based on war diaries, casualty reports, and after-action interviews. The author is one of Canada's preeminent military historians.
Witness to Gettysburg
Inside the Battle That Changed the Course of the Civil War
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
From the events that led to the clash at Gettysburg in July 1863 to the retreat of Robert E. Lee's defeated Confederates, Richard Wheeler uses the words of participants--both Northern and Southern--to bring one of the Civil War's bloodiest, most pivotal battles to life. Richard Wheeler is also author of four other Civil War histories: Voices of the Civil War, The Siege of Vicksburg, Sherman's March, and Sword over Richmond. He lives in Pine Grove, Pennsylvania.
Panzergrenadier Aces
German Mechanized Infantrymen in World War II
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
Exciting stories of the infantrymen who supported Germany's tanks. How tanks and infantry cooperated at the small-unit level. First time in English.
Night Flyer/Mosquito Pathfinder
Night Operations in World War II
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
• Two gripping memoirs by British night-fighter crewmen
• Action-adventure tales of aerial combat aboard Beaufighter and Mosquito aircraft
• Accounts of Pathfinders who flew ahead of bomber formations and marked targets deep inside German territory
• How new technologies like airborne radar, one of World War II's best-kept secrets, were used
• How night-fighters helped save British cities from destruction
Here There are Tigers
The Secret Air War in Laos and North Vietnam, 1968-69
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
In-the-cockpit perspective on aerial warfare during the Vietnam War. Many never-before-heard stories--some of them tragic, others humorous.
Surviving Bataan and Beyond
Colonel Irvin Alexander's Odyssey as a Japanese Prisoner of War
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
Deeply moving, intensely graphic account of World War II prisoners of war. Includes a gut-wrenching description of the Bataan Death March.
The Seeds of Disaster
The Development of French Army Doctrine, 1919–39
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
An examination of the military doctrine that animated the French defense against the German invasion in 1940.
Iron Knights
The U.S. 66th Armored Regiment in World War II
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
• Combat history of the U.S. Army's oldest armored regiment • Tank battles in North Africa, Sicily, Normandy, and the Battle of the Bulge • The 66th Armored Regiment is still active today and has served in Iraq From its baptism of fire in the mud of the Western Front in 1918 to its triumphant march into Berlin in July 1945, this is the story of the U.S. 66th Armored Regiment. It was the only American heavy tank unit to see combat in World War I, and between the two wars, the regiment served as a laboratory for new ideas and equipment. After training under Gen. George S. Patton, the 66th distinguished itself in numerous battles during World War II, earning six battle streamers for the unit and a Medal of Honor for one of its officers. Gordon A. Blaker is a retired armor officer with extensive experience in tank units. He holds a master's degree in American history and is an active member of the Company of Military Historians. He lives in Georgia.
On the Canal
The Marines of L-3-5 on Guadalcanal, 1942-43
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
A straightforward, gripping tale from the Marines that stormed ashore on Guadalcanal in World War II. Told with humor and honesty in a no-holds-barred approach that only a Marine who was there could tell.
For the Homeland
The 31st Waffen-SS Volunteer Grenadier Division in World War II
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
• Groundbreaking history of a rarely covered German unit
• Numerous eyewitness reports from members of the division
• Detailed maps to illustrate the division's actions
Composed of ethnic Germans living in Hungary, the 31st Waffen-SS Volunteer Grenadier Division fought against the Red Army in Hungary starting in late 1944. Early the next year, it was sent to Silesia for the final battle southeast of Berlin, where it surrendered in May.
Tours of Duty
Vietnam War Stories
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
These are the stories Vietnam vets tell each other at reunions and over beers.
Panzer Aces III
German Tank Commanders in Combat in World War II
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
• Action-packed stories of legendary tank soldiers in combat
• You-are-there approach lets readers relive the experiences of German panzer crews
• First time in English
With the same drama and attention to detail that made Panzer Aces (978-0-8117-3173-7) and Panzer Aces II (978-0-8117-3175-1) such thrilling reads, Franz Kurowski tells the stories of more German armored officers during World War II. Extensively researched, these gripping accounts follow panzer crews into some of the bloodiest engagements of the war, from the deserts of North Africa, the monumental battle of Kursk, and the hedgerows of France to frightening clashes in the black of night on the Eastern Front.
Cavalry Raids of the Civil War
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
Covers raids from J. E. B. Stuart's 1862 ride around McClellan's army to James Wilson's crashing raids in Alabama and Georgia in 1865.
Twilight of the Gods
A Swedish Volunteer in the 11th SS Panzergrenadier Division "Nordland" on the Eastern Front
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
• Rare account of a non-German who fought in the elite Waffen-SS
• New information on the 11th SS Panzergrenadier Division
• No-holds-barred narrative of the Eastern Front
This is the story of Erik Wallin, a Swede who volunteered for the Waffen-SS, serving in the panzer reconnaissance battalion of the 11th SS Panzergrenadier Division, a unit composed mainly of volunteers from Scandinavia. The division saw combat in the Courland Pocket, along the Oder River, and in Berlin.
Bodenplatte
The Luftwaffe's Last Hope
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
• Definitive account of the last great Luftwaffe attack of World War II
• Gripping stories of Fw 190s and Bf 109s in combat
• Contains hundreds of eyewitness accounts and rare photos
In the early morning of January 1, 1945, as the Battle of the Bulge smoldered to an end, the German Luftwaffe--assumed to be starved of fuel and fighting spirit--launched a massive, surprise, low-level strike on Allied airfields throughout France, Belgium, and Holland, an operation code-named Bodenplatte. More than 900 German aircraft took to the skies and attacked the vulnerable fields, destroying 200 Allied aircraft and damaging 150 more. In a pyrrhic victory, the Luftwaffe lost 271 fighters, with many more damaged, and 213 pilots--irreplaceable losses at this stage of the war.
Flying American Combat Aircraft
The Cold War
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
Riveting accounts from the pilots who flew such planes as the F-15, B-52, C-130, and many more. Dozens of in-the-cockpit photos.
Panzer Commanders of the Western Front
German Tank Generals in World War II
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
Detailed biographies of 5 panzer commanders. Describes what it's like to lead tank units in battle. Includes D-Day, Normandy, the campaign for France, the Battle of the Bulge, and the final battles in Germany.
Grenadiers
The Story of Waffen SS General Kurt "Panzer" Meyer
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
• Reprint of the classic World War II memoir
German General Kurt "Panzer" Meyer's autobiography is a fascinating insight into the mind of one of Germany's most highly decorated and successful soldiers of World War II. If you love small-unit actions, this is the book for you. Follow Meyer with the 1st SS-Panzer Division "Leibstandarte" and the 12th SS-Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend," from the first day of the war in Poland, through service in France, Russia, and Greece, up until his capture in Normandy in 1944 and his postwar trials and tribulations.
Massacre at Tobruk
The British Assault on Rommel, 1942
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
Minute-by-minute account of the offensive. Covers both the British attackers and the German defenders. Explains how and why the assault failed so badly.
First Winter on the Eastern Front
1941-1942
Part of the Stackpole Military History series
Photo chronicle of the German-Soviet campaign on the Eastern Front during its first brutal winter after Operation Barbarossa ground to a halt outside Moscow.
