The Maginot Line: History and Guide, J.E Kaufmann, H.W. Kaufmann, A. Jankovic-Potocnik and P. Lang.
A combination of a history of the Maginot Line, from its design and construction to its use in battle in 1940 and 1944-45, with a detailed guide to the individual fortified areas (or ouvrages). A very useful guide to this controversial line of fortifications, and to the brief periods when it was caught up in the fighting
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Monday, October 31, 2011
Sparta at War, Scott M. Rusch.
Sparta at War, Scott M. Rusch.
A study of the rise, dominance and fall of Sparta, the most famous military power in the Classical Greek world. Sparta dominated land warfare for two centuries, before suffering a series of defeats that broke its power. The author examines the reasons for that success, and for Sparta's failure to bounce back from defeat.
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A study of the rise, dominance and fall of Sparta, the most famous military power in the Classical Greek world. Sparta dominated land warfare for two centuries, before suffering a series of defeats that broke its power. The author examines the reasons for that success, and for Sparta's failure to bounce back from defeat.
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Retreat and Retribution in Afghanistan 1842 - Two Journals of the First Afghan War, Margaret Kekewich.
Retreat and Retribution in Afghanistan 1842 - Two Journals of the First Afghan War, Margaret Kekewich.
An account of the First Afghan War, based on two diaries produced during the war, one by Lady Florentia Sale, the wife of a British officer caught up in the disaster at Kabul, the second by the Reverend Isaac Allen, a clergyman who accompanied the army of retribution that rescued the prisoners taken during the retreat from Kabul.
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An account of the First Afghan War, based on two diaries produced during the war, one by Lady Florentia Sale, the wife of a British officer caught up in the disaster at Kabul, the second by the Reverend Isaac Allen, a clergyman who accompanied the army of retribution that rescued the prisoners taken during the retreat from Kabul.
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ANZAC Infantryman 1914-15, From New Guinea to Gallipoli, Ian Sumner.
ANZAC Infantryman 1914-15, From New Guinea to Gallipoli, Ian Sumner.
Looks at the raising, training and deployment of the Australian and New Zealand armies in 1914-15, a period that saw them deployed in the south Pacific, Egypt and most famously at Gallipoli. Gallipoli rather dominates, but it is nice to have more of the background than normal.
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Looks at the raising, training and deployment of the Australian and New Zealand armies in 1914-15, a period that saw them deployed in the south Pacific, Egypt and most famously at Gallipoli. Gallipoli rather dominates, but it is nice to have more of the background than normal.
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Up to Mametz and Beyond, Llewelyn Wyn Griffith.
Up to Mametz and Beyond, Llewelyn Wyn Griffith.
A classic account of life on the Western Front (Up to Mametz, first published in 1931), accompanied by the same author's unpublished memoirs covering his time as a staff officer during the last two years of the war. The two books are very different in tone, well written and of great value.
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A classic account of life on the Western Front (Up to Mametz, first published in 1931), accompanied by the same author's unpublished memoirs covering his time as a staff officer during the last two years of the war. The two books are very different in tone, well written and of great value.
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Friday, October 28, 2011
Walther K. Nehring (1892-1983)
Walther K. Nehring (1892-1983) was a German general who served in Poland, France and North Africa, but who spent the most time serving on the Eastern Front.
Felix Steiner (1896-1966)
Felix Steiner (1896-1966) was an SS General best known for his role in the battle for Berlin in 1945, when he commanded a army that Hitler hoped would be able to lift the Russian siege of the city.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Hermann Hoth (1885-1971)
Hermann Hoth (1885-1971) was a German general who was responsible for a series of impressive successes on the Eastern Front but who was sacked late in 1943 for urging Hitler to allow him to retreat, and wasn't given another command.
Smilo Freiherr von Luettwitz (1895-1975)
Smilo Freiherr von Luettwitz (1895-1975) was a German general who served in Poland, France, Italy and on the Eastern Front, before being sacked and threatened with a court martial for defeatism early in 1945. He also served in the post-war Bundeswehr, retiring as a Generalleutnant in 1960.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Karl Eibl (1891-1943)
Karl Eibl (1891-1943) was an Austrian who rose to high rank in the German army before being assassinated by an Italian soldier in 1943.
Ludwig Cruewell (1892-1958)
Ludwig Cruewell (1892-1958) was the German general who succeeded Rommel as commander of the Africa Corp, but his military career ended when he was captured by the British in May 1942.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
No.310 Squadron
No.310 Squadron was a Czechoslovakian fighter squadron that fought in the Battle of Britain, the offensive sweeps over France and joined Second Tactical Air Force to support the Normandy landings.
No.309 'Ziemia Czerwienska' Squadron
No.309 'Ziemia Czerwienska' Squadron was a Polish manned squadron formed as an army co-operation unit, but that became first a tactical reconnaissance unit and then a fighter squadron.
No.308 'Krakowski' Squadron
No.308 'Krakowski' Squadron was a Polish manned fighter squadron that performed a mix of defensive and offensive duties from 1941 to 1943, before becoming a fighter-bomber squadron in Second Tactical Air Force.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz von Gross-Zauche und Camminetz (1893-1968)
Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz von Gross-Zauche und Camminetz (1893-1968) was an aristocratic German general who served in Poland in 1939, France in 1940 and on the Eastern Front, before commanding Panzer Lehr Division from the summer of 1944 until late in the year. He was one of only twenty eight recipients of the Diamonds to the Knight's Cross.
Fritz Bayerlein (1899-1970)
Fritz Bayerlein (1899-1970) was a German general who served in almost every theatre of operations during the Second World War, from the opening invasion of Poland to the last major German offensive in the Ardennes, and including the campaigns in North Africa and Normandy.
Friday, October 21, 2011
No.307 'Lwowski' Squadron was a Polish manned night fighter squadron that was formed as a defensive unit but that ended the war as a night intruder squadron.
No.306 'Torunski' Squadron
No.306 'Torunski' Squadron was a Polish manned fighter squadron that took part in the offensive sweeps over France, joining Second Tactical Air Force but was diverted to the anti flying bomb campaign and ended the war providing fighter escorts for Bomber Command.
No.305 'Weilkopolski' Squadron
No.305 'Weilkopolski' Squadron was a Polish manned bomber squadron than originally served as a night bomber squadron, but that converted to daylight operations in 1943 and ended the war as a low-level bomber squadron.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
No.304 'Slaski' Squadron
No.304 'Slaski' Squadron was a Polish-manned squadron that served with Bomber Command from 1940-1942 before transferring to Coastal Command for the rest of the war.
No.303 'Warsaw-Kosciusco' Squadron
No.303 'Warsaw-Kosciusco' Squadron was a Polish manned fighter squadron that took part in the Battle of Britain, flew offensive sweeps over France and joined Second Tactical Air Force for the invasion of Europe.
No.302 'Poznanski' Squadron
No.302 'Poznanski' Squadron was a Polish-manned fighter squadron that fought in later stages of the Battle of Britain, before becoming a fighter-bomber squadron and joining 2nd Tactical Air Force during the invasion of Europe in 1944-45.
Friday, October 07, 2011
No.300 'Mazowiecki' Squadron
No.300 'Mazowiecki' Squadron was a Polish-manned bomber squadron that served with Bomber Command for most of the Second World War, and survived until 1947.
No.299 Squadron
No.299 Squadron was an airborne forces squadron that took part in the D-Day landings Arnhem, the crossing of the Rhine and the liberation of Oslo.
No.294 Squadron
No.294 Squadron was an air-sea rescue squadron that served in the eastern Mediterranean from 1943 until 1945 and then in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea.
Thursday, October 06, 2011
No.293 Squadron
No.293 Squadron was an air-sea rescue squadron that served in North Africa and around Italy from 1943 until early in 1946.
No.292 Squadron
No.292 Squadron was an air-sea rescue squadron that provided cover over the Bay of Bengal and off the coast of Burma.
No.291 Squadron
No.291 Squadron was an anti-aircraft cooperation squadron formed to provide target towing aircraft along the East Coast of England.
No.290 Squadron
No.290 Squadron served as an anti-aircraft cooperation squadron in Northern Ireland and Scotland, before moving to Belgium to support the advancing Allied armies.
No.289 Squadron
No.289 Squadron was formed from No.13 Group Anti Aircraft Cooperation Flight in 1941 and continued to serve in that role for the rest of the Second World War.
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
USS Wasp vs HMS Avon (1 September 1814)
The clash between USS Wasp and HMS Avon (1 September 1814) was a second victory for the American raider, but came late in an ambitious raid that ended in tragedy when the Wasp was lost at sea with all hands.
Battle of Valparaiso (28 March 1814)
The battle of Valparaiso (28 March 1814) saw the defeat of the Essex and Essex Junior by HMS Pheobe and HMS Cherub and was one of the more controversial naval encounters of the War of 1812, taking place in neutral Spanish waters.
Monday, October 03, 2011
War in the Ruins: The American Army's Final Battle against Nazi Germany, Edward G. Longacre.
War in the Ruins: The American Army's Final Battle against Nazi Germany, Edward G. Longacre.
A history of the US Army's 100th Infantry Division's involvement in the Second World War, focusing on the battle for Heilbronn, the last major battle fought by American troops in Europe in 1945, as well as covering the division's training, their advance to the German border, attacks on part of the Maginot Line and the impact of the Battle of the Bulge.
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A history of the US Army's 100th Infantry Division's involvement in the Second World War, focusing on the battle for Heilbronn, the last major battle fought by American troops in Europe in 1945, as well as covering the division's training, their advance to the German border, attacks on part of the Maginot Line and the impact of the Battle of the Bulge.
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Women in the Second World War, Collette Drifte.
Women in the Second World War, Collette Drifte.
A collection of personal reminiscences from Women who served in the armed forces, industry or farming during the Second World War, looking at the ATS, WAAF, WRNS, the Land Army, the Timber Corps, the Voluntary Aid Detachment, Queen Alexandra's Nurses, the Fire Service, the NAAFI and finishing with the stories of three famous SOE operatives.
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A collection of personal reminiscences from Women who served in the armed forces, industry or farming during the Second World War, looking at the ATS, WAAF, WRNS, the Land Army, the Timber Corps, the Voluntary Aid Detachment, Queen Alexandra's Nurses, the Fire Service, the NAAFI and finishing with the stories of three famous SOE operatives.
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Haig - Master of the Field, Major General Sir John Davidson.
Haig - Master of the Field, Major General Sir John Davidson.
An account of the events on the Western Front in 1917 and 1918, written by Haig's Director of Operations. The author was motivated by a desire to restore Haig's reputation against what he believed were unfair attacks, and to a large extent he succeeds, although on occasions he does rather over-state his case.
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An account of the events on the Western Front in 1917 and 1918, written by Haig's Director of Operations. The author was motivated by a desire to restore Haig's reputation against what he believed were unfair attacks, and to a large extent he succeeds, although on occasions he does rather over-state his case.
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Great War Lives: A Guide for Family Historians, Paul Reed.
Great War Lives: A Guide for Family Historians, Paul Reed.
An unusual approach to family history, looking at the wartime experiences of twelve very different British soldiers (including the only black pilot in the RFC and a rare example of a major war poet of low rank). Each of these biographies is followed by research notes which explain where the information was found.
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An unusual approach to family history, looking at the wartime experiences of twelve very different British soldiers (including the only black pilot in the RFC and a rare example of a major war poet of low rank). Each of these biographies is followed by research notes which explain where the information was found.
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Ian Fleming's Commandos: The Story of 30 Assault Unit in WWII, Nicholas Rankin.
Ian Fleming's Commandos: The Story of 30 Assault Unit in WWII, Nicholas Rankin.
Partly a history of 30 Assault Unit and partly a look at Ian Fleming's wartime service and Naval Intelligence. This is an accessible look at an interesting topic, with plenty of background material as well as some fascinating accounts of the technological intelligence gathering activities of the unit.
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Partly a history of 30 Assault Unit and partly a look at Ian Fleming's wartime service and Naval Intelligence. This is an accessible look at an interesting topic, with plenty of background material as well as some fascinating accounts of the technological intelligence gathering activities of the unit.
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Vietnam Gun Trucks, Gordon L. Rottman.
Vietnam Gun Trucks, Gordon L. Rottman.
A study of the armed trucks used to escort vulnerable supply convoys as they crossed South Vietnam, looking at their origins as an impromptu solution to an unexpected problem, the development of more powerfully armed versions of the trucks, the tactics used by the truck crews and the often flamboyant decorative paint schemes used on the truck names.
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A study of the armed trucks used to escort vulnerable supply convoys as they crossed South Vietnam, looking at their origins as an impromptu solution to an unexpected problem, the development of more powerfully armed versions of the trucks, the tactics used by the truck crews and the often flamboyant decorative paint schemes used on the truck names.
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