Many thousands of different types of vehicles were used by the armies during the Second World War for various roles, including the fighting vehicles such as armoured cars and tanks. Today these are very popular with enthusiasts who restore these historic vehicles to their pristine state and attend specialist gatherings around the UK, Europe and the USA.This book explores original and reconstructed military vehicles from British, US, Russian, Italian and German forc...

A history of the Second World War with a focus on supply, transport, and other crucial operations—includes photos.Logistics, though less dramatic or glamorous than other aspects of war, nevertheless play a decisive role in the outcome of campaigns and battles. This book focuses on the role of logistics in World War II, marshaling some astounding facts and figures to convey the sheer scale of the task all belligerents faced to equip vast forces and supply them in th...

The nose art that decorated WW2 aircraft has received considerable attention but the images and slogans that decorated land vehicles has been less widely appreciated. This visually stunning book displays many fine examples (original or faithfully recreated) of the art that adorned the military vehicles of both Allied and Axis forces. Both official unit markings, such as divisional badges and unit emblems, as well as decidedly less official renderings of pin-up girls and cartoon characters ...

Mortars were used throughout the Second World War by all armies and in all theatres. Although a very simple weapon they could greatly enhance the firepower of infantry formations, giving them their own mobile artillery arm. They repeatedly proved their worth in both offensive and defensive situations, breaking up or supporting infantry attacks and laying smoke or illumination rounds. Despite their ubiquity and effectiveness, there have been relatively few works devoted to these important a...

The bayonet is an essential item of a soldier's kit even on today's modern hi-tech battlefield. This work examines the origins of this humble weapon and the 'cult of the bayonet' as espoused by the Russian General Alexander Suvorov who asserted that The bullet misses, the bayonet does not. The first bayonets appeared in France in the early 17th century and soon they were being used by every army in Europe. The author examines the spread of this simple weapon and how it led to fundamental c...

A wildly entertaining biography of the trailblazing Washington columnist and the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for commentaryBefore there was Maureen Dowd or Gail Collins or Molly Ivins, there was Mary McGrory. She was a trailblazing columnist who achieved national syndication and reported from the front lines of American politics for five decades. From her first assignment reporting on the Army–McCarthy hearings to her Pulitzer-winning coverage of Watergat...

By the time the guns fell silent on 11 November 1918, vast tracts of the European landscape had been so utterly devastated by artillery fire that they were virtually unrecognisable. Of all the many weapons invented by man for the purpose of waging war, artillery must rank among the most destructive of all. Through detailed research, John Norris has traced the development of artillery through the ages and up to the dawn of the twenty-first century, to provide a fascinating study of this pri...

In modern society the thought that someone would organise a deadly competition with a rival, risking his life over a point of honour, is incomprehensible. That this form of resolution would become an accepted 'sport', with noble gentlemen even possessing sets of special duelling pistols, is insane. This fascinating history of the practice of duelling takes the reader into the intriguing world of pistols, 'fields of honour' and mortal combat, a world where complex rules governed a system of...

Almost as soon as a viable metal-framed bike was invented, it was put to military use, offering a much cheaper, less fragile and less logistically demanding alternative to horse transport. Widely used in many armies from the late 19th century, through both world wars and beyond, the bicycle really is the forgotten war machine. John Norris traces traces the development of military cycling from first experiments, including early (often flawed) designs for armed and multi-passenger versions. ...

Military drummers have played a crucial role in warfare throughout history. Soldiers marched to battle to the sound of the drums and used the beat to regulate the loading and re-loading of their weapons during the battle. Drummers were also used to raise morale during the fight. This is the first work to chart the rise of drums in military use and how they came to be used on the battlefield as a means of signalling. This use was to last for almost 4,000 years when modern w...

This historical thriller is a novel of layered secrets, fickle love, and tests of mettle. The story follows Edith, an ostracized noblewoman, and Aidan, a timid monastic novice, as they strive to protect a mysterious book from the conquering Normans. For this unlikely pair, the text with a golden falcon on the cover is more than just a precious treasure; it's the vision of an endangered future. Chasing them is the rapacious Norman Bishop Odo, who lusts for the book's destruction because the...

Harriman was born of the dreams of prohibitionists who believed they could found a model city of industry where workers would be free from the corrupting influences of demon rum. In the beginning, Harriman appeared to be on the road to achieving this vision: in its first two years, the population exploded from only two farms in 1890 to a city of almost 4,000 by 1892. Settlers poured in from all over the eastern United States to purchase land and take part in the dream of the temperance cit...