On the morning of Saturday, November 20, 1943, the U.S. 2d Marine Division undertook the first modern amphibious assault against a well-defended beachhead. The objective was tiny Betio Island in Tarawa Atoll. The result was an classic story of tragedy and near defeat turned around into an epic of victory and indomitable human spirit.Built around the updated text of their 76 Hours: The Invasion of Tarawa, Hammel and Lane now reveal the graphic horror of warfare at its worst with the present...

When Italy surrendered in 1943, it sparked a resistance movement of anti-German, anti-fascist partisans. This book explores the tactics, organizational structure and equipment of the brave Italian resistance fighters.Beginning with low-level sabotage and assassinations, the groups continued to grow until spring 1944 when a remarkable, unified partisan command structure was created. Working in close co-ordination with the Allies, they received British SOE and Americ...

This book explains and illustrates the actual materials and techniques adopted (both successfully and unsuccessfully) by tactical units – i.e. the concealment of personnel, weapons, equipment, field positions, and movement by infantry riflemen and weapons crews, artillerymen, and vehicle crews.It covers all areas and seasons in the European and Mediterranean theaters of operations, for the US, British, German, and Soviet armies. It includes camouflage of the person...

Project Quick Find is the true story of sea lions trained to help U.S. Navy SEALs. Begun in Hawaii in the late 1960s, the project recruited trainers in Coronado, California, to successfully teach the animals to recover objects from the ocean floor. The program eventually received official navy certification, expanded its scope and evolved its mission. Author, photojournalist and former Navy SEAL Michael P. Wood documented the program in the 1970s and presents this fascinating look at the b...

A noted Civil War historian chronicles the fascinating role played by North Carolina's Hatteras Island in the War Between the States.Hatteras Island was home to many Civil War firsts—among them the first Confederate capture of an armed Union vessel and the first combined amphibious assault of the Confederate army and navy. With illuminating research and vivid prose, historian Lee Oxford demonstrates why these episodes make Hatteras Island vital to the story of the ...

The author of Vermont Firsts and Other Claims to Fame examines the pivotal American Revolutionary War skirmish and the men behind it.In April 1775, a small band of men set out from Hartford and traveled swiftly north toward the shore of Lake Champlain, recruiting men to their expedition along the way. Within only a few days, this loyal group of volunteers arrived in Vermont and, joining forces with Ethan Allen and his legendary Green Mountain Boys, launched...