Tanks features 52 of the best armoured fighting vehicles from World War I to the present day. Beginning with the prototype Mark V Male in 1917, the book ranges from World War I, World War II, through the Cold War and up to the highly sophisticated tanks that have seen recent service in wars in the Balkans, Caususus, and Middle East.From the Soviet T-34 and German Panther tanks of World War II to the M1A2 Abrams, Challenger 2 and T-90 of the present day, Tanks is an...

Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and Tarawa are legendary names on the US Marines’ roll of honour, a testament to the bravery and sacrifice of Marines who answered the call to arms following the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Growing to a peak of almost half a million men in 1945, at the beginning of the war the Marine Corps was a small expeditionary force with outdated equipment and an unproven new mission – amphibious assault.The Marines in World War II char...

The Second World War saw elite units take a prominent role on the battlefield for the first time. The Encyclopedia of Elite Forces in World War II is a wide-ranging guide to the excellent units on land, sea or in the air whose success was usually hard-won against the odds, and whose actions had an impact on the course of the fighting around them. The best units from both sides of the fighting are represented, as are the two main theatres of war. Arranged by combatant nation, the book cover...

Matchlock, wheel lock, flintlock and caplock; muzzle-loading and breech-loading; revolving and rifling – the history of muskets and rifles is a fascinating journey through the development of firearms technology.From early matchlocks of the 15th century to the latest hunting rifles and assault rifles, Collector’s Guides: Rifles & Muskets traces the development of these small arms through their technical revolutions. From a 16th century wheel-lock to today’s Knight MK-85 muzz...

A concise history of Custer's Last Stand with maps, facts, historical significance, and more.The battle of Little Bighorn, despite its relatively small size, was the worst defeat for the U.S. Army in the Indian Wars. Although it was a clear tactical victory for the Plains Indians, it also would be a significant strategic setback for their cause. The outrage resulting from the Indian victory only intensified efforts by the U.S. Army and its Department of the Missour...

Over 180 years have passed since Colt’s first patent for a firearm with a revolving cylinder, and more than 160 years since the founding of Colt’s Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company. During that time, Colt and the succession of firms that continue to bear his name have produced iconic revolvers and rifles that have done nothing less than shape the course of history. Among these are the first Colt Paterson revolver in 1836, the Colt Single Action Army of 1873, popularly known as the Peac...

The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned. After his early success in the Civil War's Western Theater, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant moved south to capture the key railroad hub at Corinth and further cut into the Confederate hold on the Tennessee and Mississippi River Valleys. But Confederate Gen. Albert S. Johnston wasn't playing by Grant's script. Instead of waiting for Grant to combine armies with Maj. Gen...

Get facts, maps, historical significance, strategies, and more in this concise summary of the Texas Revolution's legendary "last stand."During the Texas Revolution, the Mexican Army clashed with Texan forces on several battlefields—the most famous of which was the Alamo. During this thirteen-day siege, a small group of defenders held out against overwhelming odds only to die in the final Mexican assault on the Alamo mission. Although it was clearly a tactical defeat...

Get facts, maps, historical significance, strategies, and more in this concise summary of Robert E. Lee's victory in Virginia.The Confederate victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville is considered the crowning military achievement of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Against the numerically superior Union Army of the Potomac, Lee took a calculated risk by dividing his Army of Northern Virginia in what would become the largest flanking maneuver of the Civil War. The risk paid off...

Get facts, maps, historical significance, strategies, and more in this concise summary of the notoriously bloody Civil War battle.During the late summer of 1862, Confederate forces launched their first invasion of the North. When Union forces met them near Sharpsburg, Maryland, along Antietam Creek, the result was the "bloodiest day" in American military history. Although the battle of Antietam was a tactical draw, Union Gen. George McClellan stopped Lee's invasion....

A concise guide to the Japanese attack on Hawaii that plunged America into WWII, with facts, maps, historical significance, and more.As America prepared for WWII, everything changed on December 7, 1941—described by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as a "date which will live in infamy"—when Japan launched a successful surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor. The devastating attack crippled the fleet, while showing the world the new dominance...

A concise summary of this turning point in the American Revolution with facts, maps, historical significance, strategies, and more.By the summer of 1780, Great Britain held the advantage in the American Revolution. A strategic shift to the south had borne fruit. British forces controlled the major ports of Savannah and Charleston, and Maj. Gen. Charles Cornwallis had recently trounced American forces under Gen. Horatio Gates at Camden, South Carolina. But Gen. Natha...