To mark the centenary of the formation of one of the Royal Air Force’s longest serving squadrons Fighting High Publishing presents Owen Clark’s Under Their Own Flag, which details the remarkable story of No. 47 Squadron from its birth in 1916 through to the culmination of the Second World War.Formed at Beverley, Yorkshire, on 1 March 1916, No. 47 Squadron went on to operate in far flung corners of the world, frequently as the sole representatives of the Royal Air Force and the United Kingdom. During the First World War the squadron flying Armstrong Whitworth FK3s, amongst other types, was stationed in Greece fighting the Bulgarian forces, and in 1919 the squadron was deployed to southern Russia to support the White Army during the Russian Civil War, operating aircraft such as the Airco DH9 and Sopwith Camel. The 1920s and 30s found the squadron, equipped with aircraft such as the de Havilland DH9a, Fairey IIIF, and Fairey Gordon, deployed to Egypt and the Sudan on ‘policing duties’, before engaging the Italians during the early Second World War campaigns in East Africa, operating Vickers Wellesleys. During 1942 and 1943, equipped with the Bristol Beaufort and Beaufighter, the squadron undertook numerous ‘armed rover’ patrols in support of the fighting in North Africa and Tunisia, subsequently assisting in the Allied attempts to prevent the Aegean islands from coming under enemy control. A transfer to the Far East followed and a conversion to de Havilland Mosquitos. With the Japanese defeated the squadron went on to fulfil peace keeping duties on the Island of Java.Author Owen Clark has drawn on his considerable archive, and utilized a wealth of previously unpublished photographs, to tell the story of this unique and distinguished squadron. Also included is a selection of specially commissioned aircraft profiles. The squadron of today prides itself on its ability ‘to get the job done’, an approach that is as present today as it was in the beginning. Under Their Own Flag presents the first three decades of this unique and extraordinary squadron, and the men who served ‘Sans Peur’.

‘Mzee’ is the Swahili word for an ‘old timer’, a respected elder. Mzee Ali Kalikilima was born near the present-day town of Tabora in western Tanzania, probably in the 1870s—there is mention of ‘The Doctor’, Dr David Livingstone—to black Muslim parents of noble birth. Aged 14, Ali led his first slaving safari to the shores of Lake Tanganyika and thence, with his caravan of captured slaves and ivory, through the malaria-, tsetse fly- and lion-infested wilds, to the Arab markets of Dar es Salaam, some 1,200 kilometres away on the Indian Ocean. With the arrival of the German colonizers, Ali joined the German East African forces as an askari. He worked on the railway line that was being laid from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma and finally to Mwanza on the shores of Lake Victoria—a monumental feat. With the outbreak of the First World War, he found himself attached to the forces of the legendary German commander, General von Lettow-Vorbeck. He saw action at the Battle of Salaita Hill near Mombasa and was with the General to the end, fighting a guerrilla campaign through southern Tanganyika, Portuguese East Africa, Nyasaland, Northern Rhodesia and to final surrender. After the war, he joined the British Colonial Service as a game scout.

Through various hundreds of “clichés d’époque”, the journey of this American division that landed in Provence in August 1944 after a long campaign in Italy, leads us just to the heart of Germany, where this military unit is the first to enter the concentration camps of Dachau. This American division had formerly freed a part of Southern France, and then went back up the valley of the Rhone up to the Vosges. As its squads are made up of numerous native american soldiers, the 45th division has achieved copious honours during the three hard battles which could be compared to the battle of Normandy that took over the spotlight the following years.

Having left Gotenhafen July 3, 1940 for a campaign that will last 516 days, the Komet is one of the cargos transformed by the Kriegsmarine to operate as an auxiliary warship for the allied commercial ships. Spreading over the Pacific except the partly frozen waters of the Arctic Ocean, this predator camouflaged as Japanese ships leads the attacks on all oceans, up to the Antarctic, searching for ally ships, creating insecurity across the Australian and New Zealand coasts up to the surroundings of the Panama canal. A fascinating adventure that gives us 200 inedited pictures. The secret meetings with the German supply ships at open sea, the seizure and destruction of the enemy ships, the prisoners gathered aboard, the daily life, the ceremonies, those who fled on land or the meeting with the U-Boote in the Atlantic.

In Victorian times, it was to an officer’s advantage to be good at sketching. This subject was not only on the syllabus at Sandhurst but also at the Army Staff at Camberley until the Anglo-Boer War of 1899–1902, and later. The reason was the British Army seldom had properly surveyed maps of wherever it was fighting, and so an important part of the duties of a junior officer and of a trained staff officer in particular, was to be able to produce a good sketch map and panorama for his commanding officer. Lt-Col John North Crealock was a veteran of the Indian Mutiny and the younger brother of Major-General Henry Hope Crealock, who commanded the First Division during the second invasion of Zululand in May 1879. He had earlier served with Chelmsford at Aldershot and was appointed to what has been described as a “plum staff appointment” at the Horse Guards.Crealock became Chelmsford’s military secretary in the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 and it is gererally accepted that all Chelmsford’s “disagreeable orders” supposedly emanated from him. He was described by Sir Garnet Wolseley (who replaced Sir Bartle Frere and Chelmsford) as “that arch-snob” and ‘evil genius”, accused of “governing Chelmsford and keeping him in ignorance of all going on about him”. Nonetheless, he was a skilled painter in watercolours. Crealock was slightly wounded at the Battle of Gingindlovu on the 2 April 1879 and, in July 1880, on his return to England, he was appointed commanding officer of the 95th Regiment of Foot, serving with them in Gibraltar in 1881, Egypt in the 1882 campaign, and then on to India. The regiment was linked with the 45th Regiment of Foot to be renamed the Sherwood Foresters in 1881. Crealock handed over command in July 1885. He is described in the regimental history as a “progressive and appreciative Commanding Officer”. On his return from India in 1890, Crealock was given command of 5th Brigade and promoted to major-general. He returned to India in 1893 and died at Rawalpindi on 26 April 1895.Crealock’s paintings were given to the Regimental Museum, where they are now housed. In 1964, a selection of the water colours was copied by the University of Natal Press and published in a book entitled The Road to Ulundi. South African historian Ken Gillings spent three years identifying and photographing the sites depicted in the book and was impressed by their accuracy. The trustees of the Museum of the Mercian Regiment (of which the Sherwood Foresters was an antecedent regiment) have kindly given the publishers the go-ahead to republish the sketches, with the accompanying photographs and explanatory notes prepared by Gillings. The result is a truly unique item of militaria, which is likely to become a sought-after item of Africana.

This second book presents the reader with the Northern attack on part of the 6th Panzer army whose commitment in the Battle of Ardennes represented the “baptism of fire.” By studying the thousands of archives on the American and German forces, the author revisits this division that must have been the main way through which Hitler hoped to reverse in his favour the outcome of the war.In this work, Philippe Guillemeot invites us to follow the ferocious and bloody cavalcade of the Kampfgruppen of the 1st SS-Panzer Division, the unsuccess of the “Hitler Youth” against the fierce resistance of the GI’s, and the force of the II. SS-Panzerkorps.One chapter is clearly dedicated to the special operations schemed by the German parachutists and the ineffable Otto Skorzeny.

The latest in this long-running series showcases the S35 SOMUA tanks in French and German Service; the British Sexton Self Propelled Gun; the German Horch 108 Heavy Car; the Char B1s in French and German Service, and the U.S. Quick-Way Crane and Coleman Tractor. Like others in the series, Allied-Axis 33 presents individual articles that are composed of large, clear historical photos that are often accompanied by contemporary walk-around images.This issue features such a series with its article on the Sexton, which also includes beautifully reproduced stowage diagrams. Walk around photos also appear in the article on the S35. Perhaps the highlight of this installment are the full page wartime images depicting the interior of the Char B1s. Scale models are currently available of the Char B1s, the S35 and the German Horch 108.

2014 marks the centenary of the declaration of the Great War, which devastated daily life and gastronomy for the French, even beyond the conflict. The war saw 8,500,000 Frenchmen mobilised, all of whom needed nourishment three times a day during the 1,500 days of the conflict. French logistics had to deal with this fantastic challenge in record time: the provisioning of four million meals, portioned correctly, to the combatants at the front. This was the proving ground for the fundamentals of modern catering.Passionate about history, Jerome Delile has collected numerous historical cooking utensils, from dishes to flasks, and more, which after a meticulous restoration can now be put in context for their use during the Great War. The authentic and simple recipes in this book, abundantly illustrated with numerous enticing photos, are an invitation to travel through history in an easy and informative way. The chefs of the past who played an indispensable role in the conflict will take you on a journey through time with authentic recipes such as:Pilaf de BoeufSoupe cultivateurSoupe vigneronneCrepe a la LorraineThe research for this manuscript is now finished. It is the first in a series of three (at minimum) which will detail the cuisine of France from the beginning of the Second World War through the rationing era, taking into account the lack of food available during the occupation. TEXT IN FRENCH

Artillery played an important and perhaps decisive role in the July 1863 battle of Gettysburg. Although many hundreds of books have been published on the battle, very few have focused more than a few paragraphs or a sprinkling of entries on the “long arm” and its role in the battle. This gap is finally filled by George Newton’s Silent Sentinels: A Reference Guide to the Artillery of Gettysburg. Now in paperback, Newton’s well-written and illustrated study was designed to be of use to both the casual battlefield visitor and the serious Civil War scholar. The former will use Silent Sentinels to learn more about the campaign in general, the role of artillery in Civil War battles, and how it was used on the battlefield at Gettysburg. They will also use it to learn how to identify different types of artillery, and tour a wide variety of artillery-related sites from Oak Hill in the north to a solitary gun well south of the Peach Orchard.More experienced Civil War students will find Silent Sentinels' extensive primary sources, diagrams, appendices of numbers and losses, and informative discussion of artillery organization and tactics an indispensable reference resource.Silent Sentinels opens with a general overview of the campaign and a wide-ranging discussion of 19th century artillery, the gun types used at Gettysburg, the equipment needed to operate the guns, how they were organized in each army, and the tactics employed by both Union and Confederate artillerymen. The chapter-long and wide-ranging tour included in this book guides readers to a variety of fascinating sites with enough detail to interest even the most jaded Gettysburg historian.This outstanding and useful historical guide includes detailed endnotes, a bibliography, and an index. Readers can peruse and enjoy this versatile study from the comfort of an easy chair or while walking the magnificent Pennsylvania field.

In this book, Matthew LONG offers us a unique evocation detailed and complete the journey to Eugene B. SLEDGE, using a mortar 1st Marine Division who fought on the front Pacific during the last year war. Describing the battles of the Marines Peleliu and Okinawa, the author relates, step by step, each tragic moment marking the journey of the character warrior central narrative. The book also includes a rich set of charts descriptions informing us the composition of the units and accurate information on weapons and the equipment in use among the troops of the US Marine Corps at that time.- TEXT IN FRENCH -

A Visual History of the U.S. Army’s Mid 20th Century Battle TankThe M48 series of Medium Tanks formed the backbone of America’s armored force from the close of the Korean War, throughout the Cold War and onto the sands of Iran. The classic silhouette of the M48 is instantly recognizable to Veterans over a period of four decades, beginning with its development in 1950. This book is the ultimate general guide to the M48 series tanks. Combining historical imagery with superb walk-around images, the title explores all the fielded variants of the M48 series—starting with the T48 and continuing with the M48, M48A1, M48A2, M48A3, M67A1 and M48A5. No detail is left uncovered within the hundreds of clear, color photos. This title is a “must have” for anyone with an interest in modern armor, or the modeler building any of the three plastic kits currently available.

In his previous book, the author discussed a little-known and insufficiently examined area in the history of the Second World War: the fighting in Hungary during the winter of 1944 and 1945 and notably the war's final German offensive, initiated by the 6th Panzer Army in mid-March 1945. In this new work, the author tackles a subject which is the antithesis of his previous one as much from the geographical as the reputational perspective: the famous Battle of the Bulge. This is the first volume to be offered to readers, with an examination of the northern edge of this offensive launched by the 6th Panzer Army. Its deployment during the Battle of the Bulge represented its baptism of fire. Drawing on the examination of thousands of pages of archives focusing as much on American as on German forces, as well as an analysis of the most recent studies combined with site visits, the author reviews the northern sector of the battle for us - a sector which was to be the main axis along which Hitler hoped for nothing less than to shatter the American front, speed towards Antwerp and reverse the course of the war to his benefit. Throughout these pages, the author invites us to follow the fierce and bloody run of the Kampfgruppen from the I.SS-Panzer Division, the failure of the Hitlerjugend in the face of the GIs' determined resistance and the charge ofthe II.SS Panzer Korps. However, this book also specifically provides a detailed review of the special operations which were to facilitate the 6th Panzer Army's achievement of its aims: von der Heydte's paratroopers' night jump or the operations of Otto Skorzeny's 150th Panzer Brigade. Finally, the author provides a detailed survey of preparations for the offensive, the combatants' logistical challenges, the Allied information service fiasco or the suffering of Belgian civilians trapped within this inferno, in the middle of an especially harsh winter. Through this research, the author is able to reveal new factors to us, reexamining cliches and dismissing misconceptions. The reader will find among these pages, alongside a wealth of illustrations and precise maps, answers to many questions including, for instance: how was Patton able to redirect his army so quickly to go to Bastogne's aid? Could the 6th Panzer Army really have reached Antwerp or even the Meuse river? Why could the victorious 1940 offensive not be replicated in 1944, although the Americans were completely taken by surprise? What were the factors explaining the failure of an army seemingly as powerful as the 6th Panzer Army, which represented the Reich's last strategic Panzer reserve and yet still assembled four full SS Panzer divisions, at least in terms of men? Finally, the appendices to this volume offer enthusiasts a wealth of information to enhance their knowledge: for those curious to examine history a little more closely, a series of archive documents has been translated and reproduced - both reports and telegrams, often from or received by the SHAEF. These enable us to approach history from a different angle. We will also find the translation of the surviving fragments of Hitler's harangue to his generals on the 12th of December to strengthen their resolve in this battle in which the fate of the Reich would be played out.

The months after Gettysburg had hardly been quiet—filled with skirmishes, cavalry clashes, and plenty of marching. Nonetheless, Union commander Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade had yet to come to serious blows with his Confederate counterpart,

Written by leading experts on modern conflicts (first and second world wars, war of the Pacific, Vietnam), all the major battles and campaigns of the conflict since the invasion of Poland in 1939 to the defeat of Japan, 1945, are described in detail.The texts are illustrated by numerous detailed maps and legendary photographs from the period.TEXT IN FRENCH

By the fall of 1944 the Western Allies appeared to be having it all their own way. The summer’s Normandy invasion had finally succeeded and the Germans had been driven out of northern France and most of the Low Countries. In September the invasion of France’s southern coast had met less opposition and Allied divisions had begun lining up along the Rhine. But while the Americans were about to meet a nasty surprise in the Ardennes, the Germans never did let go of the province of Alsace, and in a hard pocket around the city of Colmar continued to resist. On New Year’s Eve they launched a counteroffensive, Operation Northwind, that nearly put Allied forces back on their heels. While the Allies were eventually able to take care of their Ardennes problem the Colmar one still remained. On January 12, 1945, Eisenhower could only tell George Marshall, “It is a very bad thorn in our side today." This is the story of the Sixth Army Group (7th US & 1st French Armies) which fought on the southern flank of the SHAEF front. The French had multiple problems during this campaign so that increasing number of US divisions needed to take part. In the process the 3rd and 28th Infantry Divisions, and 10th and 14th Armored, among others were able to cover themselves with heroism, though hardly less than the threadbare German 19th Army, which bravely resisted against enormous odds until finally the west bank of the Rhine was cleared. Amidst a horrific winter and rough terrain, interspersed by demolished towns, both sides traded blows in a ferocious campaign often neglected in histories of the war. This book informs us fully of the tremendous and costly struggle waged on that often-neglected sector of the front.

Superbly illustrated with 3D drawings and period photographs, this book presents the fighter, bomber and the most famous aircrafts of the First World War. During the four years of the Great War, all the tactics and techniques of aerial warfare were invented and are still valid today.THIS BOOK IS IN FRENCH.