That they were unique or on the contrary produced in millions of copies, hundred objects presented within the framework of this work have this in common that they form the weft of one Major episode of the Second World War, the Battle of Normandy. If all the objects selected in these pages turn out "unknown persons", none is nevertheless harmless.

With about 100 panoramic photos, Christophe Daguet offers us a timeless postcard of Normandy of the D-DAY and invites you in a real journey in the landscapes of the Landing. The book is completed by an internet version which will allow you to reach sequences videos realized by the author, the comments in foreign languages, virtual visits 360°of the main sites and museums, and practical information.

Made famous by her final commanding officer, John F. Kennedy, PT-109 is one of the most celebrated warships in American history. However, a full chronicle of PT-109’s wartime story has heretofore been lacking. Behind the familiar account of the future president and the boat’s violent demise is the little-known record under two previous officers during the swirling battles around Guadalcanal.In these mainly nocturnal fights, when the Japanese navy was at its apex, America’s small, fast-boat flotillas would sally out to probe enemy strength, vying with enemy destroyers, who were similarly roaming the waters and able to blast a PT-boat out of the water if main armament could be brought to bear. It was constant hit-and-run and dodging between searchlights across Iron Bottom Sound, as the PT-boats darted in among the enemy fleet, like a “barroom brawl with the lights turned out.”Bryant Larson and Rollin Westholm preceded Kennedy as commanders of PT-109, and their fights with the brave ship and its crew hold second to none in the chronicles of US Navy daring. As the battles moved on across the Pacific the PT-boat flotillas gained confidence, even as the Japanese, too, learned lessons in how to destroy them.Under its third and final commander, Kennedy, PT-109 came a cropper as a Japanese destroyer suddenly emerged from a dark mist and rammed it in half. Two crewmen were killed immediately but Kennedy, formerly on the swim team at Harvard, was able to shepherd his wounded and others to refuge. His unsurpassed gallantry can not resist retelling, yet the courage of the book’s previous commanders have not till now seen the light of day.This book provides the complete record of PT-109 in the Pacific, as well as a valuable glimpse of how the American Navy’s daring and initiative found its full playing field in World War II.

The text part of this book describes history of the ship's construction and service. This is accompanied by more than 100 color illustrations showing USS Massachusetts' appearance towards the end of her service in the Pacific, 1945. Elements that are shown in detail include superstructures, armament, fire control instruments, aircraft, boats, equipment, rig, etc. Blueprints in 1:350, 1:200, 1:100 and 1:50 scales (general views and details) are included on a separate sheet. The publication is a great reference for building a detailed model of USS Massachusetts.• 80 pages• 80 drawings• 146 renders• Gloss coated paper• Format (sizes): A4 (210x297 mm)• Booklet binding

The Dam Buster raid, Operation Chastise, has gone down in history as one of the greatest feats of arms executed by the Royal Air Force. Extraordinary demands were placed upon the airmen who took part in the raid, one of whom was the particularly accomplished young pilot Henry Maudslay. Henry, educated at Eton, was well-regarded and respected by contemporaries and Masters alike. He left school in 1940 and volunteered immediately for the RAF, becoming part of a generation for who transition into adulthood would, again, be cast in the heat of battle.Henry flew his first operational tour with No. 44 Squadron on Handley Page Hampdens, following which his experiences and skills were utilized during service trials for the new Avro Lancaster. Henry joined No. 50 Squadron at the start of 1943 for a second tour and in March 1943 he was selected to join a new squadron, No. 617, then forming at RAF Scampton. Henry Maudslay attacked the Eder Dam on the night of 16/17 May 1943. After a number of attempts, he released his weapon which struck the parapet and detonated on impact almost immediately behind the aircraft. Contrary to contemporary reports the aircraft survived, and set course for home, only to be brought down near the Rhine with the loss of all its crew. Combining material from family, school and official archives, together with personal letters and recollections from those who knew him, Robert Owen, Official Historian of the No. 617 Squadron Association, describes in detail the family background, school life and extraordinary flying career of this young and enigmatic airman.

This Comprehensive Order of Battle includes: - The structure of the armies- Changes in command due to casualties- Commanders from regimental level and above- Casualties listed by number including killed, wounded and captured/missing- Percentage of casualties of total engaged for all units- Short biographical sketches of commanders and key participants in the battle

One of the great arguments of World War II took place among Allied military leaders over when and where to launch a second front against Germany in Europe. Stalin, holding on by his teeth in Russia, urged a major invasion from the west as soon as possible. The Americans, led by Marshall and Wedemeyer, argued likewise. It was Churchill who got his way, however, with his Mediterranean strategy, including a campaign on the Italian peninsula, which he mistakenly called the “soft underbelly of Europe.”This realistic, fact-based work posits what would have happened had Churchill been overruled, and that rather than invading North Africa in the fall of 1942, thence Sicily and Italy, the Allies had hit the coast of southern France instead. The key element that enables the alternative scenario is the co-operation of Vichy, which was negotiated at the time but refused. If the Allies had promised sufficient force to support the French, however, the entire southern coastline of France would have been undefended against a surprise invasion.In this book, once the Allied armies are ashore, German stream toward the front, albeit through a gauntlet of Maquis, Allied paratroopers and airpower. Meantime the Allied forces push up the Rhône Valley and titanic armoured clashes take place near Lyons. Already in desperate straits at Stalingrad, where they had committed their air and armoured reserves, the Germans had also yet to switch to a full total-war economy, with tanks like the Panther and Tiger not yet deployed.This fascinating alternative history comes close to informing us exactly what might have happened had D-Day in Europe come as early as some had wished.About the AuthorAlexander M. Grace is the author of a number of well-received novels including Holy War, Hegemon, Coup and Sky Blue. When not writing he is a professor and former Foreign Service officer.

The Propagandakompanien, the German propaganda companies, were the primary method of communication of the Third Reich.The soldiers of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS were the eyes and ears of the Ministry of Propaganda who relied upon them to transform the reality of victories into defeats.While their photographs and their films are known, nothing has been written about the people behind the cameras, all the technicians associated with the propaganda machine. This first volume presents the implementation of this psychological weapon, from an organizational point of view, technical and human. With extensive documentation, the Wehrmacht propaganda companies are presented with a particular focus on 6 Pk. of the Luftwaffe. Finally, thanks to the testimony of reporters the author details the campaigns in Poland, Norway, France and the beginning of the Russian campaign.THIS BOOK IS IN ENGLISH.

This book provides a unique insight into one of the most important days in World history, the World's greatest ever seaborne invasion - June 6th 1944 - D-Day. Drawing upon four decades of research and two decades of working the battlefields as the region's foremost guides, the authors use a compelling combination of background narrative and first-hand accounts provided exclusively to them by many veterans. This comprehensively illustrated book serves as an essential accompaniment to any visit to the region, includes directions of how to find the important sites, what to see during a visit to the battlefields, and how to discover the lesser known areas only familiar to those with an intimate knowledge of the area. To be used as a history book or as a guidebook for visitors to the battlefield, 'Following in the Footsteps of Heroes' will touch every reader and provide to those who previously knew nothing of the subject or those who have previously studied it in depth, a new perspective into one of the greatest military feats ever achieved. Historical reference and essential guidebook. Comprehensively illustrated with over 240 photographs and maps. Written and researched by the regions foremost battlefield guides. Includes exclusive first-hand accounts by D-Day veterans. All author royalties donated to two charities which help maintain Normandy battlefield sites.

Ronnie Selley, a South African from rural Natal, joined the RAF on a short-service commission in 1937, considered the Golden Age of aviation. During these glory years of Howard Hughes and Amelia Earhart few guessed at the brewing storm and dark days to come. After completing his training on antiquated First World War aircraft, Selley was posted to 220 Squadron Coastal Command, the RAF’s under-staffed and under-equipped poor relation to the more prestigious Fighter and Bomber Commands. Tasked with reconnaissance, convoy patrols and submarine-hunting the pilots of Coastal Command chalked up more flying hours than any other RAF Command. It was not uncommon for pilots to be in the air, searching the waters of the North Atlantic, for up to sixteen hours a day, in aircraft that were neither capable of such ranges nor, initially, adequately armed to defend their charges. From the outbreak of war until after its cessation Coastal Command had aircraft in the air twenty-four hours a day, every single day. The toll this took on the men of Coastal Command was unthinkable. The first RAF pilot to sink a German U-boat, Selley went on the win the DFC for his actions during the Dunkirk evacuation. He won high praise and newspaper headlines such as “Plane fights 13 German warships”, “One RAF man bombs 3 ships, routs Nazis” and “One against eight” were not uncommon. Selley subsequently suffered acute battle fatigue and spent time convalescing at the Dunblane Hydro. Thereafter, he was posted by the Air Ministry as Air Vice-Marshal Breese’s personal pilot. On 5 March 1941 Ronnie Selley, Air Vice-Marshal Breese and the entire crew of the fully armed Lockheed Hudson they was flying experienced engine problems, lost speed, stalled and exploded on impact at Wick in northern Scotland.

The book presents the history and combat operations of JG 53 "Pik As" - one of the Luftwaffe's most famous fighter wings. A collection of forty original photographs is supplemented by a list of all JG 53 commanders, details of each of the wing's squadrons and flights and a listing of the unit's equipment used during the war. Full-page, color aircraft profiles will serve as an excellent source of documentation and a welcome addition to a set of decals included with the book. • 28 pages• 41 archive photos• 4 painting schemes• 10 throws of painting schemes• format (sizes): (205x275 mm)• decals with markings in 3 scales• booklet binding

This monograph of the most famous dive bomber of World War II focuses on the design and combat operations of the late marks of the Stuka: the Ju 87D dive bomber and strike aircraft and the Ju 87G tank buster. In addition to the detailed description of the design, the book covers combat operations of the Luftwaffe units equipped with the D and G models, as well as the biographies of the most prominent aircrews who flew those aircraft in combat. The text is supplemented by original photographs and 3D drawings showing details of the design.

Originally published in 1991, this classic work has now been revised and updated with additional photos. It is the story of how, in Vietnam, an elite group of Air Force pilots fought a secret air war in Cessna 0-2 and OV-10 Bronco prop planes—flying as low as they could get. The eyes and ears of the fast-moving jets who rained death and destruction down on enemy positions, the Forward Air Controller made an art form out of an air strike—knowing the targets, knowing where friendly troops were, and reacting with split-second, life and death decisions as a battle unfolded. The expertise of the low, slow FACs, as well as the hazard attendant to their role, made for a unique birds-eye perspective on how the entire war in Vietnam unfolded. For Tom Yarborough, who logged 1,500 hours of combat flying time, the risk was constant, intense and electrifying. A member of the super-secret“Prairie Fire” unit, Yarborough became one of the most frequently shot-up pilots flying out of Da Nang—engaging in a series of dangerous secret missions in Laos. In this work, the reader flies in the cockpit alongside Yarborough in his adrenaline-pumping chronicle of heroism, danger and wartime brotherhood. From the rescuing of downed pilots to taking out enemy positions, to the most harrowing extended missions directly overhead of the NVA, here is the dedication, courage and skill of the fliers who took the war into the enemy's backyard.

This is the first full-length biography of the Civil War general who saved the Union army from catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Chickamauga, and went on to play major roles in the Chattanooga and Mobile campaigns. Immediately after the war, as commander of U.S. troops in Texas, his actions sparked the "Juneteenth" celebrations of slavery's end, which continue to this day. Granger’s first battle was at Wilson’s Creek, Missouri, and he soon thereafter rose through the ranks - cavalry, then infantry - in early 1863 vying with Forrest and Van Dorn for control of central Tennessee. The artillery platform he erected at Franklin, dubbed Fort Granger, would soon overlook the death knell of the main Confederate army in the west. Granger's first fame, however, came at Chickamauga, when the Rebel Army of Tennessee came within a hair’s-breadth of destroying the Union Army of the Cumberland. Without orders - even defying them - Granger marched his Reserve Corps to the scene of the hottest action, where Thomas was just barely holding on with the rump of Rosecrans' army. Bringing fresh ammunition and hurling his men against Longstreet’s oncoming legions, Granger provided just enough breathing space to prevent that Union defeat from becoming the worst open-field battle disgrace of the war. Granger was then given command of a full infantry corps, but just proved too odd a fellow to promote further. At Chattanooga he got on the nerves of U.

Gathered in these two volumes is the legendary Luftwaffe aircraft: the Messerschmitt 109 and 110, the Focke-Wulf 190 and the jets that appeared at the end of the conflict. More than 600 color profiles detail a wide variety of insignia and camouflage paints. Together, these two books are an augmented compilation (new photographs, new profiles) and an improvement on the previous editions published in the series Aircraft & Drivers. THIS BOOK IS IN ENGLISH.

The monograph on the Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate, WW2 Japanese fighter plane, discusses its origins and development (including subsequent modifications and variants: Ki-106, Ki-113, Ki-116, Ki-84R, Ki-84P and Ki-84N), camouflage and markings and operational history since its combat debut over China in Summer of 1944 till the end of the WW2. Each version is specified and described. The author uncoveres the fates of Ki-84s captured by the Americans and presents an evaluation of the aircraft. The book includes a comprehensive technical description, technical data, a glossary of some Japanese terms and names and lists of the IJAAF units equipped with Ki-84s and the IJAAF ranks.