Автор: Philip Katcher, Richard Hook
Издательство: Osprey Publishing
Год издания: 2002
isbn: 1841763187
Количество страниц: 68
Язык: english
Формат: PDF (scan)
Osrpey's examination of the commanders of the American Civil War (1861-1865). The generals who led the brigades, divisions, corps and armies of the Confederacy were very largely products of the same professional backgrounds as their opponents in Union blue - indeed, many of them were former West Point classmates and brother officers in the pre-war US Army, who had served together on the frontier or in the Mexican War. In terms of field experience they were also similar to the vast majority of Union commanders - none of them had ever commanded so much as a brigade before 1861, and they had to learn by trial and error. Some whose pre-war record had promised much were to fail the test of war; some more obscure officers were to rise to the challenge remarkably. This first of two volumes devoted to the Confederate generals details the careers, personalities and appearance of 25 commanders who made their names mainly with the Army of Northern Virginia in the Eastern theater of war.
Автор: Carl Molesworth, Jim Laurier
Издательство: Osprey Publishing
Год издания: 2002
isbn: 1841762881
Количество страниц: 92
Язык: english
Формат: PDF (scan)
Thrown into action following the Torch landings of late 1942, the ‘green’ American pilots flying the obsolescent P-40F suffered cruelly at the hands of seasoned German fighter pilots flying superior machines. Those that survived learnt quickly, and a handful of Warhawk pilots succeeded in making ace by the time the Axis forces surrendered in North Africa. The action then shifted to Sicily and Italy, and the P-40 remained in service until mid-1944. This book charts the careers of the 23 men who succeeded in making ace during that time, despite the advent of much better P-47 and P-51 fighters.
Автор: Mark Lardas, Tony Bryan, Giuseppe Rava
Издательство: Osprey Publishing
Год издания: 2008
isbn: 1846032660, 9781846032660
Количество страниц: 48
Язык: english
Формат: PDF (scan)
The "Original Six" frigates were commissioned by the new-born US Navy at a staggering cost of $688,888.82. Designed to be light and fast, these warships enabled America to project its power across the globe. Among the ships Mark Lardas examines is USS Constellation: the first ship to be commissioned by the United States Navy, and also the first ship to engage and capture an enemy vessel, the French L'Insurgente - this engagement is vividly portrayed in original color artwork. The fascinating history of the USS Chesapeake is also brought to life through the dramatic account one of the bloodiest duels in the age of fighting sail as the Chesapeake meets the British frigate Shannon and is overwhelmed, the dying cry of the captain, "Don't give up the ship!" inspired the US Navy thereafter. Alongside stirring accounts of engagements during the Barbary Wars and the Quasi-War, the author explores the design and development of these frigates, explaining the shortcomings that led to their replacement by larger, heavier 44-gun models by 1800. Contemporary illustrations of US frigates and their British and French rivals help to place these ships in the context of European ship design, clearly showing the escalation of the naval 'arms race' during the seventeenth century. American Light and Medium Frigates is an ideal resource for any naval enthusiast wanting to learn more about the ships that witnessed the rise of the US Navy and Marines.
Автор: Jiri Rajlich, John Weal
Издательство: Osprey Publishing
Год издания: 2004
isbn: 1841766526
Количество страниц: 93
Язык: english
Формат: PDF (scan)
In 1939, Slovakia signed a protection agreement with the German Reich and joined the attack on Poland, where its Avia B-534-equipped fighter squadrons claimed their first kills. In October 1942, having made do with obsolete aircraft, the Slovaks were equipped with Bf 109Es and eventually acquired 43 Messerschmitt fighters. The Slovaks would claim over 215 kills. Although it supported German efforts in Yugoslavia and Greece, Bulgaria did not declare war on Russia. First seeing action in August 1943, Bulgarian fighter pilots used their Bf 109Gs to good effect. From late 1943 through to mid-1944, the Bulgarian pilots attempted to defend the country from American bombers, and Stoyanov and Bochev made ace during this period.
Автор: Steven Zaloga, Howard Gerrard
Издательство: Osprey Publishing
Год издания: 2008
isbn: 1846032466, 9781846032462
Количество страниц: 96
Язык: english
Формат: PDF (scan)
In July 1944 of World War II (1939-1945), Operation Cobra broke the stalemate in Normandy and sent the Allies racing across France. The Allied commanders ignored Paris in their planning for this campaign, considering that the risk of intense street fighting and heavy casualties outweighed the city's strategic importance. However, Charles de Gaulle persuaded the Allied commanders to take direct action to liberate his nation's capital. Steven J Zaloga first describes the operations of Patton's Third Army as it advanced towards Paris before focusing on the actions of the Resistance forces inside the city and of the Free French armored division that fought its way in and joined up with them to liberate it on August 24. De Gaulle could then proclaim, "Paris liberated!" and one of the world's loveliest cities had survived Hitler's strident command that it should be held at all costs or reduced to rubble.
Автор: Will Fowler, Mariusz Kozik
Издательство: Osprey Publishing
Год издания: 2010
isbn: 1846038502, 9781846038501
Количество страниц: 64
Язык: english
Формат: PDF (scan)
In September 2000, eleven British soldiers were captured by a notorious militia gang in Sierra Leone. Originally deployed to fulfill peace-keeping duties in a country ravaged by civil war, the soldiers had been kidnapped by the so-called 'West Side Boys' who had already subjected the region to a reign of terror, murder and mutilation. When negotiations stalled, the British government decided to launch Operation Barras as a joint rescue operation by D Squadron 22 SAS and A Company 1 Para. Two four-man SAS reconnaissance patrols were inserted by boat into the villages where they provided key information about the location of the hostages and the routines, if any, of the frequently stoned and extremely volatile West Side Boys. Then, just before dawn on Sunday, September 20 2004, three Chinooks supported by two army Lynx helicopters lifted the Paras and SAS into the two villages that straddled Rokel Creek. The Lynx helicopter attacked a heavy machinegun in the southern village of Magbeni as the SAS fire teams and a hostage rescue team fast roped down from the two Chinooks. The hostages were quickly located and evacuated to safety. The SAS endured a sustained firefight with the West Side Boys, killing some and capturing their leader, "Brigadier" Foday Kallay, a 24-year-old former sergeant in the Sierra Leone Army. To the south of the village, the Paras fought through the village of Magbeni driving off the remaining gang members and recovering the Royal Irish Land Rovers that had been abandoned by the kidnapped soldiers. The operation was over by late morning and the Paras completed the mission by destroying any vehicles, ammunition or equipment that had been abandoned by the gang. In the words of one SAS veteran, "This was not a clinical, black balaclava, Princess Gate-type operation: it was a very grubby, green operation with lots of potential for things to go wrong." For the first time, this daring raid is brought to life with specially commissioned artwork, detailed maps and overhead shots to recreate one of the greatest hostage-rescue success stories in recent history.
Автор: Roy Bradbrook
Издательство: Osprey Publishing
Год издания: 1991
isbn: 1855321793
Количество страниц: 65
Язык: english
Формат: PDF (scan)
When Iraq invaded the sovereign state of Kuwait in the early hours of 2 August 1990 the United Nations immediately condemned the invasion and sanctioned the use of force to remove the Iraquis from Kuwait. At the time of the invasion the Iraqui Air Force was a large force, though without the tactical capabilities possessed by the Western forces. On 17 January 1991 Operation Desert Shield was initiated, targeting enemy airfields and air defence. The threat of the IAF was largely negated in the face of the overwhelming air superiority provided by the coalition forces.
Автор: Konstantin Nossov, Peter Dennis
Издательство: Osprey Publishing
Год издания: 2008
isbn: 1846032687, 9781846032684
Количество страниц: 49
Язык: english
Формат: PDF (scan)
Elephants have been deployed as weapons for centuries, particularly in South and South-East Asia, where war elephants constituted the bulk of most armies in the region from antiquity right up to the 19th century. This book offers an insight into the incredible history of these "living tanks," focusing on the design of the equipment and armament that made them so terrifying, particularly the development and structure of the fighting tower. The author, Konstantin S. Nossov goes on to trace the battle history of war elephants, from their deployment against Alexander the Great's army at the battle of Gaugamela, through to their use in the 19th century by the myriad armies of South-East Asia, all the time analyzing the battle formation and tactics of war elephants in action and how these tactics changed over time. He then goes on to examine the most famous action that war elephants took part in, Hannibal's dramatic march over the Alps and his subsequent invasion of Italy. Supported by rare illustrations and full-color original artwork, this book is a vivid account of the development and operation of one of history's most unusual "machines of warfare."
Автор: Angus Konstam
Издательство: Osprey Publishing
Год издания: 2008
isbn: 1846032520, 9781846032523
Количество страниц: 50
Язык: english
Формат: PDF (scan)
In his second volume on the Tudor Navy, naval expert Angus Konstam covers the extraordinary transformation of the Tudor fleet during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. This period witnessed the birth of a whole new breed of warships designed to dominate the seas and expand the corners of the Empire. Detailing warfare during the age of Sea Dogs, such as Sir Francis Drake and Walter Raleigh, and the landmark event of the Spanish Armada, he explains the technological innovations that allowed this small but efficient navy to defeat the larger Spanish fleet. Packed with new research, in-depth analysis, photographs, full-color reconstructions and detailed cutaway artwork, this book is a must for any lover of maritime history and for anyone who wants to understand how Britain came to rule the waves, creating and retaining her supremacy across the seas throughout the age of fighting sail.
Автор: Andrew Thomas, John Weal
Издательство: Osprey Publishing
Год издания: 2005
isbn: 1841768464
Количество страниц: 100
Язык: english
Формат: PDF (scan)
Entering service at the end of the Battle of Britain, the pugnacious Bristol Beaufighter was deployed in numbers by Fighter Command just in time for the start of the Luftwaffe’s night ‘Blitz’ on Britain. Flown by specialised nightfighter squadrons – several of them elite pre-war Auxiliary Air Force units – it was the first nightfighter to be equipped with an airborne radar as standard. Thus equipped, it combined the ability to ‘see’ the enemy at night with the devastating hitting power of four cannon and six machine guns. This book covers the exploits of the men who made ace in the Beaufighter and includes stunning original artwork together with first hand accounts of the action.