History and Archaeology

The United States, being at peace, had not foreseen the need for a specialized tank recovery vehicle, despite the ramping-up of tank production in 1940–41. However, observation of the new world war quickly pointed to the need for such a vehicle. Armored vehicles, immobilized for any reason, were easily destroyed by opposing troops, denying the possibility for recovery and repair or even the salvag

This second of two volumes on de Havilland's "Wooden Wonder" covers the World War II bomber and photoreconnaissance variants of the deadly Mosquito. Along with its night fighter and fighter-bomber variants, Mosquito bomber squadrons attacked the enemy around the clock. Pinpoint assaults on specialist targets were another aspect of Mosquito operations, whose destructive effect on the Axis was const

The French Model 1949 9 mm submachine gun is most closely associated with France's decolonization campaigns, including Indochina and Algeria. The MAT-49 (Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Tulle) is a simple, robust, compact, and reliable weapon that was used throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. Though production ceased in 1979, it is still used by some military forces to the present day. With its n

This definitive work on air rescue operations of the US Army Air Force and US Air Force takes the reader from the birth of the service during World War II, through the Korean and Vietnam Wars, to present-day operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Detailed text, accompanied by numerous photos—including many never before published—presents all aspects of air rescue operations, from the service's foundi

Based on an adaptation of the White Scout Car, the US half-track vehicles of  WWII combined the cross-country ability of a fully tracked vehicle with the road performance of a medium truck.  A myriad of variations of these vehicles were produced, including prime movers, armored personnel carriers, mortar carriers, and a wide range of heavily armed variants. Antiaircraft versions were often used ag

This is the history of the distinctive fighting knife of the Gaelic Irish, the skean (Irish: scian). Author Robert Gresh has scoured primary sources for references to the weapon in use and traveled to examine the known surviving examples. The skean fell into disuse in the 18th century without being well documented, and surviving examples are often out of sight in reserve collections, private colle

What’s Your Call Sign? is filled with cleverly written and funny stories behind the seemingly mean-spirited nicknames naval aviators use to address each other as terms of endearment. As such, these stories provide a realistic and true insight into the life of naval aviators that reveals their human side. Movies like Top Gun depict the intensity and professional drive of naval aviators trying to be

Based on the original letters of physics professor Robert Wichard Pohl, who spent several years flying on zeppelins during the First World War, this book tells the story of the first flight to exceed 100 hours in the air. Along the way, it tells the story of those men responsible for the flight, as well as the history of both airship development and the continuing interest in transatlantic flight.

Reborn in 1951, the Myasishchev design bureau made its mark by creating the M-4 strategic bomber. Yet, this subsonic aircraft was soon made obsolescent by supersonic fighter technology—any new strategic bomber would need supersonic performance to avoid being intercepted. Hence in 1952, Myasishchev started work on supersonic bomber projects, which led to the M-50 of 1955. Designed for sustained sup

Anzio Annie, Anzio Express, "Leopold"; known by many names, the German 8 cm Kanone 5 Eisenbahngeschütz (railway gun), commonly abbreviated K5(E), was the most successful and widely used of Germany's railway gun designs. Twenty-four of the weapons, capable of shelling England from positions in France, were built and were used by Germany on most of their fronts, including France, Italy, Russia, and

The PBY Catalina, designed and produced by Consolidated Aircraft, whose production was supplemented by that of Boeing Canada, Canadian Vickers, and the Naval Aircraft Factory, was the most widely used flying boat of all time. Developed in the 1930s, the famed patrol bomber was used around the world by the United States and its allies—the Soviets even produced hundreds of duplicates. The versatile

A bombshell dropped onto Honolulu docks in 1933—by ominous coincidence, on December 7. It was merely a crate of Japanese pulp fiction titled Account of the Future US-Japan War. Unlike other popular war fiction of the day, this riveting techno-thriller was written by a Japanese naval commander with forewords by two prominent admirals of the imperial navy. The book gave readers a foretaste of the st

With a midengined configuration, sturdy tricycle landing gear, and nose-mounted 37 mm cannon, the Bell P-39 was a thoughtful and innovative design. However, the plane lacked the all-out performance of some other key fighters available to Allied fliers (e.g., Spitfire, Hellcat, Mustang), particularly at altitude. Largely rejected by British and American combat squadrons, the Airacobra was much bett

When America declared war on Germany in 1917, it unleashed a resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare off the North American coast.

Until now, German naval records have not been extensively utilized in English-language histories of this brief but intense period of naval combat in the Atlantic. By studying and comparing

After occupying the Balkans early in the war, the Axis powers constantly struggled to police the region. The partisan presence was quite substantial, and while the various fractured guerrilla groups expended a great deal of energy fighting among themselves, they were still a threat to German/Italian control. The Germans and Italians were heavily engaged with the Allies across multiple fronts, so m

The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is one of the most successful fighter designs of the 20th century. The type first flew in 1972, transitioning directly from the drawing board to production with remarkably few hiccups. By late 1974, planes were already being delivered to operational units, and it remains on active duty with several major international militaries today, including the US Air Force. A

As of 2023, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird is the fastest manned jet aircraft ever produced. It set the record in 1976 and has been retired since the late 1990s. With its unrivaled speed and stunning appearance, the Blackbird has maintained an almost supernatural mystique to this day. The type entered service in the 1960s as a high-altitude (and obviously extremely high speed) military reconnaissanc

he Douglas DC-3 was a twin-engine airliner that first flew in 1935 and was a pioneer during the early years of international commercial flight. An elegant and robust design, the DC-3 was the definitive American airliner of the immediate pre–World War II era and was flown by many of the world’s most famous airlines at the time, such as Delta, Eastern, Pan Am, United, Swissair, Air France, Cathay Pa

Thoroughly documented, a worldwide selection of placesrepresenting many attempts made by mankind through the ages to re-createa paradise on Earth. "Paradises got off to a bad start early on. The one the Bible had arranged had to rapidly close its pearly gates when its first two occupants, Adam and Eve, had misbehaved." According to Gilles Lapouge, paradise is a paradoxical creation of ourimagin

This new title in this bestselling series relates 37 stories of shipwrecks, great discoveries, mysteries, and disappearances stillthrilling adventure seekers. From the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, from the Baltic Sea to theCaribbean, the Antarctic, and the Indian Ocean; from ancient history tothe present day, these short tales cover all aspects of high-seasadventure and feature prominent human