Author: Chris Ellis
Publisher: Ian Allan Publishing
ISBN: 9780711028555
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Get Book Here
Book Description
Officially a part of the Luftwaffe, Germany's parachute units were organized into the 7th Flieger Division in July 1938 under General Kurt Student. In the German invasion of France and the Low Countries in 1940 the parachute units stunned the world and laid the basis for an airborne mystique that has endured to the present day. The division also fought in Norway, Greece and Crete before surrendering in Italy in 1945. Each Spearhead title includes an evaluation of the units combat effectiveness as seen by the unit, its opponents and subsequent researchers, and a research section including a bibliography and a listing of museums, websites, re-enactment groups and memorials.
Author: Bart Hagerman
Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
ISBN: 0938021907
Category : Parachute troops
Languages : en
Pages : 522
Get Book Here
Book Description
Author: Nigel Askey
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 1304453294
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 724
Get Book Here
Book Description
Operation Barbarossa: Volume IIA concerns the Wehrmacht. All the significant German weapon systems and combat squads used in the campaign are analysed using the quantitative methodology detailed in Volume I, along with the contextual history. An assessment of each weapon system's inherent 'combat power' is provided, as well as attributes such as the relative anti-tank, anti-personnel and anti-aircraft values. Volume IIA then focuses on the detailed Kriegstarkenachweisungen (KStN, or TOE) for German land units (including those in the West), as well as the unit's actual organisation and equipment. All significant units in the German Army (Heer), Waffen SS, Luftwaffe and security forces are included; ranging from the largest panzer divisions, down to small anti-aircraft companies, military-police units, Landesschutzen battalions, and rail-road and construction companies. In all cases the data is presented in detailed tables, using the weapon systems and combat squads previously analysed.
Author: William T. McCroden
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1611211018
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 1257
Get Book Here
Book Description
A groundbreaking and comprehensive order of battle for German ground troops in WWII, from the invasion of Poland to the final defeat in Berlin. An indispensable reference work for Second World War scholars and enthusiasts, German Ground Forces of World War II captures the continuously changing character of Nazi ground forces throughout the conflict. For the first time, readers can follow the career of every German division, corps, army, and army group as the German armed forces shifted units to and from theaters of war. Organized by sections including Theater Commands, Army Groups, Armies, and Corps Commands, it presents a detailed analysis of each corresponding order of battle for every German field formation above division. This innovative resource also describes the orders of battle of the myriad German and Axis satellite formations assigned to security commands throughout occupied Europe and the combat zones, as well as those attached to fortress commands and to the commanders of German occupation forces across Europe. An accompanying narrative describes the career of each field formation and includes the background and experience of many of their most famous commanding officers.
Author: Lawrence Paterson
Publisher: Greenhill Books
ISBN: 1784386138
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 354
Get Book Here
Book Description
A history of the development and role during World War II of the private army of the Nazi Luftwaffe’s commander-in-chief. In the early years of the Third Reich, Hermann Göring, one of the most notorious leaders of the Third Reich, worked to establish his own personal army to rival Himmler’s SS and Reichswehr. The result: a private Prussian police force which grew into one of the most powerful armored units in Nazi Germany’s Wehrmacht. This unit fought throughout the Second World War, meeting Anglo-American forces in vicious battles across the European theatres of Tunisia, Sicily, and Italy before finally being defeated by the Red Army on the Eastern Front. This book incorporates technical details of these battles with the turbulent politics and Machiavellian maneuvering of Hitler’s inner circle, giving military-history enthusiasts fresh insights into the development and role of this unusual division through the war. Drawing on first-hand accounts and extensive archive material, World War II historian Lawrence Paterson presents a comprehensive and unbiased history of the establishment of the famous 1st Fallschirm-Panzer Division. Praise for Fallschirm–Panzer Division ‘Hermann Göring’ “A fine study, well written, thoroughly researched and highly readable.” —The Journal of Military History “An important contribution to an otherwise little-known but fascinating unit.” —History of War “For anybody interested in the role of this elite unit, it is a ‘must read’ and as part of an understanding of the campaigns it fought, it offers a wider perspective of its interaction with adjoining units.” —Michael McCarthy, Battlefield Guide
Author: Gilberto Villahermosa
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473847117
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 448
Get Book Here
Book Description
A retired U.S. Army Master Parachutist, strategist, and military historian analyzes the actions of one German special forces group during World War II. In June 1944, Allied forces fighting desperately to establish a foothold in Normandy and then breakout of the confining bocage found themselves opposed by a bewildering array of formations of the German Wehrmacht. Among them were the newly formed German II Parachute Corps. This gripping new account examines the exploits of Germany’s II Parachute Corps and its commander, Eugen Meindl, from the Allied invasion on June 6 to the end of August 1944. Meindl was the epitome of the senior German airborne commander in the Second World War. Tough, experienced, and aggressive, he cared deeply for his troops. His Parachute Corps fought stubbornly for three weeks, before being forced to fall back. Trapped along with the bulk of the German Seventh Army in the Falaise pocket, Meindl and his paratroopers maintained their discipline and were selected by the Commander in Chief of OB West to lead the German breakout to the east. That they managed to do so, despite suffering grievous losses, while so many around them died or surrendered, is a testament to their dedication and fighting ability. Theirs is a story that deserves to be told.
Author: John Sadler
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1783460539
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 382
Get Book Here
Book Description
Unlike the few other books written on the catastrophic fall of Crete in May 1941, this book concentrates on the military actions between the first German paratroop landing on 20 May and the final defeat and evacuation on 30 May. As well as studying the strengths, tactics, leadership and weapons of both sides, the book contains numerous graphic personal anecdotes by participants, be they German, Allied or Cretan. While the battle was a decisive defeat for the Allies, the Germans made a disastrous start. How they recovered from this so spectacularly is well covered.This is a worthy addition to the Battleground series being both a fine study of the conflict and an invaluable guide. The Author has visited Crete on many occasions and knows the ground well.
Author: Robert M. Citino
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
ISBN: 0700634010
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 431
Get Book Here
Book Description
When Germany launched its blitzkrieg invasion of France in 1940, it forever changed the way the world waged war. Although the Wehrmacht ultimately succumbed to superior Allied firepower in a two-front war, its stunning operational achievement left a lasting impression on military commanders throughout the world, even if their own operations were rarely executed as effectively. Robert Citino analyzes military campaigns from the second half of the twentieth century to further demonstrate the difficulty of achieving decisive results at the operational level. Offering detailed operational analyses of actual campaigns, Citino describes how UN forces in Korea enjoyed technological and air superiority but found the enemy unbeatable; provides analyses of Israeli operational victories in successive wars until the Arab states finally grasped the realities of operational-level warfare in 1973; and tells how the Vietnam debacle continued to shape U.S. doctrine in surprising ways. Looking beyond major-power conflicts, he also reveals the lessons of India’s blitzkrieg-like drive into Pakistan in 1971 and of the senseless bloodletting of the Iran-Iraq War. Citino especially considers the evolution of U.S. doctrine and assesses the success of Desert Storm in dismantling an entrenched defending force with virtually no friendly casualties. He also provides one of the first scholarly analyses of Operation Iraqi Freedom, showing that its plan was curiously divorced from the realities of military history, grounded instead on nebulous theories about expected enemy behavior. Throughout Citino points to the importance of mobility--especially mobilized armor--in modern operational warfare and assesses the respective roles of firepower, training, doctrine, and command and control mechanisms. Brimming with new insights, Citino’s study shows why technical superiority is no guarantee of victory and why a thorough grounding in the history of past campaigns is essential to anyone who wishes to understand modern warfare. Blitzkrieg to Desert Storm provides that grounding as it addresses the future of operational-level warfare in the post–9/11 era.
Author: Antony Beevor
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0143126423
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 449
Get Book Here
Book Description
The bestselling author of The Battle of Arnhem and D-Day vividly reconstructs the epic WWII struggle for Crete – reissued with a new introduction Nazi Germany expected its airborne attack on Crete in 1941 to be a textbook victory based on tactical surprise. Little did they know that the British, using Ultra intercepts, had already laid a careful trap. It should have been the first German defeat of the war when a fatal misunderstanding turned the battle around. Prize-winning historian and bestselling author Antony Beevor lends his gift for storytelling to this important conflict, showing not only how the situation turned bad for Allied forces, but also how ferocious Cretan freedom fighters mounted a heroic resistance. Originally published in 1991, Crete 1941 is a breathtaking account of a momentous battle of World War II.
Author: Christopher Ailsby
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
ISBN: 1473886708
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 222
Get Book Here
Book Description
During the Second World War, the German Fallschirmjger (paratroopers) carried out many successful and daring operations, such as the capture of the Belgian fortress at Eben Emael in 1940 and the invasion of Crete in 1941. Hitler's Sky Warriors is a detailed examination of all the battles and campaigns of the Third Reich's airborne forces, illustrated throughout by many previously unpublished photographs. Hitler's Sky Warriors includes detailed accounts of all the ground campaigns of the parachute divisions, especially in Italy, where their epic defenses of Monte Cassino entered military legend. As well as being a comprehensive account of Fallschirmjger battles and campaigns, Hitler's Sky Warriors includes information on the specialist weapons and equipment developed for Germany's airborne forces. These include the paratrooper helmet, the FG 42 automatic rifle, the so-called 'gravity knife', the different jump smocks, parachutes and harnesses, transport aircraft and gliders. Hitler's Sky Warriors also contains biographical details on all the main parachute commanders, such as Kurt Student, Bernhard Herman Ramcke and Richard Heidrich, and includes appendices that contain information about divisional orders of battle and Knight's Cross winners. In this way Hitler's Sky Warriors builds into an extensive and exciting account of one of the elite formations of military history.
