Author: James Maurice Gavin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Military history, Modern
Languages : en
Pages : 340
Book Description
War and Peace in the Space Age
Author: James Maurice Gavin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Military history, Modern
Languages : en
Pages : 340
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Military history, Modern
Languages : en
Pages : 340
Book Description
The SAS in World War II
Author: Gavin Mortimer
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472808762
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 306
Book Description
A gripping history of the SAS in World War II, supported by a collection of rare images from the SAS Regimental Association. The SAS are among the best-trained and most effective Special Forces units in existence. This book is the incredible story of their origins, told in their own words. During the summer of 1941, a young Scots Guard officer called David Stirling persuaded MEHQ to give its backing to a small band of 60 men christened 'L Detachment'. With a wealth of stunning photographs, many from the SAS Regimental Association, the book captures the danger and excitement of the initial SAS raids against Axis airfields during the Desert War, the battles in Italy and those following the D-Day landings, as well as the dramatic final push into Germany itself and the discovery of such Nazi horrors as Belsen. An exhaustive account of an elite organization's formative years, The SAS in World War II is the fruit of Gavin Mortimer's expertise and his unprecedented access to the archives of the SAS Regimental Association. Incorporating interviews with the surviving veterans, it is the definitive account of the regiment's glorious achievements in the years from 1941 to 1945.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472808762
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 306
Book Description
A gripping history of the SAS in World War II, supported by a collection of rare images from the SAS Regimental Association. The SAS are among the best-trained and most effective Special Forces units in existence. This book is the incredible story of their origins, told in their own words. During the summer of 1941, a young Scots Guard officer called David Stirling persuaded MEHQ to give its backing to a small band of 60 men christened 'L Detachment'. With a wealth of stunning photographs, many from the SAS Regimental Association, the book captures the danger and excitement of the initial SAS raids against Axis airfields during the Desert War, the battles in Italy and those following the D-Day landings, as well as the dramatic final push into Germany itself and the discovery of such Nazi horrors as Belsen. An exhaustive account of an elite organization's formative years, The SAS in World War II is the fruit of Gavin Mortimer's expertise and his unprecedented access to the archives of the SAS Regimental Association. Incorporating interviews with the surviving veterans, it is the definitive account of the regiment's glorious achievements in the years from 1941 to 1945.
World War II in Secret
Author: Gavin Mortimer
Publisher: Zenith Press
ISBN: 9780760347645
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Get the hidden stories of World War II, from classified weapons programs and top-secret technology to covert operations and clandestine missions from both the Allied and Axis sides. World War II in Secret profiles the many undisclosed and secretive stories of World War II, complete with copious illustrations and photographs drawn from the archives of all the major Allied and Axis powers. Espionage, radio, radar, and codes technology, resistance movements and saboteurs, weapons programs, camouflage and suberterfuge, and covert operations are all explored and uncovered to their smallest detail. Many techniques and technologies were either created or perfected during World War II. Many, such as the German use of blitzkrieg, radar, a human torpedo, the Enigma code, Barnes Wallis' bouncing bombs, soldiers on steroids, armies on amphetamines, America's Nisei, Project Z, Operation Bagration, the Double Cross, ghost armies, V weapons, the Wunderwaffen, and the Manhattan Project changed the course of world history forever. Award-winning military history author Gavin Mortimer explains them all, along with a few that didn't work at all, such as the Great Panjandrum and the Giant Dart. Explore the mysteries and secrets of World War II from both sides!
Publisher: Zenith Press
ISBN: 9780760347645
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Get the hidden stories of World War II, from classified weapons programs and top-secret technology to covert operations and clandestine missions from both the Allied and Axis sides. World War II in Secret profiles the many undisclosed and secretive stories of World War II, complete with copious illustrations and photographs drawn from the archives of all the major Allied and Axis powers. Espionage, radio, radar, and codes technology, resistance movements and saboteurs, weapons programs, camouflage and suberterfuge, and covert operations are all explored and uncovered to their smallest detail. Many techniques and technologies were either created or perfected during World War II. Many, such as the German use of blitzkrieg, radar, a human torpedo, the Enigma code, Barnes Wallis' bouncing bombs, soldiers on steroids, armies on amphetamines, America's Nisei, Project Z, Operation Bagration, the Double Cross, ghost armies, V weapons, the Wunderwaffen, and the Manhattan Project changed the course of world history forever. Award-winning military history author Gavin Mortimer explains them all, along with a few that didn't work at all, such as the Great Panjandrum and the Giant Dart. Explore the mysteries and secrets of World War II from both sides!
American Women In World War I
Author: Lettie Gavin
Publisher: University Press of Colorado
ISBN: 1457109409
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 310
Book Description
Interweaving personal stories with historical photos and background, this lively account documents the history of the more than 40,000 women who served in relief and military duty during World War I. Through personal interviews and excerpts from diaries, letters, and memoirs, Lettie Gavin relates poignant stories of women's wartime experiences and provides a unique perspective on their progress in military service. American Women in World War I captures the spirit of these determined patriots and their times for every reader and will be of special interest to military, women's, and social historians.
Publisher: University Press of Colorado
ISBN: 1457109409
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 310
Book Description
Interweaving personal stories with historical photos and background, this lively account documents the history of the more than 40,000 women who served in relief and military duty during World War I. Through personal interviews and excerpts from diaries, letters, and memoirs, Lettie Gavin relates poignant stories of women's wartime experiences and provides a unique perspective on their progress in military service. American Women in World War I captures the spirit of these determined patriots and their times for every reader and will be of special interest to military, women's, and social historians.
The SBS in World War II
Author: Gavin Mortimer
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472804813
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 353
Book Description
A gripping history of Britain's Special Boat Squadron in World War II, drawing on veteran interviews and including rare photographs from the SAS Regimental Association. The Special Boat Squadron was Britain's most exclusive Special Forces unit during World War II, and yet its exploits have been largely forgotten. This book tells its story. Highly trained, totally secretive and utterly ruthless, the SBS was established as an entity in its own right in early 1943. Unlike its sister unit, which numbered more than 1,000 men, the SBS never comprised more than 100. Led by men such as the famed Victoria Cross recipient Anders Lassen, the SBS went from island to island in the Mediterranean, landing in the dead of night in small fishing boats and launching savage hit and run raids on the Germans. Through unrivalled access to the archives of the SAS Regimental Association and interviews with the surviving members of the unit, Gavin Mortimer has pieced together the dramatic feats of this elite fighting force. In this new and updated paperback edition, featuring additional content including new text and photographs, the unit and its members are finally granted the recognition that they so richly deserve.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472804813
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 353
Book Description
A gripping history of Britain's Special Boat Squadron in World War II, drawing on veteran interviews and including rare photographs from the SAS Regimental Association. The Special Boat Squadron was Britain's most exclusive Special Forces unit during World War II, and yet its exploits have been largely forgotten. This book tells its story. Highly trained, totally secretive and utterly ruthless, the SBS was established as an entity in its own right in early 1943. Unlike its sister unit, which numbered more than 1,000 men, the SBS never comprised more than 100. Led by men such as the famed Victoria Cross recipient Anders Lassen, the SBS went from island to island in the Mediterranean, landing in the dead of night in small fishing boats and launching savage hit and run raids on the Germans. Through unrivalled access to the archives of the SAS Regimental Association and interviews with the surviving members of the unit, Gavin Mortimer has pieced together the dramatic feats of this elite fighting force. In this new and updated paperback edition, featuring additional content including new text and photographs, the unit and its members are finally granted the recognition that they so richly deserve.
Paratrooper
Author: Thomas Michael Booth
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781612001272
Category : Generals
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
* A gripping account on an exceptional man - the life of Jim Gavin, America's best paratrooper leader throughout World War II World War II, which occurred precisely at the juncture between air transport capability and the invention of the helicopter, saw history's first and only mass use of paratroopers dropped into battle from the sky, perhaps the most courageous combat task seen in modern warfare. And "Jumpin' Jim" Gavin was by all accounts America's best paratrooper leader. His first combat jump was in Sicily, where as a battalion commander he found his men scattered all over the landscape in one of airborne's greatest fiascos. Yet his stand with a few stalwarts at Biazza Ridge is credited with saving the U.S. invasion front. In Normandy, as assistant division commander of the 82nd Airborne, he won the eternal affection of his men for continuing to lead in combat, M-1 slung over his shoulder, even as his paratroopers were similarly scattered and faced German fire on all sides. His cool leadership served to coalesce the paratrooper bridgehead behind enemy lines until infantry from the beaches could finally reach them. During Operation Market Garden, now as commander of the 82nd, Gavin wrote a new chapter in paratrooper heroism, seizing all his objectives despite a serious spinal injury on landing. With hardly a respite after the grueling campaign in Holland, Gavin and his men were called upon for perhaps their most dangerous task - stemming the German onslaught during the Battle of the Bulge. After the war Gavin continued to earn as much respect from policymakers as he had from his men, providing commentary on our Cold War stance, the war in Vietnam, and as Kennedy's ambassador to France. He was not an unflawed individual, as this comprehensive biography reveals, but an exceptional one in every sense, especially during his days of combat leadership during history's greatest war. ILLUSTRATIONS: 16 pages
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781612001272
Category : Generals
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
* A gripping account on an exceptional man - the life of Jim Gavin, America's best paratrooper leader throughout World War II World War II, which occurred precisely at the juncture between air transport capability and the invention of the helicopter, saw history's first and only mass use of paratroopers dropped into battle from the sky, perhaps the most courageous combat task seen in modern warfare. And "Jumpin' Jim" Gavin was by all accounts America's best paratrooper leader. His first combat jump was in Sicily, where as a battalion commander he found his men scattered all over the landscape in one of airborne's greatest fiascos. Yet his stand with a few stalwarts at Biazza Ridge is credited with saving the U.S. invasion front. In Normandy, as assistant division commander of the 82nd Airborne, he won the eternal affection of his men for continuing to lead in combat, M-1 slung over his shoulder, even as his paratroopers were similarly scattered and faced German fire on all sides. His cool leadership served to coalesce the paratrooper bridgehead behind enemy lines until infantry from the beaches could finally reach them. During Operation Market Garden, now as commander of the 82nd, Gavin wrote a new chapter in paratrooper heroism, seizing all his objectives despite a serious spinal injury on landing. With hardly a respite after the grueling campaign in Holland, Gavin and his men were called upon for perhaps their most dangerous task - stemming the German onslaught during the Battle of the Bulge. After the war Gavin continued to earn as much respect from policymakers as he had from his men, providing commentary on our Cold War stance, the war in Vietnam, and as Kennedy's ambassador to France. He was not an unflawed individual, as this comprehensive biography reveals, but an exceptional one in every sense, especially during his days of combat leadership during history's greatest war. ILLUSTRATIONS: 16 pages
World War II in Europe
Author: Philip Gavin
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781590181850
Category : Germany
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
From military maneuvers to mass murder, history's most lethal conflict is thoroughly explained including the actions of the instigator, Adolf Hitler.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781590181850
Category : Germany
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
From military maneuvers to mass murder, history's most lethal conflict is thoroughly explained including the actions of the instigator, Adolf Hitler.
Merrill's Marauders
Author: Gavin Mortimer
Publisher: Zenith Press
ISBN: 0760344329
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 259
Book Description
From late 1941 through 1942, Japan overran much of the Pacific, including Burma. In March 1943, British Gen. Orde Wingate and his famed long-range penetration unit, the "Chindits," cut through the Burmese jungle, skirmishing with Japanese troops, destroying bridges, and cutting rail lines. Their advance and success shocked the Japanese, who had been conquering East Asia at an unstoppable pace. The Chindits' success, however, came at a price: they lost one-third of their three thousand men during the two-month-long mission. But though the Chindits were ultimately pushed back to India, their mission set the foundation for long-range penetration troops into Japanese-controlled territory. Months later, in August 1943, a call went out for three thousand American troops to volunteer for a hazardous secret mission in the Burmese jungle. Casualties were expected to be 85 percent. Despite these unfavorable odds, the required number of troops was raised, comprising men with varied military and personal backgrounds, such as Sioux and Japanese-Americans who later formed the core of the unit's elite intelligence and reconnaissance platoons. Code-named "Unit Galahad" but lacking an official designation, they were christened the "Dead End Kids" by an embedded newspaper correspondent. After Col. Charles Hunter, the unit's commander during training, was reassigned to second-in-command and replaced by Brig. Gen. Frank Merrill, other members of the press coined the more popular nickname for the unit that eventually stuck: Merrill's Marauders. After training for months in India, the Marauders made their way into Burma in February 1944 and cut their way over mountain passes and through thick jungle growth, fighting off malaria and dysentery. The Marauders continued their trek through the Burmese jungle and engaged in several skirmishes with Japanese troops on their way to their ultimate goal: capturing the vital Japanese-controlled airstrip at Myitkyina, which linked northern Burma to the rest of the country. Once the airfield was captured through a series of brilliant outflanking movements assisted by Chinese units and Kachin hill tribes, the Marauders dug in to defend it until troops from the First Chinese Army arrived. Only two hundred of the original three thousand Marauders remained in fighting condition when the support came. General Joseph Stilwell reorganized the group with reinforcements and then focused on taking the town of Myitkyina, which the Allies finally wrestled from the Japanese in August 1943. For their bravery in the harshest fighting conditions, the group received a Presidential Unit Citation, six Distinguished Service Crosses, four Legions of Merit, and forty-four Silver Stars. "Merrill's Marauders" is the story of this highly decorated unit, one of the toughest special forces units of World War II. Author bio: Award-winning historian Gavin Mortimer is one of the world's foremost experts on World War II special forces. His history of the wartime Special Air Service was praised by the BBC as "a highly authoritative but also absorbing account," and it is currently under option from GK-TV in Hollywood. He has also written "The Daring Dozen: Special Forces Legends of World War II," a study of twelve of the most influential wartime special forces soldiers from the United States, Britain, and Germany. He contributes regularly to "World War II" magazine, "MHQ" ("Military History Quarterly)," and other historical publications on both sides of the Atlantic.
Publisher: Zenith Press
ISBN: 0760344329
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 259
Book Description
From late 1941 through 1942, Japan overran much of the Pacific, including Burma. In March 1943, British Gen. Orde Wingate and his famed long-range penetration unit, the "Chindits," cut through the Burmese jungle, skirmishing with Japanese troops, destroying bridges, and cutting rail lines. Their advance and success shocked the Japanese, who had been conquering East Asia at an unstoppable pace. The Chindits' success, however, came at a price: they lost one-third of their three thousand men during the two-month-long mission. But though the Chindits were ultimately pushed back to India, their mission set the foundation for long-range penetration troops into Japanese-controlled territory. Months later, in August 1943, a call went out for three thousand American troops to volunteer for a hazardous secret mission in the Burmese jungle. Casualties were expected to be 85 percent. Despite these unfavorable odds, the required number of troops was raised, comprising men with varied military and personal backgrounds, such as Sioux and Japanese-Americans who later formed the core of the unit's elite intelligence and reconnaissance platoons. Code-named "Unit Galahad" but lacking an official designation, they were christened the "Dead End Kids" by an embedded newspaper correspondent. After Col. Charles Hunter, the unit's commander during training, was reassigned to second-in-command and replaced by Brig. Gen. Frank Merrill, other members of the press coined the more popular nickname for the unit that eventually stuck: Merrill's Marauders. After training for months in India, the Marauders made their way into Burma in February 1944 and cut their way over mountain passes and through thick jungle growth, fighting off malaria and dysentery. The Marauders continued their trek through the Burmese jungle and engaged in several skirmishes with Japanese troops on their way to their ultimate goal: capturing the vital Japanese-controlled airstrip at Myitkyina, which linked northern Burma to the rest of the country. Once the airfield was captured through a series of brilliant outflanking movements assisted by Chinese units and Kachin hill tribes, the Marauders dug in to defend it until troops from the First Chinese Army arrived. Only two hundred of the original three thousand Marauders remained in fighting condition when the support came. General Joseph Stilwell reorganized the group with reinforcements and then focused on taking the town of Myitkyina, which the Allies finally wrestled from the Japanese in August 1943. For their bravery in the harshest fighting conditions, the group received a Presidential Unit Citation, six Distinguished Service Crosses, four Legions of Merit, and forty-four Silver Stars. "Merrill's Marauders" is the story of this highly decorated unit, one of the toughest special forces units of World War II. Author bio: Award-winning historian Gavin Mortimer is one of the world's foremost experts on World War II special forces. His history of the wartime Special Air Service was praised by the BBC as "a highly authoritative but also absorbing account," and it is currently under option from GK-TV in Hollywood. He has also written "The Daring Dozen: Special Forces Legends of World War II," a study of twelve of the most influential wartime special forces soldiers from the United States, Britain, and Germany. He contributes regularly to "World War II" magazine, "MHQ" ("Military History Quarterly)," and other historical publications on both sides of the Atlantic.
Stirling's Men
Author: Gavin Mortimer
Publisher: Canelo
ISBN: 1835980600
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 545
Book Description
The story of the greatest Special Forces unit the world has ever seen, told by the men who fought together. In 1941, maverick officer David Stirling – adventurer, gambler, rake – created the Special Air Service. The soldiers came from all walks of life: miners, desert explorers, Guardsmen, bored clerks in the pay corps. All felt frustrated by the conventional army and were determined to make their mark on the war. Together they created a tradition that would survive the capture of their leader, the death of so many of their comrades and even the disbanding of the SAS after the end of the war. With the co-operation of the regimental association, Gavin Mortimer interviewed nearly sixty veterans, including many of the desert ‘Originals’, many of whom had never before revealed their role. They spoke openly, with honesty and humour, about life in the SAS; the gruelling training that broke all but the toughest; the thrill of raiding desert airfields; the danger of parachuting into occupied France; and the fear of being caught by the Germans, knowing that Hitler had ordered the ‘liquidation’ of captured SAS soldiers. This is the SAS at war, in their own words.
Publisher: Canelo
ISBN: 1835980600
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 545
Book Description
The story of the greatest Special Forces unit the world has ever seen, told by the men who fought together. In 1941, maverick officer David Stirling – adventurer, gambler, rake – created the Special Air Service. The soldiers came from all walks of life: miners, desert explorers, Guardsmen, bored clerks in the pay corps. All felt frustrated by the conventional army and were determined to make their mark on the war. Together they created a tradition that would survive the capture of their leader, the death of so many of their comrades and even the disbanding of the SAS after the end of the war. With the co-operation of the regimental association, Gavin Mortimer interviewed nearly sixty veterans, including many of the desert ‘Originals’, many of whom had never before revealed their role. They spoke openly, with honesty and humour, about life in the SAS; the gruelling training that broke all but the toughest; the thrill of raiding desert airfields; the danger of parachuting into occupied France; and the fear of being caught by the Germans, knowing that Hitler had ordered the ‘liquidation’ of captured SAS soldiers. This is the SAS at war, in their own words.
The General & His Daughter
Author: Barbara Gavin Fauntleroy
Publisher: Fordham Univ Press
ISBN: 0823226891
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 287
Book Description
The fascinating personal correspondence from a commanding general of the eighty-second Airborne Division to his young daughter during World War II. James Maurice Gavin left for war in April 1943 as a colonel commanding the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the eighty-second Airborne Division—America’s first airborne division and the first to fight in World War II. In 1944, at age thirty-seven, “Slim Jim” Gavin, as he was known to his troops, became the eighty-second’s commanding general—the youngest Army officer to become a major general since the Civil War. At war’s end, this soldier’s soldier had become one of our greatest generals—and the eighty-second’s most decorated officer. In this book, James Gavin’s letters home to his nine-year-old daughter, Barbara, provide a revealing portrait of the American experience in World War II through the eyes of one of its most dynamic officers. Written from ship decks, foxholes, and field tents—often just before or after a dangerous jump—they capture the day-to-day realities of combat and Gavin’s personal reactions to the war he helped to win. With more than 200 letters spanning from Fort Bragg in 1943 to New York’s victory parade, this collection provides an invaluable self-portrait of a great general, and a great American, in war and peace. Includes a prologue and epilogue by Barbara Gavin Fauntleroy; a foreword by Rufus Broadaway; commentary and notes by Starlyn Jorgensen; and an introduction by Gerard M. Devlin.
Publisher: Fordham Univ Press
ISBN: 0823226891
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 287
Book Description
The fascinating personal correspondence from a commanding general of the eighty-second Airborne Division to his young daughter during World War II. James Maurice Gavin left for war in April 1943 as a colonel commanding the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the eighty-second Airborne Division—America’s first airborne division and the first to fight in World War II. In 1944, at age thirty-seven, “Slim Jim” Gavin, as he was known to his troops, became the eighty-second’s commanding general—the youngest Army officer to become a major general since the Civil War. At war’s end, this soldier’s soldier had become one of our greatest generals—and the eighty-second’s most decorated officer. In this book, James Gavin’s letters home to his nine-year-old daughter, Barbara, provide a revealing portrait of the American experience in World War II through the eyes of one of its most dynamic officers. Written from ship decks, foxholes, and field tents—often just before or after a dangerous jump—they capture the day-to-day realities of combat and Gavin’s personal reactions to the war he helped to win. With more than 200 letters spanning from Fort Bragg in 1943 to New York’s victory parade, this collection provides an invaluable self-portrait of a great general, and a great American, in war and peace. Includes a prologue and epilogue by Barbara Gavin Fauntleroy; a foreword by Rufus Broadaway; commentary and notes by Starlyn Jorgensen; and an introduction by Gerard M. Devlin.