No.10 (Inter-Allied) Commando 1942–45

No.10 (Inter-Allied) Commando 1942–45 PDF Author: Nick van der Bijl
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
ISBN: 9781841769998
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 64

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Book Description
Osprey's study of British commandos of World War II (1939-1945). The largest, but least-known of all Britain's elite wartime Commando raiding units, No.10 (Inter-Allied) was recruited from volunteers of many nations who had fled to Britain to carry on the fight after their own countries fell to the Nazis. Alongside Poles, Frenchmen, Dutchmen, Belgians, Norwegians and patriots from even further afield, the unit even included a small number of remarkably brave German and Austrian refugees from Nazism. These commandos took part in daring raids, intelligence missions and conventional infantry battles in North-West Europe and in the Mediterranean theatre. They earned many decorations and several battlefield commissions for gallantry and leadership; and after the war, some national contingents formed the nucleus of the new special forces of their liberated nations. This book examines these daring and secret units.

No.10 (Inter-Allied) Commando 1942–45

No.10 (Inter-Allied) Commando 1942–45 PDF Author: Nick van der Bijl
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
ISBN: 9781841769998
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 64

Get Book Here

Book Description
Osprey's study of British commandos of World War II (1939-1945). The largest, but least-known of all Britain's elite wartime Commando raiding units, No.10 (Inter-Allied) was recruited from volunteers of many nations who had fled to Britain to carry on the fight after their own countries fell to the Nazis. Alongside Poles, Frenchmen, Dutchmen, Belgians, Norwegians and patriots from even further afield, the unit even included a small number of remarkably brave German and Austrian refugees from Nazism. These commandos took part in daring raids, intelligence missions and conventional infantry battles in North-West Europe and in the Mediterranean theatre. They earned many decorations and several battlefield commissions for gallantry and leadership; and after the war, some national contingents formed the nucleus of the new special forces of their liberated nations. This book examines these daring and secret units.

X Troop

X Troop PDF Author: Leah Garrett
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0358177421
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 373

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Book Description
WALL STREET JOURNAL BOOK OF THE MONTH "This is the incredible World War II saga of the German-Jewish commandos who fought in Britain’s most secretive special-forces unit—but whose story has gone untold until now." —Wall Street Journal “Brilliantly researched, utterly gripping history: the first full account of a remarkable group of Jewish refugees—a top-secret band of brothers—who waged war on Hitler.”—Alex Kershaw, New York Times best-selling author of The Longest Winter and The Liberator The incredible World War II saga of the German-Jewish commandos who fought in Britain’s most secretive special-forces unit—but whose story has gone untold until now June 1942. The shadow of the Third Reich has fallen across the European continent. In desperation, Winston Churchill and his chief of staff form an unusual plan: a new commando unit made up of Jewish refugees who have escaped to Britain. The resulting volunteers are a motley group of intellectuals, artists, and athletes, most from Germany and Austria. Many have been interned as enemy aliens, and have lost their families, their homes—their whole worlds. They will stop at nothing to defeat the Nazis. Trained in counterintelligence and advanced combat, this top secret unit becomes known as X Troop. Some simply call them a suicide squad. Drawing on extensive original research, including interviews with the last surviving members, Leah Garrett follows this unique band of brothers from Germany to England and back again, with stops at British internment camps, the beaches of Normandy, the battlefields of Italy and Holland, and the hellscape of Terezin concentration camp—the scene of one of the most dramatic, untold rescues of the war. For the first time, X Troop tells the astonishing story of these secret shock troops and their devastating blows against the Nazis. “Garrett’s detective work is stunning, and her storytelling is masterful. This is an original account of Jewish rescue, resistance, and revenge.”—Wendy Lower, author of The Ravine and National Book Award finalist Hitler’s Furies

Commandos in Exile

Commandos in Exile PDF Author: Nicholas van der Bijl
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 184468640X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 408

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Book Description
Formed from members of Free Forces who had escaped from German occupation, 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando was one of the most unusual units in WW2. All members had to pass the Green Beret commando course at Achnacarry in Scotland and the book begins by describing this training. With no less than six national troops, plus X Troop drawn from exiled Jews, 10 Commando never fought as an entity but loaned troops for specific operations, such as One Troop (French) taking part in the Dieppe Raid, 2 Troop (Dutch) fighting at Arnhem, 5 Troop (Norwegian) raiding the Lofoten Islands etc. At other times groups played a key intelligence role questioning POWs, translating captured documents, conducting reconnaissance patrols and intelligence gathering on the D-Day beaches. The history of X Commando, made up of escaped Jewish individuals is especially interesting.The book also reviews the growth of post-war national Commando forces.

British Commandos 1940–46

British Commandos 1940–46 PDF Author: Tim Moreman
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
ISBN: 9781841769868
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
From their establishment in June 1940, the Commando units conducted a succession of daring hit-and-run raids from the sea into North-West Europe, Scandinavia, Italy and the Middle East. Among the highly publicised Commando operations were the raids on Vaagso, Dieppe, and St Nazaire. The Commandos also spawned a range of other Special Forces, including the Special Air Service, Special Boat Service and the Parachute Regiment. This Battle Orders title provides a detailed examination of the Army (and later Royal Marine) Commandos raised in the United Kingdom, from their inception in 1940 through to 1946, when the Army Commandos were disbanded and the role was assigned exclusively to the Royal Marines.

Office of Strategic Services 1942–45

Office of Strategic Services 1942–45 PDF Author: Eugene Liptak
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472801830
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 133

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Book Description
The Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner of the CIA, was founded in 1942 by William 'Wild Bill' Donovan under the direction of President Roosevelt. Agents were enlisted from both the armed services and civilians to produce operational groups specialising in different foreign areas including Italy, Norway, Yugoslavia and China. In 1944 the number of men and women working in the service totalled nearly 13,500. This intriguing story of the origins and development of the American espionage forces covers all of the different departments involved, with a particular emphasis on the courageous teams operating in the field. The volume is illustrated with many photographs, including images from the film director John Ford who led the OSS Photographic Unit and parachuted into Burma in 1943.

Ten Commando

Ten Commando PDF Author: Ian Dear
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473818885
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 409

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Book Description
It is indeed remarkable, since the archives of the Second World War must have been pillaged, ransacked, burrowed into, and turned over almost as thoroughly as Monte Cassino itself, that no book has been written about one of the strangest units created during that or any other conflict. The unit was called Ten Commando - and the shroud of secrecy that enveloped it at the time has scarcely been un-wrapped by the passge of the years. Ten Commando was composed entirely of men who came from Germany and from Nazi-occupied countries such as Holland, Poland, and France. Secrecy was vital, for if an Axis agent infiltrated into Ten Commando he could do untold harm. If a member of Ten Commando were capture and his unit identified, the rules of the Geneva Convention were unlikely to worry the captors. This overwhelming need for absolute secrecy was so well instilled in the men of Ten Commando that, until now, little was known about their daring exploits behind enemy lines, including coordination of resistance fighters and sabotage. The result of Ian Dears painstaking research is a remarkable book indeed and a worthy tribute to an incredibly brave group of cladestine soldiers who belong near the top of the WWII Roll of Honor.

British Commando 1940–45

British Commando 1940–45 PDF Author: Angus Konstam
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472814835
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 68

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Book Description
With Hitler's army rampaging across Europe, Winston Churchill ordered the creation of a special fighting force – the Commandos. These valiant men were volunteers drawn from the ranks of the British Army, formed into a Special Service Brigade and put through a rigorous but highly effective training programme. Over the course of World War II they would see action in every major theatre of operation and are credited with numerous feats of gallantry during the D-Day landings. Although many units were disbanded after the war, the Royal Marine Commandos have maintained the standards of this elite fighting formation to the present day. Angus Konstam explores the history of the Commandos during their formative years, providing detailed descriptions of their training, weapons and equipment. Battle reports are accompanied by specially commissioned Osprey artwork and historical photographs, offering readers an in-depth analysis of some of the most famous fighting units in the British Army's history.

Army Commandos 1940–45

Army Commandos 1940–45 PDF Author: Mike Chappell
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
ISBN: 9781855325791
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The period from early 1940 to the end of 1942 was a time of gloom and uncertainty for the British, who stood alone against the assembled might of the Axis powers. They badly needed a champion, and were to find this in a small force of soldiers who inspired them with a series of daring raids against the coasts of 'occupied Europe', becoming the heroes of the British public and of the British Prime Minister who had created them. This title explores the wartime history of the British Army Commandos whose bravery did so much to raise the morale of the British public during World War II (1939-1945).

British Light Infantry in the American Revolution

British Light Infantry in the American Revolution PDF Author: Robbie MacNiven
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472842502
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 65

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Book Description
During the Seven Years' War (1755–63), a number of independent light-infantry outfits served under British command and dedicated light companies were added to the British Army's regular infantry battalions. The light companies were disbanded after the war but the prominent role played by light infantry was not forgotten, and in 1771–72 light-infantry companies were reinstated in every regiment in the British Isles. Although William Howe formed a training camp at Salisbury in 1774 specifically to practise light-infantry doctrine, the outbreak of the American Revolution in 1775 found the British Army wanting, and the light companies were no different. After evacuating Boston in March 1776, Howe began to remodel and drill his army at Halifax, standardizing lighter uniform and emphasizing more open-order tactics. He also brigaded his light companies together into composite battalions, which went on to fight in almost every major engagement during the American Revolution. They spearheaded British assaults, using night-time surprise and relying upon the bayonet in engagements such as Paoli and Old Tappan. They also matched their regular and irregular opponents in bush-fighting, and at times fought in far-flung detachments alongside Native American and Loyalist allies on the frontier. Featuring specially commissioned full-colour artwork, this book offers a comprehensive guide to the formation, uniform, equipment, doctrines and tactics of these elite light infantry companies and battalions, and considers how, over the course of the war they developed a fearsome reputation, and exemplified the psychological characteristics exhibited by crack military units across history.

Cracking Hitler's Atlantic Wall

Cracking Hitler's Atlantic Wall PDF Author: Richard C. Anderson
Publisher: Stackpole Books
ISBN: 0811742717
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
Refreshingly different perspective on the momentous events of D-Day.