SS Specialist Units in Combat

SS Specialist Units in Combat PDF Author: Bob Carruthers
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1473868505
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 227

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Book Description
It is an often overlooked fact that the SS Divisions included Cavalrymen, Paratroopers, Mountain and Ski Battalions and these rare photographs illustrate the unique role played by specialist units in action.

SS Specialist Units in Combat

SS Specialist Units in Combat PDF Author: Bob Carruthers
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1473868505
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 227

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Book Description
It is an often overlooked fact that the SS Divisions included Cavalrymen, Paratroopers, Mountain and Ski Battalions and these rare photographs illustrate the unique role played by specialist units in action.

SS Specialist Units in Combat

SS Specialist Units in Combat PDF Author: Bob Carruthers
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781473868519
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 162

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Book Description


Elite Units of the Third Reich

Elite Units of the Third Reich PDF Author: Tim Ripley
Publisher: Lewis International (FL)
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description
Examines the training, missions, artillery, and leadership of special forces units in Hitler's army.

Italian Army Elite Units & Special Forces 1940–43

Italian Army Elite Units & Special Forces 1940–43 PDF Author: Pier Paolo Battistelli
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1849088950
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 131

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Book Description
Italian military historian Pier Paolo Battistelli examines the elite and specialforces units of the Italian Army during World War II. This includes a vast array of troop types, including paratroopers, assault engineers, sea-landing and swimmer units, long-range recce and ski units, and even hand-picked Fascist 'Mussolini' units. It also delves into the specialist tank and armoured units that were created to emulate the German armoured units. While the Italian units discussed enjoyed mixed success, the volume draws attention to the incredibly hard fighting done by some in the deserts of North Africa and the frozen wastelands of Russia. Illustrated with rare archival photographs and specially commissioned artwork, this is a fascinating insight into a little-studied aspect of Axis forces.

U.S. Marine Corps Special Units of World War II

U.S. Marine Corps Special Units of World War II PDF Author: Charles L. Updegraph
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Government publications
Languages : en
Pages : 124

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Book Description


German Special Forces of World War II

German Special Forces of World War II PDF Author: Gordon Williamson
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1780969996
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 159

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Book Description
A fascinating and long overdue study of the troops that made up Germany's elite special forces of World War II. Such forces included the legenday Skorzeny Commandos who carried out audacious tasks such as the glider-borne rescue of Mussolini, and the kidnapping of the son of the Hungarian regent, Admiral Horthy. This book also includes details of lesser-known units such as the Brandenburgers, who operated behind enemy lines in captured uniforms, and the Kleinkampfverbände who were the forerunners of modern-day naval combat troops like the US Navy SEALs. Complete with uniform and kit detail together with action accounts of many of these daring operations, this book is a must-have for any special forces enthusiast.

Special Marine Corps Units Of World War II [Illustrated Edition]

Special Marine Corps Units Of World War II [Illustrated Edition] PDF Author: Charles L. Updegraph Jr.
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
ISBN: 1786254689
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 195

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Book Description
Includes more than 25 maps and illustrations. During World War II, a variety of new and experimental units were organized by Marine Corps to enhance the capabilities of the Corps. For the first time under one cover, this historical reference pamphlet tells of the development, deployment, and eventual demise of the five types of special units: raiders, parachutists, glider forces, barrage balloon squadrons, and base defense battalions. Official records of the Marine Corps and appropriate historical works were utilized in compiling this chronicle. Among the proudest traditions of the United States Marine Corps is the legend “First to Fight.” This recognized ability to deploy effective forces in a minimum of time to meet any contingency is not easily maintained. It requires a careful evaluation of international trends and a constant reappraisal of the tactics and forces necessary to meet any crisis. The types of forces which must be maintained, and the structure of these forces, must be reviewed and updated. During the middle and late 1930s, concurrently with the Japanese expansion into northern China, the Marine Corps studied and refined its amphibious doctrine. Subsequently, the Corps stepped up its experimentation with new theories and methods to meet world-wide contingencies. Especially in the aftermath of the outbreak of war in Europe, the United States military establishment undertook a reexamination of its resources and capabilities. The Marines were among the most aggressive when it came to adapting current forces to future requirements. A number of the units which emerged from this period, and from the early war years, were either overtaken by events during the course of the war, or never lived up to their original promise. In these cases, the Marine Corps reorganized or disbanded the units as dictated by the tactical requirements. This monograph traces the origin, formation, deployment, and eventual demise of five such units.

Hitler's Brandenburgers

Hitler's Brandenburgers PDF Author: Lawrence Paterson
Publisher: Greenhill Books
ISBN: 1784382310
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
‘A fitting tribute to Germany's clandestine warriors, and a guarantee that their extraordinary efforts have not been relegated to comparative obscurity or entirely forgotten’ - David R Higgins. Hitler's daring and pioneering Brandenburgers special forces served in every German theatre of action. This is the most comprehensive account of an unusual and profoundly successful band of men. Lawrence Paterson traces the origins of the small unit, before the outbreak of war in 1939, as the brainchild of Admiral Canaris and part of his Abwehr intelligence unit through through to its breaking up in 1944 when it was largely converted to a, conventional Panzergrenadier division. At that point, many Brandenburgers transferred to Otto Skorzeny’s SS Jägdverbände. It is well-known that German troops disguised themselves as Allied troops for the Battle of the Bulge - but less well known the Brandenburger operations used such disguises - more effectively -in in advance of the Blitzkrieg in 1939-41. Despite their profound success as commando raiding troops their history has been overshadowed by equivalent Allied units and largely ignored. However, within North Africa the Brandenburgers employed similar techniques to the SAS and LRDG, at first earning Erwin Rommel’s disapproval for their unorthodox methods until he began to feel the effect of similar Allied raids. Paterson details the roles of key individuals, such as Theodor von Hippel, along with forensic details of key operations. He explodes many of the myths about the unit and provides a clear and comprehensive history of this key part of the Wehrmacht.

Special Operations in World War II

Special Operations in World War II PDF Author: Andrew L. Hargreaves
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
ISBN: 0806151277
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 605

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Book Description
British and American commanders first used modern special forces in support of conventional military operations during World War II. Since then, although special ops have featured prominently in popular culture and media coverage of wars, the academic study of irregular warfare has remained as elusive as the practitioners of special operations themselves. This book is the first comprehensive study of the development, application, and value of Anglo-American commando and special forces units during the Second World War. Special forces are intensively trained, specially selected military units performing unconventional and often high-risk missions. In this book, Andrew L. Hargreaves not only describes tactics and operations but also outlines the distinctions between commandos and special forces, traces their evolution during the war, explains how the Anglo-American alliance functioned in the creation and use of these units, looks at their command and control arrangements, evaluates their impact, and assesses their cost-effectiveness. The first real impetus for the creation of British specialist formations came in the desperate summer of 1940 when, having been pushed out of Europe following defeat in France and the Low Countries, Britain began to turn to irregular forces in an effort to wrest back the strategic initiative from the enemy. The development of special forces by the United States was also a direct consequence of defeat. After Pearl Harbor, Hargreaves shows, the Americans found themselves in much the same position as Britain had been in 1940: shocked, outnumbered, and conventionally defeated, they were unable to come to grips with the enemy on a large scale. By the end of the war, a variety of these units had overcome a multitude of evolutionary hurdles and made valuable contributions to practically every theater of operation. In describing how Britain and the United States worked independently and cooperatively to invent and put into practice a fundamentally new way of waging war, this book demonstrates the two nations’ flexibility, adaptability, and ability to innovate during World War II.

SAS and Special Forces in World War II

SAS and Special Forces in World War II PDF Author: Michael E Haskew
Publisher: Amber Books Ltd
ISBN: 1909160296
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 469

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Book Description
Illustrated with action photographs, The Encyclopedia of Elite Forces in World War II is a comprehensive guide to the elite forces of both sides during the 1939-45 war. Each entry describes the unit’s strength, date of formation and gives a brief overview of its combat record during the war.