The D-Day Training Pocket Manual, 1944

The D-Day Training Pocket Manual, 1944 PDF Author: Chris McNab
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1612007341
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 203

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Book Description
Using excerpts from contemporary training manuals, this pocket manual is an insight into the preparation of the troops involved in Operation Overlord. The success of the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944, depended on thousands of troops carrying out their mission and the seamless coordination of the amphibious landings with paratrooper and glider assaults. The troops not only had to be trained up ready for their own roles, but to work alongside other troops, often coordinating activities and communicating with other troops while in unfamiliar terrain and under fire. This pocket manual brings together excerpts from Allied manuals used in the preparation for D-Day, including amphibious landings and managing beachheads, pathfinder, paratrooper, and glider pilot training, and infantry and armored fighting in the bocage countryside. “Chris McNab is a prolific writer who knows what he is doing, as this book shows; and this volume will fit well with its stable mates.” —War History Online

The Paratrooper Training Pocket Manual, 1939–45

The Paratrooper Training Pocket Manual, 1939–45 PDF Author: Chris McNab
Publisher: Casemate
ISBN: 1612007929
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
During World War II, it quickly became apparent that the physical and tactical demands placed upon paratroopers required men of exceptional stamina, courage and intelligence. To create these soldiers, levels of training were unusually punishing and protracted, and those who came through to take their “wings” were a true elite. The Paratrooper Training Pocket Manual 1939–1945 provides an unusually detailed look into what it took to make a military paratrooper during the Second World War, and how he was then utilized in actions where expected survival might be measured in a matter of days. Using archive material from British, U.S., German and other primary sources—many never before published—this book explains paratrooper theory, training, and practice in detail. The content includes: details of the physical training, instruction in static-line parachute deployment, handling the various types of parachutes and harnesses, landing on dangerous terrain, small-arms handling, airborne deployment of heavier combat equipment, landing in hostile drop zones, tactics in the first minutes of landing, radio comms, and much more. Featuring original manual diagrams and illustrations, plus new introductory text explaining the history and context of airborne warfare, The Paratrooper Training Pocket Manual 1939–1945 provides a detailed insight into the principles and practice of this unique type of combat soldier.

The U.S. Army Infantryman Pocket Manual 1941–45

The U.S. Army Infantryman Pocket Manual 1941–45 PDF Author: Chris McNab
Publisher: Casemate
ISBN: 1636240291
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
A compilation of information presented in United States Army World War II training manuals and tactical documents. The battle for Europe in 1943–45 was one of the greatest military challenges in the history of the U.S. Army. Fighting against often veteran German forces from the mountains of Italy to the beaches of Normandy and the frozen forests of the Ardennes, hundreds of thousands of U.S. infantrymen had to move quickly beyond their training and acquire real-world combat skills with extraordinary pace if they were to raise their chances of survival beyond a few days. They fought in an age of total war, in which the enemy deployed heavy armor, artillery, air power, and their own infantry firepower in a battle of true equals. Without the drive and blood of the U.S. Army infantry, the Allies could not have defeated the Wehrmacht in Western Europe. Extensive documentation was provided for the in-theater U.S. Army infantryman, from booklets rather misguidedly advising on how to behave in foreign countries through to field manuals explaining core combat tactics across squad, platoon, company, and battalion levels. This pocket manual presents critical insights from many of these sources, but also draws on a broad spectrum of intelligence reports, after-action reports, and other rare publications. Together they give an inside view on what it was like to live and fight in the U.S. Army infantry during arguably the most consequential conflict in human history. Praise for The U.S. Army Infantryman Pocket Manual: ETO & MTO, 1941–45 “This guide and explanation of Army tactical doctrine is a welcome addition to Second World War literature.” —The Journal of America’s Military Past

The Red Army Guerrilla Warfare Pocket Manual, 1943

The Red Army Guerrilla Warfare Pocket Manual, 1943 PDF Author: Lester Grau
Publisher: Casemate
ISBN: 1612007961
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
The indispensable guerilla warfare manual, first developed by the Russian military during WWII—with a thorough introduction on its legendary history. During the Second World War, the Red Army developed The Partisan's Companion to train Soviet guerillas to fight Nazi invaders It contains the Soviet lessons of two bitter years of war, covering field craft, guerilla tactics, German counter-guerrilla tactics, demolitions, German and Soviet weapons, scouting, camouflage, anti-tank warfare and anti-aircraft defense for squad and platoon-level instruction. It proved so effective that it was later used to train Third World guerrillas in their wars of national liberation during the 1950s–70s, and even the Fedayeen guerrillas who fought US and coalition forces in Iraq. The Soviet partisans moved and lived clandestinely, harassed the enemy, and supported the Red Army through reconnaissance and attacks on German supply lines. They clearly frustrated German logistics and forced the Germans to periodically sideline divisions for rear-area security. The partisans and their handbook were a vital part of the eventual Soviet victory over Germany. This pocket manual puts The Partisan's Companion in context, explaining its importance.

No Better Place to Die

No Better Place to Die PDF Author: Robert Murphy
Publisher: Casemate
ISBN: 1935149881
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 267

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Book Description
The you-are-there story of one of the most ferocious small-unit combats in US history . . . As part of the massive Allied invasion of Normandy, three airborne divisions were dropped behind enemy lines to sew confusion in the German rear and prevent panzer reinforcements from reaching the beaches. In the dark early hours of D-Day, this confusion was achieved well enough, as nearly every airborne unit missed its drop zone, creating a kaleidoscope of small-unit combat. Fortunately for the Allies, the 505th Regimental Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division hit on or near its drop zone. Its task was to seize the vital crossroads of Ste Mère Eglise, and to hold the bridge over the Merderet River at nearby La Fière. Benefiting from dynamic battlefield leadership, the paratroopers reached the bridge, only to be met by wave after wave of German tanks and infantry desperate to force the crossing. Reinforced by glider troops, who suffered terribly in their landings from the now-alert Germans, the 505th not only held the vital bridge for three days but launched a counterattack in the teeth of enemy fire to secure their objective once and for all, albeit at gruesome cost. In No Better Place to Die, Robert M. Murphy provides an objective narrative of countless acts of heroism, almost breathtaking in its “you are there” detail. No World War II veteran is better known in 82nd Airborne circles than Robert M. (“Bob”) Murphy. A Pathfinder and member of A Company, 505th PIR, Bob was wounded three times in action, and made all four combat jumps with his regiment, fighting in Sicily, Italy, Normandy, and Holland. He was decorated for valor for his role at La Fière, and is a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor. After the war, he was instrumental in establishing the 505th RCT Association. A selection of the Military Book Club

The U. S. Army Infantryman Vietnam Pocket Manual

The U. S. Army Infantryman Vietnam Pocket Manual PDF Author: Chris McNab
Publisher: Casemate
ISBN: 9781636240305
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 160

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Book Description
A detailed insight into what it was like as an infantryman during the Vietnam War, drawing on field manuals from the time, declassified primary documents and first-hand accounts.

The Tank Commander Pocket Manual

The Tank Commander Pocket Manual PDF Author: R. Sheppard
Publisher: Pool of London Press
ISBN: 1910860271
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
From the pioneering tactics and terror of the Blitzkrieg assault, through the carnage of Barbarossa, Kursk, the Desert War, and the Normandy Bocage and the Battle of the Bulge, there were perhaps no more unsettling and merciless positions to occupy in the Second World War than that of a tank commander. This new book puts the reader at the very heart of this “hell on wheels” and presents all of the original information required to perform this most dangerous of wartime battlefield roles. From training manuals and war office memorandums to combat reports and first-hand accounts, The Tank Commander Pocket Manual sits you in the turret position of commander of some of the most fearsome land vehicles. These include the Soviet T-34, the German Panther and its nemesis the American Sherman, the terrifying Tiger I as well as tank variants including flamethrowers and tank destroyers such as the Allied M10 and the StuG III. Original documents, diagrams, technical drawings and reports have been collated and compiled from archives and collections to include original Russian, German and English angles on the commander’s many roles including how to ‘run’ the rest of the crew of this most decisive weapon of the Second World War. • Published to mark the centenary of the tank • Rare, previously unpublished documents • Attractively produced in cloth-bound retro-styled case R Shepherd has worked for many years in military publishing for leading companies such as Casemate and Osprey, and has compiled a number of books. Pool of London Pocket Manuals The new Pocket-Manual series from the Pool of London Press presents some of the most iconic military, naval and transport machines from the last 100 years by means of compiling the original documents, confidential memos, plans and artworks that contributed to their celebrated history. This approach allows the modern reader both to have an excellent understanding of the development of these extremely influential aircraft, AFVs, ships, automobiles and trains, but also provides the unique opportunity for further interpretation through the study of many previously unpublished original documents, diagrams and illustrations. Every volume in the series is skillfully compiled and researched by the leading experts in their field who also provide a lengthy contextualizing introduction. Superbly priced, retro-styled to their historical period, and beautifully hard-bound in debossed cloth, the Pool of London Pockets sell as self-purchase, gift and are excellently suited to book trade as well as to museum stores and heritage outlets across the world.

The Paratrooper Generals

The Paratrooper Generals PDF Author: Mitchell Yockelson
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 0811768511
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
A military history detailing the key role two US Army special forces commanders and their infantry divisions played in during the second world war. Generals during World War II usually stayed to the rear, but not Matthew Ridgway and Maxwell Taylor. During D-Day and the Normandy campaign, these commanders of the 82nd “All-American” and the 101st “Screaming Eagle” Airborne Divisions refused to remain behind the lines and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with their paratroopers in the thick of combat. Jumping into Normandy during the early hours of D-Day, Ridgway and Taylor fought on the ground for six weeks of combat that cost the airborne divisions more than forty percent casualties. The Paratrooper Generals is the first book to explore in depth the significant role these two division commanders played on D-Day, describing the extraordinary courage and leadership they demonstrated throughout the most important American campaign of World War II.

Destroyers At Normandy: Naval Gunfire Support At Omaha Beach [Illustrated Edition]

Destroyers At Normandy: Naval Gunfire Support At Omaha Beach [Illustrated Edition] PDF Author: William B. Kirkland
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
ISBN: 1786257653
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 138

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Book Description
Includes numerous maps and illustrations. This monograph provides first-hand accounts of Destroyer Squadron 18 during this critical battle upon which so much of the success of our campaign in Europe would depend. Their experience at Omaha Beach can be looked upon as typical of most U.S. warships engaged at Normandy. On the other hand, from the author’s research it appears evident that this destroyer squadron, with their British counterparts, may have had a more pivotal influence on the breakout from the beachhead and the success of the subsequent campaign than was heretofore realized. Its contributions certainly provide a basis for discussion among veterans and research by historians, as well as a solid, professional account of naval action in support of the Normandy landings.

Simple Sabotage Field Manual

Simple Sabotage Field Manual PDF Author: Office of Strategic Services
Publisher: The Floating Press
ISBN: 1775415473
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 70

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Book Description
This Simple Sabotage Field Manual, a genuine guide from the Second World War, states that its purpose is to "characterize simple sabotage, to outline its possible effects, and to present suggestions for inciting and executing it." Among the other fine pieces of advice in this handy volume, one is encouraged to "switch address labels on enemy baggage", "let cutting tools grow dull", "forget to provide paper in toilets", and "change sign posts at intersections and forks; the enemy will go the wrong way and it may be miles before he discovers his mistakes."