“It involves some tense moments, and these are recorded vividly in this book, including interviews with many TD veterans, plus official reports and documents.”The Tank Killers is the story of the American Tank Destroyer Force in North Africa, Italy, and the European Theatre during World War II. The tank destroyer (TD) was a bold-if some would say flawed-answer to the challenge posed by the seemingly unstoppable German blitzkrieg. The TD was conceived to be light and fast enough to outmanoeuvre panzer forces and go where tanks could not. At the same time, the TD would wield the firepower needed to kill any German tank on the battlefield. Indeed, American doctrine stipulated that TDs would fight tanks, while American tanks would concentrate on achieving and exploiting breakthroughs of enemy lines.The Tank Killers follows the men who fought in the TDs from the formation of the force in 1941 through the victory over the Third Reich in 1945. It is a story of American flexibility and pragmatism in military affairs. Tank destroyers were among the very first units to land in North Africa in 1942. Their first vehicles were ad hoc affairs: Halftracks and weapons carriers with guns no better than those on tanks and thin armour affording the crews considerably less protection. Almost immediately, the crews realised that their doctrine was incomplete. They began adapting to circumstances, along with their partners in the infantry and armoured divisions. By the time that North Africa was in Allied hands, the TD had become a valued tank fighter, assault gun, and artillery piece.The story continues with the invasion of Italy and finally that of Fortress Europe on 6 June 1944. By now, the brass had decreed that half the force would convert to towed guns, a decision that dogged the affected crews through the end of the war. The TD men encountered increasingly lethal enemies, ever more dangerous panzers that were often vulnerable only to their guns while American tank crews watched in frustration as their rounds bounced harmlessly off the thick German armour. They fought under incredibly diverse conditions that demanded constant modification of tactics. By VE day, the tank destroyer battalions had achieved impressive records, generally with kill/loss rates heavily in their favour. Yet the Army after the war concluded that the concept of a separate TD arm was so fundamentally flawed that not a single battalion existed after November 1946.The Tank Killers draws heavily on the records of the tank destroyer battalions and the units with which they fought. Veterans of the force add their personal stories.

The gallant stand of the 101st Airborne Division at Bastogne has long become part of historical and media legend. But how many students of the war realize there was already a U.S. unit holding the town when they arrived? And this unit—the 10th Armored Division—continued to play a major role in its defense throughout the German onslaught.In The Tigers of Bastogne, authors King and Collins finally detail the travails of this young armored division, which had only arrived in Europe that fall, yet found itself subject to the full brunt of Manteuffel’s Fifth Panzer Army in the Ardennes. At first overwhelmed, and then falling back to protect the vital crossroads, the 10th Armored was reinforced (not “saved”) by the Screaming Eagles, and its men and tanks went on to contribute largely to America’s victory in its largest battle of the war.The 10th Armored had only arrived in Europe that September, as part of Patton’s Third Army, and their divisional motto, “Terrify and Destroy,” was somewhat belied by the onslaught of Nazi panzers that burst across no-man’s-land on December 16. Instead their nickname, “The Tiger Division,” became fully earned, as they went on the defensive at Bastogne, surrounded by an entire German army, yet refused to concede a single inch of ground not earned with blood.General Anthony McAuliffe, of the 101st Airborne (and “Nuts” fame), said, “It seems regrettable to me that Combat Command B of the 10th Armored Division didn’t get the credit it deserved at the battle of Bastogne. All the newspaper and radio talk was about the paratroopers. Actually the 10th Armored Division was in there a day before we were and had some very hard fighting before we ever got into it.”Fortunately, in this book, the historical record is finally corrected. With their trademark style, King and Collins, through their firsthand interviews with veterans, bring us straight into the combats of the 10th Armored, equaling the balance between the brave paratroopers and gallant tankers who, together, held off Germany’s last major offensive in the West.

More than seventy years after the end of World War II, many grey areas still surround this period. By launching Juvincourt, August 2, 1944, the first aerial reconnaissance mission for the Arado 234 jet, the eye of the V-2, Hitler played his last card. These striking aerial photographs, taken that day, showed the entire allied positions and lead to the decision to counterattack at Mortain. Curiously, these pictures disappeared from U.S. official archives for half a century. After a long process of research and investigation, Philippe Bauduin, former director of Anvar Lower Normandy, and Eric Charon, journalist, demonstrate, with supporting evidence, that the Battle of Normandy proved an extraordinary challenge for the Allies and the Germans. This new edition of a book also includes the personal photographic archives of two Arado pilots, Sommer and Götz.French Language

This deeply researched book describes one of the great forgotten battles of the 20th century. At its height it involved nearly a million Chinese and Japanese soldiers, while sucking in three million civilians as unwilling spectators and, often, victims. It turned what had been a Japanese adventure in China into a general war between the two oldest and proudest civilizations of the Far East. Ultimately, it led to Pearl Harbor and to seven decades of tumultuous history in Asia. The Battle of Shanghai was a pivotal event that helped define and shape the modern world.In its sheer scale, the struggle for China’s largest city was a sinister forewarning of what was in store for the rest of mankind only a few years hence, in theaters around the world. It demonstrated how technology had given rise to new forms of warfare, or had made old forms even more lethal. Amphibious landings, tank assaults, aerial dogfights and most importantly, urban combat, all happened in Shanghai in 1937. It was a dress rehearsal for World War II—or perhaps more correctly it was the inaugural act in the war—the first major battle in the global conflict.Actors from a variety of nations were present in Shanghai during the three fateful autumn months when the battle raged. The rich cast included China's ascetic Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and his Japanese adversary, General Matsui Iwane, who wanted Asia to rise from disunity, but ultimately pushed the continent toward its deadliest conflict ever. Claire Chennault, later of “Flying Tiger” fame, was among the figures emerging in the course of the campaign, as was First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. In an ironic twist, Alexander von Falkenhausen, a stern German veteran of the Great War, abandoned his role as a mere advisor to the Chinese army and led it into battle against the Japanese invaders.Written by Peter Harmsen, a foreign correspondent in East Asia for two decades, and currently bureau chief in Taiwan for the French news agency AFP, Shanghai 1937 fills a gaping chasm in our understanding of the Second World War.

With only a few good men and women, and in spite of the unrelenting pressure of both German and Vichy security services, the BCRA managed to establish a series of resistance networks that eventually provided up to 75% of the vital intelligence needed for the preparation of the June 1944 Normandy landings. Based on little known or ignored documents, this latest addition to the Resistance series presents General de Gaulle’s secret services that went from being no more than a small band of amateurs in 1940 to a key element of the Free French contribution to final victory.

Established on 1 October 1949, the Sturmgeschütz Brigade participated in Operation Barbarossa in Ukraine all the way to the gates of Moscow. In 1942 it fought on the Terek in the Ukraine and then onto Sebastopol, Yugoslavia and then Hungry. Its successes can be attributed to the numerous recipients of the Knights Cross included among its ranks. Over 360 photographs and original pieces of documentation are included in this well researched work.French Language

The 9th SS Panzer Division "Hohenstaufen", also known as SS-Panzergrenadier-Division 9, SS-Panzergrenadier-Division 9 Hohenstaufen or 9. SS-Panzer-Division Hohenstaufen, was a German Waffen-SS Armoured division which saw action on both the Eastern and Western Fronts during World War II. The division was activated on the 31 December 1942. The men of the division were German conscripts aged 18, with a cadre of experienced staff from the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. Their first action was in March 1944 in Poland, they were then moved to Normandy in June 1944. After the retreat from France they were moved to Arnhem in September 1944, to rest and refit and became involved in the Allied parachute landings. Their next action was the German advance in the Ardennes in the winter of 1944–1945. After the defeat in the Ardennes they were then moved to Hungary, and took part in the fighting to the west of Budapest in February and March. Falling back into Austria the division surrendered to the advancing United States Army on the 5 May 1945, at Steyr.Included are over 130 previously unpublished photos along with day by day reportage from 17 December 1944 to the capitulation from Sturmmann Semmler of the 4th battery. French Language

Located at an isolated house on the cliffs of Bruneval, near Le Havre, the German radio site was considered to be responsible for the loss of many British bombers. It became very important that the receiver was destroyed as it gave the Germans early warning of any Allied ships and aircraft approaching the coast of Western Europe. The attack, on the night of February 27th 1942, was a major success, and demonstrated the military importance of a small and highly trained group of men and the impact they could have on a specific target when given a specific task to do. After twenty years of interviews and research, author Alain Millet details the British airborne units as well as the German radar technicians, the latter providing him with superb and exceptional photos from the battle. The work is also accompanied by documentation of the German radar systems and their positions along the Normandy coast. Along with an extensive collection of black and white images, Millet provides several colour photographs.French Language

This book covers the exploits of the 1st Marine Division. It show how they fought alone on the Guadalcanal front against the Japanese under particularly difficult circumstances, defeated the Japanese garrisons at Cape Gloucester and Peleliu, and played a key role in the Battle of Okinawa. It tells of how twenty-two of their men were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor (when divisions which have been the subject of dozens of publications, such as the 82nd and 101st Airborne have won three each), the most famous of whom was undoubtedly John Basilone. Each of their battles ended in victory and it is no exaggeration to describe them as the best combat division during the Second World War. This book therefore fills an incredible gap in the historical record and a forms a tribute, through 800 mostly unpublished photographs to this elite unit. Charles Trang invites us once again to dive into the terrible battles of the war in the Pacific and guides us through these sometimes brutal but nonetheless indispensable documents. A magnificently produced volume of 420 pages and nearly 800 photos.French Language

This new book is published to mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of El Alamein. It has a special place among the major battles of the Second World War, and is linked to the name of two great leaders that commanded in this battle: Rommel and Montgomery. We follow the checking of Rommel’s advance at El Alamein (July 1 - September 2, 1942) and the victorious counter-offensive of Montgomery (October 23, November 4, 1942). French Language

This book presents the history of the famous Major Witzig, born on August 14, 1916, aspiring officer on April 1, 1935, head of the engineering section of the Fallschirm-Infantry Battalion in August 1938, with which he captured Fort Eben-Emael at dawn on May 10, 1940, capturing 1,200 soldiers with his 55 paratroopers. Awarded the Knight's Cross, he jumped in Crete where he was seriously injured. Afterwards, he commanded a battalion of paratroopers in Tunisia and on the Eastern Front. He was attributed the oak leaf cluster. After the war, he became a colonel in the Bundeswehr.French Language

In Heimdal’s latest collection, this portfolio focuses on tanks in 1940 France.In addition to a detailed presentation of the equipment, unit and leadership, information is also provided as to what fate they eventually met. With 160 colour pages, this work is full of unique photos of the destruction these tanks underwent on the battlefield. French Language

Included in this richly illustrated work by Daniel Blanchard are over 50 portfolios of American soldiers, ranging from paratroopers, pilots, infantrymen, tank specialists, plus many more. Blanchard retraces the history of American military units via their uniforms and equipment brought back by the GIs. French Language

Alongside their British and Canadian allies, the American troops landed on the Normandy beaches on the 6th of June 1944. Today, their presence in Normandy on D-Day appears as if it were perfectly obvious. The reality behind it is a little more complicated. When war broke out in Europe in September 1939, a survey revealed that only 2.5% of Americans were in favour of their country joining the conflict. At the time, the US Army ranked roughly in twentieth position among armed forces across the globe and the nation's economy was as yet to recover from the 1929 crash.On the 7th of December, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was to hasten the United States' involvement in the war. In just a few years, the immense war effort deployed by the world's most powerful nation was to irreversibly tip the scales in favour of the Allies.The first American soldiers arrived in Belfast as early as January 1942. By the spring of 1944, 1,700,000 were posted in the United Kingdom. Some of them spent months there before heading for Normandy to contribute towards the liberation of France and Western Europe.First and foremost, this book offers an account of their long journey. It also concentrates on the hostilities that marked the summer of 1944, covering aspects which are often left in the shadows, such as how the army operated out in the field, the day-to-day lives of the GIs, their relationships with the local population or the great burden of the presence of the Americans in Normandy – for by late July, there were three times as many GIs in the Cotentin and Bessin as there were inhabitants!

This intimately researched work tells the story of the thousand-plus Depression-era civilian contractors who came to Wake Island, a remote Pacific atoll, in 1941 to build an air station for the U.S. Navy. Author Gilbert charts the contractors’ hard-won progress as they scramble to build the naval base as well as runways for the U.

Although not nearly as well known as other U.S. Army senior commanders, General Mark Clark is one of the four men - along with Eisenhower, Patton, and Bradley - who historian Martin Blumenson called “the essential quartet of American leaders who achieved victory in Europe. ” Eisenhower nicknamed him the American Eagle. A skilled staff officer, Clark rose quickly through the ranks, and by the time America entered the war he was deputy commander of Allied Forces in North Africa. Several weeks before Operation Torch, Clark landed by submarine in a daring mission to negotiate the cooperation of the Vichy French. He was subsequently named commander of U.