Autocannon is a comprehensive history of the development of automatic cannon and their ammunition from the end of the nineteenth century up to the present day. A brief history of their development is followed by sections examining the basic principles of gun and ammunition design, including various unconventional systems. Next comes a survey of cartridges in calibre order, from 20mm to 57mm, including not only ammunition that has seen service, but also a wide range of experimental types. Finally there is a survey of the cannon, grouped by nationality, which again includes many experimental models. The book includes data on about 200 different cartridges and 400 cannon, and has nearly 500 illustrations. It is the culmination of decades of research, and is unmatched in its coverage of this subject.

Popularly known as the AK47 or just AK, the 7.62mm Avtomat Kalashnikov obrazets 1947g was accepted into service by the Soviet Army in 1947. Despite its widespread use by the Soviet armed forces, the AK only became known in the West during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, when Soviet troops sent to quell the uprising carried the new weapon. Since then it has become probably the most widely recognized firearm of all time, having seen action in most of the conflicts of the past six decades.The Kalashnikov has been produced in many variants and calibres, and this book concentrates on those in the original 7.62mm form. Illustrated with over 350 colour photographs of AK variants produced around the world, including close-ups of the many fascinating detail differences, this work will be an invaluable addition to the bookshelf of anyone with an interest in modern military firearms. The most widely used firearm of the post-war era - the Kalashnikov rifle has become an icon of revolutionary struggle. Covers the principal design features of the AK variants that used the original 7.62x39mm M1943 cartridge. Will be of great interest to militaria enthusiasts, collectors and military historians of modern military firearms. Superbly illustrated with 350 colour photographs showing the different versions produced around the world. Martin J Brayley has a keen interest in military history and is a professional photogapher, author and dedicated militaria researcher and collector.

The History of Armour 1100 - 1700 offers a detailed account of how armour developed through the Medieval, Tudor, Elizabethan and Civil War eras, carefully itemizing the subtle changes over a six hundred year period. Each chapter focuses on an individual area of body protection, charting the evolution of each piece over time, from helmets and chest protection to arm guards, gauntlets, leg guards and sabatons. The book also encompasses the use of weaponry and its evolution, including protection for the horse.With the aid of the authors superb photographs and illustrations, the book looks at how fashions, as well as its protective qualities, influenced the style of armour. Valuable information has been acquired through the study of effigies over a number of years, and using these existing artifacts, supplemented by the authors meticulous illustrations and practical knowlege of armour construction, it has been possible to reconstruct the design and appearance of a wide range of armour. A meticulous study of the development of the knights protective armour and weaponry over a six hundred year period. Through the study of effigies over a number of years, the author has been able to reconstruct the design of a wide range of armour. An invaluable resource for historians, re-enactors, collectors and all those with an interest in miltiary or medieval history. Superbly illustrated with 275 colour photographs and illustrations. Paul Walker gives lectures in armour and weapons for English Heritage and has a lifelong interest in historical warfare.

Tank Turret Fortifications traces the origins of the idea from the development of the first armoured turrets in the nineteenth century through to the present day. On the way it covers the inter-war period when the first turrets were used in this way, the Second World War, when tank turrets were used on every front in the European Theatre of Operations, and the post-war period, when tank turrets were used even more widely. The book also details the decline of the idea as countries reassessed the threats they faced and slowly dismantled all their fixed fortifications. Widely used during World War Two and since, tank turret fortifications deserve a history, and Neil Short has spent several years writing this, the first proper study.

This is a marvellous book. The research is very thorough and it will answer all my questions. RICHARD WILLIS, Normandy veteran, first lieutenant on LCT 898 on D-DayBrings to life the planning and execution of the largest amphibious landing which the world has ever seen My grandfather would have been most impressed by this detailed research. CAPTAIN WILL RAMSAY, grandson of Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, Allied Naval Commander, Expeditionary ForceD-Day, one of the most decisive moments of the Second World War, could not have happened without thousands of landing craft. Yet their role, and that of their crews, has often been overlooked.During a combined operation that involved aerial and naval assaults, as well as amphibious landings on a vast scale, more than 132,000 Allied troops landed on the Normandy beaches on 6 June 1944. Through their efforts, the tide of the war turned for the final time to favour the Allies.There is no overstating the contribution of the landing craft and their crews on the first day of Operation Neptune, and yet it is often overlooked. In D-Day Landing Craft, historian Andrew Whitmarsh turns his attention to these vital vessels that ensured the operations success. He describes events on each of the five Allied beaches on D-Day from the perspective of landing craft, landing ships and their crews. He examines why there were so many different types of landing craft and how they were built over several years in both the UK and North America, despite many competing war production requirements and operational demands. This closely researched and well-illustrated account is essential to anyone who wants to fully understand the course of D-Day, and the nature of Allied preparations for the campaign.

Aimed at military model makers and wargamers who are interested in the armoured fighting vehicles of the United States as used throughout World War II, this book follows on fromModelling British World War II Armoured Vehiclesby the same author. The book places its emphasis on US Army and US Marine Corps AFVs modelled mainly in 1/72 and 1/48 scales, in a deliberate departure from the more popular 1/35 scale, to encourage and inspire model makers who are new to or less familiar with these scales. Illustrated with over 270 colour photos this book features every major US AFV used in World War II, with many models shown in various stages of construction and paintings. It presents step-by-step guides demonstrating the painting techniques appropriate for different scales and includes an additional section showing how to paint wargames models. There is also a review of how the USA developed tanks and other armoured vehicles from the interwar period through to the end of World War II. This fascinating story will help model makers and wargamers give the vehicles they build an historical context.

The role of the bomber has proved to be on of the most controversial aspects of twentieth-century warfare. Bombers tells the story of the bomber with a blend of narrative and personal accounts, recording the history of the principle bombing raids and the skill and courage of those who flew them. David Wragg begins with a brief overview of the origins of the concept of aerial bombardment, which astonishingly go back several thousand years. He then describes the early raids of the First World War and the use of the bomber between the wars by the Germans in the Spanish Civil War, the Italians in Abyssinia and by the Japanese in China. The Second World War marked the massive deployment of the bomber by the main combatants as a major tactical and strategic weapon and, bringing this in-depth study up to date, Wragg examines the United States controversial campaign of extensive bombing in Vietnam during the 1960s and 70s. He also discusses whether, with the growing use of cruise missiles, the manned bomber may soon be the first element of air power to be made redundant in this age of high technology. Fully illustrated with a wide selection of photographs, Bombers will appeal to all with an interest in this key weapon of twentieth-century warfare.

Since its creation in 1716, the Royal Artillery has been a cornerstone of the British Armed Forces, as their motto Ubique, Everywhere implies. In this book Philip Jobson has collated the enormous and complex artillery lexicon which has accumulated since that day, as dynamic as its subject to keep pace with technical and tactical innovation. The development of indirect fire, counter battery, anti-tank and anti-aircraft fire all required a novel vocabulary, as did advances in survey and locating. Changes in communication from shouts, to flags, to line, to radio, to compressed data transmission all left their mark on the language. Epic in scope and detail, even the most expert Gunner would be likely to fail an unseen test based on this work. It will therefore be a pleasure to those who think themselves expert to browse this volume, and will serve as an invaluable reference for historians and researchers to ensure that they use the correct term and understand its true meaning.

Detailing the Lancasters history from 194245, this study brings everything together to tell a concise history of the worlds most famous aircraft of all time and undoubtedly the finest bomber of the Second World War. A superlative and unique colour section of over fifty contemporary photographs of the Lancaster is featured, while the text is complemented by over 150 rare and seldom seen black and white images. Well researched and expertly written, this account is a must read to those interested in the Lancaster and aviation history in general. The book also includes many unique and incredible eyewitness accounts of the raids by Lancaster crews, making Lancaster: Reaping the Whirlwind both a gripping and fascinating read.

Built of plywood and measuring 115 feet long, powered by four supercharged petrol engines and armed to the teeth with heavy weapons, the D Class Motor Gun Boats (MGBs) and Motor Torpedo Boats (MTBs) were better known as Dog Boats and played havoc with enemy shipping in home and foreign waters. During three years of war they engaged the enemy on more than 350 occasions, sinking and damaging many ships. Dog Boats at War is the authoritative account of operations by the Royal Navys D Class MGBs and MTBs in the Second World War in Home, Mediterranean and Norwegian waters. As well as drawing on official records - both British and German - the author has contacted several hundred Dog Boat veterans whose eye witness accounts add drama to the unfolding story.

This book chronicles the overwhelming importance of the military archer in the late medieval period. The longbow played a central role in the English victory at the battles of Crecy and Agincourt. Completely undermining the supremacy of heavy cavalry, the longbow forced a wholesale reassessment of battlefield tactics. Richard Wadge explains what made Englands longbow archers so devastating, detailing the process by which their formidable armament was manufactured and the conditions that produced men capable of continually drawing a bow under a tension of 100 pounds. Uniquely, Wadge looks at the economics behind the supply of longbows to the English army and the social history of the military archer. Crucially, what were the advantages of joining the first professional standing army in England since the days of the Roman conquest? Was it the pay, the booty, or the glory? With its painstaking analysis of contemporary records, Arrowstorm paints a vivid portrait of the life of a professional soldier in the war which forged the English national consciousness.

The First World Wars fierce battles saw the need to develop military technology beyond anything previously imagined: as exposed infantry and cavalry were mowed down by relentless machine-gun attacks, so tanks were developed. Here author Craig Moore presents every First World War tank, from the prototype Little Willie, through the French heavy tanks to the German light tank. He gives a focused history of the development of this game-changing vehicle and the engagements it was used in vital battles such as the Somme and Cambrai. Stunningly illustrated in full colour throughout, Tank Hunter: World War One provides historical background, facts and figures for each First World War tank as well as the locations of any surviving examples, giving you the opportunity to become a Tank Hunter yourself.

The narrative description and condensed history of the Spitfires construction, combat career and post-war service, bought together to tell the complete, concise history of the worlds most famous aircraft of all time and undoubtedly the finest fighter of World War II.When Spitfire at War first appeared in 1974, it enjoyed critical acclaim, for the aircraft had never been described in such terms and detail before. It was followed by a second volume in 1985 and a third volume in 1990. All three volumes sold well and are hailed as classic works on the subject. These important works have been out of print for more than a decade, thereby denying them to the current breed of aviation buffs. The time has come to re-issue the three books as a single volume, the author cherry-picking the choice cuts to produce the finest title on the mighty and beloved Spitfire.

By the time the guns fell silent on 11 November 1918, vast tracts of the European landscape had been so utterly devastated by artillery fire that they were virtually unrecognisable. Of all the many weapons invented by man for the purpose of waging war, artillery must rank among the most destructive of all. Through detailed research, John Norris has traced the development of artillery through the ages and up to the dawn of the twenty-first century, to provide a fascinating study of this principal weapon of warfare. From its earliest recorded use in battle about a millennium ago, up to the recent Gulf War, Balkan and Afghanistan conflicts, artillery has often been the deciding factor in battle. And yet its origins are somewhat vague. The Chinese had been working with gunpowder since the tenth century, yet it was another 200 years before the compound was used to propel a projectile from a long-barrelled bamboo piece of apparatus. Not long after this, the use of artillery spread to Europe and changed the art of warfare. This book traces the development of artillery and its use in battle through the ages.

The Mary Rose was one of King Henry VIIIs favourite warships until she sank during an engagement with the French fleet on 19 July 1545. Her rediscovery and raising were seminal events in the history of nautical archaeology. Apart from the Captain and the Vice Admiral, nothing is known about the crew of the Mary Rose - the only evidence about her complement of 415 men rests with their skeletal remains. In The Men of the Mary Rose A.J. Stirland uses archaeological and skeletal evidence to give the reader a welcome insight into the soldiers of the Mary Rose, from their ages and height to their health, diet and physical condition.This book examines the building, sinking and raising of the Mary Rose and her historical context, before moving on to the examination of what the remain of the crew can reveal to us about the fighting men of that period. Many new findings have been made through analysis of their bones, including the effects of some activities and occupations on the skeletons of the men. This is the first book to deal with the men who made up the crew of the Mary Rose. It provides an exciting glimpse of Tudor life and the Tudor navy, relating archaeological findings to existing documentary evidence, opening a fascinating window into one of Henry VIIIs great ships and a frozen moment of sixteenth-century time. This book will appeal both to professionals in the area, and to those for whom Tudor history holds a general fascination.

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The development of rocket and jet aircraft by the Germans before and during the Second World War is something that intrigues all those interested in the history of aviation. The first trials of the V1 (Doodlebug) were carried out with a pilot at the controls, on occasion the world-famous aviatrix Hannah Reitsch. The first encounter with a jet aircraft by Allied airmen is documented here, including the first shooting down of a jet aircraft by an Allied pilot.Rocket and Jet Aircraft of the Third Reich documents the huge problems faced by the German scientists, designers and engineers, and the pressures put upon them by the German High Command. At the end of the war the Americans and Russians struggled to get their hands on these experts and their data whilst the SS were trying to prevent them falling into Allied hands. Heinkel, Henschel, Junkers and of course Messerschmitt all feature, amongst other pioneering designers, alongside legendary pilots such as Adolf Galland and Walter Nowotny.

This book provides a convenient reference to the history and characteristics of the self-loading pistols that were adopted by the military forces of the nations involved in the two World Wars. It presents a selection of nineteen self-loading pistols - and the firms engaged in their manufacture - during this period, together with a technical appraisal of each weapon. For each pistol a history of both manufacturer and pistol is provided, along with a colour photograph and cutaway views of both the pistol and its breech operation. Details and cutaway views are also provided for the cartridges used by these pistols. All of the weapons illustrated are representative of the pattern issued to the military, and in many cases they continued to be produced for the commercial market. Includes a wealth of technical information and numerous high-quality illustrations prepared specially for the book.

The late nineteenth century saw an unparalleled revolution in warship development as the Victorian navy found itself grappling with intense technical change to ensure its survival in the modern theatre. From the wooden battleships of the 1800s, naval architecture underwent great change to produce a very different form of capital ship, which would have a huge impact and change naval design forever. The pre-dreadnought was constructed of steel, wholly driven by steam power and carried its rifled ordnance in armoured turrets operated by hydraulics. Electrics, mechanical computers, mines and torpedo weapons were also utilised to create an immensely powerful fighting ship the likes of which had never been seen before. This well-illustrated and fascinating history reveals the process involved in that most rapid development, which in such a short time totally altered the naval forces of Britain and ensured that the British Navy remained the most powerful in the world.