Download or read book Commando Strike written by Kenneth Macksey and published by Harvill Secker. This book was released on 1985 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Commando Strike the Story of Amphibious Raiding in World War II written by Macksey, Kenneth and published by [Don Mills, Ont.] : Stoddart. This book was released on 1985 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Commandos From The Sea written by John B. Dwyer and published by Paladin Press. This book was released on 1998-01-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the first time the full story of U.S. amphibious special warfare units during World War II and the Korean War is revealed in gripping, painstakingly researched accounts of battles that few knew even occurred. Author and historian John B. Dwyer spent years gathering these first-person accounts of amphibious commando operations in Europe, North Africa, the Pacific, China, and Korea. From secret joint military-OSS and CIA missions and thrilling submarine ops to river raids deep into Nazi-controlled North Africa to the training and insertion of Korean commandos for a secret war in North Korea to fatal engagements with Japanese occupation forces in China, Dwyer chronicles the heroic feats of men who were willing to try anything and go anywhere to accomplish their dangerous missions. With dramatic action shots of amphibious commandos in action, Commandos from the Sea is the definitive history of America's waterborne warriors of World War II and the Korean War.
Download or read book Special Operations in World War II written by Andrew L. Hargreaves and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 2013-10-28 with total page 605 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Behind the Lines written by Michael F. Dilley and published by Casemate. This book was released on 2013-09-30 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The array of new technologies that came on the scene in the early 20th century resulted in widely varied new forms of military special operations once civilization embarked on its greatest war. Suddenly, fighting men could be delivered by parachute, submarine, glider, jeeps, and fast amphibious craft deep into enemy territory to perform special tasks; yet others would continue to perform missions the same as their ancestors in previous wars—on foot using stealth, endurance and patience. This work contains discussions of the employment of various special purpose, special mission organizations during World War II. These units operated in Allied and Axis countries and in various theaters of war including Europe, North Africa, the Pacific, Asia, and the continental United States. Representing every major combatant, the operations include various kinds of raids, intelligence gathering missions, support to partisan/guerrilla groups, prisoner rescues, direct-action missions, and at least two where the object was simply to steal something. Some missions would have been officially denied if the operations had been caught in the act. The book is divided into two sections: Behind Enemy Lines and Behind Friendly Lines, to demonstrate that special-purpose organizations can be employed wherever needed, even in areas controlled by military units of their own or allied countries. Many of the units described run the gamut of special mission types, from commando to parachute units, reconnaissance to sabotage units, and partisan training units as well as those with combined missions. Many of the operations described in this book continue to serve as templates for modern Special Operations missions, while still others—the first attempts of their kind—continue to serve as examples of what not to try under the circumstances. Michael F. Dilley served for 20 years in the U.S. Army’s Military Intelligence branch. After retiring from the Army, the author served for about ten years as an employee of the Department of Defense, then as a contractor for various U.S. Government agencies in several fields for 15 years. Author of several books and many articles, a number of these chapters are based on his previous writings for the legendary Behind the Lines magazine.
Download or read book Churchill s Secret Invasion written by John Grehan and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2013-09-19 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the spring of 1942 Britain's far-flung empire was in the greatest peril. North Africa was being overrun by the German Afrika Korps and in south-east Asia the forces of Imperial Japan had captured Singapore and were threatening India. Only the most urgent reinforcement of both war fronts could prevent disaster. But Britain's shipping routes to Egypt and India passed the island of Madagascar. If the Japanese Navy, operating out of Madagascar, could severe Britain's communications with Cairo and Delhi, then the whole of North Africa and the Indian sub-continent would be at the mercy of the Axis Powers. In a desperate race against time, and under conditions of the utmost secrecy, at Churchill's instigation Britain planned to seize Madagascar, the fourth largest island in the world, before the Japanese could strike. An overwhelming force was assembled and despatched as part of the largest convoy ever to have left Britain's shores. Yet the expedition's commanders were faced with not just military but also political obstacles, because the forces occupying the island were not those her enemy's but those of her former ally - France. The Secret Invasion is the first book to examine in detail this crucial campaign which was Britain's largest amphibious assault since the First World War and the first large-scale combined air, sea and land operation Britain had attempted.
Download or read book Killing the Enemy written by Adam Leong Kok Wey and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2015-09-28 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During World War II, the British formed a secret division, the 'SOE' or Special Operations Executive, in order to support resistance organisations in occupied Europe. It also engaged in 'targeted killing' - the assassination of enemy political and military leaders. The unit is famous for equipping its agents with tools for use behind enemy lines, such as folding motorbikes, miniature submarines and suicide pills disguised as coat buttons. But its activities are now also gaining attention as a forerunner to today's 'extra-legal' killings of wartime enemies in foreign territory, for example through the use of unmanned drones. Adam Leong's work evaluates the effectiveness of political assassination in wartime using four examples: Heydrich's assassination in Prague (Operation Anthropoid); the daring kidnap of Major General Kreipe in Crete by Patrick Leigh Fermor; the failed attempt to assassinate Rommel, known as Operation Flipper; and the American assassination of General Yamamoto.
Download or read book International Encyclopedia of Military History written by James C. Bradford and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2004-12-01 with total page 3109 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With its impressive breadth of coverage – both geographically and chronologically – the International Encyclopedia of Military History is the most up-to-date and inclusive A-Z resource on military history. From uniforms and military insignia worn by combatants to the brilliant military leaders and tacticians who commanded them, the campaigns and wars to the weapons and equipment used in them, this international and multi-cultural two-volume set is an accessible resource combining the latest scholarship in the field with a world perspective on military history.
Download or read book The Routledge Atlas of the Second World War written by Martin Gilbert and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-03-05 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Routledge Atlas of the Second World War, Martin Gilbert graphically charts the war’s political, military, economic and social history through 247 maps. Each map has been specially drawn for this atlas, many of them covering topics that have not previously been mapped. The atlas covers all the major events from the German invasion of Poland in September 1939 to the defeat of Japan in August 1945, including the Blitz, the Fall of France, Pearl Harbor, the naval Battles of the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific, Dieppe, Stalingrad, Midway, the Normandy Landings, the bombing of Warsaw, London, Coventry, Hamburg, Dresden, Tokyo, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Burma Railway, concentration camps and slave labour camps, and prisoner-of-war camps in Europe, the Americas and the Far East. Focusing on the human - and inhuman - aspects of the war, The Routledge Atlas of the Second World War includes examination of: Military, naval and air campaigns on all the war fronts The war on land, at sea and in the air The economic and social aspects of the war The global nature of the war, in armed combat and in suffering The impact of the war on civilians, both under occupation, and as deportees and refugees The aftermath of the war: the post-war political and national boundaries; war graves, and the human cost of the war on every continent.
Download or read book Operation Chariot written by Jon Cooksey and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2005-09-19 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By March 1942, mainland France had been under German occupation for almost two years. Every month that passed saw Germany bolster her defenses against an expected allied invasion. Every month that passed saw Germany tighten her grip on Britain's transatlantic lifeline; menacing allied shipping from the French west coast ports. At St Nazaire on the Loire estuary, the vast Normandie dry dock was the only one capable of holding the mighty battleship Tirpitz, still at large and free to hunt allied ships. Something had to be done. Operation Chariot was conceived; an audacious plan to mount a large-scale commando raid on the Normandie dock using a loaned US destroyer packed with high explosive as a battering ram. For the Germans at St Nazaire the invasion came earlier than expected. In the dead of night British commandos were landed and swarmed over the quaysides to destroy key installations. Grit, determination and training carried them forward to accomplish their mission at a heavy price in dead, wounded and captured. The award of more than eighty decorations for the raid - including five VCs - bore witness to the ferocity of the struggle to strike at the Germans in France.
Download or read book Naval Warfare 1919 45 written by Malcolm H. Murfett and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2008-11-04 with total page 18 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Naval Warfare 1919–45 is a comprehensive history of the war at sea from the end of the Great War to the end of World War Two. Showing the bewildering nature and complexity of the war facing those charged with fighting it around the world, this book ranges far and wide: sweeping across all naval theatres and those powers performing major, as well as minor, roles within them. Armed with the latest material from an extensive set of sources, Malcolm H. Murfett has written an absorbing as well as a comprehensive reference work. He demonstrates that superior equipment and the best intelligence, ominous power and systematic planning, vast finance and suitable training are often simply not enough in themselves to guarantee the successful outcome of a particular encounter at sea. Sometimes the narrow difference between victory and defeat hinges on those infinite variables: the individual’s performance under acute pressure and sheer luck. Naval Warfare 1919–45 is an analytical and interpretive study which is an accessible and fascinating read both for students and for interested members of the general public.
Download or read book Special Operations in Norway written by Ian Herrington and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2019-04-04 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Between 1940 and 1945, Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) carried out sabotage and organised resistance across occupied Europe. Over 5 years, SOE sent over 500 agents into Norway to carry out a range of operations from sabotage and assassination to attempts to organise an underground guerrilla army. This book is the first multi-archival, international academic analysis of SOE's policy and operations in Norway and the influences that shaped them, challenging previous interpretations of the relationship between this organisation and both the Norwegian authorities and the Milorg resistance movement.
Download or read book Litani River written by Ian McHarg and published by Fastprint Publishing. This book was released on 2011 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Litani River is the story of No.11 (Scottish) Commando's daring raid behind enemy lines during Operation Exporter in Syria in 1941. The book follows the unit's officers and men from its formation in Galashiels, through arduous commando training on the Isle of Arran; and on to the Middle East via Cape Town and Cyprus. The story climaxes with the Commando taking part in the first opposed amphibious landing on an occupied shore by a complete Commando Force. Tasked to land from the sea and attack the enemy from the rear, securing and holding the ground around the Litani River, enabling the advancing 21st Australian Brigade to cross the river and advance on to Beirut. Divided into three parties, X, Y and Z, they run into difficulties immediately; in rough seas and with the danger of their landing craft capsizing, the landing is aborted in clear view of the enemy. The second attempt the following night also has its problems, and instead of landing behind the enemy they are landed in front and are left with no option but to mount frontal assaults against heavily armed and fortified enemy troops who know exactly when and from where they were coming. Chaotic and confused fighting follows with disastrous results for the unit; of the 406 men that landed 130 are killed or wounded in nearly 29-hours of fighting, for which they only had enough ammunition and food to last eight. Among those killed in action was the Commanding Officer, however, despite being out numbered and suffering incredible misfortune and difficulties they were able to hold the line long enough for the Australians to cross the river and continue with their advance to Beirut. For their gallantry four Military Crosses, one Military Medal and two Distinguished Conduct Medals were awarded. The book tells the story from the words of the men themselves, through official reports, personal recollections, and from a series of interviews and correspondence with surviving members of the Commando.
Download or read book Casting Light on the Shadows written by Bernd Horn and published by Dundurn. This book was released on 2007-02-28 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Special Operations Forces (SOF) have never been an integral element of Canada's military capability. Although units have existed periodically throughout the country's history, they have always been in the shadows. However, the terrorist attack in the United States on September 11, 2001, changed that. In the aftermath of 9/11, SOF became the force of choice. Casting Light on the Shadows consists of a series of essays on SOF-related issues written by individuals with specialized knowledge and expertise in the field. As well as providing a solid foundation for SOF theory, historical background, and evolution, the book also highlights ongoing developments in SOF.
Download or read book Invaders written by Colin John Bruce and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Amphibious invasions on an unprecedented scale were one of the unique features of the Second World War, and in this book the veterans of those landings tell their own stories, charting the development of the Allies' capability to strike from the sea, from the small-scale commando raids of the early years of the war, through the disaster of Dieppe to the pinnacle of their achievement, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944. At the same time, the US Marines were fighting their island-hopping campaign against the Japanese in the Pacific, projecting force over greater distances than in any previous war. From the vivid recollections of hundreds of veterans - soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines - the author has created an unparalleled insight into the nature of amphibious warfare: the dangers and difficulties of putting troops and vehicles ashore on an unprepared beach in the teeth of enemy fire, operating the unique weapons and vehicles developed after bitter experience for this highly-specialised form of combat, and also the everyday routine and even humour that was a part of their lives in the services.
Download or read book Scouts and Raiders written by John B. Dwyer and published by Praeger. This book was released on 1993-03-17 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The history of the Scouts & Raiders of World War II is the story of the original ancestors of today's elite SEAL teams. As the Navy's first special warfare commandos these highly trained and skilled officer/enlisted boat crews conducted pre-assault recons of landing beaches, hydrographic recons, marked assault beaches, and guided in assault waves from 36-foot Scout boats, rubber boats, and kayaks at North Africa, Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, Southern France, and Normandy, earning numerous decorations for heroism, including 8 Navy Crosses. In the Mediterranean, S&Rs trained elite units such as Rangers and the 1st Special Service Force, and were assigned to Special Operations Task Group 80.4 and the Adriatic Special Operations Group, working with Allied units supporting Tito's partisans. In the Pacific, S&Rs served as Scout Intelligence Officers, Amphibious Scouts, Beachmasters, and with Underwater Demolition Teams with 5th and 7th Amphibious Forces from Kwajalein to Okinawa and in the Philippines campaign. They served in Admiral Milton Miles' U.S. Naval Group, China, training Nationalist Chinese guerrillas, participating in raids and ambushes and conducting behind-the-lines overland recons, disguised as coolies to escape detection by Japanese forces. Highly trained, skilled and brave, the Scouts & Raiders were the Navy's first special warfare commandos. This book will be useful for anyone interested in military/naval history, amphibious operations and special warfare. It tells, for the first time, the story of the Scouts & Raiders, a unique World War II unit.
Download or read book The Royal Navy in World War Two written by Derek G. Law and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
