Download or read book The Eyes of the Desert Rats written by David Syrett and published by Helion. This book was released on 2014-08-19 with total page 331 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Made up of members of the Coldstream and Scots Guards, British Yeomanry cavalry regiments, New Zealanders, South Africans, and Indian Army men, the Long Range Desert Group was perhaps the most effective of all the "special forces" established by the Allies during the Second World War. It was able to go thousands of miles into enemy territory, well-armed and carrying its own supplies of petrol, food and even water to last for weeks at a time - something quite new in military history. Using experience acquired in WWI and inter-war exploration travels, the LRDG thus developed the ability to appear almost anywhere in the desert to carry out almost every type of ground reconnaissance mission possible in desert warfare, exploring and mapping the terrain, transporting agents behind enemy lines or determining the strength and location of enemy forces with an extraordinary degree of accuracy and detail and thus able to verify or hide Ultra intelligence. Equally important were their skills in the art of desert navigation, demonstrated in the outflanking of the enemy during the Allied advance from El Alamein westward to Tunisia, as led by the LRDG. Once it had teamed up with the Special Air Service (SAS), made up of British, Free French, Commonwealth and Jewish Palestinian soldiers, the LRDG perfected the art of irregular mechanized warfare conducted in the rear of the enemy's forces in the desert, attacking enemy installations of all kinds, mining roads, raiding airfields, destroying enemy aircraft on the ground and inflicting losses upon the enemy in inverse proportion to their own remarkably low rate of casualties. Through meticulous research in original archival material, this book thus tells the extraordinary story of how a relatively small number of dedicated men developed the methods and techniques for crossing by motor vehicle the depths of the then unmapped and seemingly impassable great deserts of Egypt and Libya, the Western Desert, during the British Army's North African Campaign of 1940-43. The Long Range Desert Group and the Special Air Service as a matter of course did extraordinary things - the heroic was the commonplace. Their tactics, techniques and remarkable success in desert warfare continue to make them of great interest to the student of military affairs. Likewise, as it seeks to answer how the deep desert can best be used for military purposes, this study is pertinent to today's military operations, perhaps more so than at any time since World War II. "…this study provides fresh insights into the nature of desert warfare, past, present and future… [and] reveals the peculiarities of this warfare often lost to modern armies… a virtual primer, useful to commanders and soldiers alike. At long last this book can find its rightful place in the classroom of military courses and colleges and in the hands of those interested in the intricacies, complexities and problems of military operations in desert regions". From the Foreword to the book by Colonel (Retired) David M. Glantz.

Download or read book Fighting with the Long Range Desert Group written by Brendan O'Carroll and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2022-06-30 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Formed in 1940 the Long Range Desert Group was the first Allied Special Forces unit established to operate behind German and Italian lines in North Africa. Its officers and men were volunteers recruited from British and Commonwealth units. Merlyn Craw was serving with the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force when he joined the LRDG in 1941. He took part in numerous missions in the desert. The navigational driving and fighting skills of the LRDG were legendary and they were frequently responsible for transporting Stirling’s SAS detachments on raids. Merlyn’s luck ran out when he was captured on the Barce raid in September 1942, but he escaped twice, the second time making it back to Allied lines. Sent home on leave, he returned to Italy with the New Zealand Army. After a ‘disagreement’ he went AWOL and rejoined the LRDG with no questions asked, serving until the end of the war. Drawing on interviews with Merlyn and other former LRDG veterans, the author has created a vivid picture of this exceptional and highly decorated fighting man. Readers cannot fail to be impressed by the courage and ruthless determination of Merlyn Craw MM and his comrades.

Download or read book R Patrol Long Range Desert Group written by Brendan O'Carroll and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2024-11-30 with total page 498 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the story of the New Zealand R Patrol, Long Range Desert Group, who within their ranks had some very distinguished icons such as Jake Easonsmith, Don Steele, Dick Croucher Tony Browne, Bluey Grimsey, and Buster Gibb. Their stories are told, including that of many others, mostly in the words of the participants themselves by way of wartime operational reports, diaries, personal letters, and post war interviews. This provides a human touch to the narrative, examining the thoughts and observations of those who served. The work also explains the formation of the unit, including its early missions and of the vehicles, supplies, weapons, and equipment used. In addition, serving as a ‘Taxi Service’ for behind the line missions carrying agents, commandos, military observers, rescuing downed airmen and escaped PoWs. Chapters are also devoted to working with the SAS and Free French, supporting the Eighth Army, and undertaking the Road Watch. This includes dramatic accounts of air attacks and ground actions against enemy convoys and engagements with Axis forces. This is all supported by 288 images including maps and art.

Download or read book TRACKS June 2021 written by Ian Chard and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2021-03-24 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Kuno Gross: Most probably the readers of this magazine have never heard of the original TRACKS. I was in the very same situation until by the end of 2020, when NZ LRDG-historian Brendan OCarroll has provided me with a hardly readable copy of the June 1941 issue of TRACKS. I was immediately fascinated by these windows into the past and just thought: "We should revive TRACKS! " The editor of the original Tracks was, that time 20 years old, TA Sgt. N.A Moore, a clerk attached to LRDG Group HQ. The June 1941 issue was created by him when the LRDG HQ was located at Kufra. There he got the idea to create a "house paper" for the unit. He recalled in a letter which was published in the 1991 Newsletter of the LRDG Association, that there were only a very limited number of people who were willing to contribute and that this first edition was mainly launched thanks to the contribution of Lieut. Col. Bagnold and Captain Kennedy Shaw. And indeed, the June 1941 remained the single and only issue of Tracks - it was never published again.... until today! CONTENT 2021 Editorial Note: Kuno Gross Foreword: Lieut Col R.A. Bagnold Forte el Gtafia, shelled by the Artillery Section: Kuno Gross LRDG Desert Poems: Private J.M. Williamson, R Patrol Kufra, a historical Note: Capt. W.B. Kennedy Shaw Long Range Desert Group Preservation Society: Jack Valenti Chevrolet WA or WB? What type of trucks: Kuno Gross "Big Cairn", the loneliest Pile of Stones: Andras Zboray The LRDG in Greece, Jeep and Trailer: Erik Ahlström Who was Norman Moore? The editor of TRACKS: an Chard The Sand Tyres, "Shoes" of the Patrol Trucks: Charlie Down Brendan O'Carroll's Books: Bob Amos-Jones Now and Then, Halt at Gilf Kebir: Kuno Gross B122 Conduct Forms, Witnesses of the Past: Ian Chard "Sand Channels": Sam Watson The SRD Rum Jar from Siwa: Sam Watson

Download or read book The Lost Oasis written by Saul Kelly and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2009-04-20 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Lost Oasis tells the true story behind The English Patient. An extraordinary episode in World War II, it describes the Zerzura Club, a group of desert explorers and adventurers who indulged in desert travel by early-model-motor cars and airplanes, and who searched for lost desert oases and ancient cities of vanished civilizations. In reality, they were mapping the desert for military reasons and espionage. The club's members came from countries that soon would be enemies: England and the Allied Forces v. Italy and Germany. When war erupted in 1939, Ralph Bagnold founded the British Long Range Desert Group to spy on and disrupt Rommel's advance on Cairo, while a fellow club member, Hungarian Count Almasy, succeeded in placing German spies there. Ultimately, the British prevailed. Saul Kelly's riveting history draws on interviews with survivors and previously unknown documentary material in England, Italy, Germany, Hungary, and Egypt. His book reads like a thriller -- with one key difference: it's all true.

Download or read book The Long Range Desert Group in World War II written by Gavin Mortimer and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-04-20 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A major illustrated history of the Long Range Desert Group from the foremost expert on British wartime special forces. Formed in June 1940 for the purpose of gathering intelligence behind enemy lines, the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) played a secretive but vital role in North Africa during World War II. Highly trained in mechanized reconnaissance and specializing in desert operations, the unit provided support to the Special Air Service (SAS) in missions across the vast and treacherous terrain of the Western Desert. In this highly illustrated history of the LRDG, Gavin Mortimer reveals the origins and dramatic operations of Britain's first ever special forces unit.

Download or read book The Long Range Desert Group in North Africa written by Brendan O'Carroll and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2023-01-24 with total page 427 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Formed in July 1940 for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering behind enemy lines, the Long Range Desert Group was the first British special force unit. In no time the LRDG earned itself an enviable reputation for deep penetration patrols into German and Italian held territory. Its successes on prolonged missions into harsh terrain and under extreme climatic conditions were out of all proportion to its size. Wide-ranging military skills, including exceptional navigation techniques, and the highest standards of discipline and leadership were required from all ranks. Many of the previously unpublished and well captioned images in this comprehensive and well researched book come from the collections of LRDG veterans. They show the weapons, equipment, uniforms and insignia used and, together with personal accounts and operational reports, bring to life the extraordinary achievements of this legendary unit. The result is a fascinating record of the LRDG’s contribution to the Allied victory in North Africa.

Download or read book Operation Agreement written by John Sadler and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2016-06-16 with total page 411 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although ultimately unsuccessful, Operation Agreement was one of the most dramatic raids of the war in North Africa. The Special Interrogation Group (SIG) was the most exceptional of Special Forces. Created to raid behind enemy lines posing as German troops, the SIG was largely made up of German Jews who were all too aware of the dangers they faced – capture meant either death or deportation to a concentration camp. In 1942, Operation Agreement saw the SIG tasked with taking part in a raid on Tobruk, where they were to make up the land-based element of the attack. Disguised as POWs under escort by German-speaking SIGs the group covered close to 1,700 miles of desert to reach their target. The ruse worked perfectly and the SIG went on to destroy a number of coastal guns before eventually being overwhelmed by Axis forces. This is the history of the SIG, revealing startling details about the group and offering moving insights into the Jewish volunteers putting their lives on the line to fight against the evils of Nazism.

Download or read book Timing is Everything written by Peter Greener and published by ANU E Press. This book was released on 2009-10-01 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book identifies the critical factors that shaped and influenced New Zealand's defence acquisition decision-making processes from the election of the Fourth Labour Government in 1984 and the subsequent ANZUS crisis, through to the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States and the following 'war on terror'. It explores and analyses decision-making processes in relation to the ANZAC frigates, the military sealift ship HMNZS Charles Upham, the F-16 strike aircraft, the P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft upgrade, and the LAV IIIs.

Download or read book Kiwi Scorpions written by Brendan O'Carroll and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Ghost Patrol written by John Sadler and published by Casemate. This book was released on 2015-11-19 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The origins of most of the WestÕs Special Forces can be traced back to the Long Range Desert Group, which operated across the limitless expanses of the Libyan Desert, an area the size of India, during the whole of the Desert War from 1940 to 1943. After the defeat of the Axis in North Africa they adapted to serve in the Mediterranean, the Greek islands, Albania, Yugoslavia and Greece. In the process they became the stuff of legend. The LRDG was the brainchild of Ralph Bagnold, a pre-war desert explorer (featured in fictional terms in The English Patient) who put all of his expertise into the creation of a new and, by the standards of the day, highly unorthodox unit. Conventional tactical thinking shunned the deep heart of the vast desert as it was thought to be a harsh, inhospitable wilderness where British forces could not possibly survive even less operate effectively. Instead, Bagnold and his colleagues created a whole new type of warfare. Using specially adapted vehicles and recruiting only men of the right temperament and high levels of fitness and endurance, the first patrols set out bristling with automatic weapons. The LRDG, in a dark hour, was the force which took the fight to the enemy, roving over the deep desertÑa raiderÕs paradiseÑattacking enemy convoys and outposts, destroying aircraft and supplies, forcing the Axis to expend more and more resources to protect their vulnerable lines. Their work was often dangerous, always taxing, exhausting and uncomfortable. They were a new breed of soldier, and the Axis never managed to field a similar unit. Once the desert war was won they transferred their skills to the Mediterranean sector, retraining as mountain guerrillas, serving in the ill-fated Dodecanese campaign, then in strife-torn Albania, Yugoslavia and Greece, fighting alongside the mercurial partisans. In addition, the LRDG worked alongside the fledgling SAS and established, beyond all doubt, the value of highly trained Special Forces, a legacy which resonates today.

Download or read book Incident at Jebel Sherif written by Kuno Gross and published by Kuno Gross. This book was released on 2009 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "31 January 1941:The tide of the Desert War in North Africa has turned against Italy, which has attacked British-occupied Egypt. The Italian northern front has collapsed and their army is in full retreat west towards Tripoli. Meanwhile in the far south among some isolated hills, two small mobile Special Forces units of the belligerent nations, the Compagnia Autosahariana di Cufra and T Patrol of the Long Range Desert Group, clash. This story was to become known as the incident at Jebel Sherif. 26 November 2006: After a long journey from the north, another small group rediscovers the same hills. This is the story of the incident at Jebel Sherif. For the first time, all available reports and accounts have been gathered and evaluated. An interview with a NZ veteran and the assistance of the LRDG Patrol Commander's son, together with two recent visits to the location, have allowed the authors to draw the most probable conclusions about the sequence of events. The book provides not only full details about the incident at Jebel Sherif, but also contains a dramatic account of the desert journey to and from this very remote location. This book is intended as a memorial to those - of any nation - who suffered and lost their lives during the years of the colonial occupation of Libya, the Second World War and all the conflicts that followed."--Publisher's description.

Download or read book Kiwi Trooper written by Ted Andrews and published by . This book was released on 1968 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: " ... This, though primarily the story of the "Queen Alexandra's Own", also shows the development of the New Zealand cavalry, with a background of the whole military foces, from the earliest formations to the present day. The earliest cavalry troops saw much active service during the period 1860-69, winning three New Zealand Crosses. The the volunteer squadrons carried on, their part in the South African War being fully told, including the awards of a Victoria Cross and a Victoria Scarf. The formation of the Territorial Force in 1911 greatly facilitated the despatch of the NZEF in 1914. The immortal deeds of Kiwi troopers on Gallipoli and in Sinai and Palestine are fully told, mostly with hitherto unpublished material shedding much fresh light on these historic campaigns. The rebuilding of the regiment following the Great War, its part in World War II, the post-war era and finally the perpetuation of its name in the part-regular, part-Territorial armoured squadron of today is fully covered ... " -- Inside front cover.

Download or read book Kiwi Saga written by Martyn Uren and published by . This book was released on 1943 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book LRDG Rhodesia written by Jonathan Pittaway and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now at last this title offers the first full view of the Rhodesian contribution to the LRDG, one of the finest Special Forces units the world has ever seen.

Download or read book A New Zealand Book of Beasts written by Annie Potts and published by Auckland University Press. This book was released on 2014-03-01 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Touching on indigenous Maori relationships with the now-extinct, flightless moa; the attitudes of Pakeha, or European, settlers toward sheep; the iconography of whales and dolphins; the problems of pest-control; and the pleasures of pet-keeping, this modern-day bestiary is a fascinating study of human–animal relations. In the book’s four parts, the authors unravel the contradictory ways New Zealanders nurture and eradicate, glorify and demonize, cherish and devour, and describe and imagine animals. The study brings together insights from New Zealand’s arts and literature, popular culture, historiography, media, and everyday life to describe and analyze their interactions with nga kararehe and nga manu, the beasts and birds of the land. In doing so, it illuminates fundamental aspects of New Zealand society: how New Zealanders understand their own identities and those of others; how they regard, inhabit and make use of the natural world; and how they think about what they buy, eat, wear, watch, and read. Rich, multifaceted, and engaging, A New Zealand Book of Beasts satisfyingly explores how culture both shapes and is shaped by the “beasts” of Aotearoa.

Download or read book The Handbook of New Zealand Mammals written by Carolyn King and published by CSIRO PUBLISHING. This book was released on 2021-01-20 with total page 577 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Handbook of New Zealand Mammals is the only definitive reference on all the land-breeding mammals recorded in the New Zealand region (including the New Zealand sector of Antarctica). It lists 65 species, including native and exotic, wild and feral, living and extinct, residents, vagrants and failed introductions. It describes their history, biology and ecology, and brings together comprehensive and detailed information gathered from widely scattered or previously unpublished sources. The description of each species is arranged under standardised headings for easy reference. Because the only native land-breeding mammals in New Zealand are bats and seals, the great majority of the modern mammal fauna comprises introduced species, whose arrival has had profound effects both for themselves and for the native fauna and flora. The book details changes in numbers and distribution for the native species, and for the arrivals it summarises changes in habitat, diet, numbers and size in comparison with their ancestral stocks, and some of the problems they present to resource managers. For this third edition, the text and references have been completely updated and reorganised into Family chapters. The colour section includes 14 pages of artwork showing all the species described and their main variations, plus two pages of maps.