Download or read book German 20mm Flak in World War II 1934 1945 written by Werner Müller and published by Schiffer Publishing. This book was released on 1995 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: All variations on the 20mm FLAK anti-aircraft gun, including towed versions, and self-propelled as used by all arms of Wehrmacht.

Download or read book Flak written by Edward B. Westermann and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Air raid sirens wail, searchlight beams flash across the sky, and the night is aflame with tracer fire and aerial explosions, as Allied bombers and German anti-aircraft units duel in the thundering darkness. Such "cinematic" scenes, played out with increasing frequency as World War II ground to a close, were more than mere stock material for movie melodramas. As Edward Westermann reveals, they point to a key but largely unappreciated aspect of the German war effort that has yet to get its full due.Long the neglected stepchild in studies of World War II air campaigns, German flak or anti-aircraft units have been frequently dismissed by American, British, and German historians (and by veterans of the European air war) as ineffective weapons that wasted valuable materiel and personnel resources desperately needed elsewhere by the Third Reich. Westermann emphatically disagrees with that view and makes a convincing case for the significant contributions made by the entire range of German anti-aircraft defenses.During the Allied air campaigns against the Third Reich, well over a million tons of bombs were dropped upon the German homeland, killing nearly 300,000 civilians, wounding another 780,000, and destroying more than 3,500,000 industrial and residential structures. Not surprisingly, that aerial Armageddon has inspired countless studies of both the victorious Allied bombing offensive and the ultimately doomed Luftwaffe defense of its own skies. By contrast, flak units have virtually been ignored, despite the fact that they employed more than a million men and women, were responsible for more than half of all Allied aircraft losses, forced Allied bombers to fly far abovehigh-accuracy altitudes, and thus allowed Germany to hold out far longer than it might have otherwise.Westermann's definitive study sheds new light on every facet of the development and organization of this vital defense arm, includi

Download or read book German Flak in World War II written by Werner Müller and published by Schiffer Military History. This book was released on 1998 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume is a valuable illustrated documentation of German Flak guns, using photos largely unpublished to date, and includes their use on all fronts in both the air and ground roles. Included are the 37mm, 105mm and 128mm guns and especially the famed 88mm.

Download or read book German Light Cruisers of World War II written by Gerhard Koop and published by Seaforth Publishing. This book was released on 2014-07-22 with total page 409 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “An immensely interesting look” at the Emden, Königsberg, Karlsruhe, Köln, Leipzig, and Nürnbergships “from drawing board to destiny” (War History Online). The warships of the World War II era German Navy are among the most popular subject in naval history with an almost uncountable number of books devoted to them. However, for a concise but authoritative summary of the design history and careers of the major surface ships it is difficult to beat a series of six volumes written by Gerhard Koop and illustrated by Klaus-Peter Schmolke. Each contains an account of the development of a particular class, a detailed description of the ships, with full technical details, and an outline of their service, heavily illustrated with plans, battle maps and a substantial collection of photographs. These have been out of print for ten years or more and are now much sought after by enthusiasts and collectors, so this new modestly priced reprint of the series will be widely welcomed. This volume is devoted to the six ships from Emden to Nürnberg that were built between the wars. They were primarily intended for commerce-raiding, but the war gave them few opportunities for such employment, although they did provide useful support for key naval operations in the Baltic and North Sea. Two were lost in the 1940 Norway campaign, but the remainder survived for most of the conflict. “A ship-by-ship history of the cruisers. The text is supported by an excellent collection of plans and photographs. Overall this is a very impressive history of a fairly unimpressive set of warships.”—HistoryOfWar.org

Download or read book The Jagged Edge of Duty written by Robert L. Richardson and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2017-04-15 with total page 409 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The World War II fighter-pilot story On the very first day of the invasion of Sicily, three months into his combat career, Allan Knepper flew his P-38 Lightning fighter in a squadron sent out to sweep the island and interdict German ground targets. Retreating German infantry unexpectedly pounded the American flyers. Knepper was one of two shot down; he was never found. Knepper’s story is the story-in-microcosm of thousands of American fighter pilots in World War II. Richardson recounts Knepper’s experiences from training through combat and uses them to discuss the aircraft, tactics and doctrine, training, base life, and aerial combat of the war. This is the intimate account of one pilot at war, but also the anatomy of the fighter-pilot experience in World War II.

Download or read book 20 Mm Flak 38 and Flakvierling 38 written by and published by . This book was released on 2021-05-13 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new photo album is number 29 in the MMP Books/Stratus "Camera On" series. It is the first to cover in such photographic detail the German usage of the 20mm Flak 38 and its quadruple mounting the Flakvierling 38. These weapons saw extensive action on all battlefronts of the Second World War wherever the German armed forces saw service. While the 20mm Flak 38 was an excellent weapon when first developed, by the time it entered service even the German army knew that it was in need of a replacement weapon system. The Germans concentrated on 37mm weapons and above from then on, however the Flak 38 still gave valued service against low flying aircraft and ground targets and proved to be a valued weapon throughout the war, it even saw service with some other nations well into the 1970's. This book contains 140+ photographs taken by the average German soldier of both the 20mm Flak 38 and the Flakvierling 38 as well as their crews in many of the areas they operated within. This volume illustrates these weapons as the soldiers themselves viewed them in both their fighting environment and, in many cases, just as a tool they lived with and had to look after on a daily basis, not the highly polished and sanitized views of the official photographers. This book is an invaluable reference for military historians and modellers alike. A4 size, 80 pages.

Download or read book German Flak Defences vs Allied Heavy Bombers written by Donald Nijboer and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2019-10-31 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the end of World War II, the strategic bombing of Germany has inspired numerous studies, countless books and several documentary films, and it is not surprising. With more than one million tons of bombs dropped, close to 300,000 civilians killed, 700,000 wounded and in excess of 3,500,000 industrial and residential structures destroyed, the Allied bomber offensive was industrial war on a grand scale. The air battle that raged over Germany has often been described as a battle between Allied and German fighters but what has been frequently missed by historians on all sides is the impact of German anti-aircraft defences (flak). Though often dismissed as ineffective and a waste of valuable material and personnel, the German flak arm made a major contribution to the defence of the Third Reich – at least half of the American aircraft shot down over Germany fell to flak, and according to the RAF Official History, it was estimated that flak accounted for 1229 of 3302 aircraft lost by Bomber Command between 1942 and April 1945. Additionally, the strategic role of flak extended beyond simply shooting down aircraft – its other, more important task was to force bombers to drop their ordnance sooner or from a higher altitude, thus reducing bombing accuracy. Both these roles are explored in depth in this detailed study of the German flak defences and of their adversaries, the Allied heavy bombers. Containing full-colour illustrations including cockpit scenes and armament views, this is the definitive guide to the much-overlooked conflict between Allied planes and German anti-aircraft defences.

Download or read book Illustrated Handbook of Flak written by Jean-Denis Lepage and published by Spellmount, Limited Publishers. This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the Second World War, as the Allies sent thousands of aircraft to attack the German homeland, it was the flak teams that stood as the last line of defence. Forbidden after the end of the First World War, the German flak arm was rebuilt by the Nazis after January 1933, becoming part of the Luftwaffe in 1935 and growing until all branches of the Wehrmacht had their own anti-aircraft capabilities. In The Illustrated Handbook of Flak, Jean-Denis Lepage covers all aspects of German anti-aircraft artillery: its development from the first anti-balloon artillery in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 to the sophisticated ground-to-air rockets in use by 1945, the administrative, strategical and tactical organisations involved, and the variety of weapons used. It details the uniforms worn by the men - including flags, badges and medals - equipment used such as searchlights, range finders and radar, and mobile flak emplacements and permanent fortifications. The services involved are also described, including the police, fire brigades, paramilitary auxiliaries and the German Red Cross. With over 300 illustrations created by the author, this is an outstanding reference work, providing new insight into the anti-aircraft teams who fought to hold back the overwhelming might of the Allied bombers during the Second World War.

Download or read book The 88mm Flak written by Werner Muller and published by Schiffer Pub Limited. This book was released on 1997-01-07 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Covers the 88 mm flak and its use by German forces during WWII.

Download or read book 2cm Flak written by Director of the Oxford Changing Character of War Research Program and Senior Research Fellow at Pembroke College Robert Johnson, Ba Bm MRCP and published by Ryton Publishing. This book was released on 2014-06-30 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An easy reading history of the 2cm Flak gun's development and use in various configurations during the war to combat both air and ground targets.

Download or read book German Secret Weapons of the Second World War written by Ian V. Hogg and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The phrase "German secret weapons" immediately conjures up images of the V-

Download or read book 20 Mm Flak 28 And 30 written by Alan Ranger and published by . This book was released on 2021-03-13 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new photo album is number 28 in the MMP Books/Stratus "Camera On" series. It is the first to cover in such photographic detail the German usage of both the 20mm Flak 28 and the Flak 30. Both of these weapons saw extensive action on all battle fronts of the Second World War wherever the German armed forces saw service. While they were both excellent weapons at their time of development, they both rapidly became less effective as ever faster and higher flying aircraft were produced by Germanys enemies. This book contains 140+ photographs taken by the average German soldier of both the 20mm Flak 28 and 30 as well as their crews while in service and many of the environments they had to operate within. This volume illustrates these weapons as the soldiers themselves viewed them in both their fighting environment and, in many cases, just as a tool they lived with and had to look after on a daily basis, not the highly polished and sanitized views of the official photographers. This book is an invaluable reference for military historians and modellers alike. A4 size, 80 pages.

Download or read book Weapons of World War II written by Alexander Lüdeke and published by Parragon Pubishing India. This book was released on 2011 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book describes the weapons and vehicles of all the countries that fought in World War II in a clear and comprehensive manner. It offers an excellent overview of the divers weaponry used by both the Axis Powers and the Allies, with everything you might want to know about the development and deployment of each type of weapon along with the relevant technical specifications.

Download or read book World War II 5 volumes written by Spencer C. Tucker and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2016-09-06 with total page 2730 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With more than 1,700 cross-referenced entries covering every aspect of World War II, the events and developments of the era, and myriad related subjects as well as a documents volume, this is the most comprehensive reference work available on the war. This encyclopedia represents a single source of authoritative information on World War II that provides accessible coverage of the causes, course, and consequences of the war. Its introductory overview essays and cross-referenced A–Z entries explain how various sources of friction culminated in a second worldwide conflict, document the events of the war and why individual battles were won and lost, and identify numerous ways the war has permanently changed the world. The coverage addresses the individuals, campaigns, battles, key weapons systems, strategic decisions, and technological developments of the conflict, as well as the diplomatic, economic, and cultural aspects of World War II. The five-volume set provides comprehensive information that gives readers insight into the reasons for the war's direction and outcome. Readers will understand the motivations behind Japan's decision to attack the United States, appreciate how the concentration of German military resources on the Eastern Front affected the war's outcome, understand the major strategic decisions of the war and the factors behind them, grasp how the Second Sino-Japanese War contributed to the start of World War II, and see the direct impact of new military technology on the outcomes of the battles during the conflict. The lengthy documents volume represents a valuable repository of additional information for student research.

Download or read book German Artillery of World War Two written by Ian V. Hogg and published by Frontline Books. This book was released on 2013-10-12 with total page 497 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “The best reference there is to this day about the guns and ammunition used by the German armed forces in WW2.” —Military Modelling The complete story of German artillery during World War Two, this illustrated volume is divided into sections according to the weapon classes: Infantry, Mountain and Field Artillery, Heavy Field Artillery, Heavy Artillery, Railway Artillery, Anti-Aircraft Artillery, Anti-Tank Artillery, Coastal Artillery and Recoilless Artillery. German Artillery of World War Two also contains details of the general organization of the German artillery arm, together with development histories of the weapons and their ammunition. In addition, the book contains a series of comprehensive data tables, and appendices including a glossary of technical terms. The first edition of this book, published over twenty years ago, is highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts today. This new edition brings an enduring classic to a new generation of readers. “A classic on modern artillery by Ian V. Hogg, this volume is well-established and must be regarded as a standard reference work on the subject.” —Gun Mart “This is both a valuable reference book and an absorbing read.” —British Army Review

Download or read book German Air Projects written by Marek Rys and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2011-11-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The speculation about what the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) might have achieved if World War II had continued into 1946 is a fascinating and rapidly growing field of interest.This book develops some of this intriguing speculation with extensive illustrations and descriptions of German attack aircraft that were proposed but never flew, from the mid thirties until the end of WWII. Volume 4 describes projects developed by Junkers, Messerchmitt and others.

Download or read book Unbroken written by Laura Hillenbrand and published by Random House Trade Paperbacks. This book was released on 2014-07-29 with total page 530 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE • Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more. In boyhood, Louis Zamperini was an incorrigible delinquent. As a teenager, he channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics. But when World War II began, the athlete became an airman, embarking on a journey that led to a doomed flight on a May afternoon in 1943. When his Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean, against all odds, Zamperini survived, adrift on a foundering life raft. Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will. Appearing in paperback for the first time—with twenty arresting new photos and an extensive Q&A with the author—Unbroken is an unforgettable testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit, brought vividly to life by Seabiscuit author Laura Hillenbrand. Hailed as the top nonfiction book of the year by Time magazine • Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for biography and the Indies Choice Adult Nonfiction Book of the Year award “Extraordinarily moving . . . a powerfully drawn survival epic.”—The Wall Street Journal “[A] one-in-a-billion story . . . designed to wrench from self-respecting critics all the blurby adjectives we normally try to avoid: It is amazing, unforgettable, gripping, harrowing, chilling, and inspiring.”—New York “Staggering . . . mesmerizing . . . Hillenbrand’s writing is so ferociously cinematic, the events she describes so incredible, you don’t dare take your eyes off the page.”—People “A meticulous, soaring and beautifully written account of an extraordinary life.”—The Washington Post “Ambitious and powerful . . . a startling narrative and an inspirational book.”—The New York Times Book Review “Magnificent . . . incredible . . . [Hillenbrand] has crafted another masterful blend of sports, history and overcoming terrific odds; this is biography taken to the nth degree, a chronicle of a remarkable life lived through extraordinary times.”—The Dallas Morning News “An astonishing testament to the superhuman power of tenacity.”—Entertainment Weekly “A tale of triumph and redemption . . . astonishingly detailed.”—O: The Oprah Magazine “[A] masterfully told true story . . . nothing less than a marvel.”—Washingtonian “[Hillenbrand tells this] story with cool elegance but at a thrilling sprinter’s pace.”—Time “Hillenbrand [is] one of our best writers of narrative history. You don’t have to be a sports fan or a war-history buff to devour this book—you just have to love great storytelling.”—Rebecca Skloot, author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks