This volume assesses the formidable special forces fielded by Italy's navy and air force in World War II, both before and after Italy's surrender in September 1943. The Italian Navy special forces were particularly active and respected in the Mediterranean, where 10th Motor-Torpedo Boat Flotilla (Xa MAS) used frogmen, 'two-man torpedoes' and explosive ram-boats; Italian midget submarines were also deployed against the Soviet Navy in the Black Sea. After September 1943 the Germans allowed the expansion of Count Borghese's Xa MAS, which continued fighting on their side at sea and on land, most notoriously in anti-partisan operations. The marines of the 'San Marco' Regiment fought hard in North Africa, earning the respect of their opponents and the German general Hans-J rgen von Arnim, who described them as the best soldiers he had ever commanded; they also gave birth to a paratroop-frogman section.
The Italian Air Force formed a special commando unit, ADRA (Arditi Distruttori Regia Aeronautica), before the 1943 surrender; it was tasked with attacking Allied airfields and communications in North Africa alongside the 'Loretto' Battalion, which was made up of ground crew trained to operate captured enemy airfields. Men from ADRA and diehard Army paratroopers formed the new 'Folgore' Regiment, which also continued to fight alongside German forces until 1945.
In both cases, the pro-Allied Italian forces also formed 'mirror' units to fight alongside US and British forces, including the Recce Squadron 'F', the first Italian military unit to take up arms against the Germans occupying their country, and the Mariassalto, made up of personnel from Xa MAS who fought alongside British Royal Navy special units.
Featuring rare photographs and specially commissioned artwork, this book tells the story of the little-known elite forces fielded by Italy's navy and air force in World War II, some of whose successors remain in service with today's Italian armed forces.
Автор: Hammel, Eric Mckelvey Cleaver, Thomas Название: Cactus air force ISBN: 1472851072 ISBN-13(EAN): 9781472851079 Издательство: Osprey Рейтинг: Цена: 3960.00 р. Наличие на складе: Поставка под заказ.
Описание: Using diary entries, interviews and first-hand accounts, this vivid narrative brings to life the struggle in the air over the island of Guadalcanal between August 20 and November 15, 1942. For 40 years from 1961, the late Eric Hammel interviewed more than 150 American participants in the air campaign at Guadalcanal, none of whom are still alive. These interviews are the most comprehensive first-person accounts of the battle assembled by any historian.
More importantly, they involved the junior officers and enlisted men whose stories and memories were not part of the official history, thus providing a unique insight. The battle of Guadalcanal was the first offensive operation undertaken by the US and its allies in the Pacific War. "Cactus," the code name for the island, became a sinkhole for Japanese air and naval power, experienced forces whose losses could never be made good.
The three months of air battles between August 20, 1942, when the first Marine air unit arrived on the island, and November 15, when the last enemy attempt to retake the island was defeated, were perhaps the most important of the Pacific War. After November 15, 1942, the US never looked back as its forces moved across the Pacific to the war's inevitable conclusion. The Cactus Air Force is a joint project between the late Eric Hammel and Pacific War expert Thomas McKelvey Cleaver, and is unlike any other of the many histories of this event that have been published over the years.
Автор: Cheung Raymond Название: Aces of the Republic of China Air Force ISBN: 1472805615 ISBN-13(EAN): 9781472805614 Издательство: Osprey Рейтинг: Цена: 2691.00 р. Наличие на складе: Есть у поставщика Поставка под заказ.
Описание: The ace pilots of the Republic of China Air Force have long been shrouded in mystery, as their retreat to Taiwan in 1949 and blanket martial law made records of the RoCAF all but impossible to access. This book charts the history of the top scoring pilots of the RoCAF from the Sino-Japanese War to the Civil War against the Chinese Communists.
Описание: The Vought F4U Corsair was the greatest fighter plane in the WWII Pacific theater. For its pilots, survival was not guaranteed. Enemy planes and antiaircraft fire were dangerous, but aerial mishaps, poor flying, mechanical gremlins, weather, and bad luck took their toll too. American, British, and New Zealander Corsair pilots often found themselves with just seconds to escape. Some disappeared as POWs. A few, such as Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, emerged alive at the end of the war. Others had to rely on their training and the means at hand to escape do-or-die situations. Coast watchers, submarines, blimps, and air-sea rescues saved many. Even the French Foreign Legion smuggled a pilot to safety in the most daring Corsair pilot rescue of WWII. Others escaped death initially only to have to fight alongside their rescuers. Included are firsthand accounts from surviving pilots and tales of many of the great WWII Corsair aces.
General Douglas MacArthur ended World War II controlling one of the most powerful air forces in the world. This fascinating history, now available in paperback, traces its development from its origins in the Philippines through to its eventual victory in the skies over Japan and its key role in the Korean War.
General Douglas MacArthur is one of the towering figures of World War II, and indeed of the twentieth century, but his leadership of the second largest air force in the USAAF is often overlooked. When World War II ended, the three numbered air forces (the Fifth, Thirteenth, and Seventh) under his command possessed 4,004 combat aircraft, 433 reconnaissance aircraft and 922 transports. After being humbled by the Japanese in the Philippines in 1942, MacArthur and his air chief General George Kenney rebuilt the US aerial presence in the Pacific, helping Allied naval and ground forces to push back the Japanese Air Force, retake the Philippines, and carry the war north towards the Home Islands. Following the end of World War II, MacArthur was the highest military and political authority in Japan and at the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950 he was named as Commander-in-Chief, United Nations Command. In the ten months of his command, his Far East Air Forces increased dramatically and saw the first aerial combat between jet fighters. Written by award-winning aviation historian Bill Yenne, this engrossing and widely-acclaimed title, now available in paperback, traces the journey of American air forces in the Pacific under General MacArthur's command, from their lowly beginnings to their eventual triumph over Imperial Japan, followed by their entry into the jet age in the skies over Korea.
Описание: A history and analysis of one of the most dramatic moments in both air power and naval history. With the sinking of HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse, no battleship was safe on the open ocean, and the aircraft took its crown as the most powerful maritime weaponIn late 1941, war was looming with Japan, and Britain's empire in southeast Asia was at risk. The British government decided to send Force Z, which included the state-of-the-art battleship Prince of Wales and the battlecruiser Repulse, to bolster the naval defences of Singapore, and provide a mighty naval deterrent to Japanese aggression.
These two powerful ships arrived in Singapore on 2 December - five days before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. But crucially, they lacked air cover. On 9 December Japanese scout planes detected Force Z's approach in the Gulf of Thailand.
Unlike at Pearl Harbor, battleships at sea could manoeuvre, and their anti-aircraft defences were ready. But it did no good. The Japanese dive-bombers and torpedo-bombers were the most advanced in the world, and the battle was one-sided.
Strategically, the loss of Force Z was a colossal disaster for the British, and one that effectively marked the end of its empire in the East. But even more importantly, the sinking marked the last time that battleships were considered to be the masters of the ocean. From that day on, air power rather than big guns would be the deciding factor in naval warfare.
Описание: This volume deals with the development of Britain`s air defences during the years leading up to the outbreak of the Second World War, and the development of the system during the early period of the war, leading up to the Battle of Britain.
Описание: While America sought to remain neutral in the early years of World War II, some Americans did not. This book is the first to provide the operational records and combat reports of the three American "Eagle" Royal Air Force squadrons - units comprised of volunteer American pilots who served with British prior to the US entering the war.
Автор: Cleaver, Thomas Mckelvey Название: Going downtown ISBN: 1472848764 ISBN-13(EAN): 9781472848765 Издательство: Osprey Рейтинг: Цена: 3960.00 р. Наличие на складе: Поставка под заказ.
Описание: By the time of the Vietnam War, the U.S. military had transitioned to jet aircraft. Yet leaders soon learned prop-driven planes could still play a role in counterinsurgency warfare. The personal recollections of 37 pilots and navigators tell the harrowing story of B-26 and A-26 Air Commando Wing combat operations in Vietnam and Laos.
Описание: This book examines the American Air Force aircrews who flew tactical reconnaissance combat missions from World War I to the Gulf War. The book employs primary-source interviews, unit histories, mission documents, declassified operational studies, and photos to tell their stories. In the first half of the 20 century, they flew armed and defended themselves against enemy aircraft.
In the latter half of the 20 century, they flew "unarmed and unafraid" against MiG fighters and some of the most intense antiaircraft defenses in history. Many returned with photographs that helped pave the way for bombing assessments and army ground operations. Others never returned, and some have never been found.
The author personally interviewed reconnaissance pilots who flew in WWII, Korea, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Vietnam in order to place the reader into the cockpit. Aviation buffs and general readers alike will find this a riveting story of grit and courage.
Описание: Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Dutch Naval Air Force--or Marine Luchtvaart Dienst (MLD)--played a significant but largely overlooked role in the opening months of the Pacific War. With 175 aircraft, the MLD greatly outnumbered the combined forces of its American and British allies. In three months of intense combat, the MLD lost 50 percent of its personnel and 80 percent of its aircraft, as the Netherlands' colonial empire was stripped away.
This book details MLD operations during the Japanese invasion of Dutch East Indies, giving a comprehensive overview of organization, personnel, aircraft, equipment and tactics. For the first time in English, the failed evacuation of Java is examined.
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