Updated as of ..3/14`/2024

Specials


Skirmish Action Rules and Miniatures


On Military Matters Rules-Reviews, Notes and Feedback



Your Shopping Cart





Military Novels
Military Art
Toy Soldiers
Military Models
Wargaming
Wargaming Rules
Unit Histories
Militaria
Arms & Armor
Uniforms
General Military History
Ancients
Dark Ages
Middle Ages
Renaissance
16th Century
17th Century
Thirty Year's War
English Civil War
Late 17th Century
18th Century
Marlburian
War of the Austrian Succession
Seven Year's War
American War of Independence
French Revolution
19th Century
Napoleonics
War of 1812
US Indian Wars
Mexican American War
Crimean War
Indian Mutiny
Garabaldi Wars
American Civil War
American West
German Wars of Unification
Austro-Prussian Wars
Franco-Prussian Wars
Colonial Wars
Anglo-Boer Wars
Spanish-American War
20th Century
Aviation
Armored Fighting Vehicles/Artillery
Naval:1880-2000
Russo-Japanese War
Mexican Revolution
Balkan Wars
World War One
Russian Revolution
Spanish Civil War
Italian-Ethiopian War
Russo-Finnish War
World War Two
Post WWII
Korean War
French-Algerian War
Arab-Israeli Wars
Vietnam War
Modern War
Boardgames
Weapons
Command
Raids
Duel
Battle Orders
Modelling
Fortress
Essential History
Combat Aircraft
Aircraft of the Aces
Old Vanguard
New Vanguard
Campaign
Elite
Warrior
Men-at-Arms
French & Indian War
Videos
Magazines and Periodicals

Top

Your Shopping Cart



We accept the following, plus checks or cash

Books at On Military Matters


Updated as of 3/14`/2024

ABBREVIATIONS: dj-dust jacket, biblio-bibliography, b/w-black and white, illust-illustrations, b/c-book club addition.
rct - recent arrival or pending publication, spc - OMM Special Price
Raids

1-977001 001 RANGERS LEAD THE WAY-Pointe du Hoc D-Day 1940 1 vol, 72 pgs 2009 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977002 002 ISRAEL'S LIGHTING STRIKE-Raid on Entebbe 1976 1 vol, 72 pgs 2009 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977003 003 THE CABANATUAN PRISON RAID-Philippines 1945 1 vol, 72 pgs 2009 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977004 004 THE SAS AND THE IRANIAN EMBASSY SIEGE 1980 1 vol, 72 pgs 2009 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977005 005 THE GREAT LOCOMOTIVE CHASE:Andrews Raid 1862 Union forces planned to steal a train and travel at high speed to Chattanooga, Tennessee, disabling the lines as they went. 1 vol, 72 pgs 2009 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977006 006 THE SAMURAI CAPTURE A KING:Okinawa 1609 A brilliant but little-known operation, the Shimaz clan raid on the independent kingdom of Ryukyu (modern Okinawa) in 1609. A fascinating tale. 1 vol, 72 pgs 2009 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977008 008 THE COCKLESHELL RAID-Bordeaux 1942 On the night of December 7, 1942, five canoes were launched with a pair of British commandos tasked with slipping into Bordeaux and destroying as many ships as possible. A rousing tale. 1 vol, 72 pgs 2010 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977009 009 Rescuing Mussolini-Gran Sasso 1943 1 vol, 72 pgs 2010 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977010 010 Certain Death in Sierra Leone SAS and Operation Barras 2000 1 vol, 72 pgs 2010 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977018 Castle, Ian 018 THE ZEPPELIN BASE RAIDS: Germany 1914 In the summer of 1914, as Europe teetered on the brink of war, the specter of immediate Zeppelin raids on London and other major British towns and cities loomed large. When Winston Churchill accepted responsibility for the defense of London, he realized that Zeppelins were most vulnerable when on the ground. Despite limited resources, he believed that attack was the best form of defense. In the final four months of 1914, the RNAS launched four separate air attacks on Zeppelin bases in Germany: Dusseldorf/Cologne twice, Friedrichshafen, and Cuxhaven. Author Ian Castle presents the full story of Britain's first strategic bombing campaign and the results it achieved. 1 vol, 72 pgs 2011 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977046 Chartdand, Rene 046 Montcalm's Crushing Blow - French and Indian Raids along New York's Oswego River 1756 The year 1755 saw the rivalry between Britain and France in North America escalate into open warfare as both sides sought to overcome the other's forts and trading posts. Lord Loudoun and the Marquis de Montcalm were sent out to lead their forces and Montcalm was soon tasked with capturing the formidable Anglo-American post at Oswego. Montcalm's 3,000-strong force surrounded the forts at Oswego and soon forced the defenders to surrender - an outstanding French success. Featuring specially commissioned full colour artwork, expert analysis, and lively narrative, this engaging study casts light on a daring feat of arms at the height of the French and Indian War

Contents
Introduction
Origins of the raid
The plan
The raid
Analysis
Further reading
Index
1 vol, 80 pgs 2014 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977027 Chartrand, Rene 027 TOMAHAWK AND MUSKET: French and Indian Raids in the Ohio Valley 1758 In 1758, at the height of the French and Indian War, British Brigadier General John Forbes led his army on a methodical advance against Fort Duquesene, French headquarters in the Ohio valley. As his army closed in upon the fort, he sent Major Grant of the 77th Highlanders and 850 men on a reconnaissance in force against the fort. The French, alerted to this move, launched their own counter-raid. 500 French and Canadians, backed by 500 Indian allies, ambushed the highlanders and sent them fleeing back to the main army. With the success of that operation, the French planed their own raid against the English encampment at Fort Ligonier under less than fifty miles away. With only 600 men, against an enemy strength of 4,000, he ordered a daring night attack on the heart of the enemy encampment. This book tells the complete story of these ambitious raids and counter-raids, giving in-depth detail on the forces, terrain, and tactics. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2012 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977034 Chartrand, Rene 034 Oldest Allies - Alcantara 1809 Although somewhat overshadowed by Wellington's main campaign in the north, the Alcantara raid was an outstanding success. The primary objective of alarming and distracting the French forces in Spain was achieved. Furthermore, the raiders also succeeded in preventing a French incursion into Portugal and tied down one of Napoleon's best marshals. There were further raids to come, but the 1809 Alcantara raid delivered a strong, permanent message: that the Anglo-Portuguese were willing and able to strike back against the French, and that they would support their Spanish allies as much as they were able. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2012 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977024 Chun, Clayton 024 THE LAST BOARDING PARTY: The USMC and the SS Mayaguez 1975 Just two weeks after the close of the Vietnam War, communist Cambodian Khmer Rouge elements seized the S.S. Mayaguez in international waters. Believing they had to act quickly, United States Marines boarded the ship, only to find the crew had been removed. They then launched an assault on a nearby island where they believed the crew had been taken. Instead of a quick strike against a limited foe, the Marines encountered major opposition and were quickly pinned down. With large numbers of Cambodians closing in all around, the a desperate firefight developed as US forces tried to extract the Marines. This book recounts the bloody struggle on Koh Tang island, as a badly botched hostage rescue turned into a desperate evacuation. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2011 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977031 Chun, Clayton 031 GOTHIC SERPENT: Black Hawk Down Mogadishu 1993 This book tells the story of Task Force Ranger - a unit of US Rangers and Special Forces - and their attempt to capture the lieutenants of the Somali warlord Muhamed Farrah Aideed, during the 1993 United Nations' humanitarian relief mission. What started as a simple snatch-and-grab mission quickly degenerated into a desperate battle for survival when US Black Hawk helicopters were struck by rocket-propelled grenades and crashed into the streets of Mogadishu.

Racing to save the crew, Task Force Ranger was surrounded by mobs of hostile Somali gunmen. The battle in the city raged all night as the better-equipped and better-trained US forces kept the nearly overwhelming numbers of Somalis at bay. Finally, battered, bloodied, and low on ammunition, the Task Force was rescued by a combined UN and US relief force and extracted to safety. Containing detailed maps and declassified information, this is a dramatic retelling of a brutal battle that had a far-reaching impact on US military policy. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2012 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977016 Dildy, Doug 016 Dambusters - Operation Chastise 1943 In May 1943, a specially established RAF squadron made its permanent imprint on military aviation history by flying a high-risk, low level, nighttime attack against German hydro-electric dams vital to the Nazi armaments industry in the Ruhr Valley. A comparatively tiny part of Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris' four-month-long 'Battle of the Ruhr' this one raid had an impact totally out of proportion to the small number of aircraft involved. It highlights the synergy of science and technology, weapons development and production, mission planning and practice, and the unflinching courage in the execution of a highly dangerous bombing raid. Furthermore, it established a legend that still resonates today. 1 vol, 72 pgs 2010 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977036 Field, Ron 036 AVENGING ANGEL: John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry 1859 The Harpers Ferry raid confirmed for many Southerners the existence of a widespread Northern plot against slavery. In fact, Brown had raised funds for his raid from Northern abolitionists. To arm the slaves, he ordered one thousand pikes from a Connecticut manufacturer. Letters to Governor Wise betrayed the mixed feelings people held for Brown. For some, he was simply insane and should not be hanged. For others, he was a martyr to the cause of abolition, and his quick trial and execution reflected the fear and arrogance of the Virginia slave-owning aristocracy.

Many Northerners condemned Brown's actions but thought him right in his conviction that slavery had to end. John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry and his subsequent execution further polarized North and South and made a solution of the slavery issue central to the national debate which ultimately led to Civil War in 1861. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2012 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977030 Forczyk, Robert 030 RED CHRISTMAS: The Tatsinskaya Airfield Raid 1942 By December 1942, the Soviets had surrounded the German 6th Army in Stalingrad, cutting off all lines of supply except through the air. Seeking to sever this last German lifeline, Soviet Command decided to launch a raid with the entire 24th Tank Corps to seize the airfield at Tatsinskaya, the primary operating base for the German airlift efforts. On 17 December, the 24th Tank Corps advanced toward Tatsinskaya, seizing the airfield on Christmas Eve.

The Soviet tankers succeeded in destroying many Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground, but afterwards found themselves isolated and out of fuel behind the German lines. Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein rapidly organized a counterattack with elements of two panzer divisions, crushing most of the raiding force between 26 and 28 December. Just before the raiding force was annihilated, it received permission to abandon its heavy equipment and escape back to Soviet lines on foot. Thus, the raiders accomplished their mission of severely disrupting the airlift to Stalingrad, but at the cost of an entire tank corps. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2012 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977013 Ford, Ken 013 The Bruneval Raid - Operation Biting 1942 In the darkest days of World War II, the British planned a daring airborne operation to capture the secret of the new German radar. Lead by Major John Frost, a company of paratroopers dropped into Bruneval on the French coast, and quickly neutralized a small German garrison. Then began a desperate fight for time as the British tried to dismantle the German radar and evacuate back to England, as ever more German units converged on their position. Using artwork, photographs, and detailed maps, this action-packed narrative puts the reader in the planning room and on the battlefield of one of the greatest raids of World War II. 1 vol, 72 pgs 2010 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977021 Ford, Ken 021 OPERATION ARCHERY: The Commandos and the Vaagso Raid 1941 Operation Archery, the raid on Vaagso and Maaloy in Norway on 27 December 1941, was the first true combined operation carried out by British forces involving the Army, Royal Navy, and the Royal Air Force. The Islands of Vaagso and Maaloy on the Norwegian coast between Bergen and Trondheim, were selected because they offered a perfect opportunity to damage German installations and morale. Mountbatten, the new head of Combined Operations, hoped to eliminate the local garrison, destroy the fish oil factories and sink enemy shipping. The raiding force consisted of No. 3 Commando, two troops of No. 2 Commando, a medical detachment from No. 4 Commando, and a Royal Norwegian Army detachment totaling 51 officers and 525 men. To support the amphibious raid was a flotilla of warships and low-level bomb attacks by the RAF. The raid was launched on Christmas Day 1941, taking the German defenders entirely by surprise. German resistance was stiff, however, and a fierce firefight ensued. Relive the nail-biting action of one of the great raids of World War II in this exciting book, packed with maps and photographs.
1 vol, 80 pgs 2011 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977028 Ford, Ken 028 RUN THE GAUNTLET: The Channel Dash 1942 In February 1942, three of the major ships of the German surface fleet - the battle-cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen - stormed out of the harbour at Brest on a dramatic voyage back to Germany. Passing through the straights of Dover, the ships faced everything the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy could throw at them. In a dramatic running fight, the ships managed to sail right under the nose of history's greatest maritime nation to reach the safety of Germany.

The brilliantly executed operation brought great humiliation to the British - Hitler, who had developed the plan, had judged perfectly the reaction of the British command to the Channel Dash. This book tells the complete story of this great race, from the planning through to the repercussions of this unique Germany victory. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2012 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977029 Ford, Ken 029 THE HUNT FOR PANCHO VILLA: The Columbus Raid and Pershing's Punitive Expedition 1916-17 On March 9, 1916, troops under the command of Pancho Villa attacked Columbus, New Mexico and its local detachment of the US 13th Cavalry Regiment, killing 18 people and burning the town. Six days later, on orders from President Woodrow Wilson, General John J. 'Black Jack' Pershing led an expeditionary force of 4,800 men into Mexico to capture Villa.

What followed was a series of skirmishes, battles, and chases through the wild and uncharted Mexican countryside. While the Americans failed in their ultimate purpose of catching Villa, they did kill two of his top lieutenants. This book charts the progress of the entire enterprise, covering the dusty marches and the bitter gunfights in the streets of small border towns, analyzing the successes and failures of this unique military expedition. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2012 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977011 Fowler, Will 011 Pegasus Bridge - Benouville D-Day 1944 The night before D-Day, light infantry and a detachment of Royal Engineers landed by gliders at Pegasus Bridge, which spanned the Caen Canal. Quickly overwhelming the guards, they managed to hold the bridge and help prevent German reinforcements from reaching the British landing beaches. Will Fowler provides a detailed blow-by-blow account of this classic wartime raid.

1 vol, 72 pgs 2010 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977054 Galeotti, Amrk 054 STORM-333: KGB and Spetsnaz seize Kabul, Soviet-Afghan War 1979 Storm-333, the operation to seize Kabul and assassinate Afghan leader Hafizullah Amin, was at once a textbook success and the start of a terrible blunder. It heralded the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, an operation intended to be a short, largely symbolic show of force, yet which quickly devolved into a gritty ten-year counter-insurgency that Moscow was never able to win.

Nonetheless, Storm-333 was a striking success, and despite initial concerns that it would be an impossible achievement, it saw a relative handful of Soviet special forces drawn from the KGB and the military seize the heavily defended presidential palace, neutralise the city's communications and defences, and open Kabul to occupation. The lessons learned then are still valid today, and have been incorporated into modern Russian military practice, visible most recently in the seizure of Crimea in 2014. Written by a recognised expert on the Soviet security forces, drawing extensively on Russian sources, and fully illustrated with commissioned artwork. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2020 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-paperback, available mid March 2021 ......$22.00 with a discount of 15% rct

Add to Cart

1-977059 Galeotti, Mark 059 PUTIN TAKES CRIMEA 2014: Grey-Zone Warfare Opens the Russia-Ukraine Conflict Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 was almost bloodless - fought as much through propaganda, cyberattacks, and subversion as by force of arms - but it is crucial for our understanding of both modern warfare and recent Russian history. Ironically, this slick triumph eventually led to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the largest and costliest conventional war in Europe since 1945. Examines how Russia developed its new model of 'hybrid' or 'grey-zone' warfare, and planned and deployed it against Crimea, from the choreographed appearance of 'spontaneous' protesters through to the deployment of unbadged Russian elite forces. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2023 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb, available late August 2023 ......$23.00 with a discount of 15% rct

Add to Cart

1-977015 Greentree, David 015 A FAR FLUNG GAMBLE - HAVANA 1762 At the height of the Seven Years' War, Great Britain made an audacious strike at the heart of Spanish colonial power in the Caribbean. Gathering troops from bases in Britain and Canada and sailing across the Atlantic in secrecy was an incredible feat. The raid on Havana took Spanish colonial forces completely by surprise and following vicious fighting, the city defences at El Moro collapsed. Havana, the jewel in the Spanish colonial crown, now belonged to Britain. The success of the raid influenced British military policy for centuries as the true potential off amphibious warfare was realized.
1 vol, 72 pgs 2010 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977032 Greentree, David 032 Knight's Move - The Hunt for Marshal Tito 1944 On 25 May 1944, 800 men of the 500th SS Parachute Battalion descended on Drvar, a town behind enemy lines in north-western Bosnia. Their aim was to kill or capture Tito, the leader of the partisan movement in the region. The plan was to land the battalion by glider and parachute in two waves which would be relieved the next day by a ground assault. Tito knew an attack was imminent but dismissed the idea of an airborne assault. The attempt to eliminate Tito was a colossal failure. The elite battalion had been decimated, with only 200 men fit for duty the next day. Inter-agency rivalry between the Abwehr and the SS had meant that intelligence was not shared, a problem exacerbated by a failure to exploit HUMINT about Tito's precise location and the adoption of a plan that did not take into account these intelligence limitations.
1 vol, 80 pgs 2012 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977050 Greentree, David 050 HEROES OF TELEMARK: Sabotaging Hitler's Atomic Bomb Norway 1942-44 In May 1941, the Norwegian Section of SOE received a dossier warning of the dangers of a hydroelectric fertilizer plant in Norway. Vemork produced heavy water, an essential part of making plutonium for nuclear weapons. When the Germans overran Norway the entire stock had been smuggled out of the country, but the plant was intact and soon producing heavy water again, destined for the German nuclear program.

Despite the difficulties of getting to and operating in such a remote, hostile area, SOE decided it had to destroy the plant. Six ski-borne commandos had the task of slipping past 300 heavily armed guards and passing through a ravine the Germans thought impassable. Fully illustrated with stunning new commissioned artwork. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2015 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover, available late November 2018 ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977047 Higgins, David 047 BEHIND SOVIET LINES: Hitler's Brandenburgers Capture the Maikop Oilfields 1942 In the summer of 1942, following the invasion of Russia the previous year, Hitler's 'Brandenburger' commando units undertook a daring operation deep inside Soviet-held territory. Disguised as members of Stalin's NKVD, the secret police dreaded by most Soviet citizens and soldiers, the Brandenburgers passed unsuspected past the Red Army's checkpoints, before launching their surprise operation to seize the vital Soviet oil facilities around Maikop - delivering them intact into Nazi hands.

Contents: Introduction, Origins, Initial strategy, The plan, The raid, Analysis, Conclusion, Bibliography, and Index.
1 vol, 80 pgs 2014 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977042 Higgins, David R 042 THE SWAMP FOX: Francis Marion's Campaign in the Carolinas 1780 The American Revolution was deadlocked in the north, and in 1778, the focus of the conflict shifted south. Following his decisive 1780 victory at Charleston, Cornwallis launched a campaign through the Carolinas that was designed to expel American Continental and militia forces from the south. The subsequent patriot victory at King's Mountain forced Cornwallis to withdraw into South Carolina in what was one of the turning points in the Revolutionary War.

To the southeast, Francis Marion enacted a series of successful hit-and-run operations. Cornwallis responded to this string of raids by assigning Banastre Tarleton to capture or kill the rebel guerrilla commander. What followed was an unsuccessful pursuit of the elusive Marion, in which Tarleton practiced a scorched-earth policy that ultimately disillusioned Loyalist sympathizers and hurt the British cause in the Carolinas.

This book highlights the unique style of southern frontier warfare during the Revolutionary War, and how its combatants were supplied, organized, and operated. The series of actions between August and November 1780 illustrate Marion's unconventional efforts to hinder their enemy's war effort in the south - earning him his Swamp Fox moniker - and Tarleton's equally irregular efforts to counter it. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2013 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977033 Konstam, Angus 033 U-47 in Scapa Flow - The Sinking of HMS Royal Oak 1939 At the outset of World War II, Scapa Flow was supposed to be the safe home base of the British Navy - nothing could penetrate the defences of this bastion. So how, in the dead of night, was Gunther Prien's U-47 able to slip through the line of protective warships to sink the mighty Royal Oak? This book provides the answer with an account of one of the most daring naval raids in history.

Drawing on the latest underwater archaeological research, this study explains how Prien and his crew navigated the North Sea and Kirk Sound to land a devastating blow to the British. It reveals the level of disrepair that Scapa Flow had fallen into, and delves into the conspiracy theories surrounding the event, including an alleged cover-up by the then First Sea Lord, Winston Churchill. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2015 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977037 Konstam, Angus 037 BLACKBEARD'S LAST FIGHT: Pirate Hunting in North Carolina 1718 In April 1713 the War of the Spanish Succession came to an end. During the conflict hundreds of privateers - licensed pirates - preyed on enemy shipping throughout the Caribbean. These privateers now found themselves out of a job, and many turned to piracy.

One of them was Edward Teach - more popularly known as 'Blackbeard.' He joined the pirates in New Providence (now Nassau) in the Bahamas, and by early 1717 he had become a pirate captain. From then on he caused havoc off the North American seaboard, in the West Indies and off Honduras, before appearing off Charleston, South Carolina in May 1718. He blockaded this major port for a week, an act that made Blackbeard the most notorious pirate of his day. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2013 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977051 Konstam, Angus 051 TIRPITZ IN NORWAY: X-craft Midget Submarines Raid the Fjords, Operation Source 1943 In September 1943, under the cover of darkness, six British midget submarines crept into the heart of enemy territory, penetrating a heavily guarded Norwegian fjord in an attempt to eliminate the threat of the powerful German battleship, the Tirpitz. Numerous previous attempts to attack the ship from both air and sea had failed, and this mission was carefully organized, and undertaken by skilled operatives who had undergone extensive training in an isolated sea loch.

Though five of the six X-Craft submarines were either lost or captured, two crews had just enough time to lay their explosive charges, which detonated after they were forced to the surface, putting the Tirpitz out of action for a crucial six-month period. Masterminded from a top-secret naval headquarters on the east coast of Scotland, Operation Source has been memorialized as one of the most daring naval raids of World War II.

This new study tells the complete story of this epic operation in unparalleled detail, supported by full-color illustrations and contemporary photography. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2015 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover, available mid November 2019 ......$22.00 with a discount of 15% rct

Add to Cart

1-977055 Konstam, Angus 055 BIG GUNS IN THE ATLANTIC: Germany's Battleships and Cruisers Raid the Convoys 1939-41 At the outbreak of World War II the German Kriegsmarine still had a relatively small U-boat arm. To reach Britain's convoy routes in the North Atlantic, these boats had to pass around the top of the British Isles - a long and dangerous voyage to their 'hunting grounds.' Germany's larger surface warships were much better suited to this kind of long-range operation. So, during late 1939 the armored cruiser Deutschland, and later the battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were used as commerce raiders, to strike at Allied convoys in the North Atlantic. These sorties met with mixed results, but for Germany's naval high command they showed that this kind of operation had potential. Then, the fall of France, Denmark, and Norway in early 1940 dramatically altered the strategic situation. The Atlantic was now far easier to reach and to escape from.

During 1940, further moderately successful sorties were made by the cruisers Admiral Scheer and Admiral Hipper. By the end of the year, with British mercantile losses mounting to surface raiders and U-Boats, plans were developed for a much larger raid, first using both cruisers, and then the two battlecruisers. The climax of this was Operation Berlin, the Kriegsmarine's largest and most wide-ranging North Atlantic sortie so far. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau remained at sea for two months, destroying 22 Allied merchant ships, and severely disrupting Britain's lifeline convoys.

When the operation ended, the German commander, Admiral Lutjens was ordered to repeat his success -- this time with the brand new battleship Bismarck. The rest, as they say, is history. These earlier Atlantic raids demonstrated that German surface ships could be highly effective commerce raiders. For those willing to see though, they also demonstrated just how risky this strategy could be. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2020 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb, available mid August 2021 ......$22.00 with a discount of 15% rct

Add to Cart

1-977017 Konstam, Angus illust by Peter Dennis 017 The Great Expedition - Sir Francis Drake on the Spanish Main 1585-86 In 1585, the English launched a pre-emptive strike against Spain, by attacking her New World colonies. Led by Sir Francis Drake, in command of 21 ships and 1,800 soldiers, the expedition struck first at the Canary Islands, then attacked the city of Santo Domingo and the treasure port of Cartagena. Frequently outnumbered, Drake's soldiers won an series of spectacular victories and, laden with treasure, sailed home to a hero's welcome.
1 vol, 72 pgs 2011 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977012 Lardas, Mark 012 Roughshod Through Dixie - Grierson's Raid 1863 On April 17, 1863 Benjamin Grierson led a force of 1,700 Union cavalrymen across enemy lines into Confederate-held Tennessee in a bold diversionary raid. Over the next seventeen days, Grierson's horsemen caused havoc by destroying railroad lines, attacking outposts, burning military stores and fighting numerous small actions, before breaking back through the lines at Baton Rouge. The raid was a tremendous success, not only by virtue of the destruction it caused, but also because the Confederates were forced to divert thousands of troops away from the front lines during General Grant's critical Vicksburg offensive. This book tells the complete story of one of the most daring Union raids of the war.
1 vol, 72 pgs 2010 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977058 Lardas, Mark 058 THE CAPTURE OF U-505: The US Navy's Controversial Enigma Raid, Atlantic Ocean 1944 Analyses Capt. Gallery's dangerous strategy to capture scuttled U-boats. Instead of attempting to sink the next U-boat that surfaced among them, a destroyer escort would send off its whaleboat. Everyone else was to smother the U-boat with light gunfire to encourage its crew to abandon quickly. Unaware that the Allies had already cracked the German's codes and the capture of a U-boat could endanger that secret, Gallery hoped to capture the vessel's codes and coding equipment to read U-boat message traffic.

The plan culminated in the capture of U-505 in early June, which nearly caused the exposure of the Bletchley Park codebreaking secret. U-505 was the first enemy warship the US Navy captured at sea since 1812. Features contemporary photographs, specially commissioned artwork and 3D maps. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2022 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb, available late November 2022 ......$22.00 with a discount of 15% rct

Add to Cart

1-977022 Lardas. Mark 022 DECATUR'S BOLD AND DARING ACT: The Philadelphia in Tripoli 1804 On a dark night in 1804, Lt. Stephen Decatur and a team of hand-picked men slipped into Tripoli harbor in a small boat. Their target was the USS Philadelphia. Captured by the Barbary pirates four months previously, the Philadelphia had been refitted to fight against her former masters. Decatur's mission was to either recapture the ship, or failing that, burn her to the waterline. This book recounts one of the greatest raids in American military history, an event that propelled Stephen Decatur to international renown, and which prompted Horatio Nelson to declare it 'the most bold and daring act of the age.' 1 vol, 80 pgs 2011 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977057 Lyman, Robert 057 OPERATION JERICHO: Freeing the French Resistance from Gestapo Jail - Amiens 1944 Operation Jericho was the spectacular WWII prison break staged by an elite group of British, Australian, and New Zealand bomber pilots, who flew a daring low-level mission to blow holes in the walls of Amiens jail and free French Resistance prisoners under the sentence of death. Uses first-hand accounts, explanatory 3D diagrams, and dramatic original artwork, to explain how one of the most difficult and spectacular air raids of World War II was pulled off. Debunks some of the myths over why the raid was ordered in the first place.

With D-Day looming, early 1944 was a time of massive intelligence activity across northern France, and many resistance members were being captured and imprisoned by the Germans. Among the jails full of French agents was Amiens, where hundreds awaited likely execution for their activities.

To repay their debt of honour, MI6 requested an air raid with a seemingly impossible brief: to simultaneously blow holes in the prison walls, free as many men and women as possible while minimizing casualties, and kill German guards in their quarters. The crews would have to fly their bomb-run at an altitude of just 20ft. Despite the huge difficulties, the RAF decided that the low-level specialists of No. 140 Wing had a chance of success. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2021 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb, available mid May 2022 ......$22.00 with a discount of 15% inc

Add to Cart

1-977035 McLachian, Sean 035 THE LAST RIDE OF THE JAMES-YOUNGER GANG: Jesse James and the Northfield Raid 1876 It was the beginning of the end for the James gang. Over the past ten years, Frank and Jesse James had gone from unknown ex-Confederate guerrillas to the most famous outlaws in the world. A string of daring robberies of banks, trains, and stagecoaches had brought them fame, admiration, hatred, and a surprisingly small amount of wealth.

In 1876 they planned their most daring raid yet-to ride hundreds of miles from their home state of Missouri to rob the First National Bank at Northfield, Minnesota. This book will tell the story of one of the most daring bank jobs in American history. With most of the gang being former bushwhackers, they used many guerrilla tactics in the planning and execution of the raid, yet failed because of poor discipline and their own fame, which meant that every town in the Midwest had their guns loaded waiting to fight off bandits. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2012 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977025 McLachlan, Sean 025 Ride Around Missouri: Shelby's Great Raid 1863 In July 1863, with the Confederacy still reeling from the defeats at Vicksburg and Gettysburg, Union forces pushed deep into Arkansas, capturing the capital of Little Rock. In response, Colonel Joseph O. Shelby launched a daring raid to disrupt the advance. Taking 600 men and a section of light artillery, he slipped behind enemy lines. Moving by night to confuse the enemy, Shelby captured a series of small outposts, collecting weapons and recruits as he went. As they continued their ride, the rebels tore up railroad tracks, burned bridges, and cut telegraph lines. Despite these successes, the Union troops slowly closed in on the raiders. Shelby fought a series of bitter skirmishes, until he found himself surrounded. Unwilling to surrender, Shelby led a charge through the Federal lines, bursting out into the open country and onto the road back to the Confederacy. While the results of this raid are still debated by historians, no one has ever doubted its boldness, and west of the Mississippi it became common to boast, 'You've heard of Jeb Stuart's ride around McClellan? Hell, brother, Jo Shelby rode around MISSOURI!' 1 vol, 72 pgs 2011 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977041 McLachlan, Sean 041 TOMBSTONE: Wyatt Earp, the O.K. Corral, and the Vendetta Ride 1881-82 The Gunfight at the OK Corral on 26 October 1881 is one of the most enduring stories of the Old West. It led to a series of violent incidents that culminated in the Vendetta Ride, in which Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and several other gunslingers went after their rivals the Cowboys. Like most tales of the Wild West, the facts are buried under layers of myth, and the line between good guys and bad guys is blurry.

Wyatt Earp, leader of the so-called 'good guys,' was charged with stealing horses in the Indian Territory in 1870 and jumped bail. Becoming a buffalo hunter and gambler, he got into several scrapes and earned a reputation as a gunfighter. Several times he helped lawmen arrest outlaws, but usually his assistance came more because of a personal grudge against the criminal than any real respect for law and order. He even got fired from a police job in Wichita for beating up a political rival. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2013 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977019 McNab, Chris 019 STORMING FLIGHT 181: GSG 9 and the Mogadishu Hijack 1977 In 1977, Lufthansa flight 181 was hijacked by terrorists and flown to Mogadishu, Somalia. There, members of the German special missions group, GSG 9, assisted by two SAS advisors, stormed the plane, killing three of the terrorists and wounding the fourth, while avoiding any major harm to the hostages. This book details the backgrounds of both GSG 9 and the hijackers and offers a detailed analysis of the planning and execution of the mission, code-named Operation Feuerzauber (Fire Magic) one of the most audacious special forces operations of modern times. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2011 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977038 McNab, Chris 038 FALL OF EBEN EMAEL: Belgium 1940 In early May 1940, the fortress of Eben Emael was a potent sentinel over the Belgian-Dutch borderlands. The fortress covered 75 hectares (185 acres) on the surface, had 5km of tunnels underground and was studded with bunkers, gun turrets and casemates. Add a garrison of 1,200 men and the natural protection of 60m-high canal walls, and Eben Emael gave the impression of near-impregnability.

Yet on 10 May just 78 elite airborne soldiers managed to defeat this fortress in an operation of unprecedented tactical skill. Deployed by glider onto the very top of the fortifications, they utilized elite training, fast movement and specialist explosives to destroy many of the gun positions and trap much of the garrison within the fortress. Simultaneously, three other assault detachments conducted high-risk glider operations to capture critical bridges over the Albert Canal.

By the end of 11 May, following the arrival of German infantry reinforcements, Eben Emael was in German hands. This Eben Emael RAID title tells the complete, fascinating story of this unique action. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2013 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977043 Mortimer, Gavin 043 KILL ROMMEL! Operation Flipper 1941 In November 1941, a small party of British Commandos landed by submarine in Libya, tasked with the assassination of General Erwin Rommel, commander of the German forces in North Africa, who was believed to be staying in a villa near the coast. Three men - Lt-Col Geoffrey Keyes, Capt Robin Campbell and Sgt Jack Terry - stormed the villa, but the German general was nowhere to be found.

In the confused fighting Keyes was killed and Campbell wounded; only two raiders would escape, one of whom was Terry. The raid made headlines round the free world, and Keyes was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross. Yet in truth the raid had been a glorious failure, a mission bedevilled by bad planning and poor intelligence. Even so, crucial lessons were learned, particularly by the Special Air Service - who carried out their first mission on the same night as the raid on Rommel's HQ. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2014 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977049 Mortimer, Gavin 049 STIRLING'S DESERT TRIUMPH: The SAS Egyptian Airfield Raids 1942 The night of July 26, 1942 saw one of the most audacious raids of World War II, just as the outcome of that conflict hung in the balance.

In North Africa, a convoy of 18 Allied jeeps carrying Special Air Service personnel appeared out of the early-morning darkness and drove onto the Axis landing strip at Sidi Haneish in the Egyptian desert. Within the space of a few savage minutes 18 Axis aircraft were ablaze; a dozen more were damaged and scores of guards lay dead or wounded. The men responsible for the raid then vanished into the night as swiftly as they had arrived, prompting the Germans to dub the enemy leader, David Stirling, 'The Phantom Major'.

Featuring full-color artwork, gripping narrative and incisive analysis, this engaging study recounts the origins, planning, execution and aftermath of the daring raid that made the name of the SAS at the height of World War II. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2015 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977039 Neville. Leigh 039 TAKUR GHAR - The SEALs and Rangers on Roberts Ridge, Afghanistan 2002 On March 4, 2002, a team of SEALs was choppered onto a hostile Afghan mountain peak as part of Operation Anaconda. The largest operation by US forces since Vietnam, it was intended to bring to battle foreign al-Qaeda fighters who had fled after the overthrow of the Taliban and the battle of Tora Bora. But when their special ops Chinook was hit by RPGs, it marked the beginning of the SEALs' epic day-long battle for survival, which involved Coalition special forces, gunships and Predators in a 17-hour firefight against the al-Qaeda guerrillas. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2013 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977020 Nicolle, David 020 THE GREAT CHEVAUCHEE: John of Gaunt's Raid on France 1373 In 1373, John of Gaunt set off from Calais on a great raid to strike at the heart of France. Driven by the high ideals of chivalry,the raiders left with epic pageantry. However, the reality soon overwhelmed the raiders. Beset on all sides by French ambushes and plagued by disease and starvation, the raiders battled their way through Champagne, east of Paris, into Burgundy, across the Massif Central and finally down into the Dordogne. Unable to attack any major fortifications, John of Gaunt's men plundered the countryside, raiding towns and villages, weakening the French infrastructure. While the military value of the raid is debatable, the English knights who finally made it home were hailed as heroes. This book charts the course of the raid from beginning to end, studying all the battles and skirmishes the raiders fought along the way in this bloody example of chivalric warfare. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2011 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977045 Panzeri, Pete 045 Killing Bin Laden - Operation Neptune Spear 2011 On May 2, 2011 a ten-year manhunt drew to a deadly end as the men of the US Naval Special Warfare Development Group (a.k.a. SEAL Team Six) closed in on their prey, Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind of the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001. Flown from Afghanistan by Army Special Operations Command's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) and evading detection by the Pakistani military, two US helicopters flew towards the compound where they believed Bin Laden to be. Forty minutes later one helicopter had crashed and five people were dead, including the al-Qaeda leader. In this book the story of the raid is told, from start to finish, using specially commissioned full-colour artwork, photographs, and maps. The operation, codenamed Neptune Spear, is expertly analyzed and the events are told in a concise and clear account of its build-up, execution, and aftermath, demonstrating the skill and courage of the men who carried it out.

Contents
Introduction
Origins
Initial Strategy
The Plan
The Raid
Analysis
Conclusion
Further Reading
Index
1 vol, 80 pgs 2014 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977007 Prince, Stephen 007 The Blocking of Zeebrugge - Operation Z-O 1918 On the night of 22-23 April 1918 the Royal Navy carried out a raid on the German held ports of Zeebrugge and Ostend - Operation Z-O.

Under the cover of clouds and smoke, over 70 ships and an assault force of 1,800 Royal Marines embarked on a daring mission which involved a vicious battle of incredible intensity. However, despite the gallant and courageous efforts of the attackers, 11 of whom were later awarded the Victoria Cross, the raid was only partly successful. Discover the successes and failures of this dramatic raid in this in-depth account, complete with specially commissioned battlescene artwork.

The author reveals how despite failure, the raid demonstrated to Germany that Britain was still capable of offensive action, even as its armies were being forced back. 1 vol, 72 pgs 2010 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977014 Rottman, Gordon 014 Los Banos Prison Camp Raid - The Philippines 1945 On the southwest shore of Laguna de Bay in the Philippines stood the Los Banos Internment Camp. Held within were 2,147 starving POWs, surrounded by thousands of Japanese troops. As the desperate battle for Manila raged, only 130 Paratroopers could be spared for the rescue operation. Supported by Alamo Scouts, local guerrillas, and amphibious tractors, they seized the element of surprise, and rescued the POWs. It was a stunning triumph of courage and perfect timing in the face of overwhelming odds. 1 vol, 72 pgs 2010 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977044 Rottman, Gordon 044 CARLSON'S MARINE RAIDERS: Makin Island 1942 On August 17-18, 1942, 211 men of the US Marine Corps' 2nd Raider Battalion conducted a daring amphibious raid on the Japanese-occupied Makin Island in the South Pacific. This ambitious but flawed operation was intended to divert Japanese reinforcements bound for Guadalcanal, over 1,000 miles to the southwest, in the wake of the US landings there ten days earlier; the Raiders were to destroy the seaplane base and radio station, take prisoners, and collect intelligence.

Although yielding limited results, it was to be an invaluable test of the innovative training and tactics employed by the Raiders, and a crucial boost to national morale at this difficult stage in the war. Featuring specially commissioned full-colour artwork and expert analysis, this gripping account of the fateful Makin Raid tells the whole story, from the plan's conception to its troubled execution and aftermath.

Contents: Introduction, Origins of the raid, The plan, The raid, Analysis, Further reading, and Index. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2014 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977056 Sheppard, Si 056 THE VIKING SIEGE OF PARIS: Longships Raid the Seine AD 885-86 Fully illustrated volume, accompanied with maps and strategic diagrams tells the full story of the Vikings' expedition to conquer medieval Paris. In 885, a year after Charles the Fat was crowned King of the Franks, Danish Vikings sailed up the Seine demanding tribute. The Franks' refusal prompted the Vikings to lay siege to Paris, which was initially defended by only 200 men under Odo, Count of Paris, and seemingly in a poor state to defend against the Viking warriors in their fleet of hundreds of longships. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2021 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb, available mid January 2022 ......$22.00 with a discount of 15% rct

Add to Cart

1-977053 Sheppatd, Si 053 We Killed Yamamoto - The long-range P-38 assassination of the man behind Pearl Harbor, Bougainville 1943 Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet during WWII, masterminded the most devastating surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and became a marked man in the war that followed. A key intelligence breakthrough enabled the military to pinpoint his location. An elite team was assembled and charged with his execution.

Analyses the origins, implementation, and outcomes of Operation Vengeance, the long-range fighter interception of Admiral Yamamoto's transport aircraft that sent him to his death on 18th April, 1943. Details the role of intelligence work in pinpointing the time and location of Yamamoto's flight, the chain of command at the highest level of the US political and military establishment who ordered the attack, and the technical limitations that had to be overcome in planning and conducting the raid. Also provides a close study of the aerial combat involved in completing the mission, offering a holistic exploration of the operation which avenged Pearl Harbor.
1 vol, 80 pgs 2020 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb, available mid August 2020 ......$22.00 with a discount of 15% rct

Add to Cart

1-977040 Short, Neil 040 KILL HITLER - Operation Valkyrie 1944 Although far from a typical raid, the 20 July Plot - Operation Valkyrie - was still a daring and audacious attack undertaken by a small, very brave, group of individuals, determined to kill Hitler. Hitler was badly shaken by the blast and, despite the fact that numerous other attempts had been made on the Fuhrer's life since he came to power, the July 20 Plot has achieved an almost mythic status. Numerous books, both factual and fictional, have been written on the subject.

There have been several TV dramatizations and reconstructions, including a MythBusters production which considered whether or not the attempt would have been successful if the bomb had been planted in Hitler's bunker. German resistance to Hitler has also been depicted on film, most notably by James Mason in The Desert Fox and more recently by Tom Cruise in Valkyrie, an accurate and acclaimed version of the July 20 Plot. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2013 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977026 Stille, Mark 026 Tora! Tora! Tora! Pearl Harbor 1941 In the early hours of December 7, 1941, the Japanese First Air Fleet launched a massive air-strike against the American Pacific Fleet based at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Supported by a group of midget submarines, the attack gutted the American battleship fleet but, owing to a lack of intelligence, the American aircraft carriers they hoped to destroy were not present. In this new study of the raid, Mark Stille reexamines the political context of the attack and the intelligence operations of both sides, and gives a detailed analysis of all the major events during the battle. Backed with numerous photographs, diagrams, maps, and artwork, this book is a complete study of the Japanese attack that awoke 'the sleeping giant'. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2011 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977023 Turnbull, Stephen 023 REVENGE OF THE 47 RONIN: Edo 1703 When Lord Kira brought about the death of Lord Asano, he made Asano's loyal samurai into ronin - masterless warriors. These men secretly plotted their revenge and one snowy winter's night, launched an ambitious raid against their enemy's mansion in Edo. What ensued was the fiercest sword battle in Japan for over a century. The gates were stormed, Lord Kira was captured and executed, and his washed head placed on Lord Asano's tomb. This title details the background, planning, and execution of this incredible raid, looking at the equipment used by the ronin, the tactics they employed in storming the building, and the dramatic events that followed, as the surviving ronin committed mass suicide -- a final act of loyalty and defiance that sealed their legend. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2011 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977048 Werner, Bret 048 STORMING MONTE LA DIFENSA: The First Special Service Force at the Winter Line, Italy 1943 In December 1943 Monte La Difensa was part of the formidable German defenses overlooking the Allies' planned route to Rome via Monte Cassino. In the First Special Service Force's first combat in the Mediterranean theater, the Force would employ its special training in mountain and winter warfare to scale the peak, capture it, and then hold it against the inevitable German counterattacks.

Astonishing their superiors, the First Special Service Force succeeded in the face of seemingly impossible odds, but suffered a 77% casualty rate. Their victory, founded on their aggressive doctrine and extensive training in a variety of combat techniques, would prove instrumental in the postwar development of special forces.

Employing full-color artwork, archive photographs, and first-hand accounts from participants, the author examines the origins, execution, and aftermath of the FSSF's spectacular success at Monte La Difensa amid the savage winter conditions of December 1943. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2015 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$22.00 with a discount of 15%

Add to Cart

1-977052 Williamson, Justin 052 OPERATION EAGLE CLAW 1980: The Disastrous Bid to End the Iran Hostage Crisis Following months of negotiations after the seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran on 4 November 1979, President Jimmy Carter ordered the newly formed Delta Force to conduct a raid into Iran to free the hostages. The raid, Operation Eagle Claw, was risky to say the least. US forces would have to fly into the deserts of Iran on C-130s; marry up with carrier-based RH-53D helicopters; fly to hide sites near Tehran; approach the Embassy via trucks; seize the Embassy and rescue the hostages; board the helicopters descending on Tehran; fly to an airbase captured by more US forces; and then fly out on C-141s and to freedom. Unfortunately, and unsurprisingly given the complexity of the mission, things went wrong from the start and when the mission was called off at the refueling site at Desert One, the resulting collision between aircraft killed eight US personnel.

This tells the full story of this tragic operation, supported by maps, photographs, and specially-commissioned bird's-eye-views and battlescenes which reveal the complexity and scale of the proposed rescue and the disaster which followed. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2020 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb, available late March 2020 ......$22.00 with a discount of 15% rct

Add to Cart