Posts tagged ‘world war ii’
Breaking the Mold: Tanks in the Cities
by Kendall D. Gott
Paperback, 132 pages, 2006, $25.00
There is an adage that tanks don’t perform well in cities. Gott disproves that notion with a series of five case studies from World War II to the war in Iraq.
These cases demonstrate that tanks must do more than merely “arrive” on the battlefield to be successful in urban combat. From Aachen in 1944 to Fallujah in 2004, the absolute need for specialized training and the use of combined arms at the lowest tactical levels are two salient lessons.
Gott provides an up-to-date analysis of the utility of tanks and heavy armored forces in urban combat. The U.S. Army will increasingly conduct combat operations in urban terrain, and it will therefore be necessary to understand what it takes to employ tanks to achieve success in that battlefield. Illustrations.
American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics (ISBN: 1437925073)
by Anne Leland and Mari-Jana “M-J” Oboroceanu
Paperback, 27 pages, 2009, $20.00
This report is written in response to numerous requests for war casualty statistics and lists of war dead.
It provides tables, compiled by sources at the Department of Defense (DOD), indicating the number of casualties among American military personnel serving in principal wars and combat actions.
Wars covered include the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam Conflict, and the Persian Gulf War. Military operations covered include the Iranian Hostage Rescue Mission, Lebanon Peacekeeping, Urgent Fury in Grenada, Just Cause in Panama, Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Restore Hope in Somalia, Uphold Democracy in Haiti, and the ongoing Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).
For the more recent conflicts, starting with the Korean War, more detailed information on types of casualties, and, when available, demographics have been included. This report also cites sources of published lists of military personnel killed in principal wars and combat actions. Tables.
Memorial Day Book Special: Rakkasans: The Combat History of the 187th Airborne Infantry (ISBN: 0891416048)
Weekly Book Special: May 18th-May 24th
Memorial Day, on May 31st, commemorates American soldiers who died while in service. In commemoration, this week’s special is:
The Combat History of the 187th Airborne Infantry
By E.M. Flanagan, Jr. (Hardcover, 392 pages, 1997, $25.00)
This is the complete account of one of the most remarkable regiments in the history of the U.S. Army, written by a retired lieutenant general who served with airborne outfits during World War II and the Korean War.
The 187th Infantry Regiment, known as “Rakkasans,” have fought in every major American military conflict from World War II to Afghanistan and Iraq.
They were chosen by Gen. Douglas MacArthur to be the first wave of troops to occupy Japan, were the only airborne unit in the Korean War, made history at the Vietnam War’s Hamburger Hill, and made a grueling helicopter assault during Operation Desert Storm. Includes 30 rarely-published photos.
Here’s a 60-second video of the Rakkasans preparing for deployment:
“The Rakkasans is important military history,” writes Kirkus Reviews. “It is well researched and articulated for both the student of military history and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in military history.”
Long Passage to Korea: Black Sailors and the Integration of the US Navy
by Bernard C. Nalty
Paperback, 48 pages, 2003, $20.00
This monograph in the Naval Historical Center’s series commemorating the Korean War, not only covers the contribution of African American Sailors in that conflict but traces the story of racial integration in the U.S. Navy since the American Revolution.
Read more on President Harry Truman’s Executive Order 9981, which eliminated segregation in the military (click to enlarge):
Author Bernard Nalty is a renowned authority on racial integration of the armed services.
Chapters: Introduction; The Early Republic; Filling the Ranks; From Slavery to Jim Crow; World War II Experience; Into the Cold War; and Impact of the Korean War. Sidebars: The Impressment of Black Sailors; Robert A. Smalls; The March on Washington; African Americans in the U.S. Coast Guard; President Truman’s Executive Order 9981; and Black Sports Heroes of the Korean War. Full-color illustrations.