Field fortifications and tunnel systems are typically thought of as defensive and active protective measures, but the VC/NVA also employed them offensively. It was common for extensive field works to be constructed to support assaults and sieges on US fire-support bases and remote camps. Their tactics reflected attempts to counter the massive firepower they faced: when directly engaging the enemy they employed hugging tactics (moving in and remaining closely engaged, even intermingling units, to prevent the enemy from bringing his artillery and close air support to bear). Their field works...
Field fortifications and tunnel systems are typically thought of as defensive and active protective measures, but the VC/NVA also employed them offens...
The Great Wall of China is the most extensive and famous example of fortification in the world. Charting its development from construction in the 7th century BC through to the present day, this account reveals the true history of the wall, and explores the myths that surround it.
Stretching over 4,000 miles, the Great Wall began as a collection of defensive walls built by the northern vassal states under the Chou dynasty. With the unification of China in 221 BC the walls were interlinked and extended to fight off the invaders from the North. The wall as it is seen today is almost...
The Great Wall of China is the most extensive and famous example of fortification in the world. Charting its development from construction in the 7...
The 'Spanish Main' the Spanish possessions in the West Indies and the Central American and Mexican coast was the envy of Englishmen, Frenchmen and Dutchmen from the 16th to the 19th centuries. To counter their assaults as well as those of pirates, the Spanish built an outstanding system of fortifications much of which still stands today. This title will cover the three main periods of development including the first 'castles' in Americas based on medieval styles built to protect against marauding adventurers including Sir Francis Drake. Later these forts were adapted to reflect the improved...
The 'Spanish Main' the Spanish possessions in the West Indies and the Central American and Mexican coast was the envy of Englishmen, Frenchmen and Dut...
One of the "top picks for specialized military history" - California Bookwatch
Gibraltar is not only an archetypal fortress, preserving in its dominating topography and walls, bastions and emplacements a rich testament to extended periods of human conflict, but it is also a unique record of the evolution of the sciences of fortification and associated defensive structures over a period of more than six centuries. Gibraltar has a complex and varied military history, lying as it does at the gateway to the Mediterranean and the meeting points of the continents of Europe and Africa. Its...
One of the "top picks for specialized military history" - California Bookwatch
Gibraltar is not only an archetypal fortress, preserving in it...
In 1277 Edward I gathered a huge army and marched into Wales to subdue the rebel Welsh princes who continued to raid and pillage English controlled areas of Wales, and even England itself. A key part of his strategy of subjugating and colonizing the Welsh was to erect a castle at every point where his army rested, to provide permanent bases for English garrisons and a visual reminder of English power.
This title takes a detailed look at the design, development and principles of defense of the Edwardian Welsh castles, documenting daily life within their walls and the historical events...
In 1277 Edward I gathered a huge army and marched into Wales to subdue the rebel Welsh princes who continued to raid and pillage English controlled...
The United States has been developing space for many years, and satellites provide the US military with an unparalleled advantage over adversaries. Constellations of both military and civilian satellites provide protection and support for military operations, deliver ballistic missile early warning, supply reliable, secure and jam-proof communications, gather audio-visual amd electronic intelligence, predict weather patterns, guide navigation, target weapons, and perform a host of other missions. These systems are critical to America's status as a world power, and potential threats to them...
The United States has been developing space for many years, and satellites provide the US military with an unparalleled advantage over adversaries. Co...
During the early decades of the 19th century, the Southern Plains of the North American continent were only occasionally visited by explorers, trappers, traders, and missionaries. The first trading posts and forts were built then, such as Adobe Walls in the panhandle of North Texas, and Tubac Presidio in New Mexico. During the 1840s, when the 'Great American Desert' became the scene of an inexorable westward expansion, European pioneers and settlers flooded overland from the eastern seaboard. As they headed west, these settlers invaded and absorbed the traditional lands of the Native...
During the early decades of the 19th century, the Southern Plains of the North American continent were only occasionally visited by explorers, trap...
Half a millennium before the Romans first arrived in Britain an even more ferocious people arrived in what is now south-eastern England after migrating from the mainland of Europe. This civilisation, known as the Celts first arrived in Britain in the 6th century BC, and within 300 years had made the island their own. The Celts remained in Britain long after the Romans departed, and although driven into the remoter corners of the island by English invaders the people who remained clung onto their Celtic heritage, and defended their remaining lands against all-comers. In order to defend their...
Half a millennium before the Romans first arrived in Britain an even more ferocious people arrived in what is now south-eastern England after migratin...
From the beginning of the 11th century onwards, the constant sate of war amongst the various Indian kingdoms left them open to outside attack, and Muslim Turkic tribesmen began to pour over the north-west border from modern-day Afghanistan. These raiders consolidated their successes and by 1206 a Muslim state, the Sultanate of Delhi, had been founded, which then extended its direct rule or influence over most of the subcontinent.
A turbulent period followed. The Sultanate was in constant flux as five dynasties rose and fell: Mamluk or Slave (1206-90), Khalji (1290-1320), Tughluq...
From the beginning of the 11th century onwards, the constant sate of war amongst the various Indian kingdoms left them open to outside attack, and ...
Using archaeological evidence and first-hand sources, Konstantin Nossov charts the history of the medieval Russian fortress from its early beginnings until the 14th century.
According to Russian legend, in AD 862, the Slav tribes of what is now European Russia invited a number of Scandinavian princes to rule over them. In AD 882, Prince Oleg united these kingdoms as the feudal state of Kievan Rus, by building a series of settlement and border fortifications, including the Zmievy Valy (Snake Ramparts), to protect against foreign invasion.
The rise of feudalism through the 11th...
Using archaeological evidence and first-hand sources, Konstantin Nossov charts the history of the medieval Russian fortress from its early beginnin...
