Fire is one of humanity's most rudimentary tools, but also one of its oldest killers. This focus of this book is a weapon that has literally placed the power of fire in human hands - the man-portable flamethrower. From its very first use in World War I to its deployment in Vietnam, the weapon has proven to be devastatingly effective, not least because of its huge psychological impact on enemy troops - few other weapons in history have caused such terror. Yet despite this, the man-portable flamethrower has always been vulnerable, suffering from a very particular set of limitations, all of...
Fire is one of humanity's most rudimentary tools, but also one of its oldest killers. This focus of this book is a weapon that has literally placed th...
Winchester Lever-Action repeating rifles are an integral part of the folklore of the American West. Introduced shortly after the American Civil War, the very first Winchester, the M1866, would go on to see military service as far afield as Bulgaria, but it was in the hands of civilians that it would become known as 'The gun that won the west.' Offering a lethal combination of portability, ruggedness and ammunition interchangeability with pistol sidearms, the Winchesters and their innovative and elegant breech-loading system represented a revolutionary design. They were used by a staggering...
Winchester Lever-Action repeating rifles are an integral part of the folklore of the American West. Introduced shortly after the American Civil War, t...
An ancient design, emerging from Central Asia in the second millennium B.C., the composite bow was adopted by a staggering variety of cultures, from nomadic tribal peoples such as the Huns, Turks, and Mongols, to mighty empires such as the Romans, Byzantines, Persians, Arabs, and Chinese. Offering high power and portability, the composite bow was an ideal cavalry weapon, though it was also used by infantry in open battle, and as a siege weapon. In this important study, an expert on Eastern military technology tells the story of this extraordinary piece of military hardware: how it was made...
An ancient design, emerging from Central Asia in the second millennium B.C., the composite bow was adopted by a staggering variety of cultures, from n...
The flintlock or firelock musket is one of the truly iconic weapons in history: first used on the battlefields of the Thirty Years' War and the English Civil War, it was carried by both sides at Bunker Hill, Waterloo and the Alamo, and can truly be said to have dominated warfare for more than 150 years, until the advent of cartridge ammunition and breechloading weapons in the 1840s and 1850s and were still being widely used as late as the American Civil War in the 1860s.
During the 18th century flintlocks tended to follow one of two basic patterns: from 1722 the British .75-calibre...
The flintlock or firelock musket is one of the truly iconic weapons in history: first used on the battlefields of the Thirty Years' War and the Eng...
The Barrett M82A1 and its derivatives are among the most successful sniping rifles ever manufactured. Now entering its fourth decade of service, the short-recoil, semi-automatic system is capable of firing a devastating .50-caliber round with lethal accuracy over distances of more than 2 kilometers. Unconfirmed reports from Afghanistan in 2012 accredit the Barrett with one of history's longest ever kills at 2,815 meters. This is the technical history of a rifle initially developed as a sporting firearm, but which evolved into a long-range sniping rifle and a formidable military anti-materiel...
The Barrett M82A1 and its derivatives are among the most successful sniping rifles ever manufactured. Now entering its fourth decade of service, the s...
World War I's defining weapon for many, Germany's MG 08 machine gun won a formidable reputation on battlefields from Tannenberg to the Somme, while its more mobile successor, the MG 08/15, played a central role in the revolutionary developments in infantry tactics that characterized the last months of the conflict. Even in the 1940s, the two weapons would be pressed into service with German forces fighting in a new world war.
Drawing upon eyewitness battlefield reports, this absorbing study assesses the technical performance and combat record of these redoubtable and influential...
World War I's defining weapon for many, Germany's MG 08 machine gun won a formidable reputation on battlefields from Tannenberg to the Somme, while...
Influenced by the German MP 40 and the British Sten, the .45-caliber M3 "Grease Gun" served as the primary U.S. submachine gun for almost a half century. Designed to replace the expensive Thompson SMG, the M3 was issued to airborne troops thanks to its compact design with sliding wire stock, also being favored by armored crews right up to 1991's Operation Desert Storm.
In Korea and Vietnam, reconnaissance troops and special-operations forces were at times armed with the M3A1--also available in a suppressed version--and it was the first SMG issued to the US counter-terrorist...
Influenced by the German MP 40 and the British Sten, the .45-caliber M3 "Grease Gun" served as the primary U.S. submachine gun for almost a half ce...
The formidable European longsword--featuring a double-edged straight blade in excess of 40 inches, and capable of being used with one or both hands--remains one of the most impressive and distinctive edged weapons of the late medieval era. Also known as the bastard sword or the hand-and-a-half sword, the longsword evolved from the war swords and great swords of the fourteenth century, and emerged as a battlefield weapon in the early stages of the Hundred Years' War. Fully illustrated, with specially commissioned full-color artwork and an array of period illustrations and close-up...
The formidable European longsword--featuring a double-edged straight blade in excess of 40 inches, and capable of being used with one or both hands...
Now the standard weapon for British soldiers across the globe, the SA80's early years were shrouded in controversy after a series of dismal performances. It was prone to jamming in desert conditions, had several flimsy parts that would often break after repeated use, and had an incredibly sensitive magazine catch. When these issues came to light, the SA80 was lambasted by the news, leading to the Ministry of Defence ordering an extensive modification program that dramatically improved reliability.
Combat accounts and in-depth analysis of the SA80's performance in Kosovo, Sierra...
Now the standard weapon for British soldiers across the globe, the SA80's early years were shrouded in controversy after a series of dismal perform...
The Mosin-Nagant is the world's longest-surviving and most widely distributed military rifle, having armed the forces of Russia and many other countries for over a century. It has seen action from World War I to the present day, but is most famous for its role during World War II, where it proved to be an excellent sniping weapon in the hands of marksmen such as Vasili Zaitsev and Simo Hayha. This study covers the rifles entire combat history, from its early development through to its service in combat, and the impact it has had on modern firearms.
Dramatic battle reports and...
The Mosin-Nagant is the world's longest-surviving and most widely distributed military rifle, having armed the forces of Russia and many other coun...
