Kategoria BISAC: History >> Military - Weapons

The T43 design represented the pinnacle of U.S. Army tank engineering of the late 1940s, with its cast elliptical hull and turret, Continental AV-1790 engine, cross-drive transmission, and torsion bar suspension. A range-finder and mechanical computer directed a powerful 120mm main gun in a novel electro-hydraulic turret, among other features. The heavy tank proved fairly popular with its crews, who above all respected the powerful armament it carried. Many challenges to the crewmen were taken on with a sense of pride. Typical was the job of the second loader to hand-ram both the...

Entering service in 1931, the 9x19mm Suomi KP/-31 submachine gun saw extensive combat with Finnish troops during their fight against Soviet forces in 1939-44. It was also manufactured under licence in Switzerland, Denmark and Sweden, and remained in Finnish service until the 1980s, an indication of its durability.

Rugged and accurate, the Suomi was a favourite with Finnish ski troops who would strike from ambush, cutting down Soviet troops, then skiing away into the woods. Initially used by the Finns as a light machine gun at infantry squad level, it eventually became a dedicated...

In 1974, renowned Belgian arms company Fabrique Nationale brought out a groundbreaking new light machine gun, the Minimi. Its success has been meteoric, arming more than forty-five countries around the world.

The Minimi offers the ultimate in portable squad firepower. Firing the high-velocity 5.56-by-45-millimeter round, the Minimi is a gas-fired, lightweight, open-bolt weapon, able to burn through cartridges at a cyclical rate of up to 1,150 rounds per minute, making it the weapon of choice for tactical support at squad or platoon level.

This study uses gripping firsthand...

This comprehensive entry in R. P. Hunnicutt's 10-volume compendium of American tank history details the development of the T20 series of American tank prototypes ending with the standardized M26 Pershing. Although M4 Medium Tank Sherman proved itself by contributing mightily to U.S. Armored divisions in WWII, it was eventually outclassed by some later German armored vehicles. Furthermore, due to its prewar development, the Sherman was designed using components developed on a shoestring budget. In an effort to address these shortcomings and to take advantage of lessons learned on the...

This comprehensive entry in R. P. Hunnicutt's 10-volume compendium of American tank history details the development of the T20 series of American tank prototypes ending with the standardized M26 Pershing. Although M4 Medium Tank Sherman proved itself by contributing mightily to U.S. Armored divisions in WWII, it was eventually outclassed by some later German armored vehicles. Furthermore, due to its prewar development, the Sherman was designed using components developed on a shoestring budget. In an effort to address these shortcomings and to take advantage of lessons learned on the...

Drawing on his legendary firearms knowledge and combat experience, U.S. Navy SEAL and #1 bestselling author of American Sniper Chris Kyle dramatically chronicles the story of America--from the Revolution to the present--through the lens of ten iconic guns and the remarkable heroes who used them to shape history: the American long rifle, Spencer repeater, Colt .45 revolver, Winchester 1873 rifle, Springfield M1903 rifle, M1911 pistol, Thompson submachine gun, M1 Garand, .38 Special police revolver, and the M16 rifle platform Kyle himself used. American Gun is a sweeping epic of bravery,...

In this fascinating account of the battle tanks that saw combat in the European Theater of World War II, Mary R. Habeck traces the strategies developed between the wars for the use of armored vehicles in battle. Only in Germany and the Soviet Union were truly original armor doctrines (generally known as "blitzkreig" and "deep battle") fully implemented. Storm of Steel relates how the German and Soviet armies formulated and chose to put into practice doctrines that were innovative for the time, yet in many respects identical to one another.

As part of her extensive archival...

This book is a facsimilie reproduction of the original 1857 manuscript held in the Archive of the Royal Gunpowder Mills, Waltham Abbey. It contains information pertaining to the historical significance of the Royal Gunpowder Mills. It is the 2nd volume in the Royal Gunpowder Mills Historical Reprint Series. For more information about the Archive, visit: http: //www.royalgunpowdermills.com/history-heritage/archives/

Description - from the Preface:

Having been requested to write an Article on the Manufacture of Gunpowder for the Aide Memoire, to replace the present pages on this...

This book is a facsimilie reproduction, including 14 illustrations, of the original 1888 manuscript held in the Archive of the Royal Gunpowder Mills, Waltham Abbey. It contains information pertaining to the industrial archaeology and historical significance of the Royal Gunpowder Mills. It is the 3rd volume in the Royal Gunpowder Mills Historical Reprint Series. For more information about the Archive, visit: http: //www.royalgunpowdermills.com/history-heritage/archives/

Description - from the Preface:

This handbook is founded upon "Notes on Gunpowder' and Guncotton," drawn up by...

This book is a facsimilie reproduction, including 26 illustrations, of the original 1870 manuscript held in the Archive of the Royal Gunpowder Mills, Waltham Abbey. It contains information pertaining to the industrial archaeology and historical significance of the Royal Gunpowder Mills. It is the 4th volume in the Royal Gunpowder Mills Historical Reprint Series. For more information about the Archive, visit: http: //www.royalgunpowdermills.com/history-heritage/archives/

Description - from the Preface:

The following short treatise is intended as a guide to officers who wish...

This book is a facsimilie reproduction of the original 1832 manuscript held in the Archive of the Royal Gunpowder Mills, Waltham Abbey. It contains information pertaining to the historical significance of the Royal Gunpowder Mills. It is the 5th volume in the Royal Gunpowder Mills Historical Reprint Series. For more information about the Archive, visit: http: //www.royalgunpowdermills.com/history-heritage/archives/

Description - from the Preface:

The following pages are submitted to the public with modesty. The writer of them has been absent from England seventeen years; and there...