The Russian PPD-40, PPSh-41, and PPS family of SMGs were a key part of Soviet infantry assault doctrine in World War II and beyond.
Featuring expert analysis and an array of specially commissioned full-color artwork, this engaging study explains the history, use and development of Soviet wartime SMGs in detail. It gives particular focus to the tactical applications of these weapons in combat, and how they compared to firearms wielded by their German opponents. With numerous first-hand combat accounts, and detailed technical explanations, this book is ideal for both the general...
The Russian PPD-40, PPSh-41, and PPS family of SMGs were a key part of Soviet infantry assault doctrine in World War II and beyond.
Since the mid-1960s the Heckler & Koch MP5 has become the most widely used submachine gun in the world, especially among counterterrorist and special-operations units. Lightweight and offering a blistering rate of fire of 900 rounds per minute in some versions, the MP5 quickly earned a reputation for accuracy due to its fixed yet free-floating hammer-forged barrel and close-bolt operating system. Its sights, which consist of a front hooded post and rear rotary drum, aid in accuracy as well; at the time of its introduction the MP5's sights were superior to those of most other SMGs...
Since the mid-1960s the Heckler & Koch MP5 has become the most widely used submachine gun in the world, especially among counterterrorist and speci...
These lethal man-portable anti-tank weapons enabled Wehrmacht infantry to destroy T-34 and Sherman tanks. Written by an expert on anti-tank warfare, this book reveals the fascinating development history of the Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck and accessess the tactics that were employed by the soldiers using these two feared weapons. Two of World War II's most distinctive weapons, the Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck offered German and other infantrymen the ability to destroy enemy tanks singlehandedly at close range. While the Panzerschreck owed its origins largely to the US bazooka, the...
These lethal man-portable anti-tank weapons enabled Wehrmacht infantry to destroy T-34 and Sherman tanks. Written by an expert on anti-tank warfare...
Featuring specially commissioned full-color artwork and archive and close-up photographs, this engaging study tells the story of the M14, the long-lived battle rifle that remains in front-line service with US forces more than 50 years after its first adoption. The 7.62x51mm M14 select-fire automatic rifle was the primary US service rifle for only a decade from 1957 before being supplanted by the 5.56x45mm M16, yet many familiar with the M14 consider it the best rifle ever to see US service. Based on the well-proven M1 Garand rifle, the M14 addressed the perceived "deficiencies" of the...
Featuring specially commissioned full-color artwork and archive and close-up photographs, this engaging study tells the story of the M14, the long-liv...
The Hand Grenade is the dramatic story, covering its origins, development, use - in the World Wars and into the present day - and lasting influence on close-quarter combat and infantry tactics.
Allowing the user to inflict damage on his opponent within throwing range without leaving cover, the portable, lethally efficient hand grenade is a ubiquitous weapon of modern warfare, and has now found its way into law-enforcement arsenals too. In this engaging study the origins, development, combat use and lasting legacy of the military hand grenade are explored and assessed, accompanied by...
The Hand Grenade is the dramatic story, covering its origins, development, use - in the World Wars and into the present day - and lasting influence...
The history of the iconic Mauser family of German bolt-action rifles is told here in extensive detail. Drawing on first-hand accounts of the weapons in combat and fascinating primary sources regarding their mechanical performance, this fully illustrated study charts the Mauser's origins, combat record and lasting influence. It explores the full range of Mauser rifles, beginning with the hugely successful Gew 98, which entered service in the time of the Kaiser, provided the basis for the US Springfield M1093 and equipped combatants as diverse as the South African Boers. It also investigates...
The history of the iconic Mauser family of German bolt-action rifles is told here in extensive detail. Drawing on first-hand accounts of the weapon...
A unique chapter in the history of firearms, the multibarrel, hand-cranked Gatling gun was one of the first practical rapid-fire weapons ever to be used in battle. It changed warfare by introducing the capability to project deadly, high-intensity fire on the battlefield, and portended the devastation that automatic weapons would wreak in World War I. During its 40-year career, it saw widespread service with US, British, and other forces on a host of battlefields through conflicts in Zululand and the American West, to the Spanish-American War. Although it saw widespread use in the hands of...
A unique chapter in the history of firearms, the multibarrel, hand-cranked Gatling gun was one of the first practical rapid-fire weapons ever to be...
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...
