Kirjahaku

The Waffen-SS was one of the most feared combat organizations of the twentieth century. Originally formed as a protection squad for Adolf Hitler it became the military wing of Heinrich Himmler's SS and a key part of the Nazi state, with nearly 900,000 men passing through its ranks. The Waffen-SS played a crucial role in furthering the aims of the Third Reich which made its soldiers Hitler's political operatives. During its short history, the elite military divisions of the Waffen-SS acquired a reputation for excellence, but their famous battlefield record of success was matched by their repeated and infamous atrocities against both soldiers and civilians.Waffen-SS is the first definitive single-volume military history of the Waffen-SS in more than 50 years. In considering the actions of its leading personalities, including Himmler, Sepp Dietrich, and Otto Skorzeny, and analyzing its specialist training and ideological outlook, eminent historian Adrian Gilbert chronicles the battles and campaigns that brought the Waffen-SS both fame and infamy.

From the sharpshooters of the American Revolution to the Marine snipers who dominated the streets of Mogadishu, famed military historian Adrian Gilbert puts you behind the crosshairs of the most adept killers in history.A sniper is more than a crack shot. He's a calm professional with the instincts and patients of a master huntsman. Intensive training leaves snipers razor-sharp, able to creep undetected within arm's reach of the enemy. The finest marksmen in the world, a sniper can place a bullet in an enemy's heart from a thousand yards away. Stalk and Kill puts you on the battlefield for the most daring missions in history. You'll duel a Nazi "super sniper" in Stalingrad, outfox the Viet Cong in Southeast Asia, and silence the enemies of U.S. troops in Beirut. And you'll never cease to marvel at the sniper's iron nerve and lethal precision. A main selection of the military book club with eight pages of fascinating photos

Acclaimed military historian Adrian Gilbert leads readers into the world of the combat sniper-on the safe side of the crosshairs.From the black-powder chaos of the American Revolution to the bitter carnage of Vietnam, he is a presence as familiar to war as death itself. He is the combat sniper-revered as the ultimate warrior by some and reviled as a monster by those who have known the terror of his invisible ambush. As the "Wild Boys" who crawled the no-man's-land between the trenches in WWI, terrorizing the enemy and dodging fire from the shelter of shell craters. As the officer-hunting German snipers is WWII's Normandy-so unnerving that hardened commanders began to disguise their rank. As the men who boasted a shot/ill ration of 1.7 to 1 in Vietnam-a figure that was 50,000 to 1 among general soldiers. From the evolution of the art, to firsthand accounts of legendary exploits, through the basics of sniper training, Sniper traces the development of these feared huntsmen, marking their historical battles and their pivotal role in modern forces. Includes 8 pages of authentic action photographs

The German campaigns in Europe and North Africa in 1939-42 ushered in a new era in warfare. The theory of the Blitzkrieg (Lightning War) was put into devastating effect, with the Wehrmacht triumphant in Poland, Norway, the Low Countries and France, and Rommel winning great victories against the British in Africa. Campaigns of World War II: Germany's Lightning War is a military history of the conflict in Europe and North Africa from the invasion of Poland in September 1939 to the Battle of El Alamein in October-November 1942. The authoritative text is complemented by detailed maps which explain the movement of forces. In addition, there are artworks of the uniforms, armoured fighting vehicles, aircraft and ships that took part in the campaign.