Tim Ripley

The Inside Story of Putin's Military Intervention in the Syrian War Russia's intervention in Syria in September 2015 caught the world by surprise. Since then Russian bombers, fighter jets, drones, warships and special forces troops have helped turn the tide of the brutal Syria civil war in favour Bashar al-Assad's government in Damascus. As the war enters its endgame, this book looks at how the Russian intervention unfolded, and its implications in the Middle East and further afield. Drawing on a wide array of sources - including satellite imagery of Russian forces in Syria, as well as live online monitoring of Russian, Syrian and Iranian aircraft and ship movements - Operation Aleppo gives an unprecedented insight into the most ambitious Russian military campaign since the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan in the 1980s.

Jobs in the military are varied and interesting. One of the most unique is that of a demolitions expert. This book explains what a demolitions expert is, what training is needed to become one, and what happens once you're part of the team.

There are many jobs available to people who are interested in entering the military. Drone operators have a difficult but interesting job. This book explains what a drone operator does, how to become one, and real-life examples of drone operators in action.

This book provides an overview of NATO and other Allied air power in the lengthy campaign to secure democracy in Afghanistan and destroy Taliban and other Islamic extremist terror forces in the combat zone. It contains a mix of explanatory text, diagrams and stunning action colour photography. Tim Ripley has had access to all NATO air bases in the area and brings an unprecedented degree of detail and accuracy to the book.

A full history of the Third Reich's fighting elite Waffen-SS from its humble beginnings to the end in Berlin in May 1945, complete with colour maps and line diagrams.

This work analyzes the tactics of the armies, corps and divisions of the German Army, and examines the reasons why the army was able to fight so long and so effectively under adverse strategic conditions. It also examines the equipment used, and the different combat units.

This is an illustrated account of the armoured battles of the US Third Army in August-September 1944 during which US tanks reached the German border and would have advanced farther east, and possibly have shortened the war, were it not for fuel shortages and bickerings within the Allied High Command. The book takes a critical look at US armoured doctrine during the latter stages of World War II and the leadership of Patton himself. Analysis is made of American tanks, artillery and self-propelled guns to determine how they compared to their German rivals and, illustrated throughout with colour maps, allows the reader to more fully understand the movement of units on the ground and the fluid nature of the fighting. First hand accounts from members of the Third Army are included, sharing their thrill of outflanking German forces in France and approaching the German border and their bitter disappointment as their tanks ground to a halt due to lack of fuel and essential supples with the reader.

A highly illustrated and authoritative account of the battles fought by the armoured formations of the Waffen-SS, from D-Day to Arnhem to the Battle of the Bulge. In mid-1944, the panzer divisions of the Waffen-SS were among the finest units in the German order of battle. Well equipped and trained, imbued with a fierce ideological faith in National Socialism, and commanded by charismatic leaders such as 'Sepp' Dietrich, 'Panzer' Meyer and 'Papa' Hausser, the Leibstandarte, Das Reich, Hitlerjugend, Hohenstaufen and Frundsberg Divisions were a force to be reckoned with.

Exposing the true scale and significance of the deployment of air power in the Balkans, this title details the activities of NATO and UN aircraft as well as local pilots in the former Yugoslavia, from bombing by B-2 stealth bomber to air-to-air combat and moving ground troops by helicopter. Air power has played a vital role in "Europe's Vietnam". This title looks behind the propoganda and media "spin" to the day-to-day realities facing liberal democracies who interfere in civil wars.

The conflict in Northern Ireland remains unlike any other campaign conducted by the British Army this century. There have been no set-piece battles, no decisive victories or crushing defeats; just a grinding, relentless series of small scale operations in response to riots, bombings, sectarian murders and terrorist ambushes. Tim Ripley, a specialist in modern military affairs and research associate at Lancaster University's Centre for Defence and International Security Studies, profiles the operations, tactics, uniforms and equipment of the British and Irish Security Forces and the main terrorist groups involved in 'the Troubles' from 1969-92.

Despite the development of deadly long-range weapons during the twentieth century and a substantial increase in the killing power of all weapons, modern soldiers have continued to fight the enemy at close range. Close Quarter Combat is an anecdotal history that brings to life the fear, intensity, and raw courage of close-quarter combat in chilling detail, including first-hand accounts of waging war among the ruins of Stalingrad, fighting in tunnels during the Vietnam War, springing an ambush, and even fighting with axes on the Eastern Front during World War II. Close Quarter Combat contains accounts from U.S., British, German, and French servicemen and covers both world wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Falklands campaign.