David Greentree Book order

This illustrated study assesses the British Crusader and the Italian M13/40, two medium tanks that played crucial roles in World War II's Desert War. Making its combat debut in North Africa during December 1940, Italy's M13/40 medium tank was armed with a 47mm main gun. Its British opposite number, the Crusader I, was armed with a 2-pdr (40mm) main gun; it entered the fighting in June 1941. While the M13/40 could fire armour-piercing rounds but also high-explosive ammunition against infantry and towed-gun targets, the Crusader could only fire armour-piercing ammunition. In this book, David Greentree charts the evolution of these two tanks as the Desert War raged on. While the Crusader III, making its debut at the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942, was armed with the much more effective 6-pdr (57mm), the M13/40 could not be upgunned or uparmoured; new types such as the US-built M3 Grant tipped the balance in favour of the British. Joined in the front line by the similar M14/41, the M13/40 soldiered on; as the M4 Sherman also entered British service, the Italian tanks were largely wiped out as the Axis forces retreated from Egypt. Featuring all-new full-colour artwork, archive photographs and expert analysis, this engaging study assess the origins, development and combat effectiveness of these two mainstays of the Desert War during 1941–42.

Drawing upon Soviet sources, this book assesses the evolving organization, uniforms, insignia, weaponry and personal equipment of Soviet naval infantry units from 1917 to 1991.Featuring eight plates of specially commissioned artwork alongside carefully chosen archive photographs, this study charts the history and appearance of the Soviet Union's naval infantry, from the October Revolution to the end of the Soviet era.Although Russian naval infantry achieved fame during the October Revolution they were quickly disbanded, only being re-established in 1939. Following the Axis invasion of 1941 some 500,000 Soviet Navy personnel served on land, fighting in the defence of Leningrad, Odessa and Sevastopol and the recapture of the Crimea in 1943–44; Soviet naval troops also participated in the invasion of Manchuria in 1945.During the Cold War era the Soviet Union developed an amphibious assault capability that had a vital strategic role – to capture an aggressor's geographical exits to the oceans and thereby forestall threats to Soviet submarine bases. Naval infantry forces could deploy a wealth of firepower assets, while the use of amphibious ships, hovercraft and helicopters aided their rapid deployment, even amid ice-bound terrain in the Arctic. All of these developments are described and illustrated in absorbing detail in this study.

In early 1940, a battle raged to control the ice-free, iron-ore port in northern Norway – with changing fortunes until the very end.This highly detailed book covers both the naval battles and the individual Norwegian, British, Polish, French and German units that fought the land campaign over northern Norway. Highly detailed maps guide you step by step through the events. Few other books on Narvik give you as much detail on the forces of the fighting five. From Gebirgsjägers to Guardsmen, Fallschirmjägers to Foreign Legionnaires, it offers you an impressive level of tactical detail, even down to company command, whilst also helping you understand the strategic confusion surrounding the whole Allied expedition to the north too.Among the naval clashes covered in this action-packed story are the destroyer battles in the fjords, the sinking of the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious and the roles the famous battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau played in the fighting. No less dramatic are the land battles, which include amphibious landings, sabotage, commando raids, daring ski missions and a rare parachute insertion by Gebirgsjäger troops.

This fully illustrated volume compares two of the most iconic AFV's: the SU-152/ISU-152 and the Tiger, used on the Eastern Front during World War II. On the Eastern Front in 1943, the Tiger-equipped heavy Panzer battalions gave German armored divisions an unmatched capability that cost the Red Army dearly. The Tiger's 88mm gun carved through Soviet defenses in the attack, and caused havoc amongst advancing Soviet armored formations when used in defense. Neither of the Red Army's heavy tanks (the KV-1 and KV-2) could match the Tiger's gun, and, more importantly, penetrate its armor at anything approaching standard combat range. The Soviet response was a stopgap vehicle that mounted a 152mm artillery piece onto the KV tank's chassis: the SU-152. This fascinating volume describes how the SU-152 was first deployed at Kursk in 1943, where its shell proved capable of killing Tigers, and documents its evolution into the ISU-152 in late 1943 (the latter carried the same gun on an IS chassis, and featured increased frontal armor). Packed with superb illustrations, it also explores the widely differing tactical employment of these two iconic AFVs, unit organization, equipment and weaponry, and crew roles.

Featuring specially commissioned artwork and full-color maps, this book evaluates the origins, tactics, armament, and combat effectiveness of the British riflemen and French skirmishers who clashed on three bloody battlefields of the Napoleonic Wars.

"A highly illustrated study of the Petsamo-Kirkenes campaign, which saw Soviet naval infantry deployed in abundance against the elite German Gebirgsjäger in the harsh conditions of the far north of the Eastern Front. This title examines the bitter conflict between two highly tactical armies as they battled across challenging terrain to gain control of strategically significant Northern Finland. On the one side were the invading Soviet troops, hoping to liberate an area full of rich resources and littered with bases that that would enable the arrival of Arctic convoys from Britain. They employed naval infantry in abundance, not only to make amphibious landings to capture strategically significant port facilities, but also on deep outflanking maneuvers inland. Their opponents were the elite Gebirgsjäger from XIX Gebirgskorps; trained to be self-sufficient and resourceful and equipped with a range of bespoke weaponry, this mountain division was ideally suited to operate in the harsh climate. Combat conditions were unique: the extremely rough terrain, laced with bogs, streams, boulder fields, and large rivers, presented a significant challenge in its own right, even without the added threat of attacks by highly trained soldiers. This illustrated title tells the story of this unique and bitter struggle in the far North, an epic battle between two elite forces fighting in a demanding environment. With bird's-eye views and maps of key battlefields, this is a comprehensive guide to one of the most challenging campaigns of the Eastern Front."--Amazon.ca

Featuring first-hand accounts and full-color artwork, this Combat-series title casts new light on the desperate fighting between British glider troops and their Waffen-SS opponents during the battle of Arnhem in September 1944.Employing first-hand accounts and drawing upon the latest research, David Greentree tells the story of the glider troops' dogged defense of the Allied perimeter at Arnhem, and the Waffen-SS forces' efforts to overcome them.Operation Market Garden was an Allied plan to try and end the war before the end of 1944, and relied on landing airborne troops to secure bridges over the Rhine in the Netherlands. Critical to this plan were the glider troops of Britain's 1st Airlanding Brigade. Short on heavy weapons and not trained in street fighting, the glider troops were meant to secure and defend the Allied perimeter around Arnhem as the parachute brigades fought their way into the city. Facing the airborne forces were understrength Waffen-SS units that were hastily formed into ad hoc battle groups, some supported by armor. The troops on both sides would have their tactical flexibility and powers of endurance tested to the limit in the bitter actions that ensued.

In April 1940, British and German destroyers clashed at Narvik, a strategically vital harbor on the Norwegian coast. David Greentree charts both sides’ development of destroyer tactics and technologies, the battles themselves and their impact on subsequent naval operations in this absorbing study.

Canadian and Waffen-SS troops of 12 SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend faced one another in a series of bloody battles following the D-Day landings of June 1944. The Canadian units were drawn from a number of distinguished regiments, while the Hitlerjugend Division were drawn from the ranks of the Hitler Youth organizations. Officers and NCOs were joined by inexperienced teenagers, and clashed with the Canadians repeatedly, notably at Authie, Bretteville, and Hill 168. The struggle quickly took on an especially bitter nature, fueled by the massacre of Canadian prisoners by Hitlerjugend personnel. Employing first-hand accounts and the latest research, as well as specially commissioned artwork and carefully selected archive photographs, this absorbing study investigates the origins, ethos, training, fighting techniques, and weapons of both sides during the epic struggle for Normandy.

In May 1941, the Norwegian Section of SOE received a dossier warning of the dangers of a hydroelectric fertilizer plant in Norway. Vemork produced heavy water, an essential part of making plutonium for nuclear weapons. When the Germans overran Norway the entire stock had been smuggled out of the country, but the plant was intact and soon producing heavy water again, destined for the German nuclear program. Despite the difficulties of getting to and operating in such a remote, hostile area, SOE decided it had to destroy the plant. Six ski-borne commandos had the task of slipping past 300 heavily armed guards and passing through a ravine the Germans thought impassable. Fully illustrated with stunning new commissioned artwork, this is the thrilling story of the daring Norwegian-led SOE raid that prevented Hitler from building an atomic bomb.