Best of
Military

1972

Principles of Personal Defense


Jeff Cooper - 1972
    Cooper discusses the vital elements of defensive mental conditioning, including alertness, decisiveness, aggressiveness, speed, coolness, ruthlessness and surprise.

Rendezvous - South Atlantic (Synthese Library)


Douglas Reeman - 1972
    S. Benbencula was already old. Yet even she was needed to protect the vital Atlantic sea lanes. Commander Lindsay, her new captain, had to work desperately to mould the ship's company — raw recruits and old timers — into a fighting force. And better than anyone, Lindsay knew this could be his last command, his last chance.

The Village


Francis J. "Bing" West Jr. - 1972
    In We Were Soldiers Once & Young, the fighting lasted three days. In The Village, one Marine squad fought for 495 days-half of them died.Few American battles have been so extended, savage and personal. A handful of Americans volunteered to live among six thousand Vietnamese, training farmers to defend their village. Such "Combined Action Platoons" (CAPs) are now a lost footnote about how the war could have been fought; only the villagers remain to bear witness. This is the story of fifteen resolute young Americans matched against two hundred Viet Cong; how a CAP lived, fought and died. And why the villagers remember them to this day.

The Greatest Raid of All: Operation Chariot and the Mission to Destroy the Normandie Dock at St Nazaire (Daring Military Operations of World War Two)


C.E. Lucas Phillips - 1972
    At St Nazaire, on March 28th, 1942 at 1.34 am, the destroyer HMS Campbeltown, with her Oerlikons blazing at the enemy guns only a few yards away, crashed with terrific force into one of the enormous lock gates of the Normandie Dock. Operation Chariot had reached its climax. Its object was to destroy the essential gear of the largest dock in the world, so that it could not be used by German battleships, and it was brilliantly successful in its main purpose. The story of the assault, under a storm of enemy fire at point-blank range which set the sea itself on fire, and of the heroism of the men in the 'little ships' raid, carried out by Royal Navy forces - no fewer than five VC's were awarded - is one of the most thrilling and vivid to come out of any war. 'Exciting and moving account of a great epic' - "Observer".

12, 20 And 5: A Doctor's Year in Vietnam


John A. Parrish - 1972
    

The Patton Papers: 1885-1940


George S. Patton Jr. - 1972
    Patton (1885-1945) fought in North Africa and Sicily, as commander of the Third Army, spearheaded the Allies' spectacular 1944-1945 sweep through France, Belgium, and Germany. Martin Blumenson is the only historian to enjoy unlimited access to the vast Patton papers.This is the first volume, covering the years 1885 to 1940, of General George S. Patton’s papers. The period prior to World War Two. The material includes private diaries, letters, speeches, reports, and orders. This provides own uncensored view of his remarkable life.

Here There Be Dragons


Robert Bentley - 1972
    One of the most chilling cold war adventure stories ever written.

Dust On The Sea


Edward L. Beach - 1972
    The battle for the Pacific rages. The most destructive subs in the U.S. Navy are dispatched to Bungo Suido in the Yellow Sea to harass and destroy enemy troop ships--a near-suicide mission in the very heart of Japan's home waters. Reissue.

Jackets of Green: A Study of the History, Philosophy and Character of the Rifle Brigade


Arthur Bryant - 1972
    But he was so impressed by the wealth of material that he decided that only a full account of the Regiment's history could do it justice. Yet this is no narrow regimental history but, in microcosm, that of the Army itself as it helped to create and garrison the British Empire during the century and a half when it was the principal means of preserving and defending the peace of the world. In recording what happened to the Regiment - in the peninsula, at Waterloo in the Crimea, India and South Africa and in the two World Wars of this century. Sir Arthur has crystallised and epitomised the experience of all who served Britain, 'at the sharp end'.

The Civilian and the Military: A History of the American Anti-Militarist Tradition


Arthur A. Ekirch Jr. - 1972
    society, this account follows the rise and decline of the antimilitarist tradition—rooted in fear of dictatorship—that has been an important part of the American heritage from colonial times until the 1950s and even today. In addition to providing a documented historical survey of notable issues and landmarks that have affected the role of the civilian and the military until the mid-1950s, the volume also offers ample background for an understanding of the complicated problem of militarism in the last century, including principles and dynamics that are relevant in the 21st century. Bringing to light new materials and making use of archives and papers that ground the analysis in actual events, this compelling examination will excite controversy among pacifists, militarists, and anyone interested in history, U.S. military policy, and trends in current events.

A Register Of The Regiments And Corps Of The British Army: The Ancestry Of The Regiments And Corps Of The Regular Establishment


Arthur Swinson - 1972
    

U.S. Marine Operations In Korea 1950-1953: Volume V - Operations In West Korea [Illustrated Edition]


Pat Meid - 1972
     THIS IS THE CONCLUDING VOLUME of a five-part series dealing with operations of United States Marines in Korea between 2 August 1950 and 27 July 1953. Volume V provides a definitive account of operations of the 1st Marine Division and the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing during 1952–1953, the final phase of the Korean War. At this time the division operated under Eighth U.S. Army in Korea (EUSAK) control in the far western sector of I Corps, while Marine aviators and squadrons functioned as a component of the Fifth Air Force (FAF). The period covered by this history begins in March 1952, when the Marine division moved west to occupy positions defending the approaches to Seoul, the South Korean capital. As it had for most of the war the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, operating under FAF, flew close support missions not only for the Marines but for as many as 19 other Allied frontline divisions. Included in the narrative is a detailed account of Marine POWs, a discussion of the new defense mission of Marine units in the immediate post-war period, and an evaluation of Marine Corps contributions to the Korean War. “MENTION THE KOREAN WAR and almost immediately it evokes the memory of Marines at Pusan, Inchon, Chosin Reservoir, or the Punchbowl. Americans everywhere remember the Marine Corps’ combat readiness, courage, and military skills that were largely responsible for the success of these early operations in 1950–1951. Not as dramatic or well-known are the important accomplishments of the Marines during the latter part of the Korean War. In March 1952 the 1st Marine Division redeployed from the East-Central front to West Korea. This new sector, nearly 35 miles in length, anchored the far western end of I Corps and was one of the most critical of the entire Eighth Army line. Here the Marines blocked the enemy’s goal of penetrating to Seoul, the South Korean capital. Northwest of the Marine Main Line of Resistance, less than five miles distant, lay Panmunjom, site of the sporadic truce negotiations. Defense of their strategic area exposed the Marines to continuous and deadly Communist probes and limited objective attacks. These bitter and costly contests for key outposts bore such names as Bunker Hill, the Hook, the Nevadas (Carson-Reno-Vegas), and Boulder City. For the ground Marines, supported by 1st Marine Aircraft Wing squadrons, the fighting continued until the last day of the war, 27 July 1953… Whatever guise the enemy of the United States chooses or wherever he draws his battleline, he will find the Marines with their age-old answer. Today, as in the Korean era, Marine Corps readiness and professionalism are prepared to apply the cutting edge against any threat of American security.”-Gen. Chapman

The High Priests of Waste


A. Ernest Fitzgerald - 1972
    

The Reluctant Ally: Austria's Policy in the Austro-Turkish War, 1737-1739


Karl A. Roider - 1972