Book picks similar to
The Naval Institute Guide to the Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet by Norman Polmar
reference
military
hardcover-books
navy
Weapons: An International Encyclopedia From 5000 B.C. to 2000 A.D.
The Diagram Group - 1980
This definitive guide covers the entire history of weapons, from the earliest, most primitive instruments up to remarkable advances in modern defense and warfare, including:Riot-control devicesElectrified nightsticksInfantry weaponsMultiple-launch rocketsFiber-optic misslesWire-guided torpedoes"Stealth" technology
Pacific Thunder: The US Navy's Central Pacific Campaign, August 1943–October 1944
Thomas McKelvey Cleaver - 2017
Minutes later, the ship that had launched the Doolitte Raid six months earlier slipped beneath the waves of the Coral Sea. Of the pre-war carrier fleet the Navy had struggled to build over 15 years, only three were left: Enterprise, that had been badly damaged in the battle of Santa Cruz; USS Saratoga (CV-3) which lay in dry dock, victim of a Japanese submarine torpedo; and the USS Ranger (CV-4), which was in mid-Atlantic on her way to support Operation Torch. For the American naval aviators licking their wounds in the aftermath of this defeat, it would be difficult to imagine that within 24 months of this event, Zuikaku, the last survivor of the carriers that had attacked Pearl Harbor, would lie at the bottom of the sea. Alongside it lay the other surviving Japanese carriers, sacrificed as lures in a failed attempt to block the American invasion of the Philippines, leaving the United States to reign supreme on the world's largest ocean. This is the fascinating account of the Central Pacific campaign, one of the most stunning comebacks in naval history as in 14 months the US Navy went from the jaws of defeat to the brink of victory in the Pacific.
Run Through the Jungle: Real Adventures in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne Brigade
Larry J. Musson - 2015
Share the experiences of fighting men under punishing conditions, extreme temperatures, and intense monsoon rains as they search for the enemy in the rugged mountains and teeming lowlands. Relive all the terror, humor, and sadness of one man’s tour of duty with real-life action in spectacular stunning detail.
Looking For Trouble: SAS To Gulf Command- The Autobiography
Peter de la Billière - 1994
From his childhood, rebellion at school, the early death of his father and conflict with his step-father, on to his exploits in the army in Korea, Egypt, Malaya, Oman, Borneo, the Sudan, the Falklands, and the Gulf War, this book chronicles the SAS General's life.
Fighter Pilot
Mac 'Serge' Tucker - 2012
Now, for the first time, Serge takes you behind the scenes of the fighter pilot world to reveal what it's really like. Find out how it feels to be shot at by SAS snipers, to be lost in a $50 million jet over Northern Australia with nothing but car lights to guide you home, to rupture your sinuses while flying, to inadvertently bomb a yacht and to face death on an almost daily basis. Relive the adventures of a real-life Top Gun and find out what it takes to become part of this elite force. From the Pentagon to the South China Sea, the deserts of Australia to the wars of the Middle East, this book is as action-packed as it is entertaining. Sit back and strap yourself in for an exhilarating ride to the sound barrier and beyond with Mac Tucker, an Australian fighter pilot and real life Top Gun.
Diary of an Airborne Ranger: A LRRP's Year in the Combat Zone
Frank Johnson - 2001
Johnson served in I Corps, in northern Vietnam, where combat was furious and the events he recounts emerge, stark and compelling: walking point in the A Shau Valley, braving enemy fire to rescue a downed comrade, surviving days and nights of relentless tension that suddenly exploded in the blinding fury of an NVA attack.Undimmed and unmuddied by the passing of years, Johnson's account is unique in the annals of Vietnam literature. Moreover, it is a timeless testimony to the sacrifice and heroism of the LRRPs who dared to risk it all.
Devil's Own Luck: Pegasus Bridge to the Baltic 1944-45
Denis Edwards - 1999
He brilliantly conveys what it was like to be facing death, day after day, night after night, with never a bed to sleep in nor a hot meal to go home to. This is warfare in the raw ' brutal, yet humorous, immensely tragic, but sadly, all true.
Operation Medusa: The Furious Battle That Saved Afghanistan from the Taliban
David Fraser - 2018
Birthplace of the Taliban decades earlier, this fertile region had since become Afghanistan's most deadly turf. It would soon turn deadlier still. Advised in the night by his intelligence officers that the Taliban had secretly amassed for a full-scale military assault, Fraser knew it would fall to him, his Canadians and their allies to avoid the wholesale slaughter of NATO troops, keep the Taliban from laying siege to Kandahar and restore control of the south of the country to a newly formed, democratic Afghan government. The odds were solidy against Fraser's forces. The Taliban knew every millimetre of their own terrain. During the months of secret manoeuvres they had stocked every farmhouse, school, grape hut and tunnel with weapons and ammunition. They had drilled Soviet-era landmines into all of the marijuana and poppy fields, and dug IEDs into every roadway. Protected from detection by corrupt officials, their sophisticated warfare schools had successfully readied an army of zealous fighters to attack and fight to the death. And now their top commanders were poised to launch decisive military operations against freshly arrived troops who had never seen combat. The bloodiest battle in NATO's history was about to begin.
Broken By War
Anthony Lock - 2019
I lost my brother at a young age, who was just two years younger than me. After his death I suffered at the hands of bullies who laughed and taunted me over his death. I hated my life and the people around me. I wanted out of my city to build a new life with a fresh start but the death of my brother and the impact it had on me, caused me to fail my education. How could I leave the city I hated now? I joined the Armed Forces at the age of 17 and served almost 12 years in a career that saw me lose nine friends. I was blown up twice and after the first IED I continued to lead by example on the frontline unknowingly suffering from a broken neck and surviving on just pain killers. The second IED just over a month later almost killed me, I died in the air above Helmond Province onboard a Military Helicopter and became the first British Soldier serving in Afghanistan to be surgically operated on whilst in the air. I suffered serious life changing injuries which has also left me suffering with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and severe depression. I wrote the book because I became so fed up with my pain and depression made worse by the lack of help and support that I hated waking up every morning and breathing the air. 2018 saw a large rise in Veteran PTSD related suicides – which has continued to spiral into 2019 and I could have been another. The book will take you on a journey through my eyes and show you what it’s like to be “Broken By War” The book is a powerful read and will take you on a ride full of emotion – from laughter to tears – as you read about friendship, leadership, survival and recovery. It's not about blame or regret - it's about CHANGE. About the Author Anthony witnessed a number of traumatic events in his life as well as suffering life changing injuries. Anthony openly suffers with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and his book is helping Veterans to reach out. With his own lack of support from the Government, the Military, The Charity's and his own city, Anthony is now devoted to spreading the Awareness of his own failings to help others now in his shoes. Follow Anthony on twitter @Broken_By_War