This book, composed of three parts, first of all recalls the design and the manufacture of the gliders, the creation of the flying schools as well as the setting-up of the program of pilot training. The second part is interested in the use of the American gliders on June 6, 1944 in Cotentin by detailing all the missions in which they took part. The last part, as for it, is focused on the ignored role held by these same apparatuses at the time of the landing of Provence. This book does not forget to mention the parachutists combined at the sides of which the gliders took share with the engagements. You will find many photographs and new documents as well as testimonies of German, French and American veterans.

A superb, highly illustrated book! From their bridgeheads in Normandy, established after three months of intense fighting, the Allies finally broke out and began a spectacular advance, pushing the Germans back at an unprecedented rate. Here’s the complete story of what became known as Montgomery’s Blitzkrieg.

When the author was inducted into the US Army in 1942 he had no idea that typists and draftsmen were in short supply and that he would be quickly snatched up by the G-3 (Operations) Section of the 82nd Airborne. The author thus gained a ringside seat for some of the greatest campaigns of World War II.The 82nd fought from the invasions of North Africa, Sicily and France, to the Battle of the Bulge and the drive on Berlin. And throughout the campaigns sat Lebenson at the division’s nerve centre, typing orders, drafting battle maps and acting as liaison. A rare enlisted man with ‘bigoted’ (top secret) status, he was privy to the 82nd’s actions as they were being devised. In the process, he was able to meet Ridgeway, Gavin, Patton, Montgomery and other army luminaries who came through the headquarters. Along with the divisional staff, the author arrived in battle in many different ways – by ship, plane, glider, parachute and jeep. With the rest of the All American Division he shared the blistering heat of Africa and the bone-chilling cold of the Ardennes.Rising from private to master sergeant, Lebenson thought that he had ‘the best job in the army’. In this revealing memoir, however, he never fails to give full credit to the men on the firing line who suffered the greatest hardships and casualties. The author has provided a rare behind-the-scenes view of the 82nd Airborne in World War II, yet he is the first to acknowledge that his greatest honour was to be ‘surrounded by heroes’.

The Tiger tank endures today as the greatest legend of the German armored forces of World War II. Jean Restayn's text is backed up by 250 photographs, most of them never published before, and 50 color plates showing markings, insignia and camouflage schemes. Also included is a complete operational history and order of battle for all Eastern Front units, both Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS, who were equipped with the Tiger.

“The mission to clear up the last strongholds of resistance in Falaise fell to the Mont-Royal Fusiliers ans the task was far from easy. About 60 diehards from the Hitler Youth were entrenched in the Ecole Superieure (a primary school), in the town centre. The building was surrounded by a thick wall and overhung the main street which crossed the southern side of Falaise from east to west. Resistance ceased at 2 a.m. on 18th August while the riflemen were lauching an attack under a German air raid which pounded enemies and allies alike. The school was sent on fire. Four Germans were reported to have escaped, the others "fought to the death", non surrendered”. This was how the official Canadian history, written by Colonel Stacey, reported the last stage of the fighting in Falaise. The author of this book, Jean-Luc Leleu, shows that this account of the battle is a myth : the Germans did not intend to fight to the death, but fled during the air raid, saving their lives.

This book is the first in a new series devoted to German armored formations of World War II.Packed with full color images and a large amount of previously unpublished material, it is custom designed to appeal to modelers, AFV enthusiasts, and readers interested in Second World War technical history.The book traces the battle of Kursk and the involvement of the German Panzer Units, through first hand records. Many hitherto unpublished photos, plus recently discovered memoirs from veterans combined with color profiles of AFVs, contribute to make this book a real reference bible for the enthusiast. Didier Lodieu is a dedicated specialist on the German Army of World War II. In more than thirty years of research. he has learned how to find the most interesting photos and historical sources.

‘In a fascinating way, Chuck Alling recalls his days as a pilot flying B-17’s over Germany. He is truly a member of ‘The Greatest Generation’ and from his book, written from the heart, people can learn a lot about the laughs and the tears of World War II.’ – Former President George H. W. Bush• A unique insight into the lives of a lead-bomber crew in WWII• An extraordinary tale of everyday braveryA Mighty Fortress is the personal account of the captain and crew of a lead bomber in the enormous formation raids made by the 8th Airforce during the last few months of the Second World War.It is an extraordinary tale of heroism and bravery on the part of the entire crew of just one B17 amongst hundreds – but the one B17 that meant most to them.Flying a total of 27 missions before the war came to an end in May 1945, Alling tells, with great restraint, the story of what it was like to be there, over the skies of enemy territory, constantly on the look out for German fighters; of the enormity of some of the raids they were part of and the consequences for those on the ground; of the planes around them that fell out of the sky under enemy attack, the horror and the determination to succeed. The book gives a unique insight into the lives of one crew of one plane as the War neared its end.About the AuthorCharles B. Alling received the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters during the Second World War. He graduated from Yale University in 1947. In 1988, he retired and studied Ethics at Oxford University Graduate School in England. He lives in Kennebunk, Maine.

Too little has been written to date on Germany's "Schnellboote" in the Second World War. Known by the Allies as E-Boats (Enemy Boats) the S Boote played havoc on Allied naval operations in the English channel and elsewhere. Many of their captains were amongst the most decorated of any branch of the Kriegsmarine. Jean-Philippe Dallies-Labourdette is a noted expert on the Kriegsmarine in World War Two and was the author of the best selling (and now sadly out of print) U-Boote, published in 1996 by Histoire & Collections.This highly detailed book examines all aspects of the S-Boote, from design to deployment and notes all the major engagements for which they are famous. As with all Histoire & Collections books, you are guaranteed a visual feast of excellent descriptive graphics and previously unseen photographs.

The Soviet aircraft industry of the 1940-1950 period has been incredibly productive, while Russian manufacturers, stimulated by the huge needs stressed by World War Two, competed with each other in design and creativeness. This book offers an exhaustive coverage, by chronological order which is one of its original features every single Soviet fighter of the period, from obscure projects which did no go off the drawing table, to the best known mass-produced models.

This collection of reminiscences and poems of American veterans residing in France brings alive the realities of World War II, particularly in France but also in North Africa, the South Pacific, England, Belgium, Holland, Italy and Germany.Many compelling images emerge from these seventeen stories: a secret agent launching kayaks in cold Algerian waters, a six-foot-two sergeant wading ashore at Utah Beach, an American medic treating a German soldier in a Norman church, a young Frenchman hiding an American airman in a shepherd's hut, a commander crawling over to a burning tank to save on of his "boys", a WAC dancing in the streets of Paris on V-E Day.

Each mini-guide allows the reader to get to know more about a region's history, linking historical events with places of interest and sites of note, as well as providing an unprecedented visual feast of contemporary photographs, uniforms, badges and equipment - all in full color. Practical information is included in each mini-guide and itineraries are suggested for those wishing to visit battlefields, monuments, memorials and museums. By the dawn of 7 June some 152,000 Anglo-American troops had set foot on the Normandy coast, testimony that the D-Day landings had been a success. But the battle was far from over; beachheads had to be reinforced and troops prepared to face the inevitable German counterattack. The weather, too, added to the uncertainty as it had the power to interrupt supplies and reinforcements. The American objective was to seal off the Cotentin peninsula, thereby forcing the surrender of the massive port of Cherbourg. For the British, Caen, capital of Lower Normandy and gateway to Paris, became the target. They prepared to launch a quick and formidable blow to seize the place but were frustrated a handful of miles from the town by German panzers. Would the Allies be able to break out and end the campaign with a decisive blow?

Since World War II, the American public has become fully aware of the exploits of the 101st Airborne Division, but within the ranks of the 101st there existed a notorious sub-unit whose formidable reputation has persisted among veterans over the decades. Primarily products of the Dustbowl and the Depression, and never ones to salute an officer, or take a bath, the Filthy 13 attained legendary status within the Screaming Eagles for its hard drinking, and savage fighting skill – and that was only in training.

French Language

A pictorial study. Wartime b/w photographs with captions. The Pluto pipeline, Red Ball Express, and the restoration of the French railways. Illustrated.

A spectacular, large format, full colour book, packed with over 200 photographs, maps and charts. The book is divided into the sectors associated with the Normandy landings in 1944.

This work offers a history of the Special Operations which preceded and followed the Nazi invasion of France in 1940, and the work done by the Special Forces sent into France under cover by the Allies during the Occupation. The book details the intelligence missions, the work of the Resistance, including a record of the Combats de l'Ombre which harassed the enemy forces during the Occupation. The famous Allied secret services of World War II, the British SOE, the American OSS and the French BCRA. Based on interviews with actual participants who lent their first had memories and original documents, the book features the men and women, the operations and the strategy of the Special Operations.