This work offers thirty or so concise but precise biographies of French World War I Generals. All ranks of generals rub shoulders, from the simple brigadier to the generals destined to become Maréchals. Some are famous; others renowned in their time are now unknown to the general public. The reader discovers the different careers, both typical and unusual, which enabled these men to reach this rank; there is also information which goes against the grain of generally accepted ideas. All the generals are mentioned, from the generals of the "14 Generation" to those of 1918, who advanced because of the conflict; also discussed are the various sackings, the different contexts and the spirit of the times; the clans, the different schools, skills and negligence, political affinities and their influence; the generals who fell at the front and the true faces of men praised or reviled by History, all with anecdotes and details still as yet unpublished.This study, the first of its type, is captivating from beginning to end and is complemented by unpublished pictures; it enables the reader to put faces to the names of the main protagonists of the Great War; it's all about the men from all walks of life who, far from forming a rigid caste like their counterparts on the other side of the Rhine, reflected the diversity of French society at the time.An undisputed specialist of 20th Century French Army history and a former officer, Paul Gaujac served in the paratroopers, in the air transport command, at the nuclear submarine headquarters and then at that of the Army, finishing his career as head of the Historical Department of the Armée de Terre. He has published twenty works, three of them with Histoire & Collections.

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devoted to German armored formations of World War II.Packed with full color images and a large amount of previously unpublished material, it is custom designed to appeal to modelers, AFV enthusiasts, and readers interested in Second World War technical history.The book traces the battle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 Many hitherto unpublished photos, plus recently discovered memoirs from veterans combined with color profiles of AFVs, contribute to make this book a real reference bible for the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.

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.

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?

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.