Osprey's study of German; British and American company and battalion tactics during World War II (1939-1945). The second World War is often seen as a confrontation of technology – tanks and aircraft; artillery and engineering. But at the heart of the battlefield was the struggle between infantrymen; and the technology was there to enable them to capture ground or hold it. This second of two books on the organization and tactics of the German; US and British infantry in Europe focuses on national differences in the development of company and battalion tactics – including those of motorized units – and the confrontation and co-operation between infantry and tanks. Contemporary photos and diagrams and vivid colour plates illustrate what tactical theories actually meant on the ground at human scale.
#1172944 in Books imusti 2016-05-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 11.00 x .63 x 8.50l; 1.48 #File Name: 1785210688160 pagesHaynes Publishing UK
Review
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful. MediocreBy Daryl CarpenterHere's the good news: this new Haynes manual is an entertaining diversion; and contains some interesting technical and operational insights. The bad news that it's too messy and unfocused to be a solid reference book; and too thin to cover any single subject to a greater than superficial extent. The quality of Haynes' maritime manuals tends to be all over the place; from the excellent (HMS Victory; A-class submarine); to very good (Titanic; Mary Rose; Great Britain); mediocre (Queen Mary 2); to awful (U-boat). This one falls somewhere in the middle.Here's the problem: British capital ships as a subject have been done to death. After the superb work of R.A. Burt; Norman Friedman; Alan Raven; John Roberts; and Oscar Parkes; a fresh approach is needed. Had this book focused solely on HMS Dreadnought; I probably would have been satisfied by it. Unfortunately; it tries to cram EVERYTHING into 156 pages - the design and construction of the ship; the evolution of British battleship design; the roles of the crew; propulsion and electrical systems; Jutland; the restoration of HMS Caroline; the ship's guns...you get the picture. Important subjects like fire control; armor protection; ship design; and steering gear get skimmed over in a few paragraphs. Considering that it's published in cooperation with the National Museum of the Royal Navy; fact-checking is a bit sloppy in places. Here are a couple mistakes I found:-Invincible is described as having 10 12-inch guns. She actually had eight.-Two cruisers are said to have been sunk by torpedoes during the Russo-Japanese War. None actually were.-Dreadnought's armor belt is said to have provided protection against torpedo strikes. It was actually quite shallow and only extended a few feet below the water line.-The ship is described as having two boilers rooms and one engine room. There was actually three of the former; and two of the latter.-Casualties at Jutland are given as 5;069 British killed; and 2;115 Germans killed. More than 6;000 British sailors died in the battle; along with more than 2;500 Germans; unless someone's math is really bad.-The Royal Oak is described as being sunk by a single torpedo. She was actually struck by four.-Tiger; Repulse; and Hood are said to have been launched in the "20s; 30s; and 40s." They were all launched before the end of World War I.-Two different dates are given for the explosion of the HMS Vanguard.In all fairness; this book DOES contain quite a bit of good stuff that I haven't come across before. There are some excellent rare photographs and illustrations; excerpts from a number of period documents; including Captain Bacon's report on Dreadnought's experimental cruise; and some nifty cross-section diagrams from a 20s children's book (shades of Stephen Biesty!). There are some beautiful color plans of the St Vincent; although you'll need a magnifying glass to study them.In conclusion? Meh. This book is visually impressive and has some interesting insights from the period; but it's pretty watered down stuff on the whole. I'll admit to liking my naval history a bit more full-blooded than most folks; and this book attempts to be a "fun" approach to the subject; but Haynes has delivered the goods in the past. They should have done so again. If you're looking for a better book on HMS Dreadnought; try The Battleship Dreadnought (Anatomy of the Ship). The level of detail is absolutely incredible; and I've spent hours poring over the plans of the ship's structure and machinery.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Nice.By Keith D WeaverNice.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Two StarsBy sherman stevensNot worth the money. To many factual errors. To many small murky photographs.
