M72 LAW and The RPG-7
M72 LAW and The RPG-7

Author: Training and Doctrine Command

Publisher: Loose Cannon

Published:

Total Pages: 131

ISBN-13:

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The M72 LAW and the RPG-7 are the iconic rocket-powered anti-tank weapons of the post-WW2 era; both are still in use to this day in conflicts around the world. This book examines each in detail using a variety of historical documents, both operator manuals and technical briefings developed originally by the US Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). Topics for the M72 covered are basic function and specifications, firing preparation, back blast awareness, firing positions and aiming/firing steps, plus failure to fire procedures. The RPG-7 information extensively covers component and function descriptions, weapon capabilities, optical sight details, Hit/kill probabilities, Soviet deploment doctrine, specific counter-measures and more. Well illustrated with over 70 images and diagrams. An in-depth review of each weapon system that will please any student of military studies. Keywords: rocket,missile,grenade,tank,infantry,launcher,armor,rocket propelled

The Bazooka
The Bazooka

Author: Gordon L. Rottman

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2012-06-20

Total Pages: 82

ISBN-13: 1849088020

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Most belligerents entering World War II armed their infantry with bulky and ineffectual anti-tank rifles as their primary means of combating tanks. US planners realized that what infantrymen needed was a relatively lightweight, man-portable anti-tank weapon that was simple to operate, accurate, and capable of knocking out the average tank at a reasonable range, while also being effective against fortified buildings, pillboxes, and personnel in the open. The bazooka combined a revolutionary new anti-tank rifle-grenade warhead, a much-modified British anti-aircraft rocket motor, and a cobbled-together launcher tube and electrical firing system; its first test-firing astounded observers, and it was immediately adopted by the US armed forces. Featuring specially drawn colour artwork, this engaging study tells the story of the bazooka, which set the standard for future light anti-tank weapons and their ammunition, and was a key influence on anti-tank tactics and techniques in the post-war era.

Team Yankee
Team Yankee

Author: Harold Coyle

Publisher: Casemate

Published: 2016-09-09

Total Pages: 199

ISBN-13: 1612003664

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This revised and updated edition of the classic Cold War novel Team Yankee reminds us once again might have occurred had the United States and its Allies taken on the Russians in Europe, had cooler geopolitical heads not prevailed. For 45 years after World War II, East and West stood on the brink of war. When Nazi Germany was destroyed, it was evident that Russian tank armies had become supreme in Europe, but only in counterpart to US air power. In 1945 US and UK bombers sent a signal to the advancing Russians at Dresden to beware of what the Allies could do. Likewise when the Russians overran Berlin they sent a signal to the Allies what their land armies could accomplish. Thankfully the tense standoff continued on either side of the Iron Curtain for nearly half a century. During those years, however, the Allies beefed up their ground capability, while the Soviets increased their air capability, even as the new jet and missile age began (thanks much to captured German scientists on both sides). The focal point of conflict remained central Germany—specifically the flat plains of the Fulda Gap—through which the Russians could pour all the way to the Channel if the Allies proved unprepared (or unable) to stop them. Team Yankee posits a conflict that never happened, but which very well might have, and for which both sides prepared for decades. This former New York Times bestseller by Harold Coyle, now revised and expanded, presents a glimpse of what it would have been like for the Allied soldiers who would have had to meet a relentless onslaught of Soviet and Warsaw Pact divisions. It takes the view of a US tank commander, who is vastly outnumbered during the initial onslaught, as the Russians pull out all the cards learned in their successful war against Germany. Meantime Western Europe has to speculate behind its thin screen of armor whether the New World can once again assemble its main forces—or willpower—to rescue the bastions of democracy in time.

First Blood
First Blood

Author: David Morrell

Publisher: David Morrell

Published: 2011-10-07

Total Pages: 270

ISBN-13: 1937760022

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From New York Times bestselling author, David Morrell, comes a classic thriller that introduced the character of Rambo, one of the most iconic action heroes of the twentieth century. Called “the father of the modern action novel,” FIRST BLOOD changed the genre. Although the book and the film adaptation have similarities, they are very different, especially its unexpected ending and its greater intensity. If you’ve only experienced the film, you’re in for a surprise. Once they were soldiers. Rambo, the ragged kid whose presence in town is considered a threat. And Teasle, the Chief of Police of Madison, Kentucky. Both have been trained to kill: Rambo in Vietnam, Teasle in Korea. They learned different military tactics, different ways of death and survival in two different wars. Now, without warning, they are enemies in a civilian combat that becomes a chase through the woods and mountains and caves above the town. As we follow them, we understand that once a man has been trained as a killer, perhaps he is changed forever. Award-winning FIRST BLOOD was published in 1972, was translated into 26 languages, and has never been out of print. It was one of the first novels to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder. David’s novelizations for RAMBO (FIRST BLOOD PART II) and RAMBO III are available as e-books. They’re quite different from the films and include revealing introductions. See also David’s RAMBO AND ME: THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY. Critical reactions: “A fine novel. . . . When Johnny comes marching home this time, watch out.” —The New York Times Sunday Book Review “A first-rate thriller.” —Newsweek “One of the finest chase novels you will ever read.” —Minneapolis Tribune “A terrific thriller.” —Saturday Review “One hell of a hard, fast novel.” —John D. MacDonald

Breaking the Mold
Breaking the Mold

Author: Kendall D. Gott

Publisher: Government Printing Office

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 148

ISBN-13: 9780160869525

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Few lessons are as prevalent in military history as is the adage that tanks don't perform well in cities. The notion of deliberately committing tanks to urban combat is anathema to most. In "Breaking the Mold: Tanks in the Cities," Ken Gott disproves that notion with a timely series of five case studies from World War II to the present war in Iraq. This is not a parochial or triumphant study. These cases demonstrate that tanks must do more than merely "arrive" on the battlefield to be successful in urban combat. From Aachen in 1944 to Fallujah in 2004, the absolute need for specialized training and the use of combined arms at the lowest tactical levels are two of the most salient lessons that emerge from this study. When properly employed, well-trained and well-supported units led by tanks are decisive in urban combat. The reverse also is true. Chechen rebels taught the Russian army and the world a brutal lesson in Grozny about what happens when armored units are poorly led, poorly trained, and cavalierly employed in a city. The case studies in this monograph are high-intensity battles in conflicts ranging from limited interventions to major combat operations. It would be wrong to use them to argue for the use of tanks in every urban situation. As the intensity of the operation decreases, the 2nd and 3rd order effects of using tanks in cities can begin to outweigh their utility. The damage to infrastructure caused by their sheer weight and size is just one example of what can make tanks unsuitable for every mission. Even during peace operations, however, the ability to employ tanks and other heavy armored vehicles can be crucial. "Breaking the Mold" provides an up-to-date analysis of the utility of tanks and heavy armored forces in urban combat. The U.S. Army will increasingly conduct combat operations in urban terrain, and it will be necessary to understand what it takes to employ tanks to achieve success in that battlefield environment.

Small Arms Survey 2008
Small Arms Survey 2008

Author: Small Arms Survey

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2008-07-31

Total Pages: 313

ISBN-13: 0521880408

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The Small Arms Survey 2008 examines the problem of diversion and analyses the public health approach to armed violence.

The Rocket Propelled Grenade
The Rocket Propelled Grenade

Author: Gordon L. Rottman

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2011-03-15

Total Pages: 82

ISBN-13: 1849081549

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A comprehensive illustrated study of the RPG The RPG-series of weapons is the most widely used family of lightweight antitank weapons in the world today. RPGs have been used not only against their intended targets, but against personnel, fortifications, buildings, soft-skin vehicles, watercraft, and aircraft. Lightweight, relatively compact, easy to operate and maintain, they meet most of the requirements of any armed group. Like any weapon system, RPGs and their ammunition have their limitations. While these limitations are much touted by proponents of more advanced weapons, they lose sight of many armed groups' requirement for lightweight, compact, inexpensive, easy to operate and maintain weapons. Most sophisticated weapons tend to be just the opposite – heavy, cumbersome, excessively expensive, and requiring extensive training and an advanced support infrastructure. They are also more difficult to obtain due to export controls and restrictions. To be effective, an army actually needs a mix of both sophisticated and uncomplicated weapons. Gordon Rottman provides a detailed analysis, accompanied by photographs and full colour artwork, of perhaps one of the most important weapons to be developed in the 20th century.

M1 Abrams at War
M1 Abrams at War

Author: Michael Green

Publisher:

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13: 9781610607315

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"The impact of the M1 tank cannot be overstated; while applying lessons learned from mistakes of the past, this new tank defined tanks and armored warfare for the foreseeable future. It redefined how the U.S. Army thought, planned, trained, and fought. The M1 carried the army into an order-of-magnitude change that ran the gamut of ground warfare. The speed that the army moved across the battlefield was increased, the methods used to supply this faster-moving force were redefined and mastered, the methods used to provide supporting fire from artillery and close-air-support aircraft were redefined and mastered, and the decision-making process used by the leadership at virtually all levels was accelerated. For the first time in history, the U.S. Army had the best tank in the world. The M1 Abrams became the yardstick for foreign countries potential enemies, and friends alike, to measure the capabilities of their own tanks ... the M1 embodied what arguably may be the ultimate balance of the three classic tank design criteria - firepower, mobility, and protection"--Introduction.

A Pocket History of The 4th Marine Division and The 4th Marine Aircraft Wing
A Pocket History of The 4th Marine Division and The 4th Marine Aircraft Wing

Author: USMC

Publisher: Loose Cannon

Published: 1965-10-01

Total Pages: 55

ISBN-13:

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A Short Pocket History This condensed history of the 4th Marine Division's actions in the World War II Pacific campaigns is a very quick read and told in a brief style. Outlining each major action of their island hopping assaults, it gives a fast overview of the unit's history and operations. "INTRODUCTION, Each generation of United States Marines picks up the thread of history and weaves its own accomplishments into the tapestry of valorous achievement that has matched, step by step, the growth of the larger fabric of our nation. This booklet has been prepared so that those who serve today in the historic 4th Marine Division and 4th Marine Aircraft Wing may know the legacy of honor with which they have been entrusted and to which they proudly add their own unique record."