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The 5th (Belgian) SAS in the Second World War
From clandestine operations with the French and Belgian resistance, through assisting evaders after the ill-fated Arnhem operation, acting as Montgomery’s eyes during the Ardennes counteroffensive, spearheading Canadian and Polish armoured formations during the liberation campaign in the Netherlands, to the defeat of Germany and the arrest of high-ranking Nazis, the Belgian SAS was one of the components of the British-led multinational Special Air Service Brigade conducting special operations from Normandy to the fall of the Third Reich.This first-ever history of the wartime Belgian SAS published in English is the result of extensive research based on previously classified archives and integrating first-hand accounts from founder members’ unpublished memoirs.Addressing all enthusiasts of special operations history, this book explains the broader context to guide the uninitiated, while simultaneously offering the expert military historian unprecedented insight and detail into the recruitment, training and operations of an elite unit raised in Britain, whose commanding officer accepted no compromises to achieve its goals, and which took every opportunity to bring the fight to the enemy, living by its motto ‘Who dares wins’.Containing both dramatic and humorous personal stories, the book features numerous rare wartime photographs from private archives, alongside detailed appendices covering personnel records, casualties, battle honours, and awards.
SAS: Secret War
In 1970, the SAS was called in to support the Sultan of Oman’s armed forces in their bitter struggle against a Communist-backed insurrection. This is the gripping story of the part played in the conflict by the men and squadrons of the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, the first full SAS squadron in the region. Written by the man who commanded that unit and who successfully raised the first bands of Dhofari irregulars to fight for the Sultan, SAS: Secret War provides a unique and personal insight into what was to become one of the most successful counter-insurgency campaigns of the twentieth century.
The Invasion of France, 1814
The third of three volumes, this book offers to English readers, for the first time, the memoirs of Ilya Timofeyevich Radozhitskii, which rank among the best in the vast Napoleonic memoir literature. Radozhitskii, a distinguished Russian artillery officer, chronicled his experiences shortly after the wars against Napoleon, drawing from notes kept during his campaigns.Born in 1788, the author was educated at the Imperial Orphanage and entered military service in 1806 as part of an artillery unit. Through skill and determination, he rose steadily through the ranks, earning a reputation as a capable and dedicated officer. Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 changed his life. Serving as an artillery lieutenant, Radozhitskii saw action in virtually every major battle of that historic campaign. In 1813-1814, he took part in the War of the German Liberation and the invasion of France, serving with distinction in several battles before finishing the war as a staff captain in Paris in 1814.Radozhitskii’s memoirs provide vivid, unvarnished insight into the daily lives of Russian officers during the Napoleonic Wars. This volume follows him through the invasion of France and its aftermath, offering striking descriptions of soldiers’ trials and triumphs, gripping accounts of battles, and poignant tales of human suffering. When first published in Russia, these memoirs captured the public imagination and were widely acclaimed. Leo Tolstoy drew upon them while crafting his epic War and Peace. Now, these evocative pages allow readers to step into the chaos, courage, and calamity of the Napoleonic era through the eyes of one who lived it.
British Amphibious Operations of the First World War
The failure experienced at Gallipoli has become a byword for the misapplication of amphibious operations. In truth, the British experience of joint amphibious operations during the World War was always more than Gallipoli. If success elsewhere seemed elusive, too, then the underlying ability of Britain to execute such operations remains largely undiscussed. The monograph takes the discussion of amphibious operations beyond caricature by examining the genesis and execution of three operations: Tanga, German East Africa; Mesopotamia; and the Dardanelles-Gallipoli campaign and measures the results against the experience and development of amphibious warfare in the immediate prewar period. In short, the work answers the question of the state of British amphibious warfare on the eve of the First World War and the reasons for the failures—and, yes, the successes experienced.British East Africa and Zanzibar stood exposed in 1914, and while doing nothing possessed a certain logic, denying German cruisers the means of resupply mixed with the unsettled temperament of Kenya argued for removing the German threat presented. A tertiary object sought by tertiary British and Indian forces came, saw and was vanquished in short order. As a result, the War Office assumed responsibility for British operations in East Africa from Simla. Though the experience might have served as an object lesson for the campaign about to unfold in Mesopotamia, it did not. There, British arms met with initial success, but soon inadequate means married to unlimited aims told otherwise, culminating in the siege and surrender of the Indian Sixth Division at Kut-al-Amara. In time, the amphibious first entry executed nearly flawlessly became a joint operation anchored on indifferent rivers with memories of the Boxer rebellion and the relief of General Gordon not far removed. Mesopotamia is a reminder that if the enemy gets a vote in war, even more does nature.Beginning as a naval demonstration, the Dardanelles operation morphed into an amphibious landing that never truly became joint when General Sir Hamilton’s forces landed on the Gallipoli peninsula. Eight months later, evacuation of the Allied force beckoned. Operationally, the Allies were stymied, yet strategically the campaign offered a rare instance in the World War where the side operating on the offensive inflicted greater losses on the defender. Patience is rarely offered as a principle of war, but maintenance of the aim implies a degree of patience. Collectively, the case studies presented in British Amphibious Operations of the First World War offer a corrective to our understanding of British joint amphibious operations and the lessons digested—and not.
Battle of Britain, West Sussex
By July 1940, Britain stood alone in Europe. Hitler's troops had reached the French coast after storming their way across northern Europe and, following the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk in June, it was assumed that the next battle of the Second World War would be fought on the beaches of southern England. The fear of German forces launching an invasion that summer was very real, and all that stood between Britain and Hitler was the English Channel. Almost every generation of Sussex men and women had learnt to live with the threat of attack from across the water. This time, though, the threat came not just from the sea but also from the sky and for the first time in history a battle would be fought, and won, almost exclusively in the air - for their invasion to succeed, the Germans needed to achieve air supremacy over both the Channel and the beaches of the south-east. Throughout July 1940 the Luftwaffe's attacks intensified, with the 10th now being considered the first day of the Battle of Britain. When Goring's aircraft launched their assault on the United Kingdom, many parts of the country found themselves quite literally on the front line - and no more so than the county of West Sussex. Drawing extensively on records held in local and national archives, Eddy Greenfield provides a detailed and comprehensive day-by-day account of activity in and over West Sussex throughout the campaign from 10 July to 31 October 1940\. It is not only a story of how the RAF and other defenders battled the Luftwaffe's relentless onslaught, but also how the residents in the county's towns and villages played their own part in the national war effort.
The Great Fire of London
Using eyewitness accounts and extensive research, this book dispels myths and reveals true stories of resilience during the Great Fire of London in 1666.The Great Fire of London, in September 1666, is one of those events forever etched in the collective psyche. It is on the national curriculum and is constantly revisited through new documentaries, books, articles, and through other media outlets. Although David Lassman?s book covers the main points of the fire ? from its outbreak in a bakery in Pudding Lane, to its supposed demise at Pie Corner, along with such events as the destruction of St. Paul?s ? the author goes deeper into the stories of many caught up in this catastrophic occurrence, revealing a more human side to those affected by the fire that is often overlooked. Through the words and eyewitness accounts of many who lived through it ? Pepys, Evelyn, Taswell ? as well as extensive research through contemporary resources into the fire itself, a picture of human resilience emerges. One that saw the populace of London brought to its very knees by perhaps the greatest natural calamity ever to inflict itself on the City of London and yet one that saw it rise to rebuild itself again and lay the foundations for the modern-day metropolis. Through this journey, the author also reveals the truth behind many of the myths that have grown up around The Great Fire of London, as well as putting the Fire into the wider context of the day to discuss whether accident or arson, to give possibly the definitive account of this most famous of national disasters.
Not Just a Housewife
Illuminating a powerful yet underappreciated force in the American peace and women's movements On November 1, 1961, thousands of middle-class white women took to the streets throughout the United States to demonstrate against atomic weapons. They were brought together by the group Women Strike for Peace (WSP), which grew from modest beginnings at a Georgetown cocktail party to become one of the most effective peace organizations in American history. Under the stewardship of children's book illustrator Dagmar Wilson, and with indispensable support from figures such as Bella Abzug, a lawyer who would later help found the National Women's Political Caucus and serve as US Representative for New York, WSP branches spread to cities and towns across the country, and the group influenced major arms-control treaties and successful antiwar efforts of the Cold War period. Single-handedly, WSP dismantled the McCarthyite House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), catalysed public support for the 1963 Nuclear Weapons Test Ban Treaty, and brokered unprecedented exchanges between American and Vietnamese women during the American War in Vietnam. WSP accomplished their political wins , in part, through a public image that stressed the inherent moral authority and sanctity of motherhood. In Not Just a Housewife, Jon Coburn explores the fascinating story of WSP to argue that the group's historic significance was much more complex than the maternal activism for which it is often remembered. He traces activists' evolution through the Cold War's cultural upheavals, uncovering the significance of forgotten episodes, such as the extraordinary self-immolation of 82-year-old Detroit activist Alice Herz and WSP's unheralded contributions to the 1977 National Women's Conference. In so doing, Coburn recovers WSP's revolutionary politics and militant protests and contends that the organization fused this radical activism with the seeming respectability of motherhood. Through unprecedented access to organizational archives and oral histories, Not Just a Housewife details how WSP's unique fusion of radicalism and respectability significantly shaped Cold War-era women's peace movement history, as well as the broader American culture.
The Lost Dambuster Lancaster
In the late afternoon of 24 June 1944, eighteen aircraft from 617 Squadron, led to fame by Wing Commander Guy Gibson during the attack on the dams raid in May 1943, took off from their base at Woodhall Spa. Their target was the vast V2 rocket site at Wizernes in the Pas de Calais. Known today as La Coupole, this bunker complex had been built to serve as a reinforced launch site for the V2s that Hitler hoped would terrorise the British population.Once their target had been marked, the Lancasters dropped Tallboy bombs. Bomb bursts were recorded all around the target. The Dambusters, however, did not go unchallenged. One of the attackers, Lancaster DV403, flown by Flight Lieutenant John Edward DFC and coded KC-G, was hit by flak. The flight engineer, Flying Officer W.J. King DFC, died instantly. One of the Lancaster’s engines stuttered and the aircraft began to burn.Edward valiantly tried to hold course long enough for the rest of the crew to answer the ‘Abracadabra’ call to bale out. A Resistance worker saw crew members falling ‘like candles’ below their parachutes.Moments later DV403 hit the growing crops in nearby French fields. The Lancaster carried, unusually, eight crew. The pilot and all three gunners were dead.In the chaos of the moment, the courage of one member of the French Resistance, undertaker André Schamp, stood out. He assisted a wounded crewman, while also checking for other survivors.The story of DV403 has been recently honoured in France on the 80th anniversary, with an exhibition, lectures and a wayside interpretation board compiled by the authors, who have encouraged strong involvement of crewmen’s families in the evolving narrative. This is the story of their fate that night, as well as of 617 Squadron’s attack on the V2 site as a whole.
Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is one of the most iconic fighters of all time. First flown just before the Second World War, interest in this remarkable aircraft endures.Intended as a close-range interceptor, the Spitfire actually performed in roles that had never been envisaged by its designer, R.J. Mitchell. This included being operated as a long-range bomber escort fighter, fighter-bomber, night-fighter, or photographic reconnaissance aircraft; there was even a naval version, the Seafire, that was flown from aircraft carriers.The Spitfire flew and fought on every front, in every theatre – even on the Eastern Front where examples of the Mk.Vb, supplied to the Russians under Lend-Lease, were operated by the Soviet Air Force. The battle honours that could be applied to the Spitfire cover every major battle and campaign of the Second World War, from the Battle of Britain to the fighting in the Western Desert and jungles of Burma. Furthermore, the Spitfire was operated by many other countries, including the United States. Developed through twenty-four variants, the Spitfire remained in service with many air forces long after 1945. Little wonder, then, that the fascination in R.J. Mitchell’s little fighter is not only durable, but global.Countless photographs have been taken of the Spitfire, including innumerable high-quality press photographs. During the Second World War, however, private photography on service installations was prohibited – but, nevertheless, some personnel, aircrew and groundcrew alike, took furtive snapshots. Forming the basis of this book, these amateur images providing us with an authentic and candid window on the past. Drawing on a unique collection of rare archive images, the renowned aviation historian Dilip Sarkar MBE, RHistS, FRAeS, explores the history of the Spitfire from its inception and first flight in 1936, through its introduction to service and then its service to the Allied nations throughout the Second World War.
Marshal Pilsudski and his Wars for Polish Freedom
Pilsudski was the leading proponent of armed Polish resistance to Tsarist Russian rule in the early years of the twentieth century. During the Russo-Japanese War he went to Japan to seek armed and funds for a Polish uprising. In WW1 he skilfully walked a perilous line. He raised the Polish Legion to fight alongside the Central Powers against the Russians. In the war’s closing stages he distanced himself from the Central Powers and secured independence for Poland.Having attained his great goal of a free Poland, he fought a series of wars. These little-known conflicts (with Ukraine and Lithuania) are illuminated by Evan McGilvray. When it became clear that Bolshevik Russia was preparing to invade Poland, Pilsudski launched a pre-emptive attack in 1920. Despite early successes, the Russians were able to gain the upper hand and were almost at the gates of Warsaw before Pilsudski’s masterful counterattack brought about ‘the miracle of the Vistula’ and turned the tide.This is a fascinating and long overdue study of a key figure in modern European history.
Sherwood Boys
This is the story of the 2/5th Sherwood Foresters, a Territorial battalion that during the span of the Second World War developed from a group of untrained young men from Derbyshire into a hardened unit of veterans from every corner of Britain, capable of facing, and beating, the might of the Wehrmacht. It provides a unique view on the British army through the lens of a single battalion, drawing on over 150 personal accounts, both oral and written, as well as official documents. This first volume takes the story from the formation of the battalion in 1939, through its baptism of fire at Dunkirk and reconstruction in the UK, to the Allied victory in North Africa. The second volume will cover the battalion’s experiences in the Italian campaign and post-war occupation, through to its disbandment in 1946. Together they describe the exertions of training, the terrors of battle, the hardships of captivity, and the challenges brought by peace. Sherwood Boys: Biography of a Battalion is a personal history, a battalion epic researched, assembled and written for readers wanting to comprehend the Second World War from the perspective of the ordinary British soldier. It is written as a tribute to those ordinary men who were called upon to do the extraordinary—and did so.
Germanicus, Rome's Unlucky Prince
Among the many epithets associated with a prince, ‘unlucky’ tends not to come to mind first. Germanicus, nephew of Tiberius, grand-nephew of Augustus, seemed to possess all that a Roman man might desire: beauty, strength, virtue, education, a devoted and chaste wife, numerous offspring, illustrious ancestors, a brilliant career and the prospect of inheriting the throne of the mightiest state of antiquity. Until the Blind Goddess decided to turn her gaze elsewhere. Germanicus died suddenly in AD 19, aged only 33, shocking the Roman world. While his body was still warm, rumours about a murder involving poison were already spreading like wildfire, whispers of an uncle and a grandmother who, for fear and jealousy, had made sure the popular young man was eliminated before he might jeopardize their position. Alessio Perry investigates, by a careful re-evaluation of the historical sources and the archaeological record, whether this prince was indeed killed or whether he was just too unlucky. He examines the most significant events of Germanicus’ brief life: the campaigns on the Rhine; his visit to Egypt; his friction with the governor Piso; his relationship with his uncle the emperor. He considers Germanicus’ funerals and follows the trial against those suspected of his murder, seeking to ascertain if Tiberius really ordered his nephew killed. The reader will glimpse into the schemes of his wife Agrippina and, finally, see how the memory of Germanicus was instrumentalized by his widow and sons for their own political games.
The German Way of War in the North Africa Campaign
Much has been written about the Second World War and certainly about the campaigns in North Africa. While often a historical perspective is chosen, this book chooses a more organisational approach in addition to a historical perspective. The reason for this is that the course and outcome of military actions can only be understood if one has a clear picture of the organisational dimensions of the armies involved. After all, the combinations of the number of men and weapons is vital when considering the way the war will be fought and the outcome of the confrontation. This includes elements such as the organisational structure, the degree of decentralisation, the leadership style, the training level of the troops, team building, the command, control and intelligence structure, etc.When we talk about North Africa, we of course also talk about Rommel, a central figure in the events described. Other names that are for ever connected with North Africa are El Alamein, one of the turning points of the Second World War, and Montgomery, the British general who managed to turn the tide.This book begins with a sketch of the organisational dimensions of the German and British armies, but also looks at the dynamics of the fighting in North Africa and the demands it placed on men, officers, equipment, leadership, training, logistics, planning etc.
Hitler's Brandenburgers
‘A fitting tribute to Germany''s clandestine warriors, and a guarantee that their extraordinary efforts have not been relegated to comparative obscurity or entirely forgotten’ - David R Higgins.Hitler''s daring and pioneering Brandenburgers special forces served in every German theatre of action. This is the most comprehensive account of an unusual and profoundly successful band of men.Lawrence Paterson traces the origins of the small unit, before the outbreak of war in 1939, as the brainchild of Admiral Canaris and part of his Abwehr intelligence unit through through to its breaking up in 1944 when it was largely converted to a, conventional Panzergrenadier division. At that point, many Brandenburgers transferred to Otto Skorzeny’s SS Jägdverbände.It is well-known that German troops disguised themselves as Allied troops for the Battle of the Bulge - but less well known the Brandenburger operations used such disguises - more effectively -in in advance of the Blitzkrieg in 1939-41.Despite their profound success as commando raiding troops their history has been overshadowed by equivalent Allied units and largely ignored. However, within North Africa the Brandenburgers employed similar techniques to the SAS and LRDG, at first earning Erwin Rommel’s disapproval for their unorthodox methods until he began to feel the effect of similar Allied raids.Paterson details the roles of key individuals, such as Theodor von Hippel, along with forensic details of key operations. He explodes many of the myths about the unit and provides a clear and comprehensive history of this key part of the Wehrmacht.
The Race for Speed
Since the beginning of manned flight, both racing and record-breaking feats have played a prominent part of the aviation scene, each activity stimulating and contributing significantly to the development of new aeroplane and engine projects.After the Second World War, the British aerospace industry boomed. It was a time when its designs, innovations and new aircraft developments led the world. It in this exciting post-war period, air racing resumed. Pre- war competitions were reinstated, and major new races were introduced. It was from this scene that six highly enthusiastic, extremely competitive, and fiercely driven racing pilots emerged: Nat Somers, Tony Cole, Geoffrey Allington, Fred Dunkerley, Jimmy Rush and Ron Paine.Three of the six had served in the RAF during the Second World War. One individual became a Vickers apprentice – an engineer who frequently suggested ways in which to get the best speeds out of all their aircraft, often by employing ingenious methods. One individual gained his experience as a Chief Test Pilot flying Fairey Battle’s, Hawker Hurricane’s, Short Stirling’s, and Avro Lancaster’s. Three individuals were already highly successful entrepreneurs. One later owned Panshanger and Southampton airport’s and went on to develop the Somers-Kendall SK-1 two-seat jet with the Chief Test Pilot for Handley Page. Another owned cotton mills and was awarded the OBE for services to the cotton industry; he collaborated with F.G. Miles Limited to modify the Sparrowhawk into the highly successful Sparrow jet. Both aircraft would rank among some of history’s most important civil private racing designs.What united the six men the most, though, was their unrelenting pursuit of speed. Such was their love of competitive flying and their ‘need for speed’, that they later went on to form the Throttle Benders Union. In this book the author delves into the details of these six aviators, as well as the inclusion of two later members to the TBU. From the early days learning to fly, through to their competitive racing careers, and touching upon their very varied and exciting working careers, this book reveals their achievements and many of their hair-raising adventures.
A History of the 9th (Highlanders) Royal Scots
Edinburgh is forever bound to The Royal Scots, the oldest regiment in the British Army and now part of The Royal Regiment of Scotland. For a period in the early twentieth century, it also had a Highland battalion, the kilted 9th Royal Scots, which became affectionately known as the Dandy Ninth. The battalion was formed in the aftermath of the Boer War’s Black Week. It sent volunteers to South Africa and established itself as Edinburgh’s kilted battalion, part of the Territorial Force.Mobilised in 1914 as part of the Lothian Brigade, they defended Edinburgh and environs from the threat of invasion, and constructed part of the landward defences around Liberton Tower. They were part-time soldiers and new recruits, drawn from the breadth of society but with a strong representation of lawyers, rugby players and artists such as the Scottish Colourist F.C.B. Cadell, and William Geissler of the Edinburgh School. A remarkably high proportion of the battalion received commissions and served in many branches of the armed forces, and in many theatres.In the Great War they mobilised to France and Flanders and served in many of the major actions: in Ypres in both the Second and Third (Passchendaele) Battles of Ypres as well as on the Somme 1916 at High Wood and the Ancre (Beaumont Hamel), at Arras 1917 (Vimy Ridge); at Cambrai 1917 (Fontaine); and during the 1918 German Spring Offensive at St Quentin and at the Battle of Soissonais-Ourcq. They were with the 15th (Scottish) Division in the Advance to Victory.Some 6,000 men passed through the ranks of the Dandy Ninth and over a thousand never returned.
Mary Queen of Scots’ Downfall
In the early hours of 10 February 1567 a large explosion ripped through the Old Provost’s lodgings at Kirk o’ Field, Edinburgh, where Mary Queen of Scotland’s consort, Henry Lord Darnley, was staying. Darnley’s body was found with that of his valet in a neighbouring garden the next morning. The Queen’s husband had been suffocated and the ramifications for Mary and Scottish history would be far-reaching.Lord Darnley cuts an infamous figure in Scottish and Tudor history. In life he proved a controversial character, and his murder at Kirk o’ Field in 1567 remains one of British history’s great, unsolved mysteries – establishing whether Mary was implicated has taxed historians ever since.In this engaging and well-researched biography, Robert Stedall re-examines Darnley’s life and his murder. It is not to be missed; his investigation brings new light and compelling conclusions to a story surrounded by political betrayal, murder, falsified evidence and conspiracy.
The U-2 Over the Soviet Union
On 1 May 1960, a traditional military parade was held in Moscow. What stood it out from the previous ones, however, was the number of missiles, and in particular the ground-to-air anti-aircraft variants, that were present.There was perhaps nothing surprising in this dominance of missiles, for Nikita Khrushchev had already declared that the so-called Rocket Troops were to be the ‘main branch of the armed forces’. Not for nothing had the Politburo allocated huge sums of money and the best scientific minds to the on-going development of these weapons and units. In fact, there was no fly-past over the Red Square in 1960 as Khrushchev considered aircraft to be a ‘dying species’. From then on, it was being stated, military aviation would be assigned little more than an auxiliary role in the defence of the Soviet Bloc.Khrushchev’s assessment of the future of aircraft was seemingly confirmed by an incident that occurred more than 1,000km to the east of Moscow. For what the spectators and participants of the grand ‘rocket’ parade did not know was, that in one of the key events of the Cold War, an American high altitude reconnaissance Lockheed U-2 jet had, barely hours before, been shot down over the Urals by one of the types of missiles that were passing before them.Based on documents held in the CIA’s archives, declassified documents released by the Russian Ministry of Defence, and the memoirs of participants in the events in question, this book explores the true story of the preparation, implementation, and consequences of the U-2 reconnaissance flights over the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and Cuba between 1956 and 1962. For the first time, the author reveals the military plans that were activated in the Eastern Bloc to combat the U-2 missions, and how the Soviets tried unsuccessfully to create a fighter-interceptor to operate in the stratosphere. This book also reveals which secret locations and objects were photographed by the U-2, including those which remained unidentified, and investigates where the secret centre of the Russian atomic project was actually located and whether the U-2 was able to find it. What was the true reliability and value of the information received from America’s U-2 operation? he reader will discover which objects were confiscated from Francis Gary Powers, the pilot of the U-2 brought down, following his capture, and why was he had been issued with women’s jewelry and watches before his fateful flight? The Soviet view of the incursions by Powers and his fellow U-2 pilots is laid bare – revealing just why the Powers’ name is as widely known in Russia as that of the cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.
The Battle for Brittany
At the end of July, Operation ''Cobra'' broke through the German defences and the American leaders rushed through Coutances and Avranches, and took the Pontaubault bridge on the 31st. On August 1, the VIII Corps had three crossing sites over the Sée River and four over the Sélune, the routes to enter Brittany were open.That day, as the 4th Armored Division thrust from Pontaubault toward Rennes, Lieutenant Georges S. Patton''s Third US Army became operational.To secure Brittany, Patton''s plan was to unleash armoured columns in the peninsula, the 4th Armored Division to drive through Rennes to Quiberon, and the 6th Armored Division to rush all the way to Brest. A third column, Task Force A, was to secure the vital railroad that ran along the north shore.The 4th Armored Division reached Nantes on August 6, to find the port facilities in ruins. On the northern shore of the peninsula, Task Force A encountered fierce resistance at Saint-Malo. While the task force continued westwards, the 83rd Division took on the siege and it took four weeks of repeated attacks, and the engagement of strong artillery forces and several heavy air raids, to obtain the surrender of the German fortress.The Americans faced a similar dogged defence at Brest and it took six weeks of fighting to obtain the surrender of Generalleutnant Hermann Ramcke on September 19. The Americans lost 10,000 killed and wounded in the battle, but Brest, as well as its harbour facilities, were destroyed.On September 13, after the extent of the reconstruction and works necessary to rehabilitate the harbour had been looked at, it was decided to abandon all repair work there. The serious Allied problem of port capacity persisted until November, when the Antwerp facilities became available.The charge was later made that the employment of three divisions and valuable transports and supplies to defeat the German garrison at Brest but the resources used there, quite small when compared to the total effort, could hardly have altered the pattern of the quick advance eastwards.
V kategórii populárno - náučné encyklopédie nájdete široký výber kníh, ktoré vám poskytnú poznatky z rôznych oblastí zaujímavým a zrozumiteľným spôsobom. Encyklopédie vám pomôžu získať komplexný prehľad o rôznych témach, ako ľudské telo a človek, príroda, vesmír, veda a technika a história.
Naša ponuka encyklopédií populárno-náučného charakteru vám umožní objaviť fascinujúci svet poznania a rozšíriť svoje vedomosti o rôznych témach.
