Casemate Publishers

The week-long Allied bombing campaign against Hamburg in late July 1943 was not only hugely destructive but also had a significant impact on the German night fighter arm. From now on, the “boxes” of Kammhuber’s “Raumnachtjagd” would be the starting point from which fighters would be led into the bomber stream as early as possible, a tactic dubbed “Zahme Sau.” The night fighters had to quickly adopt new “freelance” procedures, and also found themselves increasingly engaged in daylight operations. These actions resulted in heavy losses—especially of experienced aces—which the Nachtjagd could ill afford and struggled to replace.The winter of 1943/44 saw a series of huge raids on Berlin. Although hard pressed, the Nachtjagd aces were still able to score some heavy tactical victories. Over a thousand RAF “Viermots” were shot down—more than double the expected losses—before the campaign was cut short. New night fighter aces emerged, often former transport and reconnaissance pilots, and the upward firing armament of the Bf 110s and Ju 88s could cut swathes through the “stream.” However, by mid-1944, as the Allies advanced, the night fighter aces were forced into new roles, including ground-strafing armor and troop concentrations, a role for which they were clearly unsuited. A small number of Me 262 jets were deployed in a new NJG 11, but exclusively committed against the rapid twin-engined Mosquitos of the RAF’s Light Night Striking Force. Heinkel He 219s were never available in significant numbers and prowling Mosquito intruders were an ever-present danger to Nachtjagd crews.While the surviving night fighter aces continued their defensive actions virtually every night, by March 1945 the Nachtjagd was in terminal decline. Of the 1,100 night fighter pilots and crew who claimed at least one victory, some 669 were lost, a casualty rate of around 74 percent.Fully illustrated and featuring newly translated personal accounts, this is a chronological account of the Luftwaffe night fighters in the second part of the war, covering major campaigns, the biographies of individual aces, and the details of their aircraft.

In the fall of 1778, the Franco-American attack on British-occupied Newport, Rhode Island, failed to materialize, bringing campaigning to an end for the year. Washington was occupied with ascertaining British intentions through his spy network in New York City and with the planning of an expedition led by General John Sullivan against the Six Nations to protect settlers on the Pennsylvania–New York frontier. Washington spent most of the winter of 1778/9 conferring with congressional members on the state of the army. As spring arrived, Washington learned that the British were headed to Kings Ferry on the Hudson, where the American forts of Stony Point and Verplanck’s Point were located. Washington broke camp at Middlebrook and moved northward to support West Point, but he arrived too late. However, the British offensive stalled. After stabilizing the situation, Washington assaulted the forts, failed to make a foothold, but captured everything of military value. The year 1779 became a contest for control of forts on the Hudson. Washington was also involved in smaller attacks such as the surprise attack on the British fort at Paulus Hook, New Jersey. The year ended with the British evacuation of Kings Ferry and Newport, Rhode Island. Washington had to deal with the fall of Charleston in May 1780. He planned for an attack on New York City in conjunction with Admiral d’Estaing’s French fleet but ended preparations as the season moved into November. He met with Rochambeau in Hartford, Connecticut, in September 1780 to plan strategy, but also had to cope with the defection of Benedict Arnold. His army entered winter encampment at Morristown, which turned out to be the worst winter of the 18th century. There were food, supply, and clothing issues, and Washington remained there until Lafayette arrived with news of a French expeditionary force sailing to America. Washington immediately set to work reinforcing the army. He handled two British incursions into New Jersey, which resulted in the Battle of Connecticut Farms on June 7–8 and Springfield on June 23, thwarting the British. As the British were attacking Groton Heights, Connecticut, on September 6, 1781, Washington and Rochambeau were preparing for the final advance to Yorktown. These often-overlooked campaigns in the north showed Washington at his best, managing administration, logistics, and diplomacy to keep the army in the field.

While most of the fighting of the War of 1812 raged along the Canadian border, the Gulf of Mexico eventually emerged as a critical battleground. The struggle for control of the Mississippi River and the port city of New Orleans became a high-stakes contest, with both the United States and Great Britain recognizing the region’s strategic and economic importance. The Mississippi was the main artery for trade and communication in the trans-Appalachian west, and New Orleans, positioned at the river’s mouth, was vital for controlling the region’s commerce. For Britain, capturing the city would not only cripple the American economy but also provide a bargaining tool during peace negotiations. For the United States, safeguarding New Orleans was essential to securing its western territories and preventing foreign powers from gaining a foothold on its southern frontier.The fighting in the Gulf Theater also reflected broader geopolitical tensions. Spain’s declining hold on Florida and Louisiana complicated the region’s dynamics, as did Britain’s support for Native American resistance to U.S. expansion. The Creeks and other southeastern tribes were drawn into the conflict, with devastating consequences for their communities.The campaigns in the Gulf culminated in the battle of New Orleans, where Andrew Jackson’s forces decisively repelled a British invasion. Although the battle occurred after the Treaty of Ghent had been signed, it cemented U.S. control over the region and boosted national confidence in the war’s aftermath.This illustrated volume examines key episodes in the theater including the battles of Fort Bowyer, the capture of Pensacola, the fighting at New Orleans and the battle of Fort St. Philip, and situates these events within the broader context of U.S. territorial ambitions and Native American resistance.

London Bridge lined with houses from end to end was one of the most extraordinary structures ever seen in the city. It was home to over 500 people, perched above the rushing waters of the Thames, and was one of the city’s main shopping streets. It is among the most familiar images of London in the past, but little has previously been known about the houses and the people who lived and worked in them. This book uses plentiful newly-discovered evidence, including detailed descriptions of nearly every house, to tell the story of the bridge and its houses and inhabitants. With the new information it is possible to reconstruct the plan of the bridge and houses in the seventeenth century, to trace the history of each house back through rentals and a survey to 1358, revealing the original layout, to date most of the houses that appear in later views, and to show how the houses and their occupants changed during five and a half centuries. The book describes what stopped the houses falling into the river, how the houses were gradually enlarged, what their layout was inside, what goods were sold on the bridge and how these changed over time, the extensive rebuilding in 1477-1548 and 1683-96, and the removal of the houses around 1760. There are many new discoveries - about the structure of the bridge, the width of the roadway, the original layout of the houses, how the houses were supported, the size and internal planning of the houses, the quality of their architecture, and the trades practised on the bridge. The book includes five newly-commissioned reconstruction drawings showing what we now know about the bridge and its houses.

The Brandywine River calmly meanders through the Pennsylvania countryside today, but on September 11, 1777, it served as the scenic backdrop for the largest battle of the American Revolution, one that encompassed more troops over more land than any combat fought on American soil until the Civil War. Long overshadowed by the stunning American victory at Saratoga, the complex British campaign that defeated George Washington's colonial army and led to the capture of the capital city of Philadelphia was one of the most important military events of the war. General Sir William Howe launched his campaign in late July 1777, when he loaded his army of 16,500 British and Hessian soldiers aboard a 265-ship armada in New York and set sail. Six difficult weeks later Howe's expedition landed near Elkton, Maryland, and moved north into Pennsylvania. Washington's rebel army harassed Howe's men at several locations including a minor but violent skirmish at Cooch's Bridge in Delaware on September 3. Another week of hit-and-run tactics followed until Howe was within three miles of Chads's Ford on the Brandywine River, behind which Washington had posted his army in strategic blocking positions along a six-mile front. The young colonial capital of Philadelphia was just 25 miles farther east. Obscured by darkness and a heavy morning fog, General Howe initiated his plan of attack at 5:00 a.m. on September 11, pushing against the American center at Chads's Ford with part of his army while the bulk of his command swung around Washington's exposed right flank to deliver his coup de main, destroy the Patriots, and march on Philadelphia. Warned of Howe's flanking attack just in time, American generals turned their divisions to face the threat. The bitter fighting on Birmingham Hill drove the Americans from the field, but their heroic defensive stand saved Washington's army from destruction and proved that the nascent Continental foot soldiers could stand toe-to-toe with their foe. Although further fighting would follow, Philadelphia fell to Howe's legions on the 26th of September.

“What an amazing opportunity! Standing Tall allows us to learn about leadership from a true American hero.” — Mike Krzyzewski, former Head Coach, Duke University and USA Olympic Gold Medal basketball teams. Finalist, 2022 Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Awards_x000D__x000D_Robert Foley had only been in Vietnam for six months when he was promoted to captain and given command of a rifle company. In November 1966, Foley led his men on a mission to rescue another company that had been pinned down by Viet Cong forces. His leadership that day inspired his men and led to a successful operation—and the Medal of Honor. His actions in Vietnam were only a small portion of a long and varied career of service in the US Army, but Foley did not always seem marked for success. Coming from a blue-collar suburb of Boston, his years in West Point were marked by poor grades, injuries, and sickness. With a determination to lead by example and inspire trust among others, Foley served across the globe and rose through the ranks. He even returned to West Point as Commandant of Cadets, later retiring as a 3-star general and commander of Fifth Army.

A definitive history of one of the U.S. Army’s most elite and enduring formations, this book traces the full evolution of the 82nd Airborne Division from its World War I origins to its current role as a rapid-response force. Drawing on rare archival sources and previously unpublished first-hand accounts, it offers a comprehensive portrait of the “All American” Division across more than a century of service. While the division’s exploits during World War II—from their first combat operation jumping into Sicily, their role in the airborne assaults in Normandy and at Arnhem, and their part in the Battle of the Bulge—are widely recognized, this book goes far beyond. It explores the 82nd’s formation in 1917, its transformation into the Army’s first airborne division in 1942, its adaptation to new strategic demands during the Cold War, and the fighting it has undertaken in conflicts from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan. This is not just a history of battles and campaigns—it is a story of the soldiers themselves. Through veterans’ voices, after-action reports, and unit records, the book captures the lived experience of paratroopers, from the trenches of the Western Front to 21st-century deployments. The result is a richly detailed and authoritative account of the 82nd Airborne Division’s combat legacy.

During World War I, New Jersey played a prominent role in the manufacturing of war-related munitions, created the infrastructure necessary to train and mobilize troops, and supplied a portion of the manpower necessary to fight overseas. Without the support of New Jersey’s industrial base, the war effort of the United States may very well have failed. Contributions from New Jersey ranged from artillery rounds from Amatol, fuses from Bloomfield, shells from Lyndhurst, gun carriages (Singer), aircraft engines (Duesenberg), Handley Page Bombers from Elizabeth, and ship building (New York Shipbuilding and ELCO). Over 140,000 New Jerseyans served during the war, and the state was home to 38 military installations by the end of the war, including Camp Dix. Troops from New Jersey included National Guard units activated and assigned to the 29th Division that trained at Camp McClellan, Alabama, and National Army soldiers (draftee) assigned to the 78th Division that trained at Camp Dix. New Jersey-based units from the 29th and 78th Infantry Divisions would fight in the Meuse-Argonne offensive. Women, too, underwent training in New Jersey, in preparation to serve in the Army Signal Corps, while women from the state volunteered to serve with aid organizations including the Red Cross, and raised money for the war effort. In the post-war years, over 160 monuments were constructed across New Jersey to memorialize the war dead and honor the veterans who served in the Great War, including several of the famous “Spirit of the American Doughboy” statues produced by E. M. Viquesney. New Jersey mothers and widows would travel in pilgrimages to the battlefields and cemeteries of France, such as the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, as well as to Brookwood cemetery in Great Britain to visit the graves of their loved ones in the 1930s as part of the Gold Star Mothers and Widows Pilgrimage. This book will for the first time reveal the full extent of New Jersey’s pivotal role in America’s war effort during the Great War, and will shed light on prominent figures and their connections to New Jersey, such as Dr. Fred Albee, the father of bone grafting, Cecil Dorrian, the first American female War Reporter in World War I, Amabel Roberts, the first American nurse from New Jersey to die during the war in France, and Lillian Marx, who danced and sang in Newark during war support donation events.

Alasdair Whittle is one of the most influential British prehistorians of the late 20th to early 21st century. This volume in our new Reflections series re-presents some of his most important papers published in Oxbow titles and celebrates his contribution to our understanding of Neolithic lifeways and the development of Neolithic society in Britain and Europe. The collection illustrates his pioneering work in the interpretation of both monumental and settlement sites, and the spread and nature of early farming in central and western Europe, including investigation of LBK longhouse life. Alasdair has also been at the forefront of the application of Bayesian statistics in radiocarbon dating, helping to revolutionise chronologies at a variety of geographical and temporal scales. This volume seeks to reflect some of the best of his innovative thinking and influence as seen through his publications with Oxbow.

This first title in the new Oxbow Reflections series celebrates the academic career of leading British prehistorian Richard Bradley as seen through his many contributions to collected works and monographs published by Oxbow Books. In collaboration with the author, we have selected papers that reflect some of the major themes that have been the subject of his long-term research, including many aspects concerning the origins, development and demise of monumentality in prehistory; the analysis of rock art in its landscape, ontological and cultural setting; the role and significance of maritime connections and persistent places in coastal areas in the Neolithic and Bronze Age; and possible interpretations of the deliberate deposition of materials and objects across a variety of temporal and cultural settings. In these papers we see demonstrated the breadth and development of some of Richard’s key interests and most influential ideas that continue to inspire scholars and that have guided and often refocused our fundamental understanding of peoples, places and polity in British and European prehistory. Includes an introduction by the author.

This is the story of the first ten years of SAMS and the remarkable reputation quickly acquired by its graduates, educated in a pre-World War II horse cavalry stable at Fort Leavenworth. It is also the story of the doctrinal revolution in which SAMS played an important role—a doctrinal shift that energized how the U.S. Army thought about and fought its wars. It may be claimed that the combination of a new, offensively oriented doctrine and educated practitioners significantly raised the level of tactical and operational understanding in the U.S. Army from 1983 to 1994. The book explores the interrelationship between the School of Advanced Military Studies, the introduction of operational art into U.S. Army doctrine, and how graduates of the school sought to translate education and doctrine into action. It begins with the decisions that led to the founding of SAMS and reviews the conditions at the end of the Vietnam War and the challenges the Army faced at that time. It then examines the development of operational-level war as the essential bridge between tactical actions on the battlefield and strategic objectives derived from national security policy. The narrative continues with a close look at the school in the years leading up to Operations Just Cause and Desert Shield/Storm, and how it was evolving to meet emerging demands. It then analyzes how SAMS graduates approached these early combat operations, using operational-level doctrine to frame and guide the conduct of war. The story also includes three key events from the turbulent period following Operation Desert Storm, as graduates applied doctrine in an era shaped by the collapse of the Soviet Union and shifting global realities. The book concludes with a study of how the school changed in response to both internal dynamics and external pressures, particularly those arising from combat operations and missions other than war. It contrasts the visions of the school’s first and sixth directors to illuminate how SAMS adapted over its first decade. Central to the narrative is the argument that, despite these changes, the school’s fundamental purpose remained constant—and understanding why offers insight into how SAMS and its graduates contributed to the Army’s evolution in tactical and operational thought.

A complete and balanced account of the maritime struggle in the Atlantic theater._x000D__x000D_For four centuries the British realm depended upon sea power to defend its interest and independence against a myriad of threats both military and economic. During this time the Royal Navy established itself as the "Sovereign of the Seas," helping transform England, and later Great Britain, from an unassuming island nation perched on the edge of the European continent to the center of a global empire. Yet the advent of World War II presented Britain's maritime services with their greatest challenge to date. At stake was the survival of the nation. The Longest Campaign tells the story of this epic struggle and the indispensable role that British sea power played in bringing about the victory that shaped the world we live in today. It is a complete, balanced and detailed account of the activities, results and relevance of Britain's maritime effort in the Atlantic and off northwest Europe throughout World War II. It looks at the entire breadth of the maritime conflict, exploring the contribution of all participants including the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and British merchant marines and their Commonwealth equivalents. It puts the maritime conflict in the context of the overall war effort and shows how the various operations and campaigns were intertwined. Finally, it provides unique analysis of the effectiveness of the British maritime effort and role it played in bringing about the final Allied victory.

In mid-December 1944, as the U.S. Army jumped-off towards the Roer-Urft dams—gateway to Germany—parts of three divisions moved to the attack. Most accounts focus on the 2nd and 99th Divisions’ push towards Wahlerscheid, neglecting the critical battle fought by the 78th Infantry Division for the village of Kesternich; key to the Monschau Corridor, which itself was the key to the Roer Dams. As the Americans advanced, they collided with 272 and 326 Volksgrenadier Divisions, which were racing to stabilize the North Shoulder of what would soon erupt as the Ardennes Offensive. Contrary to conventional accounts, the fight for Kesternich was no isolated skirmish but part of a broader clash that threatened to unravel the German winter counteroffensive before it began. Drawing on both American and German archival sources-including untranslated German Foreign Military Studies and firsthand oral histories-the author re-examines the complexity and strategic implications of this little-known battle. Through a tapestry of combat reports, personal recollections, and previously inaccessible documentation, this book restores Kesternich to its rightful place in the narrative of the European Theater. It reveals not only a forgotten battle but also the evolving nature of mid-war tactics, training, and organization on both sides of the front.

This book is concerned with the origins, uses and subsequent histories of monuments. It emphasises the time scales illustrated by these structures, and their implications for archaeological research. It is concerned with the archaeology of Western and Northern Europe, with an emphasis on structures in Britain and Ireland, and the period between the Mesolithic and the Viking Age.It begins with two famous groups of monuments and introduces the problem of multiple time scales. It also considers how they influence the display of those sites today – they belong to both the present and the past. Monuments played a role from the moment they were created, but approaches to their archaeology led in opposite directions. They might have been directed to a future that their builders could not control. These structures could be adapted, destroyed, or left to decay once their significance was lost. Another perspective was to claim them as relics of a forgotten past. In that case they had to be reinterpreted.The first part of this book considers the rarity of monumental structures among hunter-gatherers, and the choice of building materials for Neolithic houses and tombs. It emphasises the difference between structures whose erection ended the use of significant places, and those whose histories could extend into the future. It also discusses ‘megalithic astronomy’ and ancient notions of time. Part Two is concerned with the reuse of ancient monuments and asks whether they really were expressions of social memory. Did links with an ‘ancestral past’ have much factual basis? It contrasts developments during the Beaker phase with those of the early medieval period. The development of monumental architecture is compared with the composition of oral literature.

This volume presents the Greek and Roman pottery collected and analyzed by the Sphakia Survey project and provides a ceramic model for a large section of western Crete, where ceramic traditions, both domestic and imported, are little known. This research integrates two approaches. It first presents a morphological and functional study of a body of pottery from a sizable part of Crete with little known archaeological evidence. Second, fabric analysis identifies and defines clays and clay mixtures, with macroscopic and petrographic analyses providing results from two perspectives. The rigorous application of fabric analysis, combined with the morphological examination, contribute to reconstructions of sites and areas within Sphakia. This data provides information about the history of individual sites, but then more broadly about that of Sphakia itself.Elements like site chronology, activities undertaken in particular areas, available landscape resources and their exploitation, and contact within the region, with other parts of Crete, and the wider Greek and Roman worlds are explored.

Silver Medal winner in Military History Matters 'Book of the Year' Award“Written with great accuracy, detail, enthusiasm, and insight…” Military History Matters judges' commentStriking where the enemy is weakest and melting away into the darkness before he can react. Never confronting a stronger force directly, but willing to use audacity and surprise to confound and demoralize an opponent. Operations driven by good intelligence, area knowledge, mobility, speed, firepower, and detailed planning executed by a few specialists with indigenous warriors - this is unconventional warfare. T. E. Lawrence was one of the earliest practitioners of modern unconventional warfare. His tactics and strategies were used by men like Mao and Giap in their wars of liberation. Both kept Lawrence’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom close at hand. This book looks at the creation of the HEDGEHOG force, the formation of armored car sections and other units, and focuses on the Hejaz Operations Staff, the Allied officers and men who took Lawrence’s idea and prosecuted it against the Ottoman Turkish army assisting Field Marshal Allenby to achieve victory in 1918. Stejskal concludes with an examination of how HEDGEHOG has influenced special operations and unconventional warfare, including Field Marshal Wavell, the Long Range Desert Group, and David Stirling's SAS