The island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll was defended by the elite troops of the Special Naval Landing Force, whose commander, Admiral Shibasaki, boasted that 'the Americans could not take Tarawa with a million men in a hundred years'. This book tells the story of the pioneering amphibious invasion in which the Marines of the 2nd Division set out to prove him wrong, overcoming serious planning errors to fight a 76-hour battle of unprecedented savagery. The cost would be more than 3000 Marine casualties at the hands of a garrison of some 3700. The lessons learned would dispel forever any illusions that Americans had about the fighting quality of the Japanese.

This first volume details all aspects of the Hitler's fanatical "boy soldiers" division's history with a balanced mix of both tactical and strategic accounts, including the creation and training of these teenage warriors and their baptism of fire in the Normandy campaign in World War II. Written by the division's former chief of staff.

In this superb history, two seasoned journalists unfold the decisive campaigns of the desert war that began with the Italian invasion of Egypt in September 1940 and ended with the mass surrender of Axis forces in Tunis in May 1943. Writing with great verve and style, John Bierman and Colin Smith create a stunning panorama peopled by some of the most glamorous, dangerous and mysterious figures in the war. At the center of this sweeping narrative stand two heroes, German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, the notorious "Desert Fox," and the British Lieutenant General Bernard "Monty" Montgomery, whose showdown at the little Egyptian railway stop of El Alamein is one of the great moments in military history. Bierman and Smith have interviewed scores of survivors and tracked down hitherto overlooked primary sources to craft a historic narrative that reads like a novel. Here too is the remarkable true story of the shadowy Hungarian adventurer Laszlo Almasy, the prototype for the romantic English patient of Michael Ondaatje's novel. Triumphant tactical warfare, an exotic backdrop, wrenching personal conflicts both inside and between the armies-"The Battle of Alamein" has it all. This is military history at its absolute best.

Two hundred and eighty-two ships, some of them the largest and most powerful ever built...nearly 200,000 men, many sent to the bottom of the sea...a cast of characters that included MacArthur, Roosevelt, Halsey, and Nimitz...more than 100,000 square miles of fire and blood...they all came together in one unique battle, the singular turning point in the tide of WWII and in the history of warfare. Now, using materials previously unavailable, award-winning author Thomas J. Cutler captures the awe-inspiring heroism, the flawed strategies, the brilliant deception, and the brutal reality of the greatest naval battle of all time. From seaman to admiral, from aerial to surface to submarine combat, every facet, every weapon, every controversy -- on both sides of the firing line -- explodes off the page in this impressive account of the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

Fully illustrated, Lieutenant-Colonel Forty's Handbook provides details on military life in the British Army during World War II. Included here are over 200 photographs, charts and drawings on everything from procedures of mobilization and training to the weapons, soldiers and tactics involved.

215 maps that cover every aspect of military operations by land, sea, and air from 1939 to 1945--plus diagrams, photographs, and cogent accompanying explanations--trace the history of WW II. The atlas breaks down all the major theaters in the war, from Germany's first strikes to the Japanese offensive, and within those larger campaigns you can follow the many smaller, individual battles. Charts illustrate key factors such the balance of forces.

This colorful and compact volume provides a useful guide to the aircraft manufactured in Britain during WWII, including such fighters as Spitfire, Hurricane, and Tempest; bombers such as Blenheim, Halifax, and Wellington; and a miscellany of other aircraft such as Sunderland, Anson, Tiger Moth, and Austers. Over 100 aircraft are featured, each with an associated text describing the history and development of the type. There are over 400 illustrations, including over 75 color photographs and full color artwork.