H. W. Kaufmann - Böcker

Shocked by the carnage of World War I--much of which was waged on its own soil--France constructed a vast network of forts in the years before World War II. Among these was the Maginot Line, the last of the great gun-bearing fortifications, but France also built defenses along its coasts and in North Africa. This fully illustrated volume describes the design and construction of these fortifications, reviews French defensive doctrine and strategy, and explains why these efforts proved unable to halt the German blitzkrieg in the spring of 1940.

In the spirit of Stephen Ambrose's Band of Brothers and Cornelius Ryan's The Longest Day and A Bridge Too Far, J. E. Kaufmann and H. W. Kaufmann weave together firsthand accounts of American soldiers to capture the complete experience of the individual GI in World War II, from stateside training to overseas combat. Based on interviews with more than 200 veterans, the book also tells the story of the mighty effort to liberate Europe through the brave young men who fought there.

A few of the fortifications and fortified lines of the world wars are well known and have often been written about, illustrated and studied. But they tend to distract attention from the wide range of fixed defences constructed across Europe on an enormous scale after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, during a period of insecurity and aggression. That is why this new, highly illustrated study, which covers the entire continent, is so valuable. The authors examine the major fortified positions and describe their strategic purpose, their design and construction, and the role they played in military planning and operations.The outstanding contribution of the major military architects of the time is a key theme. The work of S r de Rivi res, Brialmont and others had a major influence on the course of the First World War and on the fortifications built before and during the Second World War. Their approach is visible in the designs for the Maginot Line, the East and West walls of Germany, the Vallo Alpino in Italy, the Soviet Stalin and Molotov lines, the Mannerheim and Salpa lines of Finland, the Greek Metaxas Line, the Bene Line of Czechoslovakia as well as the defences built by the Dutch and Scandinavians.The breadth of the coverage, the degree of detail and the numerous illustrations make the book essential reading and reference for anyone who has a special interest in the world wars and the history of fortifications.

For over a thousand years, from the time of the Roman Empire to the classic period of castle-building in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, fortified sites played a key role in European warfare. This highly illustrated history gives a fascinating insight into their design and development and into the centuries of violence and conflict they were part of.The study traces the evolution of fortifications starting with those of the Romans and their successors. Included are the defences erected to resist Islamic invasions and Viking raids and the castles that were built during outbreaks of warfare. As the authors demonstrate, castles and other fortifications were essential factors in military calculations and campaigns - they were of direct strategic and tactical importance wherever there was an attempt to take or hold territory.The factors that influenced their location, layout and construction are analysed, as is the way in which they were adapted to meet the challenges of new tactics and weapons.

Across western Europe the long tradition of castle-building took on its most sophisticated form in the later medieval period and then, in response to the development of gunpowder weapons, it underwent a fundamental change - from castle to fortress. This, the second volume of a highly illustrated new study of medieval fortification, gives a fascinating insight into the last great age of castles and the centuries of violence and conflict they were part of.It traces the advances made between the twelfth and the fifteenth centuries, looking in particular at the form these fortifications took in contexts as different as Italy, Wales, France and the Iberian peninsula. Many would regard this period in the history of castles as the classic age. It was followed by a phase of relative decline as the conditions of warfare changed and castles had to be adapted to cope with cannon. The conventional castle gave way to new styles of fortification. But, as the authors demonstrate, they were still essential factors in military calculations and campaigns - they were of direct strategic and tactical importance wherever there was an attempt to take or hold territory.