Ian Sumner – författare

In this companion volume to The French Army 1939-45 (1), Ian Sumner and François Vauvillier examine the history, uniforms and insignia of the Free French, Fighting French and the Army of Liberation.By 16 June 1940, De Gaulle, with the decisive support of Churchill, had come to the conclusion that, whatever happened, France could not stand to one side in the struggle against Nazi Germany. And so, Free France was born.Featuring detailed illustrations and contemporary photographs throughout, this is an ideal guide for anyone interested in French military uniforms.

The French air force of the First World War developed as fast as the British and German air forces, yet its history, and the enormous contribution it made to the eventual French victory, is often forgotten. So Ian Sumner's photographic history, which features almost 200 images, most of which have not been published before, is a fascinating and timely introduction to the subject. The fighter pilots, who usually dominate perceptions of the war in the air, play a leading role in the story, in particular the French aces, the small group of outstanding airmen whose exploits captured the publics imagination. Their fame, though, tends to distract attention from the ordinary unremembered airmen who formed the body of the air force throughout the war years. Ian Sumner tells their story too, as well as describing in a sequence of memorable photographs the less well-known branches of the service the bomber and reconnaissance pilots and the variety of primitive warplanes they flew.

The outbreak of war found the Royal Navy with world-wide responsibilities but, despite its legendary professionalism, out-of-date strategic doctrines.Despite some early clashes between capital ships, advances in submarine warfare and naval aviation would soon come to dominate the war at sea. By mid-1943, however, the Royal Navy dominated the Mediterranean, was winning the campaign against the Atlantic U-boats, and was convoying vast quantities of war material across the Atlantic and to Russia.The 'senior service' made a huge contribution to the D-Day landings, and sent strong units to support the USN in the final campaigns against Japan.

At the height of its strength and confidence the army of British India was a unique organisation, whose officers and other ranks - all volunteers - were bound together by extraordinary ésprit de corps.Already the largest volunteer army in the world in 1914, by 1918 it had quadrupled in strength to nearly 600,000 men. Indian divisions served with distinction on the Western Front and, particularly, in the Middle East. After interwar campaigns on the North-West Frontier, in the Second World War Indian divisions made a major contribution to the British effort in North Africa, Italy and Burma.With independence and partition the old army was divided between the new states of India and Pakistan, retaining its discipline and professional pride in the most difficult circumstances.

In this first of a two-part sequence a respected vexillologist describes, explains and illustrates a wide variety of the standards and guidons carried during the 18th and 19th centuries by British Household, Regular, Yeomanry and Volunteer cavalry units.The successive regulations between 1747 and 1868 are supported by tables of 'ancient badges' and battle honours; by many examples of non-regulation practice (in the cavalier tradition of the British cavalry); and by ten dazzling plates by Richard Hook, detailing some 35 flags in full colour.

In this second of a two-part sequence a respected vexillologist describes, explains and illustrates a wide variety of the King's and Regimental colours carried during the 18th and 19th centuries by British Household, Regular, Militia and Volunteer infantry regiments.The successive regulations between 1747 and 1881 - when the carrying of colours in the field ceased - are supported by comprehensive tables of 'ancient badges' and battle honours; many careful drawings; and by ten dazzling plates by Richard Hook, detailing some 35 flags in full colour, as well as a number of famous colour-bearers.

This book examines the key British commanders of World War II across the three branches of service.As well being provided with biographical details for each of the 24 commanders selected, we are given fascinating insights into their personalities and their style of command. Assessments of their combat records and performances under pressure are also supplied. Contemporary images and magnificent colour artworks provide details of their uniforms, dress and appearance during wartime service.The commanders brought to life by this book include Auchinleck, Alan Brooke, Cunningham, Freyberg, Harris, Montgomery, Ramsay, Slessor, Slim, Tedder and Urquhart.

The Imperial German Army Air Service of World War I grew from just 500 men in 1914 to 80,000 in 1918, inventing in the process a wholly new form of warfare.The exploits of the first fighter ‘aces’ have been widely celebrated, and have tended to overshadow the other, equally important branches of the fighting air forces – the reconnaissance and ground attack units, the airships and strategic bombers. This concise but fact- packed guide to both the Army and Naval Air Services – their command, organization, strength, training, support services and operations – offers a morebalanced picture, while giving the heroes of the Jagdstaffeln their full due.Uniforms and flying clothing are described in detail, and illustrated with rare photographs and meticulous colour plates.

During World War One the French Army was in a state of disarray, plagued by indiscipline, mutinies and desertion.The ordinary French citizens that were called upon to defend their motherland – the Poilu – were disrespected and demoralized, and the infamous mutinies of 1917 by the Poilu were not protests against the war itself, but against how the war was conducted. Ian Sumner expertly charts the history of the Poilu, from the conscription of hundreds of thousands of men, through their training, to the horrors of the trenches and the fear of no man's land.Accompanied by new artwork and diagrams, this book provides a fascinating insight into the experiences of the ordinary Frenchman plunged into war.

A detailed, illustrated account of The First Battle of the Marne, which saved France from defeat in the First World War and led directly the establishment of the trenches.In 1914 the Germans launched an offensive that swept through Belgium and into France, threatening to crush French resistance in one fell swoop. However, through careful maneuvering and stubborn resistance, the French Army, aided by the BEF, blunted the assault, winning an important strategic victory that kept France in the war. This victory ensured that Germany would have to fight a two-front war, and the Western Front descended into the stalemate of trench warfare.One of the most important battles in the First World War, the First Battle of the Marne would be the last battle of maneuver to be seen on the Western Front for several years to come.

This title explores the recruitment, training, and combat experiences of the famous ANZAC infantry in the opening years of World War I.When war broke out in 1914, men rushed to the colours even before their governments had formally offered troops to Britain. The decision to employ the ANZACs in the Dardanelles came as a complete surprise, but the events at the Anzac and Suvla beach-heads quickly revealed the discipline and bravery of the men involved. This book takes a close look at day-to-day life in the trenches of Gallipoli, and explores how the wounded were treated.The experience of Gallipoli had a profound effect on its survivors, and it continues to mark the psyche of the two nations down to the present day.

Initially the strongest of all the Allied armies, France's metropolitan and colonial units bore the greatest burden during the first two years of the Great War, and made a great contribution to the final victory.In common with most European countries, the pre-war French Army was based on a system of national military service providing conscripts who could be subject to recall as reservists for several years after. However, the advent of war, the crisis in manpower, and the development of new tactics and weapons brought radical changes. The influence of these factors on the organisation, equipment, uniforms and tactics of the French Army during World War I is examined in detail in this concise text.

The French Army of 1939 was considered by contemporaries to be the strongest army in the world at that time.In fact, as the events of the next ten months soon revealed, the Army was riddled with fatal weaknesses. In this book, the first of two volumes examining the French Army of the Second World War, Ian Sumner and François Vauvillier examine the organisation, uniforms and equipment of the army of 1939-40 and Vichy France.It includes orders of battle and formation charts as well as many illustration and colour uniform artworks.