Hugh Johnson – illustratör

The T-54 and T-55 tanks are the most widely manufactured tanks of all time.They have become ubiquitous to wars around the globe since the 1950s, starting with Hungary in 1956, and including the the Arab-Israeli wars of 1967, 1973 and 1982, the Vietnam war of 1967-75, the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-88, the Afghanistan conflict, Operation Desert Storm, the Yugoslav Civil Wars, and Iraq.This book examines the roots of this prolific tank family, starting with the Soviet Army’s first attempts to replace the legendary T-34 during World War II, and covering the T-43 and the T-44, the more successful T-54, and its ultimate evolution into the T-55.

At the outbreak of World War II, Fort Eben Emael in Belgium was the strongest fortress in the world, and it lay exactly across the German invasion route of Belgium and France.The fort’s elimination was essential for the success of Hitler’s invasion of the West. Deemed impregnable to conventional attack, Hitler himself suggested the means for its capture with the first glider-borne assault in military history. On 10 May 1940, ten gliders carrying just 77 paratroopers landed on top of the fort.Simon Dunstan explores how the assault pioneers of Sturmgruppe Granit subdued Fort Eben Emael within just 30 minutes, using top-secret hollow-charge weapons for the first time in warfare. The fortress surrendered within 30 hours. This is a compelling, illustrated guide to the fort and one of the greatest raids in the annals of Special Forces.

German defenses along the Normandy beaches were part of the larger Atlantic Wall fortifications designed to defend Fortress Europe.When Field Marshal Erwin Rommel took command of the invasion front in late 1943, he began a program to enhance fortifications along the Normandy coast as he believed that any Allied assault had to be stopped on the invasion beaches themselves. His most important contribution to the defenses was an extensive program of improvised beach obstructions to complicate any landing attempt.This book analyses these fortifications and describes how the Allied forces overcame them on the morning of June 6, 1944.

The jeep was the most famous military vehicle of World War II, and its name has become synonymous with a whole class of military and civilian all-terrain vehicles.The jeep originated in a prewar US Army requirement for a simple, inexpensive, and robust vehicle for basic utility chores. Its simple design proved to be adaptable to a host of military tasks including use as a scout vehicle, battlefield ambulance, communications vehicle, and staff car.This book, covering “the savior of World War II”, focuses on the design and development of this versatile vehicle used on nearly every front of World War II.

The highly successful 'stop-gap' M3 medium tank was designed in 1941.As adequate turret casting facilities were not yet ready, the M3 used an unusual armament configuration patterned after a French tank. British lend-lease demands led to the design of a second turret type with the US version called the Lee and the British version the Grant. It could penetrate Panzer armor, and its explosive firepower was excellent for dealing with German anti-tank guns.Featuring illustrations, this book covers the design, development, service and variants of a vehicle that was the backbone of many World War II forces.

The eight-wheeled (8x8) Stryker combat light armored vehicle was adopted by the US Army in 2002.It needed to provide a comparatively rapidly deployable contingency force with armor protection, tactical mobility, and heavy firepower, as well as advanced command, control communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities.Covering the first new US Army release since the M1 Abrams MBT, this book details the conception, development and deployment of one of the most highly anticipated AFVs in modern history, including its service in Iraq and the ensuing controversy surrounding the Stryker's varying successes.

In 1965 the military situation in the Mekong River Delta of southern Vietnam had deteriorated so much that the decision was made to commit a joint US Army and Navy Mobile Riverine Force to the area.This force was unique in its composition, mission, and the means by which it operated – riverine craft. Comprising the Army’s 2nd Brigade, 9th Infantry Division, and the Navy’s River Assault Flotilla One, it used a variety of watercraft, including heavily modified landing craft, purpose-built patrol boats, and a whole host of auxiliary and support craft.Featuring illustrations, this book explores those craft, and also gives an account of Task Force Clearwater, a much smaller operation in the extreme northern part of South Vietnam.

The HMMWV, better known as the Humvee or Hummer, has set the world standard for army tactical vehicles since its introduction into the US Army in the 1980s.Designed to be the successor to the jeep of World War II with a greater load-bearing capacity, the Humvee has proven to be adaptable to a wide range of roles, including weapons carrier, missile launcher, command vehicle and other specialized types.This book traces the development and use of the Humvee and its variations, including the later families of armored Humvees used in Iraq in 2003–05, and its adoption in a peacekeeping role the world over.

On 29 October 1891, the new forts built around the cities of Liège and Namur, known as the 'forts of the Meuse', were turned over to the Belgian Army.This huge project produced 21 modern forts to defend the strategic rail, river and road arteries in the Oise and Condroz gaps. In August 1914, the German Army attempted a quick crossing of this area in order to reach France, but it took them 12 crucial days to destroy the fortresses.Containing maps, diagrams and photographs taken from private collections, this book explores the design, development and influence of the forts of the Meuse, highlighting the importance of their role during the opening battle of World War I.

A fascinating analysis of the most ambitious military fortification program of World War II.With Germany's gradual loss of the strategic initiative to the Allies, in 1942 Hitler was forced to construct an impenetrable wall of fortifications along the Atlantic and Mediterranean coast. This book deals solely with the structures on the French coast, starting with the Pas-de-Calais and extending down to Spain.It features detailed illustrations and diagrams of the various sections of the Atlantic Wall and the role that they played, giving a thoughtful analysis of some of the most accessible fortifications of World War II.