Robert Forczyk Libri

"Deserts tend to excite the imaginations of armoured tacticians, who envision the wide-open spaces as perfect for swiftly manoeuvring large mechanized forces. However, both Allied and Axis commanders found their pre-war assumptions surrounding mechanized warfare challenged by the opening campaigns in the desert. A partly mechanized Italian army was destroyed in the first three months of the war. The Deutsches Afrika Korps entered the theatre with a battle-proven doctrine for conducting combined arms warfare, tanks that were effective and well-trained leaders and crews, only to find itself undone by a combination of Rommel's unsuitability for independent command and insufficient Axis theatre logistics. The British Army started the campaign with two different concepts of how to use armour -- either as fast, independent mechanized units capable of rapid manoeuvre or as plodding tools of infantry support; both concpets worked well against the Italian Army, but then frequently misfired against the Afrika Korps. In Desert Armour, Robert Forczyk has examined all these forces and operations to provide a focused analytic account of armoured operations in North Africa, placing the emphasis on the tactical and operational-level perspectives of both Allied and Axis combatants." --

"The Eastern Front clashes between Soviet heavy tanks and German antitank weapons were a rare case of German technology failing to match that of the Soviet Union. Having developed a heavy "breakthrough" tank to smash enemy infantry defences, at the start of Operation Barbarossa the Red Army's KV-1 and KV-2 tanks were virtually invulnerable to the antitank weapons of the Panzerjager and demonstrated their ability to overrun German infantry...Fully illustrated, this book analyses the fascinating technological and tactical duel between German antitank guns and Soviet armor in the early years of the Eastern Front." -Back cover

After the fall of France in 1940, Germany attempted to strangle Britain into submission by attacking the Atlantic Convoys, which brought much need supplies and war material from the USA and Canada. This book discusses the development of the Condor, and analyzes the various Allied responses.

A fully illustrated study of the defensive struggle for the Kuban bridgehead on the Eastern Front of World War II, where the Red Army repulsed a series of ferocious German offensives in the Caucasus.

A highly illustrated history of Operation Suvorov, the Soviet assault against German positions around Smolensk in late 1943.

This volume details the military career and accomplishments of Walther Model, the youngest Generalfeldmarschall in the Wehrmacht in World War II and Hitler's favorite commander. His role on the Eastern Front saw him involved in most of the key battles of the second half of the warm, including the battles of Kursk Leningrad and the desperate attempt to halt the Soviet Bagration offensive. He also played a key role in the west, where his drive and defensive prowess saw his forces inflict heavy casualties on British forces at Arnhem and US forces in the Hürtgen Forest. Model was a tough and tenacious commander, particularly when on the defense, and his career rise was virtually unprecedented in German military history. Model truly made his mark late in the war, when time was already running out for the Third Reich, but time and again he was rushed from one crumbling front to the next and succeeded in temporarily restoring the situation. Above all, Model deserves recognition as one of the great defensive commanders of modern military history.

The first major clash between a European and Asian state in the modern era signalled the beginning of Japan's rise as a major power on the world stage. This title presents first-hand accounts and artwork to explain and illustrate this historically significant duel.

During World War II, the Kriegsmarine armed a number of merchant vessels with concealed guns and torpedo tubes for surprise attacks against Allied shipping. To counter this deadly threat, the Royal Navy employed cruisers and their intelligence-gathering apparatus to find and destroy the disguised German commerce raiders. This Duel title covers the deadly game of cat and mouse, fought by these surface vessels during World War II.

By December 1942, the Soviets had surrounded the German 6th Army in Stalingrad, cutting off all lines of supply except through the air. Seeking to sever this last German lifeline, Soviet Command decided to launch a raid with the entire 24th Tank Corps to seize the airfield at Tatsinskaya. This book deals with this topic.

Provides the story of Fall Blau (Case Blue). This book features full-colour artwork, archival photos, and detailed analysis. It follows fighting that characterised one of the most important campaigns of World War II.