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Winston Churchill famously instructed the head of the Special Operations Executive to "Set Europe ablaze!" Agents of both the British Special Operations Executive and the American Office of Strategic Services underwent rigorous training before making their way, undetected, into occupied Europe to do just that. Working alone or in small cells, often cooperating with local resistance groups, agents undertook missions behind enemy lines involving sabotage, subversion, organizing resistance groups a...

From its early beginnings in World War II, the Special Air Service (SAS) has won renown in some of the most dramatic, dangerous and controversial special operations of the 20th century. It is a secretive and mysterious unit, whose operations and internal structures are hidden from the public eye. Now, one of its longest-serving veterans offers a glimpse inside its shadowy world. Rusty Firmin spent 15 years with 'The Regiment' and was a key figure in the Iranian Embassy Siege in May 1980, the pla...

Revered by some as the ultimate warrior, and condemned by others as ruthless assassins, the combat sniper is more than just a crack shot. These are highly disciplined individuals, calm professionals skilled in marksmanship, reconnaissance and camouflage. During the Second World War these lethal fighters were deployed by all sides to deadly effect. This collection of biographies written by sniper experts from around the world explores the careers of the top marksmen between 1939 and 1945. As wel...

Here in one place is everything you will ever need to know in order to survive just about any situation. Drawn from dozens of the U.S. Army's well-written field manuals on every conceivable subject, this huge compendium compiles the most useful and curious techniques for every would-be survivalist, including: First aid in toxic environments Chemical and biological agents Treating blood loss Treating head injuries and fractures Jungle and desert survival Concealment and camouflage Edible p...

Writing under a pen name, a former member of the British Royal Marine Commandos provides an insider account of the shadowy world of private U.S. military contracting, revealing operations too dangerous and sensitive to be officially acknowledged, including the search for Osama Bin Laden and the response to the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi.

Since its introduction in 1981, at the height of the Cold War, the Abrams main battle tank has been one of the most visible and iconic symbols of American military power, and it is the fascinating subject of this heavily illustrated historical and modelling guide in the TankCraft series by David Grummitt. Designed to meet head-on the massed tank forces of the Warsaw Pact, its combat debut in fact came in a different scenario in 1991 during the First Gulf War. Since then it has served in the pea...

A New York Times bestsellerNow also an Oscar-nominated documentaryIn Dirty Wars , Jeremy Scahill, author of the New York Times bestseller Blackwater , takes us inside America's new covert wars. The foot soldiers in these battles operate globally and inside the United States with orders from the White House to do whatever is necessary to hunt down, capture or kill individuals designated by the president as enemies.Drawn from the ranks of the Navy SEALs, Delta Force, former Blackwater and ot...

In 1991, Coalition special forces were active deep inside Iraq, hunting down SCUD missile launchers before they could be fired. In 2011, US Navy SEALs were responsible for the assassination of the world's most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden. In 2014, the US Delta Force captured Libyan terrorist Ahmed Abu Khattala, wanted for the attack on the US embassy in Benghazi in 2012. Over the last 25 years elite military formations have played an increasingly important role in the policing of the world...

The U.S. Army is the oldest and longest-serving branch of the U.S. military, with 562,000 active service members who currently serve around the world. This detailed 2015 calendar profiles scenes from the lives of these active duty people, whose mission it is to provide peace, security, and defense for the citizens of the United States.

The French Foreign Legion remains one of the world's most enigmatic military forces. Created in France in 1831 and immediately posted to the scorching deserts of Algeria, it went on to become a unit renowned for its cruel training regime and its absolute disregard for death in battle. Unlike any other military unit in the world, its ranks are open to foreigners, and traditionally it has received many troubled or criminal individuals fleeing from problems back home. Today much has changed. The Le...

The Emergence of American Amphibious Warfare, 1898-1945 examines how the United States became a superpower through amphibious operations in order to project military power. While other major world powers pursued and embraced different weapons and technologies in order to create different means of waging war, the United States was one of the few countries that spent decades training, developing, and employing amphibious warfare to pursue its national interests. Commonly seen as dangerous and co...

'You couldn't make these stories up: yet they're true, and Lewis does the memory of these extraordinary men full justice in a tale that is both heart-stopping and moving' Evening Standard'Suicidal bravery, untold moral courage and awe-inspiring survival. An utterly compelling read' Bear GryllsFrom the bestselling author of true military classics ZERO SIX BRAVO, THE NAZI HUNTERS and CHURCHILL'S SECRET WARRIORS In the Spring of 1940, as Britain reeled from defeats on all fronts and America seemed...

In the early hours of D-Day, 1944, a group from the US Army 2nd Rangers Battalion were sent on one of the legendary raids of World War II. The mission was to scale the cliffs overlooking Omaha beach and assault the German coastal artillery at Pointe-du-Hoc. It was thought that only a raid could ensure that the guns would remain silent during the D-Day landings. But allied intelligence was wrong. After climbing the cliffs under aggressive German fire and securing the battery site, the Rangers dis...

From Army Rangers to Green Berets to the U.S. Navy SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden, this book explains what makes Special Forces "special," covering the rich and varied history of elite formations in American military history and describing their recruitment, intense training, and equipment in depth.Most civilians have only a vague idea of what the U.S. Special Forces are all about-who they are, how they differ from our "normal" military forces, what they've accomplished throughout our his...

1) Mosul: Countering the Insurgency This article covers U.S. military operations in northern Iraq, particularly around the major city of Mosul, with its population of nearly 2 million. Since the invasion of 2003, the city has been a hotbed of insurgency against the U.S.-led coalition and Iraqi security forces. Photographs are sourced from official U.S. sources, and chronicle operations conducted in the region. Of particular interest is the Stryker Brigade Combat Teams that operate in this area,...

This book contains these articles: 1) Enzian and Stern - Swiss Special Intervention Units in Berne Switzerland has a unique system whereby each canton has its own police SWAT team, and in the case of Berne, it has Enzian and Stern. Enzian is a full time dedicated counterterrorism unit, while Stern's part-time members specialize in such duties as hostage rescue and VIP protection. This article shows police officers in full combat gear and with their whole range of equipment as they engage in exe...