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Showing results for tags 'Airborne'.
Found 3 results
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Red Assault Soviet Airborne Forces 1930-1941 ISBN : 9781912390793 Helion & Company via Casemate UK When you think of Airborne forces thoughts might go to The Parachute Regiment, The US Screaming Eagles or even the Fallschirmjager; but not generally to Soviet forces. This may seem strange as the Soviet Army was using Airborne forces before any of the western powers, and even the German Army. In fact Herman Goring proposed the use of Paratroops after seeing Soviet exercises. The Soviets started as far back as 1930 with experiments which grew into an attack doctrine where following bombers airborne forces would drop onto the enemy on their own ground and subdue them. The book looks at early Soviet operations, types of equipment and weapons, as well as many weird and wonderful ideas that the 1930s could come up with regarding airborne operations. Of use to the modeller is a great deal of information about the aircraft used for these operations. In the end despite have the advantage in time over other countries the Soviets used these troops mainly as normal foot soldiers during WWII. A few drops were carried out in the desperate defence during operation Barbarossa, and later in the war (not covered by this book) operations did take place in 1942 and 1943, however for the most the Soviets lost their early advantage in this are by using these troops as little more than ground infantry. The book is slightly smaller than A4 (248 x 180mm) and 343 pages long. There are over 400 B&W photos. The author has gone to great lengths to obtain original memoirs from museum and private archives, many of which have never been published before. Conclusion This book gives a great insight into early Airborne operations in the Soviet Union, the equipment and thinking of the time (even if some of it was a bit bizarre). Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of -
Seen having an air test over Manston / north Thanet coast today. Stalls with and without undercarriage observed and a climb to altitude. Good news. Keith.
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101st Airborne in Normandy ISBN : 9781612005232 Casemate Illustrated - Casemate UK I would think a lot of people are now acquainted with the 101st Airborne from the excellent Band Of Brothers mini series. The "Screaming Eagles" were raised/activated in 1942. The idea of Paratroops was new at the time and the Allies were playing catch up after the success of German operations. The Division would go on from Normandy to fight in Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge, and be the first allied troops into Berchetsgaden and the Eagles nest. This book in the Casemate Illustrated series combines text, pictures, maps to bring us the 101st's operations on D-Day and the following battle for Normandy. It looks at the initial chaotic start to the completion of their mission to secure the vital beach heads. From there it follows their advance into Normandy itself with the attack and Caretan to then face a counter attack by the German 2nd Armoured Division. The book goes into details of the planning, and execuation of their mission and subsequent actions until they were withdrawn to prepare for the ill fated operation Market Garden. The book is A5 in format, 128 pages long and contains many contemporary photographs. Conclusion If you're interested in the 101st Airborne, and in particularly their actions in Normandy this is a must read. Highly Recommended. Review sample courtesy of
