{"title":"Books by Eduardo Manuel Gil Martinez","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781526753816","title":"Hungarian Armoured Fighting Vehicles in the Second World War","description":"The actions of the German armoured forces during the Second World War is well known. What has not yet been so well told are the actions of the armoured forces from Germany's allies. While it is true that their performance was generally quite secondary in comparison to the Reich,the actions of the Hungarian armoured forces should be highlighted.   Hungary not only managed to organize its armoured forces, but developed its own military industry that was able to supply weapons and equipment to its troops. The Hungarian military was able to produce all kinds of weapons, vehicles and armoured vehicles, although they were generally under-gunned and under-armoured.   This book rescues Hungary's participation during the Second World War from oblivion through the use of superb photographs, which take the reader from the beginning of the USRR campaign and the conquest of Soviet lands, before ending with the bloody battles to avoid the Soviet and Romanian advance into Hungary (the Siege of Budapest) and the last clashes in Austrian and Slovenian territory before the army's unconditional surrender.   The author highlights the bravery and courage of these men, as well as the terrible fate of the Hungarian armoured forces when the Soviet Army invaded Hungary.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56302548189557,"sku":"9781526753816","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781526753816_80d15c18-6782-40d7-b5fe-076f45759f6f.jpg?v=1786022517"},{"product_id":"9781804512395","title":"The 'Blue Squadrons'","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"This book is a useful addition to any library, especially for those interested in the overlooked Spanish experience on the Eastern Front in World War II.\" — The NYMAS Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen on 22 June 1941, the news reached Spain of the attack that the Third Reich had initiated against the Soviet Union, it was received with great satisfaction, since they had just come out of a civil war in which the Soviet Union’s ‘allies’ had been defeated, putting an end to plans to impose communism on Spain with the help of the USSR. General Francisco Franco, Head of the Spanish State, offered to send a volunteer unit to fight on the Eastern Front alongside the German army – an offer that was accepted by the German government two days later.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhile the formation of the Blue Division was already under way, the Spanish Air Force also wanted to participate in the fight against the USSR and promptly began preparations to organize a series of several successive squadrons, each of which would fight at the front for six months.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this story of the fighting on the Eastern Front between the Spaniards and the Soviets, the various missions that the Spanish units were ordered on are covered, and the planes against in which the Spanish fought their war are covered as well.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis study recounts the experiences of the five squadrons sent to Russia between 1941 and 1944 to fight the Soviets. The courage and skill of the Spanish drivers and mechanics that helped the pilots achieve a high number of victories are also covered. The five Blue Squadrons that served between October 1941 and March 1944 remained in the combat front for almost 30 months. During these months they carried out 4,944 combat missions, with 611 engagements against the enemy and shot down 164 Soviet aircraft.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAmong the Spanish pilots, there were 13 aces (when a pilot was verified as having shot down 5 enemy planes he was considered an ace), although the short period of time in which each of the five Blue Squadrons fought in Russia prevented the number of planes shot down by Spanish pilots being as high as that of their German comrades. The planes and emblems used by the five squadrons are also covered through a number of contemporary photographs, complemented by specially commissioned artwork.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNoteworthy is the fact is that the Germans agreed to lend their planes to pilots who were nationals of a country that was not at war. As noted above, the Germans appreciated and respected the Spanish pilots for their bravery and flying capability, having fought alongside them during the Spanish Civil War.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56307469320565,"sku":"9781804512395","price":29.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781804512395_1d752fa0-160b-479a-acb1-49b43007500f.jpg?v=1786026973"},{"product_id":"9781802824360","title":"Spanish Military Jets  1954–2022","description":"\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56312953536885,"sku":"9781802824360","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781802824360.jpg?v=1786027205"},{"product_id":"9781804518304","title":"The Fall of Moorish Seville 1023-1091","description":"\u003cp\u003eFor much of the eleventh century, Islamic Seville stood at the centre of power in al-Andalus. Wealthy, cultured, and militarily formidable, it dominated much of southern Iberia—yet its story has long remained overshadowed by the narratives of Christian kingdoms to the north. \u003cem\u003eThe Fall of Moorish Seville\u003c\/em\u003e restores this remarkable taifa state to its rightful place in medieval history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this meticulously researched study, Eduardo Manuel Gil Martínez reconstructs the rise, flowering, and collapse of the Kingdom of Seville between 1023 and 1091. Emerging from the fragmentation of the Caliphate of Córdoba, Seville became the most powerful of the taifa kingdoms under the Abbadid dynasty, reaching its zenith during the reign of the poet-king al-Mu‘tamid. Yet its prosperity rested on precarious foundations. Constant warfare against rival Muslim states, mounting pressure from expanding Christian powers, and dependence on mercenaries and tribute gradually eroded its independence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRather than presenting al-Andalus as a monolithic civilisation, this book reveals a fractured political landscape marked by shifting alliances, internal rivalries, and ideological tension. Gil Martínez explores the often-neglected conflicts between Muslim kingdoms, the brutal realities of taifa warfare, and the decisive intervention of the Almoravids from North Africa—initially invited as allies, but ultimately the agents of Seville’s destruction. The narrative culminates in the dramatic fall of the city and the exile of its last ruler, bringing an abrupt end to Seville’s brief but intense period of power.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing on a wide range of primary written sources and recent archaeological discoveries—including material from the palace of al-Mu‘tamid—this work combines political, military, and cultural history. Particular attention is paid to the composition of armies, arms and equipment, tactics, and the lived experience of warfare in eleventh-century Iberia.  These themes are brought vividly to life through detailed colour artwork depicting Sevillian and Almoravid infantry and cavalry, as well as their Christian opponents.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Fall of Moorish Seville\u003c\/em\u003e challenges long-standing assumptions about medieval Spain and offers a balanced, nuanced account of a kingdom caught between worlds. It is essential reading for students of the Middle Ages, military historians, and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the complex, often violent realities that shaped al-Andalus at the height of its power.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56368177709429,"sku":"9781804518304","price":29.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781804518304_4c282187-b095-4378-abb5-d358a007daec.jpg?v=1786027154"},{"product_id":"the-spanish-civil-war-in-the-air-volume-1","title":"The Spanish Civil War in the Air Volume 1","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn July 1936, Spain’s air arm stood on the brink of obsolescence. Its handful of Nieuport-Delage Ni52C.1 fighters, Breguet XIX bombers and Dornier seaplanes represented a bygone era, wholly unsuited to the modern air war that was about to erupt. The outbreak of the Spanish Civil War transformed the Iberian skies into a proving ground for a new generation of military aircraft and the doctrines that would soon dominate the Second World War.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs the conflict divided the nation, so too was its air power split between the forces of the Republic and the Nationalists. Each side scrambled to acquire new aircraft and foreign assistance. Germany, Italy and the Soviet Union saw an unparalleled opportunity to test their latest machines, weapons and tactics. From the Condor Legion’s Heinkel He 51s, Junkers Ju 52s and early Messerschmitt Bf 109 prototypes, to the \u003cem\u003eAviazione Legionaria\u003c\/em\u003e’s agile Fiat CR.32s and Savoia-Marchetti bombers, and the Soviet-supplied Polikarpov I-15 Chato and I-16 Mosca, the Spanish skies became an aerial laboratory of global consequence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis first volume of \u003cem\u003eThe Spanish Civil War in the Air\u003c\/em\u003e, covering 1936–1937, charts the early evolution of this conflict from the improvised beginnings of the July uprising to the fierce battles for air superiority over Madrid and the Basque country.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt describes how outdated pre-war aircraft were swiftly replaced by modern foreign types, how Spanish and foreign pilots alike learned deadly lessons in combat, and how these experiences shaped the tactical thinking that later defined the Blitzkrieg and Soviet air doctrines. Key events such as the world’s first sustained air bridge between Spanish Morocco and the mainland, the rapid formation of the Condor Legion and the \u003cem\u003eAviazione Legionaria\u003c\/em\u003e, and the introduction of Soviet fighters and bombers to the Republican cause are all vividly recounted. The volume also explores the men behind the machines—Spanish aces like Joaquín García Morato and Ángel Salas Larrazábal, German pilots such as Hannes Trautloft, and their Soviet counterparts who fought under assumed names.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eProfusely illustrated throughout, \u003cem\u003eThe Spanish Civil War in the Air Volume 1: 1936–1937\u003c\/em\u003e features a wealth of rare and original photographs, detailed maps, and specially commissioned full colour artworks by Jean-Marie Guillou depicting the aircraft, insignia and emblems of all participants. Together, they bring to life the formative years of one of the most significant and transformative aerial conflicts of the twentieth century—where the lessons of modern air warfare were written in the skies over Spain.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57487647867253,"sku":"9781804517192","price":19.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781804517192.jpg?v=1786354874"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-eduardo-manuel-gil-martinez.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}