{"title":"Illustrated by Henry Morshead","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781472818133","title":"Soviet Lend-Lease Tanks of World War II","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Red Army suffered such catastrophic losses of armour in the summer of 1941 that they begged Britain and the United States to send tanks.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe first batches arrived in late 1941, just in time to take part in the defence of Moscow. The supplies of British tanks encompassed a very wide range of types including the Matilda, Churchill, and Valentine and even a few Tetrarch airborne tanks. American tanks included the M3 (Stuart) light tank and M3 (Lee) medium tank and the M4 Sherman tank, which became so common in 1944–45 that entire Soviet tank corps were equipped with the type. 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Following the start of the El Alamein offensive in October 1942, the SAS used jeeps effectively in reconnoitring and ambushing the retreating Afrika Korps. After the conclusion of the North African campaign, the Willys underwent several small but significant changes, including the introduction of the .303 Browning machine gun. Jeeps were also used in Occupied France up to the push into Germany in the spring of 1945. Transported across the Rhine in 'Buffalo' amphibious landing craft, they formed part of the vanguard of the Allied advance, and their agility, speed and firepower  proved crucial in crushing fanatical pockets of Nazi resistance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1952, 22 SAS adopted the Series 1 Land Rover as the successor to the Willys jeep. A decade later, the Series IIA 90 \"Pink Panther\" Land Rover saw service in the Oman and Aden, and in the 1970s, the SAS begin using Range Rovers for covert operations while the Land Rover 110 HCPU became the SAS's new Desert Patrol Vehicle (DPV) in the 1991 Gulf War.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book describes the successful deployment of these combat vehicles in SAS operations from the Second World War to the present day and gives a rare insight into one of the most prestigious and secret forces of modern times.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56300143772021,"sku":"9781472846808","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472846808_ebabd420-62ef-4b0d-8df0-8466aa38ddb0.jpg?v=1786020861"},{"product_id":"9781472842152","title":"Vehicles of the Long Range Desert Group 1940–45","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA fascinating study of the specialized vehicles, kit and techniques of the Long-Range Desert Group who pioneered long-range desert warfare in World War II and worked closely with the embryonic SAS.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Long Range Desert Group was one of the most famous special units of World War II, operating heavily modified vehicles deep behind enemy lines to gather intelligence and support the raids of David Stirling's new Special Air Service.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen war broke out, a pre-war explorer and army officer, Ralph Bagnold, convinced Middle East Command of the need for a reconnaissance force to penetrate into Italian-held desert. Bagnold tested four types of vehicles over rocks and through soft sand to find the best one for his new unit. He selected the Chevrolet WB (30 CWT) as the signature vehicle of the Long Range Desert Group because it is 'fast, simple and easy to handle'. With left-hand steering, horizontal grill and round fenders on the rear wheels, these trucks proved themselves popular and effective. The durability of the Chevrolets was demonstrated in January 1941 with an audacious raid on the Italian fort\/air strip at Murzuk, hundreds of miles behind enemy lines.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book explains the detail of all the vehicles of the LRDG, as well as their modifications, driving techniques and special kit for surviving behind enemy lines in one of the most hostile environments on earth.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56300390515061,"sku":"9781472842152","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472842152_bba1b4c8-dac0-47c0-aa03-884a0eda121c.jpg?v=1786020769"},{"product_id":"9781472817464","title":"M113 APC 1960–75","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe M113 is the most widely used and versatile armoured vehicle in the world.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFielded in 1960 as a simple 'battlefield taxi', over 80,000 M113s would see service with 50 nations around the world and 55 years later, many thousands are still in use. In addition to its original role of transporting troops across the battlefield, specialized versions perform a multitude of other functions including command and control, fire support, anti-tank and anti-aircraft defence, and casualty evacuation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis new fully illustrated study examines the service record of the M113 from its initial fielding through to the end of the Vietnam War. It will also describe the many US, South Vietnamese, and Australian variants of the M113 used in the Vietnam War as well as information on tactics, unit tables of organization and equipment, and a selection of engagements in which the M113 played a decisive role.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301112787317,"sku":"9781472817464","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472817464_70c65699-7345-44aa-870d-c0f07328fc85.jpg?v=1786020481"},{"product_id":"9781472837349","title":"Churchill Infantry Tank","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn illustrated history of the most important British-made tank of World War II, featuring all seven Marks of Churchill gun tank with variations and the curious self-propelled gun of 1941\/42.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Churchill is quite different from any other British tank of World War II, built outside the normal process of British tanks and the Department of Tank Design. It was built under the watchful eye of the Prime Minister, after whom it was named, by a firm with no previous experience of tank production. Despite being condemned as unsuitable and more than once being scheduled to be replaced by a better design this never actually happened. It remained in production and ultimately vindicated itself since, although it was slow and noisy it was found to have superior climbing ability and thicker frontal armour than the vaunted German Tiger.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOpening with coverage of the prototype tank A20, in unprecedented detail, which has not been covered in any detail before, the book goes on to look at all seven Marks of Churchill, in particular their different guns. This book also discusses the tank’s service in Russia and later with the Irish, Jordanian and Australian Armies. It also features the disastrous Dieppe raid of August 1942, ending with a brief look at the Black Prince or 'super Churchill' which was only developed up to the prototype stage at the end of World War II.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301115703669,"sku":"9781472837349","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472837349_74724cb9-4484-4b5b-b5dc-f88589486c52.jpg?v=1786020696"},{"product_id":"9781472831811","title":"Foreign Panthers","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA study of the little-known career of Germany's Panther, perhaps the greatest tank of World War II, in foreign hands both during and after the war.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Panther was arguably the most successful medium tank design of World War II. While some were used by the Western Allies, the Russians used the greatest number of captured Panthers against Nazi Germany, though they did not find much favour thanks to their mechanical unreliability and difficulty in acquiring spare parts.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter the war, they were mostly passed on to satellite states such as Bulgaria and Romania. The French army also used them in significant numbers after the war with approximately 50 in service from 1946 to 1950, and they were a significant influence on future French tank design.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUsing detailed artwork and contemporary photographs, this fascinating book tells the little-known story of the Panther tank in foreign hands in World War II and beyond.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301119406453,"sku":"9781472831811","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472831811_18256f3a-ee34-43db-8ee3-7c503f1d260c.jpg?v=1786020625"},{"product_id":"9781472853721","title":"Soviet Tanks in Manchuria 1945","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA new illustrated study of the devastating, but little-known, Soviet armored blitzkrieg against the Japanese in the last weeks of World War II, and how it influenced Soviet tank doctrine as the Cold War dawned.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlthough long overshadowed in the West by the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the USSR’s lightning strike into Manchuria in August 1945 was one of the most successful and unique campaigns of the era. Soviet forces, led by over 5,500 tanks and self-propelled guns, attacked across huge distances and deserts, marshes, and mountains to smash Japan’s million-strong Kwantung Army in a matter of days.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJapanese forces were short of training and equipment, but nevertheless fought fiercely, inflicting 32,000 casualties on the Soviets.  Red Army operations were characterized by surprise, speed, and deep penetrations by tank-heavy forces born of the brutal lessons they had learned during years fighting the Wehrmacht.  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New types, including the Panther, Tiger, and Elefant, at last added technical superiority to the traditional tactical edge enjoyed by the Panzer divisions. The plan was to begin offensive operations by striking from the north and south to cut off Soviet forces in the Kursk salient. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this book, Soviet military specialist William E. Hiestand explores the armor that met this Panzer force, in the biggest tank battle of World War II. The Soviets had benefited from their prodigious production capabilities but the tanks at Kursk varied widely. Still short of tanks, the Soviets also still operated weak T-60 and T-70 light tanks, along with the increasingly obsolete KV-1 heavy tank. Significant numbers of Lend-Lease tanks also fought, including M3 Lees, Valentines, Stuarts, Churchills, and the first Shermans to join the Red Army. 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Early versions were mechanically unreliable and poorly armed but by the mid-1930s, the BT-5 emerged, armed with an excellent dual-purpose 45mm gun. It saw its combat debut in the Spanish Civil War in 1937 and was later used in the border battles with the Japanese Kwangtung Army in the late 1930s. The final production series, the BT-7, was the most refined version of the family.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis compact guide details the design and development history of one of the most common types in Red Army service in the first years of the Second World War. 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