The Royal Air Force: The Trenchard Years, 1918–1929

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Author :
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1783409681
Total Pages : 1071 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (834 download)

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Book Synopsis The Royal Air Force: The Trenchard Years, 1918–1929 by : Ian M. Philpott

Download or read book The Royal Air Force: The Trenchard Years, 1918–1929 written by Ian M. Philpott and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2005-07-19 with total page 1071 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The inter-war years between 1918 and 1939 saw the newly created Royal Air Force fighting for its very existence politically, being dispatched to the remotest corners of the British Empire and its Protectorates in various policing roles and then finally engaged in a headlong rush to modernize in the face of the new German Fascist regime that was threatening British and European freedom. Yet this important period in RAF history and its effect on political and military rationale during the period has never been completely documented. This exhaustive and comprehensive reference is the most detailed work to be published on the subject. The author gives full information on the changing structure of the Force during the period, squadron operations, political machinations and their effects, the airplanes and their equipment, the personnel, technical advances in navigation and breakthroughs achieved in engine performance. The book is cross-referenced throughout, extremely well illustrated and contains an abundance of location maps and other diagrams. This book will become a Bible for anyone interested in the history of the RAF.This work has been reviewed by personnel at the RAF Historical Branch who praise it.

Flying to Victory

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Publisher : University of Oklahoma Press
ISBN 13 : 0806157852
Total Pages : 296 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (61 download)

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Book Synopsis Flying to Victory by : Mike Bechthold

Download or read book Flying to Victory written by Mike Bechthold and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 2017-04-06 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Canadian-born flying ace Raymond Collishaw (1893–1976) served in Britain’s air forces for twenty-eight years. As a pilot in World War I he was credited with sixty-one confirmed kills on the Western Front. When World War II began in 1939, Air Commodore Collishaw commanded a Royal Air Force group in Egypt. It was in Egypt and Libya in 1940–41, during the Britain’s Western Desert campaign, that he demonstrated the tenets of an effective air-ground cooperation system. Flying to Victory examines Raymond Collishaw’s contribution to the British system of tactical air support—a pattern of operations that eventually became standard in the Allied air forces and proved to be a key factor in the Allied victory. The British Army and Royal Air Force entered the war with conflicting views on the issue of air support that hindered the success of early operations. It was only after the chastening failure of Operation Battleaxe in June 1941, fought according to army doctrine, that Winston Churchill shifted strategy on the direction of future air campaigns—ultimately endorsing the RAF's view of mission and target selection. This view adopted principles of air-ground cooperation that Collishaw had demonstrated in combat. Author Mike Bechthold traces the emergence of this strategy in the RAF air campaign in Operation Compass, the first British offensive in the Western Desert, in which Air Commodore Collishaw’s small force overwhelmed its Italian counterpart and disrupted enemy logistics. Flying to Victory details the experiences that prepared Collishaw so well for this campaign and that taught him much about the application of air power, especially how to work effectively with the army and Royal Navy. As Bechthold shows, these lessons learned altered the Allied approach to tactical air support and, ultimately, changed the course of the Second World War.

Scottish Aerodromes of the 1920s and 1930s

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Author :
Publisher : Fonthill Media
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 225 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Scottish Aerodromes of the 1920s and 1930s by : Malcolm Fife

Download or read book Scottish Aerodromes of the 1920s and 1930s written by Malcolm Fife and published by Fonthill Media. This book was released on 2020-10-04 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The end of the First World War brought with it the closure most of the military aerodromes in Scotland. It, however, retained its links with naval aviation with aircraft carriers frequently exercising off the coast. In the latter part of the decade Auxiliary Air Force squadrons were formed at Edinburgh and Glasgow manned by civilians. With the rise of the Nazis in Germany, the RAF responded by building new airfields or re-opening former First World War sites. They included armament practice camps at Evanton and West Freugh where pilots could practice their skills in bombing and firing their weapons. RAF flying boats also visited various coastal locations around Scotland in the years leading up to the War. The inter-war services also saw the development of scheduled airline services within the country. They were, however, not between major towns but linked remote islands with major towns of the mainland. An air ambulance service was also created to serve isolated communities. All of these developments are covered as well as private flying and gliding. There is also a section on aerodromes that were planned but never built.

The Royal Air Force in American Skies

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Publisher : University of North Texas Press
ISBN 13 : 1574416154
Total Pages : 464 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (744 download)

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Book Synopsis The Royal Air Force in American Skies by : Tom Killebrew

Download or read book The Royal Air Force in American Skies written by Tom Killebrew and published by University of North Texas Press. This book was released on 2015-10-15 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By early 1941, the war raged in Europe and Great Britain stood alone against the aerial might of Nazi Germany. Although much of the Royal Air Force's pilot training program had been relocated to Canada and other Dominion countries, the need for pilots remained acute. The British looked to the United States for possible assistance. Passage of the Lend-Lease Act in March 1941 allowed for the training of British pilots in the United States and the formation of British Flying Training Schools. These unique schools were owned by American operators, staffed with American civilian instructors, supervised by British Royal Air Force officers, utilized aircraft supplied by the U.S. Army Air Corps, and used the RAF training syllabus. Within these pages, Tom Killebrew provides the first comprehensive history of all seven British Flying Training Schools located in Terrell, Texas; Lancaster, California; Miami, Oklahoma; Mesa, Arizona; Clewiston, Florida; Ponca City, Oklahoma; and Sweetwater, Texas. The first British students arrived in a still-neutral United States in June 1941. Many had never been in an airplane (or even driven an automobile), but they mastered the elements of flight, attended ground school classes, were introduced to the mysteries of the Link trainer and instrument flight, and then ventured out on cross country exercises. Students began night flying with the natural apprehension associated with taking off into a black sky, aided by only a few instruments, a flickering flare path, and limited ground references. Some students failed the periodic check flights and had to be eliminated from training, while others were killed during mishaps and are buried in local cemeteries. Those who finished the course became Royal Air Force pilots. But the story of the British Flying Training Schools is more than the story of young men learning to fly. These young British students would also forge a strong and long-lasting bond of friendship with the Americans they came to know. This bond would last not only during training, but would continue throughout the war, and still exist long after the end of the war.

Air Power

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Author :
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 1442250976
Total Pages : 388 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (422 download)

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Book Synopsis Air Power by : Jeremy Black

Download or read book Air Power written by Jeremy Black and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2016-03-10 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This essential book offers a compelling and original interpretation of the rise of military aviation. Jeremy Black, one of the world’s finest scholars of military history, provides a lucid analysis of the use of airpower over land and sea both during the two world wars and the more limited wars of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Considering both the theory and praxis of air power, the author begins with hot air balloons, and then highlights the use of zeppelins, piston engine fighters, jet bombers, and finally the so-called Military Revolution of today. While discussing the growth of American and European military aviation, Black, a pioneer in emphasizing the importance of non-Western military history for understanding global developments, also traces the emergence of air power in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Black breaks new ground by exploring not only to conventional war—both inside and outside Europe—but also to the use of air power in unconventional wars, especially critical given to the spread of insurgencies around the globe. He vividly describes traditional debates over the pros and cons of strategic bombing and aircraft carriers versus battleships and gives equal attention to managerial, doctrinal, and technological innovations. The author shows how better management resulted in increasing lethality of close air support of the RAF during the latter part of World War II and at the same times highlights the limits of air power with case studies of the two Gulf Wars. The author goes beyond our traditional understanding of air power associated with bombing and fighter engagements, adding the important elements associated with naval power, including ground/logistics support, anti-aircraft measures, and political constraints. As he explains, air power has become Western politicians’ weapon of choice, spreading maximum destruction with the minimum of commitment. His current and comprehensive study considers how we got to this point, and what the future has in store. Anyone seeking a balanced, accurate understanding of air power in history will find this book an essential introduction.

The Age of Total War, 1860-1945

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Author :
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 1442207000
Total Pages : 217 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (422 download)

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Book Synopsis The Age of Total War, 1860-1945 by : Jeremy Black

Download or read book The Age of Total War, 1860-1945 written by Jeremy Black and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2010 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is total war? Definitions abound, but one thing is certain--the concept of total war has come to be seen as a defining concept of the modern age. In The Age of Total War, celebrated historian Jeremy Black explores the rise and demise of an era of total war, which he defines in terms of the intensity of the struggle, the range (geographical and/or chronological) of conflict, the nature of the goals, and the extent to which civil society was involved. He contends that this era (roughly 1860-1945) was markedly different from the warfare that characterized earlier periods, and that it is very different from the situation that has evolved since, with its emphasis on asymmetrical conflict and limited warfare. Acknowledging that various definitions are problematic and often contradictory, Black argues that 1860 to 1945 was an era in which the prospect of war and the consequences of it were crucially important for human history. He focuses primarily on conflict between Western powers, including Japanese participation in the Russo-Japanese War. Trends and developments subsequent to 1945 have combined, Black asserts, to make a return to total war unlikely.

The RAF and Tribal Control

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Author :
Publisher : University Press of Kansas
ISBN 13 : 0700628711
Total Pages : 264 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (6 download)

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Book Synopsis The RAF and Tribal Control by : Richard D. Newton

Download or read book The RAF and Tribal Control written by Richard D. Newton and published by University Press of Kansas. This book was released on 2019-11-01 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In light of technological advances and multiplying irregular conflicts, conventional wisdom suggests airpower as the ideal, low-cost means of conducting modern warfare—and the air control method adopted by the British between the two world wars seems to back this up. Swift and precise targeting from above was considered more humane, after all, sparing civilians as well as British soldiers during punitive expeditions in unruly colonial regions. But what conventional wisdom misses, and this book makes clear, is how the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) innovative approach actually worked—relying on British airmen on the ground at least as much as on airborne technology to control restive tribes and villages. The RAF and Tribal Control tells the story of these forgotten airmen, the RAF special service officers who, embedded among local populations and indigenous tribes, collected vital intelligence, developed targets, directed air strikes when necessary, and, perhaps most important, provided personal assessments of airpower’s qualitative effects against primarily guerrilla forces. Airpower is a highly technological endeavor. But in wars where the human dimension takes primacy, Richard Newton reminds us that measuring the effectiveness of air actions requires a qualitative approach that is nearly impossible via overhead sensors. And this is where the RAF special service officers came in—airmen who understood the local cultures and peoples, they served as conduits for information and communication between the colonial administration and the tribes and villages. It was their ground-level contributions that made the integration of airpower into the civilian administration of colonies and mandates possible. This first in-depth account of the RAF special service officers’ role brings to light previously unpublished insights. The RAF and Tribal Control fills a significant gap in the history of air warfare. In doing so, the book dispels the notion that airpower alone is effective in small wars and irregular conflicts—and reveals the importance of the “boots-on-the-ground” human component in waging unconventional air warfare, both in the days of the RAF’s vaunted air control and in our own time.

Avoiding Armageddon

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Author :
Publisher : A&C Black
ISBN 13 : 1441157131
Total Pages : 328 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (411 download)

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Book Synopsis Avoiding Armageddon by : Jeremy Black

Download or read book Avoiding Armageddon written by Jeremy Black and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2012-07-05 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here is an original and up-to-date account of a key period of military history, one that not only links the two World Wars but also anticipates the more complex nature of conflict following the Cold War. Black links the two World Wars, between the overcoming of trench warfare in the campaigns of 1918 and the fall of France in 1940. This was a period when militaries, governments and publics digested the lessons of the Great War and prepared for another major struggle. Black also locates the period in terms of long-term questions in military history, including the relationship between symmetrical and asymmetrical warfare, the tensions surrounding innovation, the pressures and possibilities created by technological change and the impact of ideology on the causes and conduct of war. Black's book devotes particular attention to the Far East as part of his worldwide coverage. He also assesses the role of the military in internal politics and establishes the importance of civil wars.

The Relentless Offensive

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Publisher : Casemate Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1844685020
Total Pages : 425 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (446 download)

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Book Synopsis The Relentless Offensive by : Roy Irons

Download or read book The Relentless Offensive written by Roy Irons and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2009-06-25 with total page 425 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the years before World War II, the Royal Air Force, created amid the bloodshed of the Great War, saw salvation in the doctrine of a relentless offensive by a bomber force which would sail over trenches and then on to the enemy cities and annihilate the ability of the enemy to wage war. This book gives a view of how that doctrine, driven by courage and coldly sharpened by scientists, brought those visions to reality. This is a fresh analysis of Bomber Command, its tactics and technology. It discusses exactly how well organised Bomber Command was to exploit the rapidly evolving new science and technology of new type of warfare. How much did the concept of Allied and German morale' influenced the Commands operational plans? What was the influence of the Research and Experiments Dept of the Ministry of Home Security and of university scientists such as Tizard and Cherwell? This book delves into the research into high-explosives and firebombing techniques, newly designed bombs and their devastating effect on the enemy. Why in the early war days was the RAF bombers armament so ineffective, the navigation so imprecise and the bombing accuracy so poor? This book also discusses the many varying moral issues that even to this day still rage between those who feel guilt for the destruction of so many German cities and those who see moral justification in the eventual Allied victory.

Naval Power

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Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1137059907
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (37 download)

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Book Synopsis Naval Power by : Jeremy Black

Download or read book Naval Power written by Jeremy Black and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2009-11-20 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Man lives on land, but the seas of the world are crucial to his lot. Focusing on navies as instruments of power and analysing what they indicate about the nature of state systems and cultures all over the world, Black provides an overview of the most significant debates within the field. Organised into key historical periods and accessibly framed, this wide-ranging account emphasises the links between past and present throughout the history of naval power.

Limiting Risk in America's Wars

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Publisher : Naval Institute Press
ISBN 13 : 1682472515
Total Pages : 174 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (824 download)

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Book Synopsis Limiting Risk in America's Wars by : Phillip S Meilinger

Download or read book Limiting Risk in America's Wars written by Phillip S Meilinger and published by Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 2017-11-15 with total page 174 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The United States has the most expensive and seemingly unstoppable military in the world. Yet, since World War II the nation’s military success rate has been meager. The Korean War was a draw, while Vietnam, Mogadishu, Afghanistan, and Iraq were clear losses. Successes include Iraq in 1991, the Balkans (Croatia and Kosovo), Panama, the initial takedowns of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003, and Libya. What differentiates the failures from the successes? Failures have been marked by the introduction of large numbers of conventional American ground troops, while successes have been characterized by the use of airpower, special operations forces, robust intelligence and sensor platforms, and the use of indigenous ground troops. Phillip S. Meilinger’s new book advocates strategies that limit risks in war as well as achieve measurable goals. Instead of large numbers of conventional ground troops, the author argues in favor of a focus on asymmetric capabilities—a combination of airpower, special operation forces, intelligence, and indigenous ground troops—to achieve the desired political outcomes.

British Airship Bases of the Twentieth Century

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Author :
Publisher : Fonthill Media
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis British Airship Bases of the Twentieth Century by : Malcolm Fife

Download or read book British Airship Bases of the Twentieth Century written by Malcolm Fife and published by Fonthill Media. This book was released on 2017-05-17 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Numerous books have been written on airships, but few concentrate on their bases and infrastructure to support their operations. British Airship Bases of the Twentieth Century starts with documenting the primitive facilities from which the early machines flew in the years prior to the First World War. The outbreak of the First World War resulted in airships being adopted for military purposes and bases were established across Britain. Most of these were operated by the Royal Naval Air Service for the protection of shipping against U-boats. In the 1920s, an attempt was made by the British Government to build airships for commercial transport. The locations where these giants of the sky were constructed are described as well as the proposed overseas passenger terminals. The latter part of this enthralling and detailed book chronicles the attempt to establish the airship as a means of transport to link together the far flung lands of the British Empire. Reference is also made at attempts to revive the airship in the closing decade of the 20th century and the locations associated with them. Illustrations: 170 black and white photographs

The Royal Air Force - Volume 2

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Author :
Publisher : Pen and Sword
ISBN 13 : 1844153916
Total Pages : 536 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (441 download)

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Book Synopsis The Royal Air Force - Volume 2 by : Ian Philpott

Download or read book The Royal Air Force - Volume 2 written by Ian Philpott and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2006-07-20 with total page 536 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Volume II of this mammoth reference work covers the years in which the League of Nations failed because of the emerging dictatorships in Germany and Italy and the expansionist policies adopted by Japan. Britain was still reeling from the consequences of World War I and the RAF was sadly far behind the other major world powers in aircraft design, still relying on bi-planes that were direct descendants of World War I thinking. It gradually became apparent that, despite UK government dithering, the RAF needed to develop new aircraft, engines and increase production to confront the bully-boy tactics of the Axis powers. As the turn of the decade approached extraordinary measures were taken to enable RAF to defend Britain's skies and this her freedom. As with Volume 1, this book covers every conceivable part of the RAF's history through these pre-War days. It looks at the development and invention of new equipment such as radar, monoplane fighters, metal construction and the heavy bomber. This was an era when science in aviation was rushing ahead and fortunately for Britain's freedom, it laid the foundations of victory in 1.945

The Roots of Blitzkrieg

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis The Roots of Blitzkrieg by : James S. Corum

Download or read book The Roots of Blitzkrieg written by James S. Corum and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Following Germany's defeat in World War I, the Germans signed the Versailles Treaty, theoretically agreeing to limit their war powers. The Allies envisioned the future German army as a lightly armed border guard and international security force. The Germans had other plans.

Architectures of survival

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Publisher : Manchester University Press
ISBN 13 : 152612260X
Total Pages : 312 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (261 download)

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Book Synopsis Architectures of survival by : Adam Page

Download or read book Architectures of survival written by Adam Page and published by Manchester University Press. This book was released on 2019-01-02 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Architectures of survival is an original and innovative work of history that investigates the relationship between air war and urbanism in modern Britain. It asks how the development of airpower and the targeting of cities influenced perceptions of urban spaces and visions of urban futures from the interwar period into the Cold War, highlighting the importance of war and the anticipation of war in modern urban history. Airpower created a permanent threat to cities and civilians, and this book considers how architects, planners and government officials reframed bombing as an ongoing urban problem, rather than one contingent to a particular conflict. It draws on archival material from local and national government, architectural and town planning journals and cultural texts, to demonstrate how cities were recast as targets, and planning for defence and planning for development became increasingly entangled.

500 Great Military Leaders [2 volumes]

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Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 1598847589
Total Pages : 933 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (988 download)

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Book Synopsis 500 Great Military Leaders [2 volumes] by : Spencer C. Tucker

Download or read book 500 Great Military Leaders [2 volumes] written by Spencer C. Tucker and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2014-12-16 with total page 933 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This insightful encyclopedia examines the most influential commanders who have shaped military history and the course of world events from ancient times to the present. From Alexander the Great and Attila the Hun to Ho Chi Minh and Colin Powell, 500 Great Military Leaders provides readers with insight into the most innovative and prominent individuals who have led armies to victory on battlefields all over the world. The broad coverage ranges from military leaders from the ancient world to the present day, including political figures who directed war efforts and those who were responsible for major technological improvements. This encyclopedia goes beyond providing factual information about each individual's life to delve into the greater historical context and impact on their contemporaries as well as on future military history. The presentation of information is designed to enable readers to both observe the gradual evolution of warfare over time and clearly perceive the differences in tactics used by generals with varying military resources at their disposal. The entries include not only information on the individual's life and work but a summary statement that assesses successes and failures across each leader's career and summarizes the overall impact. Each entry also provides several references for further reading about that individual. The accessible writing style of this resource and in-depth information and analyses make it appropriate for high school and undergraduate-level students as well as scholars of military history and individuals who simply enjoy reading about military history.

The Oxford Companion to British History

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Publisher : Oxford Companions
ISBN 13 : 0199677832
Total Pages : 1030 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (996 download)

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Book Synopsis The Oxford Companion to British History by : John Cannon

Download or read book The Oxford Companion to British History written by John Cannon and published by Oxford Companions. This book was released on 2015 with total page 1030 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here is the essential reference book for anyone with an interest in British history. Drawing on the latest scholarship, over 100 contributors describe and analyse people and events that have shaped and defined life in Britain over 2000 years. This edition is revised and updated to extend the coverage.