Weapons category: 1025 books

Ferdinand Ritter von Mannlicher, staunch Austrian patriot, was a mechanical genius of the first order. His prolific inventive abilities were devoted entirely to producing the military weapons with which he hoped to buttress his country against what he considered the inevitable Russian assault from...

Israel has made a unique contribution to the nuclear age. It has created a special "bargain" with the bomb. Israel is the only nuclear-armed state that does not acknowledge its possession of the bomb, even though its existence is a common knowledge throughout the world. It only says that...

When it comes to martial traditions, Dr. Robert Dohrenwend exemplifies a rare breed of scholar-warrior. You will find four chapters in this book devoted to weapons that have had enormous impact on world civilization: the sling, sai, walking stick, and spear.      With the spear...

The inside story of one of the most famous of all the 'back rooms' of the Second World War - and of the men and women who worked for it. Conceived by Winston Churchill to circumvent the delays, frustrations and inefficiencies of the service ministries, Department M.D.1. earned from its detractors...

This gripping book is about what it was really like to fight at the sharp end in World War II. In 1947, US General S. L. A Marshall controversially wrote that out of every one hundred combat soldiers only fifteen to twenty-five actually fired their weapons at the enemy, because of the innate human...

The Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo was a savage affair, fought as part of the Peninsular War that pitched Britain’s Duke of Wellington against Napoleon’s French Marshals.The fortress city of Ciudad Rodgrio blocked the route that Wellington wished to use to march his combined British-Portuguese...

It was the Battle of Vimeiro that established the reputation of Sir Arthur Wellesley, later to be the Duke of Wellington. This book forms part of the Bretwalda Battles series on The Peninsular War. The book outlines the Peninsular War up to the start of the Gerona Campaign. It then analyses...

In the years since 9/11 Special Forces of many nations have been in almost constant action in covert, high risk operations around the globe. These include the two long conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, fighting nationalist insurgents and jihadist terrorists, as well as other lesser known operations. The...

The Maginot Line was one of the most advanced networks of fortifications in history. Built in the aftermath of World War I, and stretching along the French eastern border from Belgium to Switzerland, it was designed to prevent German troops from ever setting foot on French soil again. Its primary...

The Casemate Short History Series presents readable and entertaining introductions to military history topics. Over seven centuries the artillery piece has evolved from a status symbol to one of the most deadly weapons wielded by man. Using gunpowder weapons was initially something of a black...

In 1836, Samuel Colt changed the face of warfare with the production of the first of a series of iconic and influential single-action revolvers, including the .44-calibre Colt Walker and the seminal .45-calibre Colt Single Action Army, which remains in production today. These weapons shifted the role...

This new publication is intended to bring together a mass of research dealing with all aspects of British naval swords. Unlike the much sought after Swords of Sea Service by May and Annis, this work offers a far broader coverage and, for the first time, the complete story of swords and swordsmanship...

The Gurkhas have been termed the only soldiers who can win their battles on their reputation alone. Weapons shape the character of the men who wield them and two upturned kukris meeting at the top, their naked blades crossing, serve as the identifying insignia of the Brigade of Gurkhas in the United...

Weapons have been used since the beginning of civilisation. Primitive designs used for hunting animals led to weapons that were used for defence and warfare. Before guns came bows, spears, crossbows, hand axes, clubs, swords, daggers and many other implements, designed with the sole purpose of inflicting...