Duel #85: Zeppelin vs British Home Defence 1915-18

Duel #85: Zeppelin vs British Home Defence 1915-18Zeppelin vs British Home Defence 1915-18 by Jon Guttman, Jim Laurier, Gareth Hector
ISBN: 1472820339
Published by Osprey Publishing on March 20, 2018
Genres: Equipment, Uniforms, Weapons
Pages: 80

 

 

Duel #85: Zeppelin vs British Home Defence 1915-18German Infantryman vs Russian Infantryman – 1914–15 by Robert Forczyk, Adam Hook
ISBN: 1472806549
Published by Osprey Publishing on April 21, 2015
Pages: 80

Editor’s Note: Osprey Publishing’s “versus” books cover many historical eras and weapon systems, from ancient Roman Legionary versus Carthaginian Warrior (Combat #35) to F-15C Eagle vs MiG 23/25 (Duel #72). Each of these splendid studies contain 80 pages, photos, color illustrations and often color maps, a bibliography that sometimes includes foreign language sources, and a useful index despite their small size. The authors include PhD historians to veterans familiar with the weapon systems.

These publications should not be dismissed as something for “specialists” or hobbyists. These excellent books provide a unique view of soldiers, aircraft, or tanks, detailed images and notes on equipment and organization, plus show how tactics actually worked on the battlefield.

For World War One, two of the titles of this series are shown here. They include a study of Zeppelins over England by noted aviation historian and author Jon Guttman, research director for History.net, and U.S. Army veteran and National Security PhD Robert Forczyk’s book on German and Russian infantrymen on the Eastern Front, reviewed below.

Robert Forczyk’s book on combat in East Prussia in the opening months of the war is a thorough and illuminating work on a subject commonly misinterpreted or ignored. The sources reveal never-before-seen photos, detailed battlefield maps, and artist renditions of what the combatants looked like.

Forczyk provides a superb analysis of tactics and combat performance at three battles: Gumbinnen (20 August 1914), Göritten (7 November 1914) and Mahartse (16 February 1915). He examines the evolving nature of infantry warfare on the Eastern Front. Central to the tactical portrayal of the battles fought are Russian- and German language sources rarely seen in the West. The accounts on the battle of Gumbinnen alone make the book worthwhile.

Abridged from review by Terrence Finnegan in RoadstotheGreatWar-ww1.blogspot.com/

American Military Vehicles of World War I: An Illustrated History of Armored Cars, Staff Cars, Motorcycles, Ambulances, Trucks, Tractors and Tanks

American Military Vehicles of World War I: An Illustrated History of Armored Cars, Staff Cars, Motorcycles, Ambulances, Trucks, Tractors and TanksAmerican Military Vehicles of World War I by Albert Mroz
ISBN: 9780786454761
Published by McFarland on January 19, 2010
Genres: History, Military, World War I, Transportation, Automotive, General
Pages: 326

Hundreds of b&w photos, images of advertisements, and technical drawings appear throughout this outstanding book that examines American motor vehicles used in World War One.

The author researched a wide variety of sources, including the American Truck Historical Society, the Art Archives at the Imperial War Museum, the Society of Automotive Historians, and the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, to name just a few. As the basis for the text, Mroz reprinted portions of prior articles he wrote that appeared in magazines such as American History, Autoweek, Army Motors, Militaria International and others.

Although not as exciting or as popular as tanks and armored cars, a standardized truck to haul supplies and men, and to tow artillery and other items was critical to the war effort. Mroz points out that American industry was able to produce only 9,364 Liberty trucks by the November 1918 Armistice. A July 1917 magazine editorialized that taking so long to design and approve a standard truck for the Army was “shameful.” That lesson would be learned and fixed in the Second World War.

Reviewed by Dana Lombardy, publisher of WWOI

Mannlicher Military Rifles: Straight Pull and Turn Bolt Designs

Mannlicher Military Rifles: Straight Pull and Turn Bolt DesignsMannlicher Military Rifles: Straight Pull and Turn Bolt Designs by Paul S. Scarlata
ISBN: 1931464146
on January 1st 2004
Pages: 167

Len's Summary: The standard Austro-Hungarian infantry arm of WWI whose straight-pull action was adapted by other armies, including the Canadian.

An Illustrated Guide to the ’03 Springfield Service Rifle

An Illustrated Guide to the ’03 Springfield Service RifleAn Illustrated Guide to the '03 Springfield Service Rifle by Bruce N. Canfield
ISBN: 1931464154
Published by Andrew Mowbray Inc. on December 31st 2004
Pages: 239

Len's Summary: By the author of U.S. Infantry Weapons of the First World War.

Dew of Death: The Story of Lewisite, America’s World War I Weapon of Mass Destruction

Dew of Death: The Story of Lewisite, America’s World War I Weapon of Mass DestructionDew of Death: The Story of Lewisite, America's World War I Weapon of Mass Destruction by Joel A. Vilensky
ISBN: 0253346126
Published by Indiana University Press on September 1st 2005
Pages: 240

Len's Summary: The story of Lewisite, a variation of mustard gas based on an arsenic compound, a weapon developed, but never deployed during WWI.

British Artillery 1914-19: Heavy Artillery

British Artillery 1914-19: Heavy ArtilleryBritish Artillery 1914-19: Heavy Artillery by Dale Clarke
ISBN: 1841767883
Published by Osprey Publishing on August 10th 2005
Pages: 48

Len's Summary: Many of the guns used by American Coast Artillery units on the Western Front were ob British design and manufacture.

Fire Power: The British Army Weapons & Theories of War 1904-1945

Fire Power: The British Army Weapons & Theories of War 1904-1945Fire Power: The British Army Weapons & Theories of War 1904-1945 by Shelford Bidwell, Dominick Graham
ISBN: 1844152162
Published by Pen & Sword Books on March 1st 2005
Genres: Weapons, Artillery, Military, Great Britain
Pages: 327

Len's Summary: Development of the artillery arm in two world wars.

Uniforms, Equipment and Weapons of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I

Uniforms, Equipment and Weapons of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War IUniforms, Equipment and Weapons of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I by Bret Werner
ISBN: 0764324314
on March 30th 2006
Pages: 288

Len's Summary: Color plates of both original and replica uniforms, headgear and personal and specialist equipment; small arms, medals, decorations, insignia, and implements, including nurses' and women volunteers' (Salvation Army, Red Cross) uniforms.

Rifle & Carbine 98: M98 Firearms of the German Army from 1898 to 1918

Rifle & Carbine 98: M98 Firearms of the German Army from 1898 to 1918Rifle & Carbine 98: M98 Firearms of the German Army from 1898 to 1918 by Dieter Storz
ISBN: 390252605X
on 2006
Pages: 464

The Emperor’s Coat in the First World War: Uniforms and Equipment of the Austro-Hungarian Army from 1914 to 1918

The Emperor’s Coat in the First World War: Uniforms and Equipment of the Austro-Hungarian Army from 1914 to 1918The Emperor's Coat in the First World War: Uniforms and Equipment of the Austro-Hungarian Army from 1914 to 1918 by Mag M. Christian Ortner
ISBN: 3950164219
on 2002
Pages: 508

German Military Rifles

German Military RiflesGerman Military Rifles by Dieter Storz
Published by Verlag Militaria on 2011
Pages: 392

Sturmtruppen: WWI German Stormtroopers (1914-1918)

Sturmtruppen: WWI German Stormtroopers (1914-1918)Sturmtruppen: WWI German Stormtroopers (1914-1918) by Ricardo Recio Cardona
ISBN: 9788496658516
Published by Andrea Press on September 19th 2014
Pages: 216

Len's Summary: Narrative history with a description of tactics, uniforms and equipment.

Find and Destroy: Antisubmarine Warfare in World War I

Find and Destroy: Antisubmarine Warfare in World War IFind and Destroy: Antisubmarine Warfare in World War I by Dwight R. Messimer
ISBN: 1557504474
on September 2001
Genres: History, Military, Weapons
Pages: 312

Len's Summary: Messimer is a lecturer in History at San Diego State University and a specialist in WWI and early American aviation. His research benefited from his knowledge of German…

Naval Firepower: Battleship Guns and Gunnery in the Dreadnaught Era

Naval Firepower: Battleship Guns and Gunnery in the Dreadnaught EraNaval Firepower: Battleship Guns and Gunnery in the Dreadnaught Era by Norman Friedman
ISBN: 1591145554
Published by Naval Institute Press on January 1st 2008
Genres: History, Military, Weapons, Naval
Pages: 319

A Strange and Formidable Weapon: British Responses to World War I Poison Gas

A Strange and Formidable Weapon: British Responses to World War I Poison GasA Strange and Formidable Weapon: British Responses to World War I Poison Gas by Marion Girard
ISBN: 9780803222236
Published by University of Nebraska Press on June 1st 2008
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, Military, Weapons, World War I, Social History
Pages: 279

Len's Summary: This is a social history. Although most Britons considered poison gas an abominable weapon, many eventually condoned its use as necessary for victory. The author teaches at the University of New Hampshire.

Tanks and Trenches: First Hand Accounts of Tank Warfare in the First World War

Tanks and Trenches: First Hand Accounts of Tank Warfare in the First World WarTanks and Trenches: First Hand Accounts of Tank Warfare in the First World War by David Fletcher
ISBN: 9780752449364
on May 1st 2009
Genres: History, Military, Weapons, World War I, Personal Accounts
Pages: 192

Len's Summary: Reprint of the Bovington Tank Museum curator’s 1994 book filled with accounts from wartime tankers.

Machine-Guns and the Great War

Machine-Guns and the Great WarMachine-Guns and the Great War by Paul Cornish
ISBN: 1848840470
on September 19th 2009
Genres: Machine guns, History, Military, General, Weapons, World War I
Pages: 169

Len's Summary: Reassessment of the tactical role of the key infantry weapon of the war.

French Tanks of World War I

French Tanks of World War IFrench Tanks of World War I by Steven J. Zaloga, Tony Bryan
ISBN: 1846035139
Published by Osprey Publishing on December 21st 2010
Genres: History, Military, World War I, Europe, France, Weapons, Illustrated
Pages: 48

Len's Summary: The emergence of the first modern tank, the Renault FT of 1917.

The Origin of the Fighter Aircraft

The Origin of the Fighter AircraftThe Origin of the Fighter Aircraft by Jon Guttman
ISBN: 9781594160837
Published by Westholme on July 29th 2009
Genres: History, Military, Weapons, World War I, Aviation
Pages: 294

Len's Summary: Technical information, personalities, and battle accounts tell the story of early fighter aircraft and how they became integral part of battlefield weaponry. // A new history of the First Air War and the early evolution of air power, by one of the masters of aviation history.

The Illustrated History of the Weapons of World War One

The Illustrated History of the Weapons of World War OneThe Illustrated History of the Weapons of World War One by Ian Westwell
ISBN: 9781844769568
Published by Southwater on February 1st 2011
Pages: 96

Len's Summary: Naval and land weapons of The Great War cataloged.

The Hidden Threat: Mines and Minesweeping in WWI

The Hidden Threat: Mines and Minesweeping in WWIThe Hidden Threat: Mines and Minesweeping in WWI by Jim Crossley
ISBN: 9781848842724
on October 2011
Pages: 165

Len's Summary: Mines cost the Royal Navy five battleships, three cruisers, 22 destroyers, four submarines, and a host of other vessels.

The Rolls-Royce Armoured Car

The Rolls-Royce Armoured CarThe Rolls-Royce Armoured Car by David Fletcher
ISBN: 9781849085809
Published by Osprey Publishing on April 17th 2012
Genres: History, Military, Weapons
Pages: 48

Len's Summary: First used by a squadron of the Royal Navy Air Service in Flanders in 1914, these cars were eventually deployed to Africa, the Middle East and Russia. The author is historian at the Royal Tank Museum, Bovington.

Salute of Guns

Salute of GunsSalute of Guns by Donald Boyd
ISBN: 1848848501
Published by Pen & Sword Military on October 1st 2012
Genres: History, Military, Weapons, World War I, Personal Memoirs
Pages: 235

Len's Summary: Memoir of a British artillerist who, commissioned in the Territorial Force, served on the front lines from 1915 to 1918.

The Vickers-Maxim Machine Gun

The Vickers-Maxim Machine GunThe Vickers-Maxim Machine Gun by Martin Pegler
ISBN: 9781780963822
Published by Osprey Publishing on May 20th 2013
Genres: History, Military, Weapons, World War I, World War II
Pages: 80

Len's Summary: One of a number of brief studies in the Osprey Weapons Series looks at the standard British heavy machine gun of WWI & II.

British Artillery on the Western Front in the First World War; The Infantry Cannot Do with a Gun Less

British Artillery on the Western Front in the First World War; The Infantry Cannot Do with a Gun LessBritish Artillery on the Western Front in the First World War; The Infantry Cannot Do with a Gun Less by Sanders Marble
ISBN: 9781409411109
Published by Ashgate Publishing on March 28th 2013
Genres: History, Military, World War I, Weapons
Pages: 285

Len's Summary: It was not the machinegun, but rather artillery which dominated trench warfare of 1914-1918.

Browning .30 Caliber Machine Guns

Browning .30 Caliber Machine GunsBrowning .30 Caliber Machine Guns by Gordon L. Rottman
ISBN: 9781780969213
Published by Osprey Publishing on February 20th 2014
Genres: Technology & Engineering, Military Science, History, Military, United States, World War II, General, Weapons, Antiques & Collectibles
Pages: 80

Len's Summary: The water-cooled Browning .30 caliber came into service in 1917 and remained in service for 50 years.

2CM “Big Bertha” and German Siege Artillery of World War I

2CM “Big Bertha” and German Siege Artillery of World War I2CM “Big Bertha” and German Siege Artillery of World War I by Marc Romanych
ISBN: 9781780960173
Published by Osprey Publishing on January 20th 2014
Genres: History, General, Europe, Germany, Military, Weapons, Technology & Engineering, Military Science, World War I
Pages: 48

Len's Summary: Describes all German siege artillery from 28 to 42 centimeters and its role in WWI, particularly the destruction of the Liege and Namur forts in 1914.

The Lewis Gun

The Lewis GunThe Lewis Gun by Neil Grant
ISBN: 9781782007913
Published by Osprey Publishing on March 20th 2014
Genres: Technology & Engineering, Military Science, History, Military, World War I, World War II, General, Weapons, Antiques & Collectibles
Pages: 80

Len's Summary: Invented by an American and adopted by the British, the Lewis was the best light machine gun of WWI.

Medium Mark A Whippet

Medium Mark A WhippetMedium Mark A Whippet by David Fletcher
ISBN: 9781782003984
Published by Osprey Publishing on May 20th 2014
Genres: History, Military, World War I, Europe, Great Britain, Weapons
Pages: 48

Len's Summary: Details on the relatively fast British tank that entered service in 1918 by the curator of the Bovington Tank Museum in the UK.