Bøger i Modern War Studies serien

Peter Seaborg Award The heroics of black Union soldiers in the Civil War have been justly celebrated, but their postwar lives largely neglected. Donald Shaffer's illuminating study shines a bright light on this previously obscure part of African American history, revealing for the first time black veterans' valiant but often frustrating efforts to secure true autonomy and equality as civilians.After the Glory shows how black veterans' experiences as soldiers provided them for the first time with a sense of manliness that shaped not only their own lives but also their contributions to the African American community. Shaffer makes clear, however, that their postwar pursuit of citizenship and a dignified manhood was never very easy for black veterans, their triumphs frequently neither complete nor lasting Shaffer chronicles the postwar transition of black veterans from the Union army, as well as their subsequent life patterns, political involvement, family and marital life, experiences with social welfare, comradeship with other veterans, and memories of the war itself. He draws on such sources as Civil War pension records to fashion a collective biography-a social history of both ordinary and notable lives-resurrecting the words and memories of many black veterans to provide an intimate view of their lives and struggles.Like other African Americans from many walks of life, black veterans fought fiercely against disenfranchisement and Jim Crow and were better equipped to do so than most other African Americans. They carried a sense of pride instilled by their military service that made them better prepared to confront racism and discrimination and more respected in their own communities. As Shaffer reveals, they also had nearly equal access to military pensions, financial resources available to few other blacks, and even found acceptance among white Union veterans in the Grand Army of the Republic fraternity.After the Glory is not merely another tale of black struggles in a racist America; it is the story of how a select group of African Americans led a quest for manhood--and often found it within themselves when no one else would give it to them.

The German seige and Soviet defence of Leningrad in World War II was an epic struggle in an epic war, a drama of heroism and human misery unmatched in the annals of modern warfare. This work provides a military history of the conflict waged beyond the city's borders.

An examination of the work of Bernard Brodie, best known as a proponent of using nuclear weapons to deter aggression and a participant in the debate over the role of nuclear weapons. The author examines the intellectual climate in which Brodie worked and his influence on other strategic thinkers.

This work offers a view of how the GI and his officers fought the war. The author sets out to demonstrate that the key to the US success was the flexibility and ingenuity of its soldiers. He points out that the most important element in overcoming the Germans was intelligent front-line troops.

This text chronicles Luftwaffe operations during Operation Blau, a campaign designed to protect Nazi oilfields in Romania while securing new ones in the Caucasus. Hayward offers readers an understanding of the Battle of Stalingrad and its impact on World War II.

This study provides an appraisal of Germany's air forces from the post-World War I era through the early stages of World War II. The author demolishes several myths surrounding the Luftwaffe, including the belief that they had no ideas beyond the support of ground forces.

Reconstructs an imposing mosaic that reveals the immense scope and ambitious intent of the first Iasi-Kishinev offensive. This book shows that Stalin was not as preoccupied with a direct route to Berlin as he was with a ""broad front"" strategy designed to gain territory and find vulnerable points in Germany's extended lines of defense.

Based on research in formerly classified documents, Paddock examines the US Army's activities in psychological and unconventional warfare during World War II, Korea, and the early Cold War to determine the impetus for, and origins of, America's ""special warfare""capability.

Immense in scope, ferocious in nature, and epic in consequence, the Battle of Kursk witnessed (at Prokhorovka) one of the largest tank engagements in world history and led to staggering losses. Going well beyond all previous accounts, David Glantz and Jonathan House now offer the definitive work on arguably the greatest battle of World War II.

By prosecuting war crimes, the Nuremberg trials sought to educate West Germans about their criminal past. This title examines the West German reaction to the trial and the intense debate over its fairness and legitimacy, ignited by the sentencing of soldiers who were seen by the public as having honorably defended their country.

Waziristan is a remote district of Pakistan populated by fiercely independent tribes who owe allegiance to no one and unite only to repel invaders or wage jihad. This book captures the essence of Waziristan's tribal culture, explains how the British managed to contain this volatile area, and provides insight into why Bin Laden chose to hide there.

A true Band of Brothers story from the Vietnam War, this first unit history of a naval air squadron uses extensive interviews to highlight the Navy's contribution to the air war.

One of the most persistent myths to come out of World War II is that the Third Reich failed because a militarily incompetent Hitler and a small circle of ""yes-men"" consistently overrode the professional judgement of the German General Staff. This text seeks to dispel this long-standing myth.

Captain Bogart Rogers was one of only 25 ""aces"" who shot down five or more German planes during World War I. His letters to his fiancee, Isabelle Young, detail his wartime experiences against a lethal and elusive opponent exemplified by the likes of Baron von Richthofen's Flying Circus.

Adolf Hitler had high hopes for his conquest of Norway. Despite early successes, however, his ambitious Northern air campaign floundered and ultimately failed. Adam Claasen reveals the full story of this neglected episode and shows how it helped doom the Third Reich to defeat.

Coveying both the epic and everyday aspects of Mortain's field of battle, Lieutenant Colonel Mark J. Reardon takes the reader down to the platoon level on both sides to produce a comprehensive look at the battle to halt Hitler's Panzer divisions in 1944.

Only a few months after the start of US operations in Afghanistan, Operation Anaconda sent American-led coalition forces into their most intensely brutal confrontation with Al Qaeda and the in the Shar-i Kot Valley. Drawing on previously unavailable or neglected sources, this gives us the most complete and accurate account of this thirteen-day firefight waged in mountainous terrain nearly two miles above sea level.

A pathbreaking critique of the thought of military studies icon Carl Phillip Gottfried von Clausewitz and his magnum opus On War that illuminates why and how that work should be viewed as much more mature, coherent, innovative, and complete than suggested by previous accounts.

Some of the most brutally intense infantry combat in World War II occurred within Germany's Hrtgen Forest. Focusing on the bitterly fought battle between the American 22d Infantry Regiment and elements of the German LXXIV Korps around Grosshau, Rush chronicles small-unit combat at its most extreme.

The first and only book to cover the World War II exploits and contributions of Detachment 101 considered by many to be the forerunner of today's Special Forces in Burma against the Japanese Imperial Army.

Taylor Peirce was 40 years old when he left his family to fight in the Civil War. During that time he saw his wife only twice, but stayed in touch through their intimate and dedicated exchange of letters. These letters provide a look at the war's impact on the common soldier and his family.

After the Chinese detonated their first nuclear test in 1964, America and India were both concerned. The CIA knew it needed to gather more information, but had few ways of achieving this. This text chronicles the effort to plant a sensing device on a Himalayan peak in order to listen in on China.

This work offers a new and more positive assessment of the leadership qualities of the ""political generals"" (appointed officers with little or no military training) of the Union. In the process it cuts through the stereotype of political generals as superfluous, inept and ambitious schemers.

Usually given short shrift in most histories of World War II, the invasion of Poland was more than a series of opening salvos; it was a testing ground for German brutalities to come. In this first intensive study of the invasion, Alexander Rossino provides a comprehensive study of the Polish campaign.

The consequences of the leak made to the press about the secret government study on the Vietnam War and the subsequent litigation are reexamined in a study that focuses on the issue of government secrecy and the public's right to know.

The My Lai Massacre was the most publicized incident subjected to military law during the Vietnam War. This work reveals how the military justice system responded to crimes and infractions both inside and outside the combat zone and how it adapted to an unconventional political, military, and social climate as American involvement escalated.

For the 160 national guardsmen from America's heartland, Baghdad was more than just a long way from home. It also confronted the 233rd Military Police Company with America's most difficult challenge in Iraq. This work features the horrors of firefights and summary executions and the drama of the UN bombing.

The fate of Polish Jews under the German occupation has been well documented, but not as much is known about non-Jewish Poles. This work examines Nazi policies of ""ethnic cleansing"" to reveal the striking anti-Polish nature of the crusade to Germanize newly occupied territory and to show that these actions were a dress rehearsal for the Holocaust.

The Cold War marked a new era for America's military, one dominated by nuclear weapons and air power that seemed to diminish the need for conventional forces. This title chronicles the US Army's struggles with its identity, structure, and mission in the face of those challenges.