The Luftwaffe's legendary Gigant (Giant) is covered in this large, detailed, and highly illustrated volume. The huge glider with a wingspan of fifty-five meters was towed by three Bf 110s, or a five-engined He 111Z. Only one Transportgeschwader was equipped with the Me323. Everything about the type was strictly secret-even the Gruppen equipped with the type knew little about each other.

Covers the development and use of the Tiger family of armored fighting vehicles.

Among the major powers of World War II, the uniforms and equipment of the Japanese army have received the least coverage. This new, detailed volume presents the subject with a superb collection of actual vintage items, and rarely seen World War II era photographs. Among the subjects covered are: the Imperial Japanese army uniform series; undergarments; footwear; headwear; personal field equipment; extreme climate uniforms; work and specialty uniforms; soldier's personal items; and firearms. A short chapter examines reproductions.

This fully illustrated volume explores the uniforms, insignia, and equipment of American Airborne, Glider, Troop Carrier, and Airborne Engineers in World War II. Included are over 500 detailed, up-close images of individual items, and multi-side views of full combat rig, and over 100 World War II era color and black and white photos, most unpublished, showing the uniforms and equipment as worn by the troops. Covered in this extensive book are: dress uniforms; jump jackets and pants; headgear; boots; jump wings, unit patches and other insignia; Marine Corps airborne; Troop Carrier and Airborne Engineers; equipment, including parachutes, weapons, communications, and many rare and unusual items exclusive to airborne troops; and a comparative section with both British and German airborne gear. Geronimo! is a detailed look at the clothing and equipment of America's Finest, and is an important reference work for the airborne collector, reenactor, historian and veteran.

For the first time, an up-close and serious examination of the various patterns of flight jackets, suits, headgear and gloves worn by the courageous pilots and aircrews of these two great adversaries during World War II by one of the most knowledgeable authors on the subject. This book includes a look at some of the more bizarre and experimental outfits as well as the standard flying kit for different climates and regions, with a special section on electrically-heated clothing. Also examined is the parallel development of flying clothing in the Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force, and the surprising influence each country had upon the other. More than 500 photographs, over 400 in full color, identify full flying kit and clearly illustrate how it was worn. An invaluable reference source for collectors, re-enactors, artists, modellers, and historians, or anyone with an eye for vintage fashions, this latest book by Mick Prodger, author of Vintage Flying Helmets, is the first in a two volume set on the subject. The companion volume, Luftwaffe vs. RAF: Flying Equipment of the Air War 1939-45 (available in fall 1997), features in-depth studies of life preservers, parachutes and other personal equipment, including escape and survival items of the Luftwaffe and RAF.

This second of a two volume study closely examines the development and uses of personal flying equipment issued to the combat personnel of the Luftwaffe and Royal Air Force throughout World War II. Illustrated wih over 500 photographs - 450 in color and including many detailed close-ups - this book brings together an exceptional array of rarely seen combat equipment. From compasses secreted in tunic buttons, to floating rations, and from suits with built-in parachutes, to box-kite radio antennae, you'll find it all discussed in this volume. All types of parachutes and harnesses, life preservers and the origin of the "Mae West" nickname, inflatable boats, survival tools, weapons for self-defense, and even some of the paperwork and personal items carried by the airmen of these two opposing air forces. Study the sophisticated rescue and survival equipment available to Luftwaffe crews, alongside the clever, yet often brilliantly simple devices which enabled so many RAF flyers to evade capture for so long, some eventually making it home through occupied Europe. Like its companion volume Luftwaffe vs. RAF: Flying Clothing of the Air War, 1939-45, this book will be an invaluable reference for artists, collectors, modellers, living history re-enactors and military historians, and should be of interest to anyone with an affinity for the human side of twentieth century military history. Mick Prodger is also the author of Vintage Flying Helmets: Aviation Headgear Before the Jet Age (from Schiffer Publishing Ltd.).

The sixth volume of trucks and cars used by Germany during WWII.

Covers the use of various trucks and cars during WWII by Germany.

The seventh volume of trucks and cars used by Germany during WWII.

This book covers the earliest forms of German armored fighting vehicles used primarily in WWI.

This new work form Jon A. Maguire provides an in-depth examination of personal flight clothing and equipment used by United States Army Air Force flyers in World War II. Included are: flight helmets, oxygen masks, goggles, clothing, boots, gloves, flak armor, paper items and emergency equipment such as parachutes and "Mae Wests." In addition to U.S. issue items, the book also covers R.A.F. gear used by American airmen. The original items are presented in full color photographs, including detail shots and labels. Also included are hundreds of World War II era photographs showing the items in use, as they were worn. Portions of actual USAAF instructional manuals are provided as well. This book is a valuable reference to historians, collectors, and modelers. It is also a source of memories and reflection for the many USAAF veterans. Jon Maguire has been collecting and researching the uniforms and flight gear of the USAAF for more than twenty years. He is also the author of Silver Wings, Pinks & Greens: Uniforms, Wings & Insignia of USAAF Airmen in World War II, and American Flight Jackets, Airmen & Aircraft: A History of U.S. Flyers' Jackets from World War I to Desert Storm (with John Conway). Both books are available from Schiffer Publishing Ltd. Jon lives in Oklahoma City, OK.

Uniforms, Equipment and Weapons of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I is a detailed look at the uniforms, equipment, weapons, personal items, insignia, and specialist equipment of the American Army during the Great War. This comprehensive study uses over 100 original black and white photographs of American soldiers, many of which are previously unpublished. The book also shows over 700 full color photographs of original items as well as recreated scenes that bring many of these items to life. Finally, one book that covers all of the nuances of the American Doughboy during the Great War – from common uniforms and equipment, to the rare experimental and private purchased items. This is an indispensable work for any First World War collector, living historian, modeler, and enthusiast.

Covering in detail the combat and dress uniforms of the United States Marine in World War II, this new volume is destined to become the World War II Marine Corps collector’s reference! Shown in detail are the herringbone utilities that Marines wore from Guadalcanal to Okinawa, as well as Summer Service, Winter Service and Dress (Blues) uniforms. A special chapter is dedicated to Marine Corps shoulder sleeve insignia, and “Strikers” that Marines wore from 1943-1947. Other chapters discuss foul weather gear, footwear, headwear, personal items, souvenirs and loot, and a special tribute to the Navy Chaplains who faithfully served Marines in combat. Also covered are the evolution and many patterns of Marine Corps camouflage (1942-1945). There are also dedicated chapters on the Marine Raiders and Marine Paratroop Battalions – known as “Paramarines”. This book is filled with an endless array of unpublished and seldom seen wartime photographs, as well as beautifully shot full-color clothing and equipment layouts.

In this new historical investigation, German historian Jens Weste-meier portrays the rise and fall of an SS war criminal, and demolishes persistent myths of a Nazi icon. The picture revealed here is at odds with the popular Peiper mythology created by wartime and contemporary National Socialist propaganda, novels, motion pictures, and right-wing Peiper biographies. Using primary sources and personal interviews, a compelling image of the SS colonel emerges. The result is a highly readable and scholarly account with the first complete picture of Joachim Peiper. Now, a previously little understood Waffen-SS icon comes to life in a book that is at once an important contribution for our understanding of World War II history, as well as the place of the Waffen-SS in Hitler's Third Reich.

Messerschmitt Me 262: Arrow to the Future tells the dramatic story of the Me 262's combat career as a fascinating chain of events in which planning, luck, and even blind stupidity played important roles. Even by today's engineering standards, magnificent is the only word to describe the effort to bring the plane's jet engines, which eclipsed the performance of all contemporary aircraft, from the laboratory to production in an amazingly short time. Arrow to the Futrue also tells the story of the people who flew the Me262 in combat. Their complete accounts bring their missions to life and set the plane in the historical context of the war. The German narratives are complemented by the accounts of Americans who flew against the Me 262 - for instance, the team of crack USAAF pilots known as "Watsons's Whizzers," who literally stole a fleet of jet aircraft from German airfields at the end of the war. Also described are the postwar efforts to test and preserve the Me 262. Included is a description of the efforts to obtain one of these aircraft for display at the National Air and Space Museum, and the painstaking efforts by the team at the Smithsonian's Paul E. Garber Facility for Preservation, Restoration, and Storage to restore the Me 262 to its pristine condition. This new reprint edition is lavishly illustrated with more than 100 photographs, including operational photos from World War II, color views of the cockpit, and interior and exterior shots of the restored Me 262. In addition to the striking photographs, there are expert technical drawings, cutaway illustrations, and equipment and conversion tables. Walter J. Boyne is the author of many books including The Smithsonian Book of Flight, The Leading Edge, Boeing B-52: A Documentary History and Phantom in Combat, as well as the novels The Wild Blue, Trophy for Eagles and Air Force Eagles.

The "Memphis Belle" led a blazing trail of invincibility through the flak and fighter-filled skies over the Third Reich during WWII. After losing a total of nine engines, both wings, both landing gear, and two tails, she was the featured star of a landmark Hollywood film documentary that made her famous the world over. Forgotten and forlorn, the Belle was nearly turned into waffle irons and coffee pots. Here you will read its fabulous story, from bullets to bandages, freezing skies, round engines, and the love that made a B-17 Flying Fortress legend.

The soldiers fighting in the deserts of North Africa did not fight on a black & white canvas: the war was in color! This book, for the first time ever in print, presents a pictorial chronology of the campaign in Africa and the Deutschen Afrikakorps (DAK) - the German Afrikakorps - the way the soldiers themselves experienced it, the way they lived it: in color. It offers more than 150 photographs derived from what at that time, was revolutionary original color slide film. These pictures portray the leaders, men and equipment of the Afrikakorps from the arrival of its first units in Tripoli, Libya, through its astounding advance across the Libyan Desert to Egypt and its eventual withdrawal back to Tunisia after the bitter, lost struggle with the British at El Alamein. Heavy artillery in position, antitank guns firing missions, cooks making dumplings; Panzers on the move, aircraft, weapons and equipment - glimpses into the everyday existence of the Afrikakorps soldier in the wastes of the Libyan Desert and the rugged terrain of Tunisia - all of these are here in the original quality color with many detailed captions. This book offers an entirely new view of the war in Africa that will prove a useful reference for veterans, historians, military modelers, re-enactors and militaria collectors alike. As an added bonus, the final section includes color photos of the subsequent events in Sicily and Southern Italy. A brief glossary is also included. This is how the war in Africa was really fought: in color!

Volumes have been written on the equipment of the German Army of World War II, including tanks, trucks, motorcycles, weapons, and personal equipment, but little has been written on the horses that made up 80% of its transportation. Horses pulled everything an army needed in the field by wagon or on its back and more horses were used in World War II than in any other war in history. This book includes text from the U.S. Army Military History Institute publication MS #P-090. The participants of this study were among the most knowledgeable the German army could provide, and their conclusions constitute a critique of what probably was the last mass use of horses in warfare. If one really means to understand the performance and tactics of the Wehrmacht in World War II, one must understand the horse and its logistic requirements. Also, this book presents one of the most comprehensive photo collections of the men and equipment of the horse-mounted troops.

The only comprehensive photographic book on Waffen-SS uniforms is finally available! This three volume set is unquestionably the best reference on German SS military uniforms ever produced. After many years of research and preparation, Mike Beaver, author of Camouflage Uniforms of the Waffen-SS, has again produced another breakthrough publication.
This spectacular work is a heavily documented record of all major clothing articles of the Waffen-SS. Hundreds of unpublished photographs were used in production. Original and extremely rare SS uniforms of various types are carefully photographed and presented here. Among the subjects covered in this multi-volume series are field-service uniforms, sports, drill, dress, armored personnel, tropical, and much more. A large updated chapter on SS camouflage clothing is also provided. Special chapters on the SD and concentration camp personnel assist the reader in differentiating these elements from combat units of the Waffen-SS. Difficult areas such as mountain and ski troops, plus ultra-rare pre-war uniforms are covered. Included are many striking and exquisite uniforms worn by such men as Himmler, Dietrich, Ribbentrop (father and son), Wolff, Demelhuber, and many others. From the enlisted man to the top of the SS empire, this book covers it all. This book is indispensable and an absolute must-have for any serious historian of World War II German uniforms.
Volume 1 covers: Black Service Uniform, LAH Guard Uniform, SS Earth-Grey Service Uniform, Model 1936 Field Service Uniform, 1939-1940, 1941.

The uniforms and equipment of the elite German Fallschirmjger is the subject of this detailed, illustrated study. Authentic items - smocks, dress tunics, boots, insignia, helmets, visor caps, gloves, knee pads and more - are shown in superb color photos, in both multiple full-view, and detail shots. Unpublished World War II era photos show uniforms and equipment being worn on a variety of war fronts. Also included is a short chapter covering other Axis airborne including Italian and Japanese gear.