{"title":"Albert Grandolini","description":"\u003cp\u003eDelve into the thrilling world of Albert Grandolini, where suspense meets high-stakes action. Perfect for fans of Frederick Forsyth and Tom Clancy, discover gripping tales of espionage and intrigue.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"libyan-air-wars-book-tom-cooper-9781909982390","title":"Libyan Air Wars","description":"Between 1973 and 1989, various Western powers and Libya were entangled in a seemingly never-ending exchange of blows. Supposedly launched in retaliation for one action or the other, this confrontation resulted in a number of high-profile, even though low-scale, clashes between the Libyan Arab Air Force (LAAF), the US Navy and even the French. Meanwhile, almost as a sideshow, the LAAF - quantitatively one of the most potent air forces in North Africa and the Middle East - also saw intensive deployment in Chad. Initially, with sporadic fighting between different parties for the control of N'Djamena, the Chadian capital, this conflict eventually turned into a major war when Libya invaded the country outright. The LAAF deployed not only French-made Mirage but also Soviet-made fighter-bombers of MiG and Sukhoi design, Mil-designed helicopters and even bombers of Tupolev design, to establish her dominance over the extensive battlefield of the Sahara Desert. Because of the Cold War but also due to confrontation with Libya over a number of other issues, France - a one-time major arms supplier to Libya - and the USA gradually got dragged into the war. Deployments of their troops and intelligence services in Chad, Egypt and the Sudan never resulted in a full-scale war against Libya, but time and again culminated in small-scale aerial operations that proved crucial to developments on the ground, several of which are still a matter of extensive debate. Detailing not only the aerial operations but the ground war and the geopolitical background of these conflicts, and illustrated with over 100 contemporary photographs, maps and all-new color profiles, this volume provides a unique insight into an otherwise completely forgotten conflict that raged from the skies over the southern Mediterranean to southern Chad and northern Sudan, yet one that not only represented a formative period of the LAAF, but which also prompted a number of crucial modifications and developments in France and the USA.REVIEWS Helion masterfully distills early Gadhafi-era aerial warfare in this sound, slim study. I loved it. And I can't wait for the sequel Cybermodeler","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49531423097105,"sku":"CIN1909982393G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49736586821905,"sku":"NGR9781909982390","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1909982393.jpg?v=1751632580"},{"product_id":"target-saigon-1973-75-book-albert-grandolini-9781911512349","title":"Target Saigon 1973-75","description":"After 27 years of conflict it seemed that peace would finally settle on the Indochina peninsula on 27 January 1973 with the signing of a peace accord in Paris. The North Vietnamese had previously launched their greatest offensive against South Vietnam but fell short of their objectives, the destruction of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and the destruction of the Saigon regime. They now proposed, in exchange for the release of the US prisoners of war, the withdrawal of the remaining American forces in Vietnam. Far from feeling committed by the agreement, the Hanoi leadership prepared the next round, the ultimate conquest of South Vietnam now that Washington had completely evacuated its last troops from the country. That first volume sets the scene, by making an assessment of the situation on the field, in both tactical and strategic perspectives. It also examines the last episode of the US gradual withdrawal as well as the implementation of part of the Peace Accords with the removal by the US Navy of the mines sown by its aircraft from the North Vietnamese ports and inland waters. It then presents the respective opposing armed forces and will particularly focus on the North Vietnamese rebuilding after the havoc wrought by the American aerial campaign of 1972. Furthermore, the expansion of the famous Ho Chi Minh Trail, vital for the logistical support of the communist troops, is thoroughly detailed. The South Vietnamese on their part placed great emphasis on developing their own air force in order to try to replace the withdrawal of American airpower. Most at all, it also details the initial fighting that not only resumed but soon escalated into divisional-level battles where the South Vietnamese still prevailed.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49736427602193,"sku":"NGR9781911512349","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51695141486865,"sku":"CIN191151234XG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/191151234X.jpg?v=1751630275"},{"product_id":"target-saigon-1973-75-book-albert-grandolini-9781911512929","title":"Target Saigon 1973-75","description":"Drawing on a wide range of Vietnamese-language sources, the author presents a detailed account of the continuing efforts of North Vietnam to invade the South, enlivened by a large number of previously unpublished photographs, and color profiles for modelers. A year after the Paris peace accord had been signed, on 17 January 1973, peace had not been settled in Vietnam. During that period, the North Vietnamese continued their attacks now that the United States had pulled out completely their forces, with the definitive conquest of South Vietnam as the goal. The South Vietnamese forces' erosion on the field increased in face of a series of concerted North Vietnamese offensives at Corps level. The drastic American aid reduction began to impact heavily on the South Vietnamese ability to wage war. Equally, Saigon could not respond to a Chinese invasion of the Paracel Islands after a brief naval battle, and if Hanoi had been bolstered by massive deliveries of equipment from Peking and Moscow, both the Chinese and the Soviet had withheld the delivery of sufficient ammunitions for the artillery and the tanks, to deter the North Vietnamese from attempting a new wide scale offensive against the South. It was with these constraints that the North Vietnamese leadership planned their new campaign, initially expecting it to take 2 to 3 years. A last test had to be done in order to assess the American intentions in case of an all-out North Vietnamese offensive against the South - if a South Vietnamese provincial capital was taken without American reaction, then Hanoi would begin the last campaign of the war. After the fall of Phuoc Long, the North Vietnamese decided to attack the strategic Central Highlands area where they hoped to destroy the greater part of an ARVN Corps. The battle of Ban Me Thuout would be the pivotal event leading to the rapid collapse of South Vietnam. While the battle was going on, without taking advices from his generals, President Nguyen Van Thieu of South Vietnam decided to take radical measures by redeploying his forces. That meant abandoning no less than half of the country, in order to shorter his logistic communication lines and to concentrate his remaining depleted forces around Saigon and the Mekong Delta area. He probably also hoped that by aggravating the military situation he would force Washington to fulfill its promise that \"in case of massive violation of the cease-fire\", the Americans would resume their military aid and would send back the B-52s.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49736957591825,"sku":"NGR9781911512929","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51549261824273,"sku":"CIN1911512927G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1911512927.jpg?v=1751630903"},{"product_id":"the-easter-offensive-vietnam-1972-book-albert-grandolini-9781910294079","title":"The Easter Offensive  Vietnam 1972 Voume 1","description":"On 30 March 1972 the South Vietnamese positions along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separated the North from South Vietnam were suddenly shelled by hundreds of heavy guns and multiple rocket launchers. Caught in a series of outposts of what was the former 'McNamara Line', the shocked defenders had just enough time to emerge from their bunkers at the end of the barrage before they were attacked by regular North Vietnamese Army divisions, supported by hundreds of armored vehicles that crashed though their defensive lines along the border. Thus began one of the fiercest campaigns of the Vietnam War but also one of the less well documented because by then most of the American ground forces had been withdrawn. Following on from the details of the downsizing of American forces and the setting up of the 'Vietnamization' policy, the build up of both the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) in the South and the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) in the North is discussed at length. A special emphasis is devoted to the study of the development the North Vietnamese armored corps that would spearhead the coming offensive. Consequently, the nature of the war changed dramatically, evolving from a guerrilla one into a conventional conflict. The South Vietnamese resistance shuddered, and then crumbled under the communist onslaught, putting Hue the ancient imperial capital at risk. It was only thanks to US airpower, directed by a small group of courageous American advisers, which helped to turn the tide. Under the command of a new capable commander, the South Vietnamese then methodically counterattacked to retake some of the lost ground. This culminated in the ferocious street fighting for Quang Tri. This first volume describes the combat taking place in the northern part of South Vietnam, and uses not only American archives but also Vietnamese sources, from both sides. The book contains 130 photos, five maps and 18 color profiles. Asia@War - following on from our highly successful Africa@War series, Asia@War replicates the same format - concise, incisive text, rare images and high quality color artwork providing fresh accounts of both well-known and more esoteric aspects of conflict in this part of the world since 1945.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49738731684113,"sku":"NGR9781910294079","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51503633858833,"sku":"CIN1910294071G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53028456825105,"sku":"GOR012353596","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1910294071.jpg?v=1751632638"},{"product_id":"nine-lives-of-the-flying-tiger-volume-1-book-albert-grandolini-9781915070593","title":"Nine Lives of the Flying Tiger Volume 1","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"Grandolini and Koelich look back in time with an excellent collection of photographs, profile drawings of aircraft, and maps in a magazine-sized book. Their text is a flow of history lessons with emphasis on Chennault and the Chinese Civil War.\" - The VVA Veteran\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The famed American Volunteer Group (AVG) created in August 1941, under the command of Claire Lee Chennault set an example of heroism for the American public opinion at the onset of the Second World War. This band of volunteer aviators serving under the Chinese Government tried to stem the tide of the Japanese onslaught throughout Southeast Asia. Amid chaos and resounding defeats of the Western powers in the area, the AVG fought tenaciously against the Japanese. Highly publicized in the US as the Flying Tigers, the AVG set up the origin and legacy of further United States clandestine air wars in Asia, and elsewhere in the world in the coming decades. From that point on, the name of Claire Lee Chennault was associated with paramilitary and secret air operations on behalf of the United States Government in Asia. However, if his involvement in China in late 1930s is well documented, his involvement in various clandestine air operations after the Second World War is far less well known.Far from the image of a lonesome maverick often portrayed, Chennault was right from the start closely in contact with the US intelligence services and, with the support of the US presidency, developed plans to wage a secret air war against Japan. After the Second World War, he returned to China to create the Civil Air Transport (CAT), an airline originally involved in refugee relief missions but that was soon caught in the Chinese civil war where CAT was quickly involving in paramilitary operations, flying troops and supplies to supplement the Chinese Nationalist Air Force. Despite the dedication of the CAT personnel, the Nationalists suffered a series of disastrous defeats and the remnants of their forces withdrew into Taiwan. The near-bankrupt CAT found a last-minute investor, the newly-created US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which purchased CAT for its clandestine operations in Asia in this nascent Cold War period. Officially a Taiwanese airline that ran regular commercial operations, the CIA was also running a discrete paramilitary department which was engaged in numerous clandestine air operations until the early 1960s when it was rechristened as Air America.This first volume covers the birth of CAT and its involvement in the Chinese Civil War up to the Nationalist withdrawal to Taiwan.  ","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49741451133201,"sku":"NGR9781915070593","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1915070597.jpg?v=1751632349"},{"product_id":"target-saigon-1973-75-book-albert-grandolini-9781804512494","title":"Target Saigon 1973-75","description":"After two protracted years of fighting that wearied down the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), the North Vietnamese decided to launch their final campaign in January 1975. The president of South Vietnam, Nguyen Van Thieu, decided upon a wide range of strategic withdrawals to consolidate his forces, that saw the northern half of the country abandoned to the enemy. The scheme turned into a disaster, and by March 1975 the whole North Vietnamese regular battle corps, some 550,000 troops and 700 tanks, were now amassing at the gates of South Vietnam's capital and the following fighting led to some of the fiercest fighting of the Vietnam War. The final volume of Target Saigon examines the final campaigns of the conflict in Vietnam, in which the Communist forces engaged in a highly mechanized war of maneuver. Despite being heavily outnumbered, many of the ARVN's units put up a fierce resistance, inflicting heavy casualties upon the advancing Northern forces, in a series of battles that were far from the rout often described. Target Saigon Volume 4 is illustrated with a number of maps, 130 photographs and over 30 original color artworks illustrating the men, vehicles and aircraft of this campaign.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49883724513553,"sku":"NGR9781804512494","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52817086873873,"sku":"CIN1804512494G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1804512494.jpg?v=1751631818"},{"product_id":"fall-of-the-flying-dragon-book-albert-grandolini-9780982553978","title":"Fall of the Flying Dragon","description":"Compiled with extensive help from previously unavailable documents that have emerged from official Vietnamese archives, and also with the assistance of narratives from dozens of participants and eyewitnesses, this volume reveals that air warfare over Vietnam did not end when the US pulled out of Southeast Asia.  On the contrary, in the wake of the US withdrawal, and following the ceasefire in early 1973, North Vietnam redoubled its effort to conquer the southern part of the country. The often disparaged and underestimated South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) – at the time claimed to have been the fourth largest air arm in the world – fought a series of ever larger and more mechanized air-land battles under circumstances for which it was neither equipped nor designed to operate.  This volume details these bitter battles and the final collapse of South Vietnam in unprecedented detail, and always in a dramatic and fascinating fashion. The book reveals the full details of the courage of the VNAF pilots and personnel, but also the sheer terror many of them had to endure.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50248998191377,"sku":"GOR007830005","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0982553978.jpg?v=1751299450"},{"product_id":"armour-of-the-vietnam-war-book-albert-grandolini-9789623616225","title":"Armour of the Vietnam War","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51092412006673,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51092412367121,"sku":"GOR011371440","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53618978128145,"sku":"CIN9623616228G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9623616228.jpg?v=1750872075"},{"product_id":"easter-offensive-vietnam-1972-volume-2-book-albert-grandolini-9781910294086","title":"The Easter Offensive - Vietnam 1972 Volume 2","description":"On 30 March 1972, while peace negotiations had been dragging on for four years in Paris, the North Vietnamese launched a wide scale offensive in order to break the stalemate. At that date, practically no American ground forces remained in South Vietnam where a limited offensive was expected in the Central Highlands area. But nobody imagined the magnitude of the multidivisional, armor led onslaught. The blow fell first across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the North from South Vietnam (see Volume 1). Following from the initial attack, in a surprise move, three communist divisions with T-54 tanks attacked from their sanctuaries in Cambodia just north of Saigon. Their tanks ventured into the streets of An Loc City where they were checked by a desperate and heroic stand by the South Vietnamese soldiers and their American advisers, thus saving the capital of South Vietnam. Finally, the third prong of the North Vietnamese offensive swept across the northern Central Highlands, destroying a whole South Vietnamese division. The communists then resumed their advance, but their tanks were again entangled in street fighting, this time inside Kontum City. Furthermore, they were harassed by newly developed helicopter gun ships armed with antitank missiles. This volume not only details the combat taking place in these two areas but also the organization of both the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) in the South and the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) in the North. It particularly emphasizes the transformation of the former from a mainly infantry force into a modern motorized force. It also describes how the North Vietnamese learnt the hard way about the use of their tanks. The author relies on not only American archives but also on Vietnamese sources, from both sides. The book contains 130 photos, five maps and 18 color profiles. Asia@War - following on from our highly successful Africa@War series, Asia@War replicates the same format - concise, incisive text, rare images and high quality color artwork providing fresh accounts of both well-known and more esoteric aspects of conflict in this part of the world since 1945.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51503629893905,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51503630876945,"sku":"CIN191029408XG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/191029408X.jpg?v=1751630799"},{"product_id":"target-saigon-1973-75-book-albert-grandolini-9781912390199","title":"Target Saigon 1973-75","description":"The third volume of the Target Saigon mini-series describes the opening stages of the final communist offensive against South Vietnam. The decision of President Nguyen Van Thieu to evacuate the Central Highlands was part of a wider scheme that envisaged an extensive redeployment of South Vietnamese forces and led to the abandonment of nearly half of the country. Panic inevitably spread among the population and the armed forces and set into motion a chain reaction that would see the complete collapse of the country. The United States refused to intervene again despite the situation spiraling out of control. Thieu had played and lost. The third volume of Target Saigon details the disastrous evacuation of Hue and Da Nang, as well as the delaying actions fought in the central coastal area and is illustrated with a wide range of contemporary photographs and a number of specially commissioned full color artworks of the vehicles, soldiers and aircraft that fought in this campaign.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51503649718545,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51503649947921,"sku":"CIN1912390191G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":52627478053137,"sku":"NGR9781912390199","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53589759918353,"sku":"GOR013544467","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1912390191.jpg?v=1751632687"},{"product_id":"out-country-war-volume-1-book-albert-grandolini-9781804518632","title":"Out-Country War Volume 1","description":"\"...this book examines the war in neighboring Laos, especially in the 1950s. It's a fantastic recap of the coups and counter-coups and the military effort behind each.\" - Historical Miniatures Gaming Society The United States of America lost South Vietnam (the 'In-Country War') because it was defeated in Laos and Cambodia (the 'Out-Country War'). This is the first of a series which will, for the first time, reconstruct in detail the full story of the 'Out-Country War' and the influence of decisions in Washington, Hanoi and Bangkok. The Secret War Begins shows how Hanoi's determination to make Laos a Communist state wrecked the 1954 Geneva Agreement. It shows, in detail, how its Pathet Lao puppet regime helped to polarise the nation and Hanoi then ignored a second Geneva Agreement in 1962. The strategic reasons for this included the need to develop the Ho chi Minh Trail to support the struggle in South Vietnam. In response the Americans and their allies, who followed the second agreement in name if not spirit, began a cover proxy war with CIA-backed guerrillas and by using air power. But by now Laotian anti-Communist leaders were almost out of control leaving Laos by the end of 1963 a powder keg ready to explore. Reaching back - often for the first time ever - upon numerous local sources to augment those published in the West, The Secret War Begins tells the full story. It looks not only at the military aspects of this confrontation with far-reaching consequences - like battles on the ground - but, also the growing deployment of air power as well as the political decisions and developments that influenced them, including surprising French influence. The book is richly illustrated with authentic and rare photography, many of which was never published before, detailed maps, and custom-drawn colour profiles.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":52935505903889,"sku":"NGR9781804518632","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53211546681617,"sku":"NIN9781804518632","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53392971890961,"sku":"CIN1804518638G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781804518632.jpg?v=1766484940"},{"product_id":"out-country-war-volume-2-book-albert-grandolini-9781804518649","title":"Out-Country War Volume 2","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53334904144145,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":53334904340753,"sku":"NGR9781804518649","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781804518649.jpg?v=1774269939"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-albert-grandolini.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}