{"title":"Walter S Zapotoczny","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"italian-army-in-north-africa-book-walter-s-zapotoczny-9781781556740","title":"The Italian Army In North Africa","description":"When most people think of the Italian Army in North Africa during the Second World War, they tend to believe that the average Italian soldier offered little resistance to the Allies before surrendering. Many believe the Italian Army, as a whole, performed in a cowardly manner in North Africa. The reality is not so simple. The question remains as to whether the Italians were really cowards or actually victims of circumstance. While the Italian soldier's commitment to the war was not as great as that of the German soldier, many Italians fought bravely. The Italian Littorio and Ariete Divisions earned Allied admiration at Tobruk, Gazala, and EI Alamein. The Italian Army played a significant role as part of the German Afrika Korps and made up a large portion of the Axis combat power in North Africa during 1941 and 1942. In the interest of determining how the Italian Army earned the reputation that it did, it is necessary to analyze why and how the Italians fought.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49534050304273,"sku":"GOR011757368","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49734266880273,"sku":"NGR9781781556740","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1781556741.jpg?v=1750898043"},{"product_id":"decima-flottiglia-mas-book-walter-s-zapotoczny-9781625451132","title":"Decima Flottiglia Mas","description":"A group of determined young human torpedoes and assault swimmers fought bravely for Italy in the Second World War, inspiring fear and respect from the British Navy. The actions of these few men severely reduced British naval power in the Mediterranean. Even with small numbers, and using relatively limited resources, the frogmen were a very effective force in the war against the British. By the end of the war, these men would sink or severely disable over 73,000 tons of Allied warships, and over 128,000 tons of merchant shipping. The story of the Italian frogmen is one of determination and bravery. Against overwhelming odds, they were able to inflict considerable damage on Allied shipping. Their tactics also aroused confusion and nervousness with the Allied commanders and their ship's crews. Italy's Decima Flottiglia MAS pre-dates both the U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition Teams, formed in 1943 and forerunners of the better-known U.S. Navy SEALs; and the British Royal Marines Special Boat Service formed as an offshoot of the Special Air Service in 1941. Perhaps the determination and actions of the Decima Flottiglia MAS qualify them as the best commandos of the Second World War. This book tells their story.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51258929840401,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51258931642641,"sku":"GOR014210720","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/162545113X.jpg?v=1751151349"},{"product_id":"beyond-duty-book-walter-s-zapotoczny-9781625451125","title":"Beyond Duty","description":"Accounts of brutality fill the history of warfare. The behavior of any human being is, of course, a very complex phenomenon, whether in war or in peace. Historians in large part have described in detail the actions of military groups that have committed brutalities, but have not dealt with the factors that contributed to those actions. After examining the collective behavior of six military groups, representing different combat actions in different periods, some unexpected similarities became clear. While these groups were in very different situations and operated during different periods in history, there are similar factors that allowed the members of these groups to kill men, women and children in cold blood, and to commit acts of unspeakable brutality. After a close analysis of these military groups, five principle factors that had the greatest influence, either directly or indirectly, on these soldiers have been identified. Together, the factors supported each other and crystallized into a modus operandi that resulted in atrocities and bestial acts on civilians. This is the first book to identify the factors that lead to some of the most horrific cruelty in history, and to predict the actions of future groups given similar circumstances.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51322375831825,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51322381140241,"sku":"CIN1625451121VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53360700948753,"sku":"GOR014876389","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1625451121.jpg?v=1750960208"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-walter-s-zapotoczny.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}