{"title":"New Vanguard Ser","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"v-2-ballistic-missile-194252-book-steven-j-zaloga-9781841765419","title":"V-2 Ballistic Missile 194252","description":"The German A-4 ballistic missile, better known by its propaganda name of V-2, was the world's first successful ballistic missile, breaking through the atmosphere to reach its target quicker.  It was a forerunner of Cold War ballistic missiles and its combat use in 1944-45 set the pattern for the use of Scud ballistic missiles in recent decades. The V-2 offensive lasted from September 1944 until March 1945 with over 3,000 rockets being launched.  This book examines the combat record of the V-2 in World War II, with a special focus on how a German missile battalion actually prepared and fired its missiles.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50243772612881,"sku":"CIN1841765414G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50415121236241,"sku":"GOR012249724","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52109245120785,"sku":"GOR006014608","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52867201827089,"sku":"GOR001976371","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/B0082ONQH0.jpg?v=1777370402"},{"product_id":"nagato-class-battleships-192046-book-stefan-draminski-9781472869579","title":"Nagato-class Battleships 1920–46","description":"An illustrated study of Japan’s Nagato-class battleships: the IJN’s powerful super-dreadnoughts, which were heavily modernized to fight in World War II.   Illustrated with the author’s much-acclaimed 3D reconstructions, naval researcher Stefan Draminski offers a technical and operational study of Nagato and Mutsu, Japan’s most powerful battleships of the dreadnought era.   They were the world’s first battleships to mount 16-inch guns, and signalled Japan’s determination to build a fleet that qualitatively outmatched the world’s leading navies. Entering service in the 1920s, they would be heavily modernized before the outbreak of the Pacific War, which Nagato would start as Yamamoto’s flagship for the Pearl Harbor attack. Both ships were present at the Battle of Midway, and though Mutsu would be sunk by a magazine explosion in 1943,  Nagato fought at Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf, before being modified again and moored at Yokosuka as an antiaircraft battery. The last Japanese battleship afloat on VJ-Day, Nagato was sunk in 1946 at Bikini Atoll in the Crossroads nuclear test.     Drawing on Japanese-language sources and original documentation, this is a concisely detailed account of these formidable battleships, superbly illustrated with archive photos and artwork showing the ships through their careers and in action.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":52100949115153,"sku":"NGR9781472869579","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53224024047889,"sku":"NIN9781472869579","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781472869579.jpg?v=1759227083"},{"product_id":"warships-at-dunkirk-1940-book-angus-konstam-9781472872555","title":"Warships at Dunkirk 1940","description":"Illustrated throughout, this uncovers the hundreds of British and French warships in the Dunkirk evacuation, whose actions have been overshadowed by the fame of the ‘Little Ships’.  In this book, naval historian Angus Konstam examines  the backbone of the Dunkirk evacuation fleet: the warships of the Royal Navy and French Navy that were ordered into action to rescue the British Expeditionary Force. Nearly 50 destroyers, an anti-aircraft cruiser, and more than 200 MTBs, minesweepers, trawlers, and other small warships were involved, as many as could be spared without recklessly endangering naval strength. He highlights the lack of decent anti-aircraft defences available to the Allies in 1940, and shows how improvised weaponry were used to help fend off the Stukas. Dunkirk was the first naval operation of World War II to be carried out under sustained air attack, and nearly a fifth of the destroyers and a quarter of the smaller vessels were sunk, with more badly damaged.   Illustrated with archive photos, profiles illustrating the range of both British and French warships involved, and dramatic original artwork, this studies the naval side of the greatest evacuation of World War II.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":52102100779281,"sku":"NGR9781472872555","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53505990983953,"sku":"NIN9781472872555","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781472872555.jpg?v=1779962395"},{"product_id":"us-heavy-tanks-of-world-war-ii-book-steven-j-zaloga-9781472870841","title":"US Heavy Tanks of World War II","description":"Through World War II the US Army worked on projects for new heavy tanks, which are charted in this illustrated study of the M6 and the never-built T14, T28, and Pershing-derived designs.  In this book, world-renowned armour expert Steven J. Zaloga examines the US Army's efforts to field a heavy tank in World War II. The first design was the M6, which never saw combat use despite being type classified. The heavy T14 assault tank, earmarked for the British under Lend-Lease, was also developed, while the M4A3E2 assault tank went into production as a stopgap for the 1944 campaign in France. The most outrageous US tank project of the war was the T28\/T95 superheavy tank, which was so large that it required four sets of suspension bogies instead of the usual two.   The M26 Pershing medium tank program also spawned a number of heavy tank projects, such as the T29, T30 and T34, which are also examined. Although production of these was envisioned in 1945–46, the end of the war put an end to any possibility of serial manufacture. Nevertheless, these tanks were heavily influenced by World War II lessons and their development and technical features are examined.   Illustrated with rarely seen archive photos and meticulously illustrated new profiles of the key designs, this book traces the US Army’s efforts to develop heavy tanks comparable to the German Tigers, and the reasons why such monstrous machines were never required.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":52102314754321,"sku":"NGR9781472870841","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53519412101393,"sku":"NIN9781472870841","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781472870841.jpg?v=1764842935"},{"product_id":"german-marders-of-world-war-ii-book-steven-j-zaloga-9781472872142","title":"German Marders of World War II","description":"Built for mobile antitank firepower, the Marder family combined the superb 7.5cm antitank gun with existing light tank chassis. Fully illustrated, this studies their design and use.  The appearance of T-34 and KV tanks in 1941 forced the Wehrmacht to field a more powerful antitank gun, the 7.5cm PaK 40. Although an excellent weapon, the towed gun was heavy, awkward to employ, and vulnerable to enemy counter-fire. At the same time, many light tanks had become obsolete even though their chassis was still useful.  In this book, armor expert Steven J. Zaloga presents a study of how these obsolete tanks and the superb new gun were combined to create the Marder family of tank destroyers. The Marder I used captured French Chenilette Lorraine chassis, and subsequently other French light tanks such as the Hotchkiss H39 and FCM36, while the Marder II was based on the PzKpfw II chassis. The Marder III was the most significant of the new types, built on the Czech PzKpfw 38(t) chassis. The Marder family reached its peak production in 1942, constituting over 18 percent of new German Panzers, and production ended in 1944.  Packed with rare photos and original artwork, this book explores the designs, capabilities, and employment of the Marders, as well as the little-known and largely unsuccessful late-war attempts to produce further self-propelled 7.5cm PaK 40 vehicles on half-track, armoured car and tractor chassis.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52693287862545,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":52693288386833,"sku":"NGR9781472872142","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"tanks-in-the-caucasus-1942-43-book-william-e-hiestand-9781472870179","title":"Tanks in the Caucasus 1942-43","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52848936091921,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":52848936288529,"sku":"NGR9781472870179","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"lexington-class-aircraft-carriers-192746-book-mark-lardas-9781472870896","title":"Lexington-Class Aircraft Carriers 1927–46","description":"This fully illustrated study explores the history of the Lexington class, the US Navy’s first fleet carriers, from their battlecruiser origins to their service in World War II.  The Lexington class began life as two of the six battlecruisers ordered for the US Navy in 1916. Laid down in 1920–21, they would have been the most powerful battlecruisers ever, if the Washington Naval Treaty had not scrapped the world’s newest capital ships. However, as a handful of hulls were permitted to become aircraft carriers, Lexington and Saratoga were spared for conversion.   Naval historian Mark Lardas explains how the resulting design was unprecedented. When built they were the largest carriers in existence – the US Navy would not have bigger carriers until the 1945 Midway class. They were fast, they carried larger air groups than any other carrier of their time, and they pioneered a flight deck design that became standard in all future carriers. During the 1930s, they were at the heart of the fleet exercises that developed US carrier doctrine.   Illustrated with archive photos and superb artwork of the ships through their careers, this book also explores their wartime service. Lexington took part in the carrier raids of early 1942 before being sunk at Coral Sea, while Saratoga fought in many of the key Pacific campaigns, developing night carrier operations in 1944 and 1945, before being sunk as an A-bomb target in Operation Crossroads.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53075061014801,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":53075061244177,"sku":"NGR9781472870896","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"tanks-in-the-gilbert-islands-1943-book-romain-cansire-9781472871008","title":"Tanks in the Gilbert Islands 1943","description":"Fully illustrated, this examines how the Gilberts invasion proved the importance and difficulty of using armor in the Pacific, and laid the groundwork for America's island campaign.  The capture of the heavily fortified Gilbert Islands was intended to secure air bases for the Marshall Islands campaign. The garrison commander General Keiji Shibazaki claimed that “a thousand men in a hundred years couldn’t take Tarawa”.   Simultaneously, the Marine Corps landed on Tarawa and the Army on Makin, in the first opposed landings of the Pacific War, with armor supporting the assault waves. But as is often the case with pioneering operations, things didn't go according to plan. Reefs, low tides, strong Japanese opposition, lack of communication, and absence of suitable doctrine lead to a near-disaster on Tarawa.  In this book, illustrated with superb new tank profiles and previously unpublished photos, armor historian Romain Cansière examines how the battles for Tarawa and Makin highlighted the difficulties of providing armored support in the Pacific landings. Studying the roles of tanks in both operations, how inexperienced armor crews overcame the difficulties of combat, and the role of Japanese tanks in both battles, this book offers the first account of how armor performed in this ‘proving ground’ operation, and what lessons were learned for future landings in the Pacific.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53163023368465,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":53163023663377,"sku":"NGR9781472871008","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"nato-sams-at-the-iron-curtain-1959-91-book-marc-romanych-jacqueline-scott-9781472869494","title":"NATO SAMs at the Iron Curtain 1959-91","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWith detailed illustrations, this is the first book to survey the technology and deployment of the NATO missile systems that protected Western European airspace during the Cold War.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e For more than three decades, the first line of defence at the Iron Curtain was a huge network of medium- and long-range NATO surface-to-air missile systems. 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The capabilities of NATO's defences then developed with improvements to command and control systems, the extension of the system north into Scandinavia and south into Italy, Greece and Turkey, as well as the addition of HAWK, Thunderbird and Bloodhound missile units, and finally the deployment of the ultimate Patriot system in the 1980s.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Fully illustrated, this is a concise, detailed survey of the system that at its height, fielded more than 200 SAM batteries in Germany and the length of the Iron Curtain.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":53340324266257,"sku":"NGR9781472869494","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}]}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/new-vanguard-ser-book-series.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}