Assault From the Sky

The History of Airborne Warfare 1939–1980s

Assault From the Sky cover

Description

A key look at the history of airborne forces from the Second World War to the 1980s, studying their training and equipment as well as their actions in battle.

The introduction of Airborne forces revolutionised military tactics and thinking throughout the twentieth century. In this exciting edition, ex-paratrooper John Weeks presents a history of the Airborne forces across the globe, studying the generals, the planners and parachutists, as well as the aircraft, gliders, weapons and helicopters, alongside a look at their background and their most famous actions, such as Crete, Arnhem, D-Day and the crossing the Rhine.

Within each chapter, Weeks presents detailed analyses of the main airborne forces. Airborne raids caught popular imagination from early in the Second World War, when the Germans carried out daring and alarming raids. The assault is fast and dynamic, and most of all, unpredictable, which in the early 1940s led all participants of the war to develop airborne forces of their own.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1. Early Developments
Chapter 2. Europe 1940
Chapter 3. Crete 1941
Special Feature: German Airborne Forces
Chapter 4. North Africa and Sicily 1941–43
Special Feature: US Airborne Forces
Chapter 5. The Pacific 1942–45
Special Feature: Japanese Airborne Forces
Chapter 6. North-West Europe 1944–45
Special Feature: British Airborne Forces
Chapter 7. Far East 1950s
Chapter 8. Middle East and the Congo 1950s and 1960s
Chapter 9. Vietnam
Special Feature: The Air Mobile Division
Chapter 10. Conclusion: Into the 1980s

Glossary
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
About the Author

Product details

Published Apr 20 2013
Format Ebook (PDF)
Edition 1st
Extent 153
ISBN 9781782006084
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Illustrations 20 b/w
Series General Military
Short code GNM
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

John Weeks

Colonel John Weeks began his long and distinguishe…

Resources

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