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Alexander Stilwell

This concise history chronicles the role of military recon, from the ancient warfare of Greeks and Romans to the operations of modern scout snipers.
 Since the earliest recorded military history, scouting and reconnaissance have been key tools for military commanders in order to make tactical decisions. As military strategy, weapons, and equipment developed over the centuries, methods of scouting and reconnaissance evolved as well but were never discarded.

 This short history paints a revealing picture of the art of military scouting and reconnaissance. From the secret sciritae of the Spartans and the scouts employed by Julius Caesar to the Middle Ages, Napoleonic Wars, and modern era of scout snipers and special forces units, this volume covers the evolution of recon operations across centuries of conflict.

Casemate

Casemate Short History

Military Reconnaissance: The Eyes and Ears of the Army

James Stejskal

A brief history of secret British and American World War II organizations, their training, tools, successes, and their legacy.

Winston Churchill famously instructed the head of the Special Operations Executive to “Set Europe ablaze!” Agents of both the British Special Operations Executive and the American Office of Strategic Services underwent rigorous training before making their way, undetected, into occupied Europe to do just that. 

Working alone or in small cells, often cooperating with local resistance groups, agents undertook missions behind enemy lines involving sabotage, subversion, organizing resistance groups and intelligence-gathering. SOE’s first notable success was the destruction of a power station in France, stopping work at a vital U-boat base. Later operations included the assassination of Himmler’s deputy Reinhard Heyrich and ending the Nazi atomic bomb program by destroying the heavy water plant at Vemork, Norway. OSS operatives established anti-Nazi resistance groups across Europe, and managed to smuggle operatives into Nazi Germany, including running one of the war’s most important spies, German diplomat Fritz Kolbe. 

All missions were incredibly dangerous and many agents were captured, tortured, and ultimately killed—the life expectancy of an SOE wireless operator in occupied France was just six weeks. In this short history, historian James Stejskal examines why these agencies were established, the training regime and ingenious tools developed to enable agents to undertake their missions, their operational successes, and their legacy.

Special Operations in WWII: The SOE and OSS

Rosie Serdiville

John Sadler

An overview of Alexander’s life—from his early military exploits to the creation of his empire and the legacy left after his premature death.

Alexander was perhaps the greatest conquering general in history. In a dozen years, Alexander took the whole of Asia Minor and Egypt, destroyed the once mighty Persian Empire, and pushed his army eastwards as far as the Indus. No one in history has equaled his achievement.

Much of Alexander’s success can be traced to the Macedonian phalanx, a close-ordered battle formation of sarissa-wielding infantry that proved itself a war-winning weapon. The army Alexander inherited from his father was the most powerful in Greece—highly disciplined, trained, and loyal only to the king. United in a single purpose, they fought as one. Cavalry was also of crucial importance in the Macedonian army as the driving force to attack the flanks of the enemy in battle. A talented commander able to anticipate how his opponent would think, Alexander understood how to commit his forces to devastating effect and was never defeated in battle. He also developed a corps of engineers that utilized catapults and siege towers against enemy fortifications.

Alexander led from the front, fighting with his men, eating with them, refusing water when there was not enough, and his men would quite literally follow him to the ends of the (known) world. None of his successors were able to hold together the empire he had forged. Although he died an early death, his fame and glory persist to this day.

Alexander the Great: Germany's Stand at the Westwall, 1944–45: Conqueror, Commander, King

A readable and entertaining introduction to aerial combat in the series that “would be excellent for someone with an early interest in military history” (Army Rumour Service).

Just over a decade after the first successful powered flight, fearless pioneers were flying over the battlefields of France in flimsy biplanes. Though the infantry in their muddy trenches might see aerial combat as glorious and chivalric, the reality was very different and undeniably deadly: new Royal Flying Corps subalterns in 1917 had a life expectancy of eleven days.

In 1915 the term “ace” was coined to denote a pilot adept at downing enemy aircraft, and top aces like the Red Baron, René Fonck, and Billy Bishop became household names. The idea of the ace continued after the 1918 Armistice, but as the size of air forces increased, the prominence of the ace diminished. But still, the pilots who swirled and danced in Hurricanes and Spitfires over southern England in 1940 were, and remain, feted as “the Few” who stood between Britain and invasion. Flying aircraft advanced beyond the wildest dreams of Great War pilots, the “top” fighter aces of World War II would accrue hundreds of kills, though their life expectancy was still measured in weeks, not years.

World War II cemented the vital role of air power, and postwar innovation gave fighter pilots jet-powered fighters, enabling them to pursue duels over huge areas above modern battlefields. This entertaining introduction explores the history and cult of the fighter ace from the first pilots through late-twentieth-century conflicts, which leads to discussion of whether the era of the fighter ace is at an end.

Fighter Aces: Knights of the Skies

Ian Shaw

A concise introduction to the military history of Ancient Egypt, from battle tactics to weaponry and more.

The excellent preservation of Egyptian artifacts—including bows, axes, and chariots—means that it is possible to track the changing nature of Egyptian military technology from the Neolithic period up to the Iron Age, and identify equipment and ideas adopted from other civilizations of the Eastern Mediterranean and Near East.

From the editor of The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, this informative volume, which includes an index, covers crucial issues such as military strategy, martial ideology, the construction of fortresses, and the waging of siege warfare; as well as the practical questions of life, death, and survival that confront individual soldiers on the battlefield.

Casemate Publishers

Ancient Egyptian Warfare: Tactics, Weaponry and Ideology of the Pharaohs

Simon Elliott

A look at the remarkable military career of ancient Rome’s most celebrated leader.

Born into an aristocratic family, Julius Caesar has been an inspiration to countless military commanders over the past two millennia. His early military campaigns, part of his progression along the cursus honorum, ranged from the East to Spain to the early Roman civil wars. His participation in the Gallic Wars, as well as his incursions into Britain, are known mainly through his own published commentary on said events.

Written by a prominent historian and archaeologist, this concise volume details Caesar’s military life and the role it played in his political career. From his youth through the civil wars that resulted in his becoming the dictator of Rome, Caesar has left a remarkable legacy.

Julius Caesar: Rome's Greatest Warlord

Paul Westermeyer

A concise overview of USMC history from an award-winning author, including photos and a timeline: “Educational and enjoyable.” —Booklist
 
 Many think of the United States Marine Corps as a second land army, and while it has been employed in that capacity, it is foremost a naval expeditionary force able to seize, secure, and defend advanced naval bases in support of major campaigns.
 
 The Corps dates back to the Revolutionary War, but while they served in the conflicts of the nineteenth century, they are famed for their part in the wars of the twentieth century. On the Western Front in World War I they were blooded at Belleau Wood. Between the wars the Corps developed amphibious tactics that were employed to great effect during the Pacific island campaigns during World War II, including the infamous battles of Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. The name of the Corps is forever entwined with the battles of Inchon and Chosin Reservoir in Korea, and Hue and Khe Sanh in Vietnam. The US Marines have continued their expeditionary role to this day, undertaking not only combat operations but also peacekeeping, peace enforcement, humanitarian relief, and short-notification/limited-duration contingency operations. This short history charts the evolution of the Corps as it has adapted to changing combat over two centuries.

The United States Marine Corps: The Expeditionary Force at War

Ingo Bauernfeind

A journey into the golden age of naval history, when these floating powerhouses ruled the waves.
 
 The battleship was the ultimate embodiment of naval power during the latter stages of the British Empire, with the Royal Navy the first to build the dreadnought battleship in 1906. The new design, with a uniform main battery and steam turbines making it faster and more accurate than ever before, sparked a race with the German navy that culminated in the Battle of Jutland in 1916, the only fleet-to-fleet naval battle during the First World War. With major losses on both sides, and several treaties during the interwar years banning the construction of new battleships, a new generation emerged only in the Second World War, with Japan secretly creating Yamato and Musashi, two of the most powerful battleships ever built.
 
 World War II saw the zenith of the battleship, with many pivotal battles such as that of Denmark Strait, during which the iconic battleship HMS Hood was sunk; the second battle of Guadalcanal; and the Battle of Leyte Gulf—to name but a few. The Germans, the Japanese, the Royal Navy, and the US Navy were locked in a titanic struggle across vast distances, in which battleships, for a time, played a decisive role, until the development of new aircraft carriers and the growing use of torpedoes began to make them obsolete. Since the 1990s, no battleship has seen active service.
 
 This accessible short history gives an expert overview of the history of the battleship, looking at its origins, the role played by battleships in both World Wars, famous ships and their stories, and the weaponry and technology they employed.

Battleships: The War at Sea

Peter Polack

This concise history of guerilla warfare presents profiles in combat courage from George Washington to Simón Bolívar, Mao Zedong, and beyond.
 
 The concept of guerrilla warfare is centuries old, with Sun Tzu’s writing on the subject dating back to the sixth century BC. One of the earliest recorded examples of guerrilla tactics deployed by a military leader was the campaign of Roman general Fabius Maximus, who took a course of evasion and harassment against Hannibal’s columns.
 
Guerilla Warfare is a compendium of prominent guerrilla leaders across the globe, from thirteenth-century Scotland’s William Wallace to modern-day Sri Lanka’s Velupillai Prabhakaran. It profiles each leader to analyze their personal history, military tactics, and political strategy. All are home-grown leaders of extended guerrilla campaigns. Many became the first leaders of their liberated countries. Both victories and defeats are included here in an analysis of effective guerrilla tactics as well as counterinsurgency strategies.
 
 Today, the labels of insurgent, freedom fighter, and jihadi are fast replacing guerrilla. The old notion of the guerrilla, associated with fights for independence and the end of colonialization, has dimmed with modern and far-reaching religious insurgencies taking their place. This concise history gives a fascinating overview of a once history-altering form of warfare.

Guerrilla Warfare: Kings of Revolution

Oscar E. Gilbert

Romain V. Cansière

“An easily accessible short history” of offensive military operations on hostile shores from the authors of First to Fight: The U.S. Marines in World War I (Midwest Book Review).
 
 One of the most difficult types of warfare to master, landing on a hostile beach requires scrupulous planning and intense coordination between the air, sea, and land forces.
 
 With a history reaching back to the Persians landing on the Greek shores at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, it was the First World War that marked the beginning of modern amphibious warfare, with the Royal Marines combining their efforts with the Royal Navy. Despite the disastrous Gallipoli amphibious operation to seize the Dardanelles Straits in 1915, the Royal Navy and US Marine Corps continued to develop new landing crafts through the interwar years. The Second World War proved more successful for amphibious warfare, with the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in 1941 crushing the American forces defending the Pacific islands and the D-Day landings by the Allied troops in 1944 initiating the beginning of the end of the war in Europe.
 
 This accessible short history looks at the historical development of amphibious warfare, telling the stories of particular landings and the units that have taken part in this unique type of warfare. The Royal Marines and US Marine Corps continue to evolve and play a crucial role in defense today, with specialized amphibious warfare ships being deployed to enable elite forces to respond promptly to threats across the globe.

 “A brief but very useful overview of an important aspect of modern warfare.” —Baird Maritime

Amphibious Warfare: Battle on the Beaches

The authors of Knights: Chivalry and Violence let readers inside the walls of the medieval period’s most iconic structure.

In ancient and medieval times, the castle was the ultimate symbol of power, dominating its surroundings and marking the landscape with its imposing size and impregnable design. This concise and entertaining short history explores the life of the castle, one that often involved warfare and sieges. The castle was a first and foremost a fortress, the focus of numerous clashes which took place in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Castles became targets of sieges—such as that organized by Prince Louis of France against Dover Castle in 1216—and were forced to adopt greater defensive measures.

Also explored is the evolution of castles from motte-and-bailey to stone keeps in the face of newly developed siege machines and trebuchets. The trebuchet named Warwolf, which Edward I had assembled for his siege of Scotland’s Stirling Castle, reportedly took three months to construct and was almost four hundred feet tall on completion. With features such as “murder holes” for throwing boiling oil at the attackers, the defenders in the castle fought back in earnest. Alongside such violence, the castle functioned as a residence for the nobles and their servants, often totaling several hundred in number. It was the location for extravagant banquets held in the great hall by the lord and lady, and the place where the lord carried out his administrative duties, such as overseeing laws and collecting taxes.

Castles: Fortresses of Power

A concise and entertaining history of the Roman legionary—from the age of Augustus through the heyday of the Roman Empire.

The might of Rome rested on the back of its legions; the superbly trained and equipped fighting force with which the imperial Roman army conquered, subdued and ruled an empire for centuries. The legionary soldier served for 20 years, was rigorously trained, highly equipped, and motivated by pay, bonuses and a strong sense of identity and camaraderie. Legionaries wore full body-armor and carried a shield, as well as two javelins, a sword, and a dagger. In battle, they hurled their javelins and then immediately drew their swords and charged to close combat with the enemy. They were the finest heavy infantrymen of antiquity, and a massed legionary charge was a fearsome sight.

In The Roman Legionaries, Simon Elliott, author of Julius Caesar: Rome’s Greatest Warlord, provides an introduction to these elite soldiers, including their training, tactics, weapons, the men themselves, life on and off the battlefield, as well as significant triumphs and disasters in the great battles of the era.

Roman Legionaries: Soldiers of Empire

Carolyn Willekes

A concise, enlightening portrait of the men who fought in the ancient battles we still study today.

Thermopylae. Marathon. Though fought 2,500 years ago in ancient Greece, the names of these battles are more familiar to many than battles fought in the last half-century. But our concept of the men who fought in these battles may be more a product of Hollywood than Greece.

Shaped by the landscape in which they fought, the warriors of ancient Greece were mainly heavy infantry. While Bronze Age Greeks fought as individuals, for personal glory, the soldiers of the classical city-states fought as hoplites, armed with long spears and large shields, in an organized formation called the phalanx.

As well as fighting among themselves, as in the notable thirty-year Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta immortalized by Thucydides, the city-states came together to fight outside threats. The Persian Wars lasted nearly half a century and saw the Greek armies come together to fend off several massive Persian forces, both on land and at sea.

This book sketches the change from heroic to hoplite warfare, and discusses the equipment and training of both the citizen soldiers of most Greek cities and the professional soldiers of Sparta.

Greek Warriors: Hoplites and Heroes

Kim Hjardar

A concise history of the Vikings and their time by the Norwegian historian and author of Vikings at War.

From the ninth to the eleventh century, Viking ships landed on almost every shore in the Western world. Viking ravages united the Spanish kingdoms and stopped Charlemagne and the Franks’ advance in Europe. Employing sail technology and using unpredictable strategies, the Vikings could strike suddenly, attack with great force, then withdraw with stolen goods and captives. Wherever Viking ships roamed, enormous suffering followed in their wake, but the encounters between cultures changed both European and Nordic societies.

This short history of the Vikings introduces readers to this highly influential medieval society. Here you will learn how Vikings raided across Europe and even America, with fascinating information about their ships, weapons and armor, and unique way of life.

Vikings: Raiders from the Sea

“A really informative book . . . It whets the appetite to learn more” of the medieval warriors, their training, armor, weapons, and chivalry (Army Rumour Service).
 
 Originally warriors mounted on horseback, knights became associated with the concept of chivalry as it was popularized in medieval European literature. Knights were expected to fight bravely and honorably and be loyal to their lord until death if necessary. Later, chivalry came to encompass activities, such as tournaments and hunting, and virtues including justice, charity, and faith. The Crusades were instrumental in the development of the code of chivalry, and some crusading orders of knighthood, such as the Knights Templar, have become legend.
 
 Boys would begin their knightly training at the age of seven, studying academics and learning to hunt before becoming assistants to older knights, training in combat and learning how to care for a knight’s essentials: arms, armor, and horses. After fourteen years of training, and when considered a master of all the skills of knighthood, a squire was eligible to be knighted.
 
 In peacetime, knights would take part in tournaments. Tournaments were a major spectator sport, but also an important way for knights to practice their skills—knights were often injured and sometimes killed in melees.
 
 Knights figured large in medieval warfare and literature. In the fifteenth century, knights became obsolete due to advances in warfare, but the title of “knight” has survived as an honorary title granted for services to a monarch or country, and knights remain a strong concept in popular culture.ular culture.

Knights: Chivalry and Violence

M.C. Bishop

A concise history of ancient Roman gladiators—how they lived, fought, and died in the Colosseum—by the archeologist, author, and Roman military expert.
 
 Heroic despite their lowly status, the gladiators of ancient Rome fought vicious duels in large arenas filled with baying crowds. Few lasted more than a dozen fights, yet they were a valuable asset to their owners. Gladiators reveals the fascinating history of these men, how they fought, and how their weapons and techniques developed—debunking myths along the way.
 
 Historian M. C. Bishop examines the different forms of gladiator combat, including simulated naval battles held on large artificial lakes. He also discusses how gladiators were carefully paired against each other to balance their strengths and weaknesses. Although their lives were brutal and short, gladiators were the celebrities of their day, admired for their bravery.
 
 This short history reveals what we know about the gladiators and how we know it: ancient remains, contemporary literature, graffiti, modern attempts to reconstruct ancient fighting techniques, and the astonishing discovery at Pompeii where a complete gladiator barracks was found alongside multiple skeletons, telling their story.

Gladiators: Fighting to the Death in Ancient Rome

Gary Yee

This concise overview “fully captures the continuing evolution of snipers over the centuries” (San Francisco Book Review).
 
 The German states made the first serious use of sharpshooters on the battlefield during the Seven Years’ War in the eighteenth century. Some of these talented riflemen were then employed as mercenaries in America, where the tactical use of the rifle in wooded terrain was valued.
 
 By the Revolutionary War, American riflemen were formidable, able to blend into the landscape and take out targets at long range. Their potential was noted by the British, who began to train rifle units; during the Napoleonic Wars, the Green Jackets were the elite of the British army. The mid-nineteenth century saw the development of optical sights, meaning that the units of sharpshooters raised in the Civil War were even more lethal.
 
 The accuracy of German sniper fire in the trenches in World War I provoked the British Army to create sniper schools, manuals, and counter-sniping tactics. However, lessons were not learned and the outbreak of World War II saw almost all major powers unprepared for sniping or counter-sniping, meaning that talented marksmen like Simö Häyhä were able to accrue massive scores. In this accessible introduction packed with firsthand accounts, sniping expert Gary Yee explores the history of the marksman and his weapons and tactics, from the flintlock era through to the present day.

Sharpshooters: Marksmen through the Ages

“For all the history buffs on warfare of the last century, Tanks is a perfect choice . . . packed with fascinating information” (San Francisco Book Review).
 
 This Casemate Short History—by the authors of Tanks in Hell: A Marine Corps Tank Company on Tarawa—provides an informative and entertaining introduction to this iconic weapon of the last hundred years.
 
 Tanks first ventured into battle on the Somme in 1916, and by the end of the war, countries were beginning to choose “heavy” or “light” tank designs to suit their preferred doctrine. Design then stagnated until World War II brought about rapid change. Tanks would prove integral to fighting in almost every theater; the Germans swept across Europe using tanks to spearhead their blitzkrieg method of war, until Soviet tanks proved more than their match and led to some epic tank battles on a huge scale.
 
 After World War II, tank designs became increasingly sophisticated and armor undertook a variety of roles in conflicts, with mixed results. American armor in Korea was soon forced into an infantry support role, which it reprised in Vietnam, while Soviet armor was defeated in guerrilla warfare in Afghanistan. However, tanks played a pivotal role in the American “shock and awe” doctrine in two wars in Iraq, and tanks remain a crucial weapons system on the battlefield.
 
 “Comprehensive despite its conciseness. For example, it addresses the employment of tanks in lesser-known conflicts such as the Indio-Pakistani and Sino-Vietnamese wars. The book provides context for contemporary tank operations and offers a perspective on the way ahead.” —Military Review

Tanks: A Century of Tank Warfare

Angus Konstam

A concise, illustrated introduction to artillery from medieval times to the modern era.

Over seven centuries, the artillery piece has evolved from a status symbol to one of the most deadly weapons wielded by man. Using gunpowder weapons was initially something of a black art, but over time, gunnery became a science, a dependable method of breaching fortifications or overcoming an enemy on the battlefield.

By the nineteenth century, most European armies had artillery units manned with trained gunners; Napoleon, originally an artillery officer, then took the use of artillery to a new level. Over the following decades, rapid advances in gun technology paved the way for the devastatingly powerful heavy artillery that literally transformed the landscape during World War I. The use of rolling and box barrages shaped how armies fought on the front lines, and powerful naval guns dictated the outcome of battles at sea.

By World War II, the range of artillery had expanded to include self-propelled guns and powerful antitank and antiaircraft guns. In this informative introduction, historian Angus Konstam concisely explains how the development and evolving deployment of artillery led to big guns becoming the key to victory in two world wars and a potent force on the modern battlefield.

Big Guns: Artillery on the Battlefield

“Everything you need to know to get you started on the subject of the men of the British Army who found themselves in the trenches in WWI. Superb.” —Books Monthly
 
 British soldiers have been known as Tommies for centuries, but the nickname is particularly associated with the British infantryman in the trenches of World War I.
 
 In August 1914, a small professional force of British soldiers crossed the Channel to aid the French and Belgians as the German army advanced. As it became apparent that the war would not, in fact, be over by Christmas, a vast drive for volunteer soldiers began.
 
 As enthusiasm for enlistment tailed off, eventually conscription was introduced in order to replenish the forces weakened by years of bloodshed. By 1918 the British army was transformed, fielding 5.5 million men on the western front alone. These Tommies fought an entirely new type of war, living in vast trench systems, threatened by death from the air and gas attack as well as by bullet, bomb, or bayonet.
 
 This introduction explores the experience of Tommies on the western front, explaining how their war evolved and changed from the mobile battles of August 1914 to the final days of the war, and discussing daily life as an infantryman on the front line using firsthand accounts, contemporary poems, and songs.
 
 The Casemate Short History Series “would be excellent for someone with an early interest in military history or for someone talking history at school. Very readable and easy to understand with some good illustrations” (Army Rumour Service).

Casemate Short History - Bogserien

Casemate Short History - Bogserien

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