French Foreign Légionnaire 1890–1914

Martin WindrowHistory
French Foreign Légionnaire 1890–1914

Author: Martin Windrow

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

ISBN: 9781849084239

Category: History

Page: 65

View: 422

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As France emerged from the Franco-Prussian War she embarked on a period of active colonialism, acquiring territories in South-East Asia and Africa. By the turn of the century much of north, west and central Africa was under French control. In order to police all of these territories, the French needed an army and so the French Foreign Legion was born. In this book, world-renowned Legion expert Martin Windrow analyses what it would have been like to be a member of the French Foreign Legion and how the experience, equipment, tactics and training of the Legion developed in the 80 years between their foundation and the outbreak of the First World War. He investigates their glory years in North Africa and Indochina, and draws extensively on memoirs from two British legionnaires, peppering the text with extraordinary first-hand accounts of the French Foreign Legion.

The French Foreign Legion

Martin WindrowHistory
The French Foreign Legion

Author: Martin Windrow

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

ISBN: 9781472806369

Category: History

Page: 128

View: 280

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It is arguable that no group of fighting men in the history of European arms has been so misrepresented by ill-informed publicity as the French Foreign Legion. Though initially conceived in 1831 as a means of drafting recently discharged foreign soldiers to Algeria, the Legion has developed into a sophisticated force of motorized infantry, airborne troops and light armour. In this book, acclaimed French Army expert Martin Windrow examines the history and uniforms of the French Foreign Legion, from its service in the Carlist War of 1835-36 to World War II and beyond, debunking many of the prevalent myths surrounding this formidable force.

Royal Naval Air Service Pilot 1914–18

Mark BarberHistory
Royal Naval Air Service Pilot 1914–18

Author: Mark Barber

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

ISBN: 9781846039508

Category: History

Page: 66

View: 560

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In 1914 the Naval Wing of the Royal Flying Corps was subsumed into the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). With the bulk of the Royal Flying Corps engaged in France, the aircraft and seaplane pilots of the RNAS protected Britain from the deadly and terrifying Zeppelin menace. In 1915 the RNAS sent aircraft to support the operations in the Dardanelles, and also gave increasing support to the Royal Flying Corps units engaged on the Western Front, conducting reconnaissance, intelligence gathering and artillery spotting, bombing raids, and aerial combat with German pilots. This book explores all of these fascinating areas, and charts the pioneering role of the RNAS in military aviation.

French Warship Crews 1789–1805

Terry CrowdyHistory
French Warship Crews 1789–1805

Author: Terry Crowdy

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

ISBN: 9781782004738

Category: History

Page: 66

View: 903

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This book gives a detailed and authentic account of the life and experiences of French warship crews from the Revolution up to Trafalgar. It describes the recruitment and composition of crews, the different duties performed and the living conditions they had to endure at sea. Their experiences of fighting the British are covered in depth; from preparing the ship for action, to the violent discharges of heavy calibre guns, the often gruesome realities of sea warfare are revealed through pictures and contemporary testimonies.

French Musketeer 1622-1775

René ChartrandHistory
French Musketeer 1622-1775

Author: René Chartrand

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

ISBN: 9781780968636

Category: History

Page: 64

View: 908

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The works of French novelist Alexandre Dumas have been reproduced time and again on stage and screen. Based on a genuine memoir by an officer named D'Artagnan, Dumas published The Three Musketeers. The King's Musketeers were formed in 1622 and were populated by young men of noble birth, but often of poorer means. The Musketeers served as a form of military academy, which enabled these men to qualify for commission into the regular army, but the academy was not just a schoolroom the Musketeers served in all major battles and campaigns of the period; their reputation for bravery was well deserved. This title explores the history behind the legends created by Dumas. Drawing on historical and fascinating accounts the truth of this most colourful and flamboyant of units is revealed.

French Revolutionary Infantryman 1791–1802

Terry CrowdyHistory
French Revolutionary Infantryman 1791–1802

Author: Terry Crowdy

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

ISBN: 9781472805492

Category: History

Page: 66

View: 331

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This title, a prequel to Warrior 57 French Napoleonic Infantryman 1803-15, concentrates on the period from the storming of the Bastille in 1789 until Bonaparte's election as Consul for Life in 1802. The meticulously researched text provides an authentic portrait of military life during the Revolution and beyond, with excellent use of contemporary sources, including many illuminating and vivid quotations from the memoirs and letters of those who served during the 'Wars of Liberty'. It follows typical volunteers of 1791, through the early stages of the war, the Civil War in the west of France and into Bonaparte's second Italian campaign, culminating in the Battle of Marengo in 1800.

French Soldier in Egypt 1798–1801

Terry CrowdyHistory
French Soldier in Egypt 1798–1801

Author: Terry Crowdy

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

ISBN: 9781782002031

Category: History

Page: 66

View: 136

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This book concentrates on the dramatic experiences of Napoleon's Army of the Orient in Egypt and the Holy Land. The fighting of the Mamelukes and Turks are covered in depth, detailing desert combat, siege warfare, cavalry skirmishes and the suppression of uprisings. It examines the French treatment of prisoners as well as the fate of captured Frenchmen, and describes caring for the wounded, outbreaks of bubonic plague, and the terrible retreat from Acre in 1799, in accounts by the men who were there. The experiences of infantry, cavalry and sea soldiers of Napoleon's Army of the Orient are brought vividly back to life.

The Men Who Would Be Kings

Daniel MerseyGames & Activities
The Men Who Would Be Kings

Author: Daniel Mersey

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

ISBN: 9781472815026

Category: Games & Activities

Page: 64

View: 830

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The Men Who Would Be Kings is a set of rules designed for fighting historical or Hollywood colonial battles in the mid to late 19th Century, from the Indian Mutiny to the Boxer Rebellion. Large scale colonial clashes tended to be one-sided affairs, but there are countless reports of brief, frantic skirmishes in every colonial war, where either side could be victorious, and these are the battles that The Men Who Would Be Kings seeks to recreate. Although focusing on the British colonial wars against the Zulus, Maoris and others, these rules will also permit players to explore the empires of France, Germany, and other nations, as well as allowing for battles between rival native factions. Gameplay is very simple, and is driven by the quality of the officers leading your units, in the true spirit of Victorian derring-do and adventure, where larger than life characters such as the (real) Fred Burnaby and the (fictional) Harry Flashman led their troops to glory and medals or a horrible end at the point of a spear tip.

Garrison Tales from Tonquin

James O’NeillHistory
Garrison Tales from Tonquin

Author: James O’Neill

Publisher: LSU Press

ISBN: 9780807131800

Category: History

Page: 185

View: 155

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The thought of enlisting in the French Foreign Legion held a tantalizing allure for young nineteenth-century American boys in search of adventure. Apart from youthful fantasies few Americans seriously pursued joining the legion. These surprising and extraordinary short stories, written by one young man who did, take us to that time and place. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, James O'Neill enlisted in the legion in 1887, at the age of twenty-seven. In 1890, deployed to Tonquin in French Indochina (more familiar today as Tonkin, Vietnam), O'Neill faced tropical heat, infectious disease, and sudden death. Like his contemporary Stephen Crane, O'Neill's ability to tell an engaging story and his keen sense for telling details provide a unique record of his time in this exotic world. In these thirteen "tales," O'Neill shows -- with surprising subtlety -- that France's efforts to conquer and govern Indochina were foolhardy. Although the only American in his stories is the narrator, it is clear that the tales are aimed at readers in the United States and are intended to caution against the construction of empires abroad. Far from polemical tirades, these are absorbing, unadorned stories -- remarkably contemporary in both style and substance.Charles Royster provides a short biography of O'Neill, who seems to have vanished into obscurity a few years after these stories were first published in 1895. Royster has also unearthed and included two essays O'Neill published in magazines of the time, one a description of a Buddhist temple in Hanoi and the other an appreciation of the Hungarian novelist Maurus Jókai. Whether read for historical value, literary merit, or political insights, Garrison Tales from Tonquin is a true discovery.

US Infantryman in World War II (3)

Robert S RushHistory
US Infantryman in World War II (3)

Author: Robert S Rush

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

ISBN: 9781782001652

Category: History

Page: 66

View: 118

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The ETO is seen by many as the major theater of World War II, with more infantry regiments serving there than any other. This title follows one soldier ("Joseph") as he is drafted in February 1941, trains with the 22d Infantry in the United States and then ships to England in January 1944. On D-Day he lands on Utah Beach and in the following months fights through France, Belgium, and into Germany. The problems the common soldier faced between June 1944 and May 1945 are dealt with in particular in this authoritative and moving book.

US Infantryman in World War II (2)

Robert S RushHistory
US Infantryman in World War II (2)

Author: Robert S Rush

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

ISBN: 9781782001645

Category: History

Page: 66

View: 615

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Between November 1942 and May 1945, US Army infantry units fought in eight named campaigns in the Mediterranean Theater. This title follows one soldier from enlistment in 1942, through training in a Replacement Training Center, assignment to the 1st Battalion 133d Regiment, 34th Infantry Division (Red Bull), and into combat. Among the battles covered are Fondouk Pass, Hill 609, Salerno, Monte Cassino, Anzio and the fighting in the Po Valley. A key focus is on the Heavy Weapons Company, which consisted of two machine gun platoons and one mortar platoon. The training and combat roles of the machine gunner's Military Occupational Specialty are discussed in detail.

Merrill’s Marauders

Edward M. YoungHistory
Merrill’s Marauders

Author: Edward M. Young

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

ISBN: 9781849081139

Category: History

Page: 66

View: 514

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Merrill's Marauders were the first American Army infantry unit to fight in the China-Burma-India theatre, and one of the most renowned units to come out of World War II. The Marauders established a lasting reputation for hard fighting and tenacity in the face of adversity, combating a determined enemy, some of the most difficult and disease-ridden terrain in the world, and a seemingly indifferent higher command. Pushed beyond the limit of their endurance, at the end of nearly six months of operations behind Japanese lines, the remaining Marauders were withdrawn from combat after suffering over 90% casualties. Because of its courageous actions, the unit received the very rare honour of having every member presented with a Bronze Star for gallantry. This book explores the creation, training and combat experiences of the Marauders, one of the most famous units in the US Army's roll of honour.