It is often said that necessity is the mother of all invention, and at no other point in a countrys history is necessity greater than in wartime. Antitank weapon, any of several guns, missiles, and mines intended for use against tanks. Best books to read about the second world war penguin books. An expert on the worlds submerged chemical weapons, the graying researcher takes more than an academic interest in sulfur mustard. Through the course of the war, weapons of all types evolved greatly and increased incomplexity.
There are more than 500 separate items of equipment used between 1939 and 1945, from combat handguns to massive aircraft carriers. List of common world war ii infantry weapons wikipedia. From actionpacked eyewitness accounts such as guadalcanal diary to devastating holocaust memoirs like the diary of anne frank and night to the thrilling espionage tale of operation mincemeat, world war ii is the subject of some of the most fascinating and influential nonfiction books ever written each year, seemingly dozens of new titles emerge to offer fresh perspectives and uncover. The encyclopedia of weapons of world war ii, by numerous authors but edited by. Those with a good knowledge of wwi and ww2 small arms will find little new information there and a few factual mistakes. How much truth is there in the statement that only 15%20% of actually soldiers fired their weapons in ww2. Ww2 was probably the first time when advanced weaponry systems were used on a large scale, and one where nations decided it was time to strengthen what you have in your arsenal if you need to be taken seriously. She has over 20 years writing experience on magazines, having been a staffer on publications including the face, bizarre, just seventeen, smash hits and sky, and written. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Yang kuisong, on the reconstruction of the facts of the battle of pingxingguan. Classical strategies for a modern world takes a unique approach. The top ten ww2 fiction books of all time ww2 reads. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. See more ideas about world war two, world war and war.
The illustrated encyclopedia of weapons of world war ii. Submarine books store used and rare submarine and uboat books. An entire navy had tried to silence the guns of navarone and failed. I was in a psychology class today and my professor made this claim and i was curious as to how factual it was from a historical standpoint. The backstory of weapons employed in world war 2 on land, sea and air was the intense focus of the scientific tech communities to create the means for the greatest devastation. Chemical weapons dumped in the ocean after world war ii. World war ii was fought from 1939 to 1945 and saw variety of weapons used in the field.
However there are depths that can be explored by fiction in a way that cannot be paralleled by true storytelling. The remaining 180 pages are devoted to profiles of all the weapons used by the partisans. This bold reimagining of suntzus masterwork of strategic planning and conflict analysis has taken the disjointed, esoteric aphorisms of the original and reworked them into a lively and easytoread english prose. Both primary and secondary are contained within an outer metal case. World war ii greatly advanced technology and the weapons developed helped shape the postwar world. This is a list of weapons organized alphabetically by. Five books on world war i history smithsonian magazine.
Best book i have ever read about the war was a higher call. The imperial japanese army used a variety of such weapons during its invasion. List of world war ii weapons of the united states wikipedia. While police search frantically for a missing gun, chas and his friends build a.
The standard german infantry weapon was the rifle, originally designed by mauser and dubbed the karabiner 98k. This is a list of infantry weapons which were in mainstream use during world war ii. There are sections on the rifles used in the war, submachine guns, planes, boats, tanks, and a whole lot more. At ww2 reads we focus primarily on nonfiction which has more than enough drama and excitement to keep any student of the period occupied. However, many of these inventions were downright bizarre, and this list aims to explore the inventions which. Weapons of world war ii by alexander ludeke goodreads. Look at the pistol grip and the stock for instance.
Wwii submarine history books us submarine rc submarine model submarine ww2 submarine book store submarine plan submarine models submarine picture nuclear submarine book store specializing in new, used, and rare submarine and u boat books. Army weapons by supply catalog designation list of individual weapons of the u. The wild cards story collections were created by a group of new mexico science fiction authors, pulled together and edited by game of thrones author george r. A churchill tank fitted with a crocodile flamethrower in action. Earlier wars may have planted the seeds for lethality, but this new war that engulfed the planet was a quantum leap into the future of weaponry. Technology and the weapons of the first world war, 19141918 american troops using a newlydeveloped acoustic locator, mounted on a wheeled platform. A lethal arsenal of james bondstyle weapons used by world war two spies to wipe out nazi guards has surfaced after 70 years.
More than 600 fullcolor artworks accompany entries that feature a detailed history of each weapon s design and. How much truth is there in the statement that only 15%20. A lavishly illustrated compendium of military hardware covers everything that fought in the air, on the ground, and on the seas during world war ii. Dedric stewart slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. Bursting with facts, this book is a treasure trove for anyone interested in history or military history wishing to learn. It looks like it was made by a guy who thought that ergonomics is a fake field of science. Be the first to ask a question about weapons of world war ii.
Five books on world war i military history, memoir, and even a novelized series make this list of cantmiss books about the great war. Modern nuclear weapons are of course far more powerful than the bombs that devastated hiroshima and nagasaki. Kate hodges graduated from the university of westminster with a ba in print journalism. Snodgrass, also a contributor to the series there is a secret history of the worlda history in which an alien virus struck the earth in the aftermath of world war ii, endowing a handful of. This list does not consist of all weapons used by all countries in world war ii. Nuclear weapon nuclear weapon basic twostage design. In fact, some of the best antiwar writing of any era took its inspiration from the great war. A typical thermonuclear warhead may be constructed according to a twostage design, featuring a fission or boostedfission primary also called the trigger and a physically separate component called the secondary.
It is the definitive history of the us civil war it gives equal treatment to both sides, and is more than one million words, but is never boring. The large horns amplified distant sounds, monitored through headphones worn by a crew member, who could direct the platform to move and pinpoint distant enemy aircraft. This flamethrower could produce a jet of flame exceeding 150 yards in length iwm tr 23. This article needs additional citations for verification. The japanese kamikaze divine wind tactic was suggested on october 19, 1944, by viceadmiral onishi in an attempt to balance the technological advantage of invading american forces. What are some good books of world war 2 from a german. As a result, the widespread and often desperate fighting led to many new inventions, from computers, to jet engines, to atomic bombs. Though the numbers are disputed, approximately 2,800 kamikaze pilots died. World war ii saw rapid technological innovation in response to the needs of the various combatants.
Best sellers in world history of world war ii 19391945. Relevance name best selling new arrivals price low to high price high to low customer rating. The first response to the introduction of tanks during world war i was a variety of grenades and largecalibre rifles designed to penetrate tanks relatively thin armour or disable their tracks. The nazis werent the only ones during world war ii who fielded submarines that could travel extremely fast underwater. It was standard issue for german troops in wwi and, in its modified 98k version k for kurz, or short, in wwii as well. A fund of world war ii weapons information, this is a must for military historians and. This weapon was a 5shot, boltaction rifle that actually dated back to 1898 when it was first adopted by the imperial german army. Submarine books store used and rare submarine and uboat. Covers a wide range of the weapons used by the third reich during the second world war, from the pistol up to the battleship tirpitz, and including a wide range of tanks, armoured vehicles, aircraft, artillery etc. Their importance lies in the fact that they formed the basis for the much more successful light tank m3. Tanks were an important weapons system in world war ii.
This is a very large number of different weapons, and each one receives only a quite cursory description. The encyclopedia of weapons of world war ii, by numerous authors but edited by chris bishop, is a nonfiction book covering a massive array of weapons from world war ii. A must read go through book for a ww2 fanatic, or even if you are slightly interested in warfare. The japanese i201 class could also travel underwater at speeds greater than 20 knots, just as fast as the nazi type xxi uboats compared to most other submarines of that time, which could only manage 10 knots underwater, these submarines were revolutionary. At one point the united states used the native american language of the navajo peoples as a secret code that the germans were unable to crack technology was used to formulate precise rations food given to soldiers to make sure they got the right amount of nutrition and energy new medicines were developed during the war including advances. This is a fun book for those interested in wwii weaponry. These twp books are particularly important today as factual counterpoints to the idiotic antinuclear agenda of some experts who contend we fielded unsafe weapons for years, and came close to full scale nuclear accidents many times. This epic threevolume masterpiece is to war what gibbons decline and fall of the roman empire was to history. Buy war books online at the works, all military books are available to buy at the works. An incredible true story of combat and chivalry in the wartorn skies of world war ii if i could only own one book about the war it would be that one. Dont miss these 100 must read world war ii books, including fiction, ya, history. Ww2 weapons 19391945 no other war of recent history holds the interest of many as does world war 2 with its veritable array of characters, events and of course weaponry.
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