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Sir Edward James Reed (1830-1906) was an innovative naval architect who, after attending the Central School of Mathematics and Naval Architecture in Portsmouth, was appointed chief constructor of the Navy in 1863. This was a crucial time for the navy, as traditional wooden sailing ships began to be armoured or rebuilt in iron in response to more powerful weaponry. Reed pioneered the methodical use of scientific calculations to determine a ship's weight, strength and stability, and was responsible for a number of revolutionary designs. He later founded his own consultancy and designed ships for other countries including Germany, Chile and Brazil. This textbook, first published in 1869, contains a comprehensive overview of the design and construction of the various classes of iron ships of the time, and the new features they incorporated. It also includes descriptions of procedures in Royal Dockyards and various civilian shipyards.

James Ralfe (fl. 1820-1829) was a historian best remembered for this comprehensive history of British naval involvement in the Napoleonic wars. First published in 1820 and intended as a successor and continuation of Captain Isaac Schomberg's history of the navy, Naval Chronology, Ralfe's work is remarkably detailed, using first-hand accounts of naval engagements taken from interviews with officers and sailors in addition to contemporary official naval documents. Chronologically by year, Ralfe notes and explains major parliamentary proceedings relating to the navy, lists the serving flag officers for the given year, and describes naval battles and engagements, arranged according to location. Ralfe's innovative structure of these volumes, with detailed descriptions of naval battles, provide a valuable reference for the study of the British navy during the Napoleonic Wars.

Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840-1914) was an American naval officer, considered one of the most important naval strategists of the nineteenth century. In 1885 he was appointed Lecturer in Naval History and Tactics at the US Naval War College, and served as President of the institution between 1886 and 1889. His series of books examining the role of sea power in history influenced the rapid growth of international navies during the period before World War I. This two-volume study of the Anglo-American war of 1812, first published in 1905, made an important contribution to strategic studies and international relations. Mahan examines the causes of the conflict, arguing that its roots went back to the seventeenth century. Although the naval battles in the war of 1812 were small-scale rather than large fleet actions, Mahan shows that they were nevertheless crucial to the outcome.

Long relegated to a secondary position behind Gettysburg, Vicksburg has more recently earned consideration by historians as the truly decisive battle of the Civil War. Indeed, Vicksburg is fascinating on many levels. A focal point of both western armies, the Federal campaign of maneuver that finally isolated the Confederates in the city was masterful. The Navy's contribution to the Federal victory was significant. The science of the fortifications and siege tactics are rich in detail. The human drama of Vicksburg's beleaguered civilian population is compelling, and the Confederate cavalry dashes that first denied the Union victory were thrilling. But perhaps more than any other factor, the key to the Federal victory at Vicksburg was simply better leadership. It is this aspect of the campaign that Leadership Lessons: The Campaigns for Vicksburg, 1862-1863 seeks to explore.The first section of this book familiarizes the reader with the challenges, characteristics, and styles associated with leadership during the Civil War in general. It also outlines the Vicksburg Campaign by explaining the strategic significance of the Mississippi River and Vicksburg, detailing the opposing forces and the terrain, discussing the failed attempts to capture Vicksburg over the winter of 1862-63, and tracing the brilliant campaign of maneuver and logistics that allowed Grant to ultimately lay siege and win a Federal victory. The second section of the book contains 30 "leadership vignettes" that span the actions of the most senior leaders down to those of individual soldiers. Each vignette focuses the campaign overview to the specific situation in

The controversial history of the modern freelance soldierfrom the Cold War to the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.The freelance soldier, or mercenary, whether fighting for money or reputation or an adopted cause, has always been a fascinating and controversial phenomenon. Now, as a result of the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan, he has become not simply a mercenary but a vital part of modern and privatized warfare. For some, he is a heroic figure, doing the work governments are too squeamish to admit to; for others, he is a bloodthirsty killer. In Tony Geraghtys startling history, he sheds new light on their activities, which has until now been shrouded in secrecy. Many of the soldiers have spoken to the author about their experiences for the first time, revealing details of operations that have never before been reported in the media. 16 pages of black-and-white illustrations

Alexander the Great's conquest of the known world to the generals leading today s campaigns in Afghanistan, Commanders casts new light on the leaders who have forged history on the battlefield. Focusing on the greatest leaders in naval, field, and aerial warfare, such as Julius Caesar, Napoleon, and Horatio Nelson, the book gives an at-a-glance overview of each commander s life, provides a timeline, key data, and a psychological profile outlining the commander s strengths and weaknesses. Commanders also follows great leaders from outside the Western tradition, including the great Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Native American, and African leaders, explaining who fought whom and why.

Based upon the popular teaching atlases of the West Point Military History Series, the newest atlas in this series provides an insightful look at the military strategies, troop movements, physical terrain, and key engagements that shaped the course of modern warfare. This atlas covers over one hundred years of military history. It includes World War I, World War II covering both the European and Pacific theaters of action, the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam War, the Yugoslavian Civil Wars, and the current Mideast Wars. It provides a unique overview of the key battles that helped develop the way present day battles are fought. Created by the scholar/soldiers of the United States Military Academy at West Point, this atlas will become an important reference to any study of military history.

The easy way to prepare for basic trainingEach year, thousands of young Americans attempt to enlist in the U.S. Armed Services. A number of factors during a soldier's training could inhibit successful enlistment, including mental toughness and physical fitness levels. Basic Training For Dummies covers the ins and outs of this initial process, preparing you for the challenges youll face before you head off for basic training..You'll get detailed, week-by-week information on what to expect in basic training for each branch of service, such as physical training, discipline, classroom instruction, drill and ceremony, obstacle courses, simulated war games, self-defense, marksmanship, and other milestones.Tips and information on getting in shape to pass the Physical Fitness Test (PFT)All-important advice on what to pack for boot camp Other title by Powers: ASVAB For Dummies Premier, 3rd Edition, Veterans Benefits For DummiesWhether you join the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, or the Coast Guard, Basic Training For Dummies prepares you for the challenge and will help you survive and thrive in boot camp!

A former South African Air Force pilot who saw action throughout the region from the 1970s on, Neall Ellis is the best-known mercenary combat aviator alive. Apart from flying Alouette helicopter gunships in Angola, he has fought in the Balkan War (for Islamic forces), tried to resuscitate Mobutu's ailing air force during his final days ruling the Congo, flew Mi-8s for Executive Outcomes, and thereafter an Mi-8 fondly dubbed 'Bokkie' for Colonel Tim Spicer in Sierra Leone. Finally, with a pair of aging Mi-24 Hinds, Ellis ran the Air Wing out of Aberdeen Barracks in the war against Sankoh's vicious RUF rebels. For the past two years, as a "civilian contractor," Ellis has been flying helicopter support missions in Afghanistan, where, he reckons, he has had more close shaves than in his entire previous four-decades put together.Twice, single-handedly (and without a copilot), he turned the enemy back from the gates of Freetown, effectively preventing the rebels from overrunning Sierra Leone's capital-once in the middle of the night without the benefit of night vision goggles. Nellis (as his friends call him) was also the first mercenary to work hand-in-glove with British ground and air assets in a modern guerrilla war. In Sierra Leone, Ellis' Mi-24 ("it leaked when it rained") played a seminal role in rescuing the 11 British soldiers who had been taken hostage by the so-called West Side Boys. He also used his helicopter numerous times to fly SAS personnel on low-level reconnaissance missions into the interior of the diamond-rich country, for the simple reason that no other pilot knew the country-and the enemy-better than he did.Al Venter, the author of War Dog and other acclaimed titles, accompanied Nellis on some of these missions. "Occasionally we returned to base with holes in our fuselage," Venter recounts, "though once it was self-inflicted: in his enthusiasm during an attack on one of the towns in the interior, a side-gunner onboard swung his heavy machine-gun a bit too wide and hit one of our drop tanks. Had it been full at the time, things might have been different." The upshot was that over the course of a year of military operations, the two former Soviet helicopters operated for the Sierra Leone Air Wing by Nellis and his boys were patched more often than any other comparable pair of gun ships in Asia, Africa or Latin America. Nellis himself earned a price on his head: some reports spoke of a $1 million reward dead or alive while others doubled it.This book describes the full career of this storied aerial warrior, from the bush and jungles of Africa to the forests of the Balkans and the merciless mountains of today's Afghanistan. Along the way the reader encounters a multiethnic array of enemies ranging from ideological to cold-blooded to pure evil, as well as well as examples of incredible heroism for hire.

Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840-1914) was an American naval officer, considered one of the most important naval strategists of the nineteenth century. In 1885 he was appointed Lecturer in Naval History and Tactics at the US Naval War College, and served as President of the institution between 1886 and 1889. In this highly influential biography, first published in two volumes in 1897, Mahan focuses on Nelson's professional life and provides a detailed historical and tactical analysis of his naval career based on Nelson's personal correspondence. Through this analysis of Nelson's career Mahan also explains and explores his concept of 'sea power', a strategic concept which was closely studied and subsequently adopted by early twentieth-century military powers. His book provides both a fascinating discussion of Nelson's achievements and an invaluable analysis of the most influential developments in naval strategy almost a century after Nelson's death.