New Releases by Chris Mcnab

The dropping of two atom bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and their shocking aftermath finally ended World War II in the eastern theatre. But they weren''t the only experimental weaponry at the time. In this fascinating account, Chris McNab examines the development of a range of hitherto unknown and at times shockingly effective weapons that were developed and unleashed on an unsuspecting world over the course of the war. They include the bouncing bomb, the V2 rocket that caused terror in London, Antwerp and Liège in the later years of the war, Bat Bombs, the X-class submarine and the Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka suicide attack aircraft. Containing black and white images throughout, Secret Weapons of World War II examines the thinking behind these weapons, the research and development that led to their creation, their effectiveness in deployment, and ultimately how these weaponry developments fundamentally changed the balance of the war.

This captivating biography delves into J. Robert Oppenheimer''s groundbreaking work, from his early scientific achievements to leading the Manhattan Project and his complex legacy as the mind behind the atom bomb. The brilliant theoretical physicist, J. Robert Oppenheimer is now known primarily for his work on the development of the atomic bomb from 1942-45 at Los Alamos in New Mexico. Though fascinated by the processes that created the bomb, he was horrified by its impact and the devastation wrought on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Chris McNab looks at the body of prior work that led to Oppenheimer''s recruitment to the Manhattan Project as well as the development of the bomb itself. It also reflects on how his political views subsequently put him in opposition to the US government and military factions and ultimately ended his career as a nuclear physicist, despite his talents. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Arcturus Pioneers series brings together entertaining biographies of leading figures within scientific world and beyond, tracing their lives, legacy and the pioneering ideas that made them world-famous.

From their promising beginnings at Stanford to their founding of Google and beyond, this fascinating biography charts the extraordinary rise of tech duo Sergey Brin and Larry Page. As PhD students at Stanford University, Larry Page and Sergey Brin devised a powerful search engine. Google, the company they founded in 1998 became a brand, the world''s pre-eminent search engine, a centre of artificial intelligence and a source of data collection. This fascinating biography looks at the background behind the formation of the company, as well as the technology and the business model that led it to become so successful. Featuring photographs which chronicle their rise to success, this book is fascinating read for aspiring entrepreneurs or anyone looking to build a successful business. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Arcturus Visionaries series brings together entertaining biographies of leading figures within business world and beyond, tracing their lives, ground-breaking ideas and the innovative thinking that made them world-famous.

Finalist, 2023 Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Awards Quite simply, without engineers the U.S. Army would have been unable to fight World War II. The men of the Corps of Engineers, with the strength of more than 700 battalions mobilized during World War II, were tasked with every imaginable engineering challenge. In rear areas and back in the United States they built the facilities essential for everyday military life—showers, toilets, barrack blocks, military hospitals, training camps, storage depots, and much more. To keep logistics flowing to the front, they constructed or repaired thousands of miles of roads and bridges, plus built airfields to support Allied strategic and tactical air operations. Engineers also created endless chains of defensive positions, from simple trench systems to complex bunker networks, as well as retrieving damaged vehicles and equipment from still-contested battlefields. Combat engineers, meanwhile, occupied some of the most dangerous frontline roles in the American armed forces. Heavily armed with demolitions and weapons, plus weighed down by engineering tools and even driving armored bulldozers, they were tasked with destroying enemy strongpoints, bridges, equipment, vehicles and many other obstacles to the advance, in both overland and amphibious operations. Clearing the Way: U.S. Army Engineers in World War II brings together an exceptional collection of primary sources from engineering field manuals, technical manuals, and other official publications. They provide a detailed insight into the work and skills of the U.S. Army engineers, including building a field fortification, laying and defusing mines, making a contested river crossing, or camouflaging a defensive position properly. Through these texts, we gain practical insight into the exceptional individuals who often combined first-rate infantry fighting skills with engineering skill and problem-solving ingenuity.

Featuring specially commissioned artwork and carefully chosen photographs, this study charts the SVD Dragunov rifle''s development, combat use and lasting legacy, from Vietnam to Syria. Developed as a medium-range sniping rifle in the Soviet Union during the 1960s, the Dragunov stood out against most Western sniping rifle types by being semi-automatic, a configuration that marginally lowers accuracy compared to bolt-action sniping rifles, but which allows for faster follow-up shots. Even so, the SVD is still capable of taking precision killing shots out to 800m and beyond, making it a thoroughly practical combat weapon for marksmen and snipers. In this fully illustrated study, Chris McNab explores the Dragunov''s development and performance in detail. But the story of this weapon really comes to life with its combat history. It is the world''s most widespread sniping rifle, still in use in the former Soviet armies and sold to more than 40 countries worldwide. Its rugged design, dependable capabilities and relatively low cost mean that it has been used in every conceivable type of conflict, from Vietnam and Afghanistan to Iraq and Syria. Illustrated with cutaway artwork and battlescenes, plus technical and historical photographs, this study tells the story of this remarkable weapon, from design and development to tactical use in action.

Illustrated with 160 photographs, paintings, artworks and maps, The Crusades is a fascinating and accessible history from the first ill-fated expedition to the Christian Reconquista of Spain in the 15th century.

This book examines the US infantry against the Chinese Army amid the unforgiving terrain of Korea during the first real clash of the Cold War. On June 25, 1950, North Korean troops invaded South Korea, triggering a bitter conflict that drew in US and other United Nations forces in support of the South, and soon prompted the Chinese to intervene on the side of the North. Featuring specially commissioned artwork, this study assesses the US and Chinese forces that clashed at Chipyongni (February 13–15, 1951), Triangle Hill (October 14–25, 1952), and Pork Chop Hill (July 6–11, 1953), casting light on the origins, doctrine, and combat effectiveness of these two very different forces during the struggle for victory in Korea. The Chinese forces fighting in Korea were composed of experienced, confident soldiers buoyed by the Communists'' success in the recent Chinese Civil War. Initially armed and equipped with much the same weaponry and doctrine that they had employed in World War II, US Army units in Korea would often find themselves outnumbered, fighting in extremely difficult terrain that precluded the widespread use of armor. Both sides would be tested to the limit by the demands of fighting in such a formidable setting.

What was the key to Jeff Bezos''s success? This biography takes a deep-dive into his career and the decisions he made to become the world''s most successful business magnate. Entrepreneur and e-commerce pioneer Jeff Bezos is a success story of the business world. The executive chairman of Amazon and founder of Blue Origin, he became the first centibillionaire on the Forbes wealth index and one of the world''s most recognisable names in modern history. This book explores his empire of achievement and how his vision and hands-on efforts have led him from a start-up in his garage to his legacy today. Featuring photographs which chronicle his rise to success, this book is fascinating read for aspiring entrepreneurs or anyone looking to build a successful business.

A History of War explains the dark but compelling story of warfare, from its emergence in prehistoric tribal disputes, through great imperial and global wars, to present-day counterinsurgency and ''hybrid'' conflicts. Two factors sit at the heart of this story: technology - including weapons, vehicle systems, vehicles and tactics. A History of War charts the rise of the army, explaining how primitive tribal war parties evolved through seasonal levies and feudal armies to professional standing armies and mass conscription forces, with formal organisational structures. The narrative of A History of War is sewn together by the conflicts that have periodically reshaped history and created the roots of current conflict, from the crusades and two world wars to Cold War and the conflicts in the Middle East. The book provides summaries and insights into these disputes while recognising the human drama of conflict, with first-hand insight into the experience of combat.

This study looks at how the Soviet armed forces developed and deployed a range of machine guns that fitted with their offensive and defensive infantry tactics across six years of total war. In 1939, three machine guns dominated the Red Army''s front-line infantry firepower – the DShK 1938 heavy machine gun, the PM M1910 medium/heavy machine gun and the Degtyaryov DP-27, a lighter, bipod-mounted support weapon. Confronted by cutting-edge German technology during the Great Patriotic War (1941–45), the Soviets responded with the development of new weaponry, including the RPD light machine gun, the 7.62×54mmR SG43 medium machine gun and the improved version of the DP-27, the DPM. Taken together, all these weapons gave the Red Army a more practical range of support weapons, better able to challenge the Germans for fire superiority on the battlefield. Fully illustrated, this study explains the technology and the tactics of these machine guns. Noted authority Chris McNab sets out how these machine guns were distributed and tactically applied and provides numerous examples of the weapons in action, from assault teams on the streets of Stalingrad to tank crews struggling for survival at Kursk. The book also reflects upon the weapons'' post-war service; many of the machine guns remain in front-line use today. Illustrated with high-quality photographs and specially commissioned artwork, this is a deep analysis of these essential tools of warfare within the Soviet forces.

A heavily illustrated account of the evolution, design and deployment of dreadnought battleships. When HMS Dreadnought was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1906 this revolutionary new class of big-gun iron-clad warship immediately changed the face of naval warfare, rendering all other battleships worldwide obsolete. The Admiralty realised that as soon as the ship was revealed to the global naval community Britain would be a in race to stay ahead, and so the first dreadnoughts were built in record time. While there were those who regarded the vessel as a triumphant revolution in naval design, the dreadnought initially had its critics, including those who thought its slower, heavier guns left it vulnerable to the secondary armament of other warships. Nevertheless, other countries, notably Germany, and the United States soon began to lay down dreadnoughts. The culmination of this arms race would be the confrontation of the British and German fleets at the Battle of Jutland in May 1916 – the greatest clash of naval firepower in history. This book gives detailed insights into the design, operation and combat history of these incredible vessels.

The M4 carbine has become one of the defining military firearms of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Developed as a fusion of the XM177E2 Colt Commando and the M16A2 assault rifle, the M4 offered a more convenient battlefield firearm than the full-length M16 variants, and the US Army adopted it as the standard infantry weapon in the 1990s. Today, military and law-enforcement personnel of more than 60 countries have adopted either the M4 or the M4A1 variant, both of which have been tested and proven in major combat operations worldwide. This study describes the development process in detail, from production of the first XM4 prototypes in 1984 through numerous modified types until it emerged into official use as the M4 in 1994. The M4 offered a weapon that was 1lb lighter and 6in shorter than the standard M16A2, yet could still deliver precision semi-auto and full-auto firepower up to an effective range of 500m. Over time, its capabilities have been enhanced by the M4A1 modifications plus an extensive range of tactical accessories, including optical day/night sights, laser/infrared designators, under-barrel grenade launchers and shotgun modules, foregrips, furniture options, mounting rails, and sound suppressors. Numerous M4/M4A1 combat operations are investigated to reveal why the weapon has received such high levels of approval by front-line combat troops, not only in Afghanistan and Iraq, where the M4/M4A1 has been intensively combat-tested, but also in contexts such as Colombia, India, Israel, and the Philippines. Profusely illustrated with photographs and artworks, and drawing its research from the latest declassified documents, this is a complete guide to one of the most important and widely distributed tactical infantry weapons of the last quarter-century.

Covering all aspects of the battlefield, Combat Techniques is a comprehensive, illustrated reference on tactical procedures for today''s infantry. It explores how tactics have changed since World War II, and examines a range of procedures, from controlling an air strike or firing an anti-tank weapon to sub-zero operations, hostage-rescue situations, fighting in urban or extreme terrain, amphibious assaults, and evading capture. There''s also a discussion of asymmetric warfare, with chapters on counterterrorist and anti-insurgency operations.

This absorbing study investigates the doctrine, training, equipment, and combat record of the US specialist beach-landing troops and their German opponents who fought over three bitterly contested amphibious beachheads in Europe at the height of World War II.

A fully illustrated and expertly researched guide to the tanks of Hitler''s formidable war machine. The Panzers that rolled over Europe were Germany''s most famous fighting force, and are some of the most enduring symbols of World War II. However, at the start of the war, Germany''s tanks were nothing extraordinary and it was operational encounters such as facing the Soviet T-34 during Operation Barbarossa which prompted their intensive development. Tactical innovation gave them an edge where technological development had not, making Hitler''s tanks a formidable enemy. Hitler''s Tanks details the development and operational history of the light Panzer I and II, developed in the 1930s, the medium tanks that were the backbone of the Panzer Divisions, the Tiger, and the formidable King Tiger, the heaviest tank to see combat in World War II. Drawing on Osprey''s unique and extensive armour archive, Chris McNab skilfully weaves together the story of the fearsome tanks that transformed armoured warfare and revolutionised land warfare forever.

Fully illustrated, this engaging study investigates the origins, combat record and legacy of these two armoured fighting vehicles.

What if Nazi Germany had been victorious in World War II? What would the world have looked like? Between 1933 and 1945, Hitler made many plans about transport, architecture, race, forced labor and Lebensraum, among many other topics. Some of these he implemented during his leadership, but what were the unrealized plans for a Europe defeated by The Third Reich? British men would have been exported to the East as forced labor, to join the slavs, while Nordic British women would have been used in Lebensborn stud farms with SS officers to repopulate the East with Aryans. Germany and Japan were to carve up the Soviet Union and Asia between them. Berlin was to be rebuilt as Germania, a world capital city designed on grandiose, neo-classical lines. Hitler''s Masterplan reveals the true scale of Hitler''s vision for a Greater Germany and a world dominated by Nazism. Arranged by topics such as Race, Architecture, Greater Germany, Empire, the book includes exhaustive reference tables, diagrams, colorful maps and charts, presenting all the core data in easy-to-follow formats. Hitler''s Masterplan is an essential reference guide for anyone interested in the history of National Socialism.

In the absence of high-tech weapons, warfare in the ancient world was dominated by military commanders with innovative strategies. The strategic thinking of leaders led to some of the most stunning upsets the world has ever seen. Today, the Battle of Marathon or the conquests of Alexander still hold their rightful place among the most daring victories. This book describes the battles, leaders, and technology that cinched success, or ensured defeat.

Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull are just two of the famous leaders of the plains tribes renowned for their prowess on the battlefield. This book looks at the military accomplishments of tribes living in the Great Plains of the United States and Canada. The book explores the integral role of warriors in Native American culture, describes prominent conflicts and wars, and provides biographical information about the warriors themselves.

In 1974, renowned Belgian arms company Fabrique Nationale brought out a ground-breaking new light machine gun, the Minimi. Its success has been meteoric, arming more than 45 countries around the world. The Minimi offers the ultimate in portable firepower. Firing the high-velocity 5.56×45mm round, the Minimi is a gas-operated, lightweight, belt- or magazine-fed weapon, able to burn through cartridges at a cyclical rate of up to 1,150 rounds per minute, making it the weapon of choice for fire support at squad level. This study uses gripping first-hand accounts and striking combat photographs, following the Minimi to war zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan. It tracks its design and development, as well as investigating what has made it so compelling a choice for armed forces around the world for more than 40 years.

The Vietnam War chronicles the first war to be televised. The comprehensive description of battles, social and political issues, and revelations are all the more powerful because of first-hand accounts, telling photographs, and other primary sources. Students will learn the causes, outcomes, and repercussions of this polemic conflict through a historical lens and from the perspectives of soldiers, civilians, and others caught up in the Vietnam War.

How secure is your network? The best way to find out is to attack it, using the same tactics attackers employ to identify and exploit weaknesses. With the third edition of this practical book, you’ll learn how to perform network-based penetration testing in a structured manner. Security expert Chris McNab demonstrates common vulnerabilities, and the steps you can take to identify them in your environment. System complexity and attack surfaces continue to grow. This book provides a process to help you mitigate risks posed to your network. Each chapter includes a checklist summarizing attacker techniques, along with effective countermeasures you can use immediately. Learn how to effectively test system components, including: Common services such as SSH, FTP, Kerberos, SNMP, and LDAP Microsoft services, including NetBIOS, SMB, RPC, and RDP SMTP, POP3, and IMAP email services IPsec and PPTP services that provide secure network access TLS protocols and features providing transport security Web server software, including Microsoft IIS, Apache, and Nginx Frameworks including Rails, Django, Microsoft ASP.NET, and PHP Database servers, storage protocols, and distributed key-value stores

Mastered by special forces around the world, mental toughness is the ultimate survival skill. With expert advice and illustrations, this book offers essential mental training for any psychological scenario, from coping with stress to resisting Stockholm Syndrome.

SAS Mental Toughness Training is an essential guide to testing and improving mental agility and resilience.

Learn how Native American tribes across North America waged war during European colonization, and how they adapted with things like horses, firearms, and stealth.

The Solar System examines topics on earth and its surrounding planets, from the sun all the way out to Pluto. Detailed illustrations and clear charts help explain these complicated topics.

From the trenches of World War I to the bunkers of Iwo Jima, the man-portable flamethrower was a potent and terrifying battlefield weapon. In this fully illustrated account a respected firearms expert cuts through myths and misconceptions to assess the true tactical importance of this feared and controversial weapon.

During a time of war, pilots face the risk of being shot down behind enemy lines and captured. For this reason, each pilot receives training to help him endure the stresses of captivity. During an interrogation, this training and the pilot''s own strength and willpower are invaluable. This book discusses many of the techniques used to survive the experience of being in captivity. A captive pilot must be prepared to cope with boredom, resist interrogation, and work as a team with other prisoners. In addition, he must know how to go about escaping if he has the opportunity. Discover: • how some U.S. pilots in Vietnam coped with seven years of imprisonment. • how interrogators try to trick people into talking. • how interrogators are trained to detect lies. • survival techniques during escape. • tracking skills used by escaping pilots and the pursuing enemy.

Elite Special Forces units are often assigned to the most difficult missions. They must be prepared for the challenges they will face. This means being skilled and physically fit, but it also means being mentally tough. During most basic-training programs, recruits will be yelled at by instructors, deprived of sleep, and forced to run for miles. Under these difficult conditions, they will be required to make constant decisions. Only the toughest recruits will graduate, and they need certain traits to make it through: • intelligence • self-control • courage • knowledge • resistance to pain and discomfort • team spirit

Passchendaele 1917 is the story of one of the most pitiless and iconic battles of the First World War, known today as Third Ypres. Fought over three tortuous months in 1917, the fighting raged through some of the worst physical conditions of the entire war, across battlefields collapsing into endless mud and blood. Eventually, more than 500,000 casualties bought front-line changes measured only in hundreds of yards. If you truly want to understand what happened and why – read Battle Story.