M50 Ontos and M56 Scorpion 1956–70

M50 Ontos and M56 Scorpion 1956–70
Author: Kenneth W Estes
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 52
Release: 2016-11-17
Genre: History
ISBN: 1472814754

Designed in the 1950s, the US Marines' M50 Ontos and the US Army's M56 Scorpion were both intended to be fast, light, air-droppable tank-killers for the Cold War battlefield – an answer to the cumbersome and ineffective World War II-vintage tanks that had taken to the battlefield during the Korean War. Although they shared the aim of bringing light, mobile and lethal antitank firepower to the infantry the two vehicles varied wildly in design to cater for their unique mission demands. They first saw service in the Lebanon intervention of 1958 but it was in the Vietnam War that they made their name, with the M50 Ontos seeing intense combat action in the Battle of Hue in 1968. Detailed illustrations and expert analysis provide the reader with a comprehensive history of these deadly antitank vehicles, from early development through to their combat history and the eventual disbandment of the Marine Corps' last antitank battalion with M50A1s in 1971.

Report

Report
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 202
Release: 1955
Genre:
ISBN:

The First Fight: U.S. Marines in Operation Starlite, August 1965

The First Fight: U.S. Marines in Operation Starlite, August 1965
Author: Rod Andrew
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 61
Release: 2016-10-27
Genre: Operation Starlight, 1965
ISBN: 9781539775935

The 2008 National Defense Authorization Act authorized the Secretary of Defense to conduct a program to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. The First Fight is the second title in a series dedicated to the Marine Corps' involvement in Southeast Asia from the early 1960s until 1975. This commemorative publication focuses on Operation Starlite, the first significant engagement between Marines and the Viet Cong with regimental-sized forces. It lasted from 18 to 24 August 1965, and in many ways foreshadowed the experience of American forces in Vietnam.

Bringing Order to Chaos

Bringing Order to Chaos
Author: Peter J Schifferle Editor
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 218
Release: 2018-10-12
Genre:
ISBN: 9781727842913

Volume 2, Bringing Order to Chaos: Combined Arms Maneuver in Large Scale Combat Operations, opens a dialogue with the Army. Are we ready for the significantly increased casualties inherent to intensive combat between large formations, the constant paralyzing stress of continual contact with a peer enemy, and the difficult nature of command and control while attempting division and corps combined arms maneuver to destroy that enemy? The chapters in this volume answer these questions for combat operations while spanning military history from 1917 through 2003. These accounts tell the challenges of intense combat, the drain of heavy casualties, the difficulty of commanding and controlling huge formations in contact, the effective use of direct and indirect fires, the need for high quality leadership, thoughtful application of sound doctrine, and logistical sustainment up to the task. No large scale combat engagement, battle, or campaign of the last one hundred years has been successful without being better than the enemy in these critical capabilities. What can we learn from the past to help us make the transition to ready to fight tonight?

Ringed by Fire

Ringed by Fire
Author: Richard D. Camp
Publisher:
Total Pages: 89
Release: 2019
Genre: Khe Sanh, 2nd Battle of, Vietnam, 1968
ISBN: 9780160950872

Death Was Our Companion

Death Was Our Companion
Author: Tony Le Tissier
Publisher: The History Press
Total Pages: 331
Release: 2021-12-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 0750999276

As Hitler's dreams of a Thousand Year Reich crumbled in the face of overwhelming assaults from both East and West in the first months of 1945 the heavily out numbered German armed forces were still capable of fighting with a tenacity and professionalism at odds with the desperate circumstances. While Hitler fantasized about deploying divisions and armies that had long since ceased to exist, boys of fifteen, officer cadets, sailors and veterans of the Great War joined the survivors of shattered formations on the front line. Leading historian Tony Le Tissier gives a German perspective to the mayhem and bloodshed of the last months of the Second World War in Europe. Teenaged Flak auxiliaries recount their experiences alongside veteran Panzergrenadiers attempting to break out of Soviet encirclement. Struggles between the military, industry and the Nazi Party for influence over the defenders of Berlin contrast with a key participant's account of Goebbel's abortive attempt to conclude a cease-fire with the Soviets. This is fascinating reading for anybody interested in the ordinary soldier's experience of the culminating battles in central Europe in 1945.