AH Osprey books

[Driftless]

US Army Command 1914 to 1920 – Trial by Combat This volume covers both the civilian and military leadership of the US Army from the start of WW1 in Europe, US interventions in the Western Hemisphere and final US entry to the war in Europe in 1916. The US Army Chief of Staff in 1917 was the redoubtable Tasker Bliss who brought order from chaos in the formation of the National Army. Bliss was sent to Europe at the start of 1918 to serve as the US Army representative to the Allied War Council. Bliss was succeeded by the very able Peyton March, who built on the organizational work of Bliss and helped formed the structures that carried the US Army in the Interwar years.

This volume also covers the Army and Corps commanders of the AEF in the last years of the war(1). Hunter Liggett assumed both command roles as the Corps sized AEF landed in France in mid 1917. When the Second Corps was formed early in 1918 joining the First Corps, Leggett relinquished the First Corps command to Joe Dickman and the Second Corps was commanded by John Hines. With the great growth of the Army, came a fair amount of sorting and winnowing of field leaders, as some rose to the challenge of increased responsibilities and some weren’t up to the task.

This history examines the often conflicting civilian instructions from the White House and Secretaries of War on both the Army command at home and Europe. Also explored are the delicate diplomacy of both Generals Liggett and Bliss and their interaction with the Allied War Council along with Allied field generals, focusing on integrating the AEF operations into a useful role on the Western Front.

(1)PoD is that John Pershing died in the OTL fire that killed his wife and daughters in 1916. Here, Frederick Funston would take Pershing’s place as the field commander of the Pancho Villa Punitive Expedition in 1916. OTL, Funston died from a heart attack Feb 19, 1917 (before the historic DoW)

 

[Driftless]

Philippine Campaign 1941-1942 - PoD here is the Gen'l MacArthur and the top staff are killed during their extraction from Bataan, when their PT boats are intercepted by a Japanese Navy patrol and sunk. Their fate would be in question until the end of the war when a thorough search of Japanese Naval archives points to a probable cause and location. Otherwise, the siege of Bataan plays out close to OTL

 

[Sekhmet_D]

Philippine Campaign 1941-1942 - PoD here is the Gen'l MacArthur and the top staff are killed during their extraction from Bataan, when their PT boats are intercepted by a Japanese Navy patrol and sunk. Their fate would be in question until the end of the war when a thorough search of Japanese Naval archives points to a probable cause and location. Otherwise, the siege of Bataan plays out close to OTL

Out of interest, who takes the reins in this scenario after Doug kicks the bucket?

 

[Driftless]

Out of interest, who takes the reins in this scenario after Doug kicks the bucket?

TBH, I had only put limited thought to who picks up the reins. It's always struck that the potential for Mac and company to get intercepted was high.

Off the top of my head? Probably Admiral Hart in the short run for theater commander, and Wainwright, by default on Bataan. There would be some uncertainty about Macs fate in my scenario, but decisions need to be made immediately anyway. Hart was well regarded, but at retirement age and as I understand it, that SE Asia Fleet command had been viewed as something of a coda for Admirals wrapping up their careers. After Hart, that's a tougher question. I don't think that South West Pacific Theater gets the attention it got with Mac in Australia. Still very important, but not the same level of focus. Overall, would all USN forces in the Pacific answer to Nimitz in Hawaii? Would Kruger be the General in charge of US Army operations in New Guinea, etc? I don't know who leads the Allied coaltion? Do they pull Malin Craig out of retirement? Craig had the stature as previous CoS and He would have probably played better with the Australians, New Zealanders, and Dutch than Mac sometimes did. *edit* Craig also had staff experience at building a force from near scratch. Craig did great setup work for George Marshall, who replaced him as CoS.

 

[kaijudirector]

Looks like we Filipinos will need another hero then...

 

[Driftless]

Looks like we Filipinos will need another hero then...

That's the thing where I don't really know where a "no MacArthur" war would head. I've seen it (convincingly) debated on this site over the years that even though Navy war plans focused on an advance through the Central Pacific, clearing out the Japanese threat in New Guinea and then the Philippines were strategically critical as well.

Even my suggestion of Malin Craig as Theater commander comes with a caveat. He had retired, the first time in 1939, and was brought back (OTL) for a top administrative role in the US, but his health wasn't good. Somebody else would probably need to take over in 1943-ish? I haven't a clue who though. Walter Kruger was Mac's highly regarded field commander, and that's still probably the best role for him. A theater commander has to be one part strategist, one part administrator, and two parts diplomat(IMO)

 

[Lascaris]

from a TL where Greece intervened in the 1974 invasion of Cyprus

Men-At-Arms: Armies in the Cyprus conflict 1964-74
Essential Histories: The Cyprus conflict 1955-74
Combat Aircraft: Greek F-4E units in combat
Campaign: Kyreneia 1974
Anatomy of the ship: Type 209 submarine

 

[NHBL]

Weapons of the New Hampshire Rangers: The Early Days. Osprey Press, 1991

For a force that wasn’t intended to use their weapons on a regular basis, the weaponry of the New Hampshire Rangers has been a point of fascination for over a century, from the first days near Lincoln to the closing hours of the recently concluded war.

In the first decade of the existence of the New Hampshire Rangers, they had a decided mix of armaments. By 1877, every Ranger had a Winchester Model 1876, though they were all trained on the Trapdoor Springfield in case there was ever a need to use army issue weapons. There was no designated marksman rifle, marksmen purchased their own. Beyond that, the weaponry varied by the preference of the Ranger.

Every Ranger was required to own a revolver that fired either the .45 Colt or the .38 Long Colt. They could carry a different pistol when on duty, but were required to own and qualify on a weapon that used one of those two calibers as well, since armories were stocked with appropriate ammuunition.

Every Ranger was required to carry a pistol and a bladed weapon at all times when on duty, unless there was a specific reason not to be armed. Off duty, they were urged to carry a gun and blade when there was no reason not to. Anyone in law enforcement could fuind themselves in a bad situation at almost any time; criminals could chose to take revenge without warning.

Some simply carried their bayonet, but most carried something else. The bladed weapon varied from the common bowie knife, or sometimes a sword for people trained with it, to the hatchets carried by many a woodsman or farmer, and the filleting knife toted by fishermen. Tomahawks were not uncommon, and records show at least two Kukris and a Karambit were carried by Rangers in the first decade. Derringers in various calibers were almost an unofficial part of the uniform.

By 1880, the boarding ax, often with a short spike on the top, had become common, though it was not yet the signature weapon that it would be seen as after the 1897 war.

Rangers marching, in the rare occasions of a ceremonial march, were looked down on by regular soldiers, and scorned by Europeans as hopped up, undisciplined militia. Not only were they not as precise and uniform as regular armies, but the assortment of swords, sheathed bayonets, hatchets, and knives did not mesh with traditional military aesthetics.

The assortment of weapons carried by Rangers has descended into the realm of legend and tall tales among gun enthusiasts, and is incredibly overstated in legend and the popular press. Even official histories are, at times, guilty of overstating the eclectic nature of a Ranger’s weapons.

The three barreled shotgun carried by Colonel Peckham through most of her career is no legend, nor is her Whitworth sniper rifle, though contrary to the popular press, she retired it in the late 70’s, replacing it with a more modern sniper rifle.

Captain Potter’s Duckfoot pistol and Sergeant Clemenceau’s .577 Black Powder Express are likewise documented, though the silent air gun that was supposedly used to disrupt enemy troops in the war of 1897 is almost definitely apocryphal. Other accounts of the same action place a medieval arbalest at the scene in its place, or even an Indian archer.

Ruffled Feather, as he was called by his comrades, carried his US Cavalry pistol right until his death in action, according to legend, clubbing one final enemy with it before going down. He acquired the gun from a “Bluebelly” that no longer had a need for it. His penchant for carrying at least one grenade at all times may be exaggerated, but if so, not by much.

Editor’s Note: The name the Ranger was best known by will be used in this history. His Navajo name was Gaagii, meaning Raven. He’s noted as finding “Ruffled Feather” amusing, as the term does nicely describe a raven, but was far from amused when the similarity to “gag” was noted.

Other than the colorful individuals noted above, the biggest variation was the “marksman’s rifle,” which was up to the individual shooter. The term “Marksman’s Rifle” was used to avoid the term “Sniper,” which implied a military purpose for what was intended to be as much armed constabulary as militia.

Since Rangers were paid well enough to afford almost any rifle they chose, with the exception of weapons from exclusive firms such as Purdy, the Marksmen inevitably had excellent weapons. A Ranger had to purchase his or her own scope, but in the event of combat damage, the state would replace it, within reason. Then Captain Christine Peckham’s Alvan Clark scope was considered to not be within reason.

Heavy weapons, much to the gratitude of the militia and US Army’s logistics train, were not a matter for choice. Until the War of 1897, the heavy weapons, from artillery and Gatling Guns to rocket launchers, were the same weapons that the New Hampshire Militia used. Equally fortunate, the number of times they were needed before 1897 could be counted on the fingers of a fluorine chemist’s hands. Even in the War of 1897, the recoilless rifles and rocket launchers were all that the Rangers usually carried, leaving the Gatling Guns and artillery to the militia, and the electro-Gatling guns to places that had a steady supply of electricity.

From Reach For the Skies

 

[kaijudirector]

Campaign - The Wilderness 1863/1864: Graveyard of the Confederacy: Covers the First and Second Battles of the Wilderness, where a notable amount of Confederate generals died during both battles. The first, fought around Chancellorsville house, saw the deaths of Stonewall Jackson and A.P. Hill. The second, fought in May 1864, saw the deaths of Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet, Jeb Stuart, and Jubal Early.

(OTL A.P. Hill did get wounded at Chancellorsville. Lee, Stuart, and Early did run into a Union patrol during the Wilderness but for some reason were not fired upon. Longstreet did also come close to dying after getting shot in the throat during the same battle.)

 

[CaptainCalvert]

Minie's victory
Tells the story of how the British and French infantry's tactical changes to take advantage of the Minie ball allowed them to completely dominate the Russian field forces in the Crimean war, who were still using smoothbore tactics even when using the Minie ball.
The greater range of the Minie combined with greater emphasis on open order and use of cover also gave the allies a useful advantage in siege warfare, especially once they mastered long range suppression fire by sections which allowed near-complete freedom of movement close to the defensive works.
Lord Raglan's famous response to a sceptical officer "Waterloo, young man, was 40 years sgo - have we learned nothing in that time?" is carved above the main doorway of Sandhurst.
Despite their best efforts to learn from others, the Prussian army's failure to modernise tactics to better fit the new weaponry doomed their 1870 attack on France to ignominious failure.
Only a few years later, more modern rifles such as the Martin Henry and Lee Metford rendered the Minie rifles obsolete for frontline duty at a stroke, and in 1914 it was the French and British who found that they were still fighting yesterday's war with today's weapons, against a full modernised German/Danish army.

 

[kaijudirector]

Minie's victory
Tells the story of how the British and French infantry's tactical changes to take advantage of the Minie ball allowed them to completely dominate the Russian field forces in the Crimean war, who were still using smoothbore tactics even when using the Minie ball.
The greater range of the Minie combined with greater emphasis on open order and use of cover also gave the allies a useful advantage in siege warfare, especially once they mastered long range suppression fire by sections which allowed near-complete freedom of movement close to the defensive works.
Lord Raglan's famous response to a sceptical officer "Waterloo, young man, was 40 years sgo - have we learned nothing in that time?" is carved above the main doorway of Sandhurst.
Despite their best efforts to learn from others, the Prussian army's failure to modernise tactics to better fit the new weaponry doomed their 1870 attack on France to ignominious failure.
Only a few years later, more modern rifles such as the Martin Henry and Lee Metford rendered the Minie rifles obsolete for frontline duty at a stroke, and in 1914 it was the French and British who found that they were still fighting yesterday's war with today's weapons, against a full modernised German/Danish army.

Did Harry Flashman somehow cause Raglan to fall off his horse, knock himself on the head and cause a personality change?

 

[Huey Louis IX]

Aircraft of the Aces: Swedish Aces of World War 1 - Sweden joins the Central Powers, Swedish pilots either join the Luftstreitkräfte or import Albatros or Fokker fighters.
Aircraft of the Aces: Mexican Aces of World War 1- Mexico joins the Central Powers, same with Sweden.
Aircraft of the Aces: Quebec Aces of World War 2 - Quebec independence is handwaved sometime, joins the Allies(could also work for WWI).

 

[CaptainCalvert]

Did Harry Flashman somehow cause Raglan to fall off his horse, knock himself on the head and cause a personality change?

I'd have used that if I'd thought of it!

OTL, the Minie gave the British a big edge over the Russians, even though led by fossils like Raglan. It's not quite ASB for an ATL General Sharpe to reform infantry tactics in the 1820s and 30s so at least the light infantry and riflemen are ready when improved technology emerges. Even the OTL Raglan would benefit from better troops and tactics and- like most other generals - would not tolerate people who questioned current methods.

 

[sonofpegasus]

Osprey Books from the Peerless Air Ministry Timeline.



RAF Fighters of the Battle of Britain,

The Bolton and Paul Defiant the first RAF cannon armed Fighter.

The Follond Falcon, FAA Radial engine fighter.

Gloster F5/34 Gemini, The story of the RAF’s twin engine fighter .



British Night Fighters, 1939 to 1941.

The Bristol Bisley, Mk I, Mk II and Mk III. The First Radar equipped night fighter.

The Gloster F5/34 Ghost, Scourge of the Blitz.



Aircraft of Coastal Command.

“ Going The Distance” The story of the Short S29 LRMP and closing the Atlantic Gap.

“The Nutcrackers Ballet” The Blackburn B20 Buccaneer at war.

“Ubiquitous” Everywhere, always there, the De Havilland Flamingo story,

“Seek, Strike, Sink” The Hadley Page Hampden torpedo Bomber at war.

Bomber Command.

The Avero Manchester, Carrying the weight 1940-1943

Hadley Page Halifax, The unsung hero of Bomber Command.

The Avro Lancaster 1943-45, The understudy takes centre stage.

 

[Driftless]

^^^ SoP Peerless Air Ministry list got me thinking.... Imagine a Luftwaffe where Willy Messerschmidt's career really gets sidelined and tanked by Erhard Milch in 1931 (an OTL plane crash of a dubious Messerschmidt design that killed a friend of Milch). So the Me-109, 110, and 262 and other Messerschmidt designs do not exist. Other existing planes (and totally AH planes) take their place.

Luftwaffe Fighters of WW2 - detailing the design and operational history of German fighters from the Spanish Civil War though WW2. Planes covered in this volume include the various iterations of the workhorses He-112 and He-100, later superceded by the redoubtable Fw-190. The see-saw career for the Fw-187 Falke Zerstorer is covered, first as a heavy fighter, and later as an interceptor and night fighter. Early jet fighters, such as the He-162 are also included

 

[Driftless]

Osprey Books from the Peerless Air Ministry Timeline.



RAF Fighters of the Battle of Britain,

The Bolton and Paul Defiant the first RAF cannon armed Fighter.

The Follond Falcon, FAA Radial engine fighter.

Gloster F5/34 Gemini, The story of the RAF’s twin engine fighter .



British Night Fighters, 1939 to 1941.

The Bristol Bisley, Mk I, Mk II and Mk III. The First Radar equipped night fighter.

The Gloster F5/34 Ghost, Scourge of the Blitz.



Aircraft of Coastal Command.

“ Going The Distance” The story of the Short S29 LRMP and closing the Atlantic Gap.

“The Nutcrackers Ballet” The Blackburn B20 Buccaneer at war.

“Ubiquitous” Everywhere, always there, the De Havilland Flamingo story,

“Seek, Strike, Sink” The Hadley Page Hampden torpedo Bomber at war.

Bomber Command.

The Avero Manchester, Carrying the weight 1940-1943

Hadley Page Halifax, The unsung hero of Bomber Command.

The Avro Lancaster 1943-45, The understudy takes centre stage.

If you are not familiar with this superb and detailed TL: Here's the Link to AHC-Peerless Air Ministry by Sonofpegasus. Read the chip-in commentary as well as the main work. It's all good!

 

[wietze]

That's the thing where I don't really know where a "no MacArthur" war would head. I've seen it (convincingly) debated on this site over the years that even though Navy war plans focused on an advance through the Central Pacific, clearing out the Japanese threat in New Guinea and then the Philippines were strategically critical as well.

Even my suggestion of Malin Craig as Theater commander comes with a caveat. He had retired, the first time in 1939, and was brought back (OTL) for a top administrative role in the US, but his health wasn't good. Somebody else would probably need to take over in 1943-ish? I haven't a clue who though. Walter Kruger was Mac's highly regarded field commander, and that's still probably the best role for him. A theater commander has to be one part strategist, one part administrator, and two parts diplomat(IMO)

bit of a late reply, would it be possible that eisenhower ends up commanding that?

 

[Driftless]

That's the thing where I don't really know where a "no MacArthur" war would head. I've seen it (convincingly) debated on this site over the years that even though Navy war plans focused on an advance through the Central Pacific, clearing out the Japanese threat in New Guinea and then the Philippines were strategically critical as well.

Even my suggestion of Malin Craig as Theater commander comes with a caveat. He had retired, the first time in 1939, and was brought back (OTL) for a top administrative role in the US, but his health wasn't good. Somebody else would probably need to take over in 1943-ish? I haven't a clue who though. Walter Kruger was Mac's highly regarded field commander, and that's still probably the best role for him. A theater commander has to be one part strategist, one part administrator, and two parts diplomat(IMO)

bit of a late reply, would it be possible that eisenhower ends up commanding that?

Could be Ike, though by the start of 1942, I believe Marshall and FDR had Ike slotted for Europe. On the flip side, Ike had served with Mac in the Philippines in the '30s, but was often at odds with MacArthur on plans for the Philippine Army.

If not Ike, or Malin Clark, then Leonard Gerow? You would want a high ranking officer with tons of organizational and administrative skills, such as Gerow. He was the War Plans guy, and knew the difficulties facing the Western Pacific forces better than most.

*Later addition* To throw a real AH monkey wrench/spanner into the works, send Omar Bradley to be theater commander in the SW Pacific. He had a low key personality, and was generally pretty conservative in his tactical approach. No clue what his strategic vision for that theater would have been though.

 

[Claymore]

M551 Variants of the Vietnam War:

Gavin Armoured Reconnaissance/Airborne Fire Support Vehicle:

The M551 Sheridan entered service with the United States Army in 1967. At the urging of General Creighton Abrams, the U.S. Commander, Military Assistance Command Vietnam, at the time, the M551 was rushed into combat service in South Vietnam in January 1969.

The Sheridan’s operational performance in Vietnam was problematic at best. It was armed with the technically advanced but troublesome M81/M81 Modified/M81E1 152mm gun/launcher, which fired both conventional ammunition and the MGM-51 Shillelagh guided anti-tank missile. In combat operations, firing the gun often adversely affected the delicate electronics, which were at the early stages of the transition to solid state devices, so the missile and its guidance system was omitted from vehicles deployed to South Vietnam.

The Sheridan had several advantages: it did not get stuck in the mud as often as the 52-ton M48 did, nor did it throw its tracks off as often. The light weight and high mobility proved their worth, and it was much appreciated by the infantry who were desperate for direct-fire support. The gun proved an effective anti-personnel weapon when used with either the M657 HE shell or the M625 canister round, which used thousands of flechettes as projectiles.

However, the M81E1 was not ideal in medium- and long-range tank engagements as its low velocity produced extended flight times and made it difficult to lead moving targets. The gun also was criticized for having too much recoil for the vehicle weight, the second and even third road wheels coming clear off the ground when the main gun fired. Worse still was its paltry rate of fire. An average M48 crew could fire as many as seventeen 90mm shells during a "mad minute" (60 seconds with all guns firing-on command), the Sheridan was known to put out only two 152mm shells during the same time frame. To add insult to injury, only 20-25 rounds of 152mm ammunition could be carried.

In order to address these shortcomings, and to give its cavalry/reconnaissance units and their supported infantry more reach, a number of British FV433 105mm Abbot SPG turrets were procured in 1970 and rushed into theatre. Named after James M Gavin the Commanding General (CG) of the 82nd Airborne Division during World War II, this simple and expeditious conversion soon proved its worth. With a maximum range of 17.4 km the gun was able to elevate to 70 degrees and depress to -5 degrees, sufficient to engage enemy AFVs if necessary. Traverse and shell ramming were powered by electrical servo mechanisms, while elevation and cartridge ramming were by hand. Maximum rate of fire was 8-10 rounds per minute with 40 rounds carried in the vehicle.

The model depicts a vehicle attached to 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam circa 1971 and comprises the hull of the excellent Tamiya M551 Sheridan kit and a scratch-built turret built mostly out of plastic (styrene) sheet, a knitting needle and some plastic tubing.

ARVN M41 Tiger’s Claw (Vuốt Hổ) Tank Destroyer:

The existence of the ARVN’s M41 Tank Destroyer (TD) programme is inextricably linked to the US Army’s less than successful deployment of the M551 Sheridan to Vietnam and the introduction of the Gavin Armoured Reconnaissance/Airborne Fire Support Vehicle (AR/AFSV). A somewhat rash and misguided decision in the late 60s saw the US Army deploy several hundred M551 Sheridan reconnaissance vehicles into South Vietnam where they generally replaced M48s in the infantry support role. With its complex gun/missile armament and lightweight aluminium hull, it was a role for which the M551 was manifestly unsuitable. Nevertheless, the operational deployment continued while the replaced M48s were passed on to the ARVN to bolster their armoured corps which up until that point was still entirely reliant on the 76mm armed M41. The M48s were a welcomed addition to the ARVN inventory as encounters with NVA T-55s were become more frequent and, against such an opponent, the M41 was severely outmatched.

Realising the Sheridan’s short comings, the US Army eventually introduced a limited number of 105mm armed Gavin AR/AFSV which, in turn, freed up an equal number of M551 turrets. It was then that an aspiring member of the ARVN General Staff put forward a proposal to utilise the spare M551 turrets. Although the US Army was transferring M48s, the ARVN was still heavily dependent on its numerous but inferior M41 formations. What was needed was a long-range punch that could reach out and interdict the NVA’s heavy armour before they could engage the M41s. The proposal would see the M551 turrets mounted on spare M41 hulls (it is ironic that this very configuration had been used as a test bed for the early M551 turret development) and the reactivation of the MGM-51 Shillelagh missile as its primary long-range armament. It is a further irony that it would be the ARVN and not the US Army that ended up utilising the M81E1 152mm gun/launcher in its intended AT role. As a TD, the M41 Tiger’s Claw proved itself most capable although it was never available in the numbers needed to make any significant difference to the eventual outcome of the war.

It should be noted that the gun/missile launcher’s slow breach cyclic rate (2 rpm) was less of an issue in the TD role as missile time of flight and a general shoot and scoot employment tactic made a rapid rate of fire less critical. Furthermore, the heavier steel hull of the M41 gave a steadier platform when firing the M657 HE or M625 canister round and thus there was less of an issue in throwing off the missile guidance optronics. Given its heavier reliance on missiles, the M41 TD’s standard load was 15 x Shillelagh missiles and a mix of 6 x M657/M625 rounds.

The model depicts a vehicle of the 2nd Squadron, ARVN 11th Armoured Cavalry Regiment circa 1972 and is made up from the hull of a Tamiya M41, the turret of a Tamiya M551 and, as always, some bits of plastic/styrene card.

Complete builds detailed at my link below…

 

[Driftless]

Air Campaigns:
Radar Wars over Europe - This volume just focuses on the development and operational use of both ground and air based radar systems by the British and Germans prior to and during WW2. (Ship borne radars and radar work by other countries will be covered in other volumes)

Men at Arms:
The Boffin Wars Volume 1 - The Allies This volume covers the scientists and engineers who created war-winning technologies, such as Radar, improved sonar, enhanced Cryptology, and exotic battlefield weaponry (Jets, rockets, special bombs, etc) (A future volume will contain a similar compendium of Axis scientific and engineering leaders and their projects)

Fleet:
Project Sea Horse - US Cargo Subs during WW2 This volume covers the design and operational deployment of the eight very large US cargo submarines during WW2, starting with the conversion of the V-boat subs into troop and supply carriers, on through to the "Sea Horse" class of 1941. Historical references are made to the early successes of the USS Argonaut and Nautilus delivering medical and food supplies to the besieged garrison on Bataan and the loss of the USS Narwhal following delivery of supplies to Wake Island. Additional historical accounts include insertion and extraction of USMC raiders to various islands in 1942-43