SS Steel Storm is an account of the battles of the Waffen-SS panzer divisions of the East from the recapture ofKharkov in early 1943, when I SS Panzer Corps prevented the total collapse of Army Group South, to the last desperate attempts to hold the Red Army before Berlin in 1945. During this period the Waffen-SS panzer divisions fought a string of battles that are arguably the finest defensive actions of modern warfare. They certainly bear comparison with Napoleon's campaign of 1814 or the First Battle of the Marne in 1914. SS Steel Storm looks at the story from different angles: the use of offensive tactics during defensive battles: the deveopment of German tank and armored fighting vehicle technology; and Waffen-SS unit flexibility that was able to exploit changing tactical situations to the full. SS Steel Storm also explodes a number of myths that have sprung up since the end of World War II, such as the claim that the Waffen-SS panzer divisions were equipped with large quantities of Germanys best tanks. With the aid of full-color maps plus 170 photographs of Waffen-SS soldiers and tanks in the field, this hardcover reference book provides a unique account of a little-known, but crucially important aspect of Germany's war on the Eastern front.

In the final years of World War II, the outnumbered Waffen-SS capitalized on superior training, equipment, and commanders to plug several open gaps on the Eastern Front. From the recapture of Kharkov to the last stand at the gates of Berlin, this illustrated history recounts the key aspects of the major Eastern Front battles from the perspective of the Waffen-SS. Explanations include the use of offensive tactics as defensive maneuvers, the development of tank technology, and methods that allowed the Germans to survive fierce Russian bombardments. Illustrated with maps, line art, and previously unpublished frontline photography, the story's main focus is on the tactics used by commanders like Wittman and Barkmann to hold off numerically superior Russian forces. Appendices detail panzer organization, panzer tank aces and Knight's Cross winners, and tank specifications.

An account of the battles of the Waffen-SS Panzer Divisions in the East from the recapture of Kharkov in early 1943, when the 1st SS Panzer Corps prevented the total collapse of Army Group South, to the last desperate attempts to hold the Red Army before Berlin in 1945.

The battle of Kursk, fought in the summer of 1943, involved six thousand German and Soviet armored vehicles, making it the biggest tank battle of all time and possibly the largest battle of any kind. Students of military history have long recognized the importance of Kursk, also known as "Operation Citadel," and there have been several serious studies of the battle. Yet, the German view of the battle has been largely ignored.After the war, U.S. Army Intelligence officers gathered German commanders' post-war reports of the battle. Due, in part, to poor translations done after the war, these important documents have been overlooked by World War II historians. Steven H. Newton has collected, translated, and edited these accounts, including reports made by the Chiefs of Staff of Army Group South and the Fourth Panzer Army, and by the Army Group Center Operations Officer. As a result, a new and unprecedented picture of German strategy and operations is made available. The translated staff reports are supplemented by Newton's commentary and original research, which challenges a number of widely accepted ideas about this pivotal battle.

The riveting true story of Japan's top secret plan to change the course of World War II using a squadron of mammoth submarines a generation ahead of their time In 1941, the architects of Japan's sneak attack on Pearl Harbor planned a bold follow-up: a potentially devastating air raid—this time against New York City and Washington, DC. The classified Japanese program required developing a squadron of top secret submarines—the Sen-toku or I-400 class—designed as underwater aircraft carriers, each equipped with three Aichi M6A1 attack bombers painted to look like U.S. aircraft. The bombers, called Seiran (which translates as “storm from a clear sky”), were tucked in a huge, water-tight hanger on the sub’s deck. The subs' mission was to travel more than halfway around the world, surface on the U.S. coast, and launch their deadly air attack. This entire operation was unknown to U.S. intelligence. And the amazing thing is how close the Japanese came to pulling it off. John Geoghegan’s meticulous research, including first-person accounts from the I-401 crew and the U.S. capturing party, creates a fascinating portrait of the Sen-toku's desperate push into Allied waters and the U.S. Navy's dramatic pursuit, masterfully illuminating a previously forgotten story of the Pacific war.

Piper thought she could handle the Sahar, the most powerful magical weapon in existence. She thought she could protect her loved ones and stop a war. She thought she could make a difference. She was wrong, and her mistakes were paid for in blood. Leaving her world--and her failures--behind, she retreats to the Underworld with Ash and the other draconians. They forge deep into long-abandoned mountains, the first draconians to fly the valleys and passes in centuries--or so they thought. Until now, Ash's mysterious heritage has been nothing but a name, but his presence does not go unnoticed. A new danger stalks him, one that may be even greater than what they escaped. Cut off from the power she'd come to rely on and lost in a world where she doesn't belong, Piper has never felt so hopeless. But she must find her strength, and find it quickly, before she loses Ash to an ancient power he can't fight, before her home is devastated by the daemon war, and before her mind, body, and soul are consumed by the Sahar's insidious magic.