This is the story of the 320th Glider Field Artillery Battalion (GAFBN). It is also the story of virtue of the 105 mm howitzer. The 320th Battalion was one of several battalions in the Eighty-Second Airborne Division. There was the 319th, 320th, 325th battalions as well as the kitchen and headquarters battalions. Also, included in the Eighty-Second Airborne Division were several paratrooper battalions numbered in the five hundreds. The 320th was composed of six gun crews to man the 105 mm howitzers. Each crew consisted of a gun crew chief as well as five or six crew members. The 320th gun crew chiefs were Sergeant Tuzzie, the first gun crew, Sergeant Sackett, Sergeant Swain, Sergeant Sword, Sergeant Parker, and Sergeant Rehenquist. In each crew, there were two breech men and a soldier in charge of the lanyard. There were several sizes of howitzers. There was the 75 mm pack mule howitzer, the 105 mm howitzer, the 155 mm howitzer, and the 220 mm long-barrel howitzer. The 105 mm howitzer was the only one adapted to fit a glider to make it airborne. It was shortened to fit into the glider. It was at the infamous Mt. Casino in Italy, which had a sharp cliff with a drop of about nine hundred to a thousand feet, which the snub-nosed 105 mm howitzers were dug in, with their barrels pointing almost straight up. This cliff gave the enemy a complete view and control over the valley below. Their positions along the top made it almost impossible to shoot or hit either the men or emplacements. The small arms fires or shells would go over the ridge and land beyond their positions. From this angle at the base of the cliff, the artillery shells of the 105 mm snub-nosed howitzers could be landed along the ridge which made the Krauts, as they were called, scramble to get away from the devastating fire so accurately hitting their positions. It was learned later that the Germans had no idea where the shelling came from or why it was so accurate.

One of the earliest great stories of English literature after ?Beowulf?, ?Sir Gawain? is the strange tale of a green knight on a green horse, who rudely interrupts King Arthur's Round Table festivities one Yuletide, challenging the knights to a wager. Simon Armitrage, one of Britain's leading poets, has produced an inventive and groundbreaking translation that " helps] liberate ?Gawain ?from academia" (?Sunday Telegraph?).

A significant contribution to the history of the political life and culture of the later medieval aristocracy. MAURICE KEEN Orders of lay knights - the most famous of which are those of the Garter and the Golden Fleece - were founded at some time between 1325 and 1470 in almost every kingdom of Western Christendom, and played an important part in the life of the court. Jonathan Boulton defines the "monarchical" orders as those with corporate statutes which attached the presidential office to the crown of the princely founder, or made it hereditary in his house. Modelled eitherdirectly or indirectly on the fictional society of the Round Table, they incorporated varying numbers of elements borrowed from the older religious orders of knighthood and from contemporary institutions. This study explores the nature and history of thirteen orders, and reveals them as not only an ingenious supplement to (or replacement for) the feudo-vassalic ties that still bound the leading members of the nobility to their sovereign, but also as the most important institutional embodiments of the secular ideals of chivalry that were at the heart of the international court culture of the age. JONATHAN BOULTON teaches at the University of Notre Dame.

This edition of one of the classic Middle English romances gives the original text side by side with a sensitive modern translation.

The propriety of my writing a History of Chivalry, as a companion to my History of the Crusades, was suggested to me by a friend whose acquaintance with middle-age lore forms but a small portion of his literary attainments, and whose History of Italy shows his ability of treating, as well as his skill in discovering, subjects not hitherto discussed with the fulness which their importance merits. The works of Menestrier and Colombiere sleep in the dust of a few ancient libraries; and there are only two other books whose express and entire object is a delineation of the Institutions of chivalry. The first and best known is the French work called “Mémoires sur l’ancienne Chevalerie; considérée comme un Etablissement Politique et Militaire. Par M. de la Curne de Sainte Palaye, de l’Académie Françoise,” &c. 2 tom. 12mo. Paris, 1759. The last half, however, of the second volume does not relate to chivalry, and therefore the learned Frenchman cannot be charged with treating his subject at very great length. It was his purpose to describe the education which accomplished the youth for the distinction of knighthood, and this part of his work he has performed with considerable success. But he failed in his next endeavour, that of painting the martial games of chivalry, for nothing can be more unsatisfactory than his account of jousts and tournaments. As he wished to inform his readers of the use which was made in the battle field of the valour, skill, and experience of knights, a description of some of the extraordinary and interesting battles of the middle ages might have been expected. Here also disappointment is experienced; neither can any pleasure be derived from perusing his examination of the causes which produced the decline and extinction of chivalry, and his account of the inconveniences which counterbalanced the advantages of the establishment. Sainte Palaye was a very excellent French antiquarian; but the limited scope of his studies disqualified him from the office of a general historian of chivalry. The habits of his mind led him to treat of knighthood as if it had been the ornament merely of his own country. He very rarely illustrates his principles by the literature of any other nation, much less did he attempt to trace their history through the various states of Europe. He has altogether kept out of sight many characteristic features of his subject. Scarcely any thing is advanced about ancient armour; not a word on the religious and military orders; and but a few pages, and those neither pleasing nor correct, on woman and lady-love. The best executed part of his subject regards, as I have already observed, the education of knights; and he has scattered up and down his little volume and a half many curious notices of ancient manners.

Revised by John V. Noel, Jr., Captain, U.S. Navy [Ret.] Associate Editors: Commander Frank E. Bassett, U.S. Navy [Ret.] Dr. Carvel Blair and Prof. Dee Fitch Steer by this venerable guide to shiphandling and safety and you’ll easily see why, since publication of the first edition 83 years ago, it has been the single-most trusted "beacon" for millions of pleasure boaters and professional seamen alike. Now in its eighteenth edition, Knight’s Modern Seamanship continues the salty tradition of its predecessors. It supplies all the navigation techniques, safety laws and procedures, and maintenance practices you need to make each ocean-going trip safe and enjoyable. Typhoon up ahead? Knight’s explains the effects of weather on ocean travel and spells out exactly what you have to do to avoid dangerous weather systems. What kind of communication equipment should you have on board? A new section on ship communications tells you how to select and operate modern communication devices. This eighteenth edition also provides you with new sections on channel marking, towing and salvage, and the maritime buoyage system. Updated guidance is given on: the rules of the road—you get clear explanations of right of way, the use of radar to avoid collisions, and the law in fog; included is the complete text of the Inland Navigational Rules Act of 1980. Every vessel over 12 meters in length is required by law to have a copy of these rules on board. shiphandling—you’ll find expert discussions on docking, mooring, and anchoring; helicopter operations; and ice seamanship ship and boat operation—you get concise explanations of ship structure and stability, propulsion and steering, ground tackle, and cargo handling and underway replenishment You’ll even learn the art of knotting and splicing. Without a doubt, Knight’s Modern Seamanship, Eighteenth Edition, is your foremost guide to mastering the lore of the sea. It is an indispensable reference source for pleasure boaters, merchant marine personnel, and anyone who needs expert seagoing advice.