Wednesday, December 29, 2010

From the Pages - Hitler's Master of the Dark Arts

Hitler’s Nazi Party, at its evil roots, embraced a bizarre interpretation of ancient European paganism, blending it with fragments of other traditions from sources as diverse as tenth-century Saxon warlords, nineteenth-century spiritualism, and early-twentieth-century fringe archeology.

At the heart of the evil was Hitler’s “witch doctor,” Heinrich Himmler, and his stranger-than-fiction cult, the deadly SS. The mundanely named Schutzstaffel, literally “protective squadron,” was the very essence of Nazism, and their threatening double lightning bolt was one of the most dreaded symbols of the Third Reich. With good reason: what the SS was truly protecting was the ideology of Aryan superiority.
 
In the following excerpt from HITLER'S MASTER OF THE DARK ARTS, author Bill Yenne explores how Himmler and his SS doctors used of concentration-camp inmates as the subjects of many disturbing "scientific" experiments.  

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The cruelest corollary to the villainy institutionalized by Heinrich Himmler and SS Totenkopfverbände during World War II was probably the use of concentration-camp inmates in the furtherance of what the SS and its Ahnenerbe had the audacity to describe as “science.”

Again, their line of thinking stretched back into the nineteenth century to the Social Darwinists and their pseudoscientific belief in a racial hierarchy. When the Social Darwinists wrote of natural selection in human society, advocating the sidelining those in society who were considered inferior, they opened the door to those who considered the inferior human races to be not human at all. The same pseudoscience that gave the Nazis their excuse to eradicate the untermenschen like head lice gave the Nazis permission to use the untermenschen as lab rats.

The use of people from concentration camps for gruesome medical experiments was widespread, although it was not centrally directed, as the “ancestral research” conducted under the Ahnenerbe was. The SS functioned as a sort of medical foundation of the dark side, facilitating various projects with infrastructure, personnel, and, of course, human guinea pigs. Much of the funding and encouragement was filtered through the Institut für Wehrwissenschaftliche Zweckforschung (Institute for Military Scientific Research), which was set up within the Ahnenerbe and headed directly by Wolfram Sievers.

One of the most notorious of the SS doctors was Dr. Eduard Wirths, the primary physician at Auschwitz. Having become a member of the NSDAP while a medical student at Würzburg, he joined the Waffen SS in 1939. After suffering a heart attack on the Eastern Front in 1942, he was transferred to concentration-camp duty, first at Dachau and then at Auschwitz. It was at the latter that numerous medical experiments were conducted by SS doctors that were under Wirths’s direct command. He was particularly interested in experiments around the spread of typhus and in a large-scale project involving the removal of reproductive organs from live women, which were then sent to various institutes in Germany for study. Most of the subjects involved in both projects died as a result.

While Wirths supervised actual doctors, including those providing medical care to the übermensch SS personnel, he also had a number of doctors on his staff whose principal, or only, function at Aushwitz was “research” using human—or rather “subhuman”—subjects.

Conducting experiments on female subjects under Wirths at Auschwitz was Dr. Carl Clauberg, a prewar professor for gynecology at the University of Königsberg turned SS Gruppenführer. When it became established policy under the Final Solution to prevent the untermenschen from breeding, Clauberg approached Heinrich Himmler personally with a proposal to conduct experiments aimed at finding a practical method of mass sterilization. All he needed, implored Clauberg, was access to experimental subjects. Himmler sent Clauberg to Aushwitz in December 1942. There Clauberg experimented on both Jewish and Gypsy subjects, using drugs, acid, and radiation—almost always without anesthetic.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Beyond the Book - Q & A with Brian Stann ("Heart for the Fight")

From the collegiate football field to the battlefields of the Middle East and into the Octagon of the WEC and UFC, Brian Stann’s life has been one adrenaline-packed conflict after another. And while his sporting life has pushed him to physical and mental limits that would break even the most tough-as-nails characters, it is Stann’s experience as a Marine Corps platoon commander in Iraq that has most dramatically shaped the character, drive, and dogged determination of one of the brightest up-and-coming stars in mixed martial arts (MMA) today.

In the following interview, Stann talks about his new book Heart for the Fight, his preparation for and experiences on the battlefield and in the Octagon, and his work with Hire Heroes USA assisting returning veterans with finding employment.

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ZENITH PRESS: Before you ever set foot in the Octagon, you put your boots to the ground in Iraq. How did your first impression of the combat/war in Iraq compare with what you had envisioned and been trained for stateside?

BRIAN STANN: The war was what I expected it to be from my training. This is solely due to the Marine Corps ability to adapt their training to the current climate in both Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. My instructors had participated in these wars and were in constant contact with the front lines.

ZP: For those who have never served in the military, it can be difficult to understand just how strong the bonds can become between soldiers—in your case, Marines. Can you describe what that relationship has meant to you, both during your two tours in Iraq and in your life since?
BS: The men I led and served with are like family to me. No matter what they do or say, we are always committed to one another through the shared hardships and sacrifices we endured side by side.

ZP: How much of what you’ve learned through your military training and service—both mentally and physically—have you been able to harness and use in your MMA career?
BS: Much of what I developed in the military has aided me in my fighting career, discipline and commitment in my training, honor and courage while I fight. Both the military and mixed martial arts are martial cultures, therefore the intense training I received in the Marine Corps truly gives me an advantage in the sport of MMA.

ZP: Thus far in your career, you’ve been labeled first and foremost as a dangerous striker. Heavy hands aside, what do feel is the most improved area in your MMA skill-set?
BS: I have improved everything. I never stop training, specifically in between fights I like to concentrate on my weaknesses. I will train specific disciplines of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and wrestling to improve my overall skill set. I believe I have become a dangerous ground fighter, particularly when I am in top position reigning down strikes.

ZP: When not training for your next fight, you spend your days serving as president of Hire Heroes USA. Could you tell us a little about the mission of Hire Heroes USA?
BS: Hire Heroes USA’s mission is to offer transition assistance, job search assistance, and job placement services to those who have honorably served in the US military – and to their spouses – in order to reduce veteran unemployment. HHUSA prioritizes veterans statistically most likely to be unemployed: veterans of Operations IRAQI FREEDOM and ENDURING FREEDOM, and veterans that are wounded or disabled.

ZP: You’ve experienced and overcome more adversity in your young life than some people will experience in a lifetime. If you could have readers take one message from Heart for the Fight, what would that be?
BS: People are judged by their ability to cope with adversity and mistakes. Regardless of the difficulty, we all need to grow and learn from mistakes to improve as a person. This growth may not be a measured accomplishment by money, awards, or notoriety, but in the true measurement of a human beings character these accomplishments can be much more important.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Military Snapshot - U.S. Marines at Peleliu's Umurbrogol Mountains

The unforgiving terrain of Peleliu was a key reason why the battle to dislodge Japanese defenders was as deadly as it was for U.S. Marines. In this photo, Marines cautiously approach the face of the Umurbrogol Mountains, always keeping both eyes open for Japanese troops. Sheer walls and broken ground down to sea level characterized most of the terrain in the Umurbrogols. Photo courtesy of USMC Official Archives, from Islands of Hell: The U.S. Marines in the Western Pacific, 1944-1945 by Eric Hammel.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Aerospace Snapshot - White Knight and SpaceShipOne

Equally as important as the design of the SpaceShipOne itself was the design and creation of White Knight the jet-powered aircraft that would be responsible for launching the spacecraft. Although White Knight began flying about a year before SpaceShipOne, construction of both vehicles began at about the same time. High-strength, lightweight composite fiber/epoxy were used to build the primary structure of both vehicles. Photo Courtesy of Tyson V. Rininger, from SpaceShipOne: An Illustrated History by Dan Linehan.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

From the Pages - Predator

To the enemy, they are the modern war’s version of the angel of death. To friendlies below, they are a much different kind of angel. They are the remotely piloted aircraft (RPA)—the rarely seen, often-impactful aircraft of the 21st century battlefield. 

In the following excerpt from Predator: The Remote-Control Air War Over Iraq and Afghanistan: A Pilot's Story, LTC Matthew J. Martin recounts hunting insurgents in Fallujah, Iraq with his MQ-1 Predator.

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Hunting terrorists and insurgent fighters required indefatigable patience. The business of intelligence gathering was long, slow, tedious, unglamorous work only occasionally punctuated by intrigue and excitement. That was true whether in the clandestine “in the enemy’s camp” business or flying a reconnaissance RPA. We could have sent troops busting through Fallujah rooting out the cancer house by house, except that would have been extremely dangerous and would have taken a lot of troops. Fallujah was a big city. Instead, we used spies and informants on the ground and Predator in the air to locate and track bad guys until we could take them out. With prejudice.

The process of locating a suspected terrorist or an insurgency leader more or less followed a set pattern. It often began with some snitch sneaking up to one of the marine outposts that still ringed the city. Most of the time he came in the middle of the night to keep from being seen or recognized by his neighbors or fellow Iraqis. If al Qaeda learned of his perfidy, he became the next dead man hung from a light post or left beheaded in the middle of the street.

His motive for informing, therefore, had to be strong enough to overcome his fear. Frequently, he sought revenge for some slight or perceived wrong committed against him, which made the information he supplied less reliable than if he were prompted by mere greed. Greed produced the best information.

“I know of a house where they have many weapons. You pay me, I tell where it is . . .”

Monday, December 6, 2010

"War in Pacific Skies" Sweepstakes

Zenith Press would like to give aviation and history buffs everywhere a chance to win a free copy of Charlie and Ann Cooper's classic aviation art book War in Pacific Skies.

Available in paperback for the first time, War in Pacific Skies fuses art and history in accurate detail, complete with the personal insights of World War II combatants. Cover the most famous air engagements of the Pacific Theater, never-before-published photographs, artwork, and personal accounts bring to life the air battles at Pearl Harbor, Coral Sea, Midway, Guam, Tinian, the Philippines, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and more.

You can enter the contest one of two ways (see below)

Contest entry:
1) "Like" Zenith Press on Facebook AND let us know which Allied aircraft had the biggest impact on the war in the Pacific (as a comment on the Zenith Press Facebook page -- under the contest post).

or

2) Send us an email with your name and reply email address to “zenith (dot) press (at) hotmail.com” AND let us know which Allied aircraft had the biggest impact on the war in the Pacific.

Deadline for entries is 11:59 pm CST on Sunday, December 19, 2010. We will pick the winners on Monday, December 20, 2010.

Follow Zenith Press’ Facebook page and/or Zenith Press…The Blog to learn about future book contests, learn about new releases, read exclusive book excerpts, and much more!

*Terms and Conditions – This contest is for five (5) individually awarded copies of War in Pacific Skies to five contest winners drawn at random. Books will be new and provided by the publisher. All entrants must complete the entry task(s), or in case of any issues an email to zenith (dot) press (at) hotmail.com. One entry per household. All information provided will be kept confidential. Entries must be received by Sunday, December 19, 2010 at 11:59pm Central Standard Time. Contest winners will be drawn at random and notified after the close of the contest. The books will be shipped directly to the winners. US and Canadian residents only.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Military Snapshot - French Armored Division Preps for Battle

A French armored division manning American M4A2 Sherman medium tanks fills an assembly area. The XX Corps of Patton's Third Army included the 5th and 6th Infantry Divisions, as well as the Free French 2nd Armored Division, which had been trained and equipped by the U.S. Army. Photo courtesy of National Archives, from Patton's Third Army in World War II by Michael Green & James D. Brown.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

From the Pages - Naked in Da Nang

Searching for an elusive enemy, forward air controllers (FACs) in Vietnam flew low and slow, often offering themselves as bait to draw fire from NVA troops. In addition to the perils of enemy fire -- which ranged from lucky AK-47 shots to .51-caliber machine guns and SA-7 shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles -- they also had to watch out for B-52 Arc-Light strikes and friendly artillery fire. FACs were regarded by many of their aviator brethren as insane, suicidal, or both.

In the following exclusive excerpt from Naked in Da Nang: A Forward Air Controller in Vietnam, Mike Jackson recalls his experiences as a FAC during the Vietnam War and what they meant to him as the war moved further into his past.

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CHAPTER ONE - The FACs of Life

I shifted my weight from cheek to cheek and tried to count the American flags jutting across the angled aisles of Veterans Hall in Columbus, Ohio. As the unofficial poster child for attention deficit disorder, I have little patience with pomp and ceremony; in fact, I have little patience for much of anything. It’s a character trait that served me well in the military and above the jungles of Southeast Asia. But in the more relaxed setting of the real world, I often find myself stepping to the rhythm of a snare drum while everyone else marches to a more dignified bass beat.

Okay, Jackson, unclench your jaw, relax your neck, and chill. This shindig is partly to honor you, after all. The least you could do is try not to look like someone’s giving you an enema.

I heaved an inaudible sigh and peered past the edge of the stage, where my family and friends sat listening for my name and military history. Their cameras were poised in preparation for the moment when I would leave my orange plastic chair and collect the plaque, medal, and handshake that formalized my induction into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.

I shifted again. Sitting still has never been one of my strong suits, and it is complicated by the enduring pain of getting bounced on my head during a rocket attack in 1972. But today’s discomfort was only partly physical; something larger gnawed at my psyche. I was not at all comfortable with the event unfolding around me. I like to think I’ve got a pretty firm grasp on who I am and where I fall in the grand scheme of things, and I was certainly honored to be sitting on this stage, proud to be considered one of Ohio’s exemplary veterans.

But my mental hobgoblins were relentless in their quest for emotional integrity. How the heck does a regular guy from Tipp City, Ohio, end up being honored alongside soldiers who survived the Bataan Death March and earned the Medal of Honor? As proud as I am of my tenure as a United States Air Force officer, and my subsequent volunteer work with veterans, I wasn’t certain that any aspect of my career quite compared to the sacrifices and contributions of the men who surrounded me.

Then again, it wasn’t like me to step shyly away from the spotlight.

Sit back and enjoy yourself. You were nominated and selected; apparently someone has a more enlightened view of your accomplishments than you do. And this isn’t exactly the time or place to debate the issue.  

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Military Snapshot - Clearing a house in Fallujah

During Operation Phantom Fury, a soldier uses a weapon-mounted flashlight while clearing a darkened house in Fallujah. The poor visibility, coupled with household furniture and rubble, made clearing a building extremely hazardous. Insurgents used the debris -- furniture, bedding, and anything that offered cover and concealment -- for hardening in-house positions. Photo courtesy of Department of Defense, from Dick Camp's Operation Phantom Fury: The Assault and Capture of Fallujah, Iraq.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Book Sweepstakes - Naked in Da Nang

Looking for a good read as 2010 winds down? Well, lucky for you it's time for another book sweepstakes from Zenith Press...The Blog! 

For a limited time, visit our Contests/Sweepstakes page to enter to win one of three free copies of Mike Jackson's one-of-a-kind memoir Naked in Da Nang: A Forward Air Controller in Vietnam.

It's easy to enter and almost as easy to win!

Monday, October 25, 2010

From the Pages - Into the Viper's Nest


The Battle for Musa Qala is one of the single-most pivotal -- and deadly -- battles of the Afghan War to date. 

In the following exclusive excerpt from Into the Viper's Nest, author Stephen Grey details the harrowing opening salvos of the battle for the soldiers of 1 Fury -- the U.S. Army's elite 82nd Airborne paratroopers and the Afghan troops under their command.

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One Mile Southwest of Musa Qala, 0533 Hours
 
An American paratrooper stood in pitch darkness. He was catching his breath after a long march. As he smoked, he shielded the orange glow of his cigarette in the cup of his hands. He looked upward, and, as the tobacco burned down, the sky began to change. From the east came the dimmest of lights. One by one, the stars were snuffed out.

Then he heard in the wind the call to prayer. The words didn’t come from some loudspeaker. They were shouted in Arabic, as they had been for fifteen centuries, by a lone man standing on the roof of a town mosque.
 
Allahu Akbar
Ashhadu an la ilaha illa Allah
Ashadu anna Muhammadan Rasool Allah

 
God is Great
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah
I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah
Rise up for prayer
Rise up for Salvation
Prayer is better than sleep
Allah is Great
There is no god but Allah
 
One hundred yards from the American soldier and his platoon, a group of young Afghan men shook away their thin blankets. They leaned their weapons on the side of a mud-brick compound and prostrated themselves toward the holy city of Mecca. Few of these men doubted God’s will that today would be the day of shaheed, of holy martyrs.

The paratroopers of 1 Fury had been marching through most of the night, slowed down by their unexpected arrival at a more distant landing site. The absence of a moon did not help. The night-vision goggles they used were high-tech, but they worked by amplifying the ambient light. On utterly dark nights like this, with no illumination but the stars, they had all the clarity of a poorly tuned television set. It all made for hard going as, laden with supplies, the paratroopers had trudged on foot through a series of rocky desert ravines.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Military Snapshot - Task Force Gladius in Afghanistan

Soldiers from Bravo Company, Special Troops Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, Task Force Gladius wait for a CH-47 Chinook helicopter at the landing zone at Forward Operating Base Morales-Frazier on January 20, 2008. The Chinook will airlift them into the Surobi District of Afghanistan to protect another CH-47 that made a hard landing there. Department of Defense photo by Sgt. Johnny R. Aragon, U.S. Army, from Into the Viper's Nest: The First Pivotal Battle of the Afghan War by Stephen Grey.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Heart for the Fight sweepstakes winners!

Congratulations to our Heart for the Fight sweepstakes winners! The following entrants have won and author-signed copy of Brian Stann's inspiring new memoir:

• Paul Doerwang
• Chad Rhoades
• Robert Thomas
• Crystal Rainville
• Derek Phillipe
• Anthony Pope
• Peter Godin
• Monica Ness
• Nic Letresse
• Tony Fleming

Stay tuned to Zenith Press...The Blog and our Zenith Press Facebook Page for future sweepstakes and plenty of great information on new books from Zenith Press!




Tuesday, October 12, 2010

WWII Special Ops Training Tip - Defending the Strangle-hold

Compiled from authentic documents originally issued by the British SOE and American OSS, Special Ops 1939-1945: A Manual of Cover Warfare and Training provides insight into the training and techniques of Allied agents operating behind enemy lines during World War II. Today's lesson: defending the strangle-hold.


You are seized by the throat as in Fig. 23.  

1. Seize your opponent's right elbow with your left hand from underneath, your thumb to the right.

2. Reach over his arms and seize his right wrist with your right hand (Fig. 24).

3. Apply pressure on his left arm with your right, at the same time with a circular upward motion of your left hand, force his elbow towards your right side. This will break his hold of your throat and put him off balance (Fig. 25).

4. Keeping a firm grip with both hands, turn rapidly towards your right-hand side bringing your right leg to your right rear. Follow with edge of hand blow on his elbow (Fig. 26).

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Military Snapshot - Himmler and the SS leadership

The SS leadership, decked out in their black uniforms and Totenkopf caps. Heinrich Himmler is in the center of the front row, with glasses and mustache. The tall man to his right is Kurt Daluege, chief of the Ordnungspolizei (regular German police force). At the far right of the front row is SS Gruppenfuhrer Josef "Sepp" Dietrich, who headed the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, the Fuhrer's bodyguard detail. Photo from Hitler's Master of the Dark Arts: Himmler's Black Knights and the Occult Origins of the SS by Bill Yenne.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

"Heart for the Fight" Sweepstakes

Brian Stann is a fighter. Pure and simple. From the collegiate football field to the battlefields of the Middle East and into the Octagon of the WEC and UFC, Brian Stann’s life has been one adrenaline-packed conflict after another. And while his sporting life has pushed him to physical and mental limits that would break even the most tough-as-nails characters, it is Stann’s experience as a Marine Corps platoon commander in Iraq that has most dramatically shaped the character, drive, and dogged determination of one of the brightest up-and-coming stars in MMA today.

Now, Zenith Press is offering visitors of “Zenith Press…The Blog” an opportunity to win one of a ten autographed copies of Stann's inspiring, new memoir Heart for the Fight: A Marine Hero's Journey from the Battlefields of Iraq to Mixed Martial Arts Champion.

You can enter the contest one of two ways (see below)

Contest entry:
1) Become a Fan of Zenith Press on Facebook AND
let us know about a veteran/current serviceman or woman in your life -- be it a family member, friend, coworker or neighbor -- who has served their country with honor (as a comment on the Zenith Press Facebook page -- under the contest post).

or

2) Send us an email with your name and reply email address to “zenith (dot) press (at) hotmail.com” AND
let us know about a veteran or current serviceman or woman in your life -- be it a family member, friend, coworker or neighbor -- who has served their country with honor.

Deadline for entries is 11:59 pm CST on Tuesday, October 12, 2010. We will pick the winners on October 13, 2010.

Follow Zenith Press’ Facebook page and/or Zenith Press…The Blog to learn about future book contests, learn about new releases, read exclusive book excerpts, and much more!

*Terms & Conditions – This contest is for ten (10) individually awarded, author-signed copies of Heart for the Fight to ten contest winners drawn at random. Books will be new and provided by the publisher. All entrants must complete the entry task(s), or in case of any issues an email to zenith (dot) press (at) hotmail.com. One entry per household. All information provided will be kept confidential. Entries must be received by Tuesday, October 12, 2010 at 11:59pm Central Standard Time. Contest winners will be drawn at random and notified after the close of the contest. The books will be shipped directly to the winners. US &Canadian residents only.

Friday, September 24, 2010

From the Pages - The U.S. Marines at Hill 142

In a U.S. Marine Corps legacy filled with honorable men and honorable moments, Belleau Wood stands out as perhaps its most memorable. In a battle that lasted most of June 1918, the Marines made six bloody sweeps into the meadows within Belleau Wood during the German Spring Offensive. Facing massed German machine guns, the carnage was terrible. The 4th Marine Brigade persevered, however, and the Spring Offensive—which had threatened to overwhelm French and British forces before the Americans even joined the battle—would never regain its momentum.

In the following excerpt from The Devil Dogs at Belleau Wood, author Dick Camp details the Marines advance on Hill 142--one of the deadliest and most unforgiving machine gun fortifications U.S. troops would face in the entire war.
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Marine Brigade Field Order No. 1 issued 10:25 p.m., June 5: 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, supported by 8th and 23rd Machine Gun companies, will attack at 3:45 a.m. to seize Hill 142. Hill 142, a tree-covered ridge running two kilometers generally north to south, was flanked by dry streambeds, heavy with thick undergrowth. The ridge itself was a jumble of dense underbrush, boulder strewn, undulating terrain that provided a perfect defense. The northern portion of the ridge and the eastern edge were steep and covered with bush. A three-hundred-meter waist-high wheat field sloped gently upward from the Marine position to the crest of the pine-covered hill.

By three o’clock on the morning of June 6, the brigade was organized: the 1st and 2nd battalions of the 5th Regiment and the 2nd and 3rd battalions of the 6th Regiment formed the front line. The 2nd Battalion of the 5th Regiment and the 1st Battalion of the 6th Regiment made up the reserves. The companies of the 6th Machine Gun Battalion were distributed among the battalions on the front.

The German defense of Hill 142 placed three fresh companies of the 237th Infantry Division squarely in the path of the Marine attack. Additional reserves were located within easy striking distance to be used as a counterattack force. Each company had an effective strength of between ninety and one hundred men and had six light and two heavy machine guns within its table of organization. The men holding Hill 142 were not considered attack troops. Rather, they were specially trained “sector-holding” troops, whose sole job was to defend and hold critical terrain.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Military Snapshots - One tank down for the 1/1 Cav


With a legacy as one of the most battle-honored units in the U.S. Army's history, the 1/1 Cavalry squadron was at its best during 1967–1968, at the height of General Westmoreland’s war of attrition against the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese. Soldiers in the squadron earned a Medal of Honor, four Distinguished Service Crosses, and thousands of Silver Stars, Bronze Stars, and Purple Hearts during savage battles in places like Tam Ky, the Que Son Valley, the Pineapple Forest, Hill 34, Cigar Island, and Tien Phuoc. In this photo, platoon Sergeant Boyd’s badly damaged tank, A-15, being loaded onto a Dragon Wagon by two M-88s, March 1968. Photo courtesy of John Guzik, from Search and Destroy: The Story of an Armored Cavalry Squadron in Vietnam: 1-1 Cav, 1967–1968 by Keith Nolan.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Beyond the Book - Q & A with Eric Hammel, author of "Islands of Hell"

Acclaimed military historian and author Eric Hammel has spent decades researching the U.S. Marine Corps role in the Pacific during World War II. The result are a handful of comprehensive and authoritative illustrated histories—the most complete resources ever produced on the U.S. Marine Corps’ combat during World War II.

His most recent book, Islands of Hell: The U.S. Marines in the Western Pacific, 1944-1945, follows the U.S. Marines through the latter portion of the war in the Pacific, including momentous battles at Tinian, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

In the following interview, Hammel talks about the Pacfic War, the brave men who fought it, and what researching and writing each of his books has meant to him.

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ZENITH PRESS: With dozens of books covering the history of the U.S. Marine Corps to your credit, it is clear that you hold a deep respect and admiration for the men and women who wear the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor. What first drew you to writing about the USMC and its history? 

ERIC HAMMEL: It really was a combination of reasons. I was born right after the end of World War II. My father and most of the fathers of friends served. I have always been aware of the war. I was allowed to take adult books out of the Free Library of Philadelphia local branch when I was in third grade. For some reason, my first pick was Guadalcanal Diary by Richard Tregaskis. That kind of set the pace; it drew me to the Pacific War, in which my father had served (as a U.S. Army front-line medic). Somehow, I was imprinted by all of that on the Marines.



Friday, September 10, 2010

Military Snapshots - Bravo Company Marines in Hue City

From February 3-6, 1968, U.S. Marines fighting to retake Hue City would encounter some of the fiercest combat of the battle in what has been referred to as "The Six-Block War." Bravo/1/1 was thrown into clearing operations as soon as it reached Hue on the afternoon of February 3. These, Bravo Company Marines quickly waded into a fight with an NVA .51-caliber machine gun that caught them on the wrong side of a masonry wall. Official USMC Photo by Sergeant Bruce Atwell, from Marines in Hue City: A Portrait of Urban Combat, Tet 1968 by Eric Hammel.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

They Said It . . .

"I could see out. It was only a short time before I could hear the crack of small arms fire and see puffs of antiaircraft gunfire.

"Shortly after, the plane started filling with smoke. As I looked across the plane, I noticed Lieutenant [Isidore D.] Rynkiewicz had been hit in the left knee and Hatfield, the BAR man, was hit on the back of his hand. To my right, a trooper was on the floor of the plane. I think it was [Private First Class Everett R.] Rideout.

"I remember saying, 'Let's get the hell out of here' and we started standing up. The air force sergeant dove out the door of the plane. Within seconds, the plane was so full of smoke you could not see anything. Some men near the cockpit of the plane started coughing, and we were pushing for the door.

"At that time, myself and others fell through the floor of the plane. We were hooked up, and when my chute opened, I could smell flesh and see skin hanging from my face and hand. I had released my rifle when the flames burned my hands."
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Eighteen-year-old George Willoughby, a private in the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, on his experience during the regiment's combat jump into the Netherlands as part of "Operation Market Garden." From More Than Courage: The Combat History of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment in World War II by Phil Nordyke.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Army Air Corps

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Aviation Snapshots - Airbus A380


The Airbus A380 SuperJumbo was the star of the 45th Farnborough International Air Show, held in England, between July 17 and 23, 2006. Located thirty miles southwest of London, the seven-day, biennial international trade fair for the aerospace business, ranks among the most important airs shows in the industry in terms of exhibitors and attendance. In this photo, the Airbus A380 makes a historic flyby with the Red Arrows. Photo courtesy of David Maxwell, from Airbus A380: SuperJumbo on World Tour.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

From the Pages - Search and Destroy


Recognized as the U.S. Army's most battle-honored unit, the 1/1 Cav furthered their stellar reputation in combat during their tenure in Vietnam. An integral outfit in General Westmoreland's war of attrition, the 1/1 Cav was recognized as one of the most aggressive and professional outfits in the entire American military -- earning a Medal of Honor, four Distinguished Service Crosses, and thousands of Silver Stars, Bronze Stars, and Purple Hearts.

In the following exclusive excerpt from Search and Destroy:The Story of an Armored Cavalry Squadron in Viet Nam, late-author Keith Nolan describes the 1/1 Cav's experiences during Tết from January–February 1968.
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The war usually shut down during Tết, a holiday of great religious and familial significance that ushers in the Lunar New Year. In this instance, General Westmoreland canceled the holiday cease-fire in I Corps on January 29, concerned as he was about the encirclement of the marines at Khe Sanh in the northwest corner of the country: the view at MACV was that the communists, pushed to the hinterlands and on the verge of defeat, were planning in their desperation a spectacular recreation of the siege of Diện Biên Phu.

Unbeknownst to Westmoreland, the communists hoped not only to take Khe Sanh—presuming that the siege was not simply a ruse—but had been planning since the summer of ’67 to use the 1968 Tết cease-fire as cover for an unprecedented wave of attacks designed to topple the regime in Sài Gòn. The onslaught would be known to a shocked world as the Tết Offensive.

Emerging from the jungle, the enemy planned to strike for the first time the urban centers of the country and win the war in a single decisive moment: surely, the ARVN would shatter under the blow of a hundred sledgehammers striking a hundred towns and cities, the urban masses would rally to the revolution, the government would fall, and the United States would be left with no option but to negotiate a withdrawal from South Việt Nam.

Jumping the gun, certain enemy units attacked five cities in the northern part of the country shortly after midnight on January 30, the first day of Tết, and a full twenty-four hours before the offensive was scheduled to begin. Other, smaller flare-ups included a brief attack on Thăng Bình ten kilometers northwest of Hill 29 on Highway 1. Government troops drove off the VC even before a reaction force arrived from C Troop of the 1-1 Cavalry. Elsewhere, the festivities began on schedule with feasts and firecrackers. At the time, half of Sài Gòn’s army was home on leave.



Wednesday, September 1, 2010

New Release - Naked in Da Nang

When was the last time a Vietnam memoir truly touched your heart...and made you laugh out loud? Or when did you last read a book or see a film that vividly captured the broad spectrum of human emotions? And how often has one man’s inspirational story made you want to stand up and cheer? Naked In Da Nang does all that...and much more. Few combat memoirs have ever painted a more compelling portrait of the hopes, fears and motivations of the average American GI. Naked In Da Nang successfully reaches out to all branches of the military, all living veterans, and civilian audiences, as well, male and female alike.

Like the wildly successful "We Were Soldiers Once…And Young," Naked In Da Nang is helping to redefine America's perception of her Vietnam veterans. Armed with the biting wit of MASH, the historical accuracy of We Were Soldiers, and the innocent nostalgia of TV’s The Wonder Years, Naked In Da Nang presents a main character who is likeable, sardonic and courageous, usually in spite of himself.

The bitter, brooding, traumatized soldier who finds solace in drugs, alcohol or insanity is not now - and never was - the norm, as underscored by the fundamental decency of Naked In Da Nang. The book's accurate yet warmly colorful portrayal of the Vietnam GI has struck a nerve across America and throughout all branches of the military. In fact, Naked In Da Nang inspired Operation Welcome Home, the nationwide "welcome home" celebration for America's veterans of Southeast Asia, which took place across America in 2005, culminating in a huge Las Vegas, NV event over Veterans' Day weekend last year.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Military Snapshots - The German A7V tank


The A7V was the only German tank to make it into production during World War I. Twenty-four A7Vs were built compared to the roughly 8,000 tanks built by the British and French in that conflict. Photo courtesy of Patton Museum of Armor and Cavalry, from Tanks by Michael Green & James D. Brown

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Military Snapshots - Aerial view of Betio during World War II




The western half of Betio (i.e., the invasion area) as seen from a B-24 during a bombing mission in October 1943. The invasion beaches are at the top of the photo (north) and run from left (west) to right: Red-1, Red-2, and Red-3 (obscured by smoke). Some barbed-wire barriers, trenches, and roadways can be seen. The T-shaped structures along the beaches are overwater latrines. Official Signal Corps Photo, from Tarawa and the Marshalls: A Pictorial Tribute by Eric Hammel

Monday, August 16, 2010

From the Pages - Hell Hawks!

As gifted as the pilots of the 365th Fighter Group were in air-to-air combat, these aviators were perhaps best known for pioneering many air-to-ground combat techniques. From Normandy to Germany, the men known as the "Hell Hawks" would wreak insurmountable havoc upon German troops, armor, airfields, and supply lines. In the following excerpt from Hell Hawks! The Untold Story of the American Fliers Who Savaged Hitler's Wehrmacht, authors Robert F. Dorr and Thomas D. Jones describe several of the Hell Hawks' harrowing experiences attacking the retreating German troops across France in September 1944.

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As the German army fled to the relative safety of their own frontier, scourged by flights of merciless Thunderbolts, Lightnings, and Typhoons, the Hell Hawks raced into the arms of newly liberated Paris. Trucked to the base of the Eiffel Tower, the first wave of men found the streets full of women eager to please Americans. Wrote Johnson, “It was impossible to go more than a block without being propositioned several times. Few of the men spent much time on their feet while in Paris.”

A 386th intelligence officer later wrote of the experience: “Beautiful, friendly Paris, with its lovely and fascinating, and wicked women, was the downfall of practically the entire squadron, officers and men alike. Only by tremendous efforts of willpower were most of us able to drag our frayed and worn out bodies homeward long enough to make a half-hearted attempt to carry on the war—and to recuperate for yet another orgy.”

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Military Snapshots - The Barracks at Stalag XII A

For POWs being held at Stalag XIIA in Limburg an der Lahn, Germany, basic survival was a daily struggle. For Jewish-American POW Ivan Goldstein, that struggle came with added dangers. Shown in this photo is the barracks of Stalag XII A -- a cold, dirty barn housing American prisoners, including Goldstein. Photo courtesy of The Granger Collection, New York, from Surviving the Reich: The World War II Saga of a Jewish-American GI by Ivan Goldstein.

Friday, August 6, 2010

From the Pages - War Stories of the Battle of the Bulge

The 84th Infantry Division formed part of the American Ninth Army, based north of the Ardennes, and was transferred to the First Army a few days after the German attack began. The battle-tested 334th Infantry Regiment, which Albert Garland belonged to, was the first into Belgium and held its place in the front lines with heavy artillery support. In the following excerpt from War Stories of the Battle of the Bulge, Garland describes serving on the front lines during the initial German attack and American response.
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On the morning of December 20, 1944,I was a first lieutenant commanding Company L, 334th Infantry Regiment, 84th Infantry Division. For the past month, we had been in almost continuous action as part of the U.S. XIII Corps, Ninth U.S. Army, in and around the north German towns of Prummern, Beeck, Wurm, and Lindern. (For part of that month, we were under the operational control of the British XXX Corps, then commanded by Lt. Gen. Brian Horrocks.) Our primary objective from the beginning was the Roer River, and we were getting close to it despite strong German resistance and miserable conditions.

I had been told the previous evening that our battalion—the 3rd Battalion—was being pulled out of the lines for a short stay at the division’s rest center at Eygelshoven, a small Dutch town that lay just across the border some ten to twelve miles from our present location. I had also been told that my mess crew and its equipment was going there right after it had delivered a hot breakfast on the 20th, and that I could expect a number of two-and-a-half-ton trucks to reach me shortly after the mess crew departed. These trucks would take my company to Eygelshoven, at which time I would release them to their parent unit. (If I remember correctly, these trucks belonged to a quartermaster truck company, one of several such units then supporting the division.)

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Military Snapshots - Japanese "Nells" over Rabaul

The first Japanese attack on Rabaul was made by Navy Type 96 land attack aircraft (Mitsubishi G3M "Nells") from Truk on January 4, 1942. Although nearly obsolete by Japanese standards, the bombers were untouched by Australian antiaircraft guns or interceptors. Photo courtesy of Ron Werneth, from Fortress Rabaul: The Battle for the Southwest Pacific, January 1942-April 1943 by Bruce Gamble

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Pacific War Book Sweepstakes!

PACIFIC WAR SWEEPSTAKES

With the airing of HBO's "The Pacific" complete, millions of viewers were able to see one vision of the U.S. Marines' combat in the Pacific during World War II. Now, Zenith Press and esteemed military historian Eric Hammel would like to bring the real images of the Pacific War to you!

Zenith Press is offering visitors of “Zenith Press…The Blog” an opportunity to win one of a three prize packs containing two of Eric Hammel's critically acclaimed illustrated histories of the U.S. Marines legendary march across the Pacific -- Pacific Warriors: The U.S. Marines in World War II and Iwo Jima: Portrait of a Battle.

You can enter the contest one of two ways (see below)

Contest entry:
1) Become a Fan of Zenith Press on Facebook AND share your thoughts
about the combat of the U.S. Marines in the Pacific as a comment on the Zenith Press Facebook page (under the contest post).

or

2) Send us an email with your name and reply email address to “zenith (dot) press (at) hotmail.com” AND share share your thoughts about the combat of the U.S. Marines in the Pacific.

Deadline for entries is 11:59 pm CST on Sunday, August 8, 2010. We will pick the winners on August 9, 2010.

Follow Zenith Press’ Facebook page and/or Zenith Press…The Blog to learn about future book contests, learn about new releases, read exclusive book excerpts, and much more!

*Terms & Conditions – This contest is for the two-volume set of Eric Hammel’s Pacific Warriors and Iwo Jima to 3 contest winners drawn at random. Books will be new and provided by the publisher. All entrants must complete the entry task(s), or in case of any issues an email to zenith (dot) press (at) hotmail.com. One entry per household. All information provided will be kept confidential. Entries must be received by Sunday, August 8, 2010 at 11:59pm Central Standard Time. Contest winners will be drawn at random and notified after the close of the contest. The books will be shipped directly to the winners. US & Canadian residents only.


Friday, July 23, 2010

Military Snapshots - Approaching Binh Son

U.S. Marines cautiously approach the village of Binh Son (1) in the Que Son Valley on April 21, 1967, during Operation Union I. The battle would become much enlarged as the Marines committed assets to deal with a very large enemy force. Operation Union I would last nearly a month and prove costly to both U.S. and North Vietnamese forces. Photo courtesy of USMC, from Road of 10,000 Pains: The Destruction of the 2nd NVA Division by the U.S. Marines, 1967 by Otto J. Lehrack.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Zenith Slide Show - A Hundred Feet Over Hell

 
From 1968-1969, a select group of aviators strapped into the cockpits of their two-seat, propeller-driven Cessna O-1 Bird Dogs and went to war in Vietnam. As forward observers, they flew hundreds of feet above one of the deadliest battlefields in modern history, all in an airplane no larger than a small pickup truck. In the process, they saved the lives of thousands of American servicemen. They were pilots. They were heroes. They were the Catkillers. A Hundred Feet Over Hell tells their story.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Military Snapshots - Bristol's Bastards at Camp Shelby


Specialist Nick Maurstad and the fellow members of the 1st Brigade of the 34th Infantry Division -- the "Red Bulls" -- stand on the parade field at Camp Shelby. Maurstad and the men of the 2nd Battalion, 136th Infantry fought alongside the Marine Corps in Anbar province through the deadliest period of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Bravo Company earned the nickname "Bristol's Bastards" after USMC Colonel George Bristol, commanding officer of the 11th Marine Regiment, adopted this band of fierce warriors as one of his own. Photo courtesy of Minnesota National Guard, from Bristol's Bastards: In Iraq with the 2nd Battalion, 136 Infantry of the Minnesota National Guard by Nicholas Maurstad and Darwin Holmstrom.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

From the Pages - War Stories of D-Day

The German military, who had long expected the Allied invasion of France, were well aware of the threat posed by paratroopers and glider infantry. In the following excerpt from War Stories of D-Day: Operation Overlord: Jun 6, 1944, Clinton Riddle of the 325th Glider Infantry describes his first taste of battle aboard a U.S. glider on D-Day.
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Our training in England was more or less routine—close-order drill, forced march, double timing, hand-to-hand combat training, firing ranges, glider rides, field problems both day and night, inspections, and parades. We became famous later on as the 82nd became the Honor Guard in Berlin.

On May 29, we packed up and moved by trucks to Leicester. From there, we went by train to near Ramsbury. June 2 was spent in studying sand tables and maps of the French coast. We were also shown the location of some of the gun emplacements. All of our movements were confined to camp. We couldn’t talk to anyone except our closest friends.

June 4 and 5 were days of just waiting in camp. The preparations had been made and everything was moving toward a departure in a few hours. My uniform for battle was combat jacket and pants, steel helmet with a first-aid kit tied in the front of the helmet, GI shoes and leggings with a trench knife strapped on my leg, combat pack with rations, shelter half, M1 rifle, ammunition belt, canteen, and a small American flag on the right shoulder of my jacket. I also carried some extra ammunition and a gas mask.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Aviation Snapshots - MH-53J Pave Low III

The MH-53J Pave Low III heavy-lift helicopter is the largest and most powerful helicopter in the Air Force inventory, and the most technologically advanced helicopter in the world. The Pave Low is equipped with armor plating, a combination of three 7.62mm miniguns or .50 caliber machine guns, and a retractable in-flight refueling probe, as seen here. Photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force, from Leave No Man Behind: The Saga of Combat Search and Rescue by George Galdorisi and Thomas Phillips

Friday, July 9, 2010

From the Pages - Iftach Spector and the Attack on the USS Liberty (from "Loud and Clear")


On June 8, 1967, in the midst of the Six Day War, Israeli fighter planes and motor torpedo boats attacked an unidentifiable naval vessel in international waters north of the Sinai Peninsula. What was believed by pilots to be an enemy ship would, in fact, turn out to be the USS Liberty, a neutral United States Navy technical research ship.
          While senior Israeli government and military officials list the Liberty incident as a tragic case of mistaken identity, some sources claim the attack was premeditated; an effort to prevent what was viewed by the Israeli military as a “spy ship” from reporting on Israeli intentions during the Six-Day War.
          Iftach Spector was one of the first pilots involved in the attack on the Liberty. In the following exclusive excerpt from his book, Loud and Clear: The Memoir of an Israeli Fighter Pilot, Spector replays the tragic and confusing events of June 8, 1967.
 
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On the fourth day of the Six-Day War, my two-ship section, code-named Kursa, was sent to patrol over the Suez Canal. My wingman was Lieutenant Y. The Mirage fighter I flew had been armed for aerial combat with one Matra 530 air-to-air, French-made heavy missile, and two 30mm cannons with antiaircraft explosive rounds.
           On our way westward I observed again, as in the morning, a big ship cruising off El-Arish, an Egyptian town on the Sinai coast where battles were still taking place. And again, as in the morning, I reported it to central control. This ship stood out like a sore thumb in the empty sea, and every pilot who passed had reported her, so I was not surprised when there was no particular reaction to my report. We continued to the west, looking for some MiG activity.
 
           For a time we circled over the Suez Canal with nothing happening, and then we got a call from air control. The controller ordered us to leave our patrol area and go check the identity of a ship that was sailing off El-Arish. It was instantly clear that the vessel was the same one we had seen before; it was the only ship around. So we turned north and headed out to sea, and after some vectoring I saw her again in the distance. I set my wingman in a swept-back formation and approached her.