Christer Jorgensen

When Pope Urban II called European Christianity to stem the expansion of Islamic states into Europe, he set off a train of events that would last many hundreds of years and have far reaching political and economic consequences. Battles of the Crusades introduces 20 key battles from this period of religiously inspired conflict in Europe and the Middle East. Beginning with the battle of Dorylaeum (1097) and finishing with the battle of Varna (1444), examples from every era and campaign are featured. Apart from such well-known encounters as Antioch, Jerusalem and Harran, battles between the Crusader states and their Muslim neighbours include Montgisard and Saladin’s destruction of the Crusader army at Hattin. Beyond the Middle East, featured battles include the Christian recapture of Lisbon and the massacre of the Albigensians at Beziers in France. Battles from the Reconquista of Spain and the expansion of the Teutonic Knights make this a rounded account of 500 years of religious conflict. Each entry includes a contextual introduction, a concise description of the action, and an analysis of the aftermath. A specially commissioned colour map illustrating movement of forces brings the subject to life and helps the reader to grasp the development of the battle. With more than 200 colour and black-and-white maps, artworks, and photographs, Battles of the Crusades provides an accessible introduction to key engagements of the Medieval era. Designed for both the general reader and enthusiast, the book is an essential companion for anyone interested in the warfare and tactics of the Middle Ages.

Til alle tider har store slag endret verdensordenen. Da Cæsar beseiret gallerne ved Alesia i år 52, kunne Romerriket vokse og bli Europas viktigste politiske enhet. Etter at Nordstatene slo tilbake Sørstatene ved Gettysburg i 1863, ble slaveriet avskaffet på det nordamerikanske kontinentet. Og moderne krigføring endret seg drastisk da britene tok i bruk stridsvogner i stor skala ved Cambrai i 1917. Slagene som endret historien er en engasjerende guide til mer enn 45 av historiens viktigste slag, fra oldtidens Megiddo til vår tids Operation Iraqi Freedom. Du kan lese om store strateger som Aleksander den store, Hannibal, Napoleon og Lord Nelson, og om hvordan utviklingen av våpen og militær taktikk endret måten å gå til angrep - og forsvare seg - på. Boken er rikt illustrert, og hvert kapittel er utstyrt med detaljerte, taktiske kart som viser de stridende partenes stillinger og forflytninger.

'In the past the German General Staff had taken no interest in the military history of wars in the north and east of Europe. Nobody had ever taken into account the possibility that some day German divisions would have to fight and to winter in northern Karelia and on the Murmansk coast.' (Lieutenant-General Waldemar Erfurth, German Army). Despite this statement, the German Army's first campaign in the far north was a great success: between April and June 1940 German forces totalling less than 20,000 men seized Norway, a state of three million people, for minimal losses. Hitler's Arctic War is a study of the campaign waged by the Germans on the northern periphery of Europe between 1940 and 1945. As Hitler's Arctic War makes clear, the emphasis was on small-unit actions, with soldiers carrying everything they needed - food, ammunition and medical supplies - on their backs. The terrain placed limitations on the use of tanks and heavy artillery, while lack of airfields restricted the employment of aircraft. Hitler's Arctic War also includes a chapter on the campaign fought by Luftwaffe aircraft and Kriegsmarine ships and submarines against the Allied convoys supplying the Soviet Union with aid. However, Wehrmacht resources committed to Norway and Finland were ultimately an unnecessary drain on the German war effort. Hitler's Arctic War is a ground-breaking study of how war was waged in the far north and its effects on German strategy.

Fighting Techniques of Naval Warfare describes the fighting techniques of navies throughout the ages, from ancient times to the present day. The book explores the tactics and strategy required to win battles with the technology available, and points out how the development of such weapons changed the face of naval warfare. Divided into five sections, the text first examines the ancient methods of fighting at sea. Fighting Techniques of Naval Warfare describes why some navies and admirals were more effective than others, and why certain tactics were successful or not. Progressing through the ages, each section contains four key battles illustrated with maps to highlight the tactics in vogue at the time, while the accompanying text describes the equipment used by navies of the period. The battles featured include Actium, Sluys, the Armada, Sacheon, Quiberon Bay, Lake Erie, and Jutland. Using specially-commissioned colour and black-and-white artworks to illustrate the battles, equipment and tactics of the era, Fighting Techniques of Naval Warfare shows in detail the methods by which navies gained and lost ascendancy on the oceans.

En spännande skildring om det politiska spelet i Sverige inför det tyska anfallet på Sovjetunionen, men också om hur en ung doktorand censurerades av Försvarsstaben, UD och försvarsdepartementet men till slut räddades av Olof Palme. Leif Björkmans lic.avhandling Sverige inför operation Barbarossa fick högsta betyg (A) och hemligstämplades 1970 av försvarsstaben. De hade upptäckt - vilket historikern Christer Jörgensen beskriver det i sin inledning som en berättelse hämtad ur en fiktiv agentroman - hur den unge och förslagna doktoranden hade kommit över hemligstämplat material som hade förvägrats honom av utrikesdepartementet och försvarsstaben. Avhandlingen måste censureras! Detta blev försvarsstaben, UD och försvarsdepartementet snabbt överens om och hänvisade med uppspärrade ögon - och i skuggan av kalla krigets kyla - hur denna doktorsavhandling under överskådlig tid skulle kyla ner Sveriges förhållande till Finland - och Finlands förhållande till Sovjet. Björkman trycktes ut i kylan men disputerade likväl den 1 juni 1971 för doktorsgraden vid Stockholms universitet med sin censurerade avhandling, och hyllades enhälligt av den svenska pressen. Här föreligger den ocensurerade avhandlingsversionen, nu kompletterad med vad som inte fick publiceras 1971: ett Gestapomord efter ett medvetet avslöjande av utrikesminister Christian Günther, och att det var Adolf Hitler själv som satte gränsen för den svenska eftergiftspolitiken i juni 1941, då den svenska regeringen tillät transitering av den fältutrustade tyska infanteridivisionen Engelbrecht från Norge till Finland, såsom en "engångseftergift".

Divided into five sections, the text first examines the individual components of the early modern army, the foot soldier and the mounted soldier, the equipment they wore and used, and how they fought together as a unit. Using colour and black and white artworks, this book shows the ways by which armies gained and lost ascendancy.

An in-depth study of all the varied facets of the Nazi intelligence apparatus ranging from the dreaded Gestapo, the daring Brandenburg battalions through to the SD under the Central Security Service of the Reich.

This text examines why Rommel and his panzers were so successful and analyses the composition, tactics, doctrine, personnel and hardware of the panzer divisions, why they were so effective in the hands of master tacticians.

This military history provides the reader with a guide to tank warfare, including the development of tank tactics and strategy. Also included are details of great tank battles such as Cambrai, Kursk, Chinese Farm and the Gulf War.