Buy this book on-line

RIPLEY, TIM: : BAYONET BATTLE - Bayonet Warfare in the 20th Century

LONDON.SIDGWICK & JACKSON,1998.

ISBN 0283063238.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.FINE/VG+.No owner inscrptn,and no price-clip to dw/dj - absence of publisher price.Bright,crisp, clean,glossy laminated,colour photographic illustrated dw/dj; with negligible shelf- wear and creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present.Some light indentations and surface scratches to rear panel,head of spine/backstrip minisculely bumped with reciprocal creasing.Top+fore- edges bright and clean,contents bright, tight and pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners - an unread copy? Bright,clean,unblemished,publisher's original,plain black cloth boardds with crisp,bright,stamped silver gilt letters to spine/backstrip and immaculate plain white endpapers.UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn,1- 266pp [paginated] includes author introduction,6 chapters,conclusion,16pp contemporary b/w illus/photographs in 2 blocks of 8pp apiece,between pp90/1 and pp170/1 respectively,a bibliography,index and acknowledgements; plus [unpaginated] half-title+title pages and contents list/table. In a century when land warfare has become increasingly mechanized and weapons have acquired greater accuracy and range, infantry have still used bayonet charges to win an attack or beat off assailants. 'Bayonet Battle' is a history of the greatest of such actions,where raw courage and cold steel have often won the day over technology and numbers.'Bayonet Battle' starts with an account of the bayonet actions during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-5,when Japanese infantry carried positions at bayonet point in the face of determined Russian resistance.Then the book moves ten years forward to the outbreak of WWI and the horrors of trench warfare.Despite the defences on the Western Front,there were still heroic bayonet actions,such as the Australian attacks at Pozieres in 1916 during the Battle of the Somme.For each of these and other actions in 'Bayonet Battle',the strategic and tactical situation is covered in full to set the scene of the action.The fighting itself is,where possible,told through the words of those who took part or who witnessed it.In this way 'Bayonet Battle' conveys the full horror,excitement and atmosphere of a type of close-quarter fighting that has changed little since ancient times. WWII was a conflict of manoeuvre and technology,but 'Bayonet Battle' shows that hand-to-hand fighting was still often the deciding factor in battles.This was especially true away from the European battlefields.Thus 'Bayonet Battle' includes accounts of the Japanese bayonet charges which instilled fear in their opponents in the Pacific.Japanese troops were encouraged to use the bayonet,as their manual stated: 'Hand-to-hand combat is the deciding factor in an engagement and is most feared by the American and Australian forces.' Moving into the more modern period,'Bayonet Battle' includes bayonet actions during the Korean War, Vietnam War and the British recapture of the Falklands in 1982,when 3 Para stormed Mount Longdon at bayonet point and the Scots Guards took Mount Tumbledown with cold steel.'Bayonet Battle' is a thorough yet exciting examination of a little-known aspect of warfare in the 20thC,which will appeal to both military historians and general reader alike. Please contact seller,because of the weight/value of this item,for correct, insured shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.
Not SIGNED.

Bibliophile Bookbase for antiquarian books, maps and prints.