Seize and Hold: Master Strokes on the Battlefield (Cassell Military Paperbacks)

by Bryan Perrett (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  1999

  $3.25

  The twentieth-century advent of the motorised battlegroup transformed what used to be a comparatively rare event - the coup de main - into an essential element of attack. Speed, surprise and firepower favour the small unit able to take the initiative against an unprepared enemy, and that is the central theme of this book: eleven such actions, ranging from central Europe in 1916, through the Second World War to Vietnam in 1965, capturing the thrill of the moment when the small motorised force breaks through enemy defences to reach its improbable target. This is aggressive warfare at its sharpest, and makes for compulsive reading.

• Used

  Paperback
  1995

  $4.34

• Used

  Hardcover
  1994

  $6.60

  This volume covers a selection of classic armed coup de main where small but powerful forces have been tasked with getting to, seizing and holding until relieved important local and strategic objectives. Eleven examples of this unique battlefield tactic are included in the book and the overall impact of the operation on the greater campaign. These sudden and swiftly organized and executed moves can either come from the initiative of troops on the battlefield in the heat of battle, or via prior recognition of a forthcoming opportunity. Topics include Balkin mountain action in 1916, the assault on Belgium 1940, Beda Fomm, Meiktila in Burma, Remagen Bridge, Korea and Ia Drang in Vietnam.