Osprey Special Editions (Military) : The US Army in World War II

When World War II broke out in September 1939 the US Army - starved of resources since 1919 - numbered just 174,000 men. By VJ-Day, 2 September 1945, a total of 8.3 million had served in an army which had risen to a stable strength of 91 divisions, and which had fought in Europe, Africa and Asia. This book explores the vital role of the US Army in the ground war against Japan, describes the blooding of the forces against the German Wehrmacht in North Africa in the winter 1943-44 and explains how the troops then pressed on to Sicily, the South of France and the Italian mainland. It also documents the North West Europe campaign of June 1944-May 1945 in which the US Army was finally able to show its full potential for fluent mechanised warfare - though at a high cost in lives. In addition to the detailed illustrations and descriptions of the uniforms worn in each of these fronts, the book also covers the insignia of the different divisions, the artillery and tanks used, the engineers, the replacement system and particularly interesting and important units, such as mountain, Japanese-American and African-American troops. This book combines Men-at-Arms 342 : 'The US Army in World War II (I) The Pacific', Men-at-Arms 347 : 'The US Army in World War II (2) The Mediterranean' and Men-at-Arms 350 : 'The US Army in World War II (3) North-West Europe'. Text by Mark R. Henry with illustrations by Mike Chappell.

Contents

• Introduction
• Divisional Organisation
  CBI
  Central and South-West Pacific
  Mountain & Airborne divisions
  Ranger Battalions
  Armoured Divisions and Corps Units
• Uniforms
  Summer Dress
  USA
  Tropical Combat Uniforms
  Camouflage Uniforms
  Dress Browns
  ETO Jacket
  Combat Woollens
  Tankers' Items
  Combat Vests
  Headgear
  Branch Colours
  Shoulder Patches
  M1943
  Mountain
  Airborne
  Coats & Boots
  WAC
  General Officers
  NCO Insignia
  Decorations
  Tropical Equipment
• Military Police
• Rangers
• 1st Special Service Force
• Black Troops
• Radios
• Heavy Weapons
• 'Soft-Skin' Vehicles
• Artillery & Tank Destroyer Equipment & Tactics
• Recoilless Rifles, Anti-Tank Guns
• Tanks & Tank Destroyers
• Divisional Battle Honours
• Bibliography
• Colour Plate Commentary
• Index