Wars are decided definitively through the occupation of an enemy's territory. This is a task for military forces, which may have to be transported by sea. This creates the conflicting requirement for ships sufficiently large to undertake lengthy voyages, together with craft small enough to put an army and its equipment on to a beach that may be defended by a determined enemy. In the sailing navy, ships landed military contingents in special ""flatboats"", the direct descendants of which were the 1940 landing craft assault vessels (LCAs), carried by an infantry landing ship. In these were typified the two major categories of amphibious warfare vessel: the ""ship"", travelling from shore to shore, and the ""craft"", moving from ship to shore.
This book, in an expanded and updated new edition, details the development of amphibious warfare and, using historical examples, illustrates its great range of scale, from covert raiding operations to full-scale invasion. It highlights the many coordinated activities necessary for a successful operation, from surveying and minesweeping to fire support, fighter direction and tri-service control. An illustrated directory of landing ships covers the ocean-going vessels that transport personnel, cargo, or vehicles. A second directory then features landing craft, the majority of which, depending upon voyage length, will have been transported aboard specialist ships.
World War II saw basic ramped craft joined by tracked amphibious vehicles. The imperatives of the nuclear age have seen the introduction of helicopters and high-speed air-cushion landing crafts. Illustrated throughout, this book is a lively and engaging guide to amphibious warfare and is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the subject. Charts the complete history of amphibious warfare, including operations in Gallipoli, Dieppe, the Pacific, Normandy, Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, Vietnam, the Falklands, and the Middle East. Features a directory of landing ships, describing conventional personnel and cargo carriers, well deck ""dock ships"", and multi-function ships accommodating helicopters, landing craft, military personnel, their vehicles, and equipment. and amphibious tracked landing vehicles of World War II to present-day, high-speed air-cushion crafts. Also includes a directory of landing vessels, from the ramped beaching crafts and amphibious tracked landing vehicles of World War II to present-day, high-speed air-cushion crafts. Specification boxes accompany each entry detailing displacement, size, armament, machinery, power, fuel, endurance, protection and crew complement. Over 600 historical and modern photographs illustrate each type.
