Miller, D. Fighting men of World War II. Band 2: Allied Forces - Uniforms, Equipment and weapons

The book deals with the weapons and equipment of the average soldiers of the United States, Great Britain and its Dominions and Commonwealth countries, the Soviet Union, and other nations such as France and Poland, which continued to fight despite their defeat in the early stages of the conflict. In these pages, the authors examine a wide range of general equipment used on a daily basis, including mess kits, water bottles, first aid kits, radios, binoculars, goggles, entrenching tools and wire cutters. They provide detailed specifications on weapons such as pistols and revolvers, rifles, bayonets, combat knives, hand grenades, flamethrowers, mortars and anti-tank weapons. The section on clothing covers headgear, from the M1 helmet system to the Tam o' Shanter and the Russian pilotka. They examine footwear as diverse as polished officer's shoes, cavalry boots, paratrooper jump boots and felt overboots. Uniform jackets, shirts, trousers and coats are also covered, as are all-weather clothing, gloves, ponchos, camouflage smocks and load-carrying straps. Numerous variants are shown, as are rank insignia and other insignia. Personal items are also included. They show cigarettes and lighters, letters and postcards home, magazines, gramophones, dog tags, repair kits and tableware. Almost all of the items shown have never before been presented in book form and have been specially selected from museums and private collections to create a unique reference source for the general reader, aspiring collectors, military enthusiasts, re-enactors and model makers. The fighting soldier is placed in the context of his unit, while carefully researched archive photos show him in action with his weapons and equipment. The text by military expert David Miller is the result of careful research, drawing on his own military experience in the British Army, which has given him the necessary qualifications to understand the needs and everyday concerns of the average soldier. David was assisted by editor Graham Smith, and together the two have compiled all these diverse elements into one of the most authoritative works of its kind.