This year, get presents a true military history buff will enjoy!
The 2021 Military Trader Book Gift Guide will help you fill out your military history book list for Santa or that special gift giver close to you!
Leave the gifts of underwear and socks for Santa to get. Here are some suggestions that we are sure will adequately fill your stocking with something you will really enjoy. Tear out these pages and circle the books you really want for holiday gifts and then place it where someone important to you will find it.
In the Service of Our Country: The History of the United States Service Flag, by Jerry E. Dutscheck (ISBN: 978-1943492787. Hardcover, 348 pages, available wherever fine books are sold. A select number of signed and/or dedicated copies are available directly from the author ($79.95 + postage) email: militaryshop@yahoo.com or call 414-727-1190)
The U.S. Service Flag is a unique area of Americana. In this comprehensive study, author Jerry Dutscheck has gathered together more than 280 Service Flags and related artifacts — over 500 photos in total — including many previously unpublished from private collections. The scope is not limited to just flags and banners, but includes such things as badges and other awards, posters, magazine covers, even patriotic recordings and sheet music. Jerry Dutscheck spent more than nine years meticulously researching these flags and their stories. An important addition for the library of collectors, historians and anyone interested in the pageantry of service flags.
A Collection of US Army Unit Crests, by SFC William E. Cotter, Ret. (ISBN: 9780578783529, softcover, 506, pages, available from the author, William E. Cotter, 2307 Goff Ave., St. Joseph, MO 64505; cffdrnkr@yahoo.com. more than 13,000 color illustrations, special holiday price: $149 + $20.00 shipping)
Containing more than 13,000 color pictures, this book covers Army Unit crests including authorized, unauthorized, beer can, never issued, made-for-collectors, and some oddball crests of Army units, past and present. It also contains a collection of ROTC and JROTC crests. There are no histories or unit backgrounds on any of the crests in this books. Just crests and more crests!
Napoleon’s Imperial Guard: Organization, Uniforms and Weapons, by Gabriele Esposito (ISBN 978-1526786715, hardcover, 160 pages. Available through Amazon or Casemate Publishers, 1950 Lawrence Road, Havertown PA 19083; (610) 853-9131; casemate@casematepublishers.com; casematepublishers.com. $34.95)
A detailed analysis of the organization, uniforms and weapons of the French Imperial Guard created by Napoleon I. The author describes how this large military body evolved from the Consular Guard created by Bonaparte as early as 1799 and how this came to include dozens of different military units belonging to each branch of service (infantry, cavalry, artillery, specialist corps).
The Imperial Guard was a ‘miniature army’ made up of veteran soldiers, who were dressed with the most spectacular and elegant uniforms ever seen on the battlefields of Europe. The Guard also included several ‘exotic’ non-French units that are also covered in the text: Egyptian Mamelukes, Polish and Lithuanian lancers, Tatar scouts, Dutch grenadiers and lancers.
The way in which Napoleon employed the Guard in battle is discussed and also how it differed from the rest of the French Army in terms of military dress and weaponry.
Communist Bloc Handguns, by George Layman. (ISBN 978-1931464819, softcover, 160 pages available from Man at Arms Books, 1 (800) 999–4697; order@manatarmsbooks.com; https://gunandswordcollector.com; $39.95 + $4.50 p/h)
Finally, a true collector’s guide to the surplus pistols of the Cold War. From the CZ-52 to the Makarov, all of the communist nations’ handguns are covered in great detail, with special attention paid to topics that will be of practical use to collectors. Also covered are ammunition and accessories. Organized by country, this new guide will be a “must own” resource for all enthusiasts of imported pistols and revolvers.
No Way Out: The Untold Story of the B-24 “Lady Be Good” and Her Crews, by by Steven R. Whitby (ISBN: 978-0764360374, hardcover, 256 pages, available from Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., 4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310; 610-593-1777; info@schifferbooks.com; www.schifferbooks.com. $34.99)
It was the first and only combat mission for the B-24 Liberator “Lady Be Good.” On April 4, 1943, she left her base on the North African coast of Libya to bomb the port city of Naples, Italy. She never returned to base. It was not until the spring of 1959 that “Lady Be Good” was discovered by a BP oil exploration team almost 500 miles into the Libyan Desert, virtually intact, with no trace of the crew.
What happened to the “Lady Be Good” is explored in this book. This includes the search for the crew and the subsequent mission to find the two US Army personnel lost during the initial search. The author interviewed personnel who took part in the recovery effort, and has included many unpublished photos taken at the crash site during the first USAF visit in 1959.
The Spange for the Iron Cross 2. Class, by Dietrich Maerz. (ISBN: 978-1792332104, hardcover, 255 pages. Available from: B&D Publishing LLC, PO Box 652, Richmond, MI 48062; 586.651.3623; https://bdpublish.com/ $105 +shipping & tax)
On over 265 pages the known makers of the 2. Class Spange are presented in detail. Previously unknown connections between the early manufacturers are outlined and explained. The other chapters are about miniatures, documents, and packages. Together with the other three books, The Knights Cross of the Iron Cross, The Iron Cross 1. Class, and The Iron Cross 2. Class, these books are the most comprehensive and detailed series about the highest military order of the Third Reich in any language.
War Pigeon! The Operations and Gear of the US Army Pigeon Corps, by Tim Scherrer (ISBN 9781105080081. Softcover, 306 pages. Available via Lulu.com: $37.99)
The US Army Signal Pigeon Corps served from 1917-1957. During those four decades of distinguished service, the pigeoneers built a world class program that provided the Army reliable communications during WWI, WWII and the Korean War. Little is known about this important program that contributed so much to the Army efforts around the globe. The organization and gear are explored in detail in this unique study.
Long forgotten photos from the National Archives and Signal Corps are seen for the first time in decades. The operations of the Signal Pigeon Company in WWII are detailed extensively.
Nearly all of the Army pigeon gear is shown in this book. The operations of the Pigeon Corps during the Korean War and Cold War era are also documented.
US Marine Corps in Vietnam: Vehicles, Weapons, and Equipment, by David Doyle (ISBN: 9780764362606, hardcover, 112 pages. Available from DavidDoyleBooks.com. $19.99 + shipping)
The March 1965 landing of the US Marine Corps at Da Nang, South Vietnam, marked the first large-scale deployment of US forces to the region. From then on, the Marine Corps fought continuously until May 1975, when two Marines became the last US servicemen killed in that war during the Mayaguez battle.
With more than 200 archival photos, many never before published, the weapons, vehicles, and equipment of the Marines in theater are documented in this volume. Small arms, mortars and artillery, tanks, amphibious, armored and soft-skinned vehicles, helicopters, uniforms, and personal and specialist equipment are featured in superb-quality photos and detailed captions, including photos from such legendary Marine Corps battles as Hue and Khe Sanh.
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John Adams-Graf ("JAG" to most) is the editor of Military Trader and Military Vehicles Magazine. He has been a military collector for his entire life. The son of a WWII veteran, his writings carry many lessons from the Greatest Generation. JAG has authored several books, including multiple editions of Warman's WWII Collectibles, Civil War Collectibles, and the Standard Catalog of Civil War Firearms. He is a passionate shooter, wood-splitter, kayaker, and WWI AEF Tank Corps collector.
