U.S. ARMY: From the Cold War to the End of the 20th Century

A Greenhill book first published in 1997, we are delighted to have the 2016 reprint in a large format Pen and Sword softback. It is from the G.I. Series, an illustrated history of the American soldier, his uniform and his equipment and ends in the early 90s and therefore should be seen as a collection of rare photographs with extended captions beginning with an image of General Norman Schwarzkopf and Collin Powell listening to a briefing during the Persian Gulf War. There is a close up of a tank driver for the 24th Infantry Division based at Fort McPherson Georgia wearing a DH-132 armoured crewman's helmet with sun, wind and dust goggles. There are troops pictured during a 'Reforger' exercise in 1985, 'Forward deployed' in Europe, prepared to halt an invasion of Western Europe by Warsaw Pact forces. A G.I. takes aim with his M16A2 rifle and is wearing the daytime desert camouflage BDUs known by G.I.s as 'chocolate chips'. Here are parades and drills, an SGT taking a break to smoke his pipe during Operation Desert Storm, the Drill Instructors, Military Policewomen, Kitchen Police, students honing their physical skills or taking a breather in desert operations, Eskimo Scouts, army snipers, an AH-15 Cobra Attack helicopter carrying eight TOW missiles, 750 rounds of 20mm canon ammunition and 76 2.75" rockets, a formidable array of weaponry. It was replaced by the Apache helicopter. And the Navy and Military Policeman and jungle training all make their way into this collection of 100 rare and unusual images as the U.S. Army has become a smaller and more technologically advanced force. 80 page large paperback.