Heimdal Publishing was founded by Georges Bernage in 1975 and has an impressive catalogue of books specialising on World War II and the Middle Ages. Known worldwide for highly illustrated books and magazines, Heimdal Publishing works with a range of contributors – from expert university researchers to passionate enthusiasts.
Format: Hardback
Pages: 116
ISBN: 9782840483335
Pub Date: 15 Jan 2013
Illustrations: Numerous colour photographs
Description:
Included in this richly illustrated work by Daniel Blanchard are over 50 portfolios of American soldiers, ranging from paratroopers, pilots, infantrymen, tank specialists, plus many more. Blanchard retraces the history of American military units via their uniforms and equipment brought back by the GIs. French Language
Format: Hardback
Pages: 80
ISBN: 9782840483212
Pub Date: 15 Oct 2012
Illustrations: Numerous colour illustrations
Description:
The extreme difficulty of the battles in the Cotentin marshes has already been discussed in Operation Cobra, during which Mont Castre represented a primary obstacle. Here Heimdal presents La Haye-du-Puits, the final hurdle to achieve in order to prepare the departure base necessary for the ultimate breach. Highly illustrated with numerous colour photos, this work offers a rich description of the terrain and equipment used on the battlefield.
French Language
Format: Hardback
Pages: 160
ISBN: 9782840483175
Pub Date: 01 Jun 2012
Illustrations: fully illustrated throughout
Description:
After the success of Jean-Yves Mary’s previous works, in particular Les Corridor des Panzers and Zur Küste, it was quite clear that there was still a huge demand for similar high-quality, detailed books on tanks and their important role in World War II.This first volume contains many fantastic colour photographs of the German tanks, their units and their leaders, along with a detailed history of their engagement. Any avid modeller, keen tank enthusiast or general historian will find this an invaluable resource.
French Language
Format: Hardback
Pages: 200
ISBN: 9782840483205
Pub Date: 19 May 2012
Illustrations: 400 photos and documetns
Description:
Iwo Jima remains in the collective memory of Americans as the most horrific battle of the war in the Pacific, no doubt due to the fact that the number of losses that the Marines suffered exceeded those of the Japanese, which was normally not the case, and most likely because it required more than a month of bloody battles for this small island to be captured.This ferocious battle of the elite American Army, fighting against Japanese who would fight to the bitter end, was abundantly covered by reporters belonging to the Marine Corps. More images were taken here than in any other theatre of operations.
The photos captured strike at the heart of the fighting, without any complacency or stage setting, paying witness to the veritable harshness of this dramatic period of the war. In this highly detailed book, Charles Trang presents a variety of photographs ranging from tanks, amphibious vehicles, weapons, mortars, rocket launchers and various types of aircraft. Included are more than 400 photographs and original pieces of documentation.
Format: Hardback
Pages: 80
ISBN: 9782840483199
Pub Date: 01 Mar 2012
Illustrations: fully illustrated throughout
Description:
In this important new work on Normandy, Georges Bernage offers a close examination of the decisive moments between 5 and 8 June, 1944, when the Panzers arrived on the front line. He details their units and their very first engagements on the battlefield, using remarkable original photographs.This highly detailed album adds up to an invaluable resource for the avid modeller, keen tank enthusiast and general historian alike.
French Language
Format: Hardback
Pages: 160
ISBN: 9782840482963
Pub Date: 01 Dec 2011
Illustrations: Full colour throughout
Description:
The German army occupied the town of Saint-Lô on 17 June 1940. Being a strategic crossroads, Saint-Lô was almost totally destroyed (95% according to common estimates) during the Battle of Normandy in World War II, earning the title of "The Capital of the Ruins" from Samuel Beckett; it was even questioned whether to rebuild it or to leave the ruins intact as a testimony to the bombing.A detailed and vivid photo history, packed with rare photographs, some in colour, this is an invaluable reference tool to any modeller, historian or enthusiast on one of the most devastating battles in history.
French Language
Format: Hardback
Pages: 180
ISBN: 9782840483038
Pub Date: 01 Oct 2011
Illustrations: Full colour throughout
Description:
During World War II, thousands of Native Americans took part in the crusade for the defence of freedom and democracy in all theatres of operation: from Normandy to the Pacific via Africa and North Italy, the soldiers from these tribes demonstrated huge patriotism and courage. No minority has contributed as much to, or been as largely influenced by, World War II. 44,000 Indians in a population of 400,000 have served under the flags of the US military, with five receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Many other soldiers of Indian origin, such as Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, the famous commander of the "hotheads" and Ira Hayes, one of the Marines who hoisted the American flag on Mount Su-Ribash at Iwo Jima, have also known glory. The soldiers that fought in the ranks of the Allies came from many tribes of North America, such as the Navajo, the Apaches, Sioux, Cheyenne, Comanche, Choktaws, Mesk-wakis, Cherokees and other Iroquois, and many specialised in transmissions and using their languages as secret code on the Pacific theatre. Based on many photos, maps and testimonials, the author presents the decisive and often unrecognised contribution of the Indians of North America to the war effort. The US and Canada pay tribute to the soldiers of the First Nations Canadian and American who sacrificed their youth for their country.French Language
Format: Hardback
Pages: 336
ISBN: 9782840482987
Pub Date: 01 Sep 2011
Illustrations: Fully illustrated throughout
Description:
The Panzer-Abteilung s.SS 103/ 503 first saw action in southern Russia, during the Don campaign and the withdrawal from Stalingrad. It was upgraded in April 1943, receiving 24 new Tigers, completing their complement of 45 Tigers.
Having lost only four Tigers during the Kursk offensive and a further four during the withdrawal, the unit received 12 replacements in August 1943. In late 1943, sPzAbt 503 was made part of Panzer Regiment "Bake", a special battle group which fought in several fierce engagements in the Dnieper sector near Cherkassy. The sPzAbt 503 remained assigned to PzRgt."Bake" until April 1944, then was withdrawn and sent to the West for refitting.After the success of two previous volumes devoted to these heavy tanks, this history of the Panzer-Abteilung s.SS 103/503 units is illustrated with 450 photographs, maps and various documents, as well as 20 colour profiles.French Language.
Format: Hardback
Pages: 80
ISBN: 9782840483144
Pub Date: 01 Aug 2011
Illustrations: Full colour throughout
Description:
The moment you step over the threshold of the great door at Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle, you find yourself in a whole new world: the Middle Ages. Cross the lower Courtyard with its inn, forge and mill, then climb the spiral stairways leading to the Lord's furnished apartments. Plunge into an environment of medieval architecture and furnishings steeped in history.
The omnipresent drawbridges, armoury, keep and cannons are a constant reminder of the purpose of this mountain fortress, which has been besieged, destroyed and pillaged numerous times since its construction. This prestigious fortress was abandoned after 1633, and then given to Kaiser Wilhelm II von Hohenzollern in 1899 by the town of Sélestat. He commissioned the architect Bodo Ebhardt, a specialist in medieval fortifications, to restore the castle. Its renovation satisfied his passion for the Middle Ages, whilst he dreamt of a return to the old German Empire. French Language
Format: Hardback
Pages: 480
ISBN: 9782840482895
Pub Date: 15 May 2011
Illustrations: over 1000 photographs
Description:
• A newly updated edition of this highly regarded volume on the Normandy landings and battles in English and FrenchHeimdal’s first Album Mémorial appeared in July 1983, complete with over 1000 photographs, and proved to be a tremendous success. With all the information in both French and English, during a period when similar works were scarce, it sold close to 50,000 copies during the following decade. The times may have changed, but this album has taken on a mythical quality and is still fulfilling the need for a detailed description of the landing and Normandy battle.
Twenty-seven years later, here is a newly updated account of this dramatic period from history in all its splendour.
Format: Hardback
Pages: 420
ISBN: 9782840482901
Pub Date: 15 May 2011
Illustrations: over 1000 photographs
Description:
In May 1940, during the Battle of France, the British Expeditionary Force in France aiding the French, was cut off from the rest of the French Army by the German advance. Encircled by the Germans they retreated to the area around the port of Dunkirk. The German land forces could have easily destroyed the British Expeditionary Force, especially when many of the British troops, in their haste to withdraw, had left behind their heavy equipment.
This lull in the action gave the British a few days to evacuate by sea. Winston Churchill ordered any ship or boat available, large or small, to pick up the stranded soldiers, and 338,226 men (including 123,000 French soldiers) were evacuated – the miracle of Dunkirk, as Churchill called it. It took over 900 vessels to evacuate the Allied forces. More than 40,000 vehicles as well as massive amounts of other military equipment and supplies were left behind; their value being less than that of trained fighting men. After the success of Corridor des Panzers and Zur Kuste, this new volume takes us directly into the Dunkirk arena, and concludes the suite of works on this dramatic period of history.Jean-Yves Mary has also provided modern photos of the battlefields, in comparison with the original images, allowing us to locate the areas where the events took place.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 80
ISBN: 9782840483090
Pub Date: 01 May 2011
Illustrations: illustrated in colour throughout
Description:
• A highly illustrated colour guide to the different phases of operations during the Battle of NormandyThe Battle of Normandy is the official term for the British and Canadian military campaign lasting from June 6 – September 1, 1944, and included the following:• The Normandy Landings on June 6, 1944• The Invasion of Normandy, or "Operation Neptune" – The initial part of Overlord, from June 6 – mid-July 1944• Operation Overlord – The Western Allied campaign in France from June 6 – August 25, 1944• Operation Cobra, the breakout from Normandy, starting on July 25, 1944After the huge success of the The Landing Beaches, we now present this new guide, showing the different phases of operations from June 6 until the end of the battle.This book is printed in English, with many rare photographs in colour throughout.
Format: Hardback
Pages: 130
ISBN: 9782840483106
Pub Date: 30 Apr 2011
Illustrations: Fully illustrated throughout in colour
Description:
• A biographical novel covering the life and triumph of William the ConquerorWilliam I was born in 1028, and became the first Norman King of England at the age of thirty eight until his death in 1087. William’s invasion of England in 1066 is one of the most famous in history, where he led an army of Normans, Bretons, Flemings, and Frenchmen to a victory over King Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings that changed the course of English history forever. He brought with him a programme of building and fortification, changes to the English language, a shift in the upper levels of society and the church, and adoption of some aspects of continental church reform.
Highly illustrated and sticking faithfully to the facts, this biographical novel tells of William the Conqueror, triumphant from his victory of 1066, and onwards through the eleventh and twelfth centuries.French language
Format: Hardback
Pages: 96
ISBN: 9782840483052
Pub Date: 20 Apr 2011
Illustrations: Illustrated throughout in colour
Description:
Though the Vikings are remembered in popular culture as savage, helmeted barbarians, their impact on history and contribution to the expansion of civilisation suggests that they were far more than the heavy handed brutes of the Medieval world.The famed and technologically superior longships of the Viking age were vital to the expansion of medieval civilisation and to the exploration of territories far beyond Scandinavian shores. These ships and their crews of pirates, merchants and warriors were able to navigate the Volga River in Russia and reach as far east as Constantinople.
To the west they found Newfoundland and to the south they explored the Spanish coastline. This superbly illustrated book studies the Vikings and their civilisation in detail, including their boats, evolving artistic styles, typology and dating of swords and also the history of Viking raids in Normandy, from their establishment in 911, until the conquest of England in 1066. French language
Format: Paperback
Pages: 80
ISBN: 9782840482888
Pub Date: 15 Feb 2011
Description:
June 6, 1944, the 3rd British Infantry Division, considerably reinforced (with an armoured unit, special tanks, and a commando unit), landed on Sword Beach while, during the night, paratroopers from the 6th Airborne Division had already created a bridgehead to the northeast of Caen. In Bernage’s new work, not only do we find the German defenses coming face to face with the powerful forces advanced by the Allies, but also the major protagonists, among whom many have become legendary—Lord Lovat, Bill Millin, Major Howard, Commander Kieffer and his French commandos—but their adversaries as well, Major von Luck or Lieutenant Höller. Sword Objectif Caen presents a crucial page of history, brutally unfolded before Caen, the town that was martyred and which was only rescued after a long month of combat.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 160
ISBN: 9782840482871
Pub Date: 15 Feb 2011
Illustrations: coloUr illustrations/photographs throughout
Description:
June 6, 1944. In the gray light of dawn the landing craft carrying the assault wave of two US divisions as well as the Engineers and the Rangers, advanced toward the beach that was their assigned objective, code-named Omaha. Exhausted by the crossing and suffering from sea sicknesses, the assault units were convinced, however, that the German defenses had been crushed by the aerial and naval bombardment.
In fact, sheltering in their coastal fortifications which they had been working to improve up until the very evening before, the Germany infantry waited until the Americans reached the shoreline before opening fire.0630 hours. The landing craft of the first wave beached and lowered their ramps. That was the moment the enemy had been waiting for, and on the beach soon called Bloody Omaha, all hell broke loose.This volume brings to life that page of history. The first part introduces the forces on both sides, presents the American plan and explains in detail the German defensive positions. The second part details the landing of the successive waves followed by a blow-by-blow account of the GIs on the beach under a hail of fire in the middle of the anti-invasion obstacles. Overall, it explores through words and images all the violence and horror of the fighting on Omaha Beach.