One of the most remarkable mechanized campaigns of recent years pitted the brutal and heavily armed jihadis of Islamic State against an improvised force belonging to the Kurdish YPG (later the SDF). While some Kurdish vehicles were originally from Syrian Army stocks or captured from ISIS, many others were extraordinary homemade AFVs based on truck or digger mechanicals, or duskas, the Kurds’ version of the technical. Before US air power was sent to Syria, these were the Kurds’ most powerful and mobile weapons. Co-written by a British volunteer who fought with the Kurds and an academic expert on armoured warfare, this study explains how the Kurds built and used their AFVs in the war against ‘Daesh’, and identifies as far as possible which vehicles took part in major battles, such as Kobane, Manbij and Raqqa. With detailed new artwork depicting the Kurds’ range of armour and many previously unpublished photos, this is an original and fascinating look at modern improvised mechanized warfare.
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INTRODUCTION THE ROLE OF ARMOURED FORCES IN SYRIA ARMED GROUPS IN THE SYRIAN CIVIL WAR The YPG/YPJ The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria The Syrian Democratic Forces IMPROVISED ARMOURED FIGHTING VEHICLES Improvised tanks Improvised armoured cars Improvised armoured support vehicles Improvised armoured personnel carriers AFV SOURCES: SYRIAN ARMY, ISIS AND COALITION SUPPLIED Soviet armour BRDM-2 scout vehicles Armoured personnel carriers M1117 armoured security vehicle The US Army Humvee Other US-supplied wheeled vehicles 'TECHNICALS' 12.7mm heavy machine guns 14.5mm KPV 23mm cannon 57mm recoilless rifles and multiple rocket launchers UNIT STRUCTURE AND TACTICS THE YPG/SDF WAR AGAINST ISIS Initial ISIS attacks (2013–14) The battle of Kobanê (15 September 2014–26 January 2015) The al-Hasakah offensives (21 February–17 March 2015 and 6 May–31 May 2015) The Tell Abyad offensive (31 May–10 July 2015) The battle of Sarrin (18 June–27 July 2015) The battle of al-Hasakah (23 June–1 August 2015) The al-Hawl offensive (31 October–30 November 2015) Tishrin Dam (23–30 December 2015) The al-Shaddadi offensive (16–24 February 2016) The Manbij offensive (31 May–21 August 2016) The Raqqa campaign (6 November 2016–20 October 2017) Setbacks and victory over ISIS (2017–19) CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX
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The US-backed Kurdish YPG/SDF fought on the front line of the war against Islamic State for five years. This study reveals how they developed their own armoured force using captured tanks, homebuilt armour and 'technicals', and the role they played in the defeat of 'Daesh'.
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This new study offers a fascinating insight into modern warfare, it details how the ‘good guys’ in the Syrian Civil War built, captured and operated armour in their battles against ISIS.

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781472847584
Publisert
2021-09-16
Utgiver
Vendor
Osprey Publishing
Vekt
170 gr
Høyde
248 mm
Bredde
184 mm
Aldersnivå
G, P, 01, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
48

Illustratør

Om bidragsyterne

Ed Nash fought for the YPG in 2015/16, participating in a number of offensives against the so-called Islamic State. He has recounted his experiences in a memoir entitled Desert Sniper (Little, Brown, 2018). He has travelled through a number of other conflict zones, especially in south-east Asia. He holds a degree in History; and, he has published a number of articles on counter-insurgency, weapons technology, and military affairs more generally. Alaric Searle is Professor of Modern European History, School of Arts and Media, University of Salford. He is the author of several works on military history, including Armoured Warfare: A Military, Political and Global History (Bloomsbury Academic, 2017), and an edited collection of the military papers of Major-General J.F.C. Fuller, published by the Army Records Society (History Press, 2017). He is a frequent contributor to academic journals. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and Visiting Professor at Nankai University, Tianjin, China.