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Storming Las Vegas: How a Cuban-Born, Soviet-Trained Commando Took Down the Strip to the Tune of Five World-Class Hotels, Three Armored Cars, and Millions of Dollars
“In my world, you are either the hunter or the prey, and I am the hunter. Vegas was my prey. I tell my crew: Vegas makes it, Vigoa takes it.” –Jose Vigoa[pg. 37] When it comes to violent crime, the Las Vegas cops and casino owners thought they had seen it all. But they had never witnessed anything like Jose Vigoa. Born in Cuba, a child of Fidel Castro’s revolution, Vigoa used his quick wits and quicker fists to trade a life of poverty and desperation for one of danger and adventure as a Soviet-trained special forces officer. Battle hardened in the killing fields of Afghanistan and Angola, Vigoa won a reputation for toughness, bravery, and coolness under fire. A brilliant military career lay ahead of him. Then, in 1980, Castro opened Cuba’s floodgates in the Mariel boatlift, and Vigoa, like so many of his countrymen and -women, braved chaos and hardship to start a new life in America’s promised land. But involvement with the drug trade brought his dreams crashing down. Years of prison followed. On his release, Vigoa was determined to take revenge on what he perceived as the corrupt power structure of Las Vegas. On September 20, 1998, the former Spetsnaz lieutenant launched what would be the most audacious and ruthless series of high-profile casino and armored car robberies that Las Vegas had ever seen. In a brazen sixteen-month-long reign of terror, he and his tightly disciplined crew would hit the crème de la crème of Vegas hotels: the MGM, the Desert Inn, the New York-New York, the Mandalay Bay, and the Bellagio. They struck hard and fast, then vanished without a trace. Millions of dollars were stolen. Two brave men were gunned down in cold blood; others were wounded. And yet the robberies were so well planned and executed that the police–“the stupids,” as Vigoa contemptuously referred to them–were all but helpless. Not Lt. John Alamshaw. The twenty-three-year veteran, in charge of robbery detectives, was not giving up so easily. For him, Vigoa’s rampage was a personal affront. And he would do whatever it took, even risk his badge, to bring Vigao down. With exclusive access to all the major players, including Vigoa and Alamshaw, veteran journalist and network producer John Huddy is the perfect man to tell the gripping never-before-told story of this harrowing true-crime drama that will leave readers breathless..
Price: $14.62
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Thunder Run: The Armored Strike to Capture Baghdad
Based on reporting that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Thunder Run chronicles one of the boldest gambles in modern military history. Three battalions and fewer than a thousand men launched a violent thrust of tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles into the heart of a city of 5 million people and in three days of bloody combat ended the Iraqi war. Thunder Run is the story of the surprise assault on Baghdad—one of the most decisive battles in American combat history—by the Spartan Brigade, the Second Brigade of the Third Infantry Division (Mechanized). More than just a rendering of a single battle, Thunder Run candidly recounts how soldiers respond under fire and stress and how human frailties are magnified in a war zone. The product of over a hundred interviews with commanders and men from the Second Brigade, Thunder Run is a riveting firsthand account of how a single armored brigade was able to capture an Arab capital defended by one of the world's largest armies. .
Price: $3.84
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Armored Thunderbolt: The U.S. Army Sherman in World War II
- Hundreds of photos, including many never published before
- Riveting accounts of armored warfare in World War II
- Compares the Sherman to other tanks, including the Panther and?Tiger
- Author is a world-renowned expert on the Sherman tank and American armor
Some tank crews referred to the American M4 Sherman tank as a _death trap._ Others, like Gen. George Patton, believed that the Sherman helped win World War II. So which was it: death trap or war winner? Armor expert Steven Zaloga answers that question by recounting the Sherman_s combat history. Focusing on Northwest Europe (but also including a chapter on the Pacific), Zaloga follows the Sherman into action on D-Day, among the Normandy hedgerows, during Patton_s race across France, in the great tank battle at Arracourt in September 1944, at the Battle of the Bulge, across the Rhine, and in the Ruhr pocket in 1945.
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Price: $23.07
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The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles: From World War I to the Present Day
Now you don't need to be a soldier to experience the thrill of the front in one of the toughest vehicles ever designed! Hunker down for adventure with The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles.• This big, illustrated volume examines all of the significant tanks and armored vehicles of the world, from the very first tanks of World War One to modern combat engineer vehicles. • Divided into three easy-to-use sections, you're sure to find the information you're looking for quickly. Select from World War One and World War Two, The Cold War, and The Modern Era. • Each section is meticulously arranged by type: Tanks, armored vehicles, light vehicles, amphibious vehicles and half tracks. • Roll across Europe in a relentless Panther! Defend the Iron Curtain in a Russian T-10! Conduct modern warfare in the Gulf from a tough Bradley M2! • Also included are profiles of famous military transport like Tiger and Sherman Tanks, Rolls-Royce armored cars, and Scorpion recon tanks. .
Price: $19.35
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Armored Trains (New Vanguard)
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The Fighting 69th: One Remarkable National Guard Unit's Journey from Ground Zero to Baghdad
How a ragtag National Guard unit found itself thrust into the War on Terror and triumphed against impossible odds On the eve of September 11, 2001, New York Citys famous National Guard regiment, the Fighting 69th Infantry, was not fit for duty. Most of its soldiers were immigrant kids with no prior military experience and no intention of serving their country any longer than it took to get a paycheck or college credit. Once a respected all-Irish outfit, the 69th was now a Technicolor mix of Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Colombians, African Americans, Russians, Poles, Koreans, Chinese, and a few token Irish Americans. Their uniforms were incomplete and their equipment was downright derelict. The thought of deploying such a unit was laughable. But that is exactly what happened. With a charismatic mix of irreverent humor and eye-opening honesty, Sean Flynn, himself a member of the 69th, memorably chronicles the transformation of this motley band of amateur soldiers into a battle- hardened troop at work in one of the most lethal quarters of Baghdad: the notorious Airport Road, a blood- soaked strand that grabbed headlines and became a bellwether for progress in postinvasion Iraq. At home on the concrete and asphalt like no other unit in the U.S. Army, Gothams Fighting 69th finally brings its own rough justice to this lawless precinct by ignoring army discipline and turning to the street-fighting tactics they grew up with and know best. The Fighting 69th is more than a story about the impact of terrorism, the war on Iraq, or the current administrations failures. It is the story of how regular citizens come to grips with challenges far starker than what they have been prepared for. Flynns dark humor, empathy, and candor make for a fresh look at who our soldiers are and what they do when faced with their toughest challenges..
Price: $3.96
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German Late War Armored Fighting Vehicles: World War II AFV Plans
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Other Axis and Allied Armored Fighting Vehicles (WWII AFV Plans)
Based on meticulous research of actual vehicles, official photographs, factory specifications, and, in some cases, the original design plans, George Bradford's drawings of World War II armored fighting vehicles are rendered with great precision and in exact scale offering military enthusiasts and modelers an essential reference on these steel chariots of war. This volume covers Australian, Belgian, Canadian, Czech, French, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Romanian, and South African armored fighting vehicles..
Price: $8.96
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Death Traps: The Survival of an American Armored Division in World War II
“Cooper saw more of the war than most junior officers, and he writes about it better than almost anyone. . . . His stories are vivid, enlightening, full of life—and of pain, sorrow, horror, and triumph ”
—STEPHEN E. AMBROSE
From his Foreword
“In a down-to-earth style, Death Traps tells the compelling story of one man’s assignment to the famous 3rd Armored Division that spearheaded the American advance from Normandy into Germany. Cooper served as an ordnance officer with the forward elements and was responsible for coordinating the recovery and repair of damaged American tanks. This was a dangerous job that often required him to travel alone through enemy territory, and the author recalls his service with pride, downplaying his role in the vast effort that kept the American forces well equipped and supplied. . . . [Readers] will be left with an indelible impression of the importance of the support troops and how dependent combat forces were on them.” — Library Journal
“[DEATH TRAPS] FILLS A CRITICAL GAP IN WW2 LITERATURE. . . . IT’S A TRULY UNIQUE AND VALUABLE WORK.”
—G.I. Journal
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Price: $4.19
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British Armored Fighting Vehicles (World War II AFV Plans)
Based on meticulous research of actual vehicles, official photographs, factory specifications, and, in some cases, the original design plans, George Bradford's drawings of World War II armored fighting vehicles are rendered with great precision and in exact scale offering military enthusiasts and modelers an essential reference on these steel chariots of war. This volume covers British vehicles such as the Cruiser, Matilda, Crusader, Churchill, Cromwell, and the Valentine..
Price: $8.87
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