On Armor

On Armor tells three important and interconnected stories. The first is a tale of a technology, in particular, the rise and fall of the main battle tank—a type of armored vehicle that came to dominate land warfare in the middle of the 20th century but is now obsolete. The second is a history of ideas. The problem that armored vehicles created for 20th-century armies was as much about concepts of operation as it was about technology. Those who got the philosophy right did well. Those who lacked either the imagination or the intellectual capital to understand the rapidly evolving potential of the armored vehicle failed miserably. The third story is one of organization. Gudmundsson pays particular attention to how armored vehicles were combined with other forces to form an extraordinarily rich variety of units and formations. He also comments on the current and future roles various types of armor will play on the battlefield. The main battle tank is probably the single most important fighting vehicle of the 20th century. At the same time, as Gudmundsson makes clear, it is only one of the many different types of armored vehicle that have played an important role in recent warfare. Neither the past glory nor the current obsolescence of the main battle tank can be understood without reference to vehicles such as the armored car, assault guns of various kinds, armored engineer vehicles, and armored personnel carriers. This text also explores the role that mobile operations in World War I played in fostering the development of armored warfare; the rapid decline of the French Army from its highpoint as the leading tank army in the world; the role that weapons other than the tank played in the rise of the German armored force; and the relationship between British ideas of armored warfare and the growth of the American armored force in World War I.

The military sci-fi classic of courage on a dangerous alien planet The planet is called Banshee. The air is unbreathable, the water is poisonous. It is home to the most implacable enemies that humanity, in all its interstellar expansion, has ever encountered. Body armor has been devised for the commando forces that are to be dropped on Banshee—the culmination of ten thousand years of the armorers’ craft. A trooper in this armor is a one-man, atomic powered battle fortress. But he will have to fight a nearly endless horde of berserk, hard-shelled monsters—the fighting arm of a species which uses biological technology to design perfect, mindless war minions. Felix is a scout in A-team Two. Highly competent, he is the sole survivor of mission after mission. Yet he is a man consumed by fear and hatred. And he is protected, not only by his custom-fitted body armor, but by an odd being which seems to live within him, a cold killing machine he calls “The Engine.” This is Felix’s story—a story of the horror, the courage, and the aftermath of combat, and the story, too, of how strength of spirit can be the greatest armor of all.

Achilles is a legendary hero and commander of the Myrmidon army, but a leader is defined by those who follow him. What manner of men fought beside Achilles in the crucible of war? Stelios, lifelong friend of Achilles, is summoned upon his death to Mount Olympus to share with the gods what fire guides the hearts of mortals. Stelios recounts his past—his liberation as a boy at the hands of the Myrmidons, his induction into their ranks, and the life-changing lessons they instilled within him. He trains and grows alongside Achilles, and watches as the meek boy he knew in his youth transforms into a relentless warrior. They become brothers, these men in black armor, defined by their decision to carry the most brutal burdens. In time, as violence scars their shields and bodies, they learn that the morals and creeds they were raised upon have begun to fracture. As Stelios grapples with the futility of a life lived only for war, he seeks solace in his wife and a young boy he rescues and takes in as his own—a boy who will one day face his own mysterious destiny. As the darkness in the Myrmidons deepens, Stelios battles to protect those he loves, even if they stand against him. In the pursuit of peace, Stelios must sacrifice everything.

Putting on the Armor of God discusses these and many more adversarial whisperings, their origins, effects, and defenses.

Chris, a sexy tattoo artist, tries to win the heart of Sarah, a grad student with little interest in him, in this second e-short and follow-up to Helena Hunting’s gripping love story, Clipped Wings—“twisted, dark, incredibly erotic…a love story like no other” (USA TODAY bestselling author Alice Clayton). Part owner of the Chicago tattoo shop Inked Armor, Chris Zelter is a talented artist who decorates skin with gorgeous designs. He might look the part of the typical jacked-up, inked-up bad-boy, but underneath is a fiercely loyal, complicated man. Kicked out at sixteen, Chris has had to fend for himself for the last twelve years, making his Inked Armor crew as much family as they are business partners. For him, it’s enough—until he meets Sarah Adamson. A grad student waitressing at the local strip club, Sarah is used to propositions and crude comments. The job is a means to an end—finish her MBA, pay off the tuition loans, and get a good job. Then she won’t have to rely on anyone to take care of her. So when brawny, tatted up Chris begins hanging out at the club, she rebuffs his advances. At first. But Chris isn’t like her usual clientele: despite his hard exterior, he’s almost…sweet. Sometimes, the people with the roughest edges have the biggest hearts.

Put on the entire armor of God and be able to effectively survive and thrive during conflict.

Putting on the Armor is an excellent 7-session study for new and growing believers seeking practical application of personal spiritual disciplines in order to defeat the enemy in times of temptation.