Wars are decided through the occupation of an enemy’s territory. This is a task for military forces, which may have to be transported by sea. This book, in an expanded and updated edition, details the development of amphibious warfare and illustrates its great range of scale, from covert raiding operations to full-scale invasion. It highlights the many coordinated activities necessary for a successful operation including minesweeping, fire support and fighter direction. There then follows an illustrated directory of landships covering the ocean-going vessels that transport personnel, cargo or vehicles. A second directory features landing crafts, from the tracked amphibious vehicles of WWII to the high-speed air-cushion landing crafts of today. All entries have specification boxes detailing displacement, length, beam, draught, armament, machinery, power, fuel, endurance, protection and complement.