Battles / military campaigns Books

Book SynopsisBy early 1944, offensives undertaken by the United States armed forces had driven the Japanese from many of their conquests in the south and central Pacific. The next American move was to sever Tokyo's communications with the remaining Japanese garrisons and interdict the supplies of raw materials essential to Japan's war effort. Before this could be achieved it was considered essential to eliminate the land-based air forces in the Philippines which were regarded as too powerful to by-pass. The American plan was to land on the eastern Philippine island of Leyte and, once fully established there, to move against the island of Mindoro. At this point, US forces would then launch their main assault upon Luzon and the Philippine capital, Manila. On 20 October 1944, the US Sixth Army began landing on Leyte's eastern coast, supported by the US Navy's 3rd and 7th fleets, which were assisted by ships from the Royal Australian Navy. The Japanese were aware that the Americans were poised to attack the Philippines and planned to draw the American warships into one last great battle to try and stave off the otherwise inevitable defeat. Over the course of the following three days, the two naval forces engaged in four separate engagements. Involving more than 360 ships and 200,000 naval personnel, the battle was the greatest naval encounter of the Second World War and possibly the largest naval battle in history. The result was disastrous for the Japanese who lost three battleships, four aircraft carriers, ten cruisers and eleven destroyers, along with almost 300 aircraft - the greatest loss of ships and crew the Japanese had ever experienced. In _Battle of Leyte Gulf_, the actions of the warships as well as the accompanying amphibious landings on Leyte by the US Sixth Army are vividly revealed through a dramatic collection of photographs depicting the ships, sailors, airmen and soldiers who made history.

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Book SynopsisThe gallant stand of the 101st Airborne Division at Bastogne has long become part of historical and media legend. But how many students of the war realize there was already a U.S. unit holding the town when they arrived? And this unit—the 10th Armored Division—continued to play a major role in its defense throughout the German onslaught.Trade ReviewThis book vividly portrays the battle with a series of interviews, medal citations and after action reviews. These are well attributed in the end notes, together with some brief statistics and a list of staff roles. The style should appeal to the general reader as well as military readers and there are good maps and illustrations...Most of the books on their role are out of print so this book is a useful addition on the subject. * Army Rumour Service *The maps are very good to support the text and the photographs are full of atmosphere and convey how troops maintained their morale throughout the fighting. A great book to add another chapter to the famous battle. * Gun Mart *Collins and King uncover and reveal some surprising secrets relating to the battle of Bastogne. These accounts of bravery above and beyond the call of duty are the stuff of legend - you would think that there were no such stories left to tell, but you'd be wrong. Amazing. * Books Monthly *

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Book SynopsisMade famous by her final commanding officer, John F. Kennedy, PT-109 is one of the most celebrated warships in American history. However, a full chronicle of PT-109’s wartime story has heretofore been lacking. Behind the familiar account of the future president and the boat’s violent demise is the little-known record under two previous officers during the swirling battles around Guadalcanal.In these mainly nocturnal fights, when the Japanese navy was at its apex, America’s small, fast-boat flotillas would sally out to probe enemy strength, vying with enemy destroyers, who were similarly roaming the waters and able to blast a PT-boat out of the water if main armament could be brought to bear. It was constant hit-and-run and dodging between searchlights across Iron Bottom Sound, as the PT-boats darted in among the enemy fleet, like a“barroom brawl with the lights turned out.”Bryant Larson and Rollin Westholm preceded Kennedy as commanders of PT-109, and their fights with the brave ship and its crew hold second to none in the chronicles of US Navy daring. As the battles moved on across the Pacific the PT-boat flotillas gained confidence, even as the Japanese, too, learned lessons in how to destroy them.Under its third and final commander, Kennedy, PT-109 came a cropper as a Japanese destroyer suddenly emerged from a dark mist and rammed it in half. Two crewmen were killed immediately but Kennedy, formerly on the swim team at Harvard, was able to shepherd his wounded and others to refuge. His unsurpassed gallantry can not resist retelling, yet the courage of the book’s previous commanders have not till now seen the light of day.This book provides the complete record of PT-109 in the Pacific, as well as a valuable glimpse of how the American Navy’s daring and initiative found its full playing field in World War II.Trade ReviewA useful and comprehensive niche contribution to naval history. * Army Rumour Service 13/03/2019 *

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Book SynopsisThe battle of the Falaise Pocket, in August 1944, was the turning point in the Normandy campaign. By early August the German Army was in turmoil: while it was managing to hold back the Allies, the defense involved resources that could not be replaced, and the Allies ruled the skies above. In late July, American troops broke through the American lines and pushed south and east, while British and Canadian troops pushed south. Although unable to counter these offensives, Hitler refused to permit the commander Army Group B, Field Marshal von Kluge, to withdraw. Instead he was ordered to launch a counteroffensive at Mortain, the result being that the Germans ended up further into the Allied envelopment. On 8 August Montgomery ordered that the Allied armies converge on the Falaise area—by 21 August the Allies had linked up and sealed the pocket, trapping around 50,000 Germans inside. While many soldiers did eventually escape the encirclement, the losses were catastrophic and by the end of the month Army Group B had retreated across the Seine, ending the battle of Normandy. This illustrated account examines the battle from the failed offensive at Mortain, looking at both German and Allied perspectives, using maps, diagrams and profiles to complete the story.Trade ReviewThis is a superb series, primarily for the photos…’ * Miniature Wargames 11/07/2019 *A great read, a great resource, recommended. * Scale Military Modelling International Magazine 29/04/2019 *This glossy, illustrated title features all the leaders, profiles the tanks and vehicles, and mixes the history with copious photos from the area. It’s a handy guide to the end of the Normandy Campaign. * The Armourer 03/06/2019 *

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Book SynopsisSeptember 1944: With the Allies closing in on the Rhine, Adolf Hitler orders a counterattack on General Patton's Third Army in France. Near the small town of Arracourt, France, elements of the US 4th Armored Division met the grizzled veterans of the 5th Panzer Army in combat. Atop their M4 Shermans, American tank crews squared off against the technologically superior Mark V Panther tanks of the Wermacht. Yet through a combination of superior tactics, leadership, teamwork, and small-unit initiative, the outnumbered American forces won a decisive victory against the 5th Panzer Army.Indeed, of the 262 tanks and mobile assault guns fielded by German forces, 200 were damaged or destroyed by enemy fire. The Americans, by contrast, lost only 48 tanks. Following the collapse of the German counterattack at Arracourt, General Patton's Third Army found itself within striking distance of the Third Reich's borderlands.The battle of Arracourt was the US Army's largest tank battle until the Ardennes Offensive in December 1944. It helped pave the way for the final Allied assault into Germany, and showed how tactical ingenuity and adaptive leadership can overcome and an enemy's superior size or technological strength.Trade Review...an interesting study of small-unit leadership that emphasizes the importance of tank-crew training, the value of a reliable logistics system and effects of weather on battlefield activities. * ARMOR Magazine 21/12/2022 *This is an excellent resource for someone new to wargaming WWII, as it explains most of the basics. For the more experienced gamer, the excellent photos and analysis may be appreciated. * The Miniatures Page 07/09/2022 *Table of ContentsTimeline of Events Introduction Opposing Forces The Campaign Afterword Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisEdwin Lutyens' Memorial to the Missing of the Somme at Thiepval in Northern France, visited annually by tens of thousands of tourists, is arguably the finest structure erected by any British architect in the twentieth century. It is the principal, tangible expression of the defining event in Britain's experience and memory of the Great War, the first day of the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916, and it bears the names of 73,000 soldiers whose bodies were never found at the end of that bloody and futile campaign. This brilliant study by an acclaimed architectural historian tells the origin of the memorial in the context of commemorating the war dead; it considers the giant classical brick arch in architectural terms, and also explores its wider historical significance and its resonances today. So much of the meaning of the twentieth century is concentrated here; the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing casts a shadow into the future, a shadow which extends beyond the dead of the Holocaust, to the Gulag, to the 'disappeared' of South America and of Tianenmen. Reissued in a beautiful and striking new edition for the centenary of the Somme.Trade Review[a] moving and eloquent book * Literary Review *as a piece of architectural analysis it is impressive * The Spectator *Stamp has provided an invaluable, detailed and illuminating study * Guardian *the value of Stamp's book lies in its eloquent account of the genius of the vision of Edward Lutyens ... who created in the Monument to the Missing at Thiepval the central metaphor of a generation's experience of appalling loss. * Observer *This book is a gem...an eloquent, moving lament for the futile waste and industrialised killing of the First World War, and indeed of the 20th Century - an elegy which resonates powerfully today. * Sunday Telegraph *Much, much more than architectural history, for here, encapsulated in marmoreally angry prose, is an account of that collective act of mass murder, without parallel in history, known as the Great War. An unforgettable, passionate book. -- A.N. Wilson * Evening Standard *Perfectly formed and beautifully written, this book is a minor masterpiece, a paragon of its genre. It will move all but the hardest heart to tears at the folly, and the glory, that is man. -- Ross Leckie * The Times *

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Book SynopsisIn the years after the First World War, thousands of men who had fought on the battlefields were drawn back to the Western Front. For the former soldier, these journeys of remembrance offered a chance to pay homage to their past and to see what peace looked like in those places where they had only known war. Pilgrimage to the Western Front gathers together the first-hand accounts of veterans as they retrace their wartime footsteps and stand again at the scenes where they lived through history's bloodiest conflict. The fascinating reports reveal what they found on their return and their reflections and memories of places still healing from the devastation of the war years. Discover their emotions and what greeted the battle-scarred men as they revisited old haunts, met former friends and foes, and confronted their past. Illustrated with remarkable archive images of the destruction of post-war France and Belgium, many drawn from the collection of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, this volume features fifty personal stories spanning each of the interwar years. Join those who witnessed the Great War on a poignant voyage back to the Western Front and see a world recovering from one great conflict and edging towards another.Table of ContentsIntroduction; Acknowledgements; Glossary of terms; 1919; 1920; 1921; 1922; 1923; 1924; 1925; 1926; 1927; 1928; 1929; 1930; 1931; 1932; 1933; 1934; 1935; 1936; 1937; 1938; 1939; References; Index

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Book SynopsisWar and its legacy are traumatic to individuals, communities, and landscapes. The impacts last long beyond the events themselves and shape lives and generations. Archaeology has a part to play in the recording of, and recovery from, such trauma. The Falklands War Mapping Project delivers the first intensive archaeological survey of the battlefields of the Falklands War. The project is pioneering in its inclusion of military veterans as part of the core team and unique in being the first to take veterans back to the battlefields on which they fought. Forty years after the events of 1982, the project provides a detailed assessment of the character, location, and condition of structural features and artefacts. The project also develops understandings of the role played by conflict heritage – and of landscapes, finds, and past events – in the recall of personal and collective memories. This sumptuously illustrated book brings together the perspectives of team members, institutional partners and others. It showcases the varied and important contributions archaeology can make beyond understandings of distant events linked to therapeutic progress, coming to terms with traumatic experiences, living with the past in the present, and forging new memories, relations, and futures.Trade Review‘Forty years after the collective trauma of war, the fighting for personal peace continues. The results of the Falklands War Mapping Project are striking – as this inspirational book shows’ – Lieutenant-General (Ret’d) Sir John Kiszely KCB MC DL ‘This is a remarkable book – at once touching and gripping – that demonstrates not only the value veterans can bring to archaeology but also the value of archaeology to veterans’ – David Shaw CBE, Founder and CEO, The Veterans’ Foundation ‘This book shows not only how archaeology contributes to the well-being of those injured in war, but also provides a series of insights into the problems of interpretation and recording’ – Tim Schadla-Hall, University College London, UKTable of ContentsForeword – Phil Harding ; Acknowledgements ; Introduction – Tony Pollard and Timothy Clack ; Section 1. History and Context ; 1. The Falklands War: Background Context – Timothy Clack and Tony Pollard ; 2. Pebble Island Raid: An Interview with Mark ‘Splash’ Aston – Interviewed by Timothy Clack and Tony Pollard ; 3. Battle of Mount Tumbledown – Tony Pollard and Timothy Clack ; 4. After the Fight: The Return Home – William Spencer ; 5. Life Under Occupation: A Selection of Local Memories – Brian Summers, Rachel Simons, Alan Jones, and Eric Goss ; 6. Memories of Local Resistance – Beth Timmins ; Section 2. Results from the Field ; 7. Conflict Archaeology and the Archaeology of the Falklands War – Tony Pollard and Timothy Clack ; 8. Survey Results from Mount Tumbledown – Tony Pollard, Timothy Clack, and Stuart Eve ; 9. Digital Tumbledown: Drones, Scans, 3D Models – Stuart Eve, Timothy Clack, and Tony Pollard ; 10. Material and Memory: Survey Results from Pebble Island – Timothy Clack, Tony Pollard, and Stuart Eve ; Section 3. Veterans, Community, Art and Wellbeing ; 11. A Scots Guardsman Returns to Tumbledown – Jim ‘Pasty’ Peters ; 12. Psychological Impacts of War: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – Rod Eldridge ; 13. Falkland Islands Museum & National Trust: Curating and Preserving History in the South Atlantic – Emma Goss and Andrea Barlow ; 14. Waterloo Uncovered – Lieutenant Colonel Charles Foinette ; 15. Argentine Archaeology, War Veterans, and Mental Health – Carlos Landa, Juan Leoni, and Sebastián Ávila ; 16. Notes from the Project Artist – Doug Farthing ; 17. War, Weaving, Well-Being – Katie Russell ; Section 4. Project Artworks ; Douglas Farthing ; Katie Russell ; Beth Timmins ; Jake Summers ; Dave Pope ; Sue Luxton ; Falkland Islands Schools

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Book SynopsisAt 21:00 on 9 May 1940 Codeword Danzig was issued alerting Adolf Hitler's airborne troops that they were about to spearhead an attack on Belgium and the Netherlands. The following day his blitzkrieg rolled forward striking the British Expeditionary Force and the French armies in Belgium and in northern France at Sedan. The desperate attempts of the allied armies to stem the Nazi tide proved futile and, once their reserves had been exhausted and the remaining forces cut off, Paris lay open. By early June, it was all over - trapped British, Belgian and French troops were forced to evacuate Dunkirk, Calais and Boulogne and the defeated French army agreed to an armistice leaving the country divided in two. This dramatic story is shown in a sequence of over 150 historic photographs that Anthony Tucker-Jones he has selected for this memorable book. The images he has chosen cover every aspect of this extraordinary campaign, but his main focus is on the vital role played by the armoured fighting vehicles of both sides. The book is a graphic record of the destruction wrought by the Wehrmacht's lightning offensive through the Low Countries and France.

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Book SynopsisThe relationship of England and Scotland became defined by events on 9 September 1513 in a battle of great size, bloodshed and finality - the Battle of Flodden.On the back of historian George Goodwin's critically acclaimed debut, FATAL COLOURS, comes FATAL RIVALRY, providing the first in-depth examination of the Battle of Flodden, the biggest and bloodiest in British history.This book captures the importance of the key players in the story - the kings and their respective queens, their nobles, diplomats and generals - as the rivalry brought the two countries inexorably to war. Fatefully, it would be an error by James, that most charismatic of commanders, and in the thick of engagement, that would make him the last British king to fall in battle, would condemn the bulk of his nobility to a similarly violent death and settle his country's fate.Trade ReviewThis is a clear account of a great if doomed attempt by the Scots to free themselves from English domination. Good timing. * SUNDAY TIMES *Goodwin does a terrific job in building up the protagonists' back stories..Goodwin does a very good job. He's alive to the human story - the 88 members of the Hays family who were killed that day, for example - yet also confident discussing military strategy. -- Toby Clements * DAILY TELEGRAPH *Among the books and events marking the 500-year anniversary of this turning point in Anglo/Scottish relations, George Goodwin's Fatal Rivalry: Flodden 1513 is an essential primer. * SUNDAY EXPRESS *Readable and authoritative...well-researched and comprehensive * GLASGOW HERALD *Goodwin's gripping narrative of the clash and its context makes plain that the modern and well-armed Scots, under the charismatic King James IV, might have turned the tide of our history * THE INDEPENDENT *George Goodwin's previous book, Fatal Colours, was a highly engaging account of the Battle of Towton...Goodwin has produced another entertaining, informative account -- Ed West * THE CATHOLIC HERALD *This very readable account unpicks how the peace fell apart and the Scots allied with the French to turn on the English. * GOOD BOOK GUIDE *FATAL RIVALRY is about far more than just one battle, significant though it was. In telling the story that led to Flodden, he recreates the Renaissance splendour of the royal courts of England and Scotland...a hugely enjoyable, enlightening book. -- Tracy Borman * BBC HISTORY *Fatal Rivalry: Flodden 1513 provides a welcome antidote to the usual run of work on the (Tudor) period. George Goodwin places the events of 9 September 1513 in the context of the two kingdoms and their interrelated royal dynasties over the quarter-century leading up to the battle. * LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS *An impressive young historian, George Goodwin brings detail and understanding to the Battle of Flodden, with all its heroism and melancholy * THE OLDIE *

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Book SynopsisA gripping illustrated narrative of the Cimbrian (or Cimbric) War, in which the armies of the Roman Republic finally defeated the Germanic tribes of the Cimbri, Teutons, Ambrons and Tigurini.Rome''s victory in the Cimbrian War was born of a number of huge and devastating defeats at the hands of the Germanic tribes (chiefly the Cimbri and Teutones), who had migrated en masse southwards in the late 2nd century BC. These included the defeat in 113 BC of the consul Cnaeus Papirius Carbo at Noreia; the smashing of Marcus Iunius Silanus'' army near Burdigala (Bourdeaux) in 109 BC, and the humiliating destruction of two consular armies at Arausio (Orange) four years later. This work explores how, in the autumn of 105 BC, Caius Marius managed to contain the Germanic threat in the north, before crushing it in two successful battles, at Aquae Sextiae (Aix-en-Provence) in Gallia Transalpina in 102 BC and at Vercellae (Vercelli) in Gallia Cisalpina in 101 Table of ContentsORIGINS OF THE WAR CHRONOLOGY The Roman consuls during the war COMMAND: CAIUS MARIUS New man The ambitious soldier War with Iugurtha OPPOSING FORCES The Northern tribes Roman: Marius’ mules THE CIMBRIAN WAR First encounters, 113–107 BC Arausio, 105 BC Aquae Sextiae, 102 BC Vercellae, 101 BC AFTERMATH Political wilderness ABBREVIATIONS BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX

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Book SynopsisA new analysis of exactly how Allied and German tanks fought the Battle of the Bulge, one of the great tank battles of World War II. The Battle of the Bulge raises many questions which, until now, have not been adequately answered: How did the major tank types perform during the battle? What were the specific lessons learned from the combat? And did these lessons result in changes to tanks in the subsequent months?Offering detailed answers to these questions, and many more, this book provides a survey of the principal tank and tank-equivalents (such as tank destroyers and Jagdpanzers) that took part in the Ardennes Campaign of December 1944--January 1945. Beginning with a basic overview of the campaign, accompanied by an order of battle of the major armored units, it examines the opposing forces, covering the organization of the two tank forces to explain how they were deployed. Author Steven Zaloga also scrutinizes the technical balance between the opposing Trade ReviewThere is much here for the rules writer or campaign planner. * Wargames Soldiers and Strategy Magazine *Table of ContentsThe Campaign The Tanks, Doctrine and Organization Technical Factors Battle Analysis Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisExamines Eighth Army''s 1,000-strong tank force rebuilt, reorganized, and equipped with brand-new Sherman and Churchill tanks that secured victory at the Second Battle of El Alamein.When Eighth Army retired into the defensive line at El Alamein on 30 June 1942, it was tired, dispirited and had lost almost all its tanks during a string of defeats at Gazala, Tobruk and Mersa Matruh. After savage defensive fighting at First Alamein, the reinforced Desert Rats defeated Rommel''s last offensive in a tank-to-tank clash at Alam Halfa in September. The next month, a completely rebuilt and reorganized Eighth Army, equipped with over 1,000 tanks including the American M4 Sherman, launched the offensive that would finally drive Rommel out of Africa.Montgomery shaped the Eighth Army according to his own military ideas, and on 23 October was able to attack the Axis defenses with the largest force of armoured divisions in its history, with the 1st, 8th and 10th united in Table of ContentsCONTENTS INTRODUCTION - Armoured force evolution, organization and doctrine - October 1942: The Eighth Army Order of Battle TECHNICAL FACTORS - Cruisers and Crusaders - Stuarts, Grants and Shermans - Infantry support tanks THE CAMPAIGN - The assault: 23rd October 1942 - Reset and 'dog fight' - Operation Supercharge ASSESSMENT AND IMPLICATIONS FURTHER READING INDEX

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Book SynopsisThis work provides an authoritative illustrated examination of the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, analyzing both grand strategy, and the tactical decisions of Day Two and the ensuing combat.July 2, 1863 was the bloodiest and most complicated of the three days of the Battle of Gettysburg. On this day, the clash involved five divisions of Confederate infantry and their accompanying artillery battalions, as well as a cavalry skirmish at nearby Hunterstown. The bulk of the Union army engaged on the second day of fighting, including men from the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 11th and 12th Corps.Assisted by superb maps and 3D diagrams, this fascinating work describes the tactical play-by-play, the customary who did what of the battle. Among the famous actions covered are Hunterstown and Benner's Hill, Little Round Top, Devil's Den, the Rose Wheatfield, the Peach Orchard, and Culp's and Cemetery hills. The critical decisions taken on the second day are examined in detail, Table of ContentsTHE END OF DAY ONE ORDERS OF BATTLE OPPOSING PLANS Union plans Confederate plans THE SECOND DAY Hunterstown and Benner’s Hill The Confederate Advance Little Round Top Devil’s Den The Rose Wheat Field The Valley of Death The Peach Orchard Cemetery Ridge Culp’s Hill Cemetery Hill NIGHTFALL BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX

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Book SynopsisDrawing on 30 years of scholarship, this is a unique, richly illustrated history of the Ancient Assyrian Army and Empire. For the greater part of the period from the end of the 10th century to the 7th century BC, the Ancient Near East was dominated by the dynamic military power of Assyria. This book examines the empire that is now acknowledged as the first ''world'' empire, and thus progenitor of all others. Fully illustrated in colour throughout, with photographs of artefacts, drawings and maps, it focuses on the Assyrian Army, the instrument that secured such immense conquests, now regarded by historians as being the most effective of pre-classical times. It was not only responsible for the creation of history''s first independent cavalry arm, but also for the development of siege weapons later used by both Greece and Rome.There is a great deal of visual evidence showing how this army evolved over three centuries. During the rediscovery and excavation of thTrade ReviewHealy’s book will become the go-to volume for anyone wanting to explore the military history of Assyria, with plenty of other more general insights into Assyrian history. * History of War *Packed full of archaeological images, pictures, illustrations and maps showing how this army was dressed, its equipment and weaponry and the strategies it used. It brings the Assyrian empire back to life for the reader. * Army Rumour Service *The Ancient Assyrians is a must-read for all interested in military history, ancient history or the captivating world of the Assyrians in general. With its comprehensive coverage, stunning visuals and engaging storytelling, Healy’s book stands as a definitive resource on this remarkable civilisation. * Aspects of History *Table of ContentsPreface Part One: The Empire Chapter One: Introduction Chapter Two: Assyria, 934–745 BC Chapter Three: Assyria, 745–720 BC Chapter Four: Sargon II, 721–705 BC Chapter Five: Sennacherib, 704–681 BC Chapter Six: Esarhaddon, 680–669 BC Chapter Seven: Ashurbanipal, 668–?627 BC Chapter Eight: The End of the Assyrian Empire, 627–612 BC Part Two: The Army Chapter Nine: 'The Invincible Weapon' Chapter Ten: Aspects of the Neo-Assyrian War Machine Chapter Eleven: The Assyrian Army at War Select Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe first dedicated examination of Alexander the Great''s final battle and acknowledged tactical masterpiece. In the years that followed Alexander the Great''s victory at Gaugamela on 1 October 331 BC, his Macedonian and Greek army fought a truly ''Herculean'' series of campaigns in what is today Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. But it was in the Indus Valley, on the banks of the Hydaspes River (known today as the Jhelum) in 326 BC that Alexander would fight his last major battle against King Poros. Using detailed maps and 3D diagrams, this beautifully illustrated work shows how Alexander used feints and deception to transport a select force from his army across the swollen River Hydaspes without attracting the enemy''s attention, allowing his troops the crucial element of surprise. Battlescene artworks and photographs reveal the fascinating array of forces that clashed in the battle, including Indian war elephants and chariots, and horse arcTrade ReviewI particularly enjoyed finding out more on the Indian side of the campaign. * Wargames Illustrated *Table of ContentsORIGINS OF THE CAMPAIGN Literary sources CHRONOLOGY OPPOSING COMMANDERS Alexander Poros OPPOSING FORCES Alexander’s army Poros’ army THE BATTLE OF THE HYDASPES The crossing The battle Analysis AFTERMATH ABBREVIATIONS BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX

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Book SynopsisOperation ''Berlin'', the Soviet offensive launched on 16 April, 1945, by Marshals Zhukov and Koniev, isolated the German Ninth Army and tens of thousands of refugees in the Spreewald ''pocket'', south-east of Berlin. Stalin ordered its encirclement and destruction and his subordinates, eager to win the race to the Reichstag, pushed General Busse''s 9th Army into a tiny area east of the village of Halbe. To escape the Spreewald pocket, the remnants of 9th Army had to pass through Halbe, where barricades constructed by both sides formed formidable obstacles and the converging Soviet forces subjected the area to heavy artillery fire. By the time 9th Army eventually escaped the Soviet pincers, it had suffered 40,000 killed and 60,000 taken prisoner. Teenaged refugees recount their experiences alongside Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS veterans attempting to maintain military discipline amid the chaos and carnage of headlong retreat. While army commanders strive to extricate their decimat

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Book SynopsisA compelling account of the failure of Imperial Japan''s Operation Ro-Go, intended to take the offensive in the Solomons theater of the Pacific War, but which became Japan''s first line of defense against the Allies'' Rabaul raids and Bougainville landings.By the midpoint of World War II in the Pacific, Japan was on the defensive. At the end of 1943, after a year of tumultuous air combat around Rabaul and the Solomons, 173 Japanese aircraft were sent to Rabaul. The plan was for them to participate in Ro-Go Sakusen (known as Operation Ro, Ro-Go, or B) to strike Allied air power and shipping in the Solomons and to slow the American advance by severing Allied supply chains. However, instead of challenging Allied air and sea power on their own terms, the operation became unexpectedly embroiled in defensive combat and counterattacks, first to defend Rabaul from Allied air raids, and then to challenge the Allied landings at Bougainville. In one fell swoop, OperatiTable of Contents(subject to confirmation) INTRODUCTION CHRONOLOGY ATTACKER'S CAPABILITIES - Airfields - ­Radar - ­Torpedoes ­- Floatplanes ­- Zero-Sen - ­Judy ­- Val DEFENDER'S CAPABILITIES - Logistics and materiel ­- Strategy - ­Radar ­- Airpower CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES THE CAMPAIGN ­- Defending Torokina - ­The carrier forces strike – 2 November ­- The Fifth Air Force strikes – 2 November - ­First Rabaul attack - 5 November - ­Japanese resistance ­- RAAF night attack – 5 November ­- Notomi lost – 8 November ­- The Beaufort Push – 8–9 November ­- The 11 November Rabaul strike ­- Target Rabaul – again ­- The Bettys’ attack AFTERMATH BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX

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Book SynopsisThis is the story of D-Day, told through the voices of over 1,000 survivors. 6 June, 1944. 156,000 troops from 12 different countries, 11,000 aircraft, 7,000 naval vessels, 24 hours. D-Day - the beginning of the Allied invasion of Hitler's formidable 'Fortress Europe' - was the largest amphibious invasion in history. There has never been a battle like it, before or since. But beyond the statistics and over sixty years on, what is it about the events of D-Day that remain so compelling? The courage of the men who fought and died on the beaches of France? The sheer boldness of the invasion plan? Or the fact that this, Rommel's 'longest day', heralded the beginning of the end of World War II? One of the defining battles of the war, D-Day is scored into the imagination as the moment when the darkness of the Third Reich began to be swept away. This story is told through the voices of over 1,000 survivors - from high-ranking Allied and German officers, to the paratroopers who landed in Normandy before dawn, the infantry who struggled ashore and the German troops who defended the coast. Cornelius Ryan captures the horror and the glory of D-Day, relating in emotive and compelling detail the years of inspired tactical planning that led up to the invasion, its epic implementation and every stroke of luck and individual act of heroism that would later define the battle.Trade ReviewThe terrifying realism of what war really is. D-Day was the greatest and most necessary military undertaking in British or American history and Mr Ryan’s book is worthy of its theme. * Observer *Fifty years from now, the history of D-Day will, I’m sure, lean heavily on this book. * New York Times Book Review *If you have read all the accounts of D-Day or none of them, if you were in the fighting or on the sidelines, you will be spellbound, as I was, by this magnificent retelling of a glorious and tragic story. -- Lt. General James GavinRyan’s classic military study. * Publishers Weekly *Table of ContentsForeword: D Day, Tuesday, June 6, 1944 Part One: The Wait Part Two: The Night Part Three: The Day A Note on Casualties D-Day Veterans: What They Do Today Acknowledgements Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIn the two centuries before the Norman invasion of England, Anglo-Saxon and Viking forces clashed repeatedly in bloody battles across the country. Repeated Viking victories in the 9th century led to their settlement in the north of the country, but the tide of war ebbed and flowed until the final Anglo-Saxon victory before the Norman Conquest. Using stunning artwork, this book examines in detail three battles between the two deadly foes: Ashdown in 871 which involved the future Alfred the Great; Maldon in 991 where an Anglo-Saxon army sought to counter a renewed Viking threat; and Stamford Bridge in 1066, in which King Harold Godwinesson abandoned his preparations to repel the expected Norman invasion in order to fight off Harald Hard-Counsel of Norway.Drawing upon historical accounts from both English and Scandinavian sources and from archaeological evidence, Gareth Williams presents a detailed comparison of the weaponry, tactics, strategies and underlying military organiza

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Book SynopsisWorld War II was only a few hours old when the Battle of the Atlantic, the longest campaign of the Second World War and the most complex submarine war in history, began with the sinking of the unarmed passenger liner Athenia by the German submarine U30. Based on the mastery of the latest research and written from a mid-Atlantic rather than the traditional Anglo-centric perspective, Marc Milner focuses on the confrontation between opposing forces and the attacks on Allied shipping that lay at the heart of the six-year struggle. Against the backdrop of the battle for the Atlantic lifeline he charts the fascinating development of U-boats and the techniques used by the Allies to suppress and destroy these stealth weapons.

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Book SynopsisFrom the author of the celebrated Great War memoirTrade Review'...a remarkable and fascinating account...' --Phil Carradice, BBC

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Book SynopsisInternationally renowned samurai expert Dr. Stephen Turnbull delves into a pivotal era of Japanese history in this highly illustrated account of the Gempei War, a conflict that defined the age and the ethos of the samurai. Never before had there been a large-scale clash between two rival samurai families, the Taira and the Minamoto, and never again would the result of a war in Japan be quite so dramatic. Fought to gain control over the emperor, it would end with imperial power being totally eclipsed in favor of the military might of the samurai class and the establishment of the position of shogun--Japan''s military dictator. Turnbull examines the events of the five-year-long conflict, revealing the changes that the war inflicted on Japanese culture and how it establishmened many samurai traditions.Table of ContentsIntroduction/Chronology/Opposing commanders/Opposing armies/Opposing plans/The campaign/Aftermath/The battlefield today/Further reading/Index

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Book SynopsisIn 1917 the soldiers of the Canadian Corps would prove themselves the equal of any fighting on the Western Front, while on the other side of the wire, the men of the Royal Bavarian Army won a distinguished reputation in combat. Employing the latest weapons and pioneering tactics, these two forces would clash in three notable encounters: the Canadian storming of Vimy Ridge, the back-and-forth engagement at Fresnoy and at the sodden, bloody battle of Passchendaele. Featuring carefully chosen archive photographs and specially commissioned artwork, this study assesses these three hard-fought battles in 1917 on the Western Front, and offers a new take on the evolving nature of infantry combat in World War I.

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Book SynopsisBy December 1942, the Soviets had surrounded the German 6th Army in Stalingrad, cutting off all lines of supply except through the air. Seeking to sever this last German lifeline, Soviet Command decided to launch a raid with the entire 24th Tank Corps to seize the airfield at Tatsinskaya, the primary operating base for the German airlift efforts. On 17 December, the 24th Tank Corps advanced toward Tatsinskaya, seizing the airfield on Christmas Eve. The Soviet tankers succeeded in destroying many Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground, but afterwards found themselves isolated and out of fuel behind the German lines. Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein rapidly organized a counterattack with elements of two panzer divisions, crushing most of the raiding force between 26 and 28 December. Just before the raiding force was annihilated, it received permission to abandon its heavy equipment and escape back to Soviet lines on foot. Thus, the raiders accomplished their mission of severely disrupting the airlift to Stalingrad, but at the cost of an entire tank corps.

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Book SynopsisThe German campaign in France during the summer of 1940 was pivotal to Hitler's ambitions and fundamentally affected the course of the Second World War. Having squabbled about fighting methods right up to the start of the campaign, the German forces provided the Führer with a swift, efficient and decisive military victory over the Allied forces.In achieving in just six weeks what their fathers had failed to accomplish during the four years of the First World War, Germany altered the balance of power in Europe at a stroke. Yet, as Lloyd Clark shows in this enthralling new book, it was far from a foregone conclusion. Blitzkrieg tells the story of the campaign, while highlighting the key technologies, decisions and events that led to German success, and details the mistakes, good fortune and chronic weaknesses in their planning process and approach to war fighting. There are also compelling portraits of the officers who played key roles, including Heinz Guderian, Erwin Rommel, Kurt Student, Charles de Gaulle and Bernard Montgomery.Clark argues that far from being undefeatable, the France 1940 campaign revealed Germany and its armed forces to be highly vulnerable - a fact dismissed by Hitler as he began to plan for his invasion of the Soviet Union - and offers a gripping reassessment of the myths that have built up around one of the Second World War's greatest military victories.Trade ReviewThis genuinely revisionist account of the Battle of France in 1940 proves a deeply shocking fact - we are essentially still in thrall to the view of Blitzkrieg tactics that Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels wanted us to have, even over three-quarters of a century later. Lloyd Clark's brilliant analysis proves that Fall Gelb (the Germans' Plan Yellow) wasn't all about unstoppable, superior panzers and Stukas, but was in fact an audacious, highly risky infantry-based plan that could have gone badly wrong given a different Allied mindset. * Andrew Roberts *Lloyd Clark has written a lucid, intelligent and thought-provoking reappraisal... His groundbreaking, detailed research will make it the seminal work on the fall of France in 1940. The story of the breakthrough unfolds at a fascinating and cracking pace... Blitzkrieg is a remarkable book that will reshape many of the traditional assertions made about this battle. * Robert Kershaw *A breakthrough book, bringing the drama of Hitler's May 1940 offensive in France vividly to life - alongside a major reappraisal of the campaign's significance. Excellent. * Michael Jones *A compelling and fresh retelling of one of the century's most intriguing and significant campaigns. * BBC History Magazine *A masterly account teeming with vivid personalities and the usual mixture of heroism, incompetence, and luck * Kirkus Reviews *In this new volume, acclaimed historian Lloyd Clark . . . paints a very different look at the German victory . . . Clark does an excellent job of describing the first critical five days of the campaign . . . He highlights multiple opportunities the French and British had to stop the German advance at vulnerable moments . . . Lloyd presents a well-balanced narrative that highlights the knife-edge victory of the German forces. * New York Journal of Books *

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Book SynopsisRemarkably, the first book about this decisive battle in the Hundred Years War

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Book SynopsisIn August 48 BC, following the earlier battle at Dyrrhachium, the two greatest Roman commanders of their generation met in battle again at Pharsalus in Greece. Julius Caesar, conqueror of Gaul, had been defeated at Dyrrhachium and forced to retreat but now stood at bay to face Pompey the Great, conqueror of the East. At stake lay the future of the ailing Roman Republic, each man believing he alone had the solution to restoring Republican government. Gareth Sampson examines the campaigns which led up to the battle as well as the role played by the various regional powers who got drawn into the Roman Civil War. The Battle of Pharsalus itself is analysed in detail to determine the strengths and weakness of both armies and their various commanders, as well as the organization, equipment and tactics of the forces involved in the battle which culminated in a decisive victory for Caesar. The author concludes with consideration of the aftermath of the battle, which saw Pompey murdered in Egypt and Caesar distracted by the affairs of the East.

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Book SynopsisDetailed study of Alexander the Great's invasion of the Persian Empire, which was cast as a war of vengeance for Persia's earlier invasions of Greece.

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Book SynopsisA huge collection of photos, more than 600, bring to life one of the less understood but most impactful colonial wars of the 20th century.

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Book SynopsisOn 31st October 1917, as the day''s light faded, the Australian Light Horse charged against their enemy. Eight hundred men and horses galloped four miles across open country, towards the artillery, rifles and machine guns of the Turks occupying the seemingly unassailable town of Beersheba. What happened in the next hour changed the course of history.This brave battle and the extraordinary adventures that led to it are brought vividly to life by Australia''s greatest storyteller, Peter FitzSimons. It is an epic tale of farm boys, drovers, bank clerks, dentists, poets and scoundrels transported to fight a war half a world away, and is full of incredible characters: from Major Banjo Paterson to Lawrence of Arabia; the brilliant writer Trooper Ion Idriess and the humble General Harry Chauvel; the tearaway Test fast bowler ''Tibby'' Cotter and the infamous warhorse, Bill the Bastard. All have their part to play in the enthralling, sprawling drama of the Australian Light Horse.

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Book SynopsisIllustrated with colour maps and images, this is an introduction to the Franco-Prussian War, a war that marked the beginning of the creation of modern Europe. The Franco-Prussian War started in 1870 when Otto von Bismarck engineered a war with the French Second Empire under Napoleon III, as part of his plan to unite Prussia with the southern German states as a new Germany. Stephen Badsey examines the build-up, battles, and impact of the war, which was an overwhelming Prussian victory with massive consequences. The French Second Empire collapsed, Napoleon III became an exile in Britain, and King Wilhelm I was proclaimed Emperor of the new united Germany. In the peace settlement that followed, Germany gained the eastern French provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, areas that were to provide a bone of contention for years to come. Updated for the new edition with revisions from the author and new images throughout, this is an accessible introduction to the largest and most important Table of ContentsIntroduction Background to War Warring Sides Outbreak The Fighting The World Around War How the War Ended Conclusion and Consequences Chronology Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisMarshal Zhukov at the Oder

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Book SynopsisFrom the end of 1941 to 1945 a pivotal but often overlooked conflict was being fought in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War 2 - the Burma Campaign.In 1941 the Allies fought in a disastrous retreat across Burma against the Japanese - an enemy more prepared, better organised and more powerful than anyone had imagined. Yet in 1944, following key battles at Kohima and Imphal, and daring operations behind enemy lines by the Chindits, the Commonwealth army were back, retaking lost ground one bloody battle at a time.Fighting in dense jungle and open paddy field, this brutal campaign was the longest fought by the British Commonwealth in the Second World War. But the troops taking part were a forgotten army, and the story of their remarkable feats and their courage remains largely untold to this day.The Fourteenth Army in Burma became one of the largest and most diverse armies of the Second World War. British, West African, Ghurkha and Indian regiments fought aTrade ReviewGripping reading and a valuable history ... Excellent * Pennant *

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Book SynopsisDramatic, illustrated account of the biggest naval battle of the First World War.On 31 May, 1916, the great battle fleets of Britain and Germany met off Jutland in the North Sea. It was a climactic encounter, the culmination of a fantastically expensive naval race between the two countries, and expectations on both sides were high. For the Royal Navy''s Grand Fleet, there was the chance to win another Trafalgar. For the German High Seas Fleet, there was the opportunity to break the British blockade and so change the course of the war. But Jutland was a confused and controversial encounter. Tactically, it was a draw; strategically, it was a British victory.Naval historians have pored over the minutiae of Jutland ever since. Yet they have largely ignored what the battle was actually like for its thousands of participants. Full of drama and pathos, of chaos and courage, JUTLAND, 1916 describes the sea battle in the dreadnought era from the point of view of those who were there.

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Book SynopsisLike a scene from Where Eagles Dare , a small team of American spies parachutes into Italy behind enemy lines. Their orders: link up with local partisans and sabotage the well-guarded Brenner Pass,the Nazis'' crucial supply route through the Alps,thereby bringing the German war effort in Italy to a grinding halt.

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Book SynopsisA passionate celebrator of sexual difference, Luce Irigaray was never simply after the social equality that her generation so publicly demanded. She was seeking more fundamentally a society that celebrated the differences between the genders and their coming together in a union without hierarchy. As she formulates it in this compellingly readable introduction to her own thought, Irigaray is writing about how I and You become We. Exploring along the way women's experiences of motherhood, abortion, the AIDS crisis and the beauty industry, this book presents one of the most important thinkers of our day in her own words.Trade Review'These translations of Luce Irigaray's works will make a powerful contribution to feminist scholarship in philosophy, political theory, psycho-analysis, linguistics and poetics. Theorists of sexual difference will find a serious and subtle challenge in Irigaray's latest provocations.'- Judith Butler'Luce Irigaray is, arguably, one of the most original and provocative feminist theorists in contemporary French though.' - Elizabeth GroszTable of ContentsA Personal Note: Equal or Different 1. The Neglect of Female Genealogies 2. Religious and Civil Myths 3. Women's Discourse and Men's Discourse 4. On the Maternal Order 5. The Culture of Difference 6. Writing as a Woman 7. 'I Won't Get AIDS' 8. Linguistic Sexes and Genders 9. The Right to Life 10. Why Define Sexed Rights? 11. 'More Women than Men' 12. Your Health: What, or Who, is it? 13. How can we Create our Beauty? 14. How Old are You? 15. The Cost of Words 16. So When are we to Become Women?

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Book SynopsisEveryone knows what William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings in 1066, but in recent years is has become customary to assume that the victory was virtually inevitable, given the alleged superiority of Norman military technology. In this new study, underpinned by biographical sketches of the great warriors who fought for the crown of England in 1066, Frank McLynn shows that this view is mistaken. The battle on Senlac Hill on 14 October was a desperately close-run thing, which Harold lost only because of an incredible run of bad fortune and some treachery from the Saxon elite in England. Both William and Harold were fine generals, but Harold was the more inspirational of the two. Making use of all the latest scholarship, McLynn shows that most of our ''knowledge'' of 1066 rests on myths or illusions: Harold did not fight at Hastings with the same army with which he had been victorious at Stamford Bridge three weeks earlier; the Battle of Senlac was not won by Norman arcTrade ReviewA splendid book... fascinatingly rich and thorough. -- Julian Rathbone * Independent on Sunday *An exciting story well told... A most lively and rewarding book. -- Jeremy Black * Literary Review *One of our most readable historians * Daily Express *McLynn is an astonishingly prolific historian. His books are always elegantly written, highly opinionated and enormously enjoyable * Sunday Times *Has anybody done more – done as much – as Frank McLynn in writing intelligent, combative, thoroughly researched and thoroughly readable history? * Independent *

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Book SynopsisBrian Boru is the most famous Irish person before the modern era, whose death at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014 is one of the few events in the whole of Ireland's medieval history to retain a place in the popular imagination. Once, we were told that Brian, the great Christian king, gave his life in a battle on Good Friday against pagan Viking enemies whose defeat banished them from Ireland forever. More recent interpretations of the Battle of Clontarf have played down the role of the Vikings and portrayed it as merely the final act in a rebellion against Brian, the king of Munster, by his enemies in Leinster and Dublin.This book proposes a far-reaching reassessment of Brian Boru and Clontarf. By examining Brian's family history and tracing his career from its earliest days, it uncovers the origins of Brian's greatness and explains precisely how he changed Irish political life forever.Brian Boru and the Battle of Clontarf offers a new interpretation of the role of the Vikings in Irish affairs and explains how Brian emerged from obscurity to attain the high-kingship of Ireland because of his exploitation of the Viking presence. And it concludes that Clontarf was deemed a triumph, despite Brian's death, because of what he averteda major new Viking offensive in Irelandon that fateful day.Reviews:I cannot recommend enough Seán Duffy's book for its readability and the enormity of backbreaking historical scholarship lightly borne and compellingly presented.'Dr Pat Wallace, Director Emeritus of the National Museum of IrelandThis scholarly, sympathetic book expertly unpicks legend and propaganda to uncover the real figure, offering an important reassessment of his place in Irish history.' Donnchadh Ó Corraín, Irish Times Weekend ReviewTrade Review‘I cannot recommend enough Seán Duffy’s book for its readability and the enormity of backbreaking historical scholarship lightly borne and compellingly presented.’ -- Dr Pat Wallace, Director Emeritus of the National Museum of Ireland

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Book SynopsisA controversial, detailed examination of the decisive events of the Falklands war, focusing on the Battle of Goose Green and questioning the media's presentation of the heroic victory for the British.Trade Review"As a service to history, this is commendable" Major Ali Ahmed, USI Journal "His argument that Col. Jones leaned too heavily towards restrictive control is convincing ... a remarkably outspoken book." Soldier "Controversial and readable, explains clearly the two contradictory systems of tactical command under consideration at Goose Green. This is a fascinating book which looks at a very recent piece of our history from a new and disturbing angle." Forces News "Exhaustive research ... A masterly study of this confused action." Eastern Daily PressTable of ContentsList of Maps and Sketches Acknowledgements Introduction Part One: Preliminaries to Battle Part Two: The Battle Part Three: Conclusions Appendices Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIn his major reassessment of the war on the Eastern Front, Anthony Tucker-Jones casts new light on the brutal fighting on the Eastern Front, in such astounding German defeats as at Stalingrad and Kursk.Trade ReviewAn outstanding book ... Highly recommended -- Heinz Reinhardt

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