Military history: post-WW2 conflicts Books
Helion & Company Hot Skies Over Yemen: Volume 2: Aerial Warfare
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£16.10
Grub Street Publishing Harrier Boys
Book SynopsisIn the second volume of Harrier Boys, the history of this remarkable aircraft in service with UK armed forces is illustrated through personal reminiscences of the people who worked with it. The book features the evolution of Harrier II, and updates to the Sea Harrier.
£13.49
Helion & Company Iraqi Mirages: Dassault Mirage Family in Service
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£16.10
Helion & Company Paradise Afire Volume 2: The Sri Lankan War,
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£16.10
Helion & Company Emperor'S Own: Ethiopian Forces in the Korean
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£16.96
Helion & Company Battle for Cassinga: South Africa's Controversial
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£16.10
Helion & Company Air Wars Between Ecuador and Peru, Volume 2:
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£16.10
Helion & Company Air Power and the Arab World, Volume 4: The First
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£16.96
Helion & Company Migs in the Middle East, Volume 2: The Second
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£16.10
Helion & Company Santuary Lost: Volume 1: the Air War for Guinea
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£16.96
Orion Publishing Co Groomed to be a Bride
Book SynopsisA heartbreaking, powerful true story from Britain''s most-loved foster carer, perfect for fans of Cathy Glass and Casey Watson.When a terrified young girl is discovered hiding in the back of a lorry, she is quickly taken into the care of social services. Arriving on the doorstep of foster carer Maggie Hartley, she is painfully thin, bruised and unable to speak a word of English. What atrocities has she escaped to bring her here? Woken each night by the screams of Halima''s nightmares, Maggie is desperate to reach this damaged young girl. But without a shared language, she fears that she may never uncover the truth behind her terror.Can Maggie help Halima recover from the horrors she has endured, and help her build a new life for herself? Or will Halima forever be haunted by the ghosts of her past?
£11.07
Quarto Publishing PLC To The Last Round: The Epic British Stand on the
Book SynopsisNEW PAPERBACK EDITION ‘ Salmon’ s vivid use of recollections and dramatic quotes brings alive an unjustly forgotten conflict’ Time Out With even World War II now just on the edges of living memory, and with British forces now engaged in a lengthy, brutal and attritional old-fashioned war in Afghanistan, historical attention is starting to turn to the Korean War of the early 1950s. And remarkably, the most notorious and celebrated battle in that conflict, from a British point of view, has never previously been written about at length. Andrew Salmon’ s book, which has garnered excellent reviews and sold out two hardback printings already, has filled that gap. This is the story of the Battle of the Imjin River, when the British 29th Infantry Brigade, and above all the “ Glorious Glosters” of the Gloster Regiment, fought an epic last stand against the largest communist offensive of the war. It lasted three days, of bitter hand-to-hand combat. By the end of it one battalion of the Glosters – some 750 men – had been reduced to just 50 survivors. Andrew Salmon’ s definitive history, which gained excellent reviews in hardback and sold very steadily, is very much in the Antony Beevor mould: accessible, pacy, narrative, and painting a moving and exciting picture through the extensive use of eyewitness accounts of veterans, of whom he has tracked down and interviewed dozens. Andrew Salmon is a Seoul-based journalist who writes for The Times, The Washington Times, and Forbes magazine. He first became fascinated by the battle in 2001 when he met British veterans returning to the Imjin River to mark the 50th anniversary.
£17.00
The University of Alabama Press True Faith and Allegiance
Book SynopsisAn intimate and compelling account of the most brutal infantry warfare and also a critique of the mishandling of America's departure from Indochina. This is a riveting recounting of the prism through which a Vietnam veteran views the war as he continues to live with the aftereffects of life-altering experiences in the service of his country.Trade ReviewHaving myself spent two months on the ground in An Loc during the Easter Offensive, Mike McDermott’s personal and heartfelt narrative brought back the searing experience of that battle in vivid and moving detail. I cannot recommend this book strongly enough." - James H. Willbanks, Vietnam veteran and author of The Battle of An Loc, Abandoning Vietnam: How America Left and South Vietnam Lost Its War and The Tet Offensive: A Concise History"I found it more interesting and more informative than most Vietnam memoirs. Partly, this is because it deals with a period of the war about which not much has been written. Partly, it is because McDermott thinks and writes clearly, and deals with significant issues. He describes the nature of the fighting at An Loc—the forces and weapons, how they were used or misused, and what impact they had—with great clarity." - Edwin E. MoÏse, author of The A to Z of the Vietnam War and Modern China: A History
£19.76
NewSouth Publishing Australia's Vietnam: Myth vs history
Book SynopsisWhy everything you think you know about Australia’s Vietnam War is wrong. When Mark Dapin first interviewed Vietnam veterans and wrote about the war, he swallowed (and regurgitated) every misconception. He wasn’t alone. In Australia’s Vietnam, Dapin reveals that every stage of Australia’s commitment to the Vietnam War has been misunderstood, misinterpreted and shrouded in myth. From army claims that every national serviceman was a volunteer; and the level of atrocities committed by Australian troops; to the belief there no welcome home parades until the late 1980s and returned soldiers were met by angry protesters. Australia’s Vietnam is a major contribution to the understanding of Australia’s experience of the war and will change the way we think about memory and military history. Acclaimed journalist and bestselling military historian Mark Dapin busts long-held and highly charged myths about the Vietnam War Dapin reveals his own mistakes and regrets as a journalist and military historian and his growing realisation that the stereotypes of the Vietnam War are far from the truth This book will change the way military history is researched and written
£18.86
Helion & Company Tito'S Underground Air Base: Bihac (Zeljava)
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£16.10
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Russian S300 and S400 Missile Systems
Book SynopsisAn expert account of the development, role, and capabilities of the S-300 and S-400 air defence missile systems, key strategic weapons in Putin's Russia. Few modern missile systems have had such significance as the S-300 family. Highly regarded technically, Russia's most powerful air-defense systems have been a major strategic asset to the country, exported to major powers around the world, and are a key weapon in many international hotspots and in recent wars. In this book, professional missile systems analyst Steve Zaloga uses his specialist knowledge to assess and analyse them in detail. He explains that the S-300 is, in fact, three systems: the S-300P, designed as a replacement for older Soviet strategic SAM systems, the S-300V, developed to defend against Pershing ballistic missiles, and the S-300F, designed for ship defense. He also considers the supplementary S-350 system and the new-generation S-400 system, deployed in Syria and sold to both China and Turkey. An assessmentTrade ReviewThe book is packed with illustrations and photos and technical information. -- Susan Wilson * Army Rumour Service *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION ORIGINS S-300P Biryuza (SA-10A Grumble) S-300PS Volkhov M6 S-50 Moscow Defense Ring The second generation: S-300PM Volkhov M-6M (SA-20A Gargoyle) S-300PMU Export System Catering to the export market: S-300PMU-2 Favorit (SA-20B Gargoyle) S-350 Vityaz The third generation: S-400 Triumf (SA-21A Growler) The Naval S-300F Fort/Rif (SA-N-6 Grumble) S-300V (SA-12 Giant/Gladiator) S-300VM (SA-23) S-500 Prometey ATBM ASSESSMENT FURTHER READING
£11.69
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Hamburger Hill 1969
Book SynopsisA highly illustrated, authoritative exploration of Operation Apache Snow, including the infamous Battle of Hamburger Hill (Ap Bia Mountain), one of the most significant and well-known actions in the Vietnam War.Operation Apache Snow was the result of a renewed Allied effort in early 1969 to neutralize the North Vietnamese forces in the A Shau, a 45km-long valley located in the southwestern Thua Thien Province. This area had long provided an infiltration corridor for Communist forces from the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos to the coastal cities of northern I Corps Tactical Zone.The ensuing battle to take Ap Bia Mountain, which became known as Hamburger Hill, lasted for ten days. Although US and South Vietnamese forces were ultimately successful in taking the hill, the heavy casualties incurred in the bitter fighting caused a furor in Congress, with many congressmen denouncing the action.In this work, respected Vietnam War historian James H. Wil
£15.29
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Putin Takes Crimea 2014
Book SynopsisAn authoritative analysis of how Putin''s Russia conquered the Crimea in 2014 using ''grey zone'' warfare techniques, blending operations by anonymous special forces with cyber, sabotage, and propaganda. Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 was almost bloodless fought as much through propaganda, cyberattacks and subversion as by force of arms but it is crucial for our understanding of both modern warfare and recent Russian history. Ironically, this slick triumph eventually led to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the largest and costliest conventional war in Europe since 1945. This is a fascinating account of the Crimea conquest from a supremely qualified expert on modern Russian forces. Illustrated throughout, it explores how Russia developed its new model of hybrid' or grey zone' warfare, and planned and deployed it against Crimea, from the choreographed appearance of spontaneous' protesters through to the deployment of unbadged Russian elite forceTable of ContentsIntroduction Origins The Plan Consolidation Analysis Conclusion Further Reading Index
£14.39
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Son Tay 1970
Book SynopsisA superbly illustrated account of one of the key milestones in the development of modern US Special Operations Forces, the hugely complex POW rescue at Son Tay. On November 21, 1970, a meticulously prepared force of US Special Forces in HH-53 helicopters, supported by more than a hundred combat aircraft, raided the POW camp at Son Tay, North Vietnam, just 23 miles west of Hanoi, seeking 61 American prisoners. Having trained for months in secret, and utilizing the best troops and air crews possible, the raiders executed the mission flawlessly. No Americans were killed and only two aircraft were downed, with the raiders killing several dozen North Vietnamese. It was the epitome of joint commando operations and regarded as an unheralded success. Except, the prisoners were missing. The raiders had come up empty handed. Illustrated with original artwork and maps, and drawing on both declassified documents and new interviews with participants, in this book diplomat
£14.39
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Afghanistan 197988
Book SynopsisThe first English-language book to examine the crucial part air power played in the Soviet-Afghan War.The Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan was fought as much in the air as on the ground. From the high-level bombing raids that blasted rebel-held mountain valleys, to the Mi-24 helicopter gunships and Su-25 jets that accompanied every substantial army operation, Soviet control of the air was a crucial battlefield asset. Vital to every aspect of its operations, Mi-8 helicopters ferried supplies to remote mountain-top observation points and took the bodies of fallen soldiers on their last journey home in An12 Black Tulips'. But this was not a wholly one-sided conflict. Even before the Afghan rebels began to acquire man-portable surface-to-air missiles such as the controversial US Stinger,' they aggressively and imaginatively adapted. They learnt new techniques of camouflage and deception, set up ambushes against low-level attacks, and even launched daring raids on airbases to dTable of ContentsINTRODUCTION Flying in an Afghan summer CHRONOLOGY ATTACKER'S CAPABILITIES The Soviet Air Force in Afghanistan Close air support Bombing Airlift Supporting the war The DRA Air Force DEFENDER'S CAPABILITIES Countering Soviet air power Deception, evasion and camouflage Anti-aircraft artillery MANPADS Mines and ambushes Raids CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES A decade in Afghanistan 1. Invasion, 1979–80 2. Reluctant escalation, 1980–84 3. Chernenko’s war, 1984–86 4. The ‘bleeding wound’, 1986–88 5. Withdrawal, 1988–89 THE CAMPAIGN Jets and helicopters fight a guerrilla war 1. Invasion, 1979–80 2. Reluctant escalation, 1980–84 Operation Rhombus and the Yak-38 3. Chernenko’s war, 1984–86 Operation Trap: The end of ‘Chernenko’s war’ 4. The ‘bleeding wound’, 1986–88 The Stinger Operation Highway, 1987–88 5.Withdrawal, 1988–89 Operation Air-Bridge, January–February 1989 AFTERMATH AND ANALYSIS FURTHER READING GLOSSARY INDEX
£15.29
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Dien Bien Phu 1954
Book SynopsisA highly illustrated study of the battle at Dien Bien Phu, the 56-day siege that eventually led to the surrender of the remaining French-led forces, this iconic battle provided the climax of the First Indochina War.In late 1953, the seventh year of France''s war against the Viet Minh insurgency in its colony of Vietnam, the C-in-C, General Navarre, was encouraged to plant an ''air-ground base'' in the Thai Highlands at Dien Bien Phu, to distract General Giap''s Vietnamese People''s Army from both Annam and the French northern heartland in the Red River Delta, and to protect the Laotian border. Elite French paratroopers captured Dien Bien Phu, which was reinforced between December 1953 and February 1954 with infantry and artillery, a squadron of tanks and one of fighter-bombers, to a strength of 10,000 men. Giap and the VPA General Staff accepted the challenge of a major positional battle; through a total mobilization of national resources, and with Chinese logistical Trade ReviewA fine analysis, and a tribute to immense bravery on both sides. -- Chris JarvisTable of ContentsOrigins of the Campaign Chronology Opposing Commanders Opposing Forces and Orders of Battle Opposing Plans The Battle Aftermath The Battlefield Today Further Reading Acronyms and Abbreviations Index
£15.29
Schiffer Publishing Ltd The French Foreign Legion in Indochina 19461956
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£51.19
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Yom Kippur War 1973
Book SynopsisThe story of the hardest-fought air war of the jet era, where highly trained Israeli air forces almost met their match against Egypt and Syria''s high-tech MiGs and missiles.The Yom Kippur War, or October War of 1973 was perhaps the most intensive and savage air war in history. It pitted more than 300 Israeli combat aircraft including modern US-built Phantoms and Skyhawks against nearly 1,000 advanced Soviet-built jets from Egypt, Iraq, Libya, and Syria. During a war lasting just 19 days, each side flew an average of more than 1,000 sorties per day, and both sides lost around one-third of their aircraft.Veteran Middle East aviation historian Shlomo Aloni explains how, in contrast to the striking success of the Six-Day War, Israel's prewar plans failed in 1973. Since the Six-Day War, Israel had modernized its air force and planned in detail for this air war. But the IDF underestimated the effectiveness of the latest Soviet air defense technology and doctrine,
£15.29
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC US MACV-SOG Reconnaissance Team in Vietnam
Book SynopsisIn 1964 Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, activated a joint unconventional task force known as the Studies and Observation Group—MACV-SOG. As a cover its mission was to conduct analysis of lessons learned in combat by all branches of service. SOG's real mission was to conduct covert strategic reconnaissance missions into Laos, Cambodia and South Vietnam as well as sabotage and 'Black' psychological operations. Ground, air and naval assets were employed to insert, collect, extract, and otherwise support these operations. This book tells the complete story of these covert agents, from their recruitment and training, through to their deadly black-ops in the jungles of Vietnam.Table of ContentsIntroduction Chronology Recruitment/ Enlistment Training Appearance /Equipment /Conditions of Service /On Campaign /Belief and Belonging /Experience of Battle /After the Battle /Collecting/Museums/Re-enactment /Bibliography /Glossary /Index
£14.24
Encounter Books,USA Triumph Regained: The Vietnam War, 1965-1968
Book SynopsisTriumph Regained: The Vietnam War, 1965–1968 is the long-awaited sequel to the immensely influential Triumph Forsaken: The Vietnam War, 1954–1965. Like its predecessor, this book overturns the conventional wisdom using a treasure trove of new sources, many of them from the North Vietnamese side. Rejecting the standard depiction of U.S. military intervention as a hopeless folly, it shows America’s war to have been a strategic necessity that could have ended victoriously had President Lyndon Johnson heeded the advice of his generals. In light of Johnson’s refusal to use American ground forces beyond South Vietnam, General William Westmoreland employed the best military strategy available. Once the White House loosened the restraints on Operation Rolling Thunder, American bombing inflicted far greater damage on the North Vietnamese supply system than has been previously understood, and it nearly compelled North Vietnam to capitulate. The book demonstrates that American military operations enabled the South Vietnamese government to recover from the massive instability that followed the assassination of President Ngo Dinh Diem. American culture sustained public support for the war through the end of 1968, giving South Vietnam realistic hopes for long-term survival. America’s defense of South Vietnam averted the imminent fall of key Asian nations to Communism and sowed strife inside the Communist camp, to the long-term detriment of America’s great-power rivals, China and the Soviet Union.Trade ReviewTHE LONG-AWAITED SEQUEL TO TRIUMPH FORSAKEN: THE VIETNAM WAR, 1954–1965 “This second book in what will be a seminal trilogy is impeccably researched and elegantly written. Mark Moyar availed himself of newly available materials to shed fresh light and understanding on a crucial period of the Vietnam War. Triumph Regained poses a compelling reinterpretation that is bound to make uncomfortable those who contributed to or accepted the conventional wisdom on the war that emerged across the past half century.”—H. R. McMaster, author of Dereliction of Duty and Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World “Triumph Regained expertly chronicles the grit, courage, and sacrifice of the American fighting man during the Vietnam War and provides clear-eyed analysis of the strategic and political imperatives that motivated both sides of the conflict. Mark Moyar is reclaiming the honorable legacy of a generation of American warriors and proving the truth of Ronald Reagan’s belief that Vietnam was a ‘noble cause.’ We should be proud of the patriotic Americans who served in Vietnam and never forget that politicians in Washington squandered their sacrifices.”—Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) “No serious scholar has done more in recent years to challenge the entrenched consensus on the Vietnam War than historian Mark Moyar. In Triumph Regained, he presents bold new insights that compel us to question the conventional wisdom on the war from the onset of its Americanization in 1965 to the Tet Offensive of 1968. Captivating from start to finish, the book is as audacious as it is thought-provoking—and necessary.”—Pierre Asselin, professor of history and Dwight E. Stanford Chair in American Foreign Relations, San Diego State University “Using newly available documents and re-interpreting old, Moyar invites us to revisit the 1970s clichéd narratives of strategy and policy in the early years of America's war in Vietnam.”—Jeffrey Race, author of War Comes to Long An: Revolutionary Conflict in a Vietnamese Province
£32.39
Penguin Books Ltd Hennessey P The Junior Officers Reading Club
Book SynopsisPatrick Hennessey''s The Junior Officers'' Reading Club is a lucid, witty account of all the horror, boredom and exhilaration of war. Patrick Hennessey is pretty much like any other member of Generation X: he spent the first half of the noughties reading books at university, going out, listening to house music and watching war films. He also, as an officer in the Grenadier guards, fought in some of the most violent combat the British army has seen in decades. Telling the story of how a modern soldier is made, from the testosterone-heavy breeding ground of Sandhurst to the nightmare of Iraq and Afghanistan, The Junior Officers'' Reading Club is already being hailed as a modern classic. ''Soldiers who can write are as rare as writers who can strip down a machinegun in 40 seconds'' Christopher Hart, Sunday Times ''An extraordinary memoir ... Hennessey has a reporter''s eye for detail and a soldier''s nose for bullshit'' JoTrade ReviewSoldiers who can write are as rare as writers who can strip down a machinegun in 40 seconds, but Patrick Hennessey is one of the few * Sunday Times *High-tempo, full-on . . . honest and revealing . . . a memoir brimming with vinegar and testosterone * Evening Standard *The military memoir of the moment * Times *A very fine book, a powerful dispatch from the front line ... what impresses is the sheer candour and immediacy * Spectator *An extraordinary memoir . . . Hennessey has a reporter's eye for detail and a soldier's nose for bullshit * Guardian *Outstanding . . . A classic of its kind * William Boyd, Sunday Herald, Books of the Year *Harrowing and frequently funny . . . sparkles with wit, wisdom and boyish glee . . . His generation owns the war * Times *Must rank as the most accomplished work of military witness to emerge from British war-fighting since 1945 * Independent *Remarkable . . . conveys vividly what it's like to experience combat * Jeremy Paxman, Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year *An engaging mix of war reporting, stream of consciousness and reflections on the nature of conflict in the twenty-first century * Caroline Moorehead, Spectator, Books of the Year *All politicians need to read honest accounts of war - at no time more than now - and Patrick Hennessey's The Junior Officers' Reading Club is one of the very best * David Cameron, Observer, Books of the Year *A vivid account of a rollercoaster tour of duty . . . testosterone-charged, expletive-splattered * Phil Jacobson, Daily Mail *A compelling read . . . Hennessey's book ought to be read by all officers that have yet to experience combat . . . He has written an important portrait of contemporary warfare and the nature of battle - a portrait that can claim a line of descent from Sassoon's Memoirs of an Infantry Officer * Will Pike, British Army Review *An honest acknowledgment of the darkness within us, of the unwelcome emotions that combat can bring about ... Smart and funny ... The Junior Officers' Reading Club is a humdinger -- Jonathan Yardley * Washington Post *
£10.44
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Soviet Cold War Attack Submarines
Book SynopsisThis fascinating title explains and analyzes the history, technology, and service of the Soviet Navy''s nuclear attack submarines, the formidable high-tech boats on the front line of the Cold War at sea. In this highly detailed book, naval historian Edward Hampshire reveals the fascinating history of the nuclear-powered attack submarines built and operated by the Soviet Union in the Cold War, including each class of these formidable craft as they developed throughout the Cold War period.The November class, which were the Soviet Union''s first nuclear submarines, had originally been designed to fire a single enormous nuclear tipped torpedo but were eventually completed as boats firing standard torpedoes. The Alfa class were perhaps the most remarkable submarines of the Cold War: titanium-hulled (which was light and strong but extremely expensive and difficult to weld successfully), crewed with only thirty men due to considerable automation and 30% faster than Table of ContentsIntroduction Weapons Systems and Sensors November Class (Projects 627, 627A and 645) Victor Class (Projects 671, 671RT, 671RTM, 671RTMK) Alfa Class (Project 705) Mike Class (Project 685) Sierra I and II Classes (Projects 945/945A) Akula Class (Project 971) Operational Service Bibliography Index
£11.39
Helion & Company Never Ready: Nato'S Flexible Response Strategy,
Book Synopsis
£16.96
The Crowood Press Ltd EM34 British Post-War Jungle Webbing: Europa
Book SynopsisAfter World War Two the rapid advance of communism and associated political instability threatened Great Britain's interest in the Far East. From 1948 until around 1967, troops were deployed throughout the Malaysian region. To equip the British soldier and Commonwealth troops or jungle warfare the 1944 pattern 'jungle' webbing, designed during World War Two, was issued. In the 1960s, the new 1958 pattern equipment was issued to troops serving in Borneo, alongside the existing 1944 pattern set. Both patterns of equipment were unofficially customized and formally modified to meet the needs of individual jungle soldiers and the tough environment, to keep up with the rapid innovation of small-arms technology. Brought together into one reference book, the contents include: Components of post-war 1944 pattern webbing 1944 pattern equipment modifications 1944 pattern ancillary webbing items, bayonets and radio packs Small arms used during the conflicts, and carriage of their ammunition Special forces bespoke webbing Typical customisation of infantry belt kits Items comprising the 1958 pattern webbing equipment set
£10.40
Grub Street Publishing Vulcan Test Pilot
Book SynopsisIn June 2007 a very special event will happen in the aviation world. A restored Avro Vulcan Mark 2 XH558 will take to the air again to help commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Falklands conflict. To coincide with this the memoirs of one of its test pilots, Tony Blackman, will be published the first ever book about test flying this monumental delta-wing aircraft which dominated the history of the late 20th century. Tony is the ideal man to write such a tale as he flew no less than 105 of the 136 built, logging 850 flights at over 1,327 hours. His book will describe in laymans terms what it was like to tame the first prototypes and to master the unusual characteristics necessitated by the Vulcans shape. Although Tony puts the developments, demonstrations, incidents and accidents in their political and historical context, his story is a highly personal one. He explains how this awesome aircraft became a national treasure and captured the imagination of the whole country. His words, descriptions and hitherto largely unpublished photographs will make people feel as he did the excitement of handling such an incredibly powerful monster always in the knowledge that he had to be in complete charge all the time as the monster could and did bite back.
£11.69
HarperCollins Publishers I Am Still With You A Reckoning with Silence
Book SynopsisA lyrical investigation both powerful and transcendent' CHIGOZIE OBIOMAAcutely observed, hauntingly rendered and deeply affecting' AMINATTA FORNABoth epic and intimate' MARGO JEFFERSONAn astonishing search for a missing person, the hidden tragedies of war and the truth of Nigeria's history.Emmanuel Iduma never met his uncle, his father's favourite brother and the man for whom he is named. The elder Emmanuel left home in 1967 to fight in the Biafran War and was not seen again. The war lasted for three years, with young Igbo men volunteering to fight for a breakaway republic in the chaotic wake of British decolonization. Around one hundred thousand others who fought in the war share a fate like Emmanuel's uncle, though there are no official records of these losses. The tensions that gave rise to the conflict remain live, threatening sometimes to bubble over. In this landscape, there are no monuments or graves. Instead, a collective remembering that remains, for the most part, silent.I ATrade Review‘A thorough and thoughtful reporter, Iduma explains how it has become taboo in Nigerian culture to discuss the war, and uses his family’s own tragedy to tell the devastating story of a country that has not been allowed to properly mourn its dead. I Am Still With You is a deeply felt eulogy for those who were lost and a sobering reflection on the shame that comes with silence’ Time Magazine, The 100 Must-Read Books of 2023 ‘A lyrical investigation into the nature of being, history, the collective memory of Biafra – a dark chapter in world history. Iduma writes with such startling clarity that the book ultimately becomes both powerful and transcendent’ Chigozie Obioma, Booker Prize-shortlisted author of The Fishermen and An Orchestra of Minorities ‘A genre-defying work, I Am Still with You is a quest, both spiritual and real, a travelogue, a memoir, and a history of Biafra … Acutely observed, hauntingly rendered, and deeply affecting – a masterful achievement’ Aminatta Forna, author of The Devil That Danced on the Water ‘Iduma confronts and contemplates the wounds left by the Biafran war: death on a mass scale; deaths in his family; griefs, angers and questions that still plague the living. I Am Still With You is both epic and intimate. It gives us the beauties and consolations of an ethnical imagination’ Margo Jefferson, author of Negroland ‘In clear, elegiac prose, Iduma’s search leads to an affecting conclusion’ New Statesman ‘Iduma’s quietly brilliant new book … blends travelogue, reportage, criticism, memoir, and history in a hypnotic tale’ Vulture, Best Books of 2023 ‘An immersive memoir … Iduma’s unraveling of the past is bound to leave readers eager to uncover their own family secrets’ Publishers Weekly
£15.29
Helion & Company Brown Waters of Africa: Portuguese Riverine
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£22.50
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Ho Chi Minh Trail 196473
Book SynopsisThe secret history of America''s air war to cut the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the supply routes upon which Communist victory in the Vietnam War was dependent. The Trails War formed a major part of the so-called secret war in South East Asia, yet for complex political reasons, including the involvement of the CIA, it received far less coverage than campaigns like Rolling Thunder and Linebacker. Nevertheless, the campaign had a profound effect on the outcome of the war and on its perception in the USA.In the north, the Barrel Roll campaign was often operated by daring pilots flying obsolete aircraft, as in the early years, US forces were still flying antiquated piston-engine T-28 and A-26A aircraft. The campaign gave rise to countless heroic deeds by pilots like the Raven forward air controllers, operating from primitive airstrips in close contact with fierce enemy forces. USAF rescue services carried out extremely hazardous missions to recover aiTable of ContentsIntroduction Attacker's Capabilities Defender's Capabilities Campaign Objectives The Campaign Aftermath and Analysis Further Reading Index
£14.24
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd Across an Angry Sea: The SAS in the Falklands
Book SynopsisIn early summer 1982--winter in the South Atlantic--Argentina's military junta invades the Falklands. Within days, a Royal Navy Task Force is assembled and dispatched. This is the story of D Squadron, 22 SAS, commanded by Cedric Delves. The relentless tempo of events defies belief. Raging seas, inhospitable glaciers, hurricane-force winds, helicopter crashes, raids behind enemy lines--the Squadron prevailed against them all, but the cost was high. Holding fast to their humanity, D Squadron's fighters were there at the start and end of the Falklands War. Theirs was the first Union Jack raised over Government House in Stanley. Across an Angry Sea is a chronicle of daring, skill and steadfastness among a tight-knit band of brothers; of learning fast, fighting hard, and winning through.Trade Review'I heartily recommend Cedric Devles’s enlightening and forthright memoir for what it reveals about the conception, planning, and execution of special operations by commanders engaged in expeditionary warfare over long distances. Military officers and any others seriously interested Special Ops or the Falklands war will find Across an Angry Sea to be compelling and instructive reading.' -- Michigan War Studies Review
£13.29
Little, Brown Book Group A Hundred And One Days: A Baghdad Journal - from
Book SynopsisA fascinating, personal and insightful account of the Iraq war from the bestselling author of THE BOOKSELLER OF KABULIn January 2003 Åsne Seierstad entered Baghdad on a ten-day visa. She was to stay for over three months, reporting on the war and its aftermath. A Hundred and One Days is her compelling account of a city under siege, and a fascinating insight into the life of a foreign correspondent. An award-winning writer, Seierstad brilliantly details the frustrations and dangers journalists faced trying to uncover the truth behind the all-pervasive propaganda. She also offers a unique portrait of Baghdad and its people, trying to go about their daily business under the constant threat of attack. Seierstad's passionate and erudite book conveys both the drama and the tragedy of her one hundred and one days in a city at war.'Åsne Seierstad is the supreme non-fiction writer of her generation' Luke HardingTrade ReviewA story you won't be able to put down. * BOOKSELLER *
£10.44
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Coalition Armor vs Iraqi Forces
Book SynopsisAn illustrated study of how coalition armor in Iraq in 200306 handled a unique multi-threat environment, from enemy armor to IEDs.On 20 March 2003, Coalition forces launched the invasion of Iraq on a massive scale. Their armored fighting vehicles (AFVs) faced an uncertain level of resistance, and soon had to overcome a wide range of enemy threats. These included tank vs tank clashes during the first days of the invasion (most famously at Basra and Mahmoudiyah), and subsequently the dangers posed by enemy rocket-propelled grenades, cannon fire, antitank guided missiles, and improvised explosive devices.This vital new study covers both the opening clashes between opposing AVFs and the tactics developed by Iraqi insurgents seeking to neutralize Coalition superiority. Featuring full color photos, battle scenes, weaponry, and tactical illustrations, it draws upon first-hand accounts and official post-battle analyses to examine how Coalition forces responded to the Table of ContentsIntroduction Chronology Design and Development Technical Specifications The Combatants The Strategic Situation Combat Statistics and Analysis Aftermath Bibliography Index
£13.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Korea 195053
Book SynopsisA spectacularly illustrated new history and analysis of the strategic bombing campaign in the Korean War, which saw the last combat of America''s legendary B-29s. Just five years after they defeated Japan, at the dawn of the jet age, the most advanced bomber of World War II was already obsolescent. But the legendary war-winning Superfortresses had one more war to fight, in the strategic air campaign against North Korea. The bombers'' task was to destroy North Korea''s facilities for waging war, from industry and hydroelectric dams to airfields and bridges. However, it was a challenging campaign, in which the strategy was not merely military but political. In this fascinating book, airpower scholar and former RAF pilot Michael Napier explains how the campaign was fought, and how the technique of ''bombing to negotiate'' that would become notorious in Vietnam was already being used in Korea. He analyses in detail the relationship between battlefield progress, armistice negotiatiTable of ContentsINTRODUCTION CHRONOLOGY ATTACKER'S CAPABILITIES -UN air power DEFENDER'S CAPABILITIES - Air defence in North Korea CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES - Air power in a complex war - Orders of battle THE CAMPAIGN - Industry, power and interdiction - Industrial targets - Strategic interdiction - Bombing the bridges - ‘Dambusters,’ airfields and ‘Black Tuesday’ - Night bombing - 1 - Air pressure - Night bombing - 2 - The Sinanju and Yongmidong bridges - Air Pressure –the irrigation dams ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION FURTHER READING INDEX
£15.29
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC British Aircraft Carriers 19452010
Book SynopsisThe history of the Royal Navy flagships that led the fleet through the Cold War, ensured victory in the Falklands War, and saw action in Iraq and the Balkans.In 1945, at the end of World War II, the Royal Navy''s carrier fleet proved essential to the post-war world. Royal Navy carriers fought in the Korean War with the UN fleet, in the debacle at Suez, and in British operations in the last days of Empire, in Malaya, Borneo and Aden. But most famously, they were the key to the Royal Navy''s victory in the Falklands campaign, and they went on to fight in the two Iraq wars.Illustrated throughout with new profiles of the key carriers and their development, as well as a cutaway of HMS Victorious and superb new illustrations of the carriers in action, this book explains how the Royal Navy''s air power changed throughout the Cold War and beyond. Renowned naval historian Angus Konstam explains how the World War II carriers were rebuilt in a pioneering modernizaTrade ReviewIt provides an interesting account covering an unusual story of maritime history. * Ships Monthly *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT - The post-war carrier force - Conversions and cancellations - Jet-age problems - The carrier’s evolving role - Aircraft FLEET AIR ARM AIRCRAFT, 1945–2010 - Carriers in action SHIP SPECIFICATIONS - Wartime carriers - Post-war carriers FURTHER READING INDEX
£11.69
John Blake Publishing Ltd Goose Green: The decisive battle of the Falklands
Book Synopsis*As featured in the landmark BBC2 documentary Our Falklands War: A Frontline Story*Published to mark the fortieth anniversary of the Falklands war'There was a time when we did extraordinary things.' On 28 May 1982, 450 men of the 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment - 2 Para - went into action to retake the settlement of Goose Green on East Falkland, where more than 1,000 Argentine soldiers were holding 119 Falkland Islanders - men, women, children and one baby - in squalid conditions. Forty years on, Goose Green is still the biggest and bloodiest battle the British Army has fought in modern times. This book is the living narrative of the battle told by the very men who fought it; not just the soldiers of 2 Para, but also the SAS, the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy, and others, in more than a hundred exclusive and untold personal accounts.Some are extremely funny, some touching, and some heart-breaking. All were recorded face to face, the speakers' own words adding a gritty authenticity to each account and conveying the confusion and terror of battle, as well as the courage and selflessness of men in action. Goose Green is a book that goes beyond the official histories and the many memoirs to bring to life the first and, as it turned out, the decisive battle of this country's outstanding campaign to retake the Falkland Islands from a foreign invader. This is a true story of a great victory against all the odds, told by the men who fought it.
£17.00
Headline Publishing Group The Complete History of the SAS: The World's Most
Book SynopsisSpecializing in covert reconnaissance, counter-terrorism and hostage rescue, the SAS is one of the world's most famous, feared and respected elite fighting forces.This book tells the full, fascinating story of the regiment, from formation in the sand dunes of Africa during World War II to present action in the Middle East, and incorporates jungle, desert and urban warfare, counter-terrorism and an insider's view at the selection and training methods employed by this usually secretive unit.Table of Contents1940s - Early History, WWII, disbanding • 1950s - Re-forming, Malaya, Oman • 1960s - Borneo, Aden • 1970s - Oman, Northern Ireland • 1980s - Falklands, Embassy Siege, Gibraltar, Gambia • 1990s - Gulf War, Central America • 2000s - Afghanistan, Iraq • 2010s - Modern Operations • 2020s - Selection, Training, After the regiment • Appendix - Organization, Chronology, Names of the Dead.
£8.99
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd Night Letters: Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and the Afghan
Book SynopsisIn 1969, several young men met on a rainy night in Kabul to form an Islamist student group. Their aim was laid out in a simple typewritten statement: to halt the spread of Soviet and American influence in Afghanistan. They went on to change the world. 'Night Letters' tells the extraordinary story of the group’s most notorious member, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, and the guerrilla organisation he came to lead, Hizb-e Islami. By the late 1980s, tens of thousands were drawn to Hekmatyar’s vision of a radical Islamic state that would sow unrest from Kashmir to Jerusalem. His doctrine of violent global jihad culminated in 9/11 and the birth of ISIS, yet he never achieved his dream of ruling Afghanistan. The peace deal he signed with Kabul in 2016 was yet another controversial twist in an astonishing life. Sands and Qazizai delve into the secret history of Hekmatyar and Hizb-e Islami: their wars against Russian and American troops, and their bloody and bitter feuds with domestic enemies. Based on hundreds of exclusive interviews carried out across the region and beyond, this is the definitive account of the most important, yet poorly understood, international Islamist movement of the last fifty years.Trade Review'Night Letters is a treasure trove of political and military detail. For those involved with Afghanistan it is a must read. … Sands and Qazizai have produced one of the most thorough histories of modern Afghanistan.' -- Asian Affairs
£31.50
Helion & Company Showdown in the Western Sahara Volume 2: Air
Book Synopsis
£16.10
HarperCollins Publishers Enemies Within Communists the Cambridge Spies and
Book SynopsisWhat pushed Blunt, Burgess, Cairncross, Maclean and Philby into Soviet hands?With access to recently released papers and other neglected documents, this sharp analysis of the intelligence world examines how and why these men and others betrayed their country and what this cost Britain and its allies.Enemies Within is a new history of the influence of Moscow on Britain told through the stories of those who chose to spy for the Soviet Union. It also challenges entrenched assumptions about abused trust, corruption and Establishment cover-ups that began with the Cambridge Five and the disappearance of Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean on the night boat to Saint-Malo in 1951.In a book that is as intellectually thrilling as it is entertaining and illuminating, Richard Davenport-Hines traces the bonds between individuals, networks and organisations over generations to offer a study of character, both individual and institutional. At its core lie the operative traits of boarding schools, the univTrade Review‘Richard Davenport-Hines, in his fascinating and compendious new book … challenges prevailing interpretations and provides answers to all the major questions about spies… As a result, this book manages to be both nostalgic and politically progressive when it seeks to remind us, passionately and eloquently, of the value of trust’ Guardian ‘Davenport-Hines writes persuasively … Enemies Within provides a comprehensive demolition of many widely accepted myths surrounding communist subterfuge during the Cold War … it is encouraging to come across such an erudite and unapologetically ‘elitist’ counterblast’ Spectator ‘A supremely accomplished historian … he writes with mordant wit and a merciless eye for distortions … the great virtues of this book lie in the detail Davenport-Hines amasses and his sense of context’ Sunday Times ‘He is strong on retelling the spy stories … but the chief virtue of the book is the almost revisionist judgments he feels able to make based on his research … in this rich, detailed and entertainingly irascible book’ Book of the Week, The Times ‘The product of one of our greatest modern masters of non-fiction Richard Davenport-Hines, Enemies Within is an exhaustive … chronicle of spies in Britain … a mosaic of such vivid detail’ Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday ‘There could not be a more experienced interrogator of a subject so festooned with myths of sleaze, power and treachery … Enemies Within is a peculiar and fascinating hybrid’ Observer ‘Richard Davenport-Hines dissects and destroys … conventional wisdom in his masterly retelling of Britain’s most notorious intelligence disaster … makes his case with splenetic zeal, backed by a formidable array of sources … fascinating’ Economist ‘The history of the five Cambridge spies recounted in this book with Richard Davenport-Hines’s usual vim and brio … a vivid panorama … [he] bases his case on wide research and illustrates it with a wealth of piquant anecdote’ Literary Review
£15.29
HarperCollins Publishers SAS The Illustrated History of the SAS
Book SynopsisThe authorised illustrated history of the SAS by the number one bestselling author of Dunkirk, Joshua Levine. With never-before-seen photographs and unheard stories, this is the SAS's wartime history in vivid and astonishing detail.The SAS began as a lie, a story of a British parachute unit in the North African desert, to convince the Axis they were under imminent threat. The lie was so effective that soon a small band of men were brought together to make it real. These recruits were the toughest and brightest of their cohort, the most resilient, most dynamic and most self-sufficient. Their first commanders, David Stirling and Paddy Mayne, would go down in history as unorthodox visionaries. Yet this book tells much more than the usual origin story of the unit and seeks out less well-known leaders like Bill Fraser, who was essential in helping the SAS achieve fame for their devastating raids. By looking beyond the myth, this book brings back to life a group of men who showed immense braTrade Review PRAISE FOR SAS: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY 'Incredible photos from a never-before-seen archive show the SAS in all its remarkable dash and splendour; With incisive commentary, this is a fine wartime history and a must for any special forces library’ Damien Lewis PRAISE FOR JOSHUA LEVINE’S PREVIOUS BOOKS “A first-class portrait of that traumatic and tragic time, conveyed largely through the worlds of those who experienced it. Spiced with sexual and criminal statistics, Levine reveals a Britain of loose morals, opportunistic pilfering and cheating, and hedonistic pleasure, alongside the more familiar virtues of courage and community.”Sunday Telegraph ‘Interviews with soldiers and civilians, including a German pilot, reflect a world previously masked and glorified by official propaganda’Observer ‘Anyone who wants to learn about human courage and human endurance should read this account. It is more powerful than any drama, more convincing than any fiction’Peter Ackroyd ‘A vivid, moving story of the men who fought the Great War in the Air. Quite superb.’Max Arthur ‘Those magnificent men in their flying machines recount in their own words just how mad and magnificent it was to be an air-ace in World War One. Joshua Levine's compilation is enthralling and breathtaking’.Chris Powling, Classic FM Guestlist ‘This is a superior example of the genre from a writer at the top of his game.’Air Marshal Stuart Peach
£21.25
Cornerstone The Burden of Power
Book SynopsisThe Burden of Power is the fourth volume of Alastair Campbell''s diaries, and perhaps the most eagerly awaited given the ground it covers. It begins on September 11, 2001, a day which immediately wrote itself into the history books, and it ends on the day Campbell leaves Downing Street. In between there are two wars: first Afghanistan, and then, even more controversially, Iraq. It was the most difficult decision of Tony Blair''s premiership, and almost certainly the most unpopular. Campbell describes in detail the discussions with President Bush and other world leaders as the steps to war are taken, and delivers a unique account of Blair as war leader. He records the enormous political difficulties at home, and the sense of crisis that engulfed the government after the suicide of weapons inspector David Kelly. And all the while, Blair continues to struggle with two issues that ran throughout his time in government - fighting for peace in Northern Ireland, and
£15.29
Random House The War That Never Was
For the very first time, The War That Never Was tells the fascinating story of a secret war fought by British mercenaries in the Yemen in the early 1960s. In a covert operation organised over whisky and sodas in the clubs of Chelsea and Mayfair, a group of former SAS officers - led by the irrepressible Colonel Jim Johnson - arranged for a squadron of British mercenaries to travel to the remote mountain regions of the Yemen, to arm, train and lead Yemeni tribesmen in their fight against a 60,000-strong contingent of Egyptian soldiers. It was one of the most uneven running battles ever waged; the Egyptians fielded a huge, professionally-trained army. The British fought back at the head of a ragtag force of tribal warriors and, ultimately, won. Egypt''s President Nasser described the battle in the Yemen as ''my Vietnam''. It''s a fascinating, forgotten, and rip-roaringly entertaining pocket of British military history, much in the spirit of Ben MvIntyre''s bestse
£12.34
Penguin Books Ltd National Service
Book SynopsisWinner of the Templer Medal and the Wolfson History PrizeSunday Times Top 10 BestsellerRichard Vinen''s National Service is a serious - if often very entertaining - attempt to get to grips with the reality of that extraordinary institution, which now seems as remote as the British Empire itself. With great sympathy and curiosity, Vinen unpicks the myths of the two ''gap years'', which all British men who came of age between 1945 and the early 1960s had to fill with National Service. This book is fascinating to those who endured or even enjoyed their time in uniform, but also to anyone wishing to understand the unique nature of post-war Britain.Trade ReviewVinen's clever and careful book is surely the definitive history. The era of national service now seems like ancient history, but from the routines of the parade ground to the horrors of Korea, Vinen restores it to life with a searching eye for detail and impressive human sympathy -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times BOOKS OF THE YEAR *Written with compassion and insight, Vinen's book brilliantly recreates the atmosphere of postwar Britain -- Tony Barber * Financial Times BOOKS OF THE YEAR *National Service may prove to be the most original social history book of 2014. The book is bigger than its ostensible subject, embracing class, masculinity, sexuality, compliance, rebellion, combat atrocities, petty crime, notions of national identity, group solidarity, the fallibility of memory and what it means to be a man -- Richard Davenport-Hines * Guardian *Vinen has given us the kind of book that every professional historian surely wants to write: not only with a mastery of its voluminous original sources but also a sensitivity to the rich human detail, by turns authoritative, thoughtful, poignant - and funny -- Peter Clarke * Financial Times *I can't recall ever having read so unexpectedly fascinating a book...every single page has something of great interest on it -- Nicholas Lezard * The Guardian *
£15.29
Oxford University Press Inc Age of Emergency
Book SynopsisAge of Emergency examines how metropolitan Britons understood colonial violence in the two decades after V-E Day when "small wars" raged on the frontiers of empire in Malaya, Kenya, and Cyprus.Trade ReviewAge of Emergency is a masterwork of a new Imperial history which stares unblinkingly into the violence of colonial rule and exposes how that horror reached deeply into twentieth-century British life. Linstrum's achievement is to show that the end of empire in Britain was no less a domestic trauma than in France: British decolonization did not happen 'in a fit of absence of mind.' * Richard Drayton, King's College London *Well-crafted and meticulously researched, this originally conceived work penetrates deep into the serial ambiguities of empire's end-not least the vexed question of how the British people grappled with imperial retreat. Age of Emergency traces the intricate strategies of evasion-the self-censorship, the silences, the 'circles of knowing'-and how these produced ubiquitous forms of tacit imperial knowledge in their own right. Brought to life with all manner of illuminating portraits-in-miniature, it offers a sophisticated new perspective on British society at the tipping point of decolonization. * Stuart Ward, author of Untied Kingdom: A Global History of the End of Britain *A sweeping, meticulous account of the reckoning with colonial brutality in post-war Britain. What happened in Kenya, Malaya, and Cyprus, Linstrum establishes beyond a doubt, was no secret back home. Age of Emergency masterfully explains how democratic publics come to live with-even to embrace-the violence done in their name. * Deborah Cohen, Northwestern University *Meticulous, innovative, damning...Linstrum is innovative in the breadth of his research, trawling the BBC and ITV archives to explore how popular teleplays tried to make sense of endless colonial war. * Christopher Kissane, The Irish Times *As Britons and other Europeans continue to confront the legacies of empire and especially of colonial violence today, this book is an urgent read for anyone interested in questions of culpability, knowledge, and what comes next for former colonial powers. * Taylor Soja, Europe Now Journal *Intimate knowledge of the small wars of the twentieth century spread in what Erik Linstrum calls 'circles of knowing'. His exploration of how these circuits worked and overlapped is original and subtle. * Dublin Review of Books *Age of Emergency documents a wide range of opposition. * TLS *Compendious and insightful * TLS *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: The Wars Were Like a Mist Part I: Knowing about Violence Chapter 1: Out of Apathy Chapter 2: War Stories Part II: Justifying Violence Chapter 3: Violence without Limits Chapter 4: The Claims of Conscience Part III: Living with Violence Chapter 5: Covering Counterinsurgency Chapter 6: Performing Counterinsurgency Epilogue: The Afterlives of Colonial War Notes Bibliography Index
£26.99
