Military history: post-WW2 conflicts Books

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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 *

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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

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Book SynopsisVery Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, InspiringThe Cold War dominated international life from the end of World War II to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. But how did the conflict begin? Why did it move from its initial origins in Postwar Europe to encompass virtually every corner of the globe? And why, after lasting so long, did the war end so suddenly and unexpectedly? Robert McMahon considers these questions and more, as well as looking at the legacy of the Cold War and its impact on international relations today.The Cold War: A Very Short Introduction is a truly international history, not just of the Soviet-American struggle at its heart, but also of the waves of decolonization, revolutionary nationalism, and state formation that swept the non-Western world in the wake of World War II. McMahon places the ''Hot Wars'' that cost millions of lives in Korea, Vietnam, and elsewhere within the larger framework of global superpower competition. He shows how the United States and the Soviet Union both became empires over the course of the Cold War, and argues that perceived security needs and fears shaped U.S. and Soviet decisions from the beginning--far more, in fact, than did their economic and territorial ambitions. He unpacks how these needs and fears were conditioned by the divergent cultures, ideologies, and historical experiences of the two principal contestants and their allies. Covering the years 1945-1990, this second edition uses recent scholarship and newly available documents to offer a fuller analysis of the Vietnam War, the changing global politics of the 1970s, and the end of the Cold War.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewReview from previous edition McMahon has produced a commanding short narrative of a vital period in recent world history. Clear, concise, and compelling, The Cold War is a superb primer on the subject. * Fredrik Logevall, University of California, Santa Barbara *A riveting read that brings order to complexity. McMahon is a brilliant guide to the major events of the Cold War and has a gift for clear-headed analysis of the controversies that swirl around it. * Professor Barbara Keys, Durham University *In concise and compelling prose, Robert McMahon offers critical insights about the truly global dimensions and profound legacies of the Cold War. * Dr. Wen-Qing Ngoei, author of Arc of Containment *Robert McMahon's The Cold War: A Very Short Introduction is an extraordinary work of both concision and analysis. It incorporates the most up-to-date scholarship in the field, while giving students and excellent overview of this crucial period in international history. The book is truly unique in its short length and clear and concise summary of the main issues of the Cold War, while written with grace and subtlety. A masterful achievement! * Professor Thomas Schwartz, Vanderbilt University *Small but impressive * Soldier Magazine *Table of ContentsPreface List of illustrations List of maps 1: World War II and the destruction of the old order 2: The origins of the Cold War in Europe, 1945-50 3: Towards 'Hot War' in Asia, 1945-50 4: A global Cold War, 1950-8 5: From confrontation to detente, 1958-68 6: Cold wars at home 7: The rise and fall of superpower detente, 1968-79 8: The final phase, 1980-90 Further reading Index

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Book SynopsisThe story of the British army, from its inception in the late seventeenth century to the present.This new concise history by one of Britain''s leading military historians explores the British army from the creation of a permanent standing army in the seventeenth century to the present. It sets the institutional development of the British army, and its often ambiguous relationship with state and society, as well as the army''s wider political, social, economic, and cultural role within international, imperial, national, regional, and local contexts. An army exists to fight, however, and the British army''s story cannot be separated from those wars and conflicts that have punctuated its evolution. Consequently, attention is also paid to the army''s commanders, operations, and battlefields from the Wars of the Three Kingdoms in the seventeenth century to Iraq and Afghanistan in the twenty-first. Beckett traces the army''s evolution through five chronological phases: the standing army of tTrade ReviewAn impressive account of a key force not only in British but also in world history. * Jeremy Black, Emeritus Professor *Beckett has provided an intellectual treat. * Edward M. Spiers, Emeritus Professor *Table of ContentsAbbreviations Introduction 1: A Standing Army 2: A National Army 3: An Imperial Army 4: A People's Army 5: A Global Army Appendix: Major Wars and Campaigns since 1661

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Book SynopsisEvery war has its bridge--Old North Bridge at Concord, Burnside''s Bridge at Antietam, the railway bridge over Burma''s River Kwai, the bridge over Germany''s Rhine River at Remagen, and the bridges over Korea''s Toko Ri. In Vietnam it was the bridge at Thanh Hoa, called Dragon''s Jaw.For many years hundreds of young US airmen flew sortie after sortie against North Vietnam''s formidable and strategically important bridge, dodging a heavy concentration of anti-aircraft fire, surface-to-air missiles and enemy fighters. Many American airmen were shot down, killed, or captured and taken to the infamous POW prisons in Hanoi. But after each air attack, when the smoke cleared and the debris settled, the bridge stubbornly remained standing. For the North Vietnamese it became a symbol of their invincibility; for US war planners an obsession; for US airmen a testament to American mettle and valor.Using after-action reports, official records, and interviews with surviving pilot

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Book SynopsisA definitive account of the American experience in Afghanistan from the rise of the Taliban to the depths of the insurgency.Trade Review"A useful and generally lively account of what can go wrong when outsiders venture onto the Afghan landscape." -- Steven Simon - Foreign Affairs"This is a serious work that should be factored in as a new policy in Afghanistan evolves." -- Jay Freeman - Booklist"Seth G. Jones’s book provides a vivid sense of just how paltry and misguided the American effort has been.… In the Graveyard of Empires will help to show what might still be done to build something enduring in Afghanistan and finally allow the U.S. to go home." -- Dexter Filkins - The New Republic"[An] excellent book." -- James Blitz - Financial Times"How we got to where we are in Afghanistan." -- Matthew Kaminski - Wall Street Journal"[Zeroes] in on what went awry after America’s successful routing of the Taliban in late 2001." -- Michiko Kakutani - The New York Times"A blueprint for winning in a region that has historically brought mighty armies to their knees." -- Doug Childers - Richmond Times-Dispatch"Offers a valuable window onto how officials have understood the military campaign." -- Robert D. Crews - San Francisco Chronicle"Seth Jones . . . has an anthropologist’s feel for a foreign society, a historian’s intuition for long-term trends, and a novelist’s eye for the telling details that illuminate a much larger story. If you read just one book about the Taliban, terrorism, and the United States, this is the place to start." -- Jeremi Suri, author of Henry Kissinger and the American Century"A timely and important work, without peer in terms of both its scholarship and the author’s intimate knowledge of the country, the insurgency threatening it, and the challenges in defeating it." -- Bruce Hoffman, Georgetown University, author of Inside Terrorism"A deeply researched and well-analyzed account of the failures of American policies in Afghanistan, In the Graveyard of Empires will be mandatory reading for policymakers from Washington to Kabul." -- Peter Bergen, author of Holy War, Inc. and The Osama bin Laden I Know"Seth Jones has combined forceful narrative with careful analysis, illustrating the causes of this deteriorating situation, and recommending sensible, feasible steps to reverse the escalating violence." -- James Dobbins, author of After the Taliban: Nation Building in Afghanistan

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Book SynopsisThe Assassins'' Gate recounts how the United States set about changing the history of the Middle East and became ensnared in a guerrilla war in Iraq. The consequences of that policy are shown in the author''s vivid reporting on the ground in Iraq, where he made several tours on assignment for The New Yorker. We see up close the struggles of individual American soldiers and civilians and Iraqis from all backgrounds. Here is the full range of ideas and emotions stirred up by America''s most controversial foreign-policy venture since Vietnam.Trade Review"* probably the most valuable book about the lead-up to the war, and the period before the Iraqi election of January 2005 - The Times * informative and lively... An excellent reporter, Packer emerges as one of the few Western journalists who developed a feel for Iraq. - Mail on Sunday * absorbing... It's a riveting tale of mixed motives, willful connivance, skewed ideology and sheer incompetence... Meanwhile, the invasion of Irq seems to defy analysis, although Pakcer does an excellend job here. He has trodden the dusty ground, talking to countless Iraqis, and he knows how awful Saddam really was. - Guardian * Packer's strengths in telling this story are fastidious research and his parallel career as a novelist... he is drawn to the intimacy of human experience... He is an intellectual too but, unlike most of the Iraq war intellectuals, Packer came to Iraq burdened neither by the rigid certainties of the pro-war camp, not the absolutism of the anti-war camp... Instead, Packer admits he was an ambivalently pro-war liberal. And it is exactly this sense of ambivalence... that allows him to cross-examine so powerfully what unravelled in Iraq. - Observer"

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Book SynopsisThe magnificent Douglas A-4 Skyhawk served with the Royal Australian Navy from 1968 until 1984 with two squadrons: VF805 and VC724. VF805 was the front-line fighter unit that served aboard the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne, while VC724 was shore-based at Naval Air Station Nowra for training and support.Table of ContentsForeword Preface and Acknowledgments Glossary Chapter 1 1945–67: Role, Testing and Purchases Chapter 2 1967–68: Initial Instructor Training Chapter 3 1968–69: The Skyhawk goes to sea Chapter 4 Flight deck engineering Chapter 5 1970: Exercise Bersatu Padu Chapter 6 1971: Training and growing the A-4 fleet Chapter 7 1972: A very busy year Chapter 8 1973: The first losses Chapter 9 1974: Tragedy Chapter 10 1975: Rimpac 75 Chapter 11 1976: OFS and VC724 Chapter 12 Support People Chapter 13 1977: Spithead Review Chapter 14 1978: Rimpac 78 and Sandgroper 78 Chapter 15 1979: Three losses in a year Chapter 16 1980: The beginning of the end Chapter 17 1981: The year that wasn’t Chapter 18 1982–1984: The end of RAN fixed-wing aviation Chapter 19 The Skyhawk squadrons Chapter 20 The pilots and their aircraft Chapter 21 Tributes Chapter 22 The case for carrier-based fighters Annex A Contributors Annex B The Sundowners Song Index of Names

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA gripping study of white power…It is impossible to read the book without recalling more recent events…The book’s explosive thesis: that the white power movement ...emerged as a radical reaction to the [Vietnam] war…It is a breathtaking argument, one that treats foreign policy as the impetus for a movement that most people view through the lens of domestic racism…It’s a stunning indictment of official culpability, and Belew constructs her case with forensic care. In doing so, she shows that, while racism is ever with us, policy choices ranging from local police strategies to the furthest reaches of foreign policy create the space for white power to flourish. * New York Times *Compelling…Meticulously researched and powerfully argued, Belew’s book isn’t only a definitive history of white-racist violence in late-20th-century America, but also a rigorous meditation on the relationship between American militarism abroad and extremism at home…The power of Belew’s book comes, in part, from the fact that it reveals a story about white-racist violence that we should all already know. * The Nation *Superbly comprehensive…supplants all journalistic accounts of America’s resurgent white supremacism. -- Pankaj Mishra * The Guardian *Fascinating…Belew connects seemingly disparate events like the killings at Greensboro, the persecution of Vietnamese fishers in Texas in the early 1980s, and the siege at Ruby Ridge. She shows how hatred of the federal government, fears of communism, and racism all combined in white-power ideology and explains why our responses to the movement have long been woefully inadequate. * Slate *A gorgeously rendered account of the white power movement in this country that reveals its symbiotic character, one that both feeds on mainstream angst and stimulates it to new heights. * Los Angeles Review of Books *An engrossing and comprehensive history of the white power movement in America, highlighting its racism, antigovernment hostility, and terrorist tactics…Belew presents a convincing case that white power rhetoric and activism continue to influence mainstream U.S. politics. * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *Belew…counters the treatment of white terrorists as ‘lone wolves’ by tracing the contours of an organized white power movement that connected radical white extremists from Greensboro, North Carolina, to Ruby Ridge, Idaho, and from Waco, Texas, to Oklahoma City…Belew does the hard work of restoring those connections, revealing how white supremacists built a coalition of rural survivalists, urban skinheads, and anti-Semitic Christian Identity believers. * Los Angeles Review of Books *An essential reference book for our times. -- Rachel Maddow * Rachel Maddow Show *This is a work of fierce intelligence. Belew shows how white power activists used their view of the Vietnam War to advance every element of their reactionary agenda and to justify domestic terrorism. A book of signal importance and urgency, it provides a haunting vantage point on contemporary American political culture. -- Nancy MacLean, author of Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for AmericaBring the War Home is a tour de force. An utterly engrossing and piercingly argued history that tracks how the seismic aftershocks of the Vietnam War gave rise to a white power movement whose toxic admixture of violent bigotry, antigovernmental hostility, and racial terrorism helped set the stage for Waco, the Oklahoma City bombing, and, yes, the presidency of Donald Trump. -- Junot DíazThis is a troubling book for many reasons, not just because of the scope of the white power network it reveals…[It] raises questions about how the elements of United States culture that valorize violence and draw ready distinctions between the deserving ‘us’ and the less deserving ‘them’ ...contribute to mass shootings…Belew treats the trajectory of white power victimhood as a shift from attacks on the other to a declaration of war against the federal government. * Jotwell *Fascinating and riveting... that archive is truly incredible. -- Soledad O’Brien * Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien *Belew…traces the origins of the white power movement to the aftermath of the Vietnam War. She examines how various racist groups—skinheads, Klansmen, white separatists, neo-Nazis, militiamen, and others—united under a common banner and took the movement in a violent and revolutionary direction…Belew also argues that the anti-government sentiment created by the Vietnam War helped consolidate and radicalize the white power movement in ways we haven’t fully understood. -- Sean Illing * Vox *Kathleen Belew’s vital new book begins in the belly of a Huey helicopter somewhere over South Vietnam. From there she follows with unflinching honesty the violence that violence begat, from the tiny cadre of veterans who decided to bring the war home through Ruby Ridge and Waco to the horror of the Oklahoma City terrorist attack. Over the years I’ve read any number of exemplary histories. Never have I read a more courageous one. -- Kevin Boyle, author of Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz AgeAn engaging account of how and why the modern white power movement emerged from 1975 to 1995…[Belew] offers an unprecedented level of detail, engaging deeply with developments that other authors typically gloss over…Bring the War Home is an excellent resource for anyone interested in the history of America’s white power movement. * Reason *A smart and powerfully argued book about the way that the Vietnam War in particular reshaped white power in the United States… It’s really fascinating. -- Nicole Hemmer * Past Present *The connection between hate groups and the military is not new… Bring the War Home charts the path of radical white supremacists from the end of the Vietnam War to the 1995 bombing of a Federal government building in Oklahoma City. * CBS News *Examine[s] how romantic public narratives have been deployed to suppress collective memory of the violence that underwrites white supremacy. * Times Literary Supplement *An unquestionably powerful, well-researched and must-read addition to the post-2016 upsurge in analysis and investigation of the foundations of modern fascism. Anyone seeking to understand the origins of the modern far right in the U.S. should include this work at the top of their reading list. -- Ryan Smith * Truthout *Alarming and meticulously researched. -- Wajahat Ali * NYR Daily *This necessary work reminds readers that white violence—on behalf of, and against, the state—has a long and deep history. * Library Journal *In this major work of scholarly synthesis, Kathleen Belew uses letters, ephemera and ‘zines’ as well as newspaper reports and official documents to reconstruct a dark chapter in American history that has chilling echoes for today. * Times Higher Education *Bring the War Home is a fascinating account of right-wing white power extremists in the United States. Kathleen Belew illuminates this history through staggeringly broad research. A compelling and sometimes shocking read, it is an outstanding contribution to the history of violence. -- Mary L. Dudziak, author of War Time: An Idea, Its History, Its ConsequencesIf you weren’t afraid of the violent white power movement before reading [this], you will be when you’re done…Belew details fifty years of energetic racist organizing and violent acts…A ringing call to recognize the extent of the threat, in order to better organize an effective response. -- Micol Seigel * American Historical Review *For those who wish to make sense of the enduring ‘catastrophic ricochet of the Vietnam War’ as well as recent events in places like Charlottesville, Belew’s Bring the War Home is required reading. -- Keira Williams * PopMatters *Invaluable to understanding our current political moment. -- Angela E. Hubler * Against the Current *A carefully written book that argues that violent white-supremacist groups were mobilized by the Vietnam War and the Cold War more generally to undertake an armed campaign in the service of their anticommunist, White supremacist goals…Belew’s work suggests that armed violence by militant movements is a far more enduring and deep-rooted part of American politics than conventional understandings admit. -- Paul Musgrave * Systemic Organization *

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Book Synopsis''My fingers close around the trigger. I pause for a split second to think about the bullets I am about to spray across the ground. After today, I''ll no longer be the new girl.''Captain Charlotte Madison is blonde, beautiful and flies Apache helicopters for a living. She has completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan and is currently fighting on the frontline in her third. DRESSED TO KILL shows us what life is like for a girl in a resolutely male-dominated environment. But she isn''t just a woman in a man''s world, she''s a woman women aspire to be - glamorous as well as brave, and beating the men at their own game. Only a tiny percentage of people can multi-task to the extreme level the aircraft demands, and most airmen who try to qualify as an Apache pilot fail. Full of the exciting, adrenaline-filled action that has made other military memoirs so successful, DRESSED TO KILL is also unique. A highly intelligent and brilliant young woman, Charlotte is Britain''s fTrade ReviewIt's not very often a war book makes its way onto Hot Stars' radar, but this real-life memoir by 26-year-old Charlotte is truly unique. She is just like one of us - she loves reading about celebs and fashion - but she's also on the frontline in Afghanistan. Passionate, hilarious and at times heart-wrenching, this brilliant book had us gripped! * *

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Book SynopsisThe odd-looking "Ontos" self-propelled recoilless rifle(s) was prized by the Marines in Vietnam for its agility and firepower.

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Book SynopsisAll too little remembered today, the Korean War was bitterly fought out under atrocious conditions of weather and terrain. Greatly outnumbered by their Communist Chinese and North Korean enemy, the United Nations forces fought with extraordinary resolve and gallantry. The Hook, the name given to a prominent ridge on the Peninsula, saw more blood spilt than any other feature in this prolonged and grisly war. Not surprisingly it became known as 'the bloody Hood'. The two costliest battles are described in detail in Fortune Favours The Brave, a classic account of the war. Both involved British infantry battalions of 29 Commonwealth Brigade. In November 1952, The Black Watch saw off a major Chinese attack against all odds. In May 1953 it was the turn of 1st Battalion, The Duke of Wellington's Regiment to face what must have seemed an overwhelming onslaught. Along a 1,000 yard front the greatest concentration of artillery fire since the Great War was brought to bear on Chinese human-wave

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Book SynopsisThe story of one of the great fighter pilots of the jet age.

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Book SynopsisA pilot in the US Army, the author flew operations in the Vietnam War in 1974 and 1975. This autobiography explores the occasions during which his aircraft came under fire.

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Book Synopsis2011 is the centenary of US Naval Aviation Author has direct links with US Tailhook Association Includes many unique rare photographs the majority in colour

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Book SynopsisThis detailed, intimate and often visceral account of the Falklands invasion, occupation and war is based on the journals of Graham Bound, the then editor of the Falklands' only newspaper.

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Book SynopsisThe inside story of the most daring SAS rescue mission everIn September 2000 eleven British soldiers were captured by a notorious militia gang in Sierra Leone. The so-called ''West Side Boys'' had subjected their part of the country to a long reign of terror, murdering, kidnapping and mutilating anyone who stood in their way.Now British soldiers were at their mercy. Surrounded and hopelessly outnumbered, any resistance would have seen them all killed; yet their hopes of a quick exchange soon faded. They were assaulted and subjected to mock executions. Negotiations with the ''Revolutionary United Front'' leaders and the ''West Side Boys'' proved futile.Prime Minister Tony Blair ordered the armed forces to get the men back. The SAS and elements of the Parachute Regiment were rushed to West Africa and a naval squadron assembled offshore. The stage was set for the biggest British military operation on the continent for a generation - and their most daring Trade ReviewIn Operation Barras William Fowler describes the historic setting for British involvement in Sierra Leone that led up to the rescue mission. The build up to the airborne assault by the SAS and Paras on September 10 is covered in great detail and you are pitched into the action. It is an insider's book that will appeal to soldiers and anyone with an interest in the development of post colonial Africa * EYE SPY *Far more than an account of a very fine rescue operation. The essential background to the situation is painted in some detail and gives the reader a real feel for that unfortunate country -- Major-General Julian Thompson, CB, OBE

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Book SynopsisDiscover the exhilarating first-hand account of one man''s white-knuckle life as a fighter pilot with the Royal Navy Sea Harriers''A wild ride . . . the literary equivalent of injecting pure adrenaline into your brain via your eyeball '' Aviation Historian''Searingly honest, keenly observed, well written and extremely funny'' RAF NEWS''Puts you in the cockpit for carrier landings, missile firings and some of the most intense close air support stories imaginable'' MIKE SUTTON____________Few have what it takes to be a fighter pilot. From the cockpit to the crew room, the pressure is relentless. One mistake is the difference between life and death. But in the air, you''ll never feel more alive . . .Paul Tremelling knows this better than anyone. With nearly 20 years of experience, he puts you in the pilot''s seat in this thrilling first-hand account of a life in combat.From saving the liTrade ReviewThis is a searingly honest, keenly observed, well written and extremely funny military memoir and a must read for anyone interested in the tight brother and sisterhood of fast jet jockeys. It's a rare insight into a world hidden from view by operational security and corporate PR and all too often only revealed years too late . . . It's insightful, unapologetic and, at times hilarious * RAF News *This isn't a book for the faint-hearted. It is a book for anyone who appreciates insight into how a fighter pilot trains, trains more, thinks (fast), handles the aircraft and onboard tech . . . then fights * Flyer Magazine *The storytelling wouldn't be out of place in a thriller. If you are going to take one book on holiday it has to be Harrier . . . it's a superb read. You won't be able to put it down * Aerospace *A wild ride. This is the literary equivalent of injecting pure adrenaline into your brain via your eyeball. Taut and lean. It’s a blast from start to finish * Aviation Historian *

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Book SynopsisA fully illustrated study of the Soviet Navy's biggest and most powerful surface combatants of the Cold War.Heavily armed and formidable, guided missile cruisers formed the core of the Soviet Navy during the Cold War. From the last class of conventional Sverdlov-class cruisers through to increasingly complex and formidable missile cruisers, these ships ensured that NATO took the Soviet naval threat seriously.Soviet Cold War Guided Missile Cruisers covers all classes of these impressive warships, from the early Sverdlov through the Kynda, Kresta, Kara and Slava to the enormous Kirov classes. Together, these vessels marked the apogee of Soviet naval technology and capability and they remain today the largest non-aircraft carrier warships built since 1945.Containing material previously only available in Russian and fully researched from specialist defence journals, this comprehensive volume examines the design, development, and intended role of these impressive, hi-tech warTable of ContentsIntroduction Strategic and operational context Sverdlov class (Project 68bis, Project 70E) Grosnyy class (‘Kynda’/Project 58) Admiral Zozulya class (‘Kresta I’/Project 1134) Kronstadt class (‘Kresta II’/Project 1134A) Nikolayev class (‘Kara’/Project 1134B) Slava class (Project 1164) /Kirov class (Project 1144) Operational service: tactics and confrontations Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisSince the Gulf War, the Abrams tank has undergone a transformation, while fighting in conflicts across the world. Its M1A1 and M1A2 variants have seen great improvements made to this iconic tank, including in fire-control, armour protection, and thermal imaging technology. Involvement in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan necessitated a number of upgrades and modifications as the United States fought two of its longest wars. Recent years have seen new variants of the series such as the ABV Assault Breacher Vehicle and M104 Wolverine Heavy Assault Bridge. Over the past few decades, the M1A1 Abrams has also been extensively exported and is license produced in Egypt. The long-awaited follow-up to NVG 2 M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank 198292 (1993), this fully illustrated study examines the Abrams tanks' last quarter-century of service with both the United States and its various foreign operators with a focus on its combat history.

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Book SynopsisThis title details the author''s unique military experience, from platoon command in the jungles of Vietnam, through service with the Paras in Northern Ireland and commanding a troop in the legendary 22 SAS, to operating with the ParaBats in South Africa and training the Special Forces of Oman. We are the Pilgrims, master; we shall go, Always a little further; it may be, Beyond that last blue mountain barred with snow.If there was ever anyone who went a little further, a little beyond, it was Alastair MacKenzie. In a career spanning 30 years, MacKenzie served uniquely with the New Zealand Army in Vietnam, the British Parachute Regiment, the British Special Air Service (SAS), the South African Defence Force''s famed ParaBats, the Sultan of Oman''s Special Forces and a host of private security agencies and defence contractors. MacKenzie lived the soldier''s life to the full as he journeyed the Golden Road to Samarkand. This extraordinary new work fromTable of ContentsGlossary 1. Early Days, 1948–65 2. New Zealand Army, 1966–73 3. 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, 1973–76 4. 22 Special Air Service Regiment, 1976–80 5. 1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, 1980–81 6. 44 South African Parachute Brigade (The Parabats), 1981–82 7. KMS Limited, 1982 and 21 SAS 8. New Zealand Army, 1982–85 9. The Sultan of Oman’s Special Forces, 1985–89 10. Royal Ordnance plc; Reliance Security Limited; Territorial Army, 1989–94 11. AMA Associates Limited; Territorial Army; and a Return to New Zealand, 1994–present Index

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Book SynopsisA unique first-hand narrative of the Falklands war. Rick Jolly was the Senior Medical Officer in the Falklands, setting up and running the field hospital at Ajax Bay, where he and his Royal Marine and Parachute Regiment medical teams treated a total of 580 casualties, of which only 3 died of wounds. The building itself was a derelict meat-packing factory, hastily converted to treat incoming wounded both British and Argentine even though two unexploded bombs lay at the back of the building. Rick''s diary of the campaign and its aftermath is a fast-paced and gripping account of war experience that covers the entire conflict from initial preparations and passage to the South Atlantic on the requisitioned liner Canberra to daily action reports, and observations and interaction with the key players of the conflict Col. H. Jones, Brian Hanrahan, Julian Thompson and Max Hastings. Incredible human stories abound, as Rick, a trained commando, dangles from the rescue winch of a Sea KinTrade ReviewJolly manages to convey so much within a relatively small number of pages, the pace of all 74 days of the conflict immediately apparent. The highs written with dark humour ... The lows are written with a moving sensitivity. I will definitely be reading this one through again very soon. * Rear Party Forum *This is a book for anyone interested in military medicine and psychology, anyone who just wants a fine testament to human endurance, leadership and stoicism in difficult and highly emotional circumstances, but perhaps most of all for veterans of the conflict who had little idea at the time of the miracles being worked on their colleagues as the battles raged around them. Personally, I found it absolutely compelling reading, filling another major jigsaw piece into the complex picture of those few short but bloody weeks in 1982. Highly recommended. * Flagship, the magazine for Seafarers UK *

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Book SynopsisThis study explores the organization, appearance, and equipment of both sides'' ground forces during the IranIraq War (198088).Driven by the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the insecurities it provoked in Saddam Hussein''s Iraqi dictatorship, the IranIraq War would become the largest conventional conflict of the period. Curiously little-known considering its scale and longevity, the struggle between Iran and Iraq was primarily fought along the 1,458km border in a series of battles which, despite both sides being armed with modern small arms, armour and aircraft, often degenerated into attritional struggles reminiscent of World War I. Such a comparison was underlined by frequent periods of deadlock, the extensive use of trenches by both sides, and the deployment of chemical weapons by Iraq. Fully illustrated with specially commissioned artwork, this study investigates the organization, appearance and equipment of the ground forces of both sides in the IranTable of ContentsIntroduction Iran-Iraq War Chronology The Iranian Army The Pasdaran The Basij Iran's Other Paramilitary Forces Iranian Weaponry and Equipment The Iraqi Army The Iraqi Republican Guard Iraqi Paramilitary Forces Iraqi Weapons and Equipment Conclusion Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisThe Douglas F3D Skyknight was an early but effective attempt at combining new technologies together in a lethal package capable of shipboard operation. Whereas most fighters relied on speed and maneuverability, the portly, straight-winged F3D relied on three radars, four 20mm cannon, and most importantly darkness. Having first flown in March 1948, the Skyknight's first taste of war came in September 1952, when Marine Night Fighter Squadron 513 [VMF(N)-513] deployed to Korea. The most important job assigned to VMF(N)-513 was the escorting of USAF B-29 bombers over northern Korea. Whereas Chinese and North Korean MiG-15s relied on ground-controlled intercept radar for steering guidance into firing positions, the F3D, with its own onboard radars, was autonomously lethal it could detect, track and target MiGs all on its own. Skyknight crews ended the Korean War with six nocturnal kills in exchange for one combat loss. After the war, 35 Skyknights were converted into electronic warfareTable of ContentsChapter 1 Skyknights over Korea Chapter 2 Cold War Elint Chapter 3 'Whales' over Vietnam Appendices Colour Plates Commentary Index

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Book SynopsisThis vivid narrative history tells the full story of the US Air Force's involvement in the wars in the air over Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.The involvement of the US Air Force in the Southeast Asian Wars began in 1962 with crews sent to train Vietnamese pilots, and with conflict in Laos, and finally ended in 1972 with the B-52 bombing of Hanoi, though there were Air Force pilots unofficially flying combat in Laos up to the end in 1975. The missions flown by USAF aircrews during those years in Southeast Asia differed widely, from attacking the Ho Chi Minh Trail at night with modified T-28 trainers, to missions Downtown, the name aircrew gave Hanoi, the central target of the war. This aerial war was dominated by the major air operations against the north: Rolling Thunder from 1965 to 1968, and then Linebacker I and II in 1972, with the latter seeing the deployment of America's fearsome B-52 bombers against the North Vietnamese capital Hanoi. These operations wTrade ReviewAs ever, the author provides a sublimely distilled and perfectly readable account of a grueling period of history. * Flypast *A fascinating inside story of what it was like for pilots over south east Asia. * The Armourer *An outstanding overview of the Air Force’s war in Vietnam…This is combat history in the words of the aviators themselves… and shaped by the author's detailed archival research, oral history interviews, and a commanding knowledge of the available literature… [A] riveting account that constitutes at once both an outstanding history and a tribute to the airmen who flew across Southeast Asia more than a half-century ago. * Dr Richard P Hallion, former Historian of the US Air Force and author of 'Rolling Thunder 1965-68: Johnson's Air War Over Vietnam' *In Going Downtown Thomas McKelvey Cleaver provides a rare combination, a macro-micro view of the war in the air. In setting the context of Southeast Asian air operations, the author adroitly combines Vietnam history with some heart-pounding combat episodes. * Barrett Tillman, author of 'Dragon's Jaw: An Epic Story of Courage and Tenacity in Vietnam' *There are many “I was there” books telling the USAF story in Vietnam; but Going Downtown: The U.S. Air Force in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia 1961–75 by Thomas McKelvey Cleaver paints a much broader picture of that air war. In this extensively researched and well written book, Cleaver gives you the action from the cockpits of both the North Vietnamese MiGs as well as the American jets. This book gives you the perspective of the decision makers in Washington, the generals in theater, and the pilots and crews in the cockpits. If you want to get a true understanding of USAF operations up North Going Downtown is for you. * Thomas E. Rodgers, Lt.Col., USAF (ret.) *Table of ContentsList of Maps and Illustrations Preface Foreword 1. “Zorro-16 - Nail-43. You are on Fire. What Are Your Intentions?” 2. Good Intentions and Ignorance 3. Planning for the Wrong War 4. Early Days – 1962–65 5. Going up North – 1965–66 6.Feather Duster 7. Bridges, Sams, and MiGs – the Widening War 8. Blackman and Robin 9. The MiGs Fight Back 10. Bloody May and June 11. The Hot Summer of 1967 12. Rolling Thunder’s Zenith 13. The End of Rolling Thunder 14. Interregnum – 1968–72 15. The Easter Offensive 16. Operation Linebacker 17. The Christmas Bombing 18. The Final Wars in Southeast Asia Bibliography Glossary Index

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Book SynopsisThis study explains how the armies of North and South Vietnam, newly equipped with the most modern Soviet and US tanks and weaponry, fought the decisive armored battles of the Easter Offensive.Wearied by years of fighting against Viet Cong guerillas and North Vietnamese regulars, the United States had almost completely withdrawn its forces from Vietnam by early 1972. Determined to halt the expansion and improvement of South Vietnamese forces under the U.S. Vietnamization program, North Vietnam launched a major fourteen-division attack in March 1972 against the South that became known as the Easter Offensive. Hanoi's assault was spearheaded by 1,200 tanks and was counteracted on the opposite side by Saigon's newly equipped armored force using U.S. medium tanks. The result was ferocious fighting between major Cold War-era U.S. and Soviet tanks and mechanized equipment, pitting M-48 medium and M-41 light tanks against their T- 54 and PT-76 rivals in a variety of combat environmentsTable of ContentsINTRODUCTION THE TANKS, DOCTRINE, AND ORGANIZATION Army of the Republic of Vietnam North Vietnamese Army TECHNICAL FACTORS Medium tanks Light tanks Armored personnel carriers and other AFVs Self-propelled antiaircraft guns (SPAAGs) THE OFFENSIVE Quang Tri: the offensive begins An Loc: attacks on the road to Saigon Kontum: attack in the Central Highlands ARVN counterattack in the north BATTLE ANALYSIS Strategic, operational, and tactical lessons TECHNICAL LESSONS Tank against tank Airpower ATGMs RPGs and LAWs THE AFTERMATH: VIETNAM, 1973–75 FURTHER READING INDEX

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Book SynopsisA fully illustrated study into the extraordinary Convair B-36 during the Cold War.Conceived during 1941 in case Germany occupied Britain, when US bombers would then have insufficient range to retaliate, the B-36 was to be primarily a 10,000-mile bomber' with heavy defensive armament, six engines and a performance that would prevent interception by fighters. Although rapid developments in jet engine and high-speed airframe technology quickly made it obsolescent, the B-36 took part in many important nuclear test programmes. The aircraft also provided the US nuclear deterrent until the faster B-52 became available in 1955. It was one of the first aircraft to use substantial amounts of magnesium in its structure, leading to the bomber's Magnesium Overcast' nickname. It earned many superlatives due to the size and complexity of its structure, which used 27 miles of wiring, had a wingspan longer than the Wright brothers' first flight, equivalent engine power to 400 cars, the same inteTable of Contents1. Bigger and Bolder 2. Birth of a Heavyweight 3. Test and Development 4. Service Entry 5. Doomsday Bomber 6. Global Reach 7. Many Crew, Many Tasks 8. Massive Changes Appendices Colour Plates Commentary Index

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Book SynopsisWith first-hand insight into the into the key role of the US Air Force''s fighter-bomber from the Vietnam War through to Operation Desert Storm during the First Gulf War, this book is an unmissable account of some of the most dangerous and demanding missions in the two wars.The advent of the surface-to-air missile (SAM) in the early 1950s threatened the whole concept of aerial bombing from medium and high altitude. Countermeasures were developed during the Korean War, but with little initial success. It was only in the closing stages of the Vietnam War, with the F-4Cww Phantom II (Wild Weasel 4), that this equipment started to become successful enough to allow a substantial investment in converting 116 F-4E Phantom IIs into dedicated SEAD aircraft. This move introduced a new generation of anti-radar missiles which became invaluable in later operations including operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Northern Watch overTrade ReviewNo Phantom fan should miss this excellent book * Airfix Model World *This is a must read and a worthy addition to any aviation historian's bookshelves. * Aviation News *Table of Contents(Subject to confirmation) Chapter 1: Development of SEAD Chapter 2: F-4Cww Wild Weasel Operations in Vietnam Chapter 3: Creation of the F-4G Chapter 4: Cold War Developments Chapter 5: Operation Desert Storm Appendices - Performance table for F-4Cww and F-4G. - Unit deployment dates and locations for F-4Cww and F-4G squadrons. - Colour plates commentaries. Index

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Book SynopsisWith over 260 images, this is a highly illustrated history of the ships and operations of the Royal Navy during the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II.During the 70 years spanned by the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II, the Royal Navy changed out of all recognition. Its status as a superpower navy with worldwide bases and operations has been eclipsed, but it remains a powerful force because of its potency if not its size. Maritime history author Paul Brown takes us through each decade in turn, outlining the key events and developments, and charting the changes to the size, structure and capabilities of the Navy. Fully illustrated with over 260 colour and black and white images, this book also provides a stunning visual record of the ships and operations that featured most prominently in each decade.Trade ReviewThis is a visual treat. * The Armourer *Dr Brown's clear passion and in-depth expertise make for a thoroughly enjoyable read. * History of War *A well-presented book with hundreds of photographs reproduced in superb clarity, Elizabeth’s Navy is a new addition to the publisher’s roster of titles and a delightful focus on the Royal Navy... See the power of sea power in a well laid-out package. * Britain at War *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. The Big Navy: 1952–1959 2. Rebuilding the Navy: 1960–1969 3. Eastern Atlantic Focus: 1970–1979 4. The Falklands Decade: 1980–1989 5. Peace and War: 1990–1999 6. Millennium Retrenchment: 2000–2009 7. Broadening Horizons: 2010–2022 Appendix 1: Organisation of the Fleets, May 1952 Appendix 2: Fleet Organisation, 10 March 1964 Glossary Endnotes Select Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisWith specially commissioned artworks and dynamic combat ribbon diagrams, this volume reveals how the ''last of the gunfighters'', as the F-8 was dubbed by its pilots, prevailed against the growing MiG threat of the Vietnamese People''s Air Force.When the Vietnam War began, the F-8 was already firmly established as a fighter and reconnaissance aircraft. It entered combat as an escort for Alpha strike packages, braving the anti-aircraft artillery and surface-to-air missiles alongside the A-4 Skyhawk bombers and meeting MiGs for the first time on 3 April 1965. Although the Crusader was nicknamed ''last of the gunfighters'', its pilots employed ''secondary'' AIM-9D Sidewinder missiles in all but one of their MiG kills, with guns also used as back-up in three. Its 20 mm guns were unreliable as they often jammed during strenuous manoeuvres, although they were responsible for damaging a number of MiGs. However, in combat the F-8 had the highest ''exchange ratio'' (kilTable of Contents(Subject to confirmation) 1. In Battle 2. Setting the Scene 3. Path to Combat 4. Weapon of War 5. Art of War 6. Combat Aftermath Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisNaval dominance was crucial to the defence of South Korea, and this illustrated study explains how the US Navy brought its war-winning fleet to bear in a complex campaign. Fought just five years after the US Navy's carrier-led forces swept into Tokyo Bay, the naval campaign in Korea was a very different war, and one that set the trend for naval warfare for the rest of the century. In this book, Dr Corbin Williamson, a specialist on the US Navy of the period, explains how a fleet built to fight an uncompromising total war rapidly adapted to a successful Cold War multinational intervention. Seventh Fleet's role included blockading enemy ports, escorting convoys, close air support, interdiction, naval gunfire support, and amphibious invasions and evacuations. With few exceptions, Seventh Fleet's command of the sea around Korea was unchallenged, allowing the fleet to focus its efforts on supporting the ground war. The Korean War was also part of a period of intense technological change, and it saw the combat debut of naval jet aircraft and helicopters. Packed with battle diagrams, photographs and meticulously researched battlescenes, this book examines the ships and technology, command and organization, logistics, intelligence, and combat performance of the fleet. It is a rounded portrait of how Seventh Fleet proved the flexibility and importance of sea power in an unexpected theater.

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Book SynopsisThis book details all the milestones of the Lynx's career since its entry into service in 1976 to the present day, whilst simultaneously offering a unique cockpit perspective on events.

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Book Synopsis Combat helicopter pilots in the Vietnam War flew each mission facing the possibility of imminent death. Begun as a series of attempted letters to the Department of Veterans Affairs, this compelling memoir of an aircraft commander in the 116th Assault Helicopter Company--The Hornets--relates his experience of the war in frank detail. From supporting the 25th Infantry Division''s invasion of Cambodia, to flying the lead aircraft in the 101st Airmobile Division''s pivotal Operation Lam Son 719 invasion of Laos to cut the Ho Chi Minh Trail at LZ Hope, the author recounts the traumatic events of his service from March 1970 to March 1971.

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Book SynopsisWhat was it like to be a military combat photographer in the most photographed war in history the Vietnam War? Cameras, Combat, and Courage , a companion volume to "Shooting Vietnam", takes you there as you read the firsthand accounts and view the hundreds of photographs by men who lived the war through the lens of a camera. They documented everything from the horror of combat to the people and culture of a land they suddenly found themselves immersed in. Some even juggled cameras with rifles and grenade launchers as they fought to survive while carrying out their assignments to record the war. Cameras, Combat, and Courage also finally brings recognition to these unheralded military combat photographers in Vietnam that documented the brutal, unpopular, and futile war. Firsthand accounts and photographs by military photographers in Vietnam from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s, Cameras, Combat, and Courage puts the reader right alongside these men as they struggle to document the war and stay alive while doing it although some didn't survive. The cameras around their necks often shared space with a rifle or grenade launcher that enabled them to stay alive while performing their assigned military duties, killing, if necessary, to survive. Often, during a brief respite from trudging through swamps and rice paddies or jumping from a chopper into a hot landing zone, they would wander the streets of villages or even downtown Saigon, curiously photographing a people and a culture so strange and different to them. It is these photographs, of a kinder, more personal nature, removed from the horror and death of war that they also share with the reader. The accounts in this book come from young men thrust into a conflict half way around the world, and all who had their own unique perspective on the war. Some were seasoned photographers before the military, others had only recently held a camera for the first time.

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Book SynopsisThe Indonesian Confrontation that raged from 1963 to 1966 stemmed from Indonesia's opposition to the creation of Malaysia. Fighting in the challenging jungle terrain of Borneo and in the countryside straddling the Malaysia/Indonesia border, where there were few roads, posed significant logistical challenges to both sides. That the conflict was ultimately a victory for the Commonwealth forces was in due in no small part to the fact that they enjoyed the advantage of vastly superior helicopter resources and better trained crews - many of which were provided by British units. During the Confrontation, many of these vital helicopter assets were flown by pilots and crews who had gained their knowledge and experience first-hand during the Malayan Emergency, one of the Cold War's first flash-points which had begun in 1948. Without doubt, the Malayan Emergency marked the formative years of the RAF's and Royal Navy's helicopter operations - the very early days in fact, when equipment and knowledge were much more basic. It was a time when operational procedures were still under development, even though the helicopters were already being flown on front line service. Told in the main through their own words, by the RAF and Royal Navy air and ground crews involved, this is the story of how these guinea pigs' undertook many of Britain's first rotary wing combat operations and, therefore, cemented their rightful place in the history of the helicopter.

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Book SynopsisDuring the 1980s and early 1990s the Challenger 1 main battle tank played a central role in Britain's armoured forces and it achieved remarkable success in combat, destroying around 300 Iraqi tanks in the Gulf War. With its advanced Chobham armour and hydropneumatic suspension system, it was one of the most sophisticated and effective armoured vehicles of the time and, in a modified form, it is still in service with the Jordanian army. It is also a popular subject with tank modellers and enthusiasts, which is why this volume in the TankCraft series is of such value. Archive photos of the Challenger 1 in service and extensively researched colour profile illustrations depict the tank throughout its operational life. A large part of the book showcases available model kits and aftermarket products, complemented by a gallery of beautifully constructed and painted models in various scales. Technical details as well as modifications introduced during production and in the field are also examined and provide everything the modeller needs to recreate an accurate representation of the Challenger 1.

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Book SynopsisOn June 25, 1950, the North Korean Army invaded South Korea. Among the US forces sent to South Korea was the 1st Marine Division. In September 1950, the Division audaciously landed deep behind enemy lines at Inchon port, throwing the North Korea Army into disarray. In November 1950, the Chinese Army invaded North Korea with eight divisions tasked with the destruction of the 1st Marine Division at the Chosin Reservoir. The Marines made a 78-mile fighting withdrawal in arctic conditions before being evacuated by the US Navy. In February 1951, the 1st Marine Division returned to combat assisting Eighth (US) Army to repulse five Chinese Army offensives over four months. By November 1951, the large-scale back and forth offensives operations by the opposing sides had ended, replaced by a stalemate which lasted until the 27 July, 1953 armistice. The bitter three-year conflict accounted for the death of 4,267 Marines with another 23,744 wounded. In classic Images of War style, expert author Michael Green describes the Marine Corps' outstanding contribution, organization, tactics, fighting doctrine and weaponry.

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Book SynopsisWhile the use of drones is now commonplace in modern warfare, it was in its infancy during the Vietnam War, not to mention revolutionary and top secret. Drones would play an important - and today largely unheralded - role in the bloody, two-decade US air war over Vietnam and surrounding countries in the 1960s and '70s. Drone aircraft spotted targets for manned US bombers, jammed North Vietnamese radars and scattered propaganda leaflets, among other missions. This book explores that obscure chapter of history. DRONE WAR: VIETNAM is based on military records, official histories and published first-hand accounts from early drone operators, as well as on a close survey of existing scholarship on the topic. In their fledgling efforts to send robots instead of human beings on the most dangerous aerial missions, US operators in South-East Asia in the 1960s and '70s wrote the first chapter in the continuing tale of autonomous warfare.

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Book SynopsisThe Potsdam Conference (officially known as the "Berlin Conference"), was held from 17 July to 2 August 1945 at Cecilienhof Palace, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm, in Brandenburg, and saw the leaders of the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States, gathered together to decide how to demilitarise, denazify, decentralise, and administer Germany, which had agreed to unconditional surrender on 8 May (VE Day). They determined that the remaining German populations in Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary - both the ethnic (Sudeten) and the more recent arrivals (as part of the long-term plan for the domination of Eastern Europe) - should to be transferred to Germany, but despite an undertaking that these would be effected in an orderly and humane manner, the expulsions were carried out in a ruthless and often brutal manner. Land was seized with farms and houses expropriated; the occupants placed into camps prior to mass expulsion from the country. Many of these were labour camps already occupied by Jews who had survived the concentration camps, where they were equally unwelcome. Further cleansing was carried out in Romania and Yugoslavia, and by 1950, an estimated 11.5 million German people had been removed from Eastern Europe with up to three million dead. The number of ethnic Germans killed during the 'cleansing' period is suggested at 500,000, but in 1958, Statistisches Bundesamt (the Federal Statistical Office of Germany) published a report which gave the figure of 1.6 million relating to expulsion-related population losses in Poland alone. Further investigation may in due course provide a more accurate figure to avoid the accusation of sensationalism.

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Book SynopsisAs of October 1950, a quarter of a million Communist Chinese troops, in twenty-seven divisions, had poured across the Yalu River into North Korea, with the singular objective of forcing General Douglas MacArthur's United Nations troops back across the 38th Parallel and into the Sea of Japan. Shortly before midnight on 22 April 1951, to the west of the US Eighth Army's defensive front, the Chinese Sixty-third Army fell on the British 29th Brigade. On the left flank, the 1st Battalion, Gloucester Regiment ( Glosters') held a tenuous position at a ford on the Imjin River. Despite a gallant defence, the battalion was pushed back to make a desperate but futile stand on Hill 235\. On what became known as Glosters' Hill', the battalion ceased to exist. It was subsequently estimated that the attacking force of 27,000 Chinese troops suffered 10,000 casualties, forcing the Chinese army to be withdrawn from the front. From August 1951 to the summer of 1952, the USAF conducted Operation Strangle in a futile and costly attempt to disrupt Chinese supply routes. In the last two years of fighting, Communist Chinese and UN forces faced each other from well-entrenched positions in hilly terrain, where mapped hill numbers were contested. From June 1952 to March 1953, a series of five hard-fought engagements took place in central Korea as the antagonists sought ownership of Hill 266, commonly referred to as Old Baldy'. This was followed during April-July 1953 by two tactically pointless battles over Pork Chop Hill, in which the UN forces won the first battle and the Chinese the second, with both sides sustaining major casualties. On 27 July 1953, the two belligerents signed an armistice agreement, implementing a ceasefire that stands to this day. De facto, the Korean War has never ended.

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