Military History Books
Pen & Sword Books Ltd U.S. Special Forces Commando
Book SynopsisWith the ending of the Second World War, Lief Bangsboll, after distinguished service with the O.S.S. behind enemy lines in Denmark, prepared himself for a life of peace and hopefully love with the young Canadian girl he had met while training at Camp X during the war. But the United States War Department and the Office of Strategic Services had other plans for the young soldier/agent. In September 1945, Lieutenant Bangsboll was secretly sent into Soviet-occupied Germany to assess and report upon Russian military activities in and around Berlin. In December 1945, a deadly incident occurred in which a KGB agent was killed, and Leif and his O.S.S. team were forced to escape back into the American sector of Germany. With his O.S.S. identity compromised and himself now target of the KGB, Lieutenant Bangsboll was re-assigned to the regular U.S. Army and became a member of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. With the outbreak of the Korean War, Leif was part of the first airborne op
£21.25
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Making of Auschwitz
Book SynopsisCommemorating 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, this book tells the story of the camp's construction and its evolution into the largest mass murder factory of all time. Using hundreds of captured German documents and architectural plans, the book is a unique historical source of how the architects came to plan and accomplish the horror we now call Auschwitz. Drawing on key documents from the Building Office archive, this in-depth study uses plans, letters, telegrams, worksite labour reports and minutes of meetings. It reveals how the SS needed civilian knowledge to install electrical, sewage and heating systems, and build chimneys and other structures. It explains how various outside contractors were involved in cooperating in genocide and shows just how eager they were to produce goods for the SS for financial reward. Just after the construction had begun on Birkenau in 1941, architectural plans were presented to include new crematoria and gas chambers. By the s
£22.50
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Make Germany Great Again
Book SynopsisAfter the Second World War the Allies in referring to the German people used the term collective guilt', which, after minimal research, appeared unfair. There was active opposition to Hitler from the moment he led Germany into war, which ranged from young teenagers, to undergraduates, to top-level civil servants, diplomats, and to the highest ranks in the military. As the moral depravity of the Nazi regime became apparent many Germans turned against the regime, although there was always the dedicated fanatic. They had become a repressed society, watched by Himmler's SD and above all feared interrogation by the Gestapo, what one German described as the silence of the graveyard'. This did not stop what may be called passive resistance which this book also explores, using the work of German diarists who wrote their accounts not postwar with the benefit of hindsight, but with genuine integrity at the time as events were unfolding. This book explores not just the resistance culminating in t
£21.25
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Britain and Weapons of Mass Destruction
Book SynopsisThis is an insider's history of the UK's development of on-site inspections for nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons arms control and disarmament treaties from the late 1980s through to the first two decades of the 21st century. It provides for the first time in print a detailed narrative and analytical account from the personal perspective of a senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office expert, who participated in scores of realistic and demanding verification exercises at British as well as overseas military and commercial facilities, including at the former Soviet nuclear weapons test site at Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan. The book draws on the author's personal recollections, state papers in The National Archives and official reports submitted to the Conference on Disarmament and other international meetings to pull together a fascinating and riveting account of a key, but hitherto neglected part of Cold War and post-Cold War history. Despite the differences between nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons and their means of production, the UK's verification exercises recounted in detail here revealed many common lessons applicable to the design and implementation of on-site inspections regardless of treaty. Generally nuclear, chemical and biological arms control verification is discussed separately, but this volume uniquely discuses all three in an overall coherent overview of the lessons learned. In addition to the serious nature of the subject matter, the author also recounts the humour that was ever present and many other tales that never quite made it to the formal reports produced after the exercises.
£19.80
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Pilgrim
Book Synopsis
£21.25
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Bitter Fight to Free Italy
£21.25
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Vichys Last Castle
Book SynopsisComic-operetta stage set, or ghost town haunted by the walking dead Sigmaringen still fascinates long after its collapse at the end of the Second World War. This enclave of French Vichy officials and fascists on German soil refugees and hostages maintained at the Nazis' pleasure played out the last residue of French collaborationism in the closing months of the war, presided over by the inert figurehead of Marshal Pétain, against the fairytale backdrop of Sigmaringen Castle. No single English-language history of the Sigmaringen enclave exists, yet it brought together some of the most colourful and controversial collaborationists, from the militant French SS officer Joseph Darnand to the delirious writer Louis-Ferdinand Céline, in a petri dish for the last samples of the collaborationism that had infected France and laid her low. Vichy's Last Castle brings together contemporary documents, eye-witness reports, diplomatic communiques and protests, and personal chronicles, alongside post-war analyses, war crimes trials, apologetics and memoirs, to provide a complete picture of the Sigmaringen enclave, from daily life to political chicanery. From the vain, formal protests of Marshal Pétain to the hallucinatory stream-of-consciousness of Céline, the book draws on contemporary photographs as well as texts to encapsulate this bizarre milieu, where the rank-and-file starved and suffered, while the elite played and plotted their tragicomic endgame, in a sublimely appropriate Wagnerian setting.
£19.80
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Verdun 1914
Book Synopsis
£15.29
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Sieges of Alexander the Great
Book SynopsisMost of Alexander the Great's thirteen year reign as king of Macedon was spent in hard campaigning which conquered half the known world, during which he never besieged a city he did not take. Alexander's sieges were no less vital, and certainly more numerous, than his famous battles in securing his vast empire and yet there is no book concentrating purely on his many epic sieges and his mastery of siegecraft. Perhaps the most famous example is Tyre, which had previously successfully withstood a 13-year siege by the Babylonians and which used to be an island before Alexander got there. The artificial isthmus he built to reach it still connects it to the mainland. More obscure, but just as instructive of the conqueror's character, is his last siege at the city of the Mallians, where shamed his reluctant soldiers into action by storming the battlements with just three companions and was severely wounded for his efforts. Stephen English narrates the sustained drama of each of Alexander
£13.49
Cambridge University Press Defeat and Division
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£25.65
St Martin's Press Last Stands
Book SynopsisWhat are we willing to die for? Michael Walsh restores the dignity of lost concepts like honor, duty, sacrifice and patriotism for our unheroic age in Last Stands
£15.29
Amberley Publishing Britains Forgotten Traitor
Book SynopsisThe true story of the Englishman allegedly freed from a French prison after meeting John Amery, the treacherous son of a Cabinet minister, and sent back to Britain to spy - only to be caught, prosecuted and hanged for being a traitor to his country. But this 'spy' always claimed to have simply lied in order to come home. Was he telling the truth?Trade Review'A model of assiduous research. No stone left unturned to reach the truth about a squalid, but not unimportant, case of wartime treachery and disloyalty, mixed in with very human frailty and tragic misjudgement.' -- Nigel West
£17.00
Amberley Publishing The Saucer and the Swastika
Book SynopsisRevealing the bizarre truth behind the myth of a Nazi space fleet. If only the war had lasted another six months, then Hitler would have won â because his scientists stood upon the very brink of inventing flying saucers.
£17.00
Amberley Publishing Hlobane and Khambula
Book SynopsisBartlett goes beyond Rorke's Drift to tell the largely forgotten story of how the Anglo-Zulu war was really won and lost.
£17.00
Amberley Publishing Plymouths Military Heritage
Book SynopsisThe military heritage of Plymouth from earliest times to the present day. Will be of interest to all those who would like to know more about Plymouthâs remarkable military history.
£14.39
Amberley Publishing British Army Terminology and Abbreviations 19391945
Book SynopsisA detailed guide to the abbreviations, acronyms, terms and doctrinal concepts used by the British Army during the Second World War.
£17.09
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Real Spitfire Pilot
Book SynopsisFlight Lieutenant David Crook was a Spitfire pilot during the Battle of Britain who became a decorated ace.
£16.99
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Panzergrenadiers 19421945
Book SynopsisPanzergrenadiers were Hitler's elite armoured infantry.Written and compiled by leading Images of War series author, this book details their fighting record and equipment.
£13.49
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Religion Classical Warfare The Roman Republic
Book SynopsisReligion was integral to the conduct of war in the ancient world and the Romans were certainly no exception. No campaign was undertaken, no battle risked, without first making sacrifice to propitiate the appropriate gods (such as Mars, god of War) or consulting oracles and omens to divine their plans. Yet the link between war and religion is an area that has been regularly overlooked by modern scholars examining the conflicts of these times. This volume addresses that omission by drawing together the work of experts from across the globe. The chapters have been carefully structured by the editors so that this wide array of scholarship combines to give a coherent, comprehensive study of the role of religion in the wars of the Roman Republic. Aspects considered in depth will include: declarations of war; evocatio and taking gods away from enemies; dedications and ceremonies; the cult of the legionary eagle; the role of women in Republican warfare; omens and divination; live burials of people in times of military crisis; and the rituals of the Roman triumph.
£23.25
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Boy Soldiers of the Great War
Book SynopsisReveals new hitherto unknown stories and adds many more unseen images about the twelve boys caught up in a national wave of patriotism and, in huge numbers, volunteered to serve their country.
£21.25
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Great Naval Battles of the Pacific War
Book SynopsisPrecise, factual appraisals of each stage of the battles, all of which are placed within its strategic context.
£21.25
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Plot of Shame
Book SynopsisThe author reveals how the cases surrounding those buried in Plot E are violent, disturbing and often brutal in their content. They are not war crimes, but crimes committed in a time of war.
£21.25
Pen & Sword Books Ltd 12th Hitlerjugend SS Panzer Division in Normandy
Book SynopsisThe most effective German division fighting in the WestDescribes how the division continually battled the Allied offensivesUses new materials from archives in the former Eastern BlocRefuses to shy away from unpalatable facts or controversies
£15.29
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Surviving the Arctic Convoys
Book SynopsisMoving personal recollections of WW2 at sea.
£16.99
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Harwich Striking Force
Book SynopsisThe first ever detailed account of the operations of this famous force.
£21.25
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Panzer III German Army Light Tank
Book Synopsis10 pages of full colour illustrations depicting 20 different vehicles and their markings.
£17.09
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Hitler Assassination Attempts
Book SynopsisIn this book, John Grehan has examined the known planned or proposed assassination attempts on Hitler, from Chicago to London and from Sweden to the Ukraine -some of which have not previously been presented to the general public by historians.
£21.25
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Women in the Second World War
Book SynopsisCommemorates the role of service and serving women in the Second World War.
£13.49
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Royal Observer Corps
Book SynopsisWritten at the end of the Second World War by those involved in the planning and operation of the Royal Observer.
£14.24
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The EBoat Threat
Book SynopsisOut of print for 30 years and highly sought afterUnique study of this vital part of the Naval War in WW2Very few books on this subject
£13.49
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Coming Storm
Book SynopsisThe outbreak of the Second World War came towards the closing stages of the 1939 cricket season. Hitler permitted us almost to complete an exceptionally interesting season,' Sir Home Gordon, wrote in the Cricketer magazine, When shall we see the stumps pitched again?'As the West Indies touring team cancelled their last five matches and sailed home before the U-boat threat developed, the treasures at Lord's, including the Ashes, were sent to a secret location for safe-keeping. The Marylebone Cricket Club cancelled its tour to India - England played under the MCC banner then. During the ensuing conflict twelve test cricketers (five English, two South Africans, one Australian and one New Zealander) perished together with 130 first class players. In this superbly researched sequel to Final Wicket, covering cricketing fatalities during The Great War, this book reveals each man's career details, including cricketing statistics, and the circumstances of death. There is also a brief history of the game during the War. Arguably the period between the two world wars was the golden age of cricket, and this book honours those who made it so only to die serving their countries in a different way.
£15.29
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Desert Warfare
Book SynopsisApproximately one-fifth of the earth''s surface consists of desert, and throughout history these arid regions have witnessed some of the world''s most decisive battles. Here, Bryan Perrett gives an absorbing account of desert conflicts from the first century BC to more contemporary conflicts such as those in Iran and Iraq. As he demonstrates, acclimatization and familiarization with the day-to-day problems of desert life are vital not only to teach troops how to protect themselves and their equipment, but also to bring them to terms with the harsh environment. The desert does not compromise, and battles fought there result in total victory or total defeat, often at horrific cost.Initially released in 1988 by Patrick Stephens Limited, this re-issue marks a determination on the author''s and the publisher''s part to keep an esteemed publication in print.
£14.24
Pen & Sword Books Ltd With the Paras in Helmand
Book SynopsisCaptures the atmosphere of the Conflict in words and superb colour photography.
£17.09
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Baldur von Schirach
Book SynopsisThis biography reveals Von Schirach's aristocratic family background; three of his four grandparents were from America.
£21.25
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Military History of Late Rome 425457
Book Synopsis
£13.49
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Welsh at War
£999.99
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Nordhausen Concentration Camp
Book SynopsisOf all the appalling acts of Nazi Germany, Nordhausen represents the pinnacle of warped depravity. Forced labour on an industrial scale and a litany of the most barbaric war crimes make for harrowing yet compelling reading.
£21.25
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The B24 Liberator Haulers
Book SynopsisWith iconic images depicting it in the skies over Occupied Europe or the Far East, the B-24 Liberator is remembered for its part in the Allies' bombing campaigns during the Second World War. But there was another part to this famous four-engine aircraft one that is less well known. While the Douglas C-47 Dakota is deservedly celebrated as the most important twin-engine transport aircraft of the war, the early use of the four-engine Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber as a passenger carrier is virtually unknown but was as important. Since the B-24 had more interior room than the B-17, it could be more easily be converted into a personnel carrier. These early Liberators operated America's and Britain's early diplomatic missions and then were to be extensively flown by the Atlantic Ferry Organization and the Transport Commands on missions that opened the world to air transport as never before. Several B-24s were converted for VIP personal and diplomatic use, which included Harriman's
£24.00
Pen & Sword Books Ltd A Familys Tragic Battle with Napoleon
Book SynopsisCaptain John Grant Fraser of the Royal Artillery had succeeded to the titles of Ballindoun and Kinneries via the unexpected death of his elder brother James Fraser on 1 May 1791. John Grant died in 1798 and the title passed to his eldest son Baillie Fraser, their uncle Hugh acting as guardian until his coming of age. James Baillie Fraser joined the Army and rose to the rank of lieutenant in the 7th Fusiliers, serving in the Peninsular war. His younger brother Alexander John Fraser also joined the Army serving in the peninsula, becoming a lieutenant in the 52nd Foot. Both wrote home regularly to their sister Ann and gave fascinating details of life at war, but tragically James was killed at the Battle of Sorauren on 28 July 1813 and his brother Alexander was severely wounded and died at Bera on 20 October the same year. Within six months the war had ripped the heart out of the family. The estates passed to Ann, who tragically died on 16 December 1816, the whole then passing to their uncle Hugh. He sold the estates and the family ties to Ballindoun and Kinneries were broken for ever effectively destroyed by the Napoleonic wars. Beyond the letters from Ann's two tragic brothers, her collection also includes much material from her uncles on her mother's side who were also heavily involved in the wars. George Wilkes Unett, Royal Artillery, served in the West indies, Martinique, Copenhagen and Waterloo, whilst his other brother Richard Wilkes Unett served in the West Indies. Their letters show clearly how the war was indeed a World War and how families were sucked into this ever hungry meatgrinder. Finally we have the fascinating journal of their brother John Wilkes Unett, a solicitor by trade butwho happened to travel to Paris to visit his brother and experience the city shortly after the allies had taken possession in 1815. These letters and journals provide a fascinating insight into the lives of an ordinary family in extraordinary times and how two sudden tragedies destroyed it.
£22.50
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Revolts Against Rome
Book Synopsis
£21.25
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Tank 43 Panzer IV Medium Tank
Book SynopsisOriginally developed to support the infantry formations of the Germany''s armoured divisions, the Pzkpfw IV medium tank was increasingly pressed into service as a tank killer as stronger and more well-armoured enemy vehicles were encountered. By the end of 1943, despite the appearance of the Tiger and Panther, it could be said that the Pzkpfw IV was the most important tank, at least numerically, in the Wehrmacht''s arsenal. Mechanically reliable and relatively cheap to produce the tank''s large wheel base and turret circumference meant that it could be up-gunned with minimal disruption to production and adapted to a number of different roles including self-propelled anti-tank gun, anti-aircraft tank, bridgelayer and armoured recovery vehicle. Although assembly of the Pzkpfw IV was officially terminated in late 1944, as the tank had fallen out of favour with Hitler, production was soon resumed and continued until the final days of the conflict. In Dennis Oliver''s latest volume in the T
£18.99
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Stug III Assault Gun
Book SynopsisFrom their introduction in 1940, the German army''s Sturmgeschütz assault guns played a vital role in the campaigns of the Blitzkrieg era, the gargantuan struggles in Russia and the final defensive battles. Evolving from a mobile bunker-buster, armed with a short-barrelled howitzer, the Sturmgeschütz III was up-armoured and up-gunned and by 1943 its tank killing abilities were widely recognised. In 1944, largely as an emergency quick-fix, the Sturmgeschütz IV entered service and over 10,000 examples of both versions had been built by the end of the war. Although not as well known as the Tiger or Panther tanks, they were among the most frequently encountered German armoured vehicles and as the Wehrmacht's resources continued to decline, the assault guns were thrown into every operation and increasingly substituted for gun tanks in official unit establishments. In the second volume in the TankCraft series to examine the Sturmgeschütz, Dennis Oliver employs official documentation and unit histories to investigate the formations that operated these vehicles and uses archive photos and extensively researched colour illustrations to examine the markings, camouflage and technical aspects of the Sturmgeschütz III and Sturmgeschütz IV that served on the Eastern Fronts during what was almost certainly the pivotal year of the campaign. A key section of his book displays 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, providing everything the modeller needs to recreate an accurate representation of these historic vehicles.
£24.00
Pen & Sword Books Ltd From Fighting Napoleon to the Scottish Military
Book SynopsisBased on Captain John Orr's previously unseen campaign diary and personal documents, this is the first biography of the man who would become Superintendent of the Scottish Naval & Military Academy (SNMA).We follow John during his eighteen months in Portugal and Spain informed by his first-hand accounts of the Battle of Salamanca, the siege of Burgos and fighting in the Pyrenees. Later he fought at Quatre Bras and was wounded at Waterloo. He was retired on full pension in 1821. Ten years later, aged 41, resigning himself that he would no longer be commissioned into a regiment, he enrolled as a captain in the Edinburgh Militia. Almost immediately he was asked to become the Superintendent of the Scottish Naval & Military Academy which was situated in Edinburgh. It had been established six years earlier and was struggling after the Directors had made a number of bad decisions.John's appointment stabilised the SNMA and the enrolment started to grow. He had enthusiasm for his job and manag
£21.25
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Arctic Convoy PQ18
Book SynopsisThis superbly researched book tells the story of one of the most significant maritime operations of the Second World War. The importance of the Arctic convoys providing the Soviets with the necessary equipment needed to win the war on the Eastern Front has too often been underestimated. This book puts that right.Following PQ17, the worst Allied maritime disaster of the Second World War, it was imperative that PQ18 got through. So when the convoy left Loch Ewe on 2 September 1942 the stakes could not have been higher. The Battle of Stalingrad was hanging in the balance. Had the convoy suffered unacceptable shipping and war supply losses, the Arctic route would have had to be suspended with potentially war-changing consequences not just for the Soviets but the whole Allied war effort. Consequently, as this work vividly describes, it was both the most heavily defended and the most heavily attacked convoy of the whole war.The Author draws on contemporaneous accounts of the combatants from
£18.70
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Race for the Atomic Bomb
Book SynopsisThe full story of the various warring nations' race to be the first to develop the atomic bomb.
£21.25
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The German Liberation War of 1813
Book SynopsisThe second of three volumes, this book represents the first English translation of the memoirs that rank among the best in the vast Napoleonic memoir literature. The author, Ilya Timofeyevich Radozhitskii, served with distinction during the wars against Napoleon and wrote down his reminisces shortly after the war based on the notes that he kept while campaigning. Born in 1788, Radozhitskii studied at the Imperial Orphanage, enlisted in the artillery unit in 1806, and steadily rose through the ranks, earning a reputation of a capable officer.Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812 changed his life. Serving as an artillery lieutenant, he saw action in virtually every major battle of that historic campaign. In 1813-1814, Radozhitskii took part in the War of the German Liberation and the invasion of France, serving with distinction at Bischofswerde, Bautzen, Katzbach, and Leipzig before finishing the war as a staff captain in Paris in 1814. Upon Napoleon's return in 1815, Radozhitskii was as
£18.70
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Survivors of Enemy Action
Book SynopsisNumerous thrilling personal accounts by survivors of enemy action. Written by highly experienced naval author and former Merchant Navy Captain.
£17.00
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Aspects of Arnhem
Book SynopsisThis superbly researched book, written by two acknowledged experts, takes a wide-ranging examination of Operation MARKET GARDEN from the strategic, operational and tactical level. 80th anniversary is in 2024.
£21.25
