Military History Books

Book SynopsisThe reader is introduced to a little-known side of Custer - a deeply personal side. George Custer grew up in an expanding young country and his early influences mirrored the times. Two aspects of this era dominate most works about him: the Civil War, and the war with the Indians, culminating in his death at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. When mentioned, if at all, his early life and years as a cadet at West Point are brief, and then only enough to set some background for discussion of the mystery of the Little Bighorn. This is the first Custer biography to focus on these lesser-known parts of his life in great detail.The approach uses all of Custer’s known writings. Letters, magazine articles, his book, My Life on the Plains, and his unfinished memoirs of the Civil War, along with materials and books by his wife, Elizabeth Custer, and reflections of others who knew him well.The five chapters are; Early Life (growing up and as a West Point cadet); The Civil War; The Indian Fighter; The Little Bighorn and Conclusion. The theme of the book is not so much new historical information but the depth of his character development and lesser-known influences of his life. Custer draws together these elements in a succinct and accessible read.The book also includes illustrations (primarily from Harper’s Weekly), and photos, such as Matthew Brady’s Civil War collection, to accompany the text.Trade Review...this is a readable and well-paced book. […] Any wargame of the Little Bighorn needs to include some debate on Benteen’s dilemma. A gripping and enjoyable read, Recommended. * Miniature Wargames - John Drewienkiewicz *Exceptional in comprehensiveness and presentation… * Midwest Book Review *The narrative is flawless from a military perspective. […] a fresh and unbiased look at the man and his military career. * Old Barbed Wire *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Early Years 2. The Civil War 3. The Indian Fighter 4. The Little Bighorn 5. Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThe wartime memoir of Lyudmila Pavlichenko is a remarkable document: the publication of an English language edition is a significant coup. Pavlichenko was World War II's best-scoring sniper and had a varied wartime career that included trips to England and America. In June 1941, when Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, she left her university studies, ignored the offer of a position as a nurse, to become one of Soviet Russia's 2000 female snipers. Less than a year later she had 309 recorded kills, including 29 enemy sniper kills. She was withdrawn from active duty after being injured: she was also regarded as a key heroic figure for the war effort. She spoke at rallies in Canada and the US and the folk singer Woody Guthrie wrote a song, 'Killed By A Gun' about her exploits. Her US trip included a tour of the White House with FDR. In November 1942 she visited Coventry and accepted donations of 4,516 from Coventry workers to pay for three X-ray units for the Red Army. She also visited a Birmingham factory as part of her fundraising tour. She never returned to combat but trained other snipers. After the war, she finished her education at Kiev University and began a career as a historian. She died on October 10, 1974 at age 58, and was buried in Moscow's Novodevichye Cemetery.

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Book SynopsisToday Rena is going to change her life... Rena Jarvie is ahead of her time. Ambitious, attractive, and determined her family escape their shameful past. When she moves to a new town and marries the charming and cosmopolitan Bobby Young, doors finally begin to open. But as Bobby already knows, some things cannot be run from. Spanning the 1930s to the 1960s, Catch the Moments as They Fly is an assured portrait of a rapidly changing Scotland, vivid with humour, and hardship, and love.Trade Review"Woven through Catch the Moments as They Fly is an almost Fitzgerald-like awareness of the subtle corruptions and compromises that haunt our dreams of 'self-improvement' and social aspiration. Glasgow and Kilmarnock are much more than mere backdrops to the delicate web of human voices and fates in the novel: their own civic destinies, spanning two world wars and decades of aftermath, play a powerful and evocative part in this wonderfully vivid and moving portrait of the past." Wayne Price, author of Mercy Seat; "Catch the Moments as They Fly is, simultaneously, an engrossing and affecting love story, a family saga, and a deft portrait of Scottish urban life in the wake of two world wars. Subtle, layered, and full of captivating historical detail as well as vividly drawn characters, this is a novel to get lost in. Absolutely compelling." Jane McKie, author of Carnation Lily Lily Rose

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Book SynopsisJames McPherson is Professor Emeritus of American History at Princeton University. Battle Cry of Freedom won the Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction in 2003.Trade ReviewThe definitive study, meticulous in its scholarship and compulsive in its readability * Financial Times *McPherson is wonderfully lucid... Above all, everything is in a living relationship with everything else ... Omitting nothing important, whether military, political or economic, he yet manages to make everything he touches drive the narrative forward ... historical writing of the highest order * The New York Times *A distinguished contribution to American history ... He has succeeded brilliantly. He has written what will surely become the standard one-volume history of the great conflict which forged America as a united nation * Independent *Absolutely brilliant ... McPherson has fresh approaches to the war's background, the four years of struggle and the aftermath * Washington Post Book World *McPherson wears with equal ease the hats of biographer, economist, sociologist and military historian .. Probably the best single-volume history of America's Civil War yet written * Economist *Table of ContentsPrologue: from the halls of Montezuma. The United States of midcentury; Mexico will poison us; an empire for slavery; slavery, rum and Romanism; the crime against Kansas; mudsills and greasy mechanics for A. Lincoln; the revolution of 1860; the counterrevolution of 1861; facing both ways - the upper south's dilemma; amateurs go to war; farewell to the 90 Days' War; blockade and beachead - the Salt-Water War, 1861-1862; the River War in 1862; the sinews of war; Billy Yank's chickhominy blues; we must free the slaves or be ourselves subdued; carry me back to Old Virginny; John Bull's Virgina Reel; three rivers in winter, 1862-1863; fire in the rear; long remember - the summer of '63; Johnny Reb's Chattanooga Blues; when this cruel war is over; if it takes all summer; after four years of failure; we are going to be wiped off the Earth; South Carolina must be destroyed; we are all Americans. Epilogue: to the shoals of victory.

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES PRIZE FOR HISTORY FINANCIAL TIMES AND NEW STATESMAN BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2014On the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, Deluge is a powerful explanation of why the war''s legacy continues to shape our world - from Adam Tooze, the Wolfson Prize-winning author of The Wages of DestructionIn the depths of the Great War, with millions of dead and no imaginable end to the conflict, societies around the world began to buckle. As the cataclysmic battles continued, a new global order was being born.Adam Tooze''s panoramic new book tells a radical, new story of the struggle for global mastery from the battles of the Western Front in 1916 to the Great Depression of the 1930s. The war shook the foundations of political and economic order across Eurasia. Empires that had lasted since the Middle Ages collapsed into ruins. New nations sprang up. Strikes, street-fighting and revolution convulsed much of the world. And beneath the surface turmoil, the war set in motion a deeper and more lasting shift, a transformation that continues to shape the present day: 1916 was the year when world affairs began to revolve around the United States. America was both a uniquely powerful global force: a force that was forward-looking, the focus of hope, money and ideas, and at the same time elusive, unpredictable and in fundamental respects unwilling to confront these unwished for responsibilities. Tooze shows how the fate of effectively the whole of civilization - the British Empire, the future of peace in Europe, the survival of the Weimar Republic, both the Russian and Chinese revolutions and stability in the Pacific - now came to revolve around this new power''s fraught relationship with a shockingly changed world. The Deluge is both a brilliantly illuminating exploration of the past and an essential history for the present.Trade ReviewBold and ambitious . . . probably the best of the current books about the First World War * Observer *A remarkable new synthesis which draws on [Tooze's] two particular areas of expertise, Eurasia and especially Germany, and the global financial system revolving around London ... the great strength of his book is that he invites us to look at familiar events in unfamiliar ways ... Tooze's account brims with contemporary resonances ... He is too good a historian, however, to turn this into a simple argument for Keynesian deficit financing ... the general public and policymakers alike will - must! - turn to Adam Tooze for instruction -- Brendan Simms * Tablet *It is particularly refreshing to read Adam Tooze's book ... it confirms his stature as an analyst of hugely complex political and economic issues ... Tooze's book covers a huge geographical sweep ... he shows himself a formidably impressive chronicler of a critical period of modern history, unafraid of bold judgements -- Max Hastings * Sunday Times *Adam Tooze's masterly book should be required reading for anyone who wants to truly understand the significance of the war ... Extensively researched and written with exemplary clarity, this work is as monumentally ambitious as its subject ... his powers of description and analysis range across all inhabited continents ... this is a valuable look at the ways in which the years after the war came to define the rest of the 20th century * BBC History Magazine *Interesting, engaging and very readable ... Underpinning this account is an impressive facility with numbers and an ability to analyse them that is increasingly rare among historians nowadays ... he has also delivered, for the first time, ...a clear and compelling rationale as to why it is actually worth going back and looking at the era of the First World War at this particular moment in time ... The Deluge reminds us, then, why we write history and why we should read it * Literary Review *Tooze made his name with The Wages of Destruction . . . His study of the post-1918 era is equally impressive, explaining why the US and its allies, having defeated Germany, were unable to stabilize the world economy and build a collective security system in Europe -- Tony Barber * Financial Times BOOKS OF THE YEAR *

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Book Synopsis''Brilliant, a 5 out of 5 masterpiece'' Evening StandardThe renowned historian of the Third Reich takes on the conspiracy theories surrounding Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, in a vital history book for the ''post-truth'' ageThe idea that nothing happens by chance in history, that nothing is quite what it seems to be at first sight, that everything that occurs is the result of the secret machinations of malign groups of people manipulating everything from behind the scenes is as old as history itself. But conspiracy theories are becoming more popular and more widespread in the twenty-first century. Nowhere have they become more obvious than in revisionist accounts of the history of the Third Reich. Long-discredited conspiracy theories have taken on a new lease of life, given credence by claims of freshly discovered evidence and novel angles of investigation. This book takes five widely discussed claims involving Hitler and the Nazis anTrade ReviewA wonderful book that's both hard to put down and brilliantly insightful in its analysis of the ways in which conspiracy theories and so-called "alternative facts" are constructed and justified - and why they're such nonsense... Evans performs his task with such withering and entertaining wit that it's worth putting up with the nonsense to enjoy the brilliant demolition... It's a 5 out of 5 masterpiece. -- Martin Bentham * Evening Standard *There can be no more authoritative guide to these conspiracy theories than Evans ... It is becoming a deadly serious matter. -- Tony Barber * Financial Times *Brilliant ... Deploying him against conspiracy theorists is a bit like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. -- Simon Griffiths * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisThe liberation of Europe and the destruction of the Third Reich is a story of courage and enduring triumph, of calamity and miscalculation. In this first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson shows why no modern reader can understand the ultimate victory of the Allied powers without a grasp of the great drama that unfolded in North Africa in 1942 and 1943.Beginning with the daring amphibious invasion in November 1942, An Army at Dawn follows the British and American armies as they fight the French in Morocco and Algeria, and then take on the Germans and Italians in Tunisia. Battle by battle, an inexperienced and sometimes poorly led army gradually becomes a superb fighting force. Central to the tale are the extraordinary but fallible commanders who come to dominate the battlefield: Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, Montgomery and Rommel.Trade ReviewEvery military history buff should read An Army at Dawn Sunday Telegraph There is much to applaud in this impressively researched work ... An Army at Dawn makes utterly absorbing reading BBC History More of a biography of a generation than of a class at West Point... Stark, shocking, jolting John Eisenhower, Chicago Tribune A compelling and highly readable story that provides a valuable corrective for a British reader Hew Strachan, Telegraph

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Book Synopsis*JEWISH CHRONICAL CRITICS' CHOICE: NON-FICTION OF THE YEAR 2022*'A devastatingly affecting book. . . Bunce Court! I keep saying the name to myself because it encapsulates all that is gentle and comically charming about wartime England' The Times 'Emotionally compelling' Observer'All the violence I had experienced before felt like a bad dream. It was a paradise. I think most of the children felt it was a paradise.'In 1933, as Hitler came to power, schoolteacher Anna Essinger hatched a daring and courageous plan: to smuggle her entire school out of Nazi Germany. Anna had read Mein Kampf and knew the terrible danger that Hitler's hate-fuelled ideologies posed to her pupils. She knew that to protect them she had to get her pupils to the safety of England. But the safe haven that Anna struggled to create in a rundown manor house in Kent would test her to the limit. As the news from Europe continued to darken, Anna rescued successive waves of fleeing children and, when war broke out, she and her pupils faced a second exodus. One by one countries fell to the Nazis and before long unspeakable rumours began to circulate. Red Cross messages stopped and parents in occupied Europe vanished. In time, Anna would take in orphans who had given up all hope; the survivors of unimaginable horrors. Anna's school offered these scarred children the love and security they needed to rebuild their lives, showing them that, despite everything, there was still a world worth fighting for.Featuring moving first-hand testimony, and drawn from letters, diaries and present-day interviews, The School That Escaped the Nazis is a dramatic human tale that offers a unique child's-eye perspective on Nazi persecution and the Holocaust. It is also the story of one woman's refusal to allow her beliefs in a better, more equitable world to be overtaken by the evil that surrounded her.Trade Review**Praise for The School That Escaped the Nazis**A devastatingly affecting book. [Cadbury's] chapters alternate between the nightmarish experiences of Jewish children in the Third Reich, and a kind of earthly paradise. . . Bunce Court! I keep saying the name to myself because it encapsulates all that is gentle and comically charming about wartime England. * The Times *Emotionally compelling. . . Cadbury has constructed a lively and compelling narrative * Observer *A stirring account of a German schoolteacher's efforts to build an oasis for children fleeing the Nazi advance across Europe . . . Impressively researched and vividly told, this is a captivating portrait of courage and resilience in the face of unspeakable horror. * Publishers Weekly *Extraordinary . . . Cadbury researched her book meticulously and spoke to many people with first-hand knowledge of the school and the horrors of Nazism. A wealth of references will allow other researchers to explore the same sources and references. * Who Do You Think You Are Magazine *I just loved this book. It's full of hope in terrible times, a recognition of how children develop, and how they experience pain and anxiety, and it tells the story of a remarkable woman who made hope possible and nurtured every child in her school. It's a celebration of what the human spirit can achieve. * BARONESS JULIA NEUBERGER *Anna Essinger's wartime school for Jewish refugees reminds us of the lifelong impact which one person's compassion and imagination can make on others - even in the darkest of times. Cadbury's story packs a real emotional punch. * CAROLINE SHENTON, author of National Treasures *What gives this book its immediacy and freshness is the fact that Deborah Cadbury has spoken to so many of the witnesses to a phenomenal story. The woman who brought an entire school to Kent from Germany, and saved so many children from the Nazis, was a completely heroic figure. This story is an uplifting reminder of how courage, high virtue and intelligence can overcome even the most appalling odds. At many points, with tearful eyes, I cheered - it is a book which stirs up deep emotion, and high admiration, for the author as well as its subject. * A N WILSON *A moving and meticulously documented account of how one woman first rescued and then educated hundreds of Jewish children from the horrors of Nazi Europe. A powerful story of hope at a time of tragedy and one which even though set more than eighty years ago sadly has a resonance today. * ALEX GERLIS, author of Best of Our Spies and Agent in Berlin *An inspiring, well-researched life portrait of a spectacularly heroic teacher * Kirkus *By turns heartbreaking and inspiring, I could not stop reading Deborah Cadbury's remarkable book. -- Josh Ireland, author of CHURCHILL & SONAn astonishing book. It is a both a granular catalogue of unbelievable cruelty and at the same time a testament to the determination of hundreds of thousands of kind, compassionate people of every nationality who stood up to the evils of Nazism in defence of children. But the book is not just that. It describes a woman of great guile and incredible organizational talent who outwitted Eichmann, Himmler and that whole shower of bandits whose talents for murder knew no bounds. * SIR JOHN CARR ***PRAISE FOR DEBORAH CADBURY**A gripping story beautifully told * Jane Ridley on QUEEN VICTORIA'S MATCHMAKING *From the pen of a writer of skill and style, this surprising narrative leaves you wanting more -- Paula Byrne * The Times, on QUEEN VICTORIA'S MATCHMAKING *Irresistible. This is history brought bang up to date in the hands of a master storyteller * Juliet Nicolson on CHOCOLATE WARS *Engaging and scholarly, confident and compassionate -- Kate Colquhoun * Daily Telegraph on CHOCOLATE WARS *An affecting human story, fluent and highly readable * Hilary Mantel on THE LOST KING OF FRANCE *Absolutely stupendous... This is history as it should be. I can't praise it highly enough * Alison Weird on THE LOST KING OF FRANCE *

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Book SynopsisIn the summer of 1940, Britain stood alone. For three long months, brave young RAF pilots took off every day, ready to defend British skies against large-scale Luftwaffe raide. 'The Few' were young, but they were trained and they were determined. Eighty years on the last of the pilots to fly in the Battle of Britain are feted, and their part in World War II is widely remembered.This pocket manual covers the training that these young pilots would have had, and the air combat tactics they were taught to use against the German raiders. It also covers the role of the ground crews; control and command systems; anti-aircraft defences; and radar and raid detection.Trade ReviewA good and affordable one-stop shop for all sorts of useful info. * The Aviation Historian Magazine *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Pilot Training 2. Radar and Raid Detection 3. Command and Control 4. Anti-Aircraft Defence 5. Air Combat Tactics 6. Ground Crew Operations

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Book SynopsisThe new SAS epic from bestselling military historian Damien LewisWe share the triumphs and tragedies of a group of elite soldier trailblazers as they commit daring raids behind enemy lines in 1944, manage an against the odds escape to victory, and then seek post-war retribution for the terrible murder of their captured comrades.SAS BAND OF BROTHERS is replete with action, peppered with great characters, and features two of the most daring escapes of WWII. It ends with the hunted becoming the hunters - a group of men intent on seeking out the Nazis responsible for their brethren's deaths, on an ultra-deniable SAS mission to avenge a war crime.This is the new bestseller from Damien Lewis. It bears all his hallmarks - an epic, page-turning special forces narrative based on hitherto unavailable personal testimony and private family archives.

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Book SynopsisOriginally published in Germany in 1955, and in England and the United States in 1958, this classic memoir of WWII by a man who was an acknowledged military genius and probably Germany's top WWII general, is now made available again. Field Marshal Erich von Manstein described his book as a personal narrative of a soldier, discussing only those matters that had direct bearing on events in the military field. The essential thing, as he wrote, is to 'know how the main personalities thought and reacted to events.' This is what he tells us in this book. His account is detailed, yet dispassionate and objective. 'Nothing is certain in war, when all is said and done,' But in Manstein's record, at least, we can see clearly what forces were in action. In retrospect, perhaps his book takes on an even greater significance.Trade ReviewWall Street Journal, October 7, 2006"Generals don't make the best memoirists, mainly because they embellish while writing for posterity; the higher the rank, the worse the tome. The exception is the breathtaking autobiography of Field Marshal Erich von Manstein, the brilliant author of many Germany victories against the Soviets in World War II. Dismissive of oft-cited ‘turning points,’ such as the German defeat at Stalingrad, von Manstein contends that the war was never winnable for Germany because of the leader prosecuting it. As for Hitler's once much-vaunted kinship with regular soldiers, he says the Fuehrer had ‘as little in common with the thoughts and emotions of soldiers as had his party with the Prussian virtues which it was so fond of invoking.’ Coming from Hitler's greatest general, it's a most effective filleting.”WWII History, December 2005“Manstein’s Lost Victories is definitely one of the more interesting and informative German autobiographies to emerge from World War II. New publisher Zenith Press is to be commended for republishing it.”

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Book SynopsisOn the afternoon of 17 September 1944, Lieutenant Joseph Enthammer, a Wehrmacht artillery officer based in Arnhem, gazed up to the clear skies, hardly believing what he saw. White ''snowflakes'' appeared to hang in the air. ''That cannot be'' he thought. ''It never snows in September! They must be parachutists!''They were. He was witnessing the first wave of the British parachute assault on Arnhem. The war had reached the Reich. The blow moreover had come as a total surprise. The Allies had expected operation Market-Garden to bring the collapse of the Wehrmacht in the West and shorten World War II. But the Germans resolved to fight.This ground-breaking military study uniquely chronicles this period of the war through the eyes of the ordinary German soldier and analyses the reasons for the eventual outcome. A major work of military history, this new paperback edition is certain to stimulate renewed debate about one of the most controversial operations of World War II.

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Book Synopsis'Riveting. Extraordinary. A real-life thriller.' - Dan SnowIn SAS Great Escapes, bestselling author Damien Lewis tells the story of seven of the most dramatic and daring escapes executed during WWII by what is arguably the world's most famous military fighting force - the SAS.With each story comes a nail-biting, rollercoaster ride in classic Damien Lewis style - readers join individual escapees and experience events through their own words, taken from contemporaneous diaries, mission reports, debriefings and letters - recapturing the most terrifying and exhilarating moments of their lives.These tales of almost unbelievable derring-do reveal the most desperate of times, when men were cornered by the enemy and were forced to fight their way out of certain death or capture. Around every corner, upon every decision and every movement lurked the possibility of discovery.

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Book SynopsisThe perfect stocking filler for anyone who imagines themselves flying a spitfire . . . Drop your visiting cards, put aside your beer-lever, stop being a half-pint hero and discover the gloriously funny slang which was part of everyday life in two world wars. Passion-killers: Airwomen''s service knickers, whether twilights (the lighter, summer-weight variety) or black-outs (the navy-blue winter-weights). A wise directive has purposely made them as unromantic in colour and in design as a wise directive could imagine. Thanks to the work of Eric Partridge in 1945, the hilarious slang of the Royal Air Force during the first two World Wars has been preserved for generations to come. While some phrases like ''chocks away!'' have lasted to this day, others deserve to be rediscovered . . . Beer-lever: From pub-bars, meaning the ''Joystick'' of an aircraft. Canteen cowboy: A ladies'' Trade ReviewDrop your visiting cards, put aside your beer-lever, stop being a half-pint hero and discover the gloriously funny slang which was part of everyday life in the RAF during two world wars in this classic book. * from the publisher's description *

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Book SynopsisFrom the F-22 Raptor to nuclear submarines, Military Aircraft, Tanks & Warships Visual Encyclopedia is a fascinating guide to aircraft, tanks and ships from the beginning of the Cold War to the present day with each entry or variant illustrated with a full-colour artwork with an informative caption and technical specifications.

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Book SynopsisA compelling visual guide to the history of the military!Travel through time and explore 5000 years of weaponry in stunning detail with this riveting military book - from the spears and swords of ancient times to the guns and grenades of modern warfare.This beautifully illustrated definitive military guide charts the evolution of battlefield technology. Here''s what you''ll find inside:- It includes objects taken from collections that are not available to the public or have never been photographed before- Features comprehensive catalogues of the key weapons, armour, equipment, and military technologies of each period, along with full specification details and information about special features- Includes stunning close-up virtual tours on subjects as diverse as a Roman fort, a medieval castle, a WWI trench system, a WWII tank, and a modern aircraft carrier, to name a few- Narrative spreads and timelines provide historical context for

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Book SynopsisThe Germanic tribes occupied lands extending from the river Rhine east to the Vistula, and from the Danube north to Scandinavia. Their homelands formed the northern frontiers of the Roman Empire, but despite large-scale military and political efforts, the Romans never conquered or fully subjugated this territory. Raoul McLaughlin presents new translations of all the significant Roman sources relating to contact and conflict between Rome and the people of the land they called Germania. The first great interaction between Rome and the Germans occurred with the mass population movements of 120 BC. The Cimbri and Teutones inflicted severe defeats on the Roman Republic before surging south to invade Italy. Over the succeeding centuries, Germans beyond the Rhine threatened the empire with raids, invasions and further migrations. In response the Romans launched retaliatory campaigns, pre-emptive strikes and large-scale operations to seize and control Germanic territory. When these conquests failed, every subsequent Roman emperor was forced to commit a large proportion of their military and economic resources to defend the Empire from the perceived Germanic threat. This volume covers events up to AD 68, including Julius Caesar's campaigns across the Rhine, the Augustan conquest of Germania as far as the Elbe and the great German retaliation in the Teutoburg Forest. This unique resource is for anyone interested in the Germanic peoples of ancient Europe, or the military and economic development of the Roman frontiers.

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Book Synopsis THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ''The Accidental Soldier is brilliant. It''s hilarious. It''s laugh-out-loud funny. A confident 11/10.''-The Wavell Room podcast''An instant classic'' RICHARD CURTIS''A non-fiction Catch-22'' MATT HAIG Readers are LOVING The Accidental Soldier:''One of the funniest books you will ever read'' ?????''I absolutely loved it - it''s so very funny but also very poignant in parts. I can''t recommend it enough'' ?????''Very funny, thought-provoking and a fantastic read. I thoroughly enjoyed it'' ????? ''I''ve spent 15 years waiting for a book which entertainingly brings to life the humour, mundanity & absurdity of serving in Iraq . . . Thankfully this is that book and it is excellent'' ????? ''Absolutely brilliant from start to finish . . . Just when you feel the situation is about to drop off a cliff (again!), Mulligan turns it around with a jab of wit as amusing yet as honest as the chance of surviving in a Snatch Land Rover in Basra. Read it in three evenings'' ????? -------Owain Mulligan was never what you''d call a career soldier. Nor even a particularly good one. At weekends he trained with the Territorial Army and dreamt of swapping the mayhem of teaching in a tough school for the adventure of service in Iraq. At least they''d let him wear a helmet in Iraq.But when the job in headquarters he''s been expecting doesn''t materialise, he finds himself on the streets of Basra during one of the most violent periods of the conflict. Between homicidal militias, a chain of command who seem determined to get him killed, and equipment which might well do it for them, he and his men have their work cut out. It certainly puts double geography with 9E into perspective.The Accidental Soldier is a searingly honest and darkly funny account of what it was really like being in the British Army in Iraq (including all the bits they probably hoped you''d never find out). We share all the hardships, fears, and occasional lunacy of military life as Owain and his men try to navigate a war gone badly wrong. One thing''s for sure; you''ll never look at the phrase ''military precision'' in quite the same way again...------ ''This book is absolutely incredible. It made me laugh more than any book in so many years. I found the writing just so unbelievably brilliant and hilarious and affecting . . . I am crazy about it!'' - Marina Hyde''I loved it . . . relentlessly funny and really well written'' - John Oliver''Authentic and compulsive'' - Richard E. Grant''A fascinating insight into the often farcical chaos and catastrophe of war. Reads like a non-fiction Catch-22. Compelling, enlightening and bleakly funny. A jaw-dropping read.'' - Matt Haig''An instant classic - a deeply funny and mordant book about war.'' - Richard Curtis ------100% of the author''s royalty earnings (expected to be at least 20,000) from sales of the book in the UK & Commonwealth will be given to War Child (a registered charity, charity number 1071659) and its wholly owned subsidiary War Child Trading Limited (a registered company, company number 05100189).

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Book SynopsisThe incredible, heart-breaking and poignant diary of a woman searching for her niece and nephew in the aftermath of the Hiroshima bomb.

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Book SynopsisMany studies have covered aspects of military intelligence available to Britain and her allies during the Second World War. This distinguished book provides a succinct and authoritative survey of the vital role Ultra played in achieving final victory., When war began Britain was as ill-prepared in intelligence as armaments. Civilian scientists had discovered the principle of radar in the mid-1930s, but everything had to be learned from scratch in the heat of emergency. First signs of improvement came in mid-1941, when Ultra targeted naval vessels and bomber aircraft onto so many of Rommel's supply ships that the Africa Corps almost withered on the vine. From then on intelligence played an increasingly indispensable part in final victory. Ultra won the Battle of the Atlantic, driving U-boats back to coastal waters by June 1943. Ultra confirmed the whereabouts of the German tanks as Montgomery planned the breakthrough to Alamein. Only 'Bomber' Harris refused to give intelligence the credit it deserved; on the basis of new evidence this fascinating book strongly reinforces criticism this costly mistake.Table of ContentsList of Maps Preface to New Edition Acknowledgements Introduction 1. 1939: Thick Darkness Brooding 2. 1940-1941: First Rays of Light 3. 1941-1943: A Brighter Prospect in the Mediterranean 4. 1939-1945: Ten-Tenths Cloud Cover: Intelligence and Bomber Command 5. 1941-1945: Shadow and Sunlight Over the Atlantic 6. 1943-1945: Clear Skies in Italy, Storm Over the Balkans 7. 1944-1945: Set Fair in the West, then Autumn Showers Appendix I: Enigma and Ultra Appendix II: The Controversy Over Crete Appendix III: Harris and Intelligence Appendix IV: Signals to Command Abroad Appendix VI: How It Was Done Appendix VII: Illustrations of Ultra Reference Notes Select Bibliography Main Events 1939-1945 Abbreviations Index

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Book SynopsisA classic in the field (New York Times), this is a penetrating investigation into moral and ethical questions raised by war, drawing on examples from antiquity to the present.Just and Unjust Wars has forever changed how we think about the ethics of conflict. In this modern classic, political philosopher Michael Walzer examines the moral issues that arise before, during, and after the wars we fight. Reaching from the Athenian attack on Melos, to the Mai Lai massacre, to the war in Afghanistan and beyond, Walzer mines historical and contemporary accounts and the testimony of participants, decision makers, and victims to explain when war is justified and what ethical limitations apply to those who wage it.Table of ContentsPreface to the Fifth Edition Preface to the First Edition Part One: The Moral Reality of War 1. Against "Realism" The Realist Argument The Melian Dialogue Strategy and Morality Historical Relativism Three Accounts of Agincourt 2. The Crime of War The Logic of War The Argument of Karl von Clausewitz The Limit of Consent The Tyranny of War General Sherman and the Burning of Atlanta 3. The Rules of War The Moral Equality of Soldiers The Case of Hitler's Generals Two Sorts of Rules The War Convention The Example of Surrender Part Two: The Theory of Aggression 4. Law and Order in International Society Aggression The Rights of Political Communities The Case of Alsace-Lorraine The Legalist Paradigm Unavoidable Categories Karl Marx and the Franco-Prussian War The Argument for Appeasement Czechoslovakia and the Munich Principle Finland 5. Anticipations Preventive War and the Balance of Power The War of the Spanish Succession Pre-emptive Strikes The Six Day War 6. Interventions Self-Determination and Self-Help The Argument of John Stuart Mill Secession The Hungarian Revolution Civil War The American War in Vietnam Humanitarian Intervention Cuba, 1898, and Bangladesh, 1971 7. War's Ends, and the Importance of Winning Unconditional Surrender Allied Policy in World War II Justice in Settlements The Korean War Part Three: The War Convention 8. War's Means and the Importance of Fighting Well Utility and Proportionality The Argument of Henry Sidgwick Human Rights The Rape of the Italian Women 9. Noncombatant Immunity and Military Necessity The Status of Individuals Naked Soldiers The Nature of Necessity (1) Submarine Warfare: The Laconia Affair Double Effect Bombardment in Korea The Bombing of Occupied France and the Vemork Raid 10. War Against Civilians: Sieges and Blockades Coercion and Responsibility The Siege of Jerusalem, 72 A.D. The Right to Leave The Siege of Leningrad Taking Aim and the Doctrine of Double Effect The British Blockade of Germany 11. Guerrilla War Resistance to Military Occupation A Partisan Attack The Rights of Guerrilla Fighters The Rights of Civilian Supporters The American "Rules of Engagement" in Vietnam 12. Terrorism The Political Code The Russian Populists, the IRA, and the Stern Gang The Vietcong Assassination Campaign Violence and Liberation Jean-Paul Sartre and the Battle of Algiers 13. Reprisals Deterrence Without Retribution The FFI Prisoners at Annecy The Problem of Peacetime Reprisals The Attack on Khibye and the Beirut Raid Part Four: Dilemmas of War 14. Winning and Fighting Well "Asinine Ethics" Chairman Mao and the Battle of the River Hung The Sliding Scale and the Argument from Extremity 15. Aggression and Neutrality The Right to Be Neutral The Nature of Necessity (2) The Rape of Belgium The Sliding Scale Winston Churchill and Norwegian Neutrality 16. Supreme Emergency The Nature of Necessity (3) Overriding the Rules of War The Decision to Bomb German Cities The Limits of Calculation Hiroshima 17 Nuclear Deterrence The Problem of Immoral Threats Limited Nuclear War The Argument of Paul Ramsey Part Five: The Question of Responsibility 18. The Crime of Aggression: Political Leaders and Citizens The World of Officials Nuremberg: "The Ministries Case" Democratic Responsibilities The American People and the War in Vietnam 19. War Crimes: Soldiers and Their Officers In the Heat of Battle Two Accounts of Killing Prisoners Superior Orders The My Lai Massacre Command Responsibility General Bradley and the Bombing of St. Lo The Case of General Yamashita The Nature of Necessity (4) The Dishonoring of Arthur Harris Conclusion Afterword: Nonviolence and the Theory of War Postscript: A Defense of Just War Theory

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Book SynopsisWhether it is their innovative technical development or the Nazi propaganda harping them as revolutionary wonder weapons, readers interested in World War II find the research on 'German secret weapons' very interesting. The V1, a flying bomb we would now call a cruise missile, opened in June 1944 and soon dozens of them were hitting England day and night. Churchill was so worried that he issued a memorandum proposing to drop poison gas on German cities. To strengthen the faith of the German people in the final victory, despite an increasingly desperate military situation, Nazi propaganda gave the name to this new weapon, V1 for Vergeltungswaffe 1, weapon of revenge number 1. The first V2s, a large liquid-fuelled rocket, were fired against Paris and London on September 8. The V1s and V2s, but also jet engines, were produced by slave workers in the underground factory of Mittelwerk. Inmates from nearby Dora concentration camps provided the labour force, the usual gruesome methods w

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Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of Stalingrad, Berlin and D-Day comes the story of the German''s ill-fated final stand.''Rich in detail and drama. Enthralling'' Mail on Sunday ______________On 16 December, 1944, Hitler launched his ''last gamble'' in the snow-covered forests and gorges of the Ardennes. He believed he could split the Allies by driving all the way to Antwerp, then force the Canadians and the British out of the war. Although his generals were doubtful of success, younger officers and NCOs were desperate to believe that their homes and families could be saved from the vengeful Red Army approaching from the east. Many were exultant at the prospect of striking back. The Ardennes offensive, with more than a million men involved, became the greatest battle of the war in western Europe. American troops, taken by surprise, found themselves fighting two panzer armies. Belgian civilians fled, justifTrade ReviewThis is World War II as Tolstoy would have described it - the great and the small * Washington Post (on 'The Second World War') *Rightly deserves its place on the shelves of any serious historian of the Second World War. Powerful and authoritative . . . Beevor weaves a masterful narrative based on the viewpoints of a vast range of people. Marshalling a coherent narrative out of an unwieldy sequence of localised attacks, counterattacks, deceptions, and feints demands the attention of a master military historian. In Antony Beevor, the Ardennes offensive has found one * Military History Monthly (Book of the Month) *What leaves a lasting impression is the huge power the American army as a whole mustered to smash back the Germans. A superpower was being born * Bookseller, Interview with Antony Beevor *Unflinching. As Ardennes 1944 makes clear, Hitler misjudged the strength and resilience of the US army. It was his last gamble and it failed * Prospect *What stands out most . . . is the effects of violent warfare. By the end of the counteroffensive the snowfields were littered with frozen corpses and the wreckage of hundreds of tanks and armoured vehicles * Literary Review *A superb addition to the canon which has taken us from Stalingrad to Normandy in 1944 and the final gruesome battle for Berlin, not forgetting the masterly single-volume history of the entire war. It is written with all of Beevor's customary verve and elegance. His remarkable and trademark ability is to encompass the wide sweep of campaigns yet never forget the piquant details of what happened to the individual . . . He focuses brilliantly on the key moments that turned the battle * Evening Standard *As impeccably researched, insightfully observed and superbly written as its bestselling predecessors -- Charlotte Heathcote * Sunday Express *If there's one thing that sets Beevor apart from other historians - beyond his gifts as a storyteller - it's that he is not afraid to look at the most uncomfortable, even frightening subjects, but does so in a way that doesn't threaten the reader. It's like having Virgil there to lead you through the underworld: he doesn't leave you stranded amid the horror but leads you back again, a wiser person for having undergone the journey -- Keith Lowe * Daily Telegraph *An indispensable book. It is a great strength of Beevor's writing that he takes time to explain how small pieces of knowledge - the kind of thing passed on by battle-hardened soldiers themselves - could make the difference between survival and a futile death -- David Aaronovitch * The Times *A portrait of war . . . startling in its detail. Beevor has the art of preserving the individual perspective on the battlefield while placing it among the perspectives of platoon, regiment, division, commanders, politicians and civilians. This book clarifies, without simplifying, the human experiences and political stakes of the battle for the Ardennes Forest, bringing realism to the battlefield and coherence to the larger history of the war -- Timothy Snyder * Guardian *Formidable . . . Beevor is a field marshal of facts. Under his brisk control the story of Hitler's final gamble is another example of the kind of action-packed, densely informed narrative that has proved such a formidable model -- Nicholas Shakespeare * Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisJohn Man is a historian and travel writer with a special interest in Mongolia. After reading German and French at Oxford he did two postgraduate courses, one in the history of science at Oxford, the other in Mongolian at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.John has written acclaimed and highly successful biographies of Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun and Kublai Khan as well as Alpha Beta, on the history of the alphabet, and The Gutenberg Revolution, on the invention of printing.Trade ReviewFast-paced ... thrilling. -- Ben Wilson * The Times *One could not wish for a better storyteller or analyst than John Man. * Simon Sebag Montefiore *His ability to put us in the picture, to feel, smell and almost touch the surroundings he describes, is matched by his ability to tell a good story. * Michael Palin *

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Book SynopsisOnce upon a time, it was necessary to have a weapon that could unleash hell. Britain hand-picked its healthiest and cleverest men to undertake a truly terrifying mission: to create and detonate an atomic bomb. Somehow, a country beset by post-war rationing and isolated from her allies created the most devastating weapons known to man, on the cheap and at the hurry-up. But it came at a horrifying price for them - and their families. The race to build a nuclear bomb sucked thousands into its vortex, who are still dealing with the effects of radiation today: veterans, widows, children, scientists and indigenous people, all subjected to fear, radiation, and experimentation. A black cloud still hangs over those who survive, and their descendants who fear the consequences of every fresh pregnancy. Exposedtells the complete story of the Cold War arms race, from inception to fallout, and for the first time reveals the blood-stained truth at the heart of the British state's longest criminal cov

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON MEDAL FOR MILITARY HISTORY 2021, THE BRITISH ARMY BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021, AS A FINALIST FOR THE 2020 ARMY HISTORICAL FOUNDATION DISTINGUISHED WRITING AWARDS. FIRST RUNNER UP IN THE TEMPLER MEDAL BOOK PRIZE 2021. ''With a soldier's eye for telling operational details, Ben Barry offers an authoritative, compelling and inevitably bleak account of the American and British campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.'' Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King's College LondonNewly revised and updated with in-depth analysis of the current situation in Afghanistan after American withdrawal, Blood, Metal and Dust is an authoritative account of how the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were played out, explaining their underlying politics and telling the story of what happened on the ground.From the high-ranking officer who wrote the still-classified British military Trade ReviewAt one level Blood, Metal and Dust is a clear, dispassionate and succinct military history of the post-9/11 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But it is much more important than that. As the US and UK turn their backs too quickly on both wars, they are in danger of disregarding the lessons and so failing to profit from their experiences. This book puts that right. Ben Barry is forthright in his criticisms and depressingly correct in his conclusions. Blood, Metal and Dust is essential reading. * Sir Hew Strachan FBA FRSE, Professor of International Relations at the University of St Andrews and former Chichele Professor of the History of War at All Souls College, Oxford. *With a soldier’s eye for telling operational details, Ben Barry offers an authoritative, compelling and inevitably bleak account of the American and British campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. * Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King’s College London *Blood, Metal and Dust is a seminal work that exploits newly available archival material to produce a riveting account of the allies’ wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Armed with a keen scholarly eye and long military experience, Ben Barry dissects key decision points and pitched battles ranging from Tora Bora, Operation Medusa and Wanat in Afghanistan to the US Marines’ Anbar campaign, Operation Viking Hammer in Kurdistan, and the Sadr City battle of 2008. His unsparing judgments should inform future war planning, making this book required reading for the policymaker and the practitioner alike. * Linda Robinson, Senior International/Defense Researcher, RAND Corporation and author of 'Tell Me How This Ends' *The telling of this particular audit of war is accomplished with precision and with dispassionate honesty. This book is required reading. -- Mark Barnes * War History Online *This is without doubt the best military history of the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan I have read to date. * Wavell Room *Blood, Metal and Dust is an essential, landmark work. -- Mungo Melvin * The RUSI Journal *Blood, Metal and Dust is the essential account of the 21st-century wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. -- Martin Purbrick * Asian Affairs *This is a must-read. * This England *Lucid, wide-ranging and thorough, for students of the West’s recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan it will remain an indispensable resource for years to come. * International Journal of Military History and Historiography *Blood, Metal and Dust makes an excellent contribution to the understanding on the War on Terror. * Air and Space Power Review *Table of ContentsList of Maps List of Illustrations Preface to First Edition Preface to Second Edition Acknowledgements 1 Before the Fall: The military experience of the US and its allies before 9/11 2 Strategic Shock and Response: Afghanistan from 9/11 to Operation Anaconda 3 Economy of Force: Stabilizing Afghanistan 2002–05 4 Operation Cobra II: The invasion of Iraq 5 Descent into Chaos: Iraq 2003–04 6 ‘As the Iraqis stand up we will stand down’: The Transition Strategy 2004–06 7 The Iraq Surge: Regaining the initiative 8 Learning under Fire: The struggle to adapt to the unexpected character of the conflicts 9 The Battles for Basra: Britain’ s near-defeat in southern Iraq 10 Endgame in Iraq: Success turns to failure 11 The Enemy Gets a Vote: Afghanistan 2006–09 12 The Afghan Surge: 2009–12 13 The Failure of the Transition to Afghan Security Leadership 14 Bloody Lessons Glossary Recommended Reading Endnotes Index

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Book SynopsisA powerful new history detailing the most significant military clashes between Islam and Christendom over the 1,300 years of the Muslim caliphate.From the taking of the holy city of Jerusalem in the 7th century AD by Caliph Umar, to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire following the end of World War I, Christian popes, emperors and kings, and Muslim caliphs and sultans were locked in a 1300-year battle for political, military, ideological, economic and religious supremacy.In this powerful new history of the era, acknowledged expert on the history of the Middle East and the Crusades Simon Mayall focuses on some of the most significant clashes of arms in human history: the taking and retaking of Jerusalem and the collapse of the Crusader states; the fall of Constantinople; the sieges of Rhodes and Malta; the assault on Vienna and the high-water mark' of Ottoman advance into Europe; culminating in the Allied capture of Jerusalem in World War I, the final collapse

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Book SynopsisIn the last years of the Second World War the Sturmgesch tz III (StuG III) and Sturmgesch tz IV (StuG IV) played a vital role as assault guns during the German army's struggle to block the Allied advance on the Western Front. As the Wehrmacht's tank forces declined, these armoured vehicles were thrown into every defensive operation. They are not as well known as the Tigers and Panthers, but German resistance would have been much weaker without them. They were also among the most frequently encountered German armoured vehicles on the battlefields, which is why they are such a fascinating subject for Dennis Oliver in this volume in the TankCraft series He uses archive photos and extensively researched colour illustrations to examine the StuG III and StuG IV deployed by the German army and the Waffen-SS during these doomed campaigns. 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 armoured vehicles.

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Book SynopsisMilitary commanders matter. They win or lose battles, determine the outcomes of wars and often shape the history of nations. But they are also human individuals. This study of thirty-four British commanders, from Boudica to Bomber Harris, reflects on their personal stories, as individuals and warriors; as husbands and wives, libertines and lovers, strategists and shapers of British history over almost two thousand years. Short biographical essays, by military analyst Michael Clarke, cover a sweep of British history from the epic story of Queen Boudica in Roman Britain, to the generals, admirals and air marshals of the First and Second World Wars. Their styles of leadership, their strategies or in some cases lack of them are examined as they throw themselves on fortune. And the Gods of War decide whom will be lucky, and whom not. Some commanders described here were obvious shapers of British history, like King Alfred, William the Conqueror, Henry V, Cromwell, Marlborough, Wellington or Montgomery. Some were unlucky and seemed beset by failure, like Walter Raleigh, Sir John Moore or General John Gort. Others are less well-known as significant commanders; like Lady Aethelflaid of Mercia, the Empress Matilda, the greatest knight', Sir William Marshal, or Cuthbert Collingwood who served with Nelson at Trafalgar. All have fascinating stories. Their experiences are compared in two final chapters that draw from unique interviews with a number of living British commanders who reflect on the eternal verities' of command but also the new conditions of twenty-first century warfare.

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Book SynopsisWinner of the 2017 Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize for nature writingThe natural history of the Western Front during the First World War'If it weren't for the birds, what a hell it would be.'During the Great War, soldiers lived inside the ground, closer to nature than many humans had lived for centuries. Animals provided comfort and interest to fill the blank hours in the trenches - bird-watching, for instance, was probably the single most popular hobby among officers. Soldiers went fishing in flooded shell holes, shot hares in no-man's land for the pot, and planted gardens in their trenches and billets. Nature was also sometimes a curse - rats, spiders and lice abounded, and disease could be biblical.But above all, nature healed, and, despite the bullets and blood, it inspired men to endure. Where Poppies Blow is the unique story of how nature gave the British soldiers of the Great War a reason to fight, and the will to go on.Trade Review'What makes Where Poppies Blow so freshly moving is the picture it paints of the reverence, love and kindness the natural world can engender, even in the most hellish conditions; as Philip Gosse of the Royal Army Medical Corps called it, "medicine for the mind and solace for the soul"' -- Melissa Harrison * Financial Times *'In Where Poppies Blow, the nature writer, historian and farmer presents us with a beautiful and meticulous account of soldiers' relationship with nature . . . This book, which recounts the lives of our frontline soldiers from the ground up, is a truly wondrous and original work with an appeal far beyond military history' -- Charlotte Heathcote * Daily Express Christmas Books *'Wonderful, beautifully written and often deeply moving' -- Lawrence James * The Times *'Makes an important contribution to the literature by studying the British soldiers' relationship with Nature . . . Moving, strangely life-affirming' -- Clive Aslet * Country Life *'Manages what might have seemed impossible: to find a new perspective on the Great War' -- Mark Smith * Glasgow Herald *'From traumatized, trench-bound British soldiers caught up in the carnage of the First World War, birdwatching and botany offered solace. So reveals John Lewis-Stempel in this riveting study drawing on verse, letters and field notes by men who served, from zoologist Dene Fry to poet Edward Thomas . . . A remarkable picture of a human bloodbath that took place amid phenomenally rich biodiversity' * Nature *'Deeply moving . . . I finished this book marvelling at nature's healing power' -- Jonathan Tulloch * The Tablet *'But natural history did not go into suspense while war was waged. Where Poppies Blow notes that many of the Edwardian boys who ended up on the Western Front still collected birds' eggs and butterflies' -- Simon Heffer * Daily Telegraph *'Memorable' * Spectator *'One of the best nature writers to have come along in many years, John Lewis-Stempel turns his attention here to the relationship between soldiers and nature on the Western Front during the First World War' -- John Preston * Daily Mail Christmas Books *'Nature writer and military historian John Lewis-Stempel has created a eulogy to the flora and fauna that helped men soldier on during the First World War . . . Where Poppies Blow is full of fascinating (sometimes heart-wrenching) information about the role of nature and animals in this brutal war' -- Rachel Stiles * BBC Countryfile *'This charming book reminds us that flora and fauna weren't suspended by the First World War' - 5 stars * The Daily Telegraph *Unmissable...John Lewis Stempel is both a working farmer and a prizewinnig author. In early July, i heard him speak on first world war soldiers and their love of flowers and animals. I went straight off and read his excellent book, Where Poppies Blow, and I defy you not to be moved by its chapters on flowers and dogs. -- Robin Lane Fox * FINANCIAL TIMES *Shows how important birdwatching was to officers in particular, and how this in turn fed back into post-war ornithology. It's an enthralling, and often moving, read, that sets the study and enjoyment of wildlife in a much wider context. * BIRD WATCHING *Ultimately, the depth and power of Where Poppies Blow is impossible to convey. It eludes review, but it begs to be read. -- John Andrews * CAUGHT BY THE RIVER *

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Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE 2015 SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE We have come to see the Holocaust as a factory of death, organised by bureaucrats. Yet by the time the gas chambers became operation more than a million European Jews were already dead: shot at close range over pits and ravines. They had been murdered in the lawless killing zones created by the German colonial war in the East, many on the fertile black earth that the Nazis believed would feed the German people.It comforts us to believe that the Holocaust was a unique event. But as Timothy Snyder shows, we have missed basic lessons of the history of the Holocaust, and some of our beliefs are frighteningly close to the ecological panic that Hitler expressed in the 1920s. As ideological and environmental challenges to the world order mount, our societies might be more vulnerable than we would like to think.Timothy Snyder’s Bloodlands was an acclaimed exploration of what happened in eastern Europe between 1933 and 1945, when Nazi and Soviet policy brought death to some 14 million people. Black Earth is a deep exploration of the ideas and politics that enabled the worst of these policies, the Nazi extermination of the Jews. Its pioneering treatment of this unprecedented crime makes the Holocaust intelligible, and thus all the more terrifying.Trade ReviewTimothy Snyder's bold new approach to the Holocaust links Hitler's racial worldview to the destruction of states and the quest for land and food. This insight leads to thought-provoking and disturbing conclusions for today's world. Black Earth uses the recent past's terrible inhumanity to underline an urgent need to rethink our own future -- Ian KershawA wholly readable and utterly persuasive attempt to get us to look at the Holocaust in a different light. I read it twice, aghast but gripped by the moral abyss into which I was plunged on each page * Observer *Black Earth is provocative, challenging, and an important addition to our understanding of the Holocaust. As he did in Bloodlands, Timothy Snyder makes us rethink those things we were sure we already knew -- Deborah LipstadtPart history, part political theory, Black Earth is a learned and challenging reinterpretation -- Henry A. KissingerIn this unusual and innovative book, Timothy Snyder takes a fresh look at the intellectual origins of the Holocaust, placing Hitler's genocide firmly in the politics and diplomacy of 1930s Europe. Black Earth is required reading for anyone who cares about this difficult period of history -- Anne Applebaum

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Book Synopsis'Uplifting and utterly defiant' Matt Nixson, Daily Express 'Immediate and important ... This is an insider's account of how an ordinary life became extraordinary' Helen Davies, The Times'At first we did not understand what war was. You can't understand it until you see it and hear it.'As Russian forces build up beyond the Ukrainian borders and the prospect of war becomes a devastating reality, Andrey Kurkov chronicles the shocking impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Part political and historical commentary, part personal journal, Kurkov explores the fraught interrelation of Russian and Ukrainian history, the complicated coexistence of their languages, and in describing how a peaceful society defies occupation, the author builds an image of a culture which, contrary to Putin's claims, is unique and democratic, liberal and diverse, one that will 'resist to the end'.Redirecting his satirical flair to paint a defiant portrait of his compatriots, Kurkov tells of a people united against erasure. Bread is baked and shared in the ruins. An amputee is carried aboard an evacuating train, grandmothers escape occupied towns with their noisome roosters. And despite the networks of toloka, of community work for common good, being stretched to breaking point, and the embittering reticence of some European nations to make good their promises of aid and armaments, hope channels its perennial resistance: children are born deep within besieged cities and farmers go on working the fields made lethal by unexploded shells. Kurkov braids his personal story with those of other displaced Ukrainians and the communities that have gone to extraordinary lengths to care for them. Showing an irrepressible spirit, they 'wait for the moment when it will be safe to return,' he writes, 'just as I am waiting.'Trade ReviewA vivid, moving and sometimes funny account of the reality of life during Russia's invasion -- Marc Bennetts * The Times *No-one with the slightest interest in this war, or the nation on which it is being waged, should fail to read Andrey Kurkov -- Dominic Lawson * Daily Mail *Andrey Kurkov [is] one of the most articulate ambassadors to the West for the situation in his homeland -- Sam Leith * Spectator *Immediate and important. . . From the grim incredulity at Russians massing on the border to the displacement of millions of people, this is an insider's account of how an ordinary life became extraordinary. It is also about survival, hope and humanity -- Helen Davies * The Times *The author's on-the-ground account is packed with surprising details about the human effects of the Russian assault. . . His voice is genial but also impassioned, never more so than when deploring Putin's efforts to erase Ukrainian culture and history. Ukraine, he says, 'will either be free, independent and European, or it will not exist at all'. That's why the war has to be fought, with no concession of territory. And he remains quietly hopeful that it will be won -- Blake Morrison * Guardian *Probably the first important literary work to emerge from a conflict that appears likely to alter the course of world history, Diary of an Invasion is a thoughtful and humane memoir by one of Ukraine's most prominent living authors -- Simon Caterson * Sydney Morning Herald *Kurkov's diaries. . . make the early days of the war vivid for the reader. He writes stirringly of the notes people begin leaving in their cars offering lifts to the border; of his sudden longing for the comforting sweetness of honey; of the cigarettes required to bribe Russian soldiers at checkpoints in the east. Here are the kind of stories you don't see on the television news -- Rachel Cooke * Observer *Uplifting and utterly defiant -- Matt Nixson * Daily Express *It is little wonder. . . Kurkov, known for his keen eye for the absurdities of life, would pack his diary of the war withfascinating and eccentric details. . . yet what makes Kurkov's diary memorable is its departures into the more quotidian gossip-filled trips to the sauna, Ukraine's morale-boosting victory in the Eurovision Song Contest, ruminations on the status of Ukrainian literature amid paper shortages, and ploys to protect animals in the country's shuttered zoos -- Megan Gibson * New Statesman *Kurkov, an internationally-lauded novelist, is strongest when he writes on cultural matters. And this, he demonstrates convincingly, is a cultural war -- Ed O’Loughlin * Irish Times *With the sort of eye-witness detail missing from even the most rigorous newspaper account, this book makes for essential reading -- Claire Allfree * Metro *

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Book SynopsisA young teenager enlisted into the Polish Army in 1938. Deported to the Soviet Union and imprisoned in a Siberian prison camp, this audacious soldier became reunited with his compatriots in Scotland where he trained as a paratrooper and took part in the fated WW2 Operation Market Garden, Arnhem in 1944. Fifty years later, then a patient in hospital, the soldier recounted his life’s experience to my father in the next bed, who had the forethought to record their conversation onto a Dictaphone machine. My father’s empathetic nature and harrowing childhood experiences of seeing HMS Foylebank destroyed by German bomber planes on his way to school in 1940 led to a unique and unlikely friendship. The discovery of these recordings in 2020 inspired The Polish Voice, a fully researched historical record of both men’s lives, a tribute to them, reminding us of the importance to listen to one another and the legacy of a recorded voice.

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Book SynopsisA powerful and intensely moving memoir by an NHS surgeon who volunteered in war zones, operating under the most extreme circumstances.‘Brave, compassionate and inspiring – it left me in floods of tears’ – Adam Kay, author of This Is Going to HurtFor more than twenty-five years, David Nott has taken unpaid leave from his job as a general and vascular surgeon with the NHS to volunteer in some of the world’s most dangerous war zones. From Sarajevo under siege in 1993, to clandestine hospitals in rebel-held eastern Aleppo, he has carried out life-saving operations and field surgery in the most challenging conditions, and with none of the resources of a major London teaching hospital. The conflicts he has worked in form a chronology of twenty-first-century combat: Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Darfur, Congo, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Gaza and Syria. But he has also volunteered in areas blighted by natural disasters, such as the earthquakes in Haiti and Nepal. Driven both by compassion and passion, the desire to help others and the thrill of extreme personal danger, he is now widely acknowledged to be the most experienced trauma surgeon in the world. But as time went on, David Nott began to realize that flying into a catastrophe – whether war or natural disaster – was not enough. Doctors on the ground needed to learn how to treat the appalling injuries that war inflicts upon its victims. Since 2015, the foundation he set up with his wife, Elly, has disseminated the knowledge he has gained, training other doctors in the art of saving lives threatened by bombs and bullets.War Doctor is his extraordinary story.'One of the most brutally vivid evocations of modern warfare that you will read . . . superb, unforgettable, simply written and painfully clear' – Sunday TimesTrade ReviewDavid Nott is brave, compassionate and inspiring - War Doctor is all of those things and more: a wonderful book that has left me in floods of tears. He needs a knighthood and his book needs to be in every house. -- Adam Kay, author of This Is Going to HurtIncredible non-fiction filled with so much humanity. You will never forget these stories. -- Joanna Cannon, bestselling author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep and Three Things About ElsieSo powerful and honest. Extraordinary. -- Elizabeth Buchan, author of The New Mrs Clifton and I Can't Begin to Tell YouOne of the most brutally vivid evocations of modern warfare that you will read . . . superb, unforgettable, simply written and painfully clear . . . You are constantly amazed that men such as Nott can witness the extraordinary cruelties of the human race, so many and so foul, yet keep going. Be warned: this is a powerful but often traumatic read. * Sunday Times *A triumph: a love letter to surgery, and to helping others in extremis. Reading it is much like being taken apart and put together again in a fascinating way. It reveals a fascinating man whose life is a lesson in what good you can do with privilege . . . I spent the entire time wishing that David Nott would become our prime minister . . . This book is neither tidy, nor easy, yet it is so important. War Doctor is a reminder that we are all in this together, and that ordinary people can do extraordinary things -- Christie Watson * Daily Telegraph *Riveting . . . Nott is no ordinary doctor, as this dramatic telling of his extraordinary life makes clear -- Ian Birrell * The Times *As a surgeon myself, I can only look on what he has achieved with complete awe, overwhelmed by his heroism and compassion as much as by the world’s cruelty -- Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm * New Statesman *His stories of courage and compassion in the face of seemingly certain death are breathtaking . . . If a film about his life isn't already in development, someone's missing a trick -- Fiona Sturges * The Guardian *A devastating account of two decades volunteering his services to some of the world's most dangerous places -- Helen Brown * Daily Mail *A stand out memoir by a vascular surgeon in the NHS who volunteered for more than twenty years in war zones. * Daily Record *Extraordinary * Independent *Not only a vivid, stirring and shocking account of the two months each year that the London-based consultant NHS surgeon has spent saving lives in warzones and disasters . . . It's also a love story. It's the tale of a man driven to seek out extreme situations and trying to repair the horrible damage that men inflict on other men, women and children. -- Nick Curtis * Radio Times *An unflinching, powerful and deeply compassionate story about pockets of humanity found in the midst of terrible atrocities. -- Hannah Beckerman * Sunday Express *This is a book of extraordinary honesty . . . enlightening, sobering, compelling. It is a marvellous read, and education in itself -- Pat Ashworth * Church Times *Nott remains an important witness to the haunting human price of that modern triad: geopolitical instability, poor governance and ever more powerful weaponry * Nature *An unflinching, unrelenting memoir . . . [David] has saved thousands of people across the world, but he is not one to make a big deal of it. There was no ego to find with a man who has been dubbed in the press as “surgery’s Indiana Jones”. -- Chris Pyke * South Wales Evening Post *Table of ContentsSection - i: Preface Chapter - 1: The Bomb Factory Chapter - 2: Two Epiphanies Chapter - 3: Welcome to Sarajevo Chapter - 4: Damage Control Chapter - 5: Under African Skies Chapter - 6: Flying In Chapter - 7: Trauma School Chapter - 8: Return to Syria Chapter - 9: Sniper City Chapter - 10: Lifeline Chapter - 11: The Razor's Edge Chapter - 12: Physician, Heal Thyself Chapter - 13: Escape from Aleppo Section - ii: Afterword by Eleanor Nott Acknowledgements - iii: Acknowledgements

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Book SynopsisThis instant Sunday Times bestseller tells the story of two fighter pilots whose remarkable encounter during the Second World War became the stuff of legend.Five days before Christmas 1943, a badly damaged American bomber struggled to fly over wartime Germany. At its controls was a twenty-one-year-old pilot. Half his crew lay wounded or dead. Suddenly a German Messerschmitt fighter pulled up on the bomber's tail - the German pilot was an ace, a man able to destroy the American bomber with the squeeze of a trigger. This is the true story of the two pilots whose lives collided in the skies that day - the American - 2nd Lieutenant Charlie Brown and the German - 2nd Lieutenant Franz Stigler.A Higher Call follows both Charlie and Franz's harrowing missions and gives a dramatic account of the moment when they would stare across the frozen skies at one another. What happened between them, the American 8th Air Force would later classify as 'top secret'. It was an act that Franz could never mention or else face a firing squad. It was the encounter that would haunt both Charlie and Franz for forty years until, as old men, they would seek out one another and reunite.Trade ReviewWell worth reading... A Higher Call pounds along with the all-action rhythm its genre seems to demand, but still manages to rescue the idea of German chivalry from cliché... A Higher Call is deeply felt by its author and deeply affecting to read. Apparently humans react more sentimentally to films and books consumed on aeroplanes than on the ground. I read this at 30,000ft... but I suspect it would have ambushed my emotions anywhere. -- Giles Whittle * The Times *A truly awe inspiring story of wartime chivalry -- Tony Rennell * Daily Mail *A riveting story of humanity and mercy set against the ghastly backdrop of war * Publishers Weekly *A remarkable story... Brown and Stigler, former enemies who became friends, died within months of each other in 2008. Their story is worth retelling and celebrating. * USA Today *

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Book Synopsis

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