Modern warfare Books

Book SynopsisThe question is as searing as it is fundamental to the continuing debate over Japanese culpability in World War II and the period leading up to it: How could Japanese soldiers have committed such acts of violence against Allied prisoners of war and Chinese civilians? During the First World War, the Japanese fought on the side of the Allies and treated German POWs with respect and civility. In the years that followed, under Emperor Hirohito, conformity was the norm and the Japanese psyche became one of selfless devotion to country and emperor soon Japanese soldiers were to engage in mass murder, rape, and even cannibalization of their enemies. Horror in the East examines how this drastic change came about. On the basis of never-before-published interviews with both the victimizers and the victimized, and drawing on never-before-revealed or long-ignored archival records, Rees discloses the full horror of the war in the Pacific, probing the supposed Japanese belief in their own racial sup

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Book SynopsisSea Wolves is the story of the crews who bravely manned British submarines in the Second World War. This small band of highly trained and highly skilled individuals fought in the front line for six long years, undertaking some of the most dangerous missions of the war. Britain''s Sea Wolves operated close to shore in mined waters, attacking warships and heavily guarded convoys. But in the course of these vital operations, the submariners suffered devastating casualties.This is the vivid, thrilling story of the survivors and their promising young comrades who fought with such courage, in the face of the sickening terror of depth-charge attacks and the cold fear of having to escape from a sunken submarine filled with the bodies of close friends.

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Book SynopsisA renowned historian and Resistance fighter—later executed by the Nazis—gives his firsthand perspective on why France fell in 1940.Trade Review"Much has been, and will be, written in explanation of the defeat of France in 1940, but it seems unlikely that the truth of the matter will ever be more accurately and more vividly presented than in this statement of evidence." -- P. J. Philip - New York Times Book Review"The most wisdom-packed commentary on the problem set [before] all intelligent and patriotic Frenchmen by the events of 1940." -- D. W. Brogan - Spectator

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Book Synopsis____________________As vivid and compelling as the best adventure thriller, and a fitting tribute to a small band of men who became heroes' ANDY MCNAB Gripping, revealing and extraordinarily well-researched, this is a riveting new account of a little known but crucial war' SIR RANULPH FIENNES____________________Dawn. 19 July 1972. A force of nearly three hundred heavily armed, well-trained guerrillas launches a surprise attack on the small fishing village of Mirbat. All that stands in their way is a troop of just nine SAS, aided only by an elite band of fighter pilots overhead.Two years earlier a Communist rebellion had threatened the Arabian Peninsula, in the strategically critical Sultanate of Oman. Following a covert intelligence mission, 22 SAS deployed their largest ever assault force against the rebels.But this was to be a bitter and hard-fought campaign culminating the BattlTrade ReviewCatapulting us from the cockpits of heavily armed, low-level attack jets to the beating heart of elite Special Forces soldiers under siege, Storm Front tells this epic story as only the author of Vulcan 607 can. It's as vivid and compelling as the best adventure thriller, and a fitting tribute to a small band of men who became heroes -- Andy McNabGripping, revealing and extraordinarily well-researched, Storm Front is a riveting new account of a little known, but crucial war. Combining page-turning military action in the air and on the ground with a clear-sighted understanding of the big picture it brings to life the campaign in Oman more vividly than any other book I've read -- Sir Ranulph FiennesThe best account I've ever read of this legendary battle. Takes you right to the heart of the action -- Sgt Dan Mills, author of "Sniper One"This is a rare insight into the battle that defined the modern SAS. Storm Front is the best book you will read this year -- Tim CollinsI loved Storm Front. A period of history - and more particularly a single shining moment - that has been obscured by myth and legend. Here is the truth of it all at last in all its spine-tingling, spine-straightening glory -- Neil Oliver

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Book SynopsisPacific Profiles Volume 10 covers the P-47D Thunderbolt which flew combat missions in the New Guinea theatre until mid-1945, serving with a total of eleven Fifth Air Force USAAF combat squadrons, Fifth Fighter Command and the Combat Replacement Training Center.Trade ReviewThe research behind these profiles is a long-time hobby for the author and I think this is another good reference in this Pacific Profiles book series. * Military Model Scene *Table of ContentsContents About the Author Introduction Glossary and Abbreviations Chapter 1 – Markings and Technical Notes Chapter 2 – 9th Fighter Squadron “Flying Knights” Chapter 3 – 36th Fighter Squadron “Flying Fiends” Chapter 4 – 39th Fighter Squadron Chapter 5 – 40th Fighter Squadron “‘Fightin’ Red Devils” Chapter 6 – 41st Fighter Squadron “Flying Buzzsaws” Chapter 7 – 69th Fighter Squadron “The Fightin’ 69th” Chapter 8 – 310th Fighter Squadron Chapter 9 – 311th Fighter Squadron Chapter 10 – 340th Fighter Squadron “The Minute Men” Chapter 11 – 341st Fighter Squadron “The Black Jacks” Chapter 12 – 342nd Fighter Squadron “The Scourgers” Chapter 13 – Fifth Fighter Command Headquarters Chapter 14 – Combat Replacement Training Center Sources & Acknowledgments Index of Names

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Book SynopsisThe Second World War was, for Britain, a ''total war''; no section of society remained untouched by military conscription, air raids, the shipping crisis and the war economy. In this comprehensive and engrossing narrative Angus Calder presents not only the great events and leading figures but also the oddities and banalities of daily life on the Home Front, and in particular the parts played by ordinary people: air raid wardens and Home Guards, factory workers and farmers, housewives and pacifists. Above all this revisionist and important work reveals how, in those six years, the British people came closer to discarding their social conventions than at any time since Cromwell''s republic.Winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys prize in 1970, The People's War draws on oral testimony and a mass of neglected social documentation to question the popularised image of national unity in the fight for victory.Trade ReviewFull of vivid anecdote … and of epigrammatic flair … it is a dense, detailed, moving chronicle. -- Richard Eyre * Independent on Sunday *A tour de force of historical reconstruction * Sunday Times *The People's War is more than a salutary iconoclastic analysis of its period and more than an immensely fastidious social history. It is full of vivid anecdote...and of epigrammatic flair... I've read Angus Calder's book several times and passed it on to friends. I've commissioned and directed several plays and films which have been inspired by it. It is a dense, detailed, moving chronicle that I am still unable to read without feeling both nostalgia and pain for the unfulfilled promise of the world I was born into -- Richard Eyre * Independent on Sunday *No verdict can I pronounce on The People's War other than, read it -- Elizabeth Bowen * Spectator *He has provided an engrossing, beautifully organized book that could provide a valuable education for the post-war generation and a salutary re-education for his elders -- Phillip French * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisThe Myth of the Blitz was nurtured at every level of society. It rested upon the assumed invincibility of an island race distinguished by good humour, understatement and the ability to pluck victory from the jaws of defeat by team work, improvisation and muddling through.In fact, in many ways, the Blitz was not like that. Sixty-thousand people were conscientious objectors; a quarter of London''s population fled to the country; Churchill and the royal family were booed while touring the aftermath of air-raids; Britain was not bombed into classless democracy.Angus Calder provides a compelling examination of the events of 1940 and 1941 - when Britain ''stood alone'' against the Luftwaffe - and of the Myth which sustained her ''finest hour''.Trade ReviewThis is a book written with style, scholarship and compassion, which can only enhance and deepen our understanding of a still critical episode in modern British history -- Ian S. Wood * Scotsman *Disturbing as it may be to those who were there, Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain and the Blitz have to be understood on one level as media events, and this Angus Calder does supremely well -- John Vincent * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisPart of the ALL-NEW LADYBIRD EXPERT SERIES.____________Why was North Africa such a key component in Britain''s success over Mussolini and his Italian Army?How did they blunt Italy''s actions?What challenges did they face?And what new technologies were brought to bear?When fascist dictator Mussolini declared war against Britain he was taking a huge risk . . . Italy lacked natural resources, and Britain and France''s wealth.He hoped to create a new Roman Empire across the Mediterranean and into Africa. And with Hitler and the Nazi''s by his side he had a great chance of doing so - but what was it that stopped him?Discover the answers and more inside James Holland''s The Desert War, the thrilling and accessible account that explains what happened, who the key figures were and the tactics, triumphs and failures on both sides . . .Trade ReviewPraise for WW2 Ladybird Experts Series * - *Shines a light on some of the darkest and most dramatic moments of the six-year conflict. * Daily Mail *The artwork is gloriously retro, echoing the original Ladybird house style but containing completely up to date information. * Shiny New Books *

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Book SynopsisPart of the new Ladybird Expert series, The Bomber War is an accessible, insightful and authoritative introduction to the airborne Allied fight against Nazi Germany.- How did aeroplane technology change the theatre of war?- How did the Blitz affect Britain''s ability to fight?- How did the Allies finally triumph?DISCOVER how the complex impact of bomber technology shaped the outcome of World War II. From the Blitz to the Battle of the Ruhr, the Bomber War transformed the state of warfare in the twentieth century. GERMANY''S DEADLY TACTICS, THE ALLIES'' BRUTAL VICTORYWritten by historian, author and broadcaster James Holland and with immersive illustrations by Keith Burns, THE BOMBER WAR is an accessible and enthralling introduction to these critical battles and their impact on the outcome of World War II.Trade ReviewPraise for WW2 Ladybird Experts Series * - *Shines a light on some of the darkest and most dramatic moments of the six-year conflict. * Daily Mail *The artwork is gloriously retro, echoing the original Ladybird house style but containing completely up to date information. * Shiny New Books *

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Book SynopsisThe Spitfire and the Lancaster were the two RAF weapons of victory in the Second World War, but the glamour of the fighter has tended to overshadow the performance of the heavy bomber. Yet without the Lancaster, Britain would never have been able to take the fight to the German homeland. Highlights the scale of the bomber''s achievements, including the famous Dambusters attacks. With its vast bomb bay, ease of handling and surprising speed, the mighty Lancaster transformed the effectiveness of the Bomber Command. Whilst addressing the political controversy surrounding the bombing offensive against Germany, Leo McKinstry also weaves individual tales into this compelling narrative. Rich characters are brought to life, such as Roy Chadwick the designer, who taught himself engineering at night school and Sir Arthur Harris, the austere head of the Bomber Command. This is a rich saga, a story of triumph over disaster and the history of an iconic plane.Trade ReviewConvincing...excellent book * The Daily Telegraph, Phillip Addison *This thorough, engaging new history seeks to draw together all aspects of the bomber and its career...and the controversies which still surround it today * The Spectator, Daniel Swift *'Brilliantly researched and sharply written' * News of the World *'The saga is one of courage, tragedy and drama...all the more fascinating because of its rich cast of characters' * Kent Messenger / Kentish Gazette Group *'Fascinating...rich cast of characters..the definitive record' * Driffield Leader *(Leo McKinstry) describes the Lancaster as a heavy machine rendered graceful by its elegant design. The same description might be applied to his own book * The Literary Review *'Impressive...storytelling. [McKinstry] describes the Lancaster as a heavy machine rendered graceful by its elegant design. The same description might be applied to his own book' * Literary Review, Keith Lowe *'Brilliant' * International Express *'This is one of the most interesting wartime books that I have read for many a day. I recommend it to others' * Dover Express / Folkestone Herald *Extremely readable...rich narrative * Kent on Sunday *'Meticulously researched . . . a first-rate account of a unique British creation whose success and brave crews helped to keep Europe free' * Sunday Express *'There were a good number of high-quality books on military history published last year but none were better than LANCASTER by Leo McKinstry...this is a meticulously researched story ... a first-rate account of a unique British creation whose success and brave crews helped to keep Europe free' * Sunday Express *

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Book SynopsisIn 1941 Hitler's armies blocked the last roads leading into Leningrad. What followed was one of the most horrific sieges in history.Trade Review'A tribute to the resilience of the human spirit' * Herald *'Where the book stands out is in the portrait of ordinary life in extraordinary circumstances... Fluently written... the uniquely terrible experience of suffering, especially of 1941-2, is effectively described' * BBC History *'Jones's book is set apart from other histories by his careful and judicious use of witness accounts' * Sunday Business Post *'Detailed account of the 872-day siege of the Soviet Union's iconic city' * Morning Star *

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Book SynopsisThe thrilling history of the turning point of the Second World War, when Hitler's armies were halted on the Eastern Front.Trade Review'A gripping account . . . told with verve and scholarship' * Andrew Roberts *Praise for STALINGRAD and LENINGRAD by Michael Jones - * : *'A milestone in the treatment of the battle ... highly effective and utterly captivating. Previous accounts have been unable to fully convey the desperate ferocity of the battle. Now we see it in all its horror - and better understand the courage of Stalingrad's defenders. This is the finest history of its type published to date' * David Glanz *'Where the book stands out is in the portrait of ordinary life in extraordinary circumstances ... Fluently written ... the uniquely terrible experience of suffering, especially of 1941-2, is effectively described' * BBC History *'A tribute to the resilience of the human spirit' * HERALD *'A mass of first-person material that has been cleverly assembled to paint a striking picture' * BBC History Magazine *

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Book SynopsisBletchley Park, known to those who worked there as Station X, was the scene of one of the greatest Allied triumphs of the Second World War. The breaking of the Nazi Enigma cyphers by Britain''s wartime code-breakers continues to fascinate, with well over 100,000 people visiting the scene of their successes every year. Bletchley Park provided the intelligence that ensured Allied victories in the Battle of Atlantic, the war in North Africa and, most crucially, the D-Day invasion of Europe, and it was also the birthplace of the modern computer. The code-breakers were led by men like Dilly Knox and Alan Turing, but also included thousands of ''ordinary'' people, the vast majority of them young women. This book contains previously unpublished photographs showing them at work and play. It not only explains how their work influenced the battle against Nazi Germany and its Italian and Japanese allies, but also describes how they lived and loved.Table of ContentsCaptain Ridley’s Shooting Party Breaking Enigma Sink the Bismarck A Crime Without a Name The Shark Blackout Colossus: the World’s First Programmable Computer D-Day and Double Cross Further Reading Places to Visit Index

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Book SynopsisThe guide will take the visitor beyond the ferry terminal and hypermarkets to reveal the hidden Calais and the actions of individuals and units in this defence.

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Book SynopsisThe Third Reich was the name Hitler and the Nazi Party gave to the dictatorship that began in 1933 and ended twelve years later with the utter destruction of Germany and Hitler''s suicide. Defined by the messianic, iconic figure of the Führer, the Third Reich was one of the pivotal periods of the modern age. From small beginnings in the 1920s, Hitler''s movement came to dominate German society in the 1930s, bringing with it the militarization of German society, the apparatus of state terror and a policy of violent discrimination against political opponents, the so-called ''asocials'': gypsies, homosexuals, and, above all, the Jews. The history of the Reich is bound up with territorial aggression, total war and genocide. The end result was the complete defeat of Germany and the annihilation of millions of Europeans, a historical drama without precedent that still lies as a shadow over modern-day Germany. Richard Overy charts the rise and fall of Nazi power in a compelling narratiTable of ContentsMaps. Introduction. Rise to Power 1923-1933. Building the Third Reich 1933-1934. The Fuhrer State 1935-1936. Building the New Order 1937-1939. The Years of Victory 1940-1941. Genocide and Defeats 1942-1943. The Ruined Reich 1944-1945. Legacy of the Third Reich 1944-1945. Bibliography. Acknowledgements. Index.

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Book SynopsisThis volume covers September 3rd, 1939 to September 6th, 1940 of World War II. The book uses extracts from a log compiled by the Ministry of Home Security, which provides a contemporary diary of events. There are also articles by historians and eyewitnesses which interspace the daily happenings.

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Book SynopsisThe first single-authored, comparative account of European and Asian responses to German and Japanese occupation during World War II. Using eleven comparative case studies from two continents, Roshwald explores three themes: patriotism, civil wars, and anti-colonial nationalism in the context of Axis occupation.Trade Review'Wide-ranging while sharply focused, limpidly written while attuned to complexity and nuance, this confident comparative study of European and Asian societies' reactions to Axis occupation should be read by anyone interested in 20th-century global history.' Sophie De Schaepdrijver, Penn State University'The topic of wartime occupation remains fascinating and controversial, but there has been little study to date of where the European and East Asian experiences resembled each other or differed. Aviel Roshwald breaks new ground by examining occupation in wartime Greece, Italy and France and providing parallels with China and Thailand. This is comparative history at its most stimulating and suggestive.' Rana Mitter, University of Oxford'A masterful synthesis of the Axis occupations and a true global history of World War II. Told with great clarity and interpretive verve, this book makes sense of the diversity of political responses to wartime occupation across Europe and Asia. A must-read!' Jeremy A. Yellen, The Chinese University of Hong KongTable of ContentsIntroduction; Part I. Patriotisms Under Occupation (The Netherlands, France, Denmark, and Thailand); Introduction to Part I; 1. Initial choices and conditions; 2. Patriotic solidarity in the first flush of defeat; 3. The shifting parameters of the patriotically plausible; Conclusion to Part I; Part II. Fractured Societies and Fractal Identities – Civil Wars Under Occupation (Greece, Yugoslavia, Italy, and China): Introduction to Part II; 4. The civil wars in a nutshell: historical overview; 5. Continuities and ruptures; 6. From parochial interests to internationalist visions: The fractal structures of political identity in civil wars; Conclusion to Part II; Part III. Conquest in the Guise of Liberation (the Philippines, Indonesia, and Ukraine): Introduction to Part III; 7. Colonial histories; 8. The ghosts of colonialisms past and the weight of occupations present; Conclusion to Part III; Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisAmerican Survivors is a fresh and moving historical account of U.S. survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings, breaking new ground not only in the study of World War II but also in the public understanding of nuclear weaponry. A truly trans-Pacific history, American Survivors challenges the dualistic distinction between Americans-as-victors and Japanese-as-victims often assumed by scholars of the nuclear war. Using more than 130 oral histories of Japanese American and Korean American survivors, their family members, community activists, and physicians - most of which appear here for the first time - Naoko Wake reveals a cross-national history of war, illness, immigration, gender, family, and community from intimately personal perspectives. American Survivors brings to light the history of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that connects, as much as separates, people across time and national boundaries.Trade Review'This deeply researched, sensitively analyzed, and beautifully written book rests on a source base of 132 interviews with American atomic-bomb survivors. Wake respectfully shows the range of ways that these individuals navigated their complicated lives and made sense of the enormous tragedy at their center.' Laura Hein, Harold H. and Virginia Anderson Professor of History, Northwestern University'Ghostly figures, American survivors of their nation's nuclear holocaust, speak for themselves and for those who failed to survive in profound utterances and silences, the living and the dead. Their haunting testimonies, in translation, speak of the unspeakable and of life - remembering, forging connections with families and other survivors, and working for peace in and across the Pacific. Indeed, as Naoko Wake astutely observes, nuclear holocaust is by definition a global phenomenon for all times.' Gary Y. Okihiro, Professor Emeritus, Columbia University'Naoko Wake's American Survivors is a beautifully written portrayal of the traumas suffered by atomic bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. She offers lyrical depictions of the visceral experience and the profound significance of silence. The work also foregrounds the cross-national and gendered experience of being hibakusha and the ways in which they and their allies engaged in transnational forms of activism.' Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Professor of Asian American Studies, and Director of the Humanities Center, University of California, Irvine'Conceptually original and analytically versatile, American Survivors has made many scholarly contributions. All these achievements, however, are made possible by the extraordinary efforts that the author has made to gather, record, and preserve historical information about US survivors … A groundbreaking study and a call for further research …' Toshihiro Higuchi, Peace & ChangeTable of ContentsList of Figures; Acknowledgements; Notes on the Text; Abbreviations; Introduction; 1. Cities of Immigrants; 2. Remembering the Nuclear Holocaust; 3. Reconnecting Families; 4. War and Work Across the Pacific; 5. Finding Survivorhood; 6. Endlessness of Radiation Illness; Epilogue; Glossary; Select Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisShawn McHale explores why the communist-led resistance in Vietnam won the anticolonial war against France (194554), except in the south. He shows how broad swaths of Vietnamese people were uneasily united in 1945 under the Viet Minh Resistance banner, all opposing the French attempt to reclaim control of the country. By 1947, resistance unity had shattered and Khmer-Vietnamese ethnic violence had divided the Mekong delta. From this point on, the war in the south turned into an overt civil war wrapped up in a war against France. Based on extensive archival research in four countries and in three languages, this is the first substantive English-language book focused on southern Vietnam''s transition from colonialism to independence.Trade Review'Finally a book on the First Indochina War that goes beyond the standard account of a simple conflict between Ho Chi Minh's Vietnam and the French. The war against the colonizer is there, but so is the one that divided Vietnamese until the bitter end. McHale provides a wonderfully researched and impressively argued story of violence and statecraft in southern Vietnam. It is a major contribution to our understanding of Vietnam.' Christopher Goscha, Université du Québec à Montréal'In this pathbreaking book, Shawn F. McHale overturns much of the conventional historical wisdom about the Indochina War of 1945–1954 in the Mekong Delta. He shows that the war in the delta differed in crucial ways from the better-studied campaigns and battles that took place in central and northern Indochina. Instead of a straightforward narrative of anticolonial struggle and national liberation, The First Vietnam War reveals a complex and fragmented conflict shaped by local rivalries, ethnic violence, and civil warfare.' Edward Miller, Dartmouth College'McHale's innovative study is a welcome departure from the standard scholarship on the First Indochina War. Creatively combining 'bottom up' and 'top down' approaches, McHale demonstrates that local, ethnic, and religious conflicts shaped the war in the Mekong delta as much as larger imperial and nationalist forces.' Nu-Anh Tran, University of Connecticut'This book is ultimately valuable for understanding conflicts other than through ideology and strategy, to enrich itself with its questions dealing with event history, historical anthropology and political philosophy.' Pascal Bourdeaux, MoussonsTable of ContentsIntroduction: Sovereignty, Violence, and Institutional Collapse at the Edge of France's Empire; Part I. Fracture, 1945–1947: 1. A Plural Mekong Delta under Stress; 2. The Southern General Uprising; 3. Priming Upheavals in the Mekong Delta; 4. The Double Fracture of The Mekong Delta; Part II. Disassemblage/Reassemblage, 1947–1953: 5. Empire, Racial Survival, and Race Hatred; 6. Contesting State and Sovereignty; 7. Forced Migrations and Suffering; 8. French Pacification Meets the Vietnamese Resistance; 9. Alternative Trajectories: Seeing Like Parastates, Militias, And Strongmen; Part III. Endgame, 1953–1956: 10. The Twilight of Empire and the Strange Birth of South Vietnam.

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Book SynopsisThe new edition of The Cambridge Illustrated History of Warfare, written and updated by a team of nine distinguished military historians, examines how war was waged by Western powers across a sweeping timeframe, beginning with classical Greece and Rome, moving through the Middle Ages and the early modern period, down to the wars of the twenty-first century in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. The book stresses five essential aspects of the Western way of war: a combination of technology, discipline, and an aggressive military tradition with an extraordinary capacity to respond rapidly to challenges and to use capital rather than manpower to win. Although the focus remains on the West, and on the role of violence in its rise, each chapter also examines the military effectiveness of its adversaries and the regions in which the West''s military edge has been - and continues to be - challenged.Trade Review'Here is the story of war as the driving force in the rise of the West from the Greeks to our own day, now updated to 2019. In the fifteen years since the first edition of this book, war has unfortunately not become less central to our concerns - just the opposite. This remarkable volume, written by some of the world's leading experts in military history, helps us to understand why and how something as terrible as war remains so important in the history of the West and the world. Rarely has so much learning, lucidity, and wisdom been found between two covers.' Barry Strauss, Cornell University, and author of Ten Caesars: Roman Emperors from Augustus to Constantine'This is, simply, the best survey of the history of warfare in half a century. It explains what the Western way of war is, whence it came, and how it dominated the planet down to the present day. The product of the collaboration of some of the best military historians now writing, it offers judgements as well as a compelling narrative, an argument as well as a story. There can be no better introduction to the study of military history.' Eliot A. Cohen, Robert E. Osgood Professor, Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies'Highly polished and well illustrated, this book is a comprehensive history of the Western (European) way of war … The text is superbly supported by numerous and handy sidebars providing details, insights, and anecdotes.' Library Journal'… this is a well-written and handsomely presented volume … the illustrations are pertinent, and the captions interesting … the range of scholarship is impressive … and it has all been pulled together by the finest military historian currently writing, who has also contributed several important sections'. History in Focus'… exceptional … and beautifully illustrated … A highly readable book, and an interesting one, both for the expert and the amateur enthusiast. A must for college libraries.' USI Journal'… impressive …' Contemporary ReviewTable of ContentsPreface; Introduction: The Western way of war Geoffrey Parker; Part I. The Age of Massed Infantry: 1. Genesis of the infantry, 600–350 BC Victor Davis Hanson; 2. From phalanx to legion, 350–250 BC Victor Davis Hanson; 3. The Roman way of war, 250 BC–AD 300 Victor Davis Hanson; Part II. The Age of Stone Fortifications: 4. On Roman ramparts, 300–1300 Bernard S. Bachrach; 5. New weapons, new tactics, 1300–1500 Christopher Allmand; 6. The gunpowder revolution, 1300–1500 Geoffrey Parker; Part III. The Age of Guns and Sails: 7. Ships of the line, 1500–1650 Geoffrey Parker; 8. The conquest of the Americas, 1500–1650 Patricia Seed; 9. Dynastic war, 1494–1660 Geoffrey Parker; 10. States in conflict, 1661–1763 John A. Lynn; 11. Nations in arms, 1763–1815 John A. Lynn; Part IV. The Age of Mechanized Warfare: 12. The industrialization of war, 1815–1871 Williamson A. Murray; 13. Towards world war, 1871–1914 Williamson A. Murray; 14. The West at war, 1914–1918 Williamson A. Murray; 15. The world in conflict, 1919–1941 Williamson A. Murray; 16. The world at war, 1941–1945 Williamson A. Murray; 17. The post-war world, 1945–1991 Williamson A. Murray; 18. The new world disorder, 1991–2019 Peter Mansoor and Geoffrey Parker; Epilogue: The future of Western warfare Geoffrey Parker and Leif A.Torkelsen; Reference guide; Chronology; Glossary; Bibliography; The contributors; Notes; Picture acknowledgements; Index.

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Book SynopsisFull history of the Waffen-SS from the early 1930s to 1945.

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Book SynopsisIntroduces the modeller to the epic battle of Stalingrad.

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Book SynopsisThe history of a Tank Destroyer Battalion with an excellent combat record and the place of segregated tank destroyer battalions within the armed forces.

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Book SynopsisFirst-hand account of life in the Falklands during the Argentine occupation.

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Book SynopsisThe story of a winter battle fought in appalling ground conditions for combat.

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Book SynopsisDuring Second World War was largest single army worldwide, but is often overlooked. Book compiled from all divisions of the Fourteenth Armys reports. Invaluable source of information for both military and family historians. Citations for all medal winners

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Book SynopsisA rare memoir by a German armoured reconnaissance patrol commander in the elite Panzer-Lehr-Division.

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Book SynopsisThis account of SOE and its agents in Denmark was written immediately after the war by a SOE staff member. A previously unpublished official history of SOE's Danish section.

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Book SynopsisOn 30 August 1940, at the height of the Battle of Britain, the pilots of RAF Fighter Command's No.12 Group were requested to reinforce 11 Group and intercept a Luftwaffe raid on an aircraft factory at Hatfield. The events that day led the swashbuckling, legless, fighter pilot Douglas Bader to submit a report arguing that the more fighters he had at his disposal, the greater would be the execution of the enemy that could be achieved. It was a concept that received support from 12 Group's Air Officer Commanding, Air Vice-Marshal Leigh-Mallory. In Bader's proposal, Leigh-Mallory saw an opportunity for 12 Group to play a greater part in what was clearly an historic battle. Leigh-Mallory authorised Bader to lead three, then five, squadrons - a controversial formation that came to be known as the 'Duxford Wing' or 'Big Wing'. For the rest of 1940, Bader and the 'Big Wing', then based at Duxford, played its part in the defence of Britain's skies. Then, in March 1941, the role of 'Wing Comma

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Book SynopsisThe first book to offer an introduction to re-enacting civilian and military aspects of Britain in the 1940s.

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Book SynopsisAn engaging and well researched history of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator during World War II.

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Book SynopsisAn insightful and comprehensive historical account of a hugely successful and surprisingly overlooked Second World War operation.

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Book SynopsisA unique, well-written autobiography set in some of the remotest areas of combat in WWII.

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Book SynopsisFrom the Riviera, to the Rhine and on to the Colmar pocket, all three operations are covered in this volume by Jean Paul Pallud, and each show the action and locations in our unique then and now style.

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Book SynopsisIn this book, Daniel Taylor provides a minutely detailed examination of the course of the fighting, exploring both sides of the debate, allowing the reader to evaluate the strength of the argument. Dozens of first-hand accounts are brought together and placed into a comprehensible and accurate time-line.

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Book SynopsisComprehensive account of Allied convoy operations and German attempts to disrupt. Written by a published expert of naval operations in WW2.

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Book SynopsisPolish fighter pilots received their baptism of fire over their own country in September 1939, when they were overwhelmed by the aerial might of Germany and the Soviet Union. Despite this, they claimed over 120 enemy aircraft destroyed. When the Polish Air Force was reborn in France, the same men fought against the same enemy, yet with more experience and with better understanding of their opponents' tactics though, as the author reveals, the aircraft they flew were, in most cases, quite different.Polish airmen also proved themselves during the Battle of Britain, when 145 men from Poland, the biggest non-British contingent in Fighter Command, fought for the survival one of the last bastions of democracy. With an impressive tally of 126 enemy aircraft destroyed over Poland, and a further fifty-one in France, these men, including combat pilots, flying instructors and test pilots, had to be trained to serve under the command of the RAF. They had to learn a new language that was crucial f

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Book SynopsisThe exploits of the Mosquito crews in Burma, skimming at low-level and at speed along rivers and over treetops to their targets, are the stuff of legend. Surprisingly, however, only five RAF squadrons ever flew these operations. Mosquito Intruders Target Burma explores the achievements of these intruder squadrons, as well as the costs to the men who flew and supported them.Their story starts in mid-1943, almost as soon as the fighter-bomber variant of the Mossie', the iconic de Havilland Mosquito FB VI, had been introduced to squadron service in the UK. The first challenge was to deliver the new aircraft, with its radical wooden construction, to India and build a supply chain to support it.Then, with few dual-control aircraft, they needed to train the crews to operate the Mosquito to the limits of its performance in often hostile weather over inhospitable territory against an aggressive enemy. Some crews converted from a similar low-level role to extend the reach of the impressive but

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Book SynopsisAugust 2022 will mark the 80th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid.

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Book SynopsisSea Wolves: Savage Submarine Commander of WW2 features true stories of deeply murderous intent that lurked menacingly beneath the waves.

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Book SynopsisThe biography of an RAF pilot who flew both fighters and heavy bombers from the very first, to the very last days of the Second World War.

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Book SynopsisSuperb first hand account by a frontline bomb disposal operator.

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Book SynopsisPrimary sources from inside the Soviet state apparatus, including now-inaccessible Russian archival holdings.

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Book SynopsisComprehensive account of the political and convoy operations to Northern Russia during WW2.

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Book SynopsisThe Second World War Italian campaign in over 300 wartime photographs.

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Book SynopsisThis book covers the inception, growth and employment of Britains airborne forces (parachute and glider-borne formations) between June 1940 and March 1945. It takes a comparative approach and follows tailored lines of development. Each of these lines - politics and policy, equipment and technology, personnel and training, command and control and concepts and doctrine - influence each other.The contents include:Politics and Policy: The political environment within which the major decisions were made concerning the concept of development of Britains airborne forces. Churchills personal contribution, the effect of inter-service rivalry and the influence of other government departments. Equipment and Technology: The methods and obstacles of procuring and supplying the bespoke equipment required by airborne forces. The supply of combat equipment, the provision of support aircraft and the procurement of gliders. Personnel and Training: The effort incurred to man the new force and the effect

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Book SynopsisJune 1940. In just weeks, General Erwin Rommel's 7th Panzer Division dubbed the Ghost Division' had driven headlong through Allied forces in Belgium and France to reach the English Channel. Pushing south along the Channel coast past Le Harve, Rommel's spectacular victory at Saint-Valéry-en-Caux was crowned by the capture of Cherbourg. Following the Franco-German Armistice and a victory parade in Bordeaux, cameras rolled as Rommel re-enacted crossing the Somme for the Nazi propaganda documentary Sieg im Westen (Victory in the West).

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