Modern warfare Books

Book SynopsisOn 26 June 1941, unidentified bombers attacked the Hungarian town of Kassa, prompting Hungary to join its Axis partners in Operation Barbarossa, Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union. Hungary's contribution to Barbarossa was designated the Carpathian Group, its most powerful component being the Mobile Corps, which fielded motorized rifle, cavalry, bicycle and light armoured troops. The Hungarians faced Soviet forces belonging to the Kiev Military District, deployed in four armies along a 940km-long front.On the defeated side in World War I, Hungary had seen its borders redrawn and its armed forces constrained by treaty, but was determined to recover territories lost to adjoining countries. When Hungary decided to participate in Operation Barbarossa, however, the Royal Hungarian Army was deployed in the Soviet Union and not against its neighbours. Meanwhile, the Red Army, while remaining among the most formidable armies of the era, had been seriously weakTable of ContentsIntroduction The Opposing Sides Openaing Battles, 1-14 July 1941 Golovanevsk, 6 August 1941 Zaporozh'ye, 1-6 September 1941 Analysis Aftermath Unit Organizations Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisUsing the parallel stories of Gregory Pappy Boyington and Joseph Smokey Joe Foss, the two top-scoring US Marine Corps fighter aces of all time, this fascinating new book explores US Marine Corps aviation over the South Pacific.America''s Few delves into the history of US Marine Corps aviation in World War II, following the feats of the Corps'' top-scoring aces in the skies over Guadalcanal. Marine Corps aviation began in 1915, functioning as a self-contained expeditionary force. During the interwar period, the support of USMC amphibious operations became a key element of Marine aviation doctrine, and the small force gradually grew. But in December 1941 came the rude awakening. Within hours of Pearl Harbor, heroic Marine aviators were battling the Japanese over Wake Island. In the South Pacific, the aviators of the US Marine Corps came out of the shadows to establish themselves as an air force second to none. In the summer of 1942, when Allied airpower Trade ReviewAmerica's Few describes Marine Corps aviation's few: the two dozen ‘double digit’ aces who gained hard-won air superiority in the first year of the Pacific War, many of whom contributed en route to VJ Day. Bill Yenne not only describes their combat careers but the youthful backgrounds that shaped who they were beyond what they did. * Barrett Tillman, author of 'U.S. Marine Corps Fighter Squadrons of World War II' *Readable and well researched, America’s Few chronicles the combat history of the ‘double-digit’ fighter aces, an elite cohort of Marine Corps aviators who shot down ten or more Japanese warplanes while flying the famed F4F Wildcat and F4U Corsair. An essential addition to the bookshelf of readers interested in the F4U Corsair and the remarkable pilots who flew them. * Steven K. Bailey, author of 'Bold Venture: The American Bombing of Japanese-Occupied Hong Kong, 1942–1945' *Author Bill Yenne captures the true essence of this great generation of young pilots who sacrificed so much. In 1942 the War in the Pacific Theater was not going well for the Allies and, the USMC pilots had an uphill battle to wage. The reader is immediately drawn into each dogfight, as Yenne displays a unique talent for capturing precise details. For the pilots, the obstacles were significant and an enormous psychological weight to bear. Base operations were austere, shoot down the enemy or be shot down, AAA threats, will the aircraft hold up under the stress. Every second in the air were the vivid haunting threats—bailing out over the ocean or crashing in the jungle. Will I be quickly killed or, become a POW of the Japanese? Yenne preserves the legacy of a generation of USMC airmen that deserve lasting respect. * Erik Simonsen, author of 'A Complete History of US Combat Aircraft Fly-Off Competitions' *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Introduction Double-Digit US Marine Corps Aces of World War II Squadron Names PART I: ORIGINS 1: Marine Corps Aviation from Flanders to Wake Island 2: Who They Were 3: Taking to the Air 4: First Combat PART II: THE FEW 5: That Place Called Guadalcanal 6: First Blood 7: New Blood 8: Changing of the Guard 9: The Coach Takes the Field 10: Joe Foss Takes the Lead 11: Tipping Points 12: Matching the Ace of Aces 13: The Long Season of the Dancing Bears PART III: NO LONGER A MERE FEW 14: The Corsair and the Changing Game 15: Corsair Aces Over the Solomons 16: Slow Rolls and Victories Over the Slot 17: The Ace and the Albatross 18: Finding Their Momentum 19: A Wanderer in the Wings 20: The Black Sheep Go to War 21: Three Aces Reach Double-digits 22: The Major Leagues 23: Two Squadrons Over Kahili 24: Cherry Blossom Over Bougainville 25: Two Aces Over Rabaul 26: Everything They Had Left 27: At the Top of Their Game 28: The Ending of Eras PART IV: COUNTDOWN TO VICTORY 29: Second Acts 30: Unfinished Business 31: Victory Achieved PART V: POSTWAR LIVES 32: In War and Peace 33: The Black Sheep and the Governor 34: Final Flights Appendix Abbreviations and Acronyms Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisVictory in Japan Day (VJ Day) on August 15, 1945 officially marked the end of World War II, but in fact conflict continued throughout the month. This fascinating title from Barrett Tillman explore the final weeks of the war, until the shooting finally stopped.In the 44 months between December 1941 and August 1945, the Pacific Theater absorbed the attention of the American nation and military longer than any other. Despite the Allied grand strategy of Germany first, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. especially was committed to confronting Tokyo as a matter of urgent priority. But from Oahu to Tokyo was a long, sanguinary slog, averaging an advance of just three miles per day. The U.S. human toll paid on that road reached some 108,000 battle deaths, more than one-third the U.S. wartime total. But by the summer of 1945 on both the American homefront and on the frontline there was hope. The stunning announcements of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Trade ReviewA superb achievement. This fast-paced and riveting account of the final weeks of the Pacific War is filled with fresh material, including personal stories and vivid historical detail. Another Barrett Tillman triumph. * Robert J. Mrazek, award-winning author of 'The Indomitable Florence Finch: The Untold Story of a War Widow Turned Resistance Fighter and Savior of American POW's' *[A] shrewd, fast-paced, and wide-angle account exploring one of the most intriguing but seldom pursued topics about all of World War II: the ragged ending of the Asia Pacific War. There was no neat finale on the decks of the Missouri in Tokyo Bay. This work musters the full panorama of days, weeks, and longer that shaped the fates of nations and peoples, but colors it brightly with well-chosen stories of individuals in combat, in liberation, in defeat, in tragedy, and in joy. * Richard B. Frank, author of Downfall: The End of the Japanese Empire *It's all here in this excellent account of the last month of WWII. * The Armourer *This is an excellent study of the last few weeks of the Second World War, showing that the surrender of Japan was a rather more complex and confused affair than the earlier collapse of Nazi Germany.” -- John Rickard * Historyofwar.org *It's a complex story, very well told here. - New York Journal of BooksOnly an author of Tillman’s experience, breadth and skill could pull off such a work: a multi-layered, nuanced and compelling book… . When the Shooting Stopped is a fine work, worthy of the author’s reputation. Readable, informative, and compelling, it is deserving of the time to contemplate and absorb. - Naval Historical FoundationTable of ContentsPrologue: August 1945 List of Illustrations Introduction 1. War or Peace? 2. August Storm 3. The Day the Shooting Stopped 4. Around the World 5. Uneasy Peace 6. Tokyo Bay 7. Downstream from VJ Day Acknowledgments Endnotes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisFrom acclaimed aviation historian Michael Napier, this is a highly illustrated survey of the aerial fighting in the flashpoints of the Cold War.The Cold War years were a period of unprecedented peace in Europe, yet they also saw a number of localised but nonetheless very intense wars throughout the wider world in which air power played a vital role. Flashpoints describes eight of these Cold War conflicts: the Suez Crisis of 1956, the Congo Crisis of 196065, the Indo-Pakistan Wars of 1965 and 1971, the Arab-Israeli Wars of 1967 and 1973, the Falklands War of 1982 and the IranIraq War of 198088. In all of them both sides had a credible air force equipped with modern types, and air power shaped the final outcome.Acclaimed aviation historian Michael Napier details the wide range of aircraft types used and the development of tactics over the period. The postwar years saw a revolution in aviation technology and design, particularly in the fields of missile deTrade ReviewCovering the Suez Crisis, the Congo crisis, the two Indo-Pakistan wars, the Arab-Israeli wars, the Falklands war and the Iran-Iraq war, the book casts a wide net and offers superbly researched and very detailed accounts -- Susan Wilson * Army Rumour Service *A readable compendium with much interest to Britain at War readers. -- Andrew Thomas * Britain at War *Table of ContentsForeword by Itamar Neuner, Mirage Pilot Author’s Note Chapter 1. Suez Crisis, 29 October–7 November 1956 Chapter 2. Congo Crisis, July 1960–June 1964 Chapter 3. Indo-Pakistan War, 1–23 September 1965 Chapter 4. Six-Day War, 5–10 June 1967 Chapter 5. Indo-Pakistan War, 3–16 December 1971 Chapter 6. October War, 6–25 October 1973 Chapter 7. Iran–Iraq War, 22 September 1980–20 August 1988 Chapter 8. South Atlantic War, 2 April–14 June 1982 Chapter 9. Debrief Glossary Bibliography Index

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Book Synopsis''An epic tale of love, dishonour, bravery, cowardice, betrayal and high-treason. Beautifully written. A stunning debut'' Damien LewisPlayboy. Fascist. Strongman. Thief.Traitors.John Amery is a drunk and a fanatic, an exiled playboy whose frail body is riven by contradictions. Harold Cole is a cynical, murderous conman who desperately wants to be seen as an officer and a gentleman. Eric Pleasants is an iron-willed former wrestler; he is also a pacifist, and will not be forced into fighting other men''s battles. William Joyce can weave spells when he talks, but his true gifts are for rage and hate. By the end of the Second World War, they will all have betrayed their country. The Traitors is the story of how they came to do so. Drawing on declassified MI5 files, it is a book about chaotic lives in turbulent times; idealism twisted out of shape; of torn consciences and abandoned loyalties; and the tragic consequences that treachery Trade ReviewIn this clever, racy book [Josh Ireland] tells the stories of four British citizens who served Nazi Germany . . . full of energy and stylish phrase-making * The Times *An epic tale of love, dishonour, bravery, cowardice, betrayal and high-treason. Beautifully written. A stunning debut * Damien Lewis *A terrific read that is lucid, insightful and beautifully written. Josh Ireland's masterful prose breathes life into these complex, deceitful, yet profoundly fascinating traitors. Set against a backdrop of violent extremism and political failure, The Traitors rings a loud warning bell from history * Giles Milton *Josh Ireland's achievement is to tell the story of some of Britain's most inglorious, notorious and vainglorous characters in the most glorious and elegant way. He provides a warning for our times from this true story, painting the most vivid of pictures with the sharpest of novelist's pens * John Bew *Ireland gives a vivid account of this repellent, but fascinating, quartet * Daily Mail *[Ireland] comments intelligently on their motives and describes enough of their worlds and views to give us essential context * The Spectator *Ireland's book gives a good flavour of the personality defects that caused men to betray their country . . . Ireland tells their stories entertainingly, and examines their motives without prejudice * Daily Telegraph *Startlingly vivid . . . unmistakably a book of our times * Prospect Magazine *Absorbing . . . Josh Ireland organises this testament of treachery with vim and purpose . . . he skewers his subjects with a piercing revulsion * Mail on Sunday *A well-written and very readable account of these four unappealing characters . . . this is a tough subject to get to grips with. Ireland's book is a very worthy effort * Literary Review *His book is timely, certainly, in raising questions about patriotic loyalty . . . Josh Ireland writes with friendly immediacy. He is a suave raconteur who gets the pace of his stories right * TLS *Ireland tells his four characters' stories with immense skill, to reveal their motives and lead them to inevitable ruin. In the process, he raises a question of great importance now: what is patriotism, and why should we care? * Observer, Books of the Year *

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Book SynopsisOfficial tie-in to the Netflix Original Film featuring Idris Elba (Thor, Prometheus and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom) and directed by Cary Fukunaga (Jane Eyre).Agu is just a boy when war arrives at his village. His mother and sister are rescued by the UN, while he and his father remain to fight the rebels. ''Run!'' shouts his father when the rebels arrive. And Agu does run. Straight into the rebels'' path. In a vivid, sparkling voice, Agu tells the story of what happens to him next; his life as a child-soldier. His story is shocking and painful, and completely unforgettable.Beasts of No Nation gives us an extraordinary portrait of the chaos and violence of war.For a sneak peak of the Netflix Original Film of Beasts of No Nation, have a look at the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRsaclO0VbUTrade ReviewA work of visceral urgency and power: it heralds the arrival of a major talent * Amitav Ghosh *Extraordinary . . . you don't come across writing like this very often * Bookseller *So scorched by loss and anger that it's hard to hold and so gripping in its sheer hopeless lifeforce that it's hard to put down * Guardian *A harrowing and compelling vision . . . the narrator's voice is so authentic you have to check you are still reading fiction . . . This is a novel which leaves an impression like a blood-soaked hand print, disturbing not only for the terror around this cleaving, pulverising slayer, but the terror turning to 'ennui' within him. To call it shocking would be to do it a disservice. To call the writing beautiful would hardly be praise. To call the book staggering would be an understatement * Waterstones Books Quarterly *The power of his material and its hideous relevance rolls all before it . . . This book about children that is in no sense a children's book deserves to be read * Independent *An extraordinary book . . . horrifying expose . . . vivid . . . . It casts a powerful, if gruesome spell * Sunday Telegraph *Iweala makes a compelling story from experience which in its nature defies articulation . . . Uzodinma Iweala's is a confident and promising new voice * Times Literary Supplement *Gives a name, a voice and a heart to one of Africa's innumerable child soldiers . . . This is urgent writing, starkly unsentimental and convincing * Observer *Compelling . . . perturbing, painful and powerful * Irish Independent *Stream-like sentences that convey irrestible, rushing activitiy . . . Iweala's powerful debut recalls Saro-Wiwa's first-person masterpiece of a soldier-boy * The Times *A simple and brutal account of war . . . Beasts of No Nation is a raw, compelling first novel * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisA highly accessible overview of the history of armoured vehicles with technical data, facts and pictures as used by German Wehrmacht in WW2.

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Book SynopsisA powerful combination of Second World War and British football.

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The outcome of the Second World War was decided on the Eastern Front. Denied a swift victory over Stalin's Red Army, Hitler's Wehrmacht found itself in a bloody, protracted struggle from late 1941 that it was ill-prepared to fight. Although many pictorial books have been published on Germany's hapless invasion of the Soviet Union, they are typically a collection of soldiers' snapshots or 'official' photographs taken by Propagandakompanien (PK) reporters. This book is different. It contains an extraordinary personal record of the war captured by a professional photographer, Walter Grimm, who served in the German Army in a communications unit. David Mitchelhill-Green brings Grimm's previously unpublished photographs together with a carefully researched introduction. The 300 evocative black and white images provide an absorbing insight into the daily life and privations of the ordinary German soldier amid the maelstrom of history's largest conflict. The Ukrainian people, many of whom initially welcomed the Germans as liberators, freeing them from the yoke of Bolshevik oppression, are also chronicled in this fascinating study of the fighting in Ukraine.

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Book SynopsisFourth in the Dunkirk Campaign 1940 series of books under the Battleground Europe flag, covering a neglected part of the 1940 campaign, although in an area well known to many Battlefield tourers.

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Book SynopsisThe BEF s 1940 Campaign - part of a series of Battleground Europe books on the performance of the British Expeditionary Force during the successful German Blitzkrieg conquest of northern Europe.

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Book SynopsisDay-by-day account of the First Battle of the Odon

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Book SynopsisLooks at how Shropshire was effected and reacted to the Second World War.

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Book SynopsisThe third volume in a four-volume photographic history of the war between Germany and the Soviet Union.

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

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Book SynopsisIn depth study of a significant but little known colonial war.

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Book SynopsisCovers all Allied Tank variants of the WW2 period across all theatres.

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Book SynopsisPresents numerous personal experiences of the war

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Book SynopsisIt is an often overlooked fact that the SS Divisions included Cavalrymen, Paratroopers, Mountain and Ski Battalions and these rare photographs illustrate the unique role played by specialist units in action.

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Book SynopsisThe German armoured forces lost some 10,000 armoured fighting vehicles. Today there are very few surviving vehicles from the Wehrmacht. We are fortunate therefore that these unique photographs detail the fate of the Panzers destroyed in action in the west.

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Book SynopsisPhotographic history of the struggle for Budapest, one of the key battles fought during the closing months of the Second World War

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Book SynopsisWith Rommel in the Desert features 450 captioned images together with a carefully researched introduction. The majority of photographs used in this book are unpublished snapshots taken by ordinary German combatants serving in North Africa

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Book SynopsisContains 250 photographs, many previously unpublished, of German paratroopers (Fallschirmjger) in action during the Second World War.

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Book SynopsisBormann joined the Nazi Party in 1927 and quickly rose through its ranks. In July 1933 he became the Chief of Cabinet in the Office of the Deputy Fuhrer.

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Book SynopsisA vivid first-hand account of a SOE agent's missions in Nazi occupied France.

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Book SynopsisThe SS-Polizei Division became one of the most effective and ruthless fighting formations of WW2.

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Book SynopsisLooks at te local areas of Wimbledon, Merton & Morden in the Second World War.

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In May 1944, 40,000 Polish soldiers attacked and captured the hilltops of Monte Cassino, bringing to a close the largest, bloodiest battle fought by the western Allies in the Second World War. Days later the Allied armies marched into Rome seizing the first Axis capital. No-one in 1939 could have foreseen an entire Polish Corps engaged on the Italian Front. Most had been held prisoner in the USSR following Polands defeat and their release by Stalin was only achieved through the intense negotiations of British and Polish politicians generals, notably Sikorski and Anders,. The Polish Army was evacuated to Iran in 1942 and subsequently incorporated into the British Army as the Polish II Corps. Their ultimate post-war fate was shamefully ignored until too late. This book, which charts the extraordinary wartime story of the exiled Polish Army in the east, makes extensive use of undiscovered archive material. It reveals in depth the relations between the British and Polish General Staffs and the never ending hardships of the Polish soldiers.

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Book SynopsisThis is the first biography of ?Boy? Browning, whose name is inextricably linked with the creation and employment of Britain?s airborne forces in the Second World War. Commissioned into the Grenadier Guards, Browning served on the Western Front, earning a DSO during the Battle of Cambrai. As Adjutant at Sandhurst, he began the tradition of riding a horse up the steps at the end of the commissioning parade. Browning represented England and Great Britain as a hurdler at the 1928 Winter Olympics. In 1932 Browning married Daphne du Maurier, who was ten years younger and became one of the 20th century?s most enduring and popular novelists with titles such as Jamaica Inn and Rebecca. Browning commanded two brigades before being appointed to command 1 Airborne Division in 1941, later acting as Eisenhower?s advisor on airborne warfare in the Mediterranean. In 1944 he commanded 1st Airborne Corps, which he took to Holland for Operation MARKET GARDEN that September. Allegedly coining the phrase ?a bridge too far?, he has received much of the blame for the operation?s failure.In late 1944, Browning became Chief of Staff to Mountbatten. In 1948 he became Comptroller and Treasurer to Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip and then Treasurer to the latter following the Queen?s accession. He was a close adviser to the Royal couple, who respected and valued his judgment.By this time, Boy and Daphne lived separate lives with Boy working at the Palace in London and Daphne reluctant to leave her beloved Cornwall although the marriage remained intact. Questions exist as to Daphne?s sexuality and Boy had a succession of discrete mistresses. After a nervous breakdown probably due to marriage problems, he resigned in 1959 and retired to Cornwall. Browning died in March 1965.

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Book SynopsisThe complete story of how the German Enigma codes were broken. Perfect for fans of THE IMITATION GAME, the new film on Alan Turing''s Enigma code, starring Benedict Cumberbatch.Breaking the German Enigma codes was not only about brilliant mathematicians and professors at Bletchley Park. There is another aspect of the story which it is only now possible to tell. It takes in the exploits of spies, naval officers and ordinary British seamen who risked, and in some cases lost, their lives snatching the vital Enigma codebooks from under the noses of Nazi officials and from sinking German ships and submarines. This book tells the whole Enigma story: its original invention and use by German forces and how it was the Poles who first cracked - and passed on to the British - the key to the German airforce Enigma. The more complicated German Navy Enigma appeared to them to be unbreakable.Trade ReviewCracking stuff -- Robert Harris * THE TIMES *Unquestionably deepens and enriches our understanding of the Bletchley story ... Sebag-Montefiore demonstrates superbly that the seizure of the Enigma codebooks was among the crucial episodes in Britain's prosecution of the war * OBSERVER *

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Book Synopsis There was another war in Vietnam, one that mostly did not make the headlines: the campaign to win the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese people. Fought not with artillery and helicopters but with food, medicine and shelter for civilians devastated by the conflict, the effort was unprecedented in U.S. history, involving both military and civilian personnel working together in widely spread areas of the countryside. Part history and part memoir, this book chronicles an overlooked aspect of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, with a focus on the war victims and refugees who were most tragically affected by the carnage. The author recounts his two years in-country as an aid worker and tells how the humanitarian effort was conducted and why it failed.

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Book Synopsis‘Victor Gregg is the most remarkable spokesman for the war generation’ Dan Snow ‘A classic’ Mail on Sunday ‘Astonishing’ James Holland Born in 1919, Victor Gregg enlisted in the Rifle Brigade aged just eighteen and began a life of adventure. A soldier throughout the Second World War, he saw action across North Africa, was a driver for the Long Range Desert group and fought at the battle of Alamein. Taken into captivity at the Battle of Arnhem in 1944, he was sentenced to death for sabotaging a Dresden factory; he escaped only when the Allies’ infamous air raid blew apart his prison and very soon encountered the advancing Red Army. Revised and expanded with exclusive new material in time for Gregg’s 100th birthday, Rifleman is the extraordinary story of an independent-minded and quick-witted survivor.Trade ReviewSearingly honest in his appraisal of what that conflict did to the world, on society and, above all, on himself -- DAN SNOWQuite simply, it is one of the best first-hand accounts that I have read … This gripping book immediately joins a select band of the best soldiers’ stories told from the sharp end * MAIL ON SUNDAY *Hugely entertaining and often moving … As action-packed as any fiction, and yet this is no novel – Gregg's adventures were real. His is truly an astonishing story -- JAMES HOLLANDOne of the most shocking accounts of warfare you will ever read ... An account of heartache, violence and cunning by a man whose will to survive and unbreakable optimism are a true inspiration * INDEPENDENT *A thrilling story of a young man in extraordinary circumstances … Rifleman is an outstanding book that deserves to become a classic -- LLOYD CLARKFascinating … a gut-wrenching read * SUN *Evocative, detailed and unsentimental – gets us wonderfully close-up -- DAVID KYNASTONHis coldly factual account of the torments of its burned-to-death victims exceeds in power even Kurt Vonnegut's famous fictional account, Slaughterhouse Five ... Warrior Gregg has seen and experienced the stuff of nightmares, but remains a chirpy optimist in his 90s * DAILY MIRROR *Intensely moving * MAIL ON SUNDAY *It reads like the best fiction * SAGA *Vic’s honesty and warmth shine through this engaging story * CHOICE *Completely fascinating. This feels like one of the last voices of a vital generation. For the first-hand account of the Dresden fire-bombing alone, this is gripping reading. It has an immediate power throughout that makes war fiction a pale shadow of the real thing -- CONN IGGULDEN

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Book SynopsisWhile the Panzer I and II are not as famous as the German tanks produced later in the Second World War, they played a vital role in Hitler's early blitzkrieg campaigns and in the Nazi rearmament programme pursued, at first in secret, by the Nazi regime during the 1930s. Anthony Tucker-Jones's photographic history of their design, development and wartime service is an ideal introduction to them. Both panzers saw combat during the invasions of Poland and France, the Low Countries and Scandinavia during 1939-40. Although by the time the Wehrmacht invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, the Panzer I had been virtually phased out of service, in the form of self-propelled guns they continued to see combat well into 1943. The Panzer II was also phased out with the panzer regiments in late 1943, yet it remained in action on secondary fronts and, as the self-propelled Marder II anti-tank gun and Wespe artillery variant, it saw active service with the panzer and panzer grenadier divisions until the end of the war. The Panzer I and II were the precursors of the formidable range of medium and heavy tanks that followed-the Panzer III and IV and the Panther and Tiger-and this book is a fascinating record of them.

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Book SynopsisUnited States Marine Corps played a leading role in the war against Japan from Pearl Harbour in December 1941 until VJ Day on 2 September 1945. Living up to its motto the First to Fight , the 1st Marine Division landed on the Japanese-occupied island of Guadalcanal in the South Pacific on August 7, 1942 and fought its way up the central Solomon islands to Cape Gloucester in the territory of New Guinea. In November 1943, the Marine Corps captured Tarawa Atoll and so began their advance across the Central Pacific, fighting many famous and bloody battles such as Saipan, Tinian, Guam, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and finally the 82-day epic struggle for Okinawa. These victories came at high cost, with 19,737 Marines killed, and 67,207 wounded. This classic Images of War title presents a graphic overview of the Corps' legendary campaign in text and contemporary images. The Author expertly describes the full range of Marine Corps weaponry and explains their organization, tactics and fighting doctrine.

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Book SynopsisDuring the Second World War, Darlington had a number of industries that were important to the war effort. With its historic links to the railway industry, the town possessed several engineering firms, as well as a number of companies that produced iron and steel products, and many of these companies switched some or all of their production over to wartime demands. The town also had an extensive rural hinterland and the farmers of Teesdale were faced with a barrage of new demands and regulations governing their vital work. Many residents of the area served as members of the armed forces and losses were grievous: the number of Darlington men killed while serving with the RAF was particularly high, with the impact of these losses spreading throughout the community. Despite many setbacks, Darlington was very efficient in bring its Air Raid Precautions and civil defence services up to full strength. With Britain facing invasion in 1940, many older men in the area, along with those younger men who were in reserved occupations, volunteered to serve in the Local Defence Volunteers (later the Home Guard) and one man was still serving at the age of 89. Thankfully, Darlington did not see the heavy bombing that many other communities in the North East of England suffered. However, there were still a large number of accidents in the area caused by the blackout, resulting in a number of fatalities. Locals also had to deal with rationing and not all were willing to pull together, seeing the wartime conditions, instead, as an opportunity to make illegal profits.

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Book SynopsisThe technical details of British warships were recorded in a set of plans produced by the builders on completion of every ship. Known as the `as fitted' general arrangements, these drawings documented the exact appearance and fitting of the ship as it entered service.Today these plans form part of the incomparable collection of the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich, which is using the latest scanning technology to make digital copies of the highest quality. This book is one of a series based entirely on these draughts which depict famous warships in an unprecedented degree of detail - complete sets in full color, with many close-ups and enlargements that make everyaspect clear and comprehensible. Extensive captions point the reader to important features to be found in the plans, and an introduction covers the background to thedesign.HMS Birmingham was selected for the series because this famous interwar `Town' class cruiser is unusually well documented. Unusually, three separate sets of plans survive-as completed in 1937, as refitted in 1943, and as modernized in 1952-which allows this novel form of anatomy to cover the whole of the ship's long career.

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Book SynopsisOne of the main dangers to Britain during the Second World War was the possibility of the country being starved out of the war. Indeed, it was what Churchill feared the most. Before the war, Britain was hugely dependent upon foreign imports of food and supplies, but with unrestricted submarine warfare these lifelines were in danger of being cut and the amount of imports hugely reduced. Britain was not unprepared. Lessons had been learned during the First World War, when people had been encouraged to grow more of their own food. The Ministry of Food, in particular, had detailed plans in the event of a future war and the 'Dig for Victory' campaign rightly went down in history as one of the great successes of the British Home Front. For the farmers of Britain the war meant a massive upheaval, as the government ordered them to plough up millions of acres of land to grow valuable arable crops. Meanwhile, with rationing a daily and inescapable part of life, the people of Britain had to get used to different foodstuffs, including powdered egg, Spam and even whale meat. Incredibly, the diets of many British people actually improved during the war and the fact that the country avoided starvation demonstrated not only the success of government planning, but also the determination and ingenuity of the wartime generation.

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Book SynopsisThis book looks at the invaluable work carried out by members of the Air Transport Auxiliary during the course of the Second World War. Comprised of both men and women, it was a civilian organisation tasked with the collection and delivery of military aircraft from the factories to the RAF and Royal Navy stations. Men who undertook the role had to be exempt from having to undertake war time military service due to health or age, but other than that there were very few restrictions on who who could join, which accounted for one-legged, one-armed, one-eyed and short sighted pilots being accepted. Initially it was only men who were allowed to carry out this service, but by December 1939, British authorities were persuaded by Pauline Gower (the daughter of Sir Robert Vaughan Gower, a wartime Conservative MP, and an accomplished pilot in her own right), to establish a women's section of the Air Transport Auxiliary, of which she was put in charge. The first eight women were accepted in to the service, but it would not be until 1943 that its male and female members received the same pay. By the end of the war 147 different types of aircraft had been flown by the men and women of the Air Transport Auxiliary, including Spitfire fighter aircraft and Lancaster bombers. These brave pilots were not just British, but came from 28 Commonwealth and neutral countries and their efforts sometimes came at a price: 174 Air Transport Auxiliary pilots, both men and women, died during the war whilst flying for the service.

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Book SynopsisThe support provided by the Allied air armies to the preparations for the invasion of France and the Normandy campaign is overshadowed by the dramatic and protracted fighting on the ground. Yet the air campaign played a key role in blinding and isolating German forces in northern France in the months preceding the D-Day landings. These Allied air forces then supported the Allied armies as they pushed inland, most notably by hampering the march of Hitler's panzer divisions and controversially bombing the ancient Norman cities of Caen and Rouen. Anthony Tucker-Jones's photographic history is a vivid introduction to this enormous Allied air offensive and illustrates the many famous types of aircraft employed by the RAF, USAAF and Luftwaffe. Shots of the Allied bombers - Halifax, Lancaster, Fortress, Liberator, Havoc and Marauder - and the fighters and fighter-bombers - Lightning, Thunderbolt, Mustang, Spitfire and Typhoon - dominate the selection. Shots of the German warplanes are rarer because the Luftwaffe was overwhelmed by Allied air superiority. These images of the air war over northern France bring home in a graphic way the nature and conditions of combat flying over seventy years ago, and they emphasize the contribution of air power to the campaign.

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Book SynopsisBlitzkrieg. Lightning war. We are all familiar with the rapid thrusts the Germans made in the early days of the Second World War that saw the demise first of Poland and then the Low Countries and France. But were the German tactics, which appeared at the time to smash through all resistance, really as devastating as they seemed? That is the major question Jeffrey Plowman asks in this absorbing new study of the campaign in Greece in 1941\. Within three weeks they overran the country but, by looking into the campaign in detail, the author claims that at no time did the Germans gain ascendency over the token British and Anzac force sent to bolster the Greek defenders. They came close to doing so, but the Anzac troops and their Greek allies put up a spirited defence that sometimes turned the Germans' own methods against them. This perceptive new account should prompt a reassessment of the Greek campaign. It also offers a fascinating insight into the weaknesses of the Germans' all-conquering method of warfare which became increasing apparent during the later stages of the war.

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Book SynopsisBernard Dargols was a young Parisian student working in New York when war broke out in 1939. While his family remained in France and was threatened by the Vichy regime's anti-Semitic laws,�Bernard decided to enlist in the US Army, convinced that it would be more useful to fight the occupying forces. Following his long military training, Bernard became a GI in the Military Intelligence Service, 2nd US Infantry Division, and landed on the infamous Omaha Beach in June 1944.�He took part in the liberation of Normandy, Brittany and the Ardennes, before becoming a member of the CIC, the American counter-espionage service, and was finally demobilised in 1946. This extraordinary story of the 'GI from the Place des Vosges', is told here by his granddaughter, Caroline Jolivet.

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Book SynopsisHitler's Defeat on the Western Front 1944-1945 is a compelling account of the Nazis' ten month struggle against the overwhelming Allied military might on the Western Front. Thanks to the successful Images of War format of authoritative text supported by copious, well captioned contemporary images, the reader witnesses the intensity of the fighting from the Normandy beaches, through France and the Low Countries and finally into Germany itself. Despite demoralising withdrawals and reversals the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, Hitlerjugend, Volkssturm with many barely trained conscripts, continued to fight tenaciously inflicting significant losses on their superior enemy. The graphic images are testimony to their exhaustion and resilience but defeat became increasingly certain. Even when the Allies crossed the Rhine in early 1945 with the Russians closing on Berlin from the East, the shattered remnants of Hitler's once all-conquering forces had nowhere to go. That did not stop fanatical elements fighting to the death but the bulk of the survivors accepted surrender as inevitable. This superbly illustrated book captures the drama of that historic period.

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Book SynopsisNeville Chamberlain has gone down in history as the architect of appeasement, the Prime Minister who by sacrificing Czechoslovakia at Munich in September 1938 put Britain on an inevitable path to war. In this radical new appraisal of the most vilified politician of the twentieth century, historian Nicholas Milton claims that by placating Hitler, Chamberlain not only reflected public opinion but also embraced the zeitgeist of the time. Chamberlain also bought Britain vital time to rearm when Hitler's military machine was at its zenith. It is with the hindsight of history that we understand Chamberlain's failure to ultimately prevent a war from happening. Yet by placing him within the context of his time, this fascinating new history provides a unique perspective in to the lives and mind-set of the people of Britain during the lead up to the Second World War. Never before have Chamberlain's letters been accessed to tell the story of his life and work. They shed new light on his complex character and enable us to consider Chamberlain the man, not just the statesman. His role as a pioneer of conservation is revealed, alongside his work in improving midwifery and championing the introduction of widows pensions. It is a reminder that there is often more to political figures, even Tory Prime Ministers, than many a quick judgment allows.

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Book SynopsisThe raid on St Nazaire has gone down in history as one of the most daring commando raids of all time. Given the code name of Operation Chariot, it took place in the early hours of Saturday, 28 March 1942, and was a joint undertaking by the Royal Navy and British Commando units. The port at St Nazaire, which sits on the Loire estuary and the Atlantic Ocean, has a dry dock that was capable of accommodating some of Germany's biggest naval vessels, such as the _Bismarck_, or the _Tirpitz_. By putting the port out of action, any repairs or maintenance work that needed to be carried out would instead have to be undertaken back home at the German port of Bremerhaven. To do this, the German vessels would either have to navigate the waters of the English Channel or the North Sea, with both journeys potentially bringing them to the attention of the Home Fleet of the Royal Navy. A raiding force of 612 officers and men were assembled and dispatched from Falmouth to carry out the raid, sailing on board the obsolete British destroyer HMS _Campbeltown_, along with 18 Motor Launches. The idea was to ram the destroyer in to the outer gates of the dry dock at St Nazaire and put it out of action for as long as possible. The raid was a success, but came at a price: of those who set out, 169 were killed whilst a further 215 were captured. Only 3 Motor Launches and 228 men escaped and made the return journey back to the UK. Many brave men gave it their all during the action at St Nazaire, to such an extent that 89 of those who took part in the raid were awarded decorations for bravery, including 5 who were awarded the Victoria Cross.

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Book SynopsisLook closely behind the lives of the stars who appeared in a host of legendary war films and discover how memories of their real-life experiences in the armed forces were haunted with heartbreak and yet filled with extraordinary heroism. Just what did America's most decorated soldier Audie Murphy go through in battle which led him to star as himself in the classic war film, To Hell and Back? When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Murphy joined the US Army aged just 17. He went on to fight at Anzio, the Colmar Pocket, and Nuremberg. And for single-handedly holding off an enemy attack he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. But Murphy's military and celebrity stardom did little to extinguish the pain of his private battle to fit in to a new post-war world he perceived as disappointing, shallow and unfulfilling. Tormented by PTSD Murphy was a man unable to escape from his past. Only the great director and decorated wartime documentary maker John Huston gained Murphy's true respect. When war broke out on 3 September 1939, a number of British stars, including Laurence Olivier, his future wife Vivien Leigh, and David Niven, were in the United States under contract to the Hollywood Studios. Keen not to 'shirk their duties at home', and against advice from the British Consul, they made their way back to Blighty. Olivier joined the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm as a pilot. Then with Churchill's approval he directed and starred in powerful propaganda films, including Shakespeare's Henry V. In 1943 the beautiful Vivien Leigh ruined her health by enduring the brutalities of the North African climate to entertain the troops in the desert. Meantime, Dirk Bogarde was a British Army intelligence officer seconded to the pioneering RAF Medmenham where he studied aerial photographs and pinpointed enemy targets for Bomber Command. As Lieutenant van den Bogaerde he was posted to France just after D-Day. He went on to star in many leading war films such as Appointment in London (1953) and King and Country (1964). Years later in 1991 Sir Dirk Bogarde was interviewed by the author of this book. He had witnessed the horrors of Belsen in April 1945 and said it changed his attitude to life forever. In this book, the author honours the real-life stories of some big screen idols who showed true grit behind the glamour.

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Book SynopsisThe arduous development of a dedicated naval air arm for Germany's resurgent military was fraught with the kind of fierce inter-service rivalry that was rife throughout the turbulent history of the Third Reich. However, almost despite the odds, a small dedicated maritime strike force was assembled, germinating during the Spanish Civil War before being committed to action from the first days of the invasion of Poland. Concurrently, the operational Luftwaffe developed its own maritime units that would eventually subsume all of the Kriegsmarine-controlled formations as the war years progressed. This new book by the well-known author of German naval operations in WWII offers, for the first time, an in-depth study of all the Luftwaffe maritime operations. This is the first of two volumes and takes the story up to 1942. The story of Luftwaffe maritime operations has frequently been written about in fragmentary terms, delineating between the planned naval air arm operating under Kriegsmarine direction and the operational Luftwaffe'. Each branch of service and even aircraft type has usually been studied in isolation. This book, however, broadens the lens to study the development of German naval aircraft as a whole, not as separate independent services but rather as a concerted attempt to engage the enemy at sea in every theatre of operations, from Norway and Western Europe to the Mediterranean and the Eastern fronts, and, of course, over the Atlantic. Through ship-board aircraft, torpedo bomber attacks, minelaying and reconnaissance missions, Luftwaffe maritime aircraft played a vital role in Germany's naval war and the author analyses all the operations and the successes in the early years of the War. This first volume ends in 1942 when, despite great success, petty rivalry and naked arrogance combined to foreshadow the eventual defeat of the Luftwaffe's war at sea. Heavily illustrated throughout, this detailed and exciting operational history will be of huge appeal to both naval and aviation historians and enthusiasts.

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Book SynopsisAs elite troops, the German Fallschirmjager (paratroopers) were regularly engaged in front line combat during the Second World War. Their famed actions such as the fighting in Scandinavia, the taking of the Belgian fortress Eden-Emal in May 1940, and the Battle for Crete just a year later, have given them the reputation of being determined, courageous and loyal soldiers. This book continues the pictorial history of the Fallschirmjager, focusing on the period following the bloody Battle for Crete. Used as elite infantry, first in the USSR and then in Africa, the Fallschirmjager were able to reconnect with their glorious past, whether in Italy or on the Greek Islands, as they jumped from their Ju 52s to engage the enemy. Their hard fighting in Italy helped to cement the legend of 'the Green Devils', with the British General Harold Alexander describing them as 'tenacious, highly-trained men, hardened by their many actions and combats'. However, during the fighting in Normandy, the Ardennes and on the Eastern Front, the number of veterans decreased, meaning it was the young German paratroopers who finally surrendered the III Reich on 8 May 1945.

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