Modern warfare Books

Book SynopsisWhen the Army drafted Elvis in 1958, it set about transforming the King of Rock and Roll from a rebellious teen idol into a clean-cut GI trained for nuclear warfare. Brian Linn traces the origins, evolution, and ultimate failure of the army’s attempt to reinvent itself for the Atomic Age, and reveals the experiences of its forgotten soldiers.Trade ReviewBrian Linn’s history holds lessons for us: be wary about claims of revolutionary change in warfare; find ways to keep servicemen and women connected to those in whose name they serve; recognize that the American military’s advantage over potential enemies is more human than technological. This is a book for scholars, students, soldiers, and citizens. -- H. R. McMaster, author of Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to VietnamThe story of how the army sought to adapt to the atomic age is a compelling one, and Linn goes considerably beyond what has previously been written. -- Thomas G. Mahnken, U.S. Naval War CollegeA fascinating look at a neglected era in American military history—the time after the war in Korea and before the one in Vietnam—when the army was the most diverse, egalitarian, and racially mixed institution in American history. But it also was deeply troubled. -- Thomas E. Ricks, author of The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to TodayWell-researched, logically organized…Linn examines the atomic battlefield, military hardware, enlisted men, and officers, among other topics, providing a fascinating and enlightening look at the U.S. Army during a tumultuous era. -- B. T. Browne * Choice *Elvis’s Army immerses the reader in this world, documenting its complexities and contradictions in meticulous detail. [Linn’s] argument is bolstered by data from internal Army studies and the quoted recollections of those who—whether as generals, privates, or something in between—lived through the era and witnessed it from the inside. The sheer volume of material Linn marshals in support of his case is staggering, and the artfulness with which he wrangles it into thematic chapters on subjects such as doctrine, weapons, recruitment, training, and public relations is impressive. The book is dense with facts and examples, but Linn’s smooth, fluid prose means that it never feels like a slog. Quite the opposite: Anyone with a serious interest in one of Linn’s central themes—American military culture, the Cold War, or innovation—is likely to find Elvis’s Army compulsively readable. -- A. Bowdoin Van Riper * PopMatters *With mordant wit, a kaleidoscopic frame of reference, and deep research in army records, government publications, officers’ papers, and oral histories, Linn is an ideal guide to this service in continuous bureaucratic upheaval. Elvis’s Army will reward any student of the history of the U.S. Army. -- Christopher S. DeRosa * Journal of Military History *A highly convincing work of scholarship. [Linn] has shown the potential of ‘War and Society’ to incorporate cultural, social, technological, and strategic analysis into a volume of wide-ranging academic appeal. -- Alexandre F. Caillot * Strategic Visions *Elvis’s Army is meticulously researched and well written. This reader found the book hard to put down and highly recommends it to all those who are interested in learning how the Army negotiated the challenging middle years of the twentieth century. -- Roger D. Cunningham * Journal of America’s Military Past *Linn’s book is a valuable examination of—and a cautionary tale about—the challenges of identifying a role for soldiers on the atomic battlefield. -- Glenn C. Altschuler * Reviews in American History *The real focus of this rich, readable book is the institutional transformation of the army from the end of World War II to the eve of Vietnam…Linn keeps the focus on ordinary GIs and their coping strategies, reflected in Elvis’ advice to new soldiers: ‘Play it straight and do your best.’ -- Lawrence D. Freedman * Foreign Affairs *In his welcome new book, Brian Linn has skillfully contextualized the evolution of military strategic and tactical doctrine in the early atomic era. Elvis’s Army belongs on the reading lists of both beginning students and seasoned scholars of its subject. -- Gates Brown * Michigan War Studies Review *Linn presents a fascinating history of the U.S. Army and the atomic battlefield of the 1950s, during the height of the Cold War, when people believed tactical nuclear weapons could be used effectively in a European war scenario without escalation. -- William D. Bushnell * Military Officer *This is one of the most important books printed on the history of the U.S. Army in the past decade. Not only does Linn offer a detailed analysis of an understudied period of the Army, but he also provides a wealth of issues for today’s military professional to ponder. -- Lt Col. Richard S. Faulkner * Military Review *Linn’s clear explanations, illuminating examples, and easy, occasionally cutting, prose make Elvis’s Army accessible to casual readers. Yet it is also a seminal work. No historian of the American army during the Cold War can ignore this important book, whilst its comprehensive treatment of the subject will make it an invaluable source for any scholar whose work intersects in any way. -- J. P. Clark * British Journal for Military History *[Linn’s] lucid, insightful and extraordinarily well-researched and referenced book addresses a period of military transformation—specifically for the U.S. Army—that profoundly changed the role of this institution during a critical period following World War II and leading to the Cold War, while affecting the lives of the soldiers and their families in an equally significant fashion. -- Eric B. Schoomaker * Psychiatry *Elvis’s Army is a cautionary reminder of the limits of technology to revolutionize militaries without accompanying adjustments in other important areas, especially force structure. It should be required reading for anyone interested in the U.S. Army during the Cold War and the delicate balance between the articulation of military strategy and the difficulty of achieving it. -- William A. Taylor * Journal of American History *

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Book SynopsisThe Battle of Stalingrad was not only the psychological turning point of World War II: it also changed the face of modern warfare. From Antony Beevor, the internationally bestselling author of D-Day and The Battle of Arnhem.In August 1942, Hitler's huge Sixth Army reached the city that bore Stalin's name. In the five-month siege that followed, the Russians fought to hold Stalingrad at any cost; then, in an astonishing reversal, encircled and trapped their Nazi enemy. This battle for the ruins of a city cost more than a million lives. Stalingrad conveys the experience of soldiers on both sides, fighting in inhuman conditions, and of civilians trapped on an urban battlefield. Antony Beevor has itnerviewed survivors and discovered completely new material in a wide range of German and Soviet archives, including prisoner interrogations and reports of desertions and executions. As a story of cruelty, courage, and human suffering, Stalingrad

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Book SynopsisEach year, the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps selects one book that he believes is both relevant and timeless for reading by all Marines. The Commandant's choice for 1993 was We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young. In November 1965, some 450 men of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, under the command of Lt. Col. Hal Moore, were dropped by helicopter into a small clearing in the Ia Drang Valley. They were immediately surrounded by 2,000 North Vietnamese soldiers. Three days later, only two and a half miles away, a sister battalion was chopped to pieces. Together, these actions at the landing zones X-Ray and Albany constituted one of the most savage and significant battles of the Vietnam War. How these men persevered--sacrificed themselves for their comrades and never gave up--makes a vivid portrait of war at its most inspiring and devastating. General Moore and Joseph Galloway, the only journalist on the ground throughout the fighting, have interviewed hundreds of

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Book SynopsisBetween Dignity and Despair draws on the extraordinary memoirs, diaries, interviews, and letters of Jewish women and men to give us the first intimate portrait of Jewish life in Nazi Germany. Kaplan tells the story of Jews in Germany not from the hindsight of the Holocaust, nor from the vantage of the persecutors, but from the bewildered and ambiguous perspective of Jews trying to navigate their daily lives in a world that was becoming more and more insane. Answering the charge that Jews should have left earlier, Kaplan shows that far from seeming inevitable, the Holocaust was impossible to foresee precisely because Nazi repression occurred in irregular and unpredictable stepsuntil the massive violence of Novemer 1938. Then the flow of emigration turned into a torrent, only to be stopped by the war. By that time Jews had been evicted from their homes, robbed of their possessions and their livelihoods, shunned by their former friends, persecuted by their neighbors, anddriven inTrade Review"This is a devastatingly powerful book. By vividly illustrating how the Holocaust began with seemingly inconsequential acts of humiliation, Kaplan offers readers a message of contemporary relevance."--The New York Times Book Review "Fascinating....Kaplan works at the intersection of Holocaust history and women's studies."--The Philadelphia Inquirer "An exceptional Holocaust study."--Kirkus Reviews "An innovative and suggestive exploration of a surprisingly neglected piece of Jewish history."--Publishers Weekly "Kaplan's gendered approach is of considerable methodological interest. She distinguishes between the experience of Jewish women and men because, in her words, being male or female mattered. Kaplan makes an interesting distinction between the fate of Jewish men and women."--Review Essays "An excellent description of the life--and death--of Jews in the Third Reich. It is especially compelling for the period after Kristallnacht."--Marvin Schwartz, University of Massachusetts, Amherst "My students got a lot out of this book. They said that it made them understand what it felt like to be Jewish in the 1930s. The 'social history' was easy to digest, and the book is clear in its goals and objectives."--Chet Defonso, Northern Michigan University "Pioneering....Kaplan's book is provoking when she writes about women's perspectives, attitudes and feelings."--Los Angeles Times Book Review "An intimate portrait of Jewish life in Nazi Germany. Relying on a host of memoirs, letters and interviews, she paints a deeply moving picture of German Jewry. She pays particular--though not exclusive--attention to women's voices. Well aware the Holocaust history, by underemphasizing women, has transformed the male experience into the universal experience, Kaplan is intent on telling a more nuanced story....This is a devastatingly powerful book. By vividly illustrating how the Holocaust began with seemingly inconsequential acts of humiliation, Kaplan offers readers a message of contemporary relevance."--The New York Times Book Review "An intimate reconstruction, built from memoirs, letters, and interviews, of endless humiliations, from stupid to atrocious."--The New York Times Book Review, A Notable Book of 1998 "Marion A. Kaplan's Between Dignity and Despair insists on gender as an indispesable category of analysis in understanding the Holocaust....Especially fascinating is Kaplan's chapter on 'The Daily Lives of Jewish Children.' Kaplan also writes well on the pressures applied to 'mixed families,' in which Jews were married to 'Aryans.'"--The Philadelphia Inquirer "This is a significant milestone in Jewish women's history and a substantial contribution to the history of the Third Reich and the Holocaust....Kaplan...writes with enormous sensitivity and many passages...are intensely moving. This study which utilizes many original and neglected sources, fills a gap....[It] will appeal to more than an audience of historians."--Award citation for the Fraenkel Prize of the Wiener Library, London (written by Prof. David Cesarani, Director, Institute of Contemporary History and Wiener Library, London) "A gripping account of the everyday life of Jews under conditions of isolation and persecution, focusing especially on the responses of women, as gathered from memoirs and letters. An empathetic reconstruction of the ambiguities of that ever-darkening life where the end was unimaginable. A work of humane scholarship, nuanced and written with lucid restraint, free of simplistic answers, by a seasoned historian. An essential corrective to so much ignorant misinterpretation about Jewry and Nazism."--Fritz Stern, Professor Emeritus, Columbia University "Of all the descriptions of Jewish life in Germany during the Nazi era, this is probably the most complete as well as the most poignant and sensitive one. Marion Kaplan has written an outstanding book."--Saul Friedlander, Professor of History at Tel Aviv University and UCLA "Writing compassionately from a gender perspective, Kaplan provides us with an intimate account of what it meant to be a Jewish woman, man, or child forced to react to Nazi brutality. Gender roles were often reversed and even children played heroic roles in their families. Thus Kaplan investigates not the perpetrators nor the organized response of German Jewry to Nazi persecution but the inner sanctum Jewish life. In a unique way she gives us the victims eye view of Nazi barbarism, the tormenting personal feelings and the voices of Jews struggling for escape and survival as the noose tightened around them."--Monika Richarz "Exceptional...[A] major addition to Holocaust studies."--Kirkus Reviews "An innovative and suggestive exploration of a surprisingly neglected piece of Jewish history."--Publishers Weekly "In her vivid new book Marion Kaplan takes us inside the German Jewish family as the Hitler regime went about destroying their world. She shows us the surprising dynamics of Jewish life as men and women made different assessments of the urgency of their situation. Her subtle and insightful appraisal gives us a new way of examining the old and vexed question: `Why didn't they leave?' Kaplan then follows the history of those who remained, telling through their own words the bewildering and horrifying events that led to the destruction of the German Jewish community. Her recreation of those last years is unforgettable."--Peter Gay

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Book SynopsisThis work looks at the massacre at the village of Oradour in 1944, and how the French State has preserved the entire ruins of the village, which is now a tourist destination. Through interviews and research, the history of a shattering event and its memorial afterlife are investigated.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Abbreviations Preface Introduction Chapter One The Massacre Chapter Two Framing the Story Chapter Three Creating the Monument Chapter Four The Memorial Landscape Chapter Five The Bordeaux Trial Chapter Six The New Town Afterword Notes Bibliography Photo Credits Index

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Book SynopsisStories of real-life bravery and courage-under-fire contribute to a unique and poignant record of a club created for heroes.Trade Review‘Rayment uncovers astonishing depths of courage and resourcefulness.’ Sarah Sands, Evening Standard ‘Sean Rayment has gathered wartime experiences that have an extra resonance. For his veterans served in the Special Forces… [a] brilliant and often deeply moving book.’Sinclair McKay, Sunday Telegraph ‘An outstanding book offering a vital insight into the wartime adventures of that small community of Britain's war heroes who rarely speak publicly.’ Chris Hughes, Daily Mirror ‘A cracking read, couldn't put it down.’ Neil Chandler, Daily Star Sunday

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Book SynopsisThe story of a forgotten victory.Trade Review* The story of the forgotten victory of the Second World War * 'Nicola Tyrer should be congratulated ... a model of the kind of research that had to be done ... she deserves a medal' Mail on Sunday * 'Tyrer's admiration for them [land girls] will be shared by all who read this intriguing history.' Daily Telegraph * 'Absorbing and vigorously committed' Sunday Telegraph * 'A highly readable account ... excellent' Woman and Home

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Book SynopsisAn army marches on its stomach and it fights on its stomach too – yet have you ever wondered how hundreds of men on the frontline are fed amidst hails of bullets and how kitchens are created in the desert or in the trench lines?

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Book SynopsisA special 60th anniversary edition of the bestselling re-creation of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, by the author of A Night to Remember.Sunday, December 7, 1941, was, as President Roosevelt said, a date which will live in infamy. Day of Infamy is a fascinating account of that unforgettable day''s events. In brilliant detail Walter Lord traces the human drama of the great attack: the spies behind it; the Japanese pilots; the crews on the stricken warships; the men at the airfields and the bases; the Japanese pilot who captured an island single-handedly when he could not get back to his carrier; the generals, the sailors, the housewives, and the children who responded to the attack with anger, numbness, and magnificent courage.In piecing together the saga of Pearl Harbor, Lord traveled over fourteen thousand miles and spoke or corresponded with over five hundred individuals who were there. He obtained exclusive interviews with members of the

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Book SynopsisUsing diaries and letters as evidence, Fritzsche argues that the essence of Nazism’s ideological grip lay in the Volksgemeinschaft—a “people’s community” that appealed to Germans to be part of a great project to redress the wrongs of the Versailles treaty, revitalize the country, and cleanse the body politic.Trade ReviewA provocative revisionist view of the Third Reich and the complex relationship of Germans to it. This book, more than any other I know, conveys the complex nature of day-to-day life in Nazi Germany from the perspective of its political leaders, German citizens, and Jewish victims. In many ways, Fritzsche's interpretation of National Socialism and its supporters is far more unnerving than a view of a terrorized, hypnotized populace. The book offers not only an admirable analytic clarity but also passages of such human pathos that they leave the reader quaking. -- Thomas Childers, author of In the Shadows of WarWhat makes this thoroughly engrossing account of everyday life in Nazi Germany so important is Fritzsche's ability to show how the ideology of racism enveloped not only the public but also the private sphere and eventually informed all thought and action in this empire of death. This is a major achievement. -- Modris Eksteins, University of TorontoFritzsche has written an extraordinary book--a short, compelling, and yet comprehensive history of the Third Reich. It unfolds a masterful narrative of a regime that set out to restore a nation and in the process turned Europe into a killing field. This history familiarizes the reader with the key events as they unfolded and with contemporary reflections on them in diaries and letters. We come to the quite shocking recognition that these ruminations capture a conversation, for good and evil, that continues to the present day. -- Michael Geyer, University of ChicagoWith remarkable vision and poise, Fritzsche guides us through the interior of the Third Reich's racial imaginary to explore the terrible effectiveness of the efforts required of Germans in thinking themselves into the morally coercive world of the Volksgemeinschaft. Commanding the vast literatures on Nazism with enviable facility, he seamlessly combines major themes with a keen eye for the telling detail. This is one of the most illuminating reflections on the popular history of the Third Reich in many years. -- Geoff Eley, University of MichiganFritzsche effectively takes up one of the key controversies surrounding the Third Reich: to what extent were the German people accomplices of the regime?...Others have argued that the German people were either manipulated and deceived by, or converted to, Nazism. Fritzsche provides a more nuanced argument that the Nazis were quite successful in winning the people's support, but it took time and effort...Fritzsche mines diaries and letters written by the famous and well-placed as well as the unknown, to show that the prospects of German grandeur and unity resonated deeply with many people, even when it meant a hugely destructive war and the genocide of the Jews. Fritzsche offers a significant interpretation of Nazism and the German people, and writes with a vibrancy that is not often found in studies of the Third Reich. * Publishers Weekly *[A] fascinating book...Fritzsche's book demolishes the myth of contemporary ignorance about the Shoah and the artificial divide between the apolitical Wehrmacht and the evil SS. As the aerial bombing campaign destroyed German cities, the citizenry transformed their status as perpetrators and beneficiaries of Nazi policy into that of victims, thereby quelling postwar confrontation with reality for more than a generation. Fritzsche's book demonstrates that there are still numerous areas of the Nazi era in which historians may delve. -- Frederic Krome * Library Journal (starred review) *Peter Fritzsche's book is one that will undoubtedly court controversy. His aim is to show that "more Germans were Nazis" and that Germans were "more National Socialist" than had been previously accepted...This book combines a compelling historical narrative with a thought-provoking analysis. -- Lisa Pine * Times Higher Education Supplement *Fritzsche writes with his customary flair and verve, and packs an enormous amount into a relatively short volume...His immensely readable and intelligent book makes superb use of letters and diaries to communicate the experience of ordinary people under Nazism in a way that few other historians have been able to do. -- Richard J. Evans * New York Review of Books *What Peter Fritzsche does so well in his new book, Life and Death in the Third Reich, is show the systematic breakdown and reshaping of a society...Fritzsche paints such a nuanced and exhaustively researched portrait of German National Socialism that in the end it just doesn't suffice simply to call the Nazis architects of death. They were, of course, but the political wave they rode in on was something of a phenomenon. So adroit were the Nazis at all-consuming manipulation that they were able to essentially recast the entire destiny of a country in such a way as to make the Holocaust actually seem to make sense, at least in the context of their own barbaric political framework. -- Jeffrey White * PopMatters.com *Fritzsche combines the most recent research with his own investigation of primary sources to create an important synthesis of National Socialist goals and ideology among the ordinary citizenry of the Third Reich. -- J. Kleiman * Choice *Table of Contents* Preface * Introduction *1. Reviving the Nation *"Heil Hitler!" * How Far Did Germans Support the Nazis? *Volksgemeinschaft, or the People's Community * Consuming the Nation *Unter Uns, or Nazism's Audiovisual Space *2. Racial Grooming * Aryan Passports * Biology and the National Revolution * Seeing like an Aryan * The Camp * Unworthy Life * The Assault on German Jews *3. Empire of Destruction * Writing Letters * The Imperial Project * The Expansion of the German Empire * Final Solutions to the "Jewish Problem" * The Deportation of German Jews * The Holocaust *4. Intimate Knowledge * Train Station * Jewish Witnesses * German Witnesses * Perpetrators and Victims * Imagining the End of the War * Reading Catastrophe * Notes * Index

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Book SynopsisThis book is a profound reexamination of the role of the German army, the Wehrmacht, in World War II. Until recently, the standard story avowed that the ordinary German soldier in World War II was a good soldier and not an accomplice to massacres of civilians. Wette explodes this myth of a clean Wehrmacht with devastating clarity.Trade ReviewThis is a powerful book, provocative, enlightening, disturbing. Based on three decades of solid research, Wette debunks the myth, created by former Wehrmacht officers and continued by their Allied counterparts, that the German military fought a "clean" war in the East 1941-45. He strips away the layers of obfuscation and cover-up to set the record straight: Wehrmacht and SS hand-in hand conducted a campaign of racial extermination in the USSR. The book is a must read. -- Holger H. Herwig, University of CalgaryA badly needed analysis of how the German World War II military came to descend into mass murder, how this descent originated, how it was systematically obscured by a legend of "clean" warfare, and how that legend is finally being demolished. A fine piece of important research presented in very clear -- and well translated -- prose." -- Gerhard L. Weinberg, University of North CarolinaThe conventional wisdom that the German army in WWII fought a relatively clean fight, unsullied by the atrocities committed by the Nazi SS, has recently been challenged and largely demolished. This probing study explores the rise and fall of that myth in the light of scholarship debunking it...Wette's hard-hitting indictment also emphasizes the broad culpability of German society for the crimes of the Third Reich. * Publisher's Weekly *This is one of those modestly sized books on a large subject that succeeds in being definitive...The Wehrmacht is an important contribution to current German historiography. It seeks an answer to the question that rages in German intellectual circles: Was Nazism an aberration in German history, a sickness that came upon a formerly healthy and civilized nation, or was it a natural outgrowth of traits well-entrenched in the national psyche? It is clear from the outset which side of this controversy Professor Wolfram Wette is on, but it is equally apparent what a thoughtful, well-informed historian he is...The Wehrmacht is as filled with all manner of details--surprising as well as predictable--as it is with passion and insight. Perhaps this is what makes it such a pleasure to read, for Wette never simply asserts, he always proves. Facts, statistics, instances are plentiful, but they never simply lie there on the page; you feel the author's outrage, sometimes his incredulity, even as you trust his veracity and integrity. -- Martin Rubin * San Francisco Chronicle *In the history of WWII, the German army too often has been regarded as an unwilling tool of Adolf Hitler. Wette destroys that myth in his book, an indictment of the German army for its involvement in atrocities against Jews and people in eastern Europe. -- K. Eubank * Choice *Over the last twenty years various scholars, from the pioneering work of Omer Bartov to the more recent work of Ben Shepherd and a host of American and German scholars, have demonstrated that the view of a Wehrmacht with "clean hands" is entirely mistaken. These studies have shown that "average" German soldiers were completely capable of and willing to commit the worst atrocities imaginable. This book is another contribution to that corpus. Thus far the focus has been on explaining how and why the typical Landser became capable of mass murder, but this book is not about the average soldier's descent into barbarism. It is rather a study of the path trod by the commanding officers: the field marshals, generals, and colonels who formulate policy and created an environment in which mass murder could occur. As such, this book complements earlier studies by focusing on the highest levels of the Wehrmacht. Wette demonstrates that this level of command not only knew about and approved of mass murder but, after the war, successfully created the myth that the Wehrmacht had played no role in the crimes committed during the war. -- Lee Baker * Journal of Military History *[Wette’s] arguments will provide a powerful corrective to the outdated view that Wehrmacht leaders were dragged unwillingly into complicity in Nazi-mandated crimes...Attacking the myth of the “clean” Wehrmacht, as Wette reminds us, has been neither easy nor particularly successful in changing popular perceptions. Only through continued research and the writing of critical histories will the complex reality emerge. Wette’s monograph constitutes a key contribution to this effort. -- Stephen G. Fritz * Holocaust and Genocide Studies *Wolfram Wette has synthesized a large body of scholarly studies written by critical military historians in the past thirty years and makes them accessible to a nonspecialist audience...This book is an important contribution to the recent historical literature that reveals the much resisted and painful process by which Germans learned to deal honestly with the unmasterable past. -- Derek S. Linton * The Historian *Table of ContentsPreface to the English-Language Edition by Peter Fritzsche Foreword by Manfred Messerschmidt List of Abbreviations 1. Perceptions of Russia, the Soviet Union, and Bolshevism as Enemies German Perceptions of Russia in the Twentieth Century National Socialists' Perceptions of Russia: "Jewish Bolshevism" Perceptions of Russia among the Wehrmacht Generals 2. Anti-Semitism in the German Military From Anti-Semitism to the Holocaust? Germany under the Kaiser and the First World War The Revolutionary Era of 1918-19 The Postwar Period: War Continued by Different Means The Weimar Republic The National Socialist Era up to 1939 3. The Wehrmacht and the Murder of Jews Issuing Orders and Propaganda in the Wehrmacht Some Theaters of War Anti-Semitism as a Soldier's Duty 4. Generals and Enlisted Men The Military Elites in the Grip of a War Ideology Hitler and the Generals The "Little Guy" in Uniform Soldiers of the Wehrmacht in Light of Recent Research The Will to Survive in the War's Final Phase 5. The Legend of the Wehrmacht's "Clean Hands" The Birth of a Legend The War Crimes Trials Writing History from the Wehrmacht's Point of View The Cold War Begins Wehrmacht Crimes, the Justice System, and the Statute of Limitations 6. A Taboo Shatters Historical Research Perceptions of the Wehrmacht in the Bundeswehr After Fifty Years a Taboo Is Broken 7. Conclusion Notes Index

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Book SynopsisNew information reveals how Britain's staunchly anti-communist Prime Minister was deceived into giving his full backing to the communist Tito and cutting all aid to the anti-communist forces resisting the Germans in Yugoslavia. The author argues, Tito would not have overcome his political opponents and emerged as the undisputed ruler after the war.Trade Review"this fascinating book ... The purpose of Peter Batty's excellent book is to describe what Churchill called 'one of the biggest mistakes of the war'" Daily Mail 20110722 5.0 stars out of 5. Peter Batty's absorbing book, based on scrupulous and wide ranging research, is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of the dismemberment of former Yugoslavia by the Germans and Italians during the 2nd World War and its temporary reunification under Tito's brutal dictatorship. It convincingly challenges the myth, still not completely extinct, which credited the Croat/Slovene Communist Tito and his Partisans with providing the key resistance to the German occupation. Batty shows how the myth was based on material fed by Tito to Fitzroy Maclean and Deakin, Churchill's preferred but gullible envoys, and accepted as accurate by the British Prime Minister. This misleading version of events, questioned by our American allies and some British sources (though not by the B.B.C.), was bolstered by doctored intelligence supplied by a pro -Soviet mole working in the S.O.E. headquarters in Cairo. The development was accompanied by Britain's gradual abandonment of her previous allies, Mihailovic and his Serb royalist/nationalist Chetnik supporters, who were Tito's main rivals and victims and who, paradoxically, were regarded by the Germans as a far greater threat to them than Tito's Partisans. Batty also explains the contrasting policies adopted by the Germans and Italians towards the Serb resistance. His moving analysis of the character and motivations of the tragic and fundamentally honourable Mihailovic is entirely credible. He also shows how the British never fully understood that what was happening on the ground was as much a civil war as a resistance struggle. At the end of the war Churchill acknowledged that his unquestioning support of Tito had been a mistake but the myth of Tito as our staunch if Communist war time ally lived on in British public opinion, as did their belief in his mendacious claim that he and not the Russians had liberated Yugoslavia from the Germans. Peter Batty's account of Tito's highly skilful post war manoeuvring between the Communist and Capitalist blocs and his leading role in the Non Aligned Movement is equally fascinating and original. Tito's estrangement from Moscow (1948-55) intensified sympathy from Western governments who continued to court him. This was despite his brutal suppression of domestic opposition (largely ignored in the West), his fundamental attachment to Communist ideology and (with few exceptions) to Soviet foreign policy until his death in 1980, only a few years before the renewed fragmentation of Yugoslavia, this time from within. -- Giacomo Amazon Reader 20110822 5 stars out of 5. Long overdue expose This is a long overdue expose of one of Churchill's darkest secrets - and biggest mistakes - of the Second World War. Peter Batty is a highly respected documentary film-maker (producer/director of 6 episodes of the amazing World at War for example) and several years ago produced a big documentary on Tito for the BBC in which he met and interviewed many of the surviving witnesses to this episode in Churchill's life including many of the SOE agents flown into Yugoslavia during the war. As a result he has an incredible insight into the truth of this sorry tale of deception and blundering. It's a gripping read too and I highly recommend it to all readers. Amazon Reader 20110819 'The book answers many questions such as Tito's collaboration with the Germans particularly to thwart an Allied attack across the Adriatic, and his reign of terror and murder after WWII to eliminate all possible enemies. It also conclusively shows that the Partisans hardly harassed the German Army on its retreat in 1944, and did not liberate the country but spent most of their efforts fighting a Civil War to eliminate the forces of Mihailovic. Liberation was by the Red Army in Belgrade and the German evacuation.' South Slav Journal 20110815 'The research and referencing for the book is impressive and for any student of the period it will provide a valuable bibliography. A recommended read for any student of WWII and the Cold War.' Freedom Today 20110815 "Subtitled 'Tito's Great Confidence Trick', journalist and documentary film-maker Peter Batty's fascinating book explores new information to show how Britain's staunchly anti-communist Prime Minister was deceived into giving his full backing to the communist Tito, cutting all aid to the anti-communist forces resisting the Germans in Yugoslavia. But for that decision, the author argues, Tito would not have overcome his political opponents and emerged as the country's undisputed ruler after the war. That it has taken so long for the full story to emerge, the author suggests, is due to a concerted cover-up by a generation who had a vested interest in sustaining the myths surrounding Tito which they had helped to beget. In this the BBC played a controversial part. This book is both a telling biography of Tito and a convincing re-appraisal of the truth behind an important aspect of the wartime mythology." 20110910

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Book SynopsisIn 1939, Germany shattered the peace of Europe with a lightning-quick strike against Poland. The next year, it captured Denmark and Norway, before launching its famous blitzkrieg against France, Belgium and The Netherlands. In less than two years of fighting, Nazi Germany had become the master of mainland Europe. This new theater book for Bolt Action allows players to command armies of Germany tanks in WWII driving across the lowlands or to lead the desperate defense of the outgunned allied armies.Table of ContentsIntroduction/ Special Rules/ Scenarios

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Book Synopsis“One of the last remaining and persistent mysteries of the Pearl Harbor attack is that of the Japanese Midget Submarines. It is a fascinating story of innovation, courage, secrets, and failed expectations. And it is not only a story of the morning hours of December 7, but of the years before to develop these weapons and the years after, where they were deployed in the great Pacific War and how they fared as weapons of war.”These words by Daniel J. Basta, Director of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, from the foreword of this manuscript, capture both the essence and the impact of this work, assembled by James P. Delgado and his coauthors. Th e authors have combed the records of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the recollections of its veterans as well as US Department of Defense archives. They have logged hours of direct observation and research on the mini-subs in their final resting places, in some cases more than 1,000 feet below the surface of the Pacific. And in the end, they have woven a tapestry of scholarship, historical sleuthing, scientific insight, and good storytelling that will enthrall specialists and history buff s alike.

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Book SynopsisExplores the range of Franco's relationship with Hitler, from 1936 to the fall of the Reich in 1945. This title investigates the evolving relationship of the two regimes up to the conclusion of WW II and concerns the enigma of Spain's unique position during the Second World War, as a fascist country struggling to maintain a tortured neutrality.Trade Review"'Stanley Payne has written an excellent study of the relations between Franco and his regime and the Germans during the years of the civil and world wars. Much of what he writes has been known in outline for a long time. But Payne has brought together the result of the latest research on this thorny topic to our great benefit, in a fascinating book.' Lord Hugh Thomas"

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Book SynopsisIn far-flung locations around the globe, an unparalleled sequence of international events took place between December 1 and December 12, 1941. This book explores how the story unfolded. It demonstrates how these dramatic events marked a turning point not only in the course of World War II but also in the direction of the entire century.Trade Review“Evan Mawdsley’s December 1941 marks the change from a continental war into a global war in an original and interesting way.”—Antony Beevor, Sunday Telegraph Seven (Books of the Year) -- Antony Beevor * The Sunday Telegraph Seven (Books of the Year) *"Suspenseful. . . Mawdsley embarks on the action from the first day and never lets up in this crisp, chronological study. . . . A rigorous, sharp survey of this decisive moment in the war."—Kirkus Reviews * Kirkus Reviews *"This book is a ‘must read’ for anyone with an interest in the history of the Second World War.”—Jonathon Eaton, Military History -- Jonathon Eaton * Military History *‘Mawdsley’s grasp of the complexities of military operations and grand strategy is second to none. Weaving together the national strands of this global story in a compelling narrative, he underscores just how crucial that first week of 1941 was.’ - Joe Maiolo, author of Cry Havoc: Arms Races and the Second World War -- Joe Maiolo'Using a zoom lens, Evan Mawdsley captures the realities of the dramatic twelve days in 1941 that determined the fate of the world. He shows how the campaigns in the Atlantic, North Africa, the Soviet Union and the Far East suddenly merged into a global war. He demonstrates how these momentous events presaged the defeat of Hitler and of Japan, the downfall of the British empire, and the rise of the two superpowers that dominated the history of the world between 1945 and 1989. Vividly written, based on a wealth of sources, and illuminated by penetrating and judicious insights, this is a pioneering work of international history that will enthrall scholars and general readers alike.' - Bernard Wasserstein, author of Barbarism and Civilization: A History of Europe in Our Time -- Bernard Wasserstein‘The drama of the events leading to the outbreak of global war in December 1941 has never been better captured. Mawdsley’s evocation of the personalities and issues is masterly and his command of the sources authoritative. His pacey and engaging narrative will appeal to everyone interested in the history of the Second World War.’ - Geoffrey Roberts, author of Stalin's Wars: From World War to Cold War, 1939-1953 -- Geoffrey Roberts“His book presents a radically new approach to our study of the Second World War through a microscopic analysis of the events which took place between 1 and 12 December 1941......This is a fascinating treatment of a crucial phase of the conflict. He switches with ease between the different theatres of the conflict, taking the reader from Churchill’s deliberations at Chequers to the horrors of warfare on the Eastern Front. This book is a ‘must read’ for anyone with an interest in the history of the Second World War.”—Jonathon Eaton, Military History -- Jonathon Eaton * Military History *"Suspenseful ...Mawdsley embarks on the action from the first day and never lets up in this crisp, chronological study...Mawdsley has an excellent grip on the behind-the-scenes political and diplomatic scurrying among London, Washington, Berlin and Tokyo...A rigorous, sharp survey of this decisive moment in the war."—Kirkus Reviews * Kirkus Reviews *'All of these cataclysmic events have long been pored over by historians...It would, one might have thought, be difficult for anyone to find a new way across such familiar terrain. Yet in December 1941, retired Glasgow University Professor Evan Mawdsley does just that... Not only does he construct an engrossing day-by-day narrative, but it is one that shows quite clearly how closely all of these epochal changes were interlinked.' - The Scotsman -- David Robinson * Scotsman *'An account of naval and army operations that is fresh and vivid…Mawdsley's account is authoritative, invigorated by new perspectives and contextualised in great themes: the end of empires, the dawn of American might and the struggle for supremacy in Southeast Asia.'—Times Higher Education * Times Higher Education *"Mawdsley has captured the very essence of an almost unique phase of the war… The engaging manner in which [he] has written the book will appeal to a wide range of reader as he successfully makes the characters and events present themselves in all their glory… This is an extremely well written book that will captivate the reader and provide them with a much greater understanding of the Second World War."—Leslie J. M. Obre, History Teaching Review -- Leslie J.M. Obre * History Teaching Review *"Honing in on the pivotal month that ushered America into the Second World War, this meticulous history gives a gripping account of the days in which the entire world held its breath."—Benjamin Evans, The Sunday Telegraph -- Benjamin Evans * The Sunday Telegraph *"When did not just the Second World War, but our postwar condition, truly begin? This compelling history, tight in focus but vast in implication, traces the events of 1-12 December 1941… Mawdsley is a compelling guide to a pivotal fortnight." —Boyd Tonkin, Independent i -- Boyd Tonkin * Independent i *

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Book Synopsis[T]he amazing story of a woman who lived through one of the worst times in human history, losing family members to the Nazis but surviving with her spirit and integrity intact.” —Publishers WeeklyMarthe Cohn was a young Jewish woman living just across the German border in France when Hitler rose to power. Her family sheltered Jews fleeing the Nazis, including Jewish children sent away by their terrified parents. But soon her homeland was also under Nazi rule. As the Nazi occupation escalated, Marthe’s sister was arrested and sent to Auschwitz and the rest of her family was forced to flee to the south of France. Always a fighter, Marthe joined the French Army and became a member of the intelligence service of the French First Army. Marthe, using her perfect German accent and blond hair to pose as a young German nurse who was desperately trying to obtain word of a fictional fiancé, would slip behind enemy lines to retri

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Book SynopsisThis book tells the tale of the illustrious Royal Air Force career of Tom Clark, a World War Two gunner and post-war signaller in action during some of the most pivotal events of the twentieth century. Lovingly penned by his son, it provides an authentic insight into this dynamic period of world history. From work as an air gunner, involved in the daunting task of taking on the might of Hitler's U-boat fleet, to post-war involvement in an Intelligence capacity during the dramatic events surrounding Khrushchev and the atomic threat of the late 1950s, Clark's career was dramatic and varied to say the least. Having joined the RAF as an aircraft man just before the Second World War, Clark was destined to take part in a whole range of wartime operational engagements. His career featured involvement in the famous 1941 hunt for the elusive Bismarck, the dangers of life as part of an Air Sea Rescue squadron in conflicted waters, and the experience of training as a gunnery leader (later an instructor), training air gunners for the famed Desert Air Force. His career also took in a fraught period behind enemy lines, when his crew of four were shot down in enemy territory in Northern Italy. Seven weeks in a safe house in Florence are relayed in engaging and dramatic style, as are a raft of other personal and professional achievements, set within the context of the wider conflict. Here is a career that deserves to be recorded and celebrated, and there is perhaps no-one better placed than the subject's son to act as custodian to his thrilling story.

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Book SynopsisResisting Hitler is a biography of the only American woman to have been executed for treason against Germany during World War II. Mildred Harnack was born in Wisconsin but moved to Germany with her husband in 1929 where she taught American literature. Both Mildred and her husband, Arvid (a professor of philosophy and a native of Gemany), socialised with the intellectual elite of Berlin. Appalled by the rise of Hitler, they joined with others to resist fascism by any means they could. Brysac''s exhaustive reasearch has found evidence to support the theory that both Mildred and Arvid gave classified information on Germany to both the Soviets and the US in an effort to sabotage the Nazis. Before and during the war, the Harnacks were founding and leading members of the Red Orchestra, an important covert intelligence group that transmitted messages of resistance with the use of contraband radios. In 1942, Hitler personally ordered their execution.That the heroic efforts of Mildred Harnack''Trade ReviewReview from previous editionResisting Hitler is one of the best researched books on the Second World War that I have ever read . . . Shareen Brysac has added greatly to our knowledge of anti-Nazi resistance in Germany. * Andrew Roberts, Mail on Sunday, 25/02/01 *splendid richly textured biography . . . . This is fine writing * Richard Overy, The Sunday Telegraph, 04/02/2001 *

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Book SynopsisThe first volume of a two part set on the history of the Galician Division is based on over 25 years research by accomplished historian Michael James Melnyk who has sourced additional new and hitherto unseen original material on all aspects of the Division's history from archives and private collections in Europe, Australia, North American and Canada. Complemented by the individual accounts and contributions of many veterans which add an engaging personal dimension, this new definitive two volume account supersedes his earlier divisional history published in 2002. As a recognised authority on the subject he has produced the most reliable and exhaustive account to date lavishly illustrated with many rare and unique photos and crammed full of details, notes and references in this last ever book to include direct and new material from the participants.

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Book SynopsisWinner of the Northern California Book Award for Nonfiction "Both a serious work of history…and a marvelously readable dramatic narrative." —San Francisco ChronicleTrade Review"An entertaining, impressively researched chronicle of the tense period between the bombing of Pearl Harbor and American victory at the battle of Midway." -- Kirkus"Revealing and poignant, Toll’s latest deftly navigates the rough waters of the Pacific struggle with flying colors." -- Publishers Weekly"Excellent. The research is thorough, the writing clear, and the narrative flow exemplary…It is difficult to think of a recent book on this subject that is of such consistently outstanding value." -- Roland Green - Booklist (starred review)"Well documented—albeit from previously published materials—and well written. Experienced World War II history buffs may bypass if they feel no need to read another retelling of this phase of the Pacific War, but nonspecialists and general readers will want to consider it." -- Library Journal"Toll’s book does a good job of capturing strategy, tactics, weaponry and, especially, people, on the Japanese side as well as the American…You won’t set [Pacific Crucible] aside." -- Harry Levins - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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Book SynopsisOffers a profound reinterpretation of nationalism, racism, and wartime mobilization during the Asia-Pacific war. This book demonstrates that the United States and Japan became increasingly alike over the course of the war, perhaps most tellingly in their common attempts to disavow racism even as they reproduced it in new ways and forms.Trade Review"[A] monumental history... This magisterial book will be indispensable reading for historians of the United States, Japan, and Korea." -- Kornel S. Chang, Rutgers University Jrnl Of American History "[This book] is very important and should be read and studied by all serious students of Asian studies, Japanese American studies, and the Pacific War... Highly recommended." Choice "Truly impressive archival work and rigorous conceptualization... Provides compelling narratives and analyses of Japanese colonialism in Korea." -- Henry Em, Yonsei University Cross Currents: East Asian History & Cultural ReviewTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface and Acknowledgments Note on Romanization and Naming Commonly Used Acronyms Introduction: Ethnic and Colonial Soldiers and the Politics of Disavowal Part One: From Vulgar to Polite Racism 1. Right to Kill, Right to Make Live: Koreans as Japanese 2. "Very Useful and Very Dangerous": The Global Politics of Life, Death, and Race Part Two: Japanese as Americans 3. Subject to Choice, Labyrinth of (Un)freedom 4. Reasoning, Counterreasonings, and Counter-conduct 5. Go for Broke, the Movie: The Transwar Making of American Heroes Part Three: Koreans as Japanese 6. National Mobilization 7. Nation, Blood, and Self-Determination 8. The Colonial and National Politics of Gender, Sex, and Family Epilogue: "Four Volunteer Soldiers" Notes Selected Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisExamines how the Vietnam War has continued to serve as a stage for the shoring up of American imperialist adventure and for the (re)production of American and Vietnamese American identities.Trade Review"An important addition to the transnational history of the Vietnam War, Cold War global history, and the history of Asian migration to the United States... An Innovative work." -- Heonik Kwon American Journal of Sociology (AJS)Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments 1. Critical Refuge(e) Studies 2. Militarized Refuge(es) 3. Refugee Camps and the Politics of Living 4. The "Good Warriors" and the "Good Refugee" 5. Refugee Remembering--and Remembrance 6. Refugee Postmemories: The "Generation After" 7. "The Endings That Are Not Over" Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisThis is the story of the highest battlefield of World War Two, which brings to life the extremes endured during this harsh mountain warfare. When the German war machine began faltering from a shortage of oil after the failed Blitzkrieg against the Soviet Union, the Wehrmacht launched Operation Edelweiss in the summer of 1942, a bold attempt to capture the Soviet oilfields of Grozny and Baku and open the way to securing the vast reserves of Middle Eastern oil. Hitler viewed this campaign as the key to victory in World War Two. Mountain warfare requires unique skills: climbing and survival techniques, unconventional logistical and medical arrangements and knowledge of ballistics at high altitudes. The Main Caucasus Ridge became the battleground that saw the elite German mountain divisions clash with the untrained soldiers of the Red Army, as they fought each other, the weather and the terrain.Trade Review'Comprehensive, engaging and full of new material. Statiev's majestic new study is not just a scholarly work, it is an exciting read, which will endure as the definitive work on this neglected theatre of the German-Soviet war for a long time to come.' David Stahel, author of The Battle for Moscow'This remarkable book provides a highly-detailed and balanced account of the fighting between the Germans and the Russians in the Caucasus mountains in late 1942. It takes advantage of unique access to archival sources. Beyond this, many valuable insights are provided about mountain warfare in general, and the about military culture of the Stalin era.' Evan Mawdsley, author of Thunder in the East: The Soviet-German War'This fine book will be of interest for historians of the Soviet and the German war effort, but also for students of Soviet leisure and Soviet tourism.' Mark Edele, European History QuarterlyTable of ContentsList of figures; List of maps; List of tables; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Introduction: the path towards the top summits of World War II; 1. Russia's historical experience in mountain warfare; 2. Soviet preparations for war in the mountains; 3. First battle tests and the handicaps of selective learning; 4. Contest of follies: plan Edelweiss and the German offensive across the High Caucasus; 5. 'Not a step back!': the German mountain corps hits the wall; 6. The Soviet counteroffensive: a stalemate snatched from the jaws of victory; 7. Mosaics of mountain warfare: comparative military effectiveness in the High Caucasus; 8. Learning mountain warfare the hard way; 9. Lessons ignored: déjà vu at Tuapse (1942) and in the Carpathians (1944); 10. Disdain for military professionalism as a component of the universal Stalinist paradigm; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisLike many heroes of World War II, General Albert C. Wedemeyer's career has been largely overshadowed by such well-known figures as Marshall, Patton, Montgomery and Bradley. Wedemeyer's legacy as the main planner of the D-Day invasion is almost completely forgotten today, eclipsed by politics and the capriciousness of human nature.In the late 1930s Wedemeyer had the unique experience of being an exchange student at the German Kriegsakademia, the Nazis'equivalent of Fort Leavenworth's Command and General Staff School. As the only American to attend, he was thus the only ranking officer in the US who recognised the revolutionary tactics of Blitzkrieg once they were unleashed, and he knew how to respond.As US involvement in the European conflagration approached, Wedemeyer was taken under the wing of George C. Marshall in Washington, but although he conceived the plans for US mobilisation, to his great disappointment he was not appointed to field command once the invasion commenced; further, he had run afoul of Winston Churchill due to the latter's insistence on emphasising the Mediterranean theatre in 1943.Perhaps because of Churchill's animosity, Wedemeyer was transferred to the Burma-China theatre, where a year later he would replace General Stilwell. Ultimately, Wedemeyer's service in the Asian theatre became far more significant, though less known. Had the US political establishment listened to Wedemeyer on China during the years 1943-48, it is possible China would not have been lost to the Communists and would have been a functioning US ally from the start, thus eliminating the likelihood of both the Korean and Vietnam Wars.Trade ReviewMcLaughlin’s biography of Wedemeyer describes his importance as a visionary strategist and principal author of the America’s Victory Program. * ARMOR Magazine 21/12/2022 *

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Book SynopsisThe thrilling and previously untold true story of Suzanne Spaak, who abandoned her life of opulence to save the Jewish children of Occupied Paris during the Second World War.Suzanne Spaak was born into an affluent Belgian Catholic family and married into the country's leading political dynasty. Her brother-in-law was the prime minister while her husband Claude was a playwright and patron of the painter René Magritte. In occupied Paris she was part of the cultural elite and a neighbour of Colette and Jean Cocteau. But Suzanne was living a double life.Her friendship with a Polish Jewish refugee led her to her life's purpose. When France fell and the Nazis occupied Paris, she joined the Resistance. She used her fortune and social status to enlist allies among wealthy Parisians and church groups. Under the eyes of the Gestapo, Suzanne and women from the Jewish and Christian resistance groups 'kidnapped' hundreds of Jewish children to save them from the gas chambers. Codename Suzette is a masterpiece of research and narrative, bringing to life a truly remarkable woman and painting a vivid and unforgettable picture of wartime Paris.Trade ReviewVividly dramatises the stakes of acting morally in a time of brutality * Wall Street Journal *This heartfelt story is almost a model for how popular history should be written; it will satisfy lovers of history, Jewish history in particular. * Library Journal *A riveting book about a truly heroic woman in a Paris of resignation and shame. A must-read! * Diane von Furstenberg *Anne Nelson has written an extraordinary book that finally does justice to Spaak's story of heroism and sacrifice. -- Andrew Nagorski * Author of THE NAZI HUNTERS *Anne Nelson tells the story of Suzanne Spaak, an elegant Belgian aristocrat who risked her life to save Jewish children in Nazi-occupied France. Her conscience told her someone had to do something. But, as Nelson's gripping book shows, doing the right thing can also come at a price. -- Alan Riding * Author of AND THE SHOW WENT ON: CULTURAL LIFE IN NAZI-OCCUPIED PARIS *Superbly researched and sharply written. * Alan Furst on Red Orchestra *[A] haunting account of a long-neglected network... Experiences inform the deep sympathy and unsentimental compassion of Red Orchestra. * New York Times on Red Orchestra *

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Book SynopsisExplaining and illustrating the immediate background to the current Russian invasion of Ukraine, this book investigates the Ukrainian and Russian regular and irregular forces which have been fighting in the Donbas region since 2014. In February 2014, street protests in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities led to the ousting of the Russian-backed President Yanukovych. Simultaneously, Russia carried out an almost-bloodless seizure of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula. Ukraine's Euromaidan Revolution' would see many changes to the country's constitution, and a turn towards the West for civic assistance and military training. Meanwhile, a violent reaction in the mainly Russian-speaking south-eastern industrial Donbas region led to a local armed counter-revolution, backed by Russia from April 2014. This conflict became an essential example of Russia's policy of so-called hybrid warfare', which pursues its strategic aims by a blend of propaganda and misinformation with the clandestine deployment ofTable of ContentsIntroduction: brief overview of the complex relationship between Russia and Ukraine, and the ejection of President Yanukovych in the 'Maidan Revolution' of February 2014. Taking Crimea: summary of Russia's seizure of Crimea from Ukraine, the forces involved, and the military lessons learned. 'Hybrid War' in the Donbas: overview of the war's progress up to 2018, and such incidents as the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17. Russian Proxy Forces: local militias, volunteers, Cossacks and mercenaries; career of 'Igor Strelkov', 'defence minister' of the self-styled Donetsk People's Republic; the Vostock Battalion, Chechen veterans organized by the GRU; Russia's difficulty in controlling its proxies. Russian Regular Forces: the battalion tactical groups – order of battle; the battle of Debaltseve – a month-long conflict which obliged Russian regulars to intervene; the battle of Zelenopillya – destruction of Ukrainian mechanized units by Russian artillery. Ukrainian Auxiliary Forces: volunteer militias bankrolled by oligarchs – orders of battle of volunteer battalions. The battle for Donetsk Airport – the vicious four-month 'battle of the Cyborgs'. Ukrainian Regular Forces: structure, equipment, tactics, and developing capabilities; Ukrainian Army order of battle; Ukrainian Navy and Naval Infantry. The Future? Identifiable trends, e.g. drone-controlled artillery; blending of militias; intelligence; deniable regular forces; and Russia's use of mercenaries as part of 'hybrid warfare', in Ukraine and later Syria.

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Book SynopsisFrom 1942-1945 the Allies' war in the Southwest Pacific was effectively a bilateral coalition between the United States and Australia under the command of General Douglas MacArthur. By charting the evolution of the military effectiveness of the US-Australian alliance, MacArthur's Coalition puts the relationship between the US and Australia at the centre of the war against Japan.Trade ReviewMacArthur’s Coalition contains new insights into the military-to-military relationship between the United States and Australia during the Second World War. The author carefully examines the coalition from its ad hoc origins to its high point of cooperation and (sometimes) mutual respect in 1942–1943, into its decline in 1944–1945."" - Peter Williams, author of The Kokoda Campaign 1942: Myth and Reality""Drawing upon a wide range of primary and secondary sources, Dean explores the long-neglected topic of Australian-American military cooperation during World War II. This highly original and superb book has much to say not only about how military strategy was created and executed but also about the important topic of alliance politics under the pressures of wartime conditions."" - Kevin C. Holzimmer, author of General Walter Krueger: Unsung Hero of the Pacific War""Peter Dean’s standout study of coalition warfare in the Southwest Pacific provides intriguing new perspectives on Australia's outsize contributions to MacArthur’s campaigns. Dean’s fascinating multilevel analysis, anchored in extensive research across multiple archives, emphasizes the critical interplay of personalities from strategic through tactical echelons as well as the importance of intercultural communications as allies adapted to differing command cultures and military doctrines. This fresh reassessment of coalition leadership depicts MacArthur and his cohorts in the sweeping fashion they deserve."" - Edward J. Drea, author of Japan’s Imperial Army: Its Rise and Fall, 1853–1945""MacArthur’s Coalition provides a deeply researched, innovative, and authoritative study of how the United States and Australia fought together to achieve victory in the Second World War. The book holds important lessons for the conduct of present-day coalition operations—a key feature of modern warfare."" - David Horner, emeritus professor, Strategic & Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University""MacArthur’s Coalition is a superb work enormously extending our understanding of that controversial figure and those who served with him. It is deeply researched, vigorously narrated, and admirably evenhanded. It casts brilliant illumination over the full span of relationships from MacArthur and the heights of Australian political and military leadership down to the sharp edge where Australians and Americans confronted a formidable enemy."" - Richard B. Frank, author of Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire

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Book SynopsisThis absorbing study pits US Army National Guardsmen against Japanese soldiers in the uniquely hostile setting of the New Guinea campaign in World War II.When Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941, New Guinea the world's second-largest island was administered partly by Australia and partly by the Dutch East Indies. The New Guinea campaign (January 1942August 1945) saw Japanese forces invade the island, rapidly capturing the key port of Rabaul and threatening Port Moresby, while US forces joined the defenders in increasing numbers. The uniquely demanding environment, and the savage nature of the fighting, meant that the campaign was among the most arduous of World War II for both sides. In this study, the Japanese forces and their US Army opponents, many of whom were National Guard units, are assessed and compared, with particular attention paid to combat doctrine, weaponry, tactics, logistics, leadership, and communications in the challenging settinTable of ContentsIntroduction The Opposing Sides Buna, November 18, 1942-January 3, 1943 Biak Island, May 27-July 20, 1944 The Driniumor River, July 10-August 4, 1944 Analysis Aftermath Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisAt its peak the Italian Army contributed 2.5 million troops to the Axis war effort. English-speaking readers tend to think of this army in terms of the North African campaign; but far more Italian troops served in other theatres. They invaded, and later bore the major burden of occupying, the Balkan countries; and Italy sent 250,000 troops to fight on the Russian Front. In this, the first of a three-part study, Philip Jowett covers the European theatre including Russia from 1940 to Italy's armistice with the Allies in 1943. Many interesting uniforms, a number of them new to most readers, are meticulously illustrated by Stephen Andrew.Table of ContentsThe Albanian adventure; French farce; Greece and Yugoslavia; the Partisan war; the war of Russia; invasion and revolution.

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Book SynopsisCovers Sussex in the Second World War, from the commencement of the conflict in September 1939, until its end in September 1945, featuring many forgotten news stories of the day.

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Book SynopsisThe effect of the war on everyday life.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewAn excellent book. A fresh and exciting new take on the opening days of Operation Overlord by a leading Canadian scholar. Milner not only rescues the Canadian army from the obscurity that has enveloped it in most histories of the campaign, he places the Canadians right at the heart of the Overlord narrative, where Allied planners intended them to be: in the center of the line; astride the most vulnerable terrain; and armed, trained, and equipped to shoot up the inevitable German counterattack. As Milner shows in this deeply researched and gripping narrative, that was precisely what they did."" - Robert M. Citino, author of The Wehrmacht Retreats: Fighting a Lost War, 1943""An extraordinarily detailed account of the vital Canadian contributions to the Allied landings in Normandy, Milner’s work completely revises our understanding of the role of Canadian forces in taking and holding a crucial segment of the landing area against repeated counterattacks by German panzer divisions. . . . A masterpiece of historical scholarship from one of the most authoritative voices in Canadian military history."" - Peter Mansoor, author of The GI Offensive in Europe: The Triumph of American Infantry Divisions, 1941–1945""An impressive book that tells a compelling story. Among its many strengths are the broad, deep documentation of both sides of the fight; the gift for combat narrative; and the author’s intimate familiarity with the ground on which the battle was fought. It adds greatly to our understanding of the Allies’Normandy campaign."" - Harold R. Winton, author of Corps Commanders of the Bulge: Six American Generals and Victory in the ArdennesTable of Contents List of maps List of Abbreviations Acknowledgments Introduction 1. All Roads Lead to Courseulles 2. Prelude to Battle 3. The Assault, 6 June 4. 9th Brigade Advances: The Morning of 7 June 5. Death in the Afternoon: The 12th SS Attacks, 7 June 6. According to Plan: The Advance of 7th Brigade, 7 June 7. Putot, 8 June 8. Bretteville and Cardonville, 8 June 9. Norrey, 9-10 June Conclusion Notes Selected Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisEighty years after its creation, the Luftwaffe is still one of the most fascinating forces in the history of aviation. A companion to Luftwaffe in Colour Volume 1, which covered the victory years from 1939 up to Spring 1942, this volume with nearly 400 images contains even more fascinating material on the machines of the Luftwaffe and the men who flew them, as their fate took an increasingly grim path.Initially the Luftwaffe ruled the skies but thereafter fought an increasingly futile war of attrition which when combined with vital strategic mistakes in aircraft production, was its death knell. Despite this the Luftwaffe produced the most successful air aces of all time who feature in this volume. Among many remarkable images we see one of the last Junkers 87 B-2 operational on the front line on the Eastern Front during the winter of 1942-1943, the huge BV 222 V-5 of Lufttransportstaffel in the port of Heraklion in late 1942, pilots in Tunisia in 1943, the aces Hans Philipp, Wolfgang Spate and Heinz Schnaufer and a vivid demonstration of the reversal in fortunes in 1944 as Allied bombers destroy 106 places, engulfing them in fire at Schwabisch-Hall on German soil.In this painstakingly pieced together collection, originally published in France, the full detail behind the propaganda is once more revealed, in rare colour photographs.Trade ReviewAll in all there is just so much in here that I think anyone with an interest in the wartime Luftwaffe, historian and modeller, there will be lots to like in this one. * Military Model Scene *Over 400 striking images, each placed in context with a descriptive caption, fill this fascinating compendium… Luftwaffe in Colour will appeal to military historians and lay readers alike, and is a choice pick for public and college library collections. Also highly recommended is the companion volume, "Luftwaffe in Color: The Victory Years 1939-1942. * Midwest Book Review *Together they make an excellent pair, with plenty of reference material, plus a good read to be had in-between. The quality of the pictures in some cases gives the impression that they could have been taken yesterday. * Britmodeller.com *Any photo book stands or falls on the quality of photo reproduction and fortunately here not only is the standard very high but the quality of 90% of the images is very good indeed while each picture is informatively and expertly captioned. Once again, a volume to keep close to hand for reference, to dip into constantly. * Flightpath Magazine *Especially high quality captions with each and every photograph that really add to the value of this book...provides some great diorama ideas. * Armorama *The authors have done an outstanding job. Both volumes are a fantastic addition to your aviation library. The reproduction quality is superb...these two are up there with the best. * War History Online *These books are superb modelling references...If like us you're a sucker for colour WWII photographs these books are superb value. * Air Modeller *This is a superb little book…will particularly appeal to modellers as its photographs tell much more than could be gleaned from black and white imagery. * Britain at War Magazine *Interesting as it groups a large collection of colour pictures of the men and planes of the Luftwaffe. Some are not so well known, and this makes it surely worthy of inclusion to your collection, as a quick reference, a sample of Luftwaffe camouflage colours or a modellers source of inspiration. * Luftwaffe Research Group *A brilliant collection of colour photos of the Luftwaffe in the later years of WWII." Listed in Military History Monthly's round up of the best military history titles for October 2017. * Military History Matters (Book Reviews) *This book is not only a valuable historical took for WWII historians but also essential for modelers who want to make their scale paint schemes as accurate as possible. * Reale Model Review *The photographs in this book make it a very useful reference for both aircraft enthusiasts and modellers, but this usefulness is magnified by the fact that the photos are in colour. Highly recommended. * Scale Military Modelling International Magazine *

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Book SynopsisThe attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December, 1941, has been portrayed by historians as a dazzling success, “brilliantly conceived and meticulously planned”. With most historians concentrating on command errors and the story of participants’ experiences, this book presents a detailed evaluation of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on an operational and tactical level.It examines such questions as: Was the strategy underlying the attack sound? Were there flaws in planning or execution? How did Japanese military culture influence the planning? How risky was the attack? What did the Japanese expect to achieve, balanced against what they did achieve? What might have been the results if the attack had not benefited from the mistakes of the American commanders? The book also addresses the body of folklore about the attack, supporting or challenging many contentious issues such as the skill level of the Japanese aircrew, whether midget submarines torpedoed Oklahoma and Arizona, as has been recently claimed, whether the Japanese ever really considered launching a third wave attack, and what the consequences might have been. In addition, the analysis has detected for the first time a body of deceptions that a prominent Japanese participant in the attack placed into the historical record, most likely to conceal his blunders and enhance his reputation. The centrepiece of the book is an analysis using modern Operations Research methods and computer simulations, as well as combat models developed between 1922 and 1946 at the U.S. Naval War College. The analysis puts a new light on the strategy and tactics employed by Yamamoto to open the Pacific War, and a dramatically different appraisal of the effectiveness of the attack on Pearl Harbor.Trade Reviewas an analysis of the raid from the Japanese point of reference it is very intriguing and goes far to display the old axiom “every plan changes (or falls apart) once the enemy is encountered”www.ipmsusa.com, August 2011 * www.ipmsusa.com *Alan D. Zimm has not only mined a treasure trove of primary and secondary sources to produce a detailed analysis of the attack, but also presents much of his findings from not just the US standpoint, but predominately, and most interestingly, approaches the subject matter from the Japanese point of view. * www.globeatwar.com *Alan D. Zimm, in his outstanding new book, presents meticulous analysis estimating that had Short and Kimmel ensured Pearl Harbour’s air defenses were on alert prior to the atttack, the Japanese might have lost as many as 307 of 354 planes - an 88 percent loss rate . * Armchair General *... definitely read Alan Zimm's Attack on Pearl Harbor for a fuller and more up-to-date understanding of an event that changed history and continues to fascinate. * Michigan War Studies Review *An interesting analysis of the strategy and tactics involved. Instead of “the most daring and brilliant naval operations of all time”, Zimm demonstrates that the Japanese carrier strike force did not plan the attack very well, nor did they train effectively for it… an interesting new “look” at this opening gambit in the Pacific Theater of World War II. * The Past in Review *His book is far from a simple retelling of a familiar tale; instead, he has presented an in-depth study of the Japanese’ planning, preparation, and execution of the attack, with particular focus on factors not thoroughly considered by other historians, if at all. * Proceedings *There is no shortage of books about the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, but this one - by an operations analyst, the head of the Aviation Systems and Advanced Concepts Group in the John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory - approaches the subject as an analysis of the Japanese operational planning and execution. * Seapower *It is not often that one can say that an outstanding and important book transforms our knowledge of a well-known event, but this can be said of Attack on Pearl Harbor. * Navy News *In a lucid and highly critical examination of the aerial attack plan and the raid, Zimm follows every torpedo and bomb in determining how the principal planners, Commanders Minoru Genda and Mitsuo Fuchida, allocated their resources, what they intended to accomplish on Oahu, and what really occurred. * US Naval Institute’s Naval History Magazine *

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