Modern warfare Books
The History Press Ltd The World War II Story
Book SynopsisIn September 1939, Hitler's Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Thus began the greatest armed struggle in history. Within days of the invasion, Germany was at war with France, Great Britain and much of the Commonwealth, but by the end of 1941 by which time Japan and the United States had been plunged into war the conflict had engulfed virtually the entire planet. World War II witnessed the mobilisation of more than 100 million military personnel. Here was total war' on a scale never previously experienced by any of the countries involved. The conflict eclipsed everything: industry, technology, the economy and home life. It transformed the lives of an entire generation of men and women, who grew up under the shadow of violence, separation and loss. It was also fought in every conceivable terrain and theatre, from the arctic conditions of the Soviet winter to the tropical landscape of the Pacific islands, with the battle for seas and skies being equally brutal. By the time it ended
£8.54
The History Press Ltd Mission 101
Book SynopsisIn late 1940 a group of five young Australian soldiers set out on a secret mission: one of the Second World War’s most daring operations and the first for Britain’s legendry Special Operations Executive.
£9.49
The History Press Ltd Battle Story Kohima 1944
Book SynopsisThe Battle of Kohima was the turning point in the Japanese invasion of India and known as 'the Stalingrad of the East'. It was a bitter battle fought in three stages, spanning three months and ending with the siege of Imphal. If you want to understand what happened and why - read Battle Story.
£12.34
The History Press Ltd Beyond the Legend
Book SynopsisBeyond the Legend is the authorised biography of William (Bill) Speakman,who was awarded one of only four Victoria Crosses for action in the Korean War. It covers his sometimes controversial life, from his childhood in Altrincham, Cheshire, to his later life in South Africa about which little has been known previously. Authors Derek Hunt and John Mulholland also explore the myth of the beer bottle VC' (in which Speakman was said to have fended off the Chinese Communist Army by throwing empty beer bottles at them after they ran out of grenades), bringing to light what really happened on United Hill in November 1951. Speakman held the attacking Chinese army at bay for over four hours and led a final charge that allowed his company to withdraw from the hill. After Korea, he saw active service in Malaya, Borneo and Aden before retiring from the army, with the rank of sergeant, in 1968. Bill Speakman is one of only two surviving VC holders of the British Army and a true British hero.
£13.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Mosul under ISIS
Book SynopsisMathilde Becker Aarseth is Postdoctoral Researcher at the Centre for Islamic and Middle East Studies at the University of Oslo, Norway. She has published on ISIS in the journal Middle East Policy and in the Routledge Handbook of Citizenship in the Middle East and North Africa (2020).Trade ReviewThis is interesting and well-researched book examines the many contradictions behind the so-called Islamic State's governance project and the tragic toll it took on Mosul's civilian population. By putting civilians at the center of her account, Mathilde Becker Aarseth offers an insightful and much-needed perspective on the group's rise as well as on dynamics of rebel governance more in general. * Benedetta Berti, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Research Institute, USA *In this perceptive and vividly written account, Mathilde Aarseth gives us an unparalleled insight into the rule of ISIS in Mosul. Her forensic and authoritative examination of ISIS practices highlights the tensions of ideology, expediency and venality that marked their system of governance but that also provoked everyday forms of resistance. * Charles Tripp, Professor Emeritus of Politics, SOAS, University of London, UK *Table of ContentsList of Figures Acknowledgements Notes on Transliteration 1. Introduction 2. The Road to Power 3. Policing the Caliphate 4. Resistance in the Classrooms 5. A reign of terror in Mosul’s hospitals 6. Conclusion Notes on Sources and Methodology Bibliography Notes
£28.46
Batsford Ltd DDay and The Battle of Normandy German
Book SynopsisOn 6 June the greatest landing force ever assembled began the Allied Liberation of France and Europe.
£7.16
Batsford Ltd DDay and the Battle of Normandy Italian
Book SynopsisOn 6 June the greatest landing force ever assembled began the Allied Liberation of France and Europe.
£7.16
Batsford Ltd DDay and the Battle of Normandy Spanish Pitkin
Book SynopsisOn 6 June the greatest landing force ever assembled began the Allied Liberation of France and Europe.
£7.16
Shepheard-Walwyn (Publishers) Ltd Saviour of the Nation An Epic Poem of Winston
Book SynopsisThis engaging poem depicts Winston Churchill as a hero, in traditional epic style and echoes the works of Homer and Virgil. The metre adds an emotional intensity to the events of 20th century history more usually found within Classical literature.Table of ContentsPreface; 1 The Menace of Nazi Germany; 2 The Prophet Unheeded; 3 Office Denied; 4 Appeasement; 5 Dreadnoughts and Dardanelles; 6 The Admiralty at War; 7 Prime Minister at Last; 8 The Battle of France; 9 Dunkirk; 10 The Agony of France; 11 Armistice; 12 Tragedy at Mers-el-Kebir; 13 The Threat of Invasion; 14 The Battle of Britain; 15 The Blitz; 16 Dakar; 17 North African Success; 18 Balkan Disaster; 19 Nadir; 20 Operation Barbarossa; 21 The Atlantic Charter; 22 Crisis at Moscow; 23 The Failure of Crusader; 24 Pearl Harbor; Principal Sources
£10.00
Presidio Press A Sense Of Duty Our Journey from Vietnam to
Book SynopsisA memoir by a former Vietnamese refugee who became a U.S. Marine, Quang Pham’s A Sense of Duty is an affecting story of fate, hope, and the aftermath of the most divisive war the United States has ever fought. This heartfelt salute to the spirit of America is also the account of the author’s reunion with his long-absent father, Hoa Pham, himself a devoted officer who saw combat firsthand as a South Vietnamese fighter pilot. Hoa’s revelations about his wartime experience leave Quang even more conflicted about his service in the Marines in the first Gulf War, and after years of struggling to reconnect with each other and the homeland they left behind, the two set out on a final, profound quest—to make sense of the war in Vietnam. Tracing Quang Pham’s uniquely spirited yet agonizing journey from his experiences as an uprooted refugee to his becoming a combat aviator, A Sense of Duty reveals the turmoil of a family torn apart and reunited
£14.25
Northway Publications Boys at War
Book Synopsis
£14.24
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) A History of Czechoslovakia Between the Wars From
Book SynopsisPatrick Crowhurst has a PhD in History from Queen Mary College, University of London and is Visiting Fellow at Leicester University. He is the author of Hitler and Czechoslovakia in World War II (I.B.Tauris, 2012)Table of ContentsTable of contents List of tables Introduction Chapter 1 Prelude: creating the First Czechoslovak Republic Chapter 2 Defence of the state and the growth of industry Chapter 3 The enemy within; Sudeten German nationalism and the Sudeten German Nazi party; national defence Chapter 4 Henlein, the SdP (Sudeten deutsche Partei) and German money Chapter 5 Two German policies: war or peace? Hitler, the German Foreign Ministry and Czechoslovakia, 1936-1938 Chapter 6 Deepening crisis; the Munich Conference and refugees Conclusion Bibliography
£32.99
Edinburgh University Press Tacit Alliance
Book SynopsisTony McCulloch analyses Anglo-American relations from the start of Franklin D. Roosevelt's second term in January 1937 through to the outbreak of war in Europe and the revision of the US Neutrality Act in November 1939.Trade Review"A work of outstanding quality, Tony McCulloch's book is based on painstaking original research. It successfully engages with, and modifies, many conventional understandings of US-UK relations in the 1930s. McCulloch is a world-class expert on this subject and this will become a classic text." -John Dumbrell, Professor of Government, Durham University (retired)
£28.49
Union Square & Co. Out of the Depths
Book SynopsisIsrael Meir Lau was eight at the time of liberation. This book is his harrowing but inspiring story, told in his own words.Trade Review“The maws of the Nazi machine fed on children. That Lulek escaped is remarkable in itself. But that, instead of stunting him, his tragic experiences spurred him on to become a sage and a leader is a tribute not only to his own qualities but to the exceptional people with whom his life was bound up. This book is many things: survivor story, autobiography, wisdom literature and an unabashed love letter to Israel, the home to which its subtitle alludes.”—Montreal Gazette“The Chief Rabbi of Israel recounts a harrowing journey from child prisoner in Buchenwald to champion of Holocaust survivors. . . . [An] uplifting story of peace, reconciliation and an incredible life’s journey.”—Kirkus“In 3,000 years of Jewish literature in all its scope and variety, we have had very few rabbinic autobiographies. . . . Why then, did some rabbis write their own biographies? Perhaps because their lives were tumultuous and adventurous . . . but primarily because they felt that others might learn some important lessons from their lives. . . . Out of the Depths contains both these elements: an eventful and rich life and a unique perspective on its purpose and meaning.”—Jewish Home “Thanks to his mother’s quick thinking (she sized up the situation as soon as she saw the Nazis sort the cattle cars by men, and women and children to different cars) she grabbed her seven-year-old son’s back with both hands and shoved him in the direction of the men. . . . The story of how Napthali [Lau’s brother] fought to stay near his little brother until the end of the war, and how the brothers finally reached Israel after Buchenwald was liberated in 1945, is a rich, beautifully told story.”—Jewish Book Council“[Rabbi Lau’s] tale of triumph and faith as a young boy during the Holocaust provides us with a model of personal greatness in the face of unimaginable hardship. . . . Out of the Depths tells the story of his miraculous journey from an orphaned refugee to become one of the leaders of the Jewish people.”—Aish.com “In this riveting and emotionally charged memoir, the former Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Israel relates the turbulent yet hopeful story of his life with unfailing honesty. . . . Rabbi Lau chronicles his life journey with ample detail to form vivid pictures and convey deep emotions. . . . The Holocaust comes alive with all its horrors, but so do the sparks of hope that emanate from his story.”—Orthodox Union
£14.24
Little, Brown Book Group Human Game Hunting the Great Escape Murderers
Book SynopsisIn March 1944, 76 Allied officers tunnelled out of Stalag Luft III. Of the 73 captured, 50 were shot by direct order of Hitler. This is the story of how a British Bobby from Blackpool, Frank McKenna, was sent to post-war Germany on the express orders from Churchill to bring the Gestapo murderers to justice. In a quest that ranges from the devastated, bombed out cities of Europe to the horrors of the concentrations camps, McKenna is relentless in his pursuit. A gripping read set in the aftermath of World War II.
£12.34
Little, Brown Book Group Dogs of Courage
Book SynopsisIn Bonzo''s War, Clare Campbell told the fascinating story of what it was like for Britain''s pets when the world was at war. This time, she follows the incredible journey of the dogs who conscripted to fight for their country, with some even returning with medals for their bravery. During the most dangerous days of the Second World War, the British government set out to recruit an army of canines - a ''Guard Dog Unit''. This experimental team of brave hounds would later use their incredible sense of smell to sniff out the anti-personnel mines that barred the way to reclaiming Europe. Dog owners countrywide shed tears as they bid farewell to their beloved ''Brian'', ''Rex'', or ''Molly'' and packed them off to the War Dogs Training School to learn the skills they''d need to ''do their bit for Britain'' on the very frontiers of the Third Reich. The soldiers waiting out in the field to greet their canine counterparts were under strict instructions: do no
£10.99
Little, Brown Book Group Rendezvous at the Russian Tea Rooms
Book SynopsisRendezvous at the Russian Tea Rooms provides the first comprehensive account of what was once hailed by a leading American newspaper as the greatest spy story of World War II. This dramatic yet little-known saga, replete with telephone taps, kidnappings, and police surveillance, centres on the furtive escapades of Tyler Kent, a handsome, womanising 28-year-old Ivy League graduate, who doubles as a US Embassy code clerk and Soviet agent. Against the backdrop of London high society during the so-called Phoney War, Kent''s life intersects with the lives of the book''s two other memorably flamboyant protagonists. One of those is Maxwell Knight, an urbane, endearingly eccentric MI5 spyhunter. The other is Anna Wolkoff, a White Russian fashion designer and Nazi spy whose outfits are worn by the Duchess of Windsor and whose parents are friends of the British royal family. Wolkoff belongs to a fascist secret society called the Right Club, which aims to overthrow the British gTrade ReviewResearched with almost breathtaking depth and ingenuity, this is a compelling story of swirling political and personal cross-currents at the time of our gravest national danger.
£12.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Bolt Action Tank War
Book SynopsisTank War, the new supplement for Bolt Action, gives players the option to expand their games to a whole new level - armored warfare. Recreate such great engagements as the battle of Kursk with the scenarios, army options and special rules found in this book. Whether you want to add more armour to your existing armies or build an entirely armoured force, Tank War has you covered.Table of ContentsIntroduction/ Special Rules/ Scenarios
£22.50
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Bolt Action Ostfront
Book SynopsisTake charge of Operation Barbarossa and drive towards Moscow or command the steadfast defenders of the Soviet Union. From the early battles for Leningrad and Sevastopol to the tank clash of Kursk and the bitter urban warfare of Stalingrad, this new theatre supplement for Bolt Action provides players with new scenarios and special rules that give them everything they need to focus their gaming on the Eastern Front.
£22.50
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Bolt Action Empires in Flames
Book SynopsisFar from the battlefields of Europe and North Africa, Allied forces fought a very different war against another foe. From the jungles of Burma to the islands of the Pacific and the shores of Australia, this new theater supplement for Bolt Action allows players to command the spearhead of the lightning Japanese conquests in the East or to fight tooth and nail as Chindits, US Marines and other Allied troops to halt the advance and drive them back. Scenarios, special rules and new units give players everything they need to recreate the ferocious battles and campaigns of the Far East, from Guadalcanal to Okinawa, from Singapore to the Phillipines, Iwo Jima and beyond.Table of ContentsIntroduction/ Special Rules/ Scenarios
£22.50
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Bolt Action Campaign New Guinea
Book SynopsisIn 1942, Japanese forces invaded the island of New Guinea and started a bitter, three-year campaign against allied Australian and American forces. Fought in dense jungles and across rugged mountaintops, the grueling fight pushed men to their very limits and forced commanders to adopt new strategies and tactics for the harsh island terrain. Filled with new rules, scenarios, and unit types, this supplement for Bolt Action provides players with all of the information they need to set their games in this unforgiving battlefield.
£22.50
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Bolt Action Campaign Battle of France
Book SynopsisThe Battle of France saw German forces sweep across the Low Countries and towards Paris, crushing Allied resistance in just six weeks. From Fall Gelb and the British withdrawal from Dunkirk to the decisive Fall Rot, this new supplement for Bolt Action allows players to take command of the bitter fighting for France, and to refight the key battles of this campaign. Linked scenarios and new rules, troop types, and Theater Selectors offer plenty of options for novice and veteran players alike.
£22.50
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Bolt Action Campaign Fortress Budapest
Book SynopsisAs the Soviet Red Army marches westward, the city of Budapest stands in their way. Encircled and severely outnumbered, the German and Hungarian forces attempt to resist the Soviet juggernaut and defend Festung Budapest to the last. This book brings the siege of Budapest to the table-top with in-depth information on the forces involved, linked scenarios, and new Theatre Selectors that make this an ideal resource for any Bolt Action player with an interest in the the Eastern Front and the fall of the Reich.
£22.50
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Under the Southern Cross
Book SynopsisA vivid narrative history of the Solomons campaign of World War II, one of the key turning points in the U.S. Navy''s campaign against the Japanese in the Pacific.If the Battle of Midway, fought in June 1942, stopped further Japanese expansion in the Pacific, it was the Battle of Guadalcanal and the following Solomons Campaign that broke the back of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Between August 7, 1942 and February 24, 1944 when the Imperial Japanese Navy withdrew its surviving surface and air units from Rabaul, the main Japanese base in the South Pacific, the US Navy fought the most difficult campaign in its history, suffering such high personnel losses during the campaign that for years it refused to publicly release total casualty figures.Unlike the Central Pacific Campaign, which was fought by ''the new Navy,'' the Solomons campaign saw the US Navy at its lowest point, using those ships that had survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and other units of Trade ReviewCleaver skillfully weaves individual narratives from both Allied and Japanese combatants into the overall story … the reader will come away having a greater understanding of the Pacific Theater as a whole, as well as a renewed appreciation for the courage and skill of both Allied and Japanese combatants in that grueling campaign. -- Lynn Ritger, Aviation HistorianThomas Cleaver, whose ‘war stories’ we have come to cherish, has a new one ... a riveting and powerful saga, one rendered vividly, trenchantly, and with empathy – for both sides in the conflict. -- Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, Former Chief of Staff to General Colin PowellUnder the Southern Cross offers a micro-macro history of the South Pacific campaign of 1942–44, shifting from cockpit and flag bridge perspectives to broad strategy. The Guadalcanal campaign especially remains of interest because so much was at stake and the opponents were so evenly matched for a sanguinary six months. Tom Cleaver does right by the subject in this book. -- Barrett Tillman, Author of 'On Wave and Wing: The 100-Year Quest to Perfect the Aircraft Carrier'Recommended for anyone fascinated by aviation's role in World War Two. * Flypast *This is a useful account of the air campaign against Rabaul, bringing together the efforts of the US Marines, USAAF and the US Navy’s carrier aircraft, all of which played a part in the campaign, and which are often seen in isolation. * Historyofwar.org *This is an absorbing story that deserves the wider audience it will undoubtedly receive. -- Neil Smith * Wargames Illustrated *Table of ContentsList of Maps List of Illustrations Foreword by CDR Curtis R. Dosé , USNR (Ret) Introduction 1: Operation Watchtower 2: Battle of the Eastern Solomons 3: The Cactus Air Force 4: Green Hell 5: Marine Aviation’s Finest Hour 6: All In 7: The End of the Beginning 8: Whistling Death 9: Pappy Gunn and the Sunsetters 10: Pearl Harbor Avenged 11: Jay Zeamer’s Eager Beavers 12: Reinforcement 13: The Surprise was Absolute 14: Bloody Tuesday 15: The Jolly Rogers 16: Sixty-One Days 17: Finale in the South Pacific Bibliography Index
£22.50
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Bolt Action Campaign DDay Overlord
Book SynopsisFrom the scaling of Pointe-du-Hoc and the assault on Pegasus Bridge, to the landings on the Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches, this new Campaign Book for Bolt Action allows players to take command of the Allied Forces or those of the defending Axis. Featuring new linked scenarios, rules, troop types, and Theatre Selectors, this volume provides plenty of options for both novice and veteran players looking to recreate these famous battles and begin the liberation of Europe.
£22.50
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Bolt Action Campaign Stalingrad
Book SynopsisCampaign rules and scenarios for the Battle of Stalingrad, bringing the most infamous battle of the Eastern Front to the award-winning Bolt Action series.One of the most infamous and decisive battles of the Second World War, Stalingrad was a turning point of the Eastern Front, showing that the German juggernaut was not invincible. This new Campaign Book for Bolt Action allows players to refight the fierce Battle of Stalingrad, including the actions within the city itself and those of the surrounding area, the encirclement, and attempted relief and breakout. New, linked scenarios, rules, troop types, and Theatre Selectors provide plenty of options for both novice and veteran players alike.
£22.50
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Bolt Action Campaign DDay US Sector
Book SynopsisNew scenarios and rules for Bolt Action covering the American sectors of D-Day, the largest seabourne invasion in history.Covering the fiercely contested US sectors of D-Day, including the beaches of Omaha and Utah. This new Campaign Book for Bolt Action allows players to refight the fierce American beach landings, beach head breakouts, and Airborne assaults. New, linked scenarios, rules, troop types, and Theatre Selectors provide plenty of options for both novice and veteran players alike.
£22.50
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Cambridgeshire at War 193945
Book SynopsisFew could believe that within twenty years of the war to end all wars being won the world was once again at war.
£8.68
Edinburgh University Press Writing the Radio War
Book SynopsisWriting the Radio War 'merges the fields of sound studies, radio studies, and Second World War literary studies through considerations of both major and marginalized figures of wartime broadcasting.
£85.50
Edinburgh University Press The Legacy of Iraq
Book Synopsis'The Legacy of Iraq' argues that mistakes made by the 2003 coalition and the Iraqi political elite set a sequence of events in motion that have had devastating consequences for Iraq, the Middle East and for the rest of the world.
£22.79
Black Rose Books Pure Soldiers or Sinister Legion: The Ukrainian
Book Synopsis
£33.75
Pelican Publishing Co D-Day Survivor: An Autobiography
Book Synopsis
£23.39
Other Press LLC The Cost Of Courage
Book Synopsis
£22.09
Upfront Publishing SAS Operation Galia: Bravery behind enemy lines in the Second World War
Book SynopsisTwo Days after Christmas 1944, during the harshest winter in living memory, 33 SAS troops parachuted into the valley of Rossano, Northern Italy. Carried out in broad daylight, the parachute drop was intended to deceive enemy forces into believing that a full parachute brigade had landed behind them. Drawing on post-op reports and memoirs, this book is a fictionalised account written from the perspective of one of the rank and file parachutists who took part in the operation, the author's father. Scrupulously researched and richly illustrated, Hann's personal narrative brings to life the co-ordinated attempts of the SAS and local partisans to engage and evade the enemy. For the first time, Hann provides a detailed account of some of the devastating setbacks and triumphs of SAS Operation Galia. One of the hardest fought and most successful operations of World War Two.
£12.39
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Bolt Action: Armies of France and the Allies
Book SynopsisWorld War II was truly a ‘world’ war, and many nations joined the fight against Germany and the Axis. This latest supplement for Bolt Action covers the armies of France, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Norway, Holland and Belgium that stood against the German Blitzkrieg, as well as the resistance forces that sprung up in the aftermath of occupation.Table of ContentsIntroduction /Army Lists /Theatres
£22.50
Quercus Publishing The Real X-Men: The Heroic Story of the
Book SynopsisThe thrilling and true story of the development and operational deployment of human torpedoes - 'Chariots' - and 'X-craft' midget submarines in British naval service during WWII, and of the extraordinary men who crewed these dangerous vessels. The commando frogmen who rode the Chariots and operated as divers from the X-craft were the forerunners of today's Special Boat Service, the SBS. Their aim was to attach an explosive charge underneath an enemy ship to destroy the vessel. Their hope was to return to their submarine unscathed. The Real X-Men tells the story of the sacrifice and heroism of the individual men, many of them little more than teenagers, who volunteered for this dangerous duty and who crewed both the Chariots and the X-craft without knowing the full extent of the risks entailed, nor indeed the very small chances they had of coming back alive.Trade ReviewUnbearably tense . . . will make you feel proud to be British. - Daily ExpressHeroism, adventure, tragedy, a superman hero and the loathsome Boche. This comprehensive retelling of the story has not lost any of its firepower. - Daily Mail
£12.34
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Wartime Broadcasting
Book SynopsisOn 3 September 1939, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain sat tensely at a microphone, using radio to declare that ‘this country is at war with Germany’. During the ensuing wartime years, the BBC was the sole radio broadcaster in Britain, boosting morale through programmes such as ‘ITMA’ and ‘Worker’s Playtime’; helping the Home Front with useful hints and advice; transmitting government messages; and providing news. Personalities and stars became household names – Tommy Handley, Arthur Askey, Ethel and Doris Walters, Mr Middleton – and their catchphrases could be heard everywhere. And yet, as this fascinating book explains, the BBC chose to avoid propaganda, and had to tread a fine line between what the people wanted to hear and what it was felt they should hear.Table of ContentsEarly Days Entertainment International For Your Information The Forces Programme The End of the War Conclusion Further Reading Places to Visit Index
£9.42
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Hitler's Island War: The Men Who Fought for Leros
Book Synopsis*Highly Commended by the British Records Association for the 2019 Janette Harley Prize* In September 1943, at the height of World War II, the Aegean island of Leros became the site of the most pivotal battle of the Dodecanese campaign as the British tried, in vain, to retain control of the island. Over the course of two short months - from 15 September 1943 to 17 November 1943 - almost 1500 men lost their lives and hundreds more ended up in Prisoner-of-War camps. In this book, Julie Peakman, a modern-day resident of Leros, brings to life the story of the men caught up in the battle based on first-hand interviews and written accounts including diaries, letters and journals. She tells of the preparations of the soldiers leading up to the battle, the desperate hand-to-hand fighting, and the suffering endured from continual bombings. She also shows the extent of the men's despair at the allied surrender, the many subsequent daring escapes as well as the terrible years of incarceration for those who were captured and imprisoned. Many of the heart-rending accounts of the battle are told here for the first time, providing a unique eyewitness take on this forgotten corner of World War II.Table of ContentsIntroduction List of Illustrations Chapter One The Island of Leros Chapter Two Behind Enemy Lines Chapter Three Drop into Rhodes Chapter Four Troops to Leros Chapter Five Fall of Kos Chapter Six Making Preparations Chapter Seven Waiting Under Bombs Chapter Eight The First Day of Battle Chapter Nine Central Collision Chapter Ten And the Fight Goes On Chapter Eleven Inbound Royal West Kents Chapter Twelve Tired, Hungry and Lost Chapter Thirteen Final Day of Battle Chapter Fourteen Surrender or Escape Chapter Fifteen The Rescuing Parties Chapter Sixteen Prisoners of War Chapter Seventeen The German POW Camps Chapter Eighteen Aftermath Considerations Chronology Glossary Bibliography Index
£42.75
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Franco and the Condor Legion: The Spanish Civil War in the Air
The Spanish Civil War was fought on land and at sea but also in an age of great interest in air warfare and the rapid development of warplanes. The war in Spain came a turning point in the development of military aircraft and was the arena in which new techniques of air war were rehearsed including high-speed dogfights, attacks on ships, bombing of civilian areas and tactical air-ground cooperation. At the heart of the air war were the Condor Legion, a unit composed of military personnel from Hitler's Germany who fought for Franco's Nationalists in Spain. In this book, Michael Alpert provides the first study in English of the Spanish Civil War in the air. He describes and analyses the intervention of German, Italian and Soviet aircraft in the Spanish conflict, as well as the supply of aircraft in general and the role of volunteer and mercenary airmen. His book provides new perspectives on the air war in Spain, the precedents set for World War II and the possible lessons learnt.
£35.00
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Children of World War II: The Hidden Enemy Legacy
Book SynopsisThere is a hidden legacy of war that is rarely talked about: the children of native civilians and enemy soldiers. What is their fate?This book unearths the history of the thousands of forgotten children of World War II, including its prelude and aftermath during the Spanish Civil War and the Allied occupation of Germany. It looks at liaisons between German soldiers and civilian women in the occupied territories, and the Nazi Lebensborn program of racial hygiene. It also considers the children of African-American soldiers and German women. The authors examine what happened when the foreign solders went home and discuss the policies adopted towards these children by the Nazi authorities as well as postwar national governments. Personal testimonies from the children themselves reveal the continued pain and shame of being children of the enemy.Case studies are taken from France, Germany, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Norway, Denmark and Spain.Trade Review'Breaking a long post-war taboo, this book broaches the subject of sexual intimacy between enemy soldiers and female civilians. It focuses especially on the stigma attached not only to the women but also the children born of such liaisons. This is essential reading for anyone interested in the wider impact of the Second World War and occupation on European societies.'Nicholas Stargardt, author of 'Witnesses of War: Children's Lives under the Nazis' and Lecturer in Modern History, Oxford University'A subtle and moving account of the children left behind by the forces of occupation in the Second World War. This collection for the first time gives voice to children who were stigmatized as the forbidden fruit of collaboration and until now have had to live with shame and silence.'Robert Gildea, Professor of Modern French History, University of OxfordTable of ContentsIntroduction * War, Cultural Loyalty and Gender: Danish women's Intimate Fraternisation--Anette Warring, University of Roskilde, Denmark * War Children: Foundlings of Europe?--Eva Simonsen, University of Oslo * Besatzungskinder and Wehrmachtskinder: Germany's War Children--Ebba Drolshagen, Freelance Journalist, Frankfurt. * Black German 'Occupation children': Objects of Study in the Continuity of German Race Anthropology--Yara-Colette Lemke Muniz de Faria, Institute for the History of Medicine, Berlin * Enfants de Boches: The War Children of France--Fabrice Virgili, CNRS, Paris * Life Stories of German-Norwegian war children--Kjersti Ericsson, University of Oslo, and Dag Ellingsen, Editor, Statistics Norway * Challenges for War Children in Denmark--Arne land, Freelance Writer, Frup, Denmark * Ideology and the Psychology of War Children in Franco's Spain--Michael Richards, University of the West of England * German Mother and Czech Father/Czech Mother and German Father - The Alchemy of Nationality and Collective Identity in Their Children--Michal Simunek, Charles University, Prague * Meant to be Deported Lars Borgersrud, University of Oslo * The Norwegian War Children and their Mothers: A summary of their History During the War and the First Postwar Period--Kre Olsen, National Archives of Norway * Stigma and Silence: Dutch Women, German Soldiers and their Children--Monika Diederichs, Nederlands Instituut voor Oorlogsdocumentatie (NIOD), Amsterdam * A Topic for Life: Women and Men Born in a German Lebensborn Home (Dorothee Schmitz-Kster, Freelance Writer, Bremen * Epilogue
£33.99
Headline Publishing Group IWM D-Day Experience (K)
Book SynopsisD-Day, the largest amphibious invasion in history, took place on 6 June 1944. The subsequent battle of Normandy involved over a million men, and helped seal the fate of The Third Reich. This is a graphic account of the planning and execution of Operation Overlord, as well as the campaign which effectively destroyed the German forces in France, opening the way for the Allied advance. Including a wealth of superb photographs and maps, the book also contains 10 facsimile items of rare memorabilia, including diaries, letters and memos. This title includes top-secret hand-drawn map showing the minute-by-minute position on the way in to the drop zone just west of Ste-Mere-Eglise for elements of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. This is an extract from the pocket diary of Sergeant G.E. Hughes, then a corporal, landed with the 1st Battalion, Hampshire Regiment at Arromanches.Table of ContentsThe planning; The Leaders - Allied; The Leaders - German; German Forces and Defences; Deception and Intelligence; The Resistance and SOE; Pegasus Bridge; British Airborne Assault; US Airborne Assault; Utah Beach; Pointe du Hoc; Omaha Beach; Gold Beach; Juno Beach; Sword Beach; Villers-Bocage; Pluto & Mulberry: Logistical Superiority; Operation Epsom; Bocage Fighting and Capture of Cherbourg; Operation Charmwood; Medics; The Battle for St Lo; Operation Goodwood; Operation Cobra and Breakout; Allied Tactical Air Support; Operations Totalize and Tractable; The Falaise Pocket; The Liberation of Paris.
£18.00
Little, Brown Book Group Domestic Soldiers: Six Women's Lives in the
Book SynopsisOver 8 million women stayed at home during the Second World War and their story has never been told. Using brand new research from the Mass-Observation Archive, Jennifer Purcell brings to life - in all its tragedy, pathos, joy and fear - the lives of six ordinary women made extraordinary by the demands of war. In their diaries and notes they record the inner thoughts and everyday activities as they tried to survive come what may. Nella Last, the archetypal housewife struggles between the demands of her husband and her desire to help the war effort. Cambridge-educated, middle-class Natalie Tanner sneaks out to the cinema whenever possible and discusses politics in town, leading a leisured life while others try to scrape by. Saddled with a draughty and unwieldy centuries-old home directly in the path of German bombs, Helen Mitchell constantly tries to escape the war and her domestic life. Opinionated and patriotic Edie Rutherford uses the war to escape the home and go to work. Alice Bridges endures the horrors of the Blitz on her home town of Birmingham and finds a new and exciting social life as she reports the war for Mass-Observation. Housebound for most of the war with debilitating arthritis, working-class Irene Grant struggles to keep her family fed and dreams of a better Britain.Intensely moving and personal, each woman reveals their most secret fears and hopes, as well as the everyday problems of wanting to contribute to the war effort, keeping a house together under difficult circumstances, the travails of rationing, work and volunteering, whilst maintaining their duties as wife and mother. Jennifer Purcell redraws a new, emotional and unexpected history of the Second World War as it was experienced by those left behind, the domestic soldiers.Trade ReviewBook of the week * Daily Mail *The book gives a diverse flavour of experience. * Who Do You Think You Are? *This is an enjoyable and rewarding social history of the war. * BBC History Magazine *Fascinating read. * Sunday Post *
£8.99
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd Subhas Chandra Bose in Nazi Germany: Politics,
Book SynopsisOn the morning of April 3, 1941, 'Orlando Mazzotta', a man posing as an Italian diplomat, walked up the steps of the German Foreign Office on the Wilhelmstrasse in Berlin, having arrived from Moscow the previous afternoon. The Under-Secretary of State, Dr Ernst Woermann, immediately received him and listened carefully as he spoke of establishing a government-in-exile and launching a military offensive. The government he had in mind was Indian and the target of his offensive was British India. Although Woermann was taken aback by the nature of these proposals, he should not have been. 'Orlando Mazzotta' was in fact Subhas Chandra Bose, an Indian leftist radical nationalist and former President of the Indian National Congress who had escaped a few months earlier from Calcutta and reached Kabul. From there, the German and Italian legations assisted him in reaching Berlin, via Moscow, under Italian diplomatic cover. Bose is one of India's national icons, practically on a par with Gandhi, a hero of anti-colonial resistance against the British, who established the Indian National Army in order to recruit Indian soldiers to fight the imperial power. His activities in Nazi Germany - particularly taking into account their inevitably highly controversial implications - merit scrupulous, scholarly and detailed study, yet till today almost everything published on the subject has been suffused with hagiography. This book is the first to focus exclusively on Bose's interactions with Nazi Germany during the Second World War. Hayes's narrative makes extensive use of German, Indian and British documents, including memoranda, notes, minutes, reports, telegrams, letters and broadcasts, and he also presents the reader with fresh scholarly sources from the German historical archives. His book takes not only the political dimension into consideration but the intelligence and propaganda angles too, including the recruitment and training of Indian POWs captured in North Africa. Emphasis is also placed on the specific roles of key actors including Hitler, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Gandhi, Nehru, Mussolini, Churchill, Sir Stafford Cripps, Chiang Kai-shek, General Hideki Tojo and, to a lesser extent Dr Goebbels, Heinrich Himmler and Count Galeazzo Ciano. Hayes's objective is to reveal a lesser-known aspect of Nazi foreign policy and to challenge and provide an alternative to Gandhi-centric portrayals of the Indian independence movement. His book, augmented by a fascinating selection of hitherto largely unpublished photographs, will appeal to those interested in the Third Reich, Indian nationalism and anti-colonialism and the Second World War.Trade Review'A thoughtful narrative of the actions and words of Bose during his war years in Germany. The author has set out a valuable description that follows the evidence very closely.' --Professor Michael H. Fisher, Oberlin College 'As the only Indian to lead a military assault against the British empire in the twentieth century, Subhas Chandra Bose is an important figure who interrupts the conventional narrative of India's nonviolent resistance against colonialism. The fact that Bose fought Britain with German and Japanese help during the Second World War, however, has led to his efforts being glossed over, downplayed or dismissed merely as an example of collaboration with fascism. This book's great achievement is to demonstrate that Bose's relations with the Nazis were far more complex than has generally been thought, and in doing so it allows us to see both German diplomacy and Indian nationalism in a new light. Rather than dealing with imperialism as a side issue in the war, Hayes shows us that it was an integral part of this great conflict, so often seen only as a battle between freedom and tyranny.'- * 'A thoughtful narrative of the actions and words of Bose during his war years in Germany. The author has set out a valuable description that follows the evidence very closely.' --Professor Michael H. Fisher, Oberlin College 'As the only Indian to lead a military assault against the British empire in *'Egotistical, autocratic, hubristic, Subhas Chandra Bose was an ambivalent figure but also widely admired; a tragic hero who stood on the wrong side of history. This book is a nuanced elucidation of a complex national leader, one both impressive and infuriating. Hayes effectively evokes the subtleties of Bose's relations with the Congress Party, a Party he once led, and with the masses of his fellow Indians. And above all the moral ambiguities: neither Nazi nor Quisling, he nevertheless made fatal moral compromises with ascendant totalitarian power. - A highly original, erudite and scholarly work based on intensive new research and new sources, this book represents a lucid contribution to our understanding of both India's independence movement and its relationship to the great global conflict of nations wherein it struggled to make its voice heard; and to the massive propaganda fight engaged in with frenzy by all the warring parties of World War Two.' * Nicholas O'Shaughnessy, Professor of Communication, Queen Mary, University of London *'[A] short and fascinating study of Bose in Germany ... The thrust of the argument in the book is to dispute an account of Bose as an Indian Quisling and to insist on his credentials as an anti-imperialist nationalist. ... Written with a great economy of style ... [it throws] the whole story of wartime India into a new perspective to discover how engaged the Nazi leadership became with Bose and India. ... This is Hayes' first book and it is an impressive beginning.' * Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society *
£27.00
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd The Ottoman Culture of Defeat: The Balkan Wars
Book SynopsisWhen the first Balkan War broke out in October 1912, few Ottomans anticipated that it would prove to be a watershed moment for the Empire, ending in ignominy, national catastrophe, and the loss of its remaining provinces in the Balkans. Defeat at the hands of an alliance of Balkan powers comprising Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Montenegro set the stage for the Balkan Crisis of 1914 and would serve as a prelude to WWI. It was also a moment of deep national trauma and led to bitter soul-searching, giving rise to a so-called 'Culture of Defeat' in which condemnation and criticism flourished in a way seemingly at odds with the reformist debate which followed the Young Turk Revolution of 1908.Eyal Ginio's clear-eyed and rigorously researched book uncovers the different visual and written products of the defeat, published in Ottoman Turkish, Arabic and Ladino, with the aim of understanding the experience of defeat - how it was perceived, analysed and commemorated by different sectors in Ottoman society - to show that it is key to understanding the actions of the Ottoman political elite during the subsequent World War and the early decades of the Turkish Republic.Trade Review'A major achievement.''This is the best work I have seen on the Balkan Wars. Eyal Ginio's deep understanding of the causes and sociopolitical consequences of the conflicts make the reading this book an undiluted pleasure. The book is empirically well-crafted and theoretically-guided work of the highest level.' * M. Hakan Yavuz, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Utah *'Eyal Ginio has masterfully composed a social history of one multi-ethnic society s reactions to an empire s collapsing place in the world. His investigations into hitherto ignored Arabic, Ottoman and Ladino sources are especially insightful, promising to influence how future historians write about the Balkan Wars.' * Isa Blumi, Stockholm University, author of Reinstating the Balkans: Alternative Balkan Modernities, 1800-1912 *'Eyal Ginio deftly moves between sources penned in Ottoman Turkish, Arabic, Hebrew, Ladino, and French to expose the wide-ranging impact of the Balkan Wars on Ottoman society. Covering topics as diverse as military and philanthropic mobilisation, children s literature, war refugees, and attempts to shape a 'national economy', Ginio convincingly argues that the Balkan Wars represented the Ottomans first experience with 'total war.'' * Julia Phillips Cohen, author of Becoming Ottomans: Sephardi Jews and Imperial Citizenship in the Modern Era *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Ottoman Society, the Balkan Wars and the Defeat1. The Balkan Wars and Ottoman Societies: The Devastating Shift from Celebration to Defeat2. The Balkan Wars and the Shaping of the Ottoman Culture of Defeat3. Regeneration, Revenge and Regaining Honour4. Children in the Ottoman Literature of Defeat: From War's Victims to the Citizens-Soldiers of the Future5. The Project of National Economy: Excluding the Enemy "Within"6. Commemorating the Victorious Second Balkan War and the Reinstatement of Edirne - Celebrating the Rebirth of the Nation7. The Retracing of Communal Borders in Eastern Thrace: Cisr-i Mustafa Pasa and Dimetoka as Case-Studies8. Conclusion: The Defeat in the Balkan Wars and Its Legacy
£45.00
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Heinz Guderian
Book SynopsisThis book gives a focused, military biography of Heinz Guderian, perhaps the most highly respected tank commander of World War II. Guderian was a typical product of the Prussian military elite; the son of a general in the army, there was little doubt that he would follow in his father's footsteps. Some consider Guderian to be the founding father of blitzkrieg warfare, and he certainly brought the whole concept to public attention and prominence, chiefly through the publication of his book Achtung Panzer in 1937. He commanded the XIX (Motorized) Army Corps in the 1939 Polish campaign, and Panzergruppe Guderian during Operation Barbarossa. In March 1943 he became chief inspector of the Panzer forces, but even the great tank commander could achieve little more than to delay the inevitable defeat of Germany.Trade ReviewA fascinating and useful reference source -- Military Modelcraft International
£14.24
Whittles Publishing Wingfield at War
Book Synopsis...It is remarkable that one man should have been involved in so much action in so few years...I commend his biography to the reader: ...by any standard he was a hero, and he tells his life's story with modesty and humour. Extract from the Foreword by Admiral Lord Boyce Captain Mervyn Wingfield was one of the last of his generation of submariners who made their reputation in the Second World War. Pre-war he had served on the China station and lived the riotous life of a young officer; in the war he commanded three submarines, Umpire, Sturgeon and Taurus, survived a collision in the North Sea, spent a winter in the Arctic, penetrated the Norwegian fjords submerged through a minefield, surfaced off St Nazaire in view of German guns to act as a navigation marker for the raiding force, fought cavalry in the northern Aegean, and later, off Penang, was the first British submariner to sink a Japanese submarine - and barely survived the subsequent, vicious counterattack after Taurus was severely damaged and became stuck in the mud at the bottom. Any one of these incidents would have merited a place for Wingfield in the history of naval warfare and the pantheon of submarine heroes. The Royal Navy's most senior submariner, Admiral Lord Boyce, notes in his Foreword that the diesel-powered submarines in which both men served were not so different, but the risks which Wingfield took in wartime were greater and Lord Boyce admired the way in which Wingfield led his crew and was loved by them. Many men were burned-out by the war, but in the postwar years Wingfield enjoyed a successful peacetime career in the Royal Navy where, finally, his personal qualities and his diplomacy were put to the test as a naval attache. In retirement Wingfield was well-known for hosting lively beef and Stilton lunches at the London Boat Show! He was also one of the last of the generations of Anglo-Irish families who served the Crown and provided officers and men for the Army and the Navy, and his story additionally gives some insights into his early days, especially with regard to being a young officer in the Royal Navy in the 1930s.Trade Review'Even in an era when submarine captains were often a bit mad or eccentric, the amazing Mervyn Wingfield stood out a mile! ...Second World War submarine Captain Wingfield played a vital part in our victory.' The Weekly News -------------------- 'Mervyn Wingfield was a submariner who commanded three boats, UMPIRE, STURGEON and TAURUS during World War 2; he did not serve with the RAN but his stories of the RN from 1925 onwards describe an organisation that will be familiar to generations of Australians who were trained by or who served with the RN. He spent time on the China Station during the 1930s in the submarine ODIN, sister ship of the OTWAY and OXLEY operated by the RAN between 1927 and 1931, and writes of a way of life that is now almost forgotten with quiet humour that brings his adventures to life in the reader's imagination. - This is a delightful book that gives insight into historical events through the eyes of the author which are carefully edited to ensure their accuracy. I thoroughly recommend it.' Headmark -------------------- '...As one of the more successful and decorated wartime submarine commanders his book is well worth a read'. In Depth -------------------- 'Wingfield's memoirs ... make fascinating reading. His wartime exploits ... are related with quiet understatement, leavened with amusing anecdotes and reminiscences of well-known characters... The book is highly recommended ... and is a thoroughly good read'. Forces Postal History Society Journal -------------------- '...Wingfield's entertaining - in places rather thrilling - and always fascinating autobiography. ...Wingfield's fantastic story... We are plunged into a lost age of fading empire and the life or death struggle against the Nazis and Japan's militaristic fanatics. ...We discover amazing incidents and people in the light he shines on the fine grain of history. They inspire us and provide a few chuckles. Among the highlights is Wingfield's submarine (HMS Taurus) duelling with Bulgarian cavalry and his courageous intrusion (in command of HMS Sturgeon) through a minefield in a Norwegian fjord to sink an enemy cargo vessel'. Warships International Fleet Review -------------------- '...Mervyn Wingfield's autobiography sets a high standard... This is an absorbing story of a distinguished naval officer and outstanding submarine captain's war record'. RNSA Journal '...there is more than enough colour to make all the memories very interesting. ... He writes in an engaging and direct way, self-deprecating but always with the confidence of one who is far more able and conscientious than he would claim. ...this is an easy book to read and enjoy. ...this is a delight - honest, informative, humourous, totally recognisable and, by this reviewer, highly recommended'. The Naval Review -------------------- 'A very good read'. WPS Newsletter -------------------- `…via this book I much enjoyed `meeting him’. Army Rumour Service
£16.14
Whittles Publishing Through Albert's Eyes
Book SynopsisThe autobiography of Tony Bentley-Buckle, a child of the Empire who was left to grow up in the care of maiden aunts. Having joined the Royal Navy before the war, he found himself on the Northern Patrol during the blockade of Germany and as a teenager in command of captured ships. When he brought a ship through the minefields into Scapa Flow, the young Midshipman Bentley-Buckle was interviewed by the famously ferocious Admirax Max Horton who recommended him for advanced promotion. In a fit of derring-do he volunteered for 'special service' without knowing what this meant and began training for one of Britain's secret navies. As a beach commando he was one of the first ashore at the Allied landings on Sicily and one of the first Allied officers to cross the Straits of Messina. On Reggio beach he became one of the few people to order General Montgomery to stop talking and not to block the exit of the beach! He was soon seconded even deeper into British secret services when he was lent to MI9, the escape and evasion agency, helping to rescue hundreds of British prisoners of war in Italy. He was captured in a fierce hand-to-hand battle with the Germans, escaped, recaptured and was badly-beaten, eventually reaching Prisoner-of-War Camp 'Marlag O'. There he helped organise one the cheekiest escapes from a prisoner-of-war camp by making the eyes for a dummy known as 'Albert RN'. Post-war he learned to fly, sailed a small boat to East Africa and founded a shipping empire and an airline. This is a remarkable and exciting true story including escape and evasion behind enemy lines in Italy, Yugoslavia and Germany; life in a prisoner-of-war camp and adventure in the Indian Ocean.Trade Review'This is a remarkable story recounted by a remarkable man in his own words. Tony Bentley-Buckle (1921-2010) was a real-life James Bond - and more - whose long life was full of adventure and entrepreneurism on a grand scale. ... After reading his biography, you are in no doubt that he packed more into his war and his life than contemporary heros. ...compelling reading... He took part in one of the war's most audacious escapes, his part being to make the moving eyes of the dummy known as Albert RN (hence the book's title) - a story which was turned into a movie after the war. ... This enthralling book ends with some very useful explanatory notes and a comprehensive index.' Nautilus' Telegraph -------------------- '...this is a story of 'daring do' well told with charm and modesty. ... The book is well produced and illustrated with family photographs and drawings, having good footnotes and a useful index. Highly recommended'. South West Soundings -------------------- '...a very interesting book... The author's five war years of the R.N. were rich and enthralling... ...for the author "civvy street" was almost as action-packed as his naval service; not as brief, hectic and dangerous as those five years, but a most absorbing series of varied and fruitful global travel and enterprises'. QSO -------------------- 'This is a well-written and fascinating story and the descriptions of amphibious and asymmetric warfare have topical value in Australia as the RAN begins to establish its own 'beachhead commando' equivalents. Buckle was clearly a resourceful and determined man in both his naval and civilian careers; his story is an interesting one and it is enhanced by a number of John Worsley's wartime sketches. It is a good read and I thoroughly recommend it'. Journal of the Australian Naval Institute -------------------- 'Tony Bentley-Buckle led a particularly adventurous life... ...a well-written and fascinating story and the descriptions of amphibious and asymmetric warfare have tropical value in Australia... ...his story is an interesting one and it is enhanced by a number of John Worsley's wartime sketches. It is a good read and I thoroughly recommend it'. Headmark -------------------- 'A fascinating life, well lived'. Work Boat World '...it's very readable...' Naval Review -------------------- `…is very modestly (and humorously) told, almost concealing the fact he was a man of extraordinary resource and capability … This is a fascinating adventure story, told in a very dryly amusing and laid-back manner, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Army Rumour Service
£16.14
Whittles Publishing Enigma: The Untold Story of the Secret Capture
Book SynopsisDavid Balme will be forever known as the 20-year-old hero who, on 9 May 1941, boarded a German U-boat in mid-Atlantic, and captured one of the greatest secrets of the Second World War. This capture - or 'pinch' as it was known within secret, inner circles - changed the course of the Battle of the Atlantic and shortened the war itself. Balme was part of a team comprising officers and men of the Third Escort Group ably led by Commander Joe Baker Cresswell, also commander of HMS Bulldog, who shared the danger with other unsung heroes such as Lieutenant Commander George Dodds. Balme was tasked with taking the Bulldog's whaler and a small party to board the U-boat U-110 which had been disabled. However he was alone when initially boarding, entering and searching the U-boat. This put him in a vulnerable position while descending into the vessel - he risked being shot by any German submariner that may have remained or blown-up by a booby-trap device. Furthermore he could have drowned when Bulldog disappeared into the mists of the Atlantic to hunt another U-boat, as U-110 could have plummeted into the depths at any time.However, where others tried and failed or tragically lost their lives, Balme and his boarding party succeeded magnificently in capturing an entire Enigma machine, the essential rotors and months' worth of associated cipher material. This was an absolute gift to the code breakers at Bletchley Park who were able to read all the secret German naval signal traffic for some months and it enabled them to read virtually the whole of the traffic for the rest of the war and with little delay. The capture was kept so secret that few even on the British side knew about it - not even the Americans were told what had been achieved after they entered the war. Balme returned from the war and never spoke about the secret capture which he believed would be hidden forever. The story of the capture and ransack of U-110 is told for the first time in the words and letters of David Balme, his captain Joe Baker Cresswell, George Dodds and others who took part in the most important submarine capture of the whole war.Besides the capture of U-110, Balme enjoyed an astonishing variety of wartime experience including the Spanish Civil War, the Palestine Patrol, the sinking of HMS Courageous, the Battle of Convoy KJF3, the fight with the heavy cruiser Hipper, the Battle of Cape Spartivento, the Battle of Convoy OB318, being sunk during Operation Harpoon, the air war in the Western Desert, the high level diplomacy of Prime Minister Winston Churchill and pioneering work as a Fighter Direction Officer in the war against Japan.Trade Review'Captain Peter Hore has put together a most remarkable story which is well worth a read'. In Depth -------------------- `...in 21 compelling chapters - describes the build-up to the capture of Enigma, the event itself and its aftermath... It's a tale of daring and courage.' Nautilus Telegraph --------------------`A fantastic and enthralling book, I thoroughly recommend it.' Royal Naval Sailing Association--------------------`Balme... made the most astonishing `secret capture' of WW2... his spectacularly ripping yarn in full... is a classic naval biography... hugely enjoyable and entertaining, delivering the last word on various aspects of the U-110 episode.' Warships International Fleet Review-------------------- `This beautifully presented book, however, is more than a classic naval history - it completes a hitherto untold life story... a thrilling and enjoyable read... This book has been eagerly awaited. Peter Hore has succeeded in securing David Balme's role in history.' Ray Mayes -------------------- `The whole account is given a well-written makeover... a thundering good read.' The Naval Review -------------------- `…an exemplar of personal courage and leadership of the highest order. …provides a wealth of materials on technicalities, strategy, events and biographical detail … illuminated by direct quotation from Balme’s midshipman’s journal, letters home, and recollections … This is a fascinating tale … We are truly fortunate that our island, faced with great evil, produced such men’. Army Rumour Service
£16.14
