Modern warfare Books

Book SynopsisWhen the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in August 1945, killing 100,000 men, women and children, it was the beginning of a terrifying new episode in human history. Written only a year after the disaster, John Hersey brought the event vividly alive with this heart-rending account of six men and women who survived despite all the odds. He added a further chapter when, forty years later, he returned to Hiroshima to discover how the same six people had struggled to cope with catastrophe and with often crippling disease. The result is a devastating picture of the long-term effects of one very small bomb.Trade Review'To this day nothing tells better the horror of Hiroshima ... One of the most powerful writers of modern times' Washington Post 'A vision of hell ... its terrible images are reminiscent of Dante's Inferno' The Times

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Book SynopsisWinston Churchill''s six-volume history of the cataclysm that swept the world remains the definitive history of the Second World War. Lucid, dramatic, remarkable both for its breadth and sweep and for its sense of personal involvement, it is universally acknowledged as a magnificent reconstruction and is an enduring, compelling work that led to his being awarded the Nobel Prize for literature. Triumph and Tragedy recounts the dramatic months as the War drew to a close - the Normandy landings, the liberation of Western Europe, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the surrender of Germany and Japan.

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Book Synopsis''Pulse-pounding'' Sinclair McKay ''Truly masterful'' Damien Lewis ''Who needs spy fiction, when fact can provide as thrilling a story as this?'' Lindsey HilsumThe Spymaster of Baghdad is the gripping story of the top-secret Iraqi intelligence unit that infiltrated the Islamic State. More so than that of any foreign power, the information they gathered turned the tide against the insurgency, paving the way to the killing of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2019.Against the backdrop of the most brutal conflict of recent decades, we chart the spymaster''s struggle to develop the unit from scratch in challenging circumstances after the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, we follow the fraught relationship of two of his agents, the al-Sudani brothers - one undercover in ISIS for sixteen long months, the other his handler - and we track a disillusioned scientist as she turns bomb-maker, threatening the lives of thousands.With unprecTrade ReviewAuthentic, moving, visceral, chilling, utterly revelatory, truly masterful. A stunning tour de force by an author who has lived every word of it on the ground. A story of our time that absolutely needs to be told -- Damien Lewis, bestselling author of Zero Six BravoSearing, pulse-pounding, yet also acutely human, this compelling account of how Iraqi agents infiltrated ISIS takes us deep beneath the lurid Baghdad and Mosul headlines and into a sharply focused world of courage, ingenuity, terror and love. This is not just a story of dry-mouthed espionage, but also of its profound repercussions upon loved ones and family; the intense struggle to live in peace in a land where extremists of all varieties seek to bring death. Greatly illuminating and powerful -- Sinclair McKay, bestselling author of DresdenCoker's book would do John le Carré - and undoubtedly any number of Operations Officers - proud for her treatment of the role, value, and challenges of human intelligence and agent running. This book is not about the high-tech gadgetry of surveillance drones, signals intercepts, or cyber intelligence, though all three play a role in this story. It is about the unrivaled value of the man or woman on-the-ground or in the loop with access to the information. It is about the delicate art of handling a source, an agent, or an informant -- Joshua C. Huminski, Director of the Mike Rogers Center for Intelligence & Global Affairs at the Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress * Diplomatic Courier *This eye-opening account of the Iraqi intelligence unit which infiltrated Islamic State may read like a thriller, yet it is also grounded in the experiences of everyday Iraqis . . . a unique masterpiece in the genres of espionage writing and spy biography -- Vin Arthey * Scotsman *Margaret Coker, formerly of The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, continued to cover Iraq after most of the American press corps had moved on; she has produced a gripping new book about the shadow war between Iraqi intelligence officers and the Islamic State, The Spymaster of Baghdad . . . Her subject is an elite Iraqi espionage unit called "the Falcons," composed of ordinary men who helped save their country from the onslaught of ISIS. Coker's reporting on these men, their families, and the family of a young woman recruited by terrorists is so meticulous that it lets her enter invisibly a closed, sometimes frightening world and portray it with cinematic detail -- George Packer * Atlantic *Fast-moving and suspenseful -- Samuel Sweeney * Wall Street Journal *

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Book SynopsisA riveting, revealing and news-making account of the CIA''s interrogation of Saddam, written by the CIA agent who conducted the questioning. In December 2003, after one of the largest, most aggressive manhunts in history, US military forces captured Iraqi president Saddam Hussein near his hometown of Tikrit. Beset by body-double rumors and false alarms during a nine-month search, the Bush administration needed positive identification of the prisoner before it could make the announcement that would rocket around the world. At the time, John Nixon was a senior CIA leadership analyst who had spent years studying the Iraqi dictator. Called upon to make the official ID, Nixon looked for telltale scars and tribal tattoos and asked Hussein a list of questions only he could answer. The man was indeed Saddam Hussein, but as Nixon learned in the ensuing weeks, both he and America had greatly misunderstood just who Saddam Hussein really was. DTrade ReviewExcellent -- John Simpson * New Statesman *Refreshingly candid… [Mr. Nixon] reveals gobsmacking facts about that deposed Iraqi leader that raise new questions about why the United States bothered to invade Iraq to oust him from power * The New York Times *A damning indictment of the perversion of a major intelligence service by little minds inside and above it -- Michael Burleigh * The Times *Gripping…Nixon’s book, Debriefing the President, gives more ammunition to the skeptics; indeed, some of its contents can only be described as sensational * The New Yorker *The gripping behind-the-scenes story of Saddam Hussein's downfall * Soldier *

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Book SynopsisEx-RAF officer and researcher for the RAF Escaping Society, Terry Treadwell, tells the incredible tales of some of the lesser known attempts to escape POW camps during the Second World War.

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Book SynopsisA detailed and insightful chronological study of the war, including the decisive encounters, profiles of important political and military figures, as well as the experiences of those who lived through it.

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Book SynopsisAre ''Dear John'' letters lethal weapons in the hands of men at war? Many US officers, servicemen, veterans, and civilians would say yes. Drawing on personal letters, oral histories, and psychiatric reports, as well as popular music and movies, Susan L. Carruthers shows how the armed forces and civilian society have attempted to weaponize romantic love in pursuit of martial ends, from World War II to today. Yet efforts to discipline feeling have frequently failed. And women have often borne the blame. This sweeping history of emotional life in wartime explores the interplay between letter-writing and storytelling, breakups and breakdowns, and between imploded intimacy and boosted camaraderie. Incorporating vivid personal experiences in lively and engaging prose variously tragic, comic, and everything in between this compelling study will change the way we think about wartime relationships.Trade Review'Susan L. Carruthers is an eloquent storyteller. She exposes not only the poignancy of love in times of war, but also how perceptions of girlfriends and wives as 'flight risks' become powerful stimuli to male solidarity. A captivating history.' Joanna Bourke, author of War and Art: A Visual History of Modern Conflict'This fast-moving journey through a century of soldiers' heartbreak and rage at being dumped by their sweethearts reveals the psychological distance between the home front and the war theater, but even more tellingly illuminates the eternal war between men and women.' Nancy F. Cott, author of Fighting Words: The Brave American Journalists Who Brought the World Home between the Wars'Whether distraught, amused, or enraged, jilted GIs have long bonded as victims of betrayal. Susan L. Carruthers's marvellously written new book not only explores the origin and evolution of the 'Dear John' letter, but illuminates the misogyny that often underlies this military brotherhood, the alleged correlation with suicide, and the impact on the writers of these infamous epistles.' Brian McAllister Linn, author of Elvis's Army: Cold War GIs and the Atomic Battlefield'Dear John is, dare I say, a pleasure to read, in addition to being incisive regarding the gendering and biases built around the mythopoeia of the epistolary breakup. Carruthers's multidimensional interrogation of the wartime brushoff encompasses fictions, reality, sexual orientation, POWs, social media, and all manner of telling the loved one So long, see you never. This learned and relevant treatment is a unique and deeply researched addition to the literature of broken hearts.' Anthony Swofford, author of Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles'… an eye-opening study of wartime romances and breakups.' Publishers Weekly'Carruthers makes a convincing case that the Dear John letter has helped make women, not war, the culprit for love's breakdown under pressure.' Charlotte Gray, The Wall Street Journal'Her account offers insights into a broader entanglement, involving the militarism that shores up modern nationhood; the emotional and sexual ties that sustain and can destroy men in the military; and the women on whom male soldiers have poured hatred as well as adoration.' Julia Laite, London Review of BooksTable of ContentsIntroduction: Picking up the pieces; 1. The marital and the martial; 2. Rules of engagement, or 'write right!'; 3. Technologies of proximity; 4. 'That's all she wrote': Telling Dear John stories; 5. 'The modern Penelope': Aanalyzing the waiting wife; 6. Emotional injury: Causes and consequences; 7. Severed ties and suicide; Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisCovers operations by the British multinational 14th Army and also the American-Sino troops of General Stilwell and Chiang Kai-Shek.

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Book SynopsisExplores the events of 7 December 1941, and how the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor affected the US Navy's battleships Bay in 1945.

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Book SynopsisOn 30 November 1939 Stalins Red Army attacked Finland, expecting to crush the outnumbered, ill-equipped Finnish forces in a matter of days. But, in one of the most astonishing upsets in modern military history, the Finnish defenders broke the Red Armys advance, inflicting devastating casualties and destroying some of the divisions that had been thrown against them. Eventually, in March 1940, the overhauled Red Army prevailed through the deployment of massive force. The Finns were compelled to cede territory and cities to their overbearing neighbour, but the moral victory was theirs. The courage and skill their army displayed in the face of the Soviet onslaught and the chaotic and reckless performance of their opponents - had an important influence on the massive struggle that was about to break out between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. For this highly illustrated and original portrayal of this famously unequal struggle, Bair Irincheev has brought together a compelling selection of

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Book SynopsisAn aspect of the Holocaust not previously covered.

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Book SynopsisRare graphic contemporary images of Nazi concentration camp conditions on liberation in 1944 and 1945.

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Book SynopsisThe unique story of Dickie Metcalfe, codename BALLOON, a disgraced Army officer who became a WW2 MI5 spy, and later a celebrated motor racing driver.

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Book SynopsisCovers the Desert Rats early name-making campaigns, particularly in North Africa.

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Book SynopsisDescribes the horrific ordeal of the officers and men of 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders at the hands of the Japanese.

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Book SynopsisExplores how the RAF went on the offensive following the end of the Battle of Britain.

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Book SynopsisThe classic bestseller on the Battle of Britain, revised and updated.Trade ReviewBrilliant ... This highly informative, moving series should form part of the National Curriculum. * Daily Mail *Beautifully made ... Achingly vivid. * Guardian *Compelling ... Mesmerizing stuff. * Sunday Telegraph *Manages to construct the tale in such a way that it breaks free of the text-book approach to transfix the viewer completely; the archive footage, the witness testimonies ... of such superior quality and so beautifully shot that the whole is fresh and absorbing ... Compiled with a pace that could put a lot of thrillers to shame, the result is television at its very best. * Time Out *From fighter-pilots risking their lives in the skies above England, to squaddies stranded at Dunkirk, to schoolgirls sent abroad to Canada (the book is worth buying just for Bess Walder's account of horror and redemption aboard the City of Benares), this is riveting. * Sunday Express *

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Book SynopsisFollowing Argentina''s military operation to take possession of the Falkland Islands/Islas Malvinas, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher''s government launched a major naval operation to return them to British rule. Defending the Royal Navy task force were two small squadrons totalling 20 Sea Harriers (SHARs). Initial clashes between SHARs and Argentine Mirages and Daggers on 1 May 1982 failed to eliminate the Sea Harrier defenders. FAA fighter-bomber pilots relied on daring and courageous ultra-low level attacks, frequently escaping the Sea Harrier's limited capabilities, against Royal Navy warships and auxiliaries, causing considerable damage during Operation Corporate, the large-scale amphibious operation to repossess the islands.Publishing 35 years after the end of the conflict, this fully illustrated volume offers a balanced and objective examination of the SHAR and the Argentine Mirage and Dagger aircraft, highlighting the attributes of both and the skills and courageTable of ContentsIntroduction /Chronology /Design and Development /Technical Specifications /The Strategic Situation /The Combatants /Combat /Statistics and Analysis /Aftermath /Further Reading /Index

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive and dramatic re-telling of the Guadalcanal and Solomons naval campaign the daring Allied offensive to protect Australia and the South Pacific from Japanese invasion.Following the disastrous Java Sea campaign, the Allies went on the offensive in the Pacific in a desperate attempt to halt the Japanese forces that were rampaging across the region. With the conquest of Australia a very real possibility, the stakes were high. Their target: the Japanese-held Solomon Islands, in particular the southern island of Guadalcanal. Hamstrung by arcane pre-war thinking and a bureaucratic mind-set, the US Navy had to adapt on the fly in order to compete with the mighty Imperial Japanese Navy, whose ingenuity and creativity thus far had fostered the creation of its Pacific empire. Starting with the amphibious assault on Savo Island, the campaign turned into an attritional struggle where the evenly matched foes sought to grind out a victory. Following oTable of ContentsI. Now What? – Strategic situation in Summer 1942 II. Learning on the Landing – The Invasion of Guadalcanal III. The Sleeping Watch – The Battle of Savo Island IV. Expensive Bait – Battle of the Eastern Solomons V. I am Aoba – The Battle of Cape Esperance VI. Not Quite Midway – Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands VII. Barfight in the Dark – The First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal VIII. The Reckoning Begins – Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal IX. Just When You Think – Battles of Tassafaronga and Rennell Island X. Cartwheeling – Bismarck Sea, Landings on New Georgia and Vella Lavella XI. Guadalcanal – Minus All the Mistakes XII. Anti-Climax – Isolation of Rabaul

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Book SynopsisGeneral Anders was a significant and controversial figure in the politics of Allied command

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Book SynopsisHighlights the importance of logistics in determining the outcome of the campaigns of WW2

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Book SynopsisIllustrated by over 100 photographs, the majority sourced from Russian archives and previously unpublished.

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Book SynopsisTells the full story of all the Commando raids undertaken against the Channel Islands in the Second World War.

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Book SynopsisLocated by the Baltic near the town of Barth in Western Pomerania, Germany, Stalag Luft I was one of a number of Stammlager Luftwaffe, these being permanent camps established and administered by the Luftwaffe, which were used to house Allied air force prisoners of war. Originally built for RAF personnel, by the time the camp was liberated by the Russians in May 1945, the camp contained approximately 7,500 American and 1,300 British and Commonwealth prisoners. The camp had expanded from the original single RAF compound, to a total of three. On 30 April 1945, the prisoners were ordered to evacuate the camp in the face of the advancing Soviet Red Army but refused. After discussions between the senior American and British officers and the Kommandant, it was agreed that to avoid unnecessary bloodshed the guards would depart, leaving the prisoners behind. The next day, the first Soviet troops arrived. This Official History of Stalag Luft I was prepared for the War Office just after the war, but was never released to the general public. It explores all aspects of the camp, from its administration, to the supply of the food and conditions the prisoners endured. Inevitably the author also investigates the subject of escapes, as well as the reprisals that followed. This account provides the reader with an accurate and unprecedented insight into the story of one of the longest-running German PoW camps of the Second World War.

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Book SynopsisPat Evans parachuted into German-occupied Northern Greece in September 1943. His mission as a SOE operative was to support the Greek resistance movement, carry out sabotage and commando operations and gather military intelligence. By this time Greece was not only a country ravaged by a brutal occupation but being torn apart by fending political factions on the edge of civil war. Evans had to walk a tight-rope between the Germans, the Communist -directed ELAS, Macedonia irredentists and his own SOE masters in Cairo and Allied High Command. After the Nazis withdrew in late 1944, he was sent to Northern Greece to try and restore some form of normality amid the chaos of civil war. His success can be measured by the warmth in which the locals still remember him, over 70 years on. This book draws on a wide range of sources, including SOE and War Cabinet papers but it is Pat Evans' unpublished letters and reports that give the reader an insight into the challenge that he faced, both operationally and politically. The result is a thrilling and informative book.

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Book SynopsisArnhem was meant to end the war in Europe. The Germans were in retreat from Normandy and seemed to be beaten. Three airborne divisions were to seize the bridges across the great rivers of Holland and unleash the Allied armies into Germany. The Battle of Arnhem was a turning-point in the war, a gamble by Montgomery, using three airborne divisions to capture a series of bridges across the wide rivers that separated a powerful mobile army from the plains of northern Germany. If the bridges had been captured and held, and the ground forces had been able to relieve the airborne forces, then there would have been a good chance of ending the war before Christmas 1944. It all went wrong. The initial operation was successful, the bridges taken by the Americans were relieved by ground troops, but these troops could not reach Arnhem quickly enough. In the meantime, only a small part of the 1st British Airborne Division had reached the Arnhem Bridge. Most of the remainder of the airborne force was held up on the outskirts of the town by German units that turned out to be far stronger than expected -� a major intelligence failure. After nine days of fighting, the survivors of the division were withdrawn across the Rhine and it was not until many months later that ground forces captured Arnhem. Using the technique he has perfected over twenty-five years of military study, blending meticulous research based on original documents with the personal experiences of more than 500 participants, Martin Middlebrook describes the Battle of Arnhem from start to finish, from one end of that complicated battlefield to the other.� The author offers a masterly summary of what went wrong in the last major defeat in battle suffered by the British Army.

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Book SynopsisOn 16 October 1946 Joachim von Ribbentrop, Hitler's wartime Foreign Minister, was executed at Nuremberg, convicted on four counts including deliberately planning a war of aggression and war crimes. In this first English Language edition of his memoirs, Rudolf von Ribbentrop frankly describes his relationship with his father when he was the german Ambassador in London and during the war years. Von Ribbentrop was an often isolated figure among the Nazi elite. In his final report from London von Ribbentrop informed Hitler that he was convinced that Great Britain would fight for its position in the world. He went on to play a key role forging the short-lived Pact with Stalin's Soviet Union. Far from being uncritical, the Author, now in his 90s, sets out to paint an objective picture of his Father's role. His unique position throws fascinating light on the unfolding dramatic events leading up to, and then the execution of, the Second World war. While the Author briefly describes his personal experiences including his war service with the SS, it is the insight this work provides into top level decision - making at the heart of the Third Reich that will appeal most to both historians and laymen.

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Book SynopsisHitler was not a lonely, aloof dictator. Throughout his rise in the NSDAP, he gathered a loyal circle around him, which later took on the features of a regular court, and was surrounded by people who celebrated, flattered and intrigued him. Who belonged to this inner circle around Hitler? What function did this court fulfill? And how did it influence the perception of history after 1945? Using previously unknown sources, Heike Gortemaker explores Hitler's private environment and shows how this inner circle made him who he was. Biographies of Hitler often concentrate on his obsession with self-image: "If you subtract what politics is about him, little or nothing remains," said Ian Kershaw, and Joachim Fest asserted: "He did not have a private life." For Alan Bullock the "Fuhrer" was an "uprooted man without a home or family". Hitler's inner circle, the Berghof Society, was his private retreat. But the court was more than that. It provided him with the support he needed to be able to take on the role of "Fuhrer" at all, while at the same time allowing him to use its members as political front men. Most of all, it represented a conspiratorial community whose lowest common denominator was anti-Semitism. In this book, Heike Gortemaker asks new questions about the truth behind Hitler's inner circle and, for the first time, also examines the "circle without leaders"; the networking of the inner circle after 1945.

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Book SynopsisThis book relates a chapter of American military history which many people would rather forget. When the United States came to the aid of Britain in 1942, the arrival of American troops was greeted with unreserved enthusiasm, but unfortunately, wartime sometimes brings out the worst, as well as the best, in people. A small number of the soldiers abused the hospitality they received by committing murders and rapes against British civilians. Some of these men were hanged or shot at Shepton Mallet Prison in Somerset, which had been handed over for the use of the American armed forces. Due to a treaty between Britain and America, those accused of such offences faced an American court martial, rather than a British civilian court, which gave rise to some curious anomalies. Although rape had not been a capital crime in Britain for over a century, it still carried the death penalty under American military law and so the last executions for rape in Britain were carried out at this time in Shepton Mallet. _Fighting For America, Executed in Britain_ tells the story of every American soldier executed in Britain during the Second World War. The majority of the executed soldiers were either black or Hispanic, reflecting the situation in the United States itself, where the ethnicity of the accused person often played a key role in both convictions and the chances of subsequently being executed.

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Book SynopsisThis is the story of an American C-47 'Dakota' pilot who earned three Air Medals, seven Battle Stars and flew twenty-seven combat missions during the Second World War. As a young U.S. pilot, Harry Watson, arrived in Britain as the Battle of Normandy was reaching its crescendo. Thrown immediately into the fray, Harry, along with more than 200 aircraft, set off to carry supplies to the troops fighting in France. But with visibility reduced to zero, the aircraft were ordered to turn back - all did except Harry, who successfully delivered his life-saving cargo of blood and US Army nurses. Harry continued to take risks, which resulted in many hair-raising episodes. This included almost being caught on the ground, while on an urgent fuel resupply mission for a platoon of General Patton's tanks, by a German Mk.IV panzer and a battalion of supporting infantry. He flew throughout Operation Market Garden, losing a close friend to German anti-aircraft fire while taking some hits to his own plane. Thereafter he led a flight of five transports on a desperate mission to evacuate a mobile field hospital that was about to be over-run by the SS. Only four of the planes made it back as they came under direct fire just before they could take-off with scores of casualties and medical personnel crammed aboard each Dakota. Around midnight, in early April 1945, he was sent on a secret mission to fly to a point near Nuremberg, which was behind enemy lines at the time. It was necessary for him to locate an empty meadow in the dark, land, load a party of US soldiers and their captives, and then take-off again. He pulled it off. Among those prisoners was Franz von Papen, the man who had persuaded President Hindenburg to make Hitler Chancellor of Germany in 1933. Von Papen had been seized at his own home by First Lieutenant Thomas McKinley and his men from the US 194th Glider Infantry Regiment. Based on his own recollections, as told to the author Marcus Nannini, this is Harry Watson's exciting account of the air war told, unusually, through the words of a transport pilot.

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Book SynopsisThe U.S. Army regards the Hurtgen Forest as one of the most desperate battles it has ever fought. Flanking the key German city of Aachen, the forest was one of the formidable natural barriers interspersed with German fortifications in the West Wall in September 1944.

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Book SynopsisDecember 1942 saw the bloodiest Christmas in the history of mankind. From the islands in the Pacific to the China front, from the trenches in Russia to the battle lines in North Africa, in the skies over Europe and in the depths of the Atlantic, men were killing each other in greater numbers than ever before. The Holocaust continued, and innocent civilians were murdered by the thousands throughout the evil Nazi empire, even as the perpetrators celebrated the birth of Christ.Millions stationed in far-off lands amid the greatest conflict in human history feared this was their last Christmas in freedom, or their last Christmas alive. At the same time as the slaughter continued unabated, throughout the world there were random acts of kindness, born out of an instinctive feeling of the essential brotherhood of man. These gestures also straddled religious barriers and sometimes included those of non-Christian faiths. Even some Japanese, otherwise embarked on a self-declared crusade against the West, relented for a few precious hours in acknowledgment of the holiday.At the same time, Christmas 1942 saw the injunction of ‘good will to man’ distorted in ugly and callous ways. At Auschwitz, SS guards played cruel games with their prisoners. In Berlin, the German heart of darkness, Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels spent time with his family while still buried in feverish fantasies about the Jewish world conspiracy.Christmas 1942 saw the entire range of man’s conduct towards his fellow man, reflecting the extremes of behaviour, good and bad, that World War II gave rise to. The way the holiday was marked around the world tells a deeper and more universal story of the human condition in extraordinary times.Trade Review[P]rovides an interesting look at one of the war's lesser-known facets. It is well researched and organized, with a good selection of photographs highlighting the author's narrative. * WWII History *This book is of interest to any scholar of World War II, particularly those focused on bridging culture and war. Highly readable, this text is suitable for undergraduate and popular audiences as well. Many should find its analysis to be a refreshing take on the well-trodden field of World War II histories. * The Journal of Military History *This is book which will resonate with every reader. Its ability to capture and articulate the human dimension of war is powerful. Traveling through the numerous World War II offerings is certainly difficult for a potential reader. However, the uniqueness and quality of Darkest Christmas make this one you want to stop for. * Military Review *By the time you end the book, you'll have a greater understanding for the often conflicting emotions that surrounded Christmas Day 1942 and perhaps Christmas Day 2022. It's a great concept book well executed. * The Historical Miniatures Gaming Society *An excellent, often moving read. * The NYMAS Review 04/01/2023 *Featured in * Church Times *One single, crucial 24 hours – Christmas Day 1942. A world hanging in the balance. Peter Harmsen masterfully reveals the raging war across the globe through the hopes and fears of its inhabitants whether soldier, civilian or prisoner. A broad canvas, yet one that repeatedly becomes incredibly personal and often heart-wrenching. Among the vast library of books on World War II Darkest Christmas stands out as uniquely poignant and original. * Paul French, New York Times best-selling author of 'Midnight in Peking' and 'Bloody Saturday: Shanghai's Darkest Day' *Table of ContentsChapter 1: Pacific Ocean Chapter 2: Guadalcanal, New Guinea, Australia Chapter 3: Japan, occupied Asia Chapter 4: India, Siberia and the Middle East Chapter 5: Eastern Front Chapter 6: Germany, Holocaust Chapter 7: Occupied Europe Chapter 8: North Africa, Britain Chapter 9: Atlantic Ocean Chapter 10: Americas

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Book SynopsisThe Spanish Civil War, 1936–39, was the curtain-raiser to World War II, and the major international event of the 1930s. It was the first great clash of 20th-century ideologies, between the rebel Nationalist army led by General Franco (right-wing, and aided by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy), and the Republican army of the government (left-wing, and aided by the Communist Soviet Union and many volunteers from liberal democracies). Three years of widespread campaigns involved the most modern weapons available. The war was fought ruthlessly by both sides, and when the Nationalists secured victory they installed a dictatorship that lasted until November 1975 – the last such regime in Western Europe. Featuring specially commissioned full-color artwork, this first part of a two-part study depicts the fighting men of the Nationalist forces that strove to take control of Spain alongside their German and Italian allies.Trade ReviewThis book describes well the extraordinary range of troop types and their uniforms, included examples of the complex range of unit cross-postings between formations. There is a helpful, albeit brief, historical overview, then chapters on the Nationalist army (including militias), colonial troops, and foreign volunteers, plus the air force, navy and security forces. The text provides useful information on the state of training and 'combat effectiveness' of the various troops, and plentiful photographs and illustration to assist the modeller/gamer. Company and battalion structures are provided, although the author makes plain that these were often theoretical rather than kept to in the field. The back cover implies that there will be an accompanying volume on the Republican forces: together these will provide a nicely balanced profile of troops, uniforms, styles of fighting, weapons, and so on. (Chris Jarvis, Miniature Wargames, June 2014)Table of ContentsIntroduction: historical background/ Chronology of main events, 1931–39/ Franco’s Nationalist armies: organization, orders of battle; uniforms, weapons, equipment/ Regional troops: Galicia, Andalucia, Navarra, etc./ Troops from Africa: Moroccan, African nomadic, Spanish Foreign Legion/ Security troops: Guardia Civil, Cuerpo de Seguridad/ Spanish Falange and other political militias/ Nationalist Air Force/ Nationalist Navy/ Foreign volunteers: German Legion Condor, Italian Volunteer Corps, Irish Brigade, Portuguese volunteers/ Select bibliography/ Plate commentaries/ Index

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Book Synopsis'Extraordinary.' Philippe Sands'We are touched by the courage and dignity of Andrew Harding's characters - qualities that the author must surely possess in equal measure.' - Andrey Kurkov'A story of extraordinary heroism by ordinary people. - James Meek'This gripping account is the Russian invasion of Ukraine in microcosm.' - Lindsey HilsumThe Russians are invading. But the locals have a plan.It's March 2022 and Russian tanks are roaring across the vast, snow-dusted fields of Ukraine. Their destination: Voznesensk, a town with a small bridge that could change the course of the war.The heavily-armed Russians are expecting an easy fight - or no fight at all. After all, Voznesensk is a quiet farming town, full of pensioners. But the locals appear to have other ideas.Svetlana, a grandmother with arthritis, reacts in fury when Russian troops turn her cottage into their blood-soaked headquarters. Valentin, a quick-talking lawyer, joins the town's 'Dads Army' defenders, crouching in a trench with an AK47. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Sergei grabs a Molotov cocktail and lies in wait for Russian tanks as they push towards Dead Water Bridge.The odds are terrible. But a plan is emerging, and there's a chance it could save not just Voznesensk, but the rest of southern Ukraine. Meanwhile, inside the tanks, an inner battle rages. As Russian officer Igor Rudenko prepares to invade, he has a secret. He is Ukrainian himself.A gripping work of reportage that tells the story of a pivotal moment in Ukraine's war, this is a real-life thriller about ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances with resilience, humour and ingenuity.'[Andrew Harding is] one of our most gifted and sensitive journalists' - Jon SnowTrade Review'Maybe the most compelling book on Ukraine published in English this year[...] A Small Stubborn Town reads like a novel, both in light of its beautifully wrought prose, and the extraordinary story of the remarkable civilian defence mounted by the town's eclectic residents' * The Telegraph *'A short, brilliant book... Its characters could have walked out of a novel' * Financial Times *'A cracking story ... that never loses sight of the "murderous absurdity" of Russia's war' -- Justin Marozzi * The Spectator *'[A] remarkable story ... propulsive' * The Irish Times *'The story of Ukraine in perfect microcosm - ordinary people doing absolutely extraordinary things - beautifully told' -- Christina Lamb'Riveting and vividly written ... this gripping story is the literary equivalent of a superb miniature painting' * The Observer *'A short, brilliant book on the battle for Voznesensk. Harding captures the mixture of courage, bewilderment and mania of Ukrainians who decide to fight the invasion' -- Gideon Rachman * Financial Times *'Harding has told a mesmerising story of how in the face of a mighty army, ordinary people can sometimes turn and simply say, "No."' -- Sinclair McKay * Mail on Sunday *'Elegantly told ... a deceptively simple narrative that explains a great deal about the dynamics of this war and many others' -- Roger Boyes * The Times *'Harding recreates the fighting blow by-blow ... [and] the personalities of his interviewees come to life' * The Telegraph *'Extraordinary; filled with a deep sense of enduring humanity. Immensely powerful, timely and real.' -- Philippe Sands, author of East West Street'It would be wonderful if the story told in this beautiful little book were the author's invention. But alas, the story itself is pure truth. Andrew Harding's characters invite the reader into their daily struggle which we witness with awe and empathy. We are touched by their courage and dignity - qualities that the author must surely have possessed in equal measure to record these extraordinary events.' -- Andrey Kurkov'This gripping account is the Russian invasion of Ukraine in microcosm.' -- Lindsey Hilsum'A piercing book: the story of extraordinary heroism by ordinary people, and an accessible, limpid account of what battle is actually like. -- James Meek'Fascinating, vivid, often harrowing, and deeply moving. A must-read for anyone trying to grasp both the human dimension and larger dynamics of this brutal contemporary war.' -- Fiona Hill, author of There Is Nothing for You Here'A captivating tale of one Ukrainian town and a heartening story of people's defiance, ingenuity and spirit. Originally reported and beautifully written.' -- Arkady Ostrovsky, author of The Invention of Russia'Reads like a daring tale from WW2' -- Will Brown * Tortoise Media *

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Book SynopsisThe French resistance to Nazi occupation during World War II was a struggle in which ordinary people fought for their liberty, despite terrible odds and horrifying repression. Hundreds of thousands of Frenchmen and women carried out an armed struggle against the Nazis, producing underground anti-fascist publications and supplying the Allies with vital intelligence. The Resistancetouches on some of the strongest themes in life - courage, self-sacrifice, betrayal and struggle. It shatters the illusion of a unified Resistance created by General de Gaulle, and brings to vivid life a true story of heroes and conflicts forgotten over the next half-century as the movement became a myth. Based on hundreds of French eye-witness accounts and including recently-released archival material, The Resistanceuses dramatic personal stories to take the reader on one of the great adventures of the 20thcentury.

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Book SynopsisIt Had to Be Tough tells the fascinating story of the origins of the Commandos (Britain's first Special Service troops and the forerunners of today's Parachute Regiment, the SAS and the SBS). The Commandos were raised on the specific and personal orders of Winston Churchill in the dark days of the summer of 1940 when these islands faced the real threat of a Nazi invasion. It was a bold, but typically Churchillian, decision.This engaging book traces the formation of the Commandos and the extreme and often unorthodox training methods and techniques used to prepare the volunteers from all branches of the British Army for subsequent world-wide operations. These ground-breaking operations included the 'great raids' on Norway and France, and the full scale invasions of North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Normandy and Burma.Arguably the Army Commandos were disbanded too hastily after the War but their legacy, traditions and fighting spirit live on in those artillery, engineer and corps troops who today win their coveted 'Green Berets' and serveTrade ReviewThis book tells the story of the origins of the Commandos, a unit raised on the specific and personal orders of Winston Churchill. The author James Dunning, was himself a member of No 4 Commando during WW2 and took part in a number of it's raids before becoming an instructor. His account concentrates on all aspects of training, and provides a fascinating insight into principles and techniques that still apply today. - Classic Military Vehicle The Commandos developed an approach to warfare which was the complete antithesis to the conventional and defensive mindset of the British infantryman of 1940. Trained to fight in complete isolation and to make rapid and aggressive progress with only their small arms and personal determination and initiative to assist them, they evolved into a truly elite fighting force which was capable of causing mayhem and destruction out of all proportion to their size. James Dunning does not dwell upon the numerous raids which made them famous, instead he explores the unorthodox and notoriously gruelling training regime through which every Commando had to pass; a regime which would tolerate nothing less than the keenest, fittest, most self-disciplined and capable soldiers that Britain could produce. Covering every aspect of this system, from physical training to rehearsals for large-scale amphibious operations, "It Had to be Tough" reveals what it was which shaped each individual Commando and so made possible their legendary achievements. - Pegasus Archive

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Book SynopsisIn May and June 1940 almost four million people fled Paris and its suburbs in anticipation of a German invasion. On June 14, the German Army tentatively entered the silent and eerily empty French capital. Without one shot being fired in its defence, the Occupation of Paris had begun. When Paris Went Dark tells the extraordinary story of Germany's capture and Occupation of Paris, Hitler's relationship with the City of Light, and its citizens' attempts at living in an environment that was almost untouched by war, but which had become uncanny overnight. Beginning with the Phoney War and Hitler's first visit to the city, acclaimed literary historian and critic Ronald Rosbottom takes us through the German Army's almost unopposed seizure of Paris, its bureaucratic re-organization of that city, with the aid of collaborationist Frenchmen, and the daily adjustments Parisians had to make to this new oppressive presence. Using memoirs, interviews and published eye-witness accounts, Rosbottom expertly weaves a narrative of daily life for both the Occupier and the Occupied. He shows its effects on the Parisian celebrity circles of Pablo Picasso, Simone de Beauvoir, Colette, Jean Cocteau, and Jean-Paul Sartre, and on the ordinary citizens of its twenty arrondissements. But Paris is the protagonist of this story, and Rosbottom provides us with a template for seeing the City of Light as more than a place of pleasure and beauty.Trade ReviewA sombre, but riveting read, a stark reminder of the divisive nightmare of occupation * Country Life *Exposes the manifold instances of French cowardice and duplicity while not exaggerating rare moments of heroism * The Times *An admirable background study * Church Times *[Rosbottom's] lively writing, wide research and obvious affection for the city makes for a fascinating read * BBC History Magazine *When Paris Went Dark recounts, through countless compelling stories, how Nazi occupation drained the light from Paris and how many of its residents resisted in ways large and small. This is a rich work of history, a brilliant recounting of how hope can still flourish in the rituals of daily life * Scott Turow *A riveting account of one of the most resonant hostage-takings in history: the 1,500 days when a swastika flew from the Eiffel Tower . . . an intimate, sweeping narrative, astute in its insight and chilling in its rich detail * Stacy Schiff, author of Cleopatra, A Great Improvisation, and Véra *Ron Rosbottom has recreated the Parisian world during the dark days of the German occupation like no previous writer I know. His secret is two-fold: first, exhaustive research that allows him to recover what we might call the importance of the ordinary; and second, a shrewd grasp of how memory works * Joseph J. Ellis, Ford Foundation Professor Emeritus at Mount Holyoke College, author of Founding Brothers, American Sphinx, and Revolutionary Summer *His book's main strength is the sense it gives of how ordinary Parisians coped, but it is also excellent on youth culture, the divisions that marked the Jewish community's response to persecution, the toxic aftermath of liberation, and the mythologies that quickly arose around the war years * Observer *

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Book SynopsisCarve Her Name With Pride is the inspiring story of the half-French Violette Szabo who was born in Paris Iin 1921 to an English motor-car dealer, and a French Mother. She met and married Etienne Szabo, a Captain in the French Foreign Legion in 1940. Shortly after the birth of her daughter, Tania, her husband died at El Alamein. She became a FANY (First Aid Nursing Yeomanry) and was recruited into the SOE and underwent secret agent training. Her first trip to France was completed successfully even though she was arrested and then released by the French Police. On June 7th, 1944, Szabo was parachuted into Limoges. Her task was to co-ordinate the work of the French Resistance in the area in the first days after D-Day. She was captured by the SS 'Das Reich' Panzer Division and handed over to the Gestapo in Paris for interrogation. From Paris, Violette Szabo was sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp where she was executed in January 1945. She was only 23 and for her courage was posthumously awarded The George Cross and the Croix de Guerre.

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Book SynopsisA remarkable and eccentric insight into the south east of England in the pre-war period. Richard Wyndham's 'last look round' was a tour taken immediately before the Second World War in 1939 and was originally published in the following year as South-Eastern Survey. Wyndham is a very agreeable companion as he travels in his self-confessed 'haphazard' way around the counties of Sussex, Kent and Surrey. Often eccentric but always good fun, he drives 'for the most part on side roads only, and through villages and lesser towns.' A selection of Wyndham's own black and white photographs taken on his expedition are included. Sussex, Kent and Surrey 1939 is a wonderful insight into south east of England before the outbreak of the Second World War, which brought so much change to the country. Wyndham is a superb travel companion who completed the writing as he was called up for active service.Trade Review‘Wyndham’s tone is that of a warm, eccentric uncle.' * Discover Britain *

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Book SynopsisIn 1982, Argentina rashly gambled that a full-scale invasion of the Falklands Islands - ownership of which had been disputed with Great Britain for over a century - would put an end to years of political wrangling. However Britain's response was to immediately dispatch a task force to recover the islands by force if necessary. The 'conflict' which followed (a formal declaration of war was never given) lasted ten weeks from Argentine invasion to British liberation, the white heat of battle using 20th century technology contrasting with bitter hand-to-hand bayonet fighting in inhospitable conditions. This title features eyewitness accounts by the participants of both sides and islanders that leave us in no doubt as to the ferocity of the combat on land, sea and in the air. Its comparison photography in colour of all the battlefields, the crash sites of the aircraft shot down, the relics and the remains, together with portraits of those who lost their lives and the battlefield memorials, serve as a graphic testimony to their endeavours, 25 years after the battle. "A Roll of Honour" lists the casualties of both sides and, for the first time, the graves of all the British fallen - both on the islands and the United Kingdom - have been visited and photographed as a lasting record of all those who made the supreme sacrifice I what is most probably Britain's last colonial war.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisThis new photo album is number 32 in the MMPBooks/Stratus "Camera On" series and is the second volume to cover such equipment as Luftwaffe search lights and range finding equipment, of which the book contains 140+ photographs. The majority of the photos are from private collections taken by ordinary German soldiers, not professional propagandists. In this volume, we endeavour to show this rarely illustrated equipment in some detail but still show it as the soldiers viewed it as both their work place and also their home, not the highly posed and polished views of the official photographers.This book is an invaluable reference for military historians and modelers alike.

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Book SynopsisBy 1969, following the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu, over 500,000 US troops were in country' in Vietnam. Before America's longest war had ended with the fall of Saigon in 1975, 450,000 Vietnamese had died, along with 36,000 Americans. The Vietnam War was the first rock 'n' roll war, the first helicopter war with its doctrine of airmobility', and the first television war; it made napalm and the defoliant Agent Orange infamous, and gave us the New Journalism of Michael Herr and others. It also saw the establishment of the Navy SEALs and Delta Force. At home, America fractured, with the peace movement protesting against the war; at Kent State University, Ohio National Guardsmen fired on unarmed students, killing four and injuring nine. Lewis's compelling selection of the best writing to come out of a war covered by some truly outstanding writers, both journalists and combatants, includes an eyewitness account of the first major battle between the US Army and the People's Army

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