Modern warfare Books

Book Synopsis'I can't understand the mentality of the Australian people. One day they are in a panic about the war and the next they want more race meetings.' - John CurtinBy March 1942, the Japanese had steamrolled through Malaya, laid siege to Singapore, and bombed Darwin with the same ferocity they had dealt Pearl Harbor. Nothing could stop them. Their next step was inevitable, surely: the invasion and occupation of Australia. Meanwhile, as Australian prime minister John Curtin was battling with Winston Churchill to get troops back from overseas to defend their homeland, he was also positioning to ensure the United States would be there with us to fend off the approaching enemy.And at home, people pitched in as best they could and in any way to frustrate the invader. They all played their part, torn between 'she'll be right' and near panic. On Our Doorstep is the story of how Australia and Australians - the government, the military and the people - prepared to face this calamity, and the events that persuaded them of its probability. In the end, Japan found it had stretched itself beyond the reliability of its supply line, but had it ever intended to invade Australia?

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Book SynopsisThey were thrown into a hopeless fight against an overwhelming enemy. Later, hundreds died as prisoners of war on the Thai-Burma Railway and in the freezing coal mines of Taiwan and Japan. Through it all, wrote Weary Dunlop, they showed 'fortitude beyond anything I could have believed possible'. Until now, the story of the 2000 diggers marooned on Java in February 1942 has been a footnote to the fall of Singapore and the bloody campaign in New Guinea. Led by an Adelaide lawyer, Brigadier Arthur Blackburn VC, and fighting with scrounged weapons, two Australian battalions - plus an assortment of cooks, laundrymen and deserters from Singapore - held up the might of the Imperial Japanese Army until ordered by their Dutch allies to surrender.Drawing on personal diaries, official records and interviews with two of the last living survivors, this book tells the extraordinary story of the 'lads from Java', who laid down their weapons, but refused to give in. '[Gilling] has made superb use of an Australian Army History Research Grant to afford us a greater understanding of what the lost Australian warriors on Java experienced as a consequence of failed imperial wartime policy.' -The Australian'An engaging account . . . Gilling makes good use of diaries, memoirs and interviews with survivors.' -Good ReadingTable of ContentsAuthor's noteBrothers in armsDestination unknownGreatcoats will be wornThere are no Japanese within 100 milesThey got nothing from meSpecial Mission 43Java rubble A hell of a temperHundreds of whores and wicked bastardsSpeedo!One vast hospitalWhere are the rest?Stoppo!Do not overeatWe have developed queer habits and outlookBibliography

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Book SynopsisIn this book, acclaimed history David Brewer investigates explores 1940s Greece -- one of the most tumultuous decades in Greece's modern history. Beginning in 1941, the occupation of Greece by Germany was intensely brutal: children starved on the streets of Athens; the Jewish population was decimated in the Holocaust; heroic acts of resistance were met with vicious reprisals. When Greece was finally freed from Nazi rule in 1944, the fractured and embittered nation became engulfed in civil war, as conflict flared between the British and American-sponsored government and communist-led rebels. In Greece, The Decade of War, Brewer expertly analyses these events and in doing so provides a compelling military and political history.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Prologue 1. The Albanian Gateway to Greece 2. Mussolini's War on Greece 3. The German Invasion 4. The Battle for Crete 5. The Occupation Begins 6. Hyperinflation and Starvation 7. The Emergence of the Communists 8. Early Resistance 9. SOE, the Andartes and Gorgopotamos 10. Village and City 11. The Destruction of the Jews 12. The Fractured Resistance 13. The Question of the King 14. The Cairo Conference, August 1943 15. The Italian Armistice and the First Communist Offensive 16. The Resistance in Crete 17. Upheaval in the Greek Government 18. Liberation 19. Towards Sunday December 3rd 1944 20. The Battle for Athens 21. Dhamaskinos, Churchill and the Varkiza Agreement 22. The Government, the Communists and the Elections 23. The Truman Doctrine 24. 1947 – Civil War and American Involvement 25. Terror from Left and Right 26. The Plight of the Greek Children 27. The Marshall Plan 28. The Ending of the Civil War Epilogue Chronology Notes Select Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThis book provides Bolt Action players with all of the information they need to field the military forces of the Soviet Union. From the bitter urban warfare of Stalingrad, through the Winter War against Finland and the final drive to Berlin, the detailed army lists provided in this supplement allow players to construct Soviet armies for any theatre and any year of the war.Table of ContentsIntroduction /Army Lists /Theatres

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Book SynopsisFollowing the assault on Pearl Harbor, the Imperial Japanese military saw action across Asia, from the capture and defence of the islands of the Pacific to the occupation of territory in China and Burma. With this latest supplement for Bolt Action, players have all the information they need to build a force of the Emperor’s fanatically loyal troops and campaign through some of the most brutal battles of the war.Table of ContentsIntroduction /Army Lists /Theatres

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Book Synopsis"The Luftwaffe - the German Air Force - will no longer have a decisive influence on the outcome of World War II, no matter how long it takes to beat Hitler." It is more than two years since I first heard these words. The man who spoke them to me continued: "No doubt, we will hear of the Luftwaffe before the war is over. We will hear a lot. But don't let us be deceived. No matter what happens, the Luftwaffe can never be used as a strategic first-line weapon within the Nazi plan. It can play no role but that of a tactical and auxiliary weapon." Curt Reiss, December 1943. Can it really be true that in 1941 insiders knew the Luftwaffe was a spent force; and a failed organization? This remarkable, but little-known book was written in 1943 and published in 1944. It argues, with remarkable clarity how incompetence at the highest level, both in planning and strategy led the Luftwaffe - pushed by the Nazi Party - to adopt a policy that left it hopelessly stretched and exposed. Little known facts shine out - such as the policy of failing to produce spares led the Luftwaffe to lose 2,500 aircraft during the invasion of Poland alone. The regime designed the Luftwaffe for Blitzkrieg, and Blitzkrieg alone. When a long-haul set in on an eastern front, on an African front and later on a western front, the collapse of Germany became simply inevitable. Crammed full of fascinating detail, and displaying much prescience, this book leaves the reader with the distinct impression that the much-vaunted German efficiency suffered from the dead-hand of the Nazi Party with its corruption and its contradictions. The insights into Goering and his wholesale thefts to fund a lavish life-style add colour to the picture of his incompetence.

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Book SynopsisTwenty-six-year-old American Ernest Pope arrived in Munich as a Reuters correspondent in in 1936. From then until he left in the summer of 1940 he saw first-hand the wild excesses of the Nazis. He wrote mainly for British newspapers-notably the Daily Express-but after September 1939 he could only supply material to the USA as lines to Britain were closed. As events hotted up he left for home just two months prior to America's entry to the war. Back in the safety of the United States he spent six months writing down what he had seen and who he had met. With wicked wit and superb style he ridicules the Nazis, showing them up for what they truly were-boorish and evil thugs. His narrative reads like a sensational novel, but for the poor inhabitants of Germany the unbelievable was in fact everyday life. Pope knew, saw or interviewed all the top Nazis and dozens of lower-level officials, including some of Hitler's security men. Fluent in Bavarian German dialect, Pope made many friends in Munich with citizens and officials alike. He heard jokes from Munichers that could get them thrown in a concentration camp and he poked fun at Nazis whenever he dared. Munich Playground is a 'must read' for anyone who wishes to understand what Hitler's Third Reich was really like.Table of ContentsPublisher's Note to the 2015 Edition, Introduction to the 2015 Edition ,Foreword, 1 Der Fuhrer at Play, 2 My Friends the Gestapo, 3 Portrait of a Nazi Grafter, 4 Hitler Dabbles in Art, 5 The One-Legged Boss of Bavaria, 6 Catholicism in the Nazi Capital, 7 Lunch with Julius Streicher, 8 Non-Aryans, 9 The Brown-Shirt Press, 10 Tea for Two, 11 Death Takes a Holiday, 12 Brass Hats in Bavaria, 13 Fraulein give me London, 14 Nazi Night Life, 15 Nazi Morals, 16 Hitler Breaks his Toys, Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThe Second World War saw the apex of piston-engine aircraft design, and ushered the world into the jet age. Anybody who studies aviation will know the names: Spitfire, Mustang, Zero, Messerschmitt, Shturmovik. But there were many more aircraft to take to the skies before and during the war, and frequently their stories remain unknown. This book seeks to tell those stories, to bring to the fore the forgotten warbirds. From the valiant Poles fighting the might of the Luftwaffe in their obsolescent craft, to the varied and excellent craft of the French Armee De l'Air, to the graceful craft of Italy's Regia Aeronautica. With stops around the globe, this book seeks to tell the tales of the forgotten or the doomed or the never-quites. The stories of these aircraft, drawn from Allies and Axis nations alike, bring forth a fuller picture of aviation during the greatest airborne conflict in world history. Telling these stories will give readers an interesting, and informative, look into the past-with personal reflections and a call to arms for the study of history itself.

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Book SynopsisStarting weeks after Hitler declared war on the United States in mid-December 1941 and lasting until the war with Germany was all but over, 73 German U-Boats sustainably attacked New England waters, from Montauk New York to the tip of Nova Scotia at Cape Sable. Fifteen percent of these boats were sunk by Allied counter-attacks, five surrendered in the region, and three were sunk off New England--Block Island, Massachusetts Bay, and off Nantucket. These have proven appealing to divers, with a result that at least three German naval officers or ratings are buried in New England, one having killed himself in the Boston jail cell. There were 34 Allied merchant or naval ships sunk by these subs, one of them, the 'Eagle', was not admitted to have been sunk by the Germans until decades later. Over 1,100 men were thrown in the water and 545 of them made it ashore in New England ports; 428 were killed. Importantly, saboteurs were landed three places: Long Island, Frenchman's Bay Maine and New Brunswick Canada, and Boston was mined. Very little was known about this.Table of ContentsForeword; Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1 Early 1942: The First Four U-boats Attack the `Thirlby', the `Norness', and the `Alexandra Hoegh'; 2 Five U-boats Follow Up: U-654, U-106, U-103, U-107, and U-578; 3 The Coastal Picket Forms (1942-1943); 4 Five U-boats Attack the `Norland', the `Polyphemus', the `Berganger', and the `Cayru'; 5 A Dozen U-boats Attack the `Ranja', the `Thursobank', the `Hertford', and the `Nemanja'; 6 Two Boats Sink Three Ships: the `West Imboden', the `Pipestone County', and the `Taborfjell'; 7 Five U-boats Attack the `Skottland', the `Fort Binger', the `Plow City', and the `Margot'; 8 U-213 Inserts the First German Saboteur into the Bay of Fundy; 9 Two U-boats Attack the `Peisander', the `Mattawin', and the `Fort Qu'Appelle'; 10 One Boat and Attacks on the `Zurichmoor', the `Liverpool Packet', the `Ben' and `Josephine', the `Aeolus', and the `Malayan Prince'; 11 The Boston Minefield and Five U-boats Attack the `Moldanger', the `Port Nicholson', and the `Cherokee'; 12 Second Saboteur Landing, Amagansett, Long Island by U-202; 13 Ten U-boats Attack the `Lucille M' and the `Alexander Macomb'; 14 The Tragic Saga of the Lifeboat of the Wind Ship `Angelus'; 15 Six U-boats and the Battle to Attack and Save the Tanker `Pan Pennsylvania'; 16 Three Boats and the Diminutive Fishing Schooner `Lark'; 17 The Third Saboteur Landing off Bar Harbor, Maine, and the `Cornwallis'; 18 Last Gasps: Four U-boats and the `Atlantic States', `USS Eagle 56', and the `Black Point'; 19 Eight Surrenders: U-858, U-1228, U-805, U-873, U-234, U-977, U-889, and U-530; 20 Thirteen French and Italian Allied Submarines and Five German Cold War U-boats;'Conclusion; Postscript; Appendix I: Patrols and Fates of Ninety German, Italian, and French U-boats and Submarines; Appendix II: Thirty-Eight Merchant and One Naval Victims; Appendix III: Sixteen Ports Where 649 Survivors Landed; Appendix IV: Burial Locations of Eight U-boat Sailors; Appendix V: Fates of Ten U-boats Lost During and After the War; Endnotes; Bibliography; Index.

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Book Synopsis‘Panzersoldaten!’ is a history of the Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale (MVSN), commonly referred to as the Blackshirts due to their wartime attire. They were an anti-Communist paramilitary organisation that fought for Mussolini while Italy was under fascist rule; following the Duce’s removal from power, the organisation was quickly swept up by the Italian Army, and forced to swear allegiance to the king. Some, however, defected and continued to fight for the Axis alliance as volunteer units in the German Army. This volume covers the history of the Blackshirt Division during the campaign on the Eastern Front, focusing on its relations with the Italian Army, the history of the MVSN, its advance into Ukraine, and the First and Second Battles of the Don River. Morisi, using almost exclusively contemporary resources and battalion war diaries, as well memoirs from senior officers of the division, has created a definitive analysis of the Blackshirts.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; Introduction; 1: The Italian Army and Operation Barbarossa; 2: A History of the MVSN; 3: From the Initial Advance into Ukraine to the Christmas Battle; 4: First and Second Battle of the Don River; 5: The M Armoured Division; Conclusion: final assessment; Bibliography; Appendix: Anthem of the M Battalions.

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Book Synopsis1943 was the turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic, when the balance of forces, technologies and tactics turned irrevocably against Germany’s U-boats. The victory thus obtained not only secured Britain’s transatlantic lifeline to the United States, but in so doing enabled the vast build up in military forces in Britain necessary to launch D-Day in June 1944. The Allied battle to defeat the U-boat menace was a combined effort by the naval and air forces of several Allied nations, and this is the story of one part of that effort during the decisive mid-war period. Nos 10 and 461 Squadrons of the Royal Australian Air Force flew Sunderland flying boats from bases in Wales and Devon as part of RAF Coastal Command; these two sister squadrons flew long-range daylight missions over the eastern Atlantic, patrolling Britain’s southwest approaches. They hunted and killed U-boats transiting between their mid-Atlantic hunting grounds and their bases in Bordeaux, and fought furious air battles over the heaving seas of the Bay of Biscay, against Luftwaffe Ju88 long-range fighters tasked specifically with shooting them down. These two Australian squadrons established a combat record second to none.

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Book SynopsisThe Second World War was the cause of more civilian casualties, many of them young people, than of military. In Britain, young people were on the front line, facing the threat of enemy invasion and the fragmentation of daily life. Their education was disrupted as their schools were taken over by government, the military and ARP; as pupils were evacuated and staff conscripted; curriculum was diluted and part-time schooling instituted; and concerns over food and accommodation increased. Along with the physical dangers of bombing and the increased disease caused by deprivation and social dislocation, youngsters endured psychological and emotional pressure from anxieties over home and family. Young people worked in industry and agriculture; served in the Home Guard and ARP; carried out voluntary activities in health and welfare; and prepared for military service as cadets and in uniformed organisations. School buildings aided the war effort as military HQs, training centres, research centres for weapons development and, central to ARP, especially in the cities, were often at the forefront of the bombing. This book attempts an overview of the circumstances under which youngsters grew up between 1939 and 1945 on the Home Front, with particular emphasis on the 14-18 age group.Table of ContentsContents, Acknowledgements, Abbreviations, Introduction, Chapter 1: The Context of Schooling, Chapter 2: The re-purposing of school premises, Chapter 3: Youngsters in defence of the nation, Chapter 4: Schools under attack, Chapter 5: Young people serving the nation, Evacuation figures for British cities, Bibliography, Index

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Book SynopsisThe Second World War campaigns in North Africa, on the Eastern Front and in northwest Europe were dominated by armoured warfare, but the battles in Italy were not. The mountainous topography of the Italian peninsula ensured that it was foremost an infantry war, so it could be said that tanks played a supporting role. Yet, as Anthony Tucker-Jones demonstrates, in the battles fought from the Allied landings in Sicily in 1943 to the German surrender after the crossing of the Po in 1945, tanks, self-propelled guns and armoured cars were essential elements in the operations of both sides. His selection of rare wartime photographs shows armour in battle at Salerno, Anzio and Monte Cassino, during the struggle for the Gustav Line, the advance on Rome and the liberation of northern Italy. And they reveal the full array of Axis and Allied armoured vehicles that was deployed - most famous among them were the German Mk IVs, Panthers, and Tigers and Allied Stuarts, Chafees, Shermans and Churchills. This volume in Anthony Tucker-Jones's series of books on armoured warfare in the Second World War gives readers a vivid impression of the Italian landscapes over which the campaign was fought, the wide range of military vehicles that were used, and the gruelling conditions endured by the men who fought in them.

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Book SynopsisIn the pre-dawn darkness of 6 June 1944, the greatest armada the world has ever seen began to disembark an Allied invasion force on the beaches of France's Normandy peninsula. Invasion '44 tells the story of that assault from the day over four years earlier, and only a few short weeks after the British disaster at Dunkirk, when a few individuals in the High Command began to turn their thoughts to the possibilities of an eventual return to the mainland, and the story continues up to the time when the Allied beach-head was firmly established on French soil. As the battle progresses, the reader is allowed to view each successive wave as it lands, follow the developing battle line inland, and keep an eye on the vital battles also developing on and beneath the seas off the Normandy peninsula and in the skies above it.

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Book SynopsisAfter its attack on Poland in 1939, Britain and France had declared war on Germany. The Germans were suddenly in a war they had risked and now had to fight, and they planned an invasion of Britain to destroy that enemy's potential for making war. The plan, Operation Sea Lion, called for implementation by the autumn of 1940 and depended on German forces defeating and eliminating the Royal Air Force, clearing the English Channel of British mines, dominating the coastal zone between occupied France and England with heavy artillery, and eliminating the Royal Navy as a threat. German success relied heavily on its air force, the Luftwaffe, dealing with the R.A.F quickly and efficiently and gaining air superiority over Britain with a series of concentrated bombing attacks throughout the British Isles. Winston Churchill called what followed "the Battle of Britain" - fifteen weeks of aerial combats, much happening directly above the towns and villages of England. The threatened invasion never came. Herman Goring's vaunted air force failed to achieve the prerequisites for Sea Lion and Adolf Hitler was forced to call it off. The Luftwaffe bombing raids on Britain continued, however, into mid-May 1941, resulting in an unprecedented fifty-seven night campaign of horror for the British people. The airmen of Goring's bomber force, sometimes referred to as 'eagles', were a unique breed involved in a remarkable experience, a prolonged, dramatic, strategic bombing effort that was met and challenged by a relatively small force of R.A.F fighter pilots determined to do whatever it took to prevent the enemy invading. The ferocity of fight they put up left the German bomber crews in no doubt about the sort of threat they faced. The Battle of Britain: Luftwaffe Blitz offers a gripping, graphic view of the routine repeated each day and night, from the summer of 1940 through the following spring, by the German bomber crews bringing their deadly cargoes to Britain. Through mainly German archival photos, it features images of the airmen on their French bases and in the skies over England; the aircraft they flew, fought and sometimes died in; their leaders; their targets and results; the R.A.F pilots and aircraft; and the losses. The images, from the Bundesarchiv and other German and British photographic sources, vividly convey a real sense of events as they played out, as do the compelling memories of many on both sides, participants and eyewitnesses to one of the most brutal sustained bombardments of the Second World War.

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Book SynopsisUsing many rare and unpublished images this book identifies and delves into the characters of the notorious men who were instrumental in one of the greatest crimes against humanity in World history. Through words and pictures the chilling truth emerges. In many respects these monsters were all too normal. Rudolf Hoss, the Commandant of Auschwitz, was a family man and hospitable host and yet while there is no record of his committing acts of violence personally he presided over a regime that accounted for over a million deaths. Others such as Amon Goeth and Josef Kramer personally promoted violence and terror and took pleasure from ever more brutal practices. They were competitive in obtaining 'results'. While following orders from above they did not hesitate to use their own initiative in pursuit of their barbaric objectives. Every occupied country in Europe was touched by the 'Final Solution' and despite the capture, trials and punishment of these leading perpetrators the stain of man's inhumanity to man, woman and child remains ineradicable. Justice came too late for millions but the lessons learnt must never be forgotten and this book throws new light on the managers of the murderous Holocaust process.

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Book SynopsisOne of the most dangerous and thrilling secret missions of World War II was ordered personally by Churchill after Hitler unleashed the Tiger tank against Allied troops in Europe and North Africa in 1942. Churchill desperately needed to discover the secret technology used in the Tiger’s manufacture. As his special agent he chose a brilliant young army engineer, Major Doug Lidderdale. In a late night briefing in the subterranean War Rooms under Whitehall he ordered him: `Go catch me a tiger.’

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Book SynopsisThe second year of the Second World War on the Eastern Front was dominated by Stalingrad, the protracted battle for the city on the Volga, and this is the major episode in this volume of Nik Cornish's four-volume photographic history of the conflict. Stalingrad was a turning point in the war, the moment when the Red Army seized the initiative and threw back the German invaders. But the struggle at Stalingrad was far from the only focus of the fighting during 1942 and 1943. German forces conquered the Crimea, besieged Leningrad and advanced deep into the Caucasus. The Red Army took the offensive, not only at Stalingrad but at Rzhev, Kharkov and Kursk. So this phase of the war between Germany and the Soviet Union saw dramatic changes of fortune, offensives and counter-offensives on a massive scale, and these events are also illustrated in these rare photographs. These vivid images show the front-line fighting, the troops and the conditions on both sides, but they also document the consequences of war for the civilians under German occupation and the devastation of the Russian towns and cities.

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Book SynopsisHitler's Third Reich is still the focus of numerous articles, books and films: no conflict of the twentieth century has prompted such interest or such a body of literature. Approaching the canon of World War II literature is a challenge for a general reader but the 100 objects approach is a novel and accessible presentation. This is a compelling, frequently shocking and revelatory guide to the Third Reich that has been collated and presented by two of the world's leading World War II historians. The photographs gathered by Roger Moorhouse and Roger Moorhouse include Pervitin, Hitler's Mercedes, Wehrmach toilet paper, Hitler's grooming kit, the Nuremberg courtroom, the Tiger Tank, fragments of flak, the Iron Cross and, of course, the Swastika and Mein Kampf.

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Book Synopsis_ I realised that this brief but abortive sortie was to be the final mission of my Luftwaffe flying career.'_ Johannes Kaufmann's career was an exciting one. He may have been an ordinary Luftwaffe pilot, but he served during an extraordinary time, with distinction. Serving for a decade through both peacetime and wartime, his memoir sheds light on the immense pressures of the job. In this never-before-seen translation of a rare account of life in the Luftwaffe, Kaufmann takes the reader through his time in service, from his involvement in the annexation of the Rhineland, the attack on Poland, fighting against American heavy bombers in the Defence of the Reich campaign. He also covers his role in the battles of Arnhem, the Ardennes, and the D-Day landings, detailing the intricacies of military tactics, flying fighter planes and the challenges of war. His graphic descriptions of being hopelessly lost in thick cloud above the Alps, and of following a line of telegraph poles half-buried in deep snow while searching for a place to land on the Stalingrad front are proof that the enemy was not the only danger he had to face during his long flying career. Kaufmann saw out the war from the early beginnings of German expansion right through to surrender to the British in 1945\. _An Eagle's Odyssey_ is a compelling and enlightening read, Kaufmann's account offers a rarely heard perspective on one of the core experiences of the Second World War.

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Book SynopsisWolfgang Luth was one of only seven men to win Germany s highest combat decoration. He operated in almost every theatre of the undersea war from Norway to the Indian Ocean and he was the second most successful German U-boat ace in World War II. Luth is credited with sinking 47 Allied ships and a submarine a record topped only by Otto Kretschmer. In 1944, after 16 war patrols, including one that lasted a record 203 days at sea, he was named commandant of the German naval academy and, aged 30, became the youngest commandant of the German Naval Academy. Until the publication of this comprehensive study his accomplishments were overshadowed by other aces. To correct the neglect, Jordan Vause provides an entertaining, authoritative biography. Vause was intrigued after seeing a portrait of Luth as a midshipman on display and set out to learn all he could, tracking down some of Luth s crewmen and fellow U-boat commanders. He draws on their first-hand information and a variety of written documents to provide a fascinating character analysis. In doing so, he encapsulates the paradoxes inherent in so many German submarine commanders, men spawned by the Nazi regime yet not entirely of it. Vause portrays Luth as a man of contradictions: an agent Nazi ideologue who could bend the rules for a slack sailor, a U-boat ace who could treat survivors of his attacks with clemency but then impetuously gun down other victims in cold blood. Even his best friend admitted that Luth had no remorse for the misery he inflicted on the crews of sunken ships. On the night of May 13th 1945 he was accidentally shot and killed by a German sentry. On May 16th 1945 he was given the Third Reich s last state funeral.

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Book SynopsisD-Day - June 6, 1944 - was a pivotal day in human history. This was the great turning point of the Second World War, when the largest armada ever assembled took a third of a million Allied men across the English Channel. The invasion force of 150,000 troops from Britain, the United States, Canada and many other nations fighting on the Allied side on D-Day under the command of Generals Eisenhower and Montgomery landed on five beaches to spearhead Operation Overlord, the invasion of German-occupied mainland Europe. On Omaha, Utah, Gold, Juno and Sword beaches they fought through what has been described as 'the longest day' against deadly German firepower but many sadly would not live to see the end of the day. This new paperback edition of a classic account of D-Day told through first-hand accounts brings vividly to life the bravery and skill of the young men called to fight to liberate Europe. For many it was their first experience of combat and it would change their lives for ever. The accounts are taken from letters, diaries and interviews and range from generals and politicians to frontline soldiers and civilians. The accounts in this book tell the whole story of D-Day from the meticulous planning of the four years following the retreat at Dunkirk, the invasion armada, the fighting on the beaches and the first foothold in France, the hard-fought progress through the 'bocage' countryside of Normandy before the German army was surrounded and the Allies could breakout at speed and sweep through France to the German border, not forgetting the role of the home front throughout the campaign. Even today.there are many reminders of D-Day that visitors can see on the beaches of Normandy and in the towns, villages and cemeteries inland.

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Book SynopsisIn this vivid first-hand account we gain unique access to the inner workings of Stalin's Central Women's Sniper School, near Podolsk in Western Russia. Luliia was a dedicated member of the Komsomol (the Soviet communist youth organisation) and her parents worked for the NKVD. She started at the sniper school and eventually became a valued member of her battalion during operations against Prussia. She persevered through eight months of training before leaving for the Front on 24th November 1944 just days after qualifying. Joining the third Belorussian Front her battalion endured rounds of German mortar as well as loudspeaker announcements beckoning them to come over to the German side. Luliia recounts how they would be in the field for days, regularly facing the enemy in terrifying one-on-one encounters. She sets down the euphoria of her first hit and starting her battle count but her reflection on how it was also the ending of a life. These feelings fade as she recounts the barbarous actions of Hitler's Nazi Germany. She recall how the women were once nearly overrun by Germans at their house when other Red Army formations had moved off and failed to tell them. She also details a nine-day stand-off they endured encircled by Germans in Landsberg. Regularly suffering ill-health she took a shrapnel injury to her knee and had to be operated on without an anaesthetic. She would eventually see the end of the war in K ngsberg. Like her famous counterpart Pavlichenko she gained recognition but struggled to come to terms with war service Haunted by flashbacks she burned the letters she sent home from the Front. She later discovered that of the 1885 graduates of her sniper school only 250 had died in war. In this powerful, first-hand account we come up close to the machinations of the NKVD (the secret police) as well as the gruelling toll of war and the breathtaking bravery of this female sniper. Additional material includes notes by John Walter and an introduction by Martin Pegler.

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Book Synopsis_'Imagine what is was like, after being subjected to the relentless roaring of dozens of aeroplane engines, and constant explosions, to be suddenly surrounded by a deathly silence! We were cut off from the outside world. Were we staring an agonising death in the face?' _ No previous work about Stalingrad places such emphasis on the experience of ordinary fighters and civilians. This volume of human history and military strategy includes fresh translations from original sources describing this pivotal event of World War II as told by the German and Soviet soldiers who fought the battle, Russian civilians who watched the enemy at the gates as well as Western diplomat and newspaper correspondent onlookers. Offering a record of one of the pivotal events of World War II, as told through the personal accounts of the German and Soviet soldiers who fought in it, this book features photographs from the Battle of Stalingrad, from both sides of the front. This is a fascinating record of the pivotal event of World War II, told through the personal accounts of the German and Soviet soldiers who fought it, the Russian civilians who watched the destruction of their city, and Western onlookers such as diplomats and newspaper correspondents. Many of these voices are gleaned from newly-discovered archive material, and from rare sources and reminiscences in Germany and Russia, including KGB sources. Many of these accounts have never been published, or are totally unknown in the English-speaking world. All foreign voices are quoted in fresh and engaging new translations from the original sources. There are rare photographs of the battle, from both sides of the front.

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Book SynopsisThe first in a series of books, _I Somehow Survived_ is an extraordinary collection of true stories giving testimony to those who survived World War II. Based on interviews with numerous veterans from across the spectrum of wartime experience, the book documents and reflects upon one of the most gruesome times in history. From anti-partisan warfare in the French mountains, atrocities in East Prussia, to the experience of a Norwegian concentration camp, the book includes rarely heard stories from a range of people caught up in the war. With the distance of time, these survivors have been able to offer new perspectives on their experiences and expose truths they would not have dared admit several decades ago. German Army officers reveal their role in the Vercors and Kiev massacres. A Luftwaffe officer-applicant who never flew describes service on the ground. And a Norwegian woman writes of marrying a German Kriegsmarine while her mother was in a Norwegian concentration camp for political activity and her father was in hiding from the Gestapo. "I have no objection to your marrying him," her father told her, "I just want them to give us our country back."

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Book SynopsisWiped out three Nazis in a shallow trench. But only got out by a miracle. The Germans apparently guessed where my lair was and unleashed a hurricane of mortar fire the company had as good as buried me. Somebody saw a direct mortar hit on my lair.' - Fyodor Dyachenko The German snipers on the other side also engaged in stalking, especially stalking us women. They had no female snipers, just men' - Antonina Kotlyarova Dreadful death cries could be heard from the German trenches, where the enemy were bayonetting those of our wounded who had remained behind there' - Klavdia Kalugina Before firing I managed to get a good look at him through my sights. He was a young officer. He seemed to be looking straight at me and I shot him. But it was a human being! Then my feelings dulled and I went on killing the way we were supposed to' - Antonina Kotlyarova I lay down on the ground, pressed my cheek close to the stock, took aim at the target and remembered the lieutenant's words: Make sure your heart is behind every bullet Believe in your shot - Pyotr Belyakov When we learnt on May 9th that the war was over, our joy knew no bounds [...] I felt enormous relief when I heard the news of victory - now I wouldn't need to kill anymore' - Maria Bondarenko With a wealth of first-hand testimonies, collected by Artem Drabkin, this is a unique collection of eyewitness accounts from the Second World War. The reminiscences of the Red Army snipers reveal fascinating details of life in Russia before the war, as well as the surprising commonality of the privation and unforgiving experience of frontline combat and the day-to-day starkness of sharpshooting. The book includes testimony from celebrated snipers such as Fyodor Dyachenko, Alexander Romanyenko, Klavdia Kalugina, Antonina Kotlyarova and Maria Bondarenko.

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Book SynopsisWhen the German Reichstag went up in flames on the evening of 27 February 1933, Hitler used the incident to seize power, claiming it was the work of Communists planning a violent uprising. But who really started the fire? Were the Nazis to blame, or was it the work of lone arsonist Marinus van der Lubbe? This debate has been raging for more than eighty years. The Reichstag Fire seeks to shed light on this pivotal event that changed the course of world history. Through a thorough and unbiased analysis of original source material, award-winning journalist Sven Felix Kellerhoff charts the outbreak of the fire, the Reich Cabinet's response to the event, Marinus van der Lubbe's repeated confession to the crime, and the far-reaching consequences of the fire.

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Book SynopsisApril 6, 1944. A detachment of German soldiers arrive in a rural French town, hunting down resistance fighters, many of whom are hiding in the region. More than sixty years later, the villagers clearly remember the day when four peasants from a nearby village were taken hostage and shot as an example to others. But do they remember the whole story? Jean-Marie Borzeix sets out to investigate the events of Holy Thursday 1944, and to reveal the hidden truths of that fateful day. He uncovers the story of a mysterious 'fifth man' shot alongside the resisters and eventually unravels a trail which leads him to Paris, Israel and into the darkest corners of the Holocaust in France. A captivating story, the events of this day in a small, entirely typical, town illuminate the true impact of World War II in France.Trade Review'A completely enthralling and disturbing account of a forgotten episode during the Nazi occupation of France in World War II. An exceptional and moving work of historical investigation.' - William Boyd

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Book SynopsisOperation GOODWOOD is the story of the largest armoured battle fought in the campaign for north west Europe. Over a thousand British and Canadian tanks were employed as three British armoured divisions pushed forward down a narrow corridor in an attempt to achieve a clean penetration of the German lines. The clash between two very different armies resulted in a number of asymmetric engagements, which are studied in detail. This story contains much new information of interest to tourists and serious students alike.

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Book SynopsisWhen war broke out in 1939 over 20,000 Irishmen were serving in the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force with the greatest proportion in the Army. During the war this rose to over 120,000, suggesting that about 100,000 enlisted during the war.Nine earned the Victoria Cross; three members of the Royal Navy, including a Fleet Air Arm pilot, four soldiers, including a member of the Australian forces, and two RAF pilots.The author looks at the seven Irish regiments in campaigns across the globe, at Irish soldiers across the Army, at Irish sailors from the Battle of the River Plate to the final actions against Japan, and at Irish airmen from the first bombing raids of the war to the closing days of war.Included are outstanding personalities such as the Chavasse brothers, who earned three DSOs, three DSCs and two MiDs, Bala Bredin, Corran Purden, Brendan 'Paddy' Finucane, Blair Mayne and Roy Farran, the latter pair highly-decorated SAS officers. There are also Irish generals, such as Paddy Warren who died while commanding 5th Indian Division in Burma and Frederick Loftus Tottenham, who commanded 81st (West African) Division, not to mention giants such as Alexander, Auchinleck, Montgomery and McCreery.Irish women are not forgotten in the book which also takes a brief look at the Irish in other Allied forces, including a most unusual volunteer for the US Navy whose application to serve had to be approved by President Roosevelt. He was William Patrick Hitler, a nephew of Germany's fuhrer.

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Book SynopsisThe Vietnam War placed unexpected demands upon American military forces and equipment. The principal US naval fighter, the McDonnell F-4 Phantom, had originally been designed to defend the Fleet from air attack at long range. However, its tremendous power and bomb-carrying capacity made it an obvious candidate for the attack mission in Vietnam from 1965 onwards. Its opponent was the MiG-17, a direct descendant of the MiG-15, which had given USAF Sabre jets a hard fight in the Korean War. This book brings to life their dangerous duels and includes detailed cockpit views and other specially commissioned artwork to highlight the benefits and shortcomings of each plane type. It was in the skies over Vietnam that many of the techniques of air combat evolved as pilots learned how to use and to defeat supersonic fighters for the first time.Table of ContentsIntroduction · Chronology · Strategic situation· Design & Development · Technical Specifications · Combatants · Combat:· Analysis: · Conclusion · Bibliography and further reading list

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Book SynopsisIn this excellently researched book, Graham Smith describes the air war in Cambridgeshire, and the young airmen who flew night after night against desperate odds. It was from Cambridgeshire airfields that the legendary Pathfinder Force first took to the skies, making targets for the force of bombers behind them. The bravery, determination and resolve of the 'Bomber Men' must never, ever be forgotten.

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Book SynopsisThroughout the Second World War, Suffolk airfields and the airmen of Bomber Command made a large and vital contribution to the war effort. Just four airfields were established in the county at the outbreak of war in September 1939 - Mildenhall, Stradishall, Wattisham and Honington. Later in the war, new airfields were opened at Chedburgh, Tuddenham and Lakenheath. The losses both in men and machines, were very high. In this excellently researched book, Graham Smith describes the air war in Suffolk and the young airmen who flew night after night in the cold and the dark against desperate odds. Their Commander-in-Chief, Air Marshall Sir Arthur 'Bomber' Harris called them 'The bravest of the brave', an epithet they fully deserved.

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Book SynopsisScotland's contribution to allied success in the Second World War was colossal. The Lothian region employed thousands of workers in the building of warships, aircraft components, military vehicles, munitions, food and coal. This thoroughly researched and action packed book describes the history of the airfields, highlights the work carried out from them and describes the overall effect of the war on the daily lives of local people. It will appeal equally to aviation enthusiasts and to readers who recall the era when Scottish skies throbbed with the drone of departing and returning aircraft.

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Book SynopsisSince the Victoria Cross was first instituted on 29th January, 1856, the medal has been awarded 1,357 times, the most recent was gazetted on 22nd March, 2013, posthumously to L/Cpl J T D Ashworth for his gallantry in Afghanistan. Being the youngest of Britain's military services, it is understandable that few VCs have been awarded to airmen of the RFC, RNAS, RAF and FAA. In fact, just 51 'aerial' VCs have been awarded between 1915 and 1946 and out of this small number, 23 have been won by men from Bomber Command, or credited with flying bomber aircraft, during the Second World War. The range of actions within the book begins with the fruitless Battle of France in May 1940 through to the final stages of bomber offensive over Germany, in February 1945. Several actions came about through volunteering, while others were simply caught up in the melee of unpredictable events which hang over any operation in a bomber from the moment it lifts from the runway to the point it returns. This book will serve as an inspiration to those who are used to thinking of the citation, 'For Valour'. as referring to an action based only on land and sea. Bomber Command's catch phrase, 'Press on Regardless'. was never better exemplified than in the extraordinary bravery of the men whose stories are told here.Trade Review"...As a companion to anyone wanting a short account of what each bomber command VC and his crew went through, this is well worth the money."--Victoria Cross SocietyTable of ContentsCONTENTS Introduction 1. Carnage over the Albert Canal - Donald Garland and Thomas Gray (12 May 1940) 2. The Dortmund-Ems Canal Roderick 'Babe' Learoyd (12/13 August 1940) 3. Inferno over Antwerp John Hannah (15/16 September 1940) 4. Daylight over Bremen - Hughie Edwards (4 July 1941) 5. Out Onto the Wing - James Ward (7/8 July 1941) 6. Lone Attack on Singora - Arthur Scarf (9 December 1941) 7. The Lancaster's Baptism of Fire - John Nettleton (17 April 1942) 8. Cologne Raid in 'D' for Dog - Leslie Manser (31 May 1942) 9. The Faithful Crew - Rawdon Middleton (29 November 1942) 10. Massacre over Chouigui - Hugh Malcolm (4 December 1942) 11. The Kiwi Great Escaper - Leonard Trent (3 May 1943) 12. The Dam Busters - Guy Gibson (16/17 May 1943) 13. Target Turin - Arthur Aaron (12/13 August 1943) 14. Press On Regardless - William Reid (3 November 1943) 15. Against All Odds - Cyril Barton (31 March 1944) 16. Just One More 'Op' - Norman Jackson (26 April 1944) 17. The 'Selfless Recipient' - Andrew Mynarski (13 June 1944) 18. Second to None - Leonard Cheshire (July 1944) 19. With the Pathfinders - lan Bazalgette (4 August 1944) 20. 'Oboe' VC - Robert Palmer (23 December 1944) 21. Putting Your Life on the Line - George Thompson (1 January 1945) 22. Springbok Pathfinder - Edwin Swales, SAAF (23/24 February 1945) Appendix Abbreviations Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisOrdered by Hitler 'to hold, or to die' and to fight 'to the last grenade and round', the German army was a formidable opponent during the 1944 Normandy campaign. This book depicts the experience of that army in Normandy through its own records and documentation. The Wehrmacht Archive is an informative and colourful collection of translated original orders, diaries, letters, after action reports, and even jokes, as well as Allied technical evaluations of weapons, vehicles and equipment and transcripts of prisoner of war interrogations. You will also learn from official documents about the Germans' efforts to cope with Allied air and artillery superiority, create new tactical methods for all arms and maintain discipline in the face of overwhelming odds.

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Book SynopsisIt is June 1944. The Allied armies are poised for the full-scale invasion of Fortress Europe. Across the Channel, the vaunted Wehrmacht lies waiting for the signs of invasion, ready for the final battle. What happens next is well-known to any student of modern history. The outcome could easily have been very different, as Peter Tsouras shows in this masterful and devastating account in which plans, missions and landings go horribly wrong. Tsouras firmly bases his narrative on facts but introduces minor adjustments at the opening of the campaign-the repositioning of a unit, bad weather and misjudged orders-and examines their effect as they gather momentum and impact on all subsequent events. Without deviating from the genuine possibilities of the situation, he presents a scenario that keeps the reader guessing and changes the course of history.

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Book SynopsisBorn of the Desert is a classic account of the early years of the SAS. The Special Air Service was formed in 1941 and quickly earned a reputation for stealth, daring and audacity in the Western Desert Campaign. This elite force utilised the endless expanse of the desert to carry out surprise attacks and hit and run raids behind the Afrika Korps' lines, sowing confusion, fear and consternation. Malcolm James served as Medical Officer with the SAS throughout 1942 and 1943, and Born of the Desert is his atmospheric account of his life in the North African desert, the bitter fighting against Italian and German targets and the forging of a remarkable elite unit. James captures the excitement of this dramatic mode of warfare and brings to life the deadly beauty of the desert, the harsh environment and the strong bonds of comradeship and interdependence which resulted. Born of the Desert was written soon after the events depicted and has an immediacy which places it above other Second World War memoirs. The original text has now been augmented by supplementary notes by David List, and appendices on SAS casualties and awards by David Buxton.

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Book SynopsisAs the Afrika Korps withdrew after a bruising defeat at El Alamein, it became apparent that Axis forces would not be able to maintain their hold over Libya. Rommel pulled his troops back to Tunisia, digging in along the Mareth Line, and turned westwards to counter the massive Anglo-American 'Torch' landings in French North Africa. A series of bitter battles in the craggy hills of Tunisia followed - including the legendary struggle for the Kasserine Pass - with the Germans displaying skills honed in two years of desert fighting, and the Allies relying on their superiority in equipment and manpower. Allied might eventually overpowered Rommel's army and, in May 1943, Axis forces surrendered. David Rolf has made use of rare and valuable source material to present the Tunisian campaign in its entirety. His emphasis is on personal accounts, and use of contemporary dialogue, takes the reader to the heart of the emotions experienced by units fighting on both sides, and adds colour to this intricate 'battle of wits' between legendary commanders. The result is a brilliant example of historical writing and a unique insight into six months of stubborn fighting.

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Book Synopsis'Fascinating and essential stuff.' Gary Sheffield in Military Illustrated This gripping volume charts the progress of the Allied breakout of Normandy through German eyes. Beginning with Operation COBRA and ending with the offensive which led to the liberation of Paris, this critical phase of the war in the west is examined and described by five senior German officers. From staff officers at OKW to divisional generals on the ground, these officers critique their performance, examine Allied superiority, and evaluate their own efforts to contain Allied forces in Normandy. They look at such key events as the counter-attack at Mortain, the American offensive, British and Canadian efforts and the sequence of events that led to the fighting around the Falaise gap. The officers originally submitted the reports presented here to Allied intelligence during post-war debriefing sessions. This volume brings together a selection of these reports to provide a broad overview of German hopes balanced with the realisation that they could not hope to contain the Allied efforts for long. With supplementary material by David C.Isby, this is a fascinating glimpse into how a defeated army sought hard to turn the tide of defeat.

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Book SynopsisThis thought-provoking book examines the Nazi German plans to raid - and bomb - New York and the eastern seabord in the event of a successful invasion of the Soviet Union. The plans rested upon the use of transoceanic aircraft, such as the six-engined Ju 390, Me 264 or Ta 400. The Third Reich was unable to produce these machines in sufficient numbers, however, if the Soviet Union had been conquered, these plans would have become a reality. With the seizure of vital resources from the Soviet Union the Wehrmacht would have had enough fuel and material to mass-produce giant bomber aircraft: it was a near-run thing. The collapse of the Wehrmacht infrastructure and the premature end of the Thousand Year Reich ensured that plans for long-range remote-controlled missiles never got past the drawing board. This fascinating, thoroughly researched study offers valuable insights into how Germany developed new weapons and shows why the attempts to develop long range bombers were frustrated until they were terminated by the end of hostilities. Includes more than a hundred rarely seen photographs and original plans.

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