Modern warfare Books

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisA poet, a gangster and an agent of the Resistance; 'Deserter' details three astonishing lives shaped by the decision to flee during WWII.During the Second World War, the British lost 100,000 troops to desertion, and the Americans 50,000. Commonwealth forces from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Britain''s colonial empire also left the ranks in their thousands. But, surprisingly, only one WWII deserter was executed for his crime.In Deserter', veteran reporter and historian Charles Glass gives voice to the powerful stories of three soldiers, two Americans and one Brit, who all ran from the conflict to meet with distinctly different fates. He follows each into the heat of battle, exploring the pressures that formed their decisions and the lasting impact of their choices. The result is a highly emotional and engaging study of an under-explored area of World War II history.Trade Review‘Sensitive and thought-provoking … As this compelling and well-researched book shows, the battlefield was not a place for heroes, but a place where young men were dehumanised and killed … Given such conditions who among us would not also have considered walking away?’ Sunday Telegraph ‘[These] stories of individual human beings who eventually cracked under the strain of hardly imaginable fear and misery – are wonderful, unforgettable acts of witness, something salvaged from a time already sinking into the black mud of the past’ Guardian ‘Gripping … painstaking … sympathetic … Glass reveals just how inglorious war really is’ The Times ‘Charles Glass gives us something rare – he describes war, it’s foulness and demonic chaos, not from the heroes’ point of view but from a human point of view … A valuable work’ Evening Standard ‘Remarkable’ Sunday Times ‘With his own skill and sensitivity, Glass recreates the inhuman scenes that pummel the other soldiers he examines … Glass displays an unusual degree of empathy and kinship with these men … refreshing and stimulating – history told from the loser’s perspective. 5*’ Nicholas Shakespeare, Daily Telegraph ‘Glass’s humane and groundbreaking history brings these untold, often tragic stories to light’ Sunday Telegraph ‘An important and refreshing book, shedding light on a subject that deserves attention … deepens our understanding of the realities of modern warfare and is a welcome challenge to the unquestioning hagiography of “The Greatest Generation”’ Times Literary Supplement ‘This is a world of frustrated and degrading brutality, racism and moral stupidity, of opportunistic greed, corruption, fear, mental disintegration and crime … the more familiar narratives of war seem uplifting in contrast … if Glass makes little attempt at neutrality few readers will mind that … If you have tears, prepare to shed them now’ David Crane, Spectator

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Sunday Times bestseller From the bestselling authors of The Sugar Girls, G.I. Brides weaves together the real-life stories of four women who crossed the ocean for love, providing a moving true tale of romance and resilience.Trade Review‘Apart from the strength of the individual stories, one of the richest things about this book is the detail: the atmosphere on the rackety old ships which took the war brides across the Atlantic; the hideous, humiliating medical inspections they had to endure before being deemed fit to enter the USA; the dreadful anxiety of waiting for men who had promised to meet them on arrival, but didn’t show up…’ Bel Mooney, Daily Mail

Read more less

Book SynopsisA history of the legendary French Foreign Legion by the bestselling author of Who Dares Wins.Trade Review'A splendid piece of Boy's Own Paper story-telling with blood and thunder accounts of deeds of derring-do by the Legion's "lost souls"' Mail on Sunday ‘A remarkable fighting unit, faithfully and excitingly described by Tony Geraghty’ Sunday Telegraph ‘As a reference book, March or Die cannot be faulted’ TLS

Read more less

Book SynopsisDiscusses the harrowing 1942 events and tragedy of the Struma, a disabled ship that was trying to rescue eight hundred Jewish passengers from Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe before it was mysteriously sunk by a Russian submarine. Reprint. 10,000 first printing.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisWinner of the 2013 PROSE Award, U.S. History categoryIn Roosevelt''s Second Act Richard Moe has shown in superb fashion that what might seem to have been an inevitable decision of comparatively little interest was far from it.--David McCulloughOn August 31, 1939, nearing the end of his second and presumably final term in office, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was working in the Oval Office and contemplating construction of his presidential library and planning retirement. The next day German tanks had crossed the Polish border; Britain and France had declared war. Overnight the world had changed, and FDR found himself being forced to consider a dramatically different set of circumstances. In Roosevelt''s Second Act, Richard Moe focuses on a turning point in American political history: FDR''s decision to seek a third term. Often overlooked between the passage and implementation of the New Deal and the bombing of Pearl Harbor, that decision was far from inevitable. As the election loomed, he refused to comment, confiding in no one, scrambling the politics of his own party; but after the Republicans surprisingly nominated Wendell Willkie in July 1940, FDR became convinced that no other Democrat could both maintain the legitimacy of the New Deal and mobilize the nation for war. With Hitler on the verge of conquering Europe, Roosevelt, still hedging, began to maneuver his way to the center of the political stage.Moe offers a brilliant depiction of the duality that was FDR: the bold, perceptive, prescient and moral statesman who set lofty and principled goals, and the sometimes cautious, ambitious, arrogant and manipulative politician in pursuit of them. Immersive, insightful and written with an inside understanding of the presidency, this book challenges and illuminates our understanding of FDR and this pivotal moment in American history.Trade ReviewIn Roosevelt's Second Act Richard Moe has shown in superb fashion that what might seem to have been an inevitable decision of comparatively little interest was far from it. But then what could possibly be predictable or uninteresting about such a famously unfathomable protagonist? And what a cast of characters! Moe's long, personal experience in Washington politics, combined with his marked skill as an historian, make this a consistently illuminating reminder that history is above all human, and seldom more so than behind the scenes at a turning point of such importance. " * David McCullough *Richard Moe's excellent book reminds us of what great leadership looks like. His beautifully written account of FDR's run for a third term and America's decisive move toward involvement in World War II will stand as the definitive study of this landmark election and a turning point in the country's history." * Robert Dallek *Trying to understand and explain the complexities of Franklin D. Roosevelt's mind is a daunting task for any historian. Richard Moe is clearly up to the challenge in his fascinating, revelatory account of FDR's fateful decision to run for a third term in 1940, in the midst of the greatest crisis the world has ever faced. Filled with drama and excitement, Roosevelt's Second Act is particularly compelling in its depiction of how two women * Eleanor Roosevelt and Frances Perkinsrescued the president from a political fiasco that could have irrevocably altered history.Lynne Olson, author of Citizens of London and Those Angry Days *A carefully focused and researched analysis that adds considerably to the historical record. * Kirkus Reviews, starred review *Roosevelt's Second Act tells the story of a weary president's fateful decision to heed the call of duty in our nation's * and the world'smost perilous hour. Richard Moe's take on an epic tale is deftly-crafted, persuasive in analyzing people and power, and highly relevant to the struggles of our own era; a superb work of living history.Madeleine Albright *Most accounts of the Age of Franklin Delano Roosevelt halt with the erosion of the New Deal in 1938 and then lurch forward after Pearl Harbor in 1941. One moment the reader is immersed in Harry Hopkins, the next in Winston Churchill three years later. In this lively, fast-paced tale of the 1940 campaign when FDR sought to break the taboo against serving more than two terms, Richard Moe invites his readers to reflect on a seminal year when the two periods merged. That year, he shows lucidly, America crossed the divide from isolation to irrevocable international commitment, and magnified the authority of the president, then and ever more, in his new role as commander-in-chief of the most powerful empire on earth. * William E. Leuchtenburg, author of In the Shadow of FDR: From Harry Truman to Barack Obama *"[Roosevelt's Second Act] tells us as much about the American system of politics as any book I've ever read . . . [a] masterful account of why and how FDR overcame his reluctance to seek reelection. " * Huffington Post *[A] compelling read. Roosevelt's Second Act: The Election of 1940 and the Politics of War is a superbly reconstructed chronology of the 1940 campaign. * Washington Monthly *Table of ContentsNote to the Paperback Edition ; Introduction - History Repeating Itself ; Chapter 1 - Prelude to War ; Chapter 2 - Succession ; Chapter 3 - Methods Short of War ; Chapter 4 - Redefining Neutrality ; Chapter 5 - The Sphinx ; Chapter 6 - A Year of Consequence ; Chapter 7 - A Hurricane of Events ; Chapter 8 - The Republicans ; Chapter 9 - The Decision ; Chapter 10 - Preparing for the Showdown ; Chapter 11 - Chicago - Following the Script ; Chapter 12 - Chicago - Unscripted ; Chapter 13 - Drafts and Destroyers ; Chapter 14 - The Pivot ; Chapter 15 - To the Finish Line ; Epilogue - The Mandate

Read more less

Book SynopsisDescribes how the Nazi propaganda machine produced conscripts for Hitler's army who were fully convinced of the view of "inferior peoples", and argues that these ideas, rather than the exigencies of war, motivated the atrocities of the SS during World War II.Trade Review'exciting and provocative essay ... This book is a chilling reminder of how rapidly State-led violence can degenerate into military barbarism, no less in Iraq or Kampuchea than in Hitler's war' Richard Overy, The Observer'a well-researched, gripping account of the Wehrmacht's titanic efforts to win Hitler's war despite the blunder of invading Russia' Anglo-German Review'an impressively researched and imaginatively presented contribution' George H. Stein, State University of New York, American Historical Review, October 1992`a stimulating work about the problem of military solidarity and its relation to fighting efficiency.' Sociology'A sombre account, using much first-hand evidence.' The Observera frightening analysis of the effect of continuous criminal propaganda on the rank-and-file of an army * Christopher Logue, The Guardian *

Read more less

Book Synopsis''British propoganda brought America to the brink of war, and left it to the Japanese and Hitler to finish the job.'' So concludes Nicholas Cull in this absorbing study of how the United States was transformed from isolation to belligerence in the years before the attack on Pearl Harbor. From the moment it realized that all was lost without American aid, the British Government employed a host pf persuasive tactics to draw the U. S. to its rescue. With the help of talents as varied as those of matinee idol Leslie Howard, Oxford philosopher Isaiah Berlin and society photographer Cecil Beaton, no section of America remained untouched and no method - from Secret Service intrigue to the publication of horrifying pictures of Nazi attrocities - remained untried. A fascinating story of how a foreign country promoted America''s involvement in its greatest war, Selling War will appeal to all those interested in the modern cultural and political history of Britain in the twentieth century and WorTrade ReviewCull records in fascinating detail the activities of a small group of dedicated individuals who coalesced around what became the New York-based British Information Services. * Anthony G. Pazzanita, Journal of Strategic Studies *A major study of Britain's potent efforts to get a reluctant United States to fight. * International Herald Tribune *A brilliant original study * Donald Cameron Watt, The Independent *An excellent account of the influence of British propaganda in leading America from neutrality in 1939 to intervention in World War II in 1941 ... The book is extremely well-written, and it is full of perceptive insights into the formation of the wartime Anglo-American special relationship. * American Studies in Europe *Working from an impressive array of sources including interviews and, unusually, Canadian archives, Nicholas Cull...makes a quite convincing case for strong British influence in the direction of U.S. foreign policy between 1939 and 1941...By adopting an all-encompassing and yet detailed approach to the topic, Cull has bridged a serious gap in academic knowledge. * History *exhaustively researched and well-written book ... His study leaves virtually no significant question either unraised or unanswered. A particularly enlightening and definitive work. Cull possesses exceptional talent as a historian, and he does great credit to Taylor, under whose guidance this study was originally undertaken as a Ph.D. thesis at Leeds University. * Robert Cole, Utah State University, American Historical Review, June 1996 *magnificent ... Using an impressive range of sources from both sides of the Atlantic, including interviews with many of the most prominent surviving actors involved, Cull traces the parallel development of British propaganda towards the United States ... This is populist history, a readable story elegantly written. A highly recommended book which contributes to a more rounded history of alliance relationships in World War II, and serves as a useful prelude to a consideration of Anglo-American propaganda during the Cold War. * Gary D. Rawnsley, University of Nottingham, Intelligence & National Security, Vol. 12, No. 2, April '97 *

Read more less

Book SynopsisRoaming the countryside in caravans, earning their living as musicians, peddlars and fortune-tellers, the Gypsies and their elusive way of life represented an affront to Nazi ideas of social order, hard work, and racial purity. They were branded as asocials, harassed, and eventually herded into concentration camps where many thousands were killed. But until now the story of their persecution has been overlooked or distorted.In The Nazi Persecution of the Gypsies, Guenter Lewy draws upon thousands of documents - many never before used - from German and Austrian archives to provide the most comprehensive and accurate study available of the fate of the Gypsies under the Nazi regime. Lewy traces the escalating vilification of the Gypsies as the Nazis insigated a widespread crackdown on the work-shy and itinerants. But he shows that Nazi policy towards Gypsies was confused and changeable. At first, local officials persecuted Gypsies, and those who behaved in Gypsy-like fashion, for allegedlTrade Review"Lewy's study is an extremely important addition to the study of the persecution of the Gypsies during the Nazi period, a subject that has been little researched until now...Lewy's meticulously researched and methodically presented study is based on the study of primary documents in archives and in various governmental agencies. The book includes some photos and reproductions of documents and an extensive bibliography."--Multicultural Review "Guenter Lewy's The Nazi Persecution of the Gypsies is an outstanding achievement. It will become the standard work on the subject. It documents and analyses an aspect of Nazi criminality that hasn't received sufficient attention and corrects some unfounded statements. It is a work of great compassion and exemplary scholarship."--Saul Friedlander, Department of History, Tel Aviv University and University of California, Los Angeles "Lewy's account of Nazi measures against the powerless Gypsies is unsurpassed in the English language. It tells a story in painstaking, footnoted detail that is totally bizarre. This book is a platform for much reflection."--Raul Hilber, author of The Destruction of the European Jews "In his level-headed way Guenter Lewy challenges many stereotypes about the Gypsies, exploring their culture including their 'ritual purity'. He also argues that despite all Nazi crimes against them the Third Reich's policy towards them lacked the single-mindedness of its murderous assault on the Jews. Meticulously researched, this book is innovative and courageous in its conclusions."--Klemens von Klemperer, Department of History, Smith College "A moving account of the fate of a small people caught in a maelstrom."--Kirkus "The tragic story of the Gypsies during Nazi Germany is presented in this comprehensive volume, which provides details on the fates of individuals and families...Lewy contradicts existing scholarship in showing that however much they were persecuted, there was no general program of extermination that was comparable to the 'final solution' of the Jews."--The Topeka Capital-Journal "In The Nazi Persecution of the Gypsies, Lewy...draws upon thousands of documents--never before used--from German and Austrian archives to provide the most comprehensive and accurate study available of the fate of the Gypsies under the Nazi regime."--Gadfly Online "The sterling value of Mr. Lewy's book rests on his research of the available sources including 29 German and Austrian archives at federal and other levels...These...give the book the air of social history at its soberest but best"--Washington Times "Lewy has written a major work on the Nazi persecution of the Gypsies which is accessible to the general reader as well as to scholars."--The Philadelphia Inquirer "Based on solid archival sources, this should become the standard work on the subject."--Frederic Krome, Library Journal "A startling new interpretion of the Nazi policy toward the Gypsies. Lewy argues that in contrast to the Final Solution of the 'Jewish Question', the Nazis had no comparable plan to exterminate the Gypsies. And when the latter were sent to the concentration camps for extermination, it was not solely because of their biological existence, like the Jews, but because their wandering way of life challenged the social and cultural construct of the Third Reich...His theory may be controversial, but he argues his case carefully."--Publisher's Weekly "[E]specially welcome. Mr. Lewy's account id the most comprehensive treatment of the subject in English to date."--Tom Gross, Wall Street Journal "A reasoned, academic overview of the often historically neglected Nazi persecution of the gypsies. The book is very accessible to the general reader, filled with poignant details of individual and community struggles with the growing Nazi terror."--ForeWord "Our understanding about the persecution of the Gypsies by the Nazis has been fairly limited until now. To date, there has been only one work on the subject in English and it is highly inadequate. Part of the reason for this paucity of information is that there were few Gypsy intellectuals, and not one Gypsy was called to testify at any of the tribunals that followed the war. Moreover, many of the experiences in the camps...violated a number of Gypsy tabus so that the survivors were reluctant to discuss what had transpired. Outsiders who sought to penetrate this wall of silence were generally rebuffed...Drawing on documentary material from twenty-nine Austrian and German archives, the National Archives and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum...,Lewy has written a groundbreaking work. By examining the decrees promulgated in Berlin and determining how these policies were implemented at the local level, he has provided a detailed account of the persecution of the Gypsies."--Together

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn the spring of 1945, as the German army fell in defeat and the world first learned of the unspeakable crimes of the Holocaust, few would have expected that, only half a century later, the Germans would emerge as a prosperous people at the forefront of peaceful European integration. How did the Germans manage to recover from the shattering experience of defeat in World War II and rehabilitate themselves from the shame and horror of the Holocaust? In After Hitler, Konrad H. Jarausch seeks to answer this question by analyzing how civility and civil society, destroyed by the Nazi regime, were restored during the post-war period. Unlike other intellectual inquiries into German efforts to deal with the Nazi past, After Hitler primarily focuses on the practical lessons a disoriented people drew from their past misdeeds, and their struggle to create a new society with a sincere and deep commitment to human rights. After Hitler offers a comprehensive view of the breathtaking transformation of the Germans from the defeated Nazi accomplices and Holocaust perpetrators of 1945 to the civilized, democratic people of today''s Germany.Trade ReviewAfter Hitler is a detailed and comprehensive study of foreign and domestic efforts to "recivilize" Germany following World War II. * Arthur B. Gunlicks Holocaust and Genocide Studies *...impressive book...Jarausch writes in a lively, engaging fashion, and this book will surely reach a broad audience extending well beyond academic specialists. Its clearly laid-out narrative will also be of enormous use to anyone seeking to find an organisational framework for a course on Germany since 1945. * Robert G. Moeller The English Historical Review *[an] impressive and wide-ranging [book]... allows many fresh and original insights [and] it will undoubtedly inspire new research * Frank Biess, German History *A work of seasoned learning, judicious intelligence, and wide empirical range, After Hitler tells the complex and uneven story of a ruined society's long-term moral and political reconstruction. Holding in view the attainment of a 'civilized society' as a workable ideal, Konrad Jarausch surveys Germany's divided histories between 1945 and the present to draw a careful and persuasive balance. Even in the most catastrophically damaged society, he shows us, certain basic values of democratic political culture may be painfully reclaimed. * Geoff Eley, author of A Crooked, From Cultural History to the History of Society *What an extraordinary challenge! Konrad Jarausch asks us to think of postwar German history - of West and East Germany in tandem - as a 'civilizing process,' as the lengthy and contorted effort of learning to live in empathy, where enmity had reigned supreme and a literally murderous war had destroyed the foundations of civility. Needless to say, this endeavor was not self-evident nor was it unequivocally chosen or, for that matter, plainly successful. How would you measure success in any case? Jarausch brings postwar history alive with these and similar questions. But his most important contribution is to put the question of civility and 'civil' society - of the sense and sensitivity of civilization--at the center of his inquiry into German history. * Michael Geyer, University of Chicago *As a history of the German post-war period this account will become a standard work in German schools - and one can only wish that for this book. * Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung *Jarausch's thoughtful study offers more than just a thesis-driven contemporary history that provides stimulating insights; it also presents a political and moral perspective which is impressive through its liberal cosmopolitanism. * Die Zeit *Table of ContentsPREFACE ; INTRODUCTION: RUPTURE OF CIVILIZATION ; PART I: FORCED REORIENTATION ; 1. Renouncing War ; 2. Questioning the Nation ; 3. Rejecting the Plan ; PRECONDITIONS OF FREEDOM ; PART II: CONTRADICTORY MODERNIZATION ; 4. Embracing the West ; 5. Arriving at Democracy ; 6. Protesting Authority ; PARADOXES OF MODERNITY ; PART III: CHALLENGES OF CIVIL SOCIETY ; 7. Abandoning Socialism ; 8. Searching for Normalcy ; 9. Fearing Foreignness ; IMPLICATIONS OF UPHEAVAL ; CONCLUSION: CONTOURS OF THE BERLIN REPUBLIC ; INDEX

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe claim by the Ministry of Defence in 2001 that ''the experience of numerous small wars has provided the British Army with a unique insight into this demanding form of conflict'' unravelled spectacularly in Iraq and Afghanistan. One important reason for that, David French suggests, was because contemporary British counter-insurgency doctrine was based upon a serious misreading of the past. Until now, many observers believed that during the wars of decolonisation in the two decades after 1945, the British had discovered how western liberal notions of right and wrong could be made compatible with the imperatives of waging war amongst the people, that force could be used effectively but with care, and that a more just and prosperous society could emerge from these struggles. By using only the minimum necessary force, and doing so with the utmost discrimination, the British were able to win by securing the ''hearts and minds'' of the people. But this was a serious distortion of actual BrTrade ReviewDavid French's authoritative...exemplarily fair-minded study...should be compulsory reading for modern British officers * Max Hastings, Sunday Times *Brilliant...French explodes the myth that a uniquely British quest to recruit "hearts and minds" made the British end of Empire easy. * Ben Macintyre, The Times *a sobering and timely book ... Professor French marshals an impressive volume of archival research ... fluent and always engrossing * Kenneth Payne, Times Literary Supplement *a brilliant book that sheds light on a misunderstood and misquoted era ... masterly * Patrick Mercer, Military History *a careful, often riveting book that has been constructed on the basis of rigorous archival research. French takes on a major task, insisting on a sweep of place and time that must have demanded he tackle an intimidating quantity of archival material, and the results are frequently a testament to modern historical scholarship. * Musab Younis, The Oxonian Review *French's book represents the first comprehensive reassessment of the violence used by the British across the entire range of these insurgencies * Royal United Services Institute *Based on unparalleled research into official documents on nine campaigns it is likely to be the authoritative work on the subject for years to come ... Indeed, Professor French has set the bar very high, and that can only be a good thing for the rest of us who yet labour in these contested trenches. * David Charters, Canadian Military History *His counter-insurgency volume is ... likely to become the standard work on the subject. Thankfully, he avoid the temptation to adapt the book to the contemporary concerns of the academic-military-industrial complex. * John Newsinger, Race & Class *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements ; List of Abbreviations ; Introduction ; 1. The Colonial State ; 2. Gangsters, Thugs, and Bandits: the Enemies of the Colonial State ; 3. The Legal Context and Counter-insurgency by Committee ; 4. Varieties of Coercion: Exemplary Force, Counter-terrorism, and Population Control ; 5. Britain's "Dirty Wars"? ; 6. Winning Hearts and Minds ; 7. Counter-insurgency and the Learning Curve ; 8. The Problems of Sustainability ; Conclusion ; Bibliography ; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis is the story of the Black and Tans and Auxiliaries, the most notorious police forces in the history of the British Isles. During the Irish War of Independence (1920-1), the British government recruited thousands of ex-soldiers to serve as constables in the Royal Irish Constabulary, the Black and Tans, while also raising a paramilitary raiding force of ex-officers - the Auxiliary Division. From the summer of 1920 to the summer of 1921, these forces became the focus of bitter controversy. As the struggle for Irish independence intensified, the police responded to ambushes and assassinations by the guerrillas with reprisals and extrajudicial killings. Prisoners and suspects were abused and shot, the homes and shops of their families and supporters were burned, and the British government was accused of imposing a reign of terror on Ireland. Based on extensive archival research, this is the first serious study of the Black and Tans and Auxiliaries and the part they played in the Irish Trade Review...lifts the lid on a discreditable episode of recent British history and paves the way for future research. * Nigel Jones, History Today *...careful analysis ... * Eunan O'Halpin, Irish Times *While the Black and Tans served for less than two years, their disastrous deployment has lived long in Irish cultural memory. Through dispassionate research and fastidiously marshalled sources, D. M. Leeson undermines many enduring misapprehensions that still surround this most controversial of police forces. * Peter Geoghegan, Times Literary Supplement *A fresh, often exciting narrative that convinces the reader that there has indeed been a distortion in the general image of the men in these two forces...The Black and Tans will repay close reading by anyone interested in those savage years of the Irish War of Independence, when trust was hard to come by and brotherhood a flexible term for many involved in the horrors. Leeson has convincingly questioned a great deal of received opinion, and probed the way it was received in the first place. * Stephen Wade, Times Higher Education *Table of ContentsPreface ; Maps ; List of abbreviations ; Note to the reader ; Introduction ; 1. The Two-Headed Ass: Coalition policy and Coalition Policing in Ireland ; 2. 'The Dark Hours are Dreaded': The War of Independence in West Galway ; 3. Constabulary in Khaki: The Black and Tans ; 4. Dr. Tudor's Beast Folk: The Auxiliary Division ; 5. One-Sided War: Police and Auxiliaries in Combat ; 6. 'Come Out, Sinn Fein!' Analysing Police Reprisals ; 7. The Devil's Work: Explaining Police Reprisals ; Conclusion ; Bibliography ; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisModel Nazi tells the story of Arthur Greiser, the man who initiated the Final Solution in Nazi-occupied Poland. Between 1939 and 1945, Greiser was the territorial leader of the Warthegau, an area of western Poland annexed to Nazi Germany. In an effort to make the Warthegau ''German,'' Greiser introduced numerous cruel policies. He spearheaded an influx of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Germans. He segregated Germans from Poles, and introduced wide-ranging discriminatory measures against the Polish population. He refashioned the urban and natural landscape to make it ''German.'' And even more chillingly, the first and longest standing ghetto, the largest forced labour program, and the first mass gassings of Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe were all initiated under Greiser''s jurisdiction. Who was the man behind these dreadful policies? Catherine Epstein gives us a compelling biographical portrait of Greiser the man: his birth in the German-Polish borderlands, his rise to Nazi prominence inTrade Review[an] authoritatively sourced and minutely examined study * John P. Fox, Slavonic and East European Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. 'Child of the East': Posen Province, World War I, Danzig ; 2. 'Little Maria': Striving for Strength and Power in Danzig ; 3. 'The Nicest Time of My Life': Senate President ; 4. The 'Model Gau': The Warthegau ; 5. 'A Blonde Province': Resettlement, Deportation, Murder ; 6. 'The German is the Master': Segregation in the Warthegau ; 7. 'The Most Modern Streets': Exploiting Poles and Jews to Make the Gau German ; 8. 'Feudal Duke': Rule and Loss ; 9. 'Two Souls in My Breast': Trial and Execution ; Afterword ; Notes ; Selected Bibliography ; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis is the story of the Black and Tans and Auxiliaries, the most notorious police forces in the history of the British Isles. During the Irish War of Independence (1920-1), the British government recruited thousands of ex-soldiers to serve as constables in the Royal Irish Constabulary, the Black and Tans, while also raising a paramilitary raiding force of ex-officers - the Auxiliary Division. From the summer of 1920 to the summer of 1921, these forces became the focus of bitter controversy. As the struggle for Irish independence intensified, the police responded to ambushes and assassinations by the guerrillas with reprisals and extrajudicial killings. Prisoners and suspects were abused and shot, the homes and shops of their families and supporters were burned, and the British government was accused of imposing a reign of terror on Ireland. Based on extensive archival research, this is the first serious study of the Black and Tans and Auxiliaries and the part they played in the Irish Trade ReviewReview from previous edition While the Black and Tans served for less than two years, their disastrous deployment has lived long in Irish cultural memory. Through dispassionate research and fastidiously marshalled sources, D. M. Leeson undermines many enduring misapprehensions that still surround this most controversial of police forces. * Peter Geoghegan, Times Literary Supplement *A fresh, often exciting narrative that convinces the reader that there has indeed been a distortion in the general image of the men in these two forces...The Black and Tans will repay close reading by anyone interested in those savage years of the Irish War of Independence, when trust was hard to come by and brotherhood a flexible term for many involved in the horrors. Leeson has convincingly questioned a great deal of received opinion, and probed the way it was received in the first place. * Stephen Wade, Times Higher Education *...lifts the lid on a discreditable episode of recent British history and paves the way for future research. * Nigel Jones, History Today *Table of ContentsPreface ; Maps ; List of abbreviations ; Note to the reader ; Introduction ; 1. The Two-Headed Ass: Coalition policy and Coalition Policing in Ireland ; 2. 'The Dark Hours are Dreaded': The War of Independence in West Galway ; 3. Constabulary in Khaki: The Black and Tans ; 4. Dr. Tudor's Beast Folk: The Auxiliary Division ; 5. One-Sided War: Police and Auxiliaries in Combat ; 6. 'Come Out, Sinn Fein!' Analysing Police Reprisals ; 7. The Devil's Work: Explaining Police Reprisals ; Conclusion ; Bibliography ; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn the terrifying summer of 1942 in Belgium, when the Nazis began the brutal roundup of Jewish families, parents searched desperately for safe haven for their children. As Suzanne Vromen reveals in Hidden Children of the Holocaust , these children found sanctuary with other families and schools-but especially in Roman Catholic convents and orphanages.Vromen has interviewed not only those who were hidden as children, but also the Christian women who rescued them, and the nuns who gave the children shelter, all of whose voices are heard in this powerfully moving book. Indeed, here are numerous first-hand memoirs of life in a wartime convent-the secrecy, the humor, the admiration, the anger, the deprivation, the cruelty, and the kindness-all with the backdrop of the terror of the Nazi occupation. We read the stories of the women of the Resistance who risked their lives in placing Jewish children in the care of the Church, and of the Mothers Superior and nuns who sheltered these children aTrade ReviewA sober and moving addition to our knowledge. Well written... fascinating... a very detailed portrait of a unique World War II and Holocaust experience. * Jerusalem Post *[Vromen] analyses both intelligently and succinctly the whole issue of the hidden children ... Vromen succeeds in providing a synthesis of this hitherto unwritten aspect of the war, and bringing it to the attention of a wide Anglophone readership. * José Gotovitch, English Historical Review *Table of ContentsACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; INTRODUCTION; EPILOGUE; APPENDIX: NUNS HONORED AS RIGHTEOUS AMONG THE NATIONS; NOTES; REFERENCES; INDEX

Read more less

Book SynopsisHailed as a pithy and compelling account of an intensely relevant topic (Kirkus Reviews), this wide-ranging volume offers a superb account of a key moment in modern U.S. and world history. Drawing upon the latest research in archives in China, Russia, and Vietnam, Mark Lawrence creates an extraordinary, panoramic view of all sides of the war. His narrative begins well before American forces set foot in Vietnam, delving into French colonialism''s contribution to the 1945 Vietnamese revolution, and revealing how the Cold War concerns of the 1950s led the United States to back the French. The heart of the book covers the American war, ranging from the overthrow of Ngo Dinh Diem and the impact of the Tet Offensive to Nixon''s expansion of the war into Cambodia and Laos, and the final peace agreement of 1973. Finally, Lawrence examines the aftermath of the war, from the momentous liberalization--Doi Moi--in Vietnam to the enduring legacy of this infamous war in American books, films, and poTrade Review"Crisply concise.... Delves into the 'whys' of the war: why the Vietnamese fought against the United States, why the great powers were involved, why the war turned out as it did and why legacies of the war linger."-Philip Seib,Dallas Morning News"[A] succinct history of a frustrating war that raised several painful issues America's leaders are now encountering for a second time.... A pithy and compelling account of an intensely relevant topic."-Kirkus Reviews"Distills the US's longest war into a short, readable narrative.... This brief summary of the tangled negotiations that prolonged the suffering caused by the war is perhaps Lawrence's most valuable contribution, since it covers an area that more extensive histories overlook.... A valuable addition to any academic library.... Essential."-C.C. Lovett, CHOICE"The book lives up to its brief and accessible billing...."-Publishers Weekly"In an elegant, almost elegiac prose style, Mark Lawrence takes us through the history of the Vietnam War in a narrative that transcends the usual focus on Vietnam and the United States. There is no other one volume history of the war that so thoroughly captures the war as an event in world history."-Marilyn B. Young, author of The Vietnam Wars, 1945-1990"A succinct and persuasive account of the Second Indochina War in its global context. At a time when the current U.S. involvement in Iraq evokes uneasy memories of America's controversial 'war of choice' in Vietnam, Mark Lawrence's thoughtful analysis of that previous conflict is highly welcome."-William J. Duiker, author of Ho Chi Minh: A Life"It takes skill to condense a massive subject into a concise, entertaining, and accessible book. This is what Mark Atwood Lawrence accomplishes in his 224 page book The Vietnam War: A Concise International History.... This book might be even more attractive than the larger volumes on the subject because it is succint and focuses on the primary issues of the war."-Shelton Woods, ResourcesTable of ContentsINTRODUCTION; FURTHER READING

Read more less

Book SynopsisAlthough common wisdom and much scholarship assume that big government gained its foothold in the United States under the auspices of the New Deal during the Great Depression, in fact it was the Second World War that accomplished this feat. Indeed, as the federal government mobilized for war it grew tenfold, quickly dwarfing the New Deal''s welfare programs.Warfare State shows how the federal government vastly expanded its influence over American society during World War II. Equally important, it looks at how and why Americans adapted to this expansion of authority. Through mass participation in military service, war work, rationing, price control, income taxation, and the war bond program, ordinary Americans learned to live with the warfare state. They accepted these new obligations because the government encouraged all citizens to think of themselves as personally connected to the battle front, linking their every action to the fate of the combat soldier. As they worked for the American Soldier, Americans habituated themselves to the authority of the government. Citizens made their own counter-claims on the state-particularly in the case of industrial workers, women, African Americans, and most of all, the soldiers. Their demands for fuller citizenship offer important insights into the relationship between citizen morale, the uses of patriotism, and the legitimacy of the state in wartime.World War II forged a new bond between citizens, nation, and government. Warfare State tells the story of this dramatic transformation in American life.Trade ReviewBut what he [Professor Sparrow] has accomplished, and it is no small thing, is to show how the Roosevelt administration induced people to buy bonds, pay extremely high taxes, and otherwise support the war effort with a minimum of coercion and a maximum of coaxing. This is an interesting and important story and one that he tells well * William I. O'Neill, War in History *Table of ContentsIntroduction: War and the Popular Foundations of the State ; Part I. Ideology, Political Culture, and State Formation ; Chapter 1. War Displaces Its Analog ; Chapter 2. Morale and the National Moment ; Chapter 3. Scapegoating the State ; Part II. Encountering the State in Everyday Life ; Chapter 4. Buying Our Boys Back ; Chapter 5. Work or Fight ; Chapter 6. Citizen-Soldiers ; Conclusion: The Paradox of Rights in the Warfare State ; Appendix ; Notes ; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisSixty years after the end of World War II, members of the Nazi party and their collaborators are still alive - and are increasingly difficult track down. 'Operation Last Chance' is the gripping personal story of one man's vast campaign to find the biggest Nazi criminals and bring them to justice, before it's too late.Trade Review'A grim tale of one man's dedication to a legal and moral cause and a shocking expos of the widespread indifference and even antagonism that he has encountered...A sobering, valuable resource for future historians.' - Kirkus 'It is never too late to bring those responsible for the horrors of the Holocaust to justice. Operation Last Chance: One Man's Quest to Bring Nazi Criminals to Justice recounts how, with tireless energy, dedication and passion Efraim Zuroff did just that. His is an essential story that demonstrates the good an individual can achieve when committed to justice and the truth.'- Abe Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League and author of Never Again? The Threat of the New Anti-Semitism 'Written like a detective story, Operation Last Chance deals with fundamental issues of human justice under the German occupation, describing the author's efforts to uncover hidden wartime criminals. Zuroff shares his successes and failures in tracking down Nazi murderers. As readers, we become involved in his relentless pursuits. This book should attract the interest of wide and varied audiences.' - Nechama Tec, Holocaust Scholar & Author of Defiance: The Bielski Partisans 'Efraim Zuroff is the spiritual heir to Simon Wiesenthal. Courageous and careful, he has pursued Nazi war criminals to the end of the earth, to their dying day - always for the sake of justice, always in the name of memory. A historian, Zuroff writes like a novelist, but with a fidelity to truth that makes for brisk and compelling reading. He writes with humility and gratitude but also with admirable moral toughness - Zuroff's assessment is unfailingly insightful and often haunting.' - Michael Berenbaum, Director, Sigi Ziering Institute and Professor of Jewish Studies, American Jewish University 'Zuroff gives us an understated yet gripping narrative of a life dedicated to justice - that the perpetrators and collaborators of the most total crime in human history not live on comfortably and free...An unbelievable book and a must-read.' - Rabbi Irving Greenberg, Founding President, National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership and Jewish Life Network, Chairman Emeritus, United States Holocaust Memorial Council 'A fascinating book written from the heart. Zuroff knows what he is writing about. He has researched his topic very carefully, and is courageous in fighting old murderers. Whether these people get prison sentences or not, does not matter. Zuroff is doing his best, and the work he does will leave a permanent mark.' - Yehuda Bauer, academic head of the International Task Force on Holocaust Education 'At a time when memory is being increasingly twisted and challenged, Zuroff has written a book about modern history's greatest crime and how its lessons will influence the world's behavior.'- Barry Rubin, Director of the Global Research in International Affairs Center of the Interdisciplinary Center on Herzliya, Israel, and author of The Truth About Syria 'Zuroff's log is an important record of free Nazis, and their atrocious crimes, which may yet spur their neighbors to action.' - Publishers Weekly 'Zuroff's accessible book is an extraordinary read, providing a wealth of information about the role of collaborationist regimes in helping the Nazis and the degree to which most of the leaders of those units tasked with mass-murder went free in the West. Zuroff also shows how some of these men have even remained heroes in their home countries because they are perceived as having fought communism, rather than having been vicious Nazis.' - Seth Frantzman, The Jerusalem Post '..worth reading.' -The European LegacyTable of ContentsMilivoj Asner, A Nazi at Euro 2008 The Arrest of Eichmann I Did Not Forget You The Office of Special Investigations The Search for Dr. Mengele and its Unexpected Bonus Nazis Down Under Nazis in Great Britain Nazis Under the Maple Leaf A New Office and the Fall of Communism Lithuania:The Struggle for Justice and Truth in the Land of My Forefathers Latvia: A Mass Murderer as a Contemporary Hero Estonia:The Best Justice Money Can Buy Croatia's Past and the Search for Dinko Sakic A Historic Trial in the Land of the Ustasha * Chapter 15- A Difficult Beginning The She-Devil of Majdanek The Zentai Case: Children Defending A Parent Dr. Heim, The Most Wanted Nazi in the World Kepiro: The Nazi Who Lives Opposite A Synagogue Conclusion

Read more less

Book SynopsisPropaganda during theBattle of Britaincontributed to high national morale and optimism, with 'The 'Few's' prowess and valour projected through Air Ministry communiqués and daily claims 'scores'. The media was a willing partner in portraying their heroism, also later consolidated in wartime publications, films and historiography.Trade Review'An immense, highly detailed, and careful work of scholarship full of subtle nuance and considered judgment as well as informative fact. For anyone seriously interested in the nature and content of the propaganda surrounding the Battle of Britain, The Good Fight will prove indispensable reading. - S.P. MacKenzie, British Scholar 'This is a deep, analytical examination of morale maintenance in a beleaguered island.' - Flypast 'This is the most authoritative account of the Battle of Britain that I have ever encountered. It covers the events of the Battle itself and its importance to the course of Word War II, but it also exhaustively analyses the contemporary reaction to the Battle in official and unofficial propaganda, in newspapers, films, radio, painting and literature, and the process of mythification which the Battle underwent. Written in a thoroughly accessible style, the book is a remarkable achievement in its breadth, its depth and its mastery of the large array of disparate sources.' - Jeffrey Richards, Lancaster University, UK 'In the seventy years since it was fought scores of books have been written about the Battle of Britain. It might have seemed impossible to produce, at this late stage, a thoroughly original contribution to the literature, but this is exactly what Garry Campion has achieved...Campion's rigorous and scholarly analysis takes us as close to the truth as we are ever likely to get.' - Paul Addison, Cerecles 'Garry Campion has undoubtedly made a significant and lasting contribution to Battle of Britain historiography. Although the extent to which Britain actually faced invasion during the summer of 1940 is now debated by historians, the fact remains that it was a significant event - one which continues to arouse great interest amongst enthusiasts and academics alike. That being so, this new and comprehensive study of how the conflict, and the RAF aircrew who fought it, was presented in British wartime propaganda is crucial to our wider understanding of the dramatic events concerned. As scholars seek to further contextualise the Battle of Britain, Garry Campion's "The Good Fight" will become a benchmark in historiography - and an essential point of reference to any student of summer 1940'. - Dilip Sarkar MBE FRHistS BA(Hons), leading authority on the Battle of BritainTable of ContentsList of Figures Chronology Introduction 'A Tangle of Vapour Trails' – British Propaganda and Propagandists 'Squadrons Up' – The Battle of Britain 'Arise To Conquer' – RAF Morale and Tributes to the Few 'Winged Words' – The Aircraft Claims Propaganda War 'Mastery of the Air' – BBC Home Front Propaganda 'Finest Hour' – Newspaper and Magazine Propaganda 'Men Like These' – The Few in Newsreels and MOI 'Shorts' 'The Sky's the Limit' – The Few and Iconographic Propaganda 'Combat Report' – Reaching Britain, America, the Axis and the World 'The R.A.F. in Action' – The Few on Film 'To So Few' – Wartime Literature and the Few Conclusion Bibliography Appendix

Read more less

Book SynopsisChristoph Laucht offers the first investigation into the roles played by two German-born emigre atomic scientists, Klaus Fuchs and Rudolf Peierls, in the development of British nuclear culture, especially the practice of nuclear science and the political implications of the atomic scientists' work, from the start of the Second World War until 1959.Trade Review'...this book is a valuable addition to the field of physics history and should interest British Cold War and science historians alike, particularly those investigating the history of nuclear weapons or the development of European scientific cooperation in the post-war period.' - Martin Theaker, University of CambridgeTable of ContentsContents List of Figures Preface List of Abbreviations Introduction Difficult Beginnings: Social Integration between Survival and Internment Almost Accidental Beginnings: Professional Integration between Marginalization and British-American Nuclear Co-operation American Interlude: The Manhattan Project, the Atom Bomb and the Emergence of a New Approach to Nuclear Research A Nation Betrayed? The Klaus Fuchs Atomic Espionage Case Reconsidered Subject to Suspicion: Rudolf Peierls and the Klaus Fuchs Espionage Case The Responsible Scientist: Rudolf Peierls and the Formation of the Atomic Scientists' Association The 'Unpolitical' Scientist: Rudolf Peierls, the Concept of 'Objective' Science and the End of the Atomic Scientists' Association Conclusions and Afterthoughts Notes and References Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisIntroduction Propaganda, 'Co-ordination' and 'Centralisation': The Goebbels Network in Search of a Total Empire 'Polyocracy' versus 'Centralisation': The Multiple 'Networks' of NS Propaganda The Discourses of NS Propaganda: Long-term Employment and Short-term Justification From 'Short Campaign' to 'Gigantic Confrontation': NS Propaganda and the Justification of War, 1939-1941 From Triumph to Disaster: NS Propaganda from the Launch of 'Barbarossa' until Stalingrad National Socialist Propaganda and the Loss of the Monopoly of Truth (1943-44) The Winding Road To Defeat: The Propaganda Of Diversion And Negative Integration Cinema and Totalitarian Propaganda: 'Information' and 'Leisure' in National Socialist Germany, 1939-45 Conclusions: Legitimising the Impossible? BibliographyTrade Review'A refreshing reading and a solid appraisal of the omnipresent manipulation of information and disinformation during the Second World War in Germany. The quality of interpretation, the attention to detail, and reader-friendly narrative must be mentioned here. All these add substantial value to Kallis's depiction of Nazi wartime propaganda. Kallis has placed the subject of Nazi propaganda in its broader context and has addressed important questions regarding political religions, totalitarianism and fascism. Amongst the new generation of scholars forming in the footsteps of those who, like Roger Griffin, Michael Burleigh, Emilio Gentile, and Walter Adamson, revised the discipline in the 1990s, Kallis is arguably the most prominent. This book certainly substantiates this claim.' - Marius Turda, Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions 'This book presents a thoroughly researched summary of current debates about Nazi propaganda with a main focus on the war years...[Kallis] provides the English-speaking reader with a brief survey that covers all relevant aspects of Nazi war propaganda and challenges the assumption that Germans followed Goebbels' perfectly-orchestrated propaganda'. - Historical Journal of Film, Radio and TelevisionTable of ContentsIntroduction Propaganda, 'Co-ordination' and 'Centralisation': The Goebbels Network in Search of a Total Empire 'Polyocracy' versus 'Centralisation': The Multiple 'Networks' of NS Propaganda The Discourses of NS Propaganda: Long-term Employment and Short-term Justification From 'Short Campaign' to 'Gigantic Confrontation': NS Propaganda and the Justification of War, 1939-1941 From Triumph to Disaster: NS Propaganda from the Launch of 'Barbarossa' until Stalingrad National Socialist Propaganda and the Loss of the Monopoly of Truth (1943-44) The Winding Road To Defeat: The Propaganda Of Diversion And Negative Integration Cinema and Totalitarian Propaganda: 'Information' and 'Leisure' in National Socialist Germany, 1939-45 Conclusions: Legitimising the Impossible? Bibliography

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis text offers a full-scale account of the strategic air offensive against Germany from 1940 to 1945, treating the British and the Americans with parity. Levine stresses the impact of bombing on the war, and generally endorses the strategic air campaign as worthwhile and effective.Table of ContentsOrigins, Prelude, Doctrine The Failure of Bomber Command, 1939-1941 The Reform of Bomber Command, 1942 The Climax of Area Bombing and the Defeat of Bomber Command, January 1943 to March 1944 The Americans Join In, 1939-1942: The Emergence of the Eighth Air Force The Abortive Offensive, June-October 1943 The Struggle for Air Superiority, November 1943-April 1944 The Strategic Air Offensive and the Normandy Invasion, February-June 1944 The Decisive Offensives (I) Oil, May 1944 to September 1944 The Decisive Offensives (II) Transportation, September 1944--V-E Day Conclusions Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisFor five years, Herman Kruk recorded his experiences and those of others, documenting the life and resistance of European Jews in the shadow of imminent death. This chronicle includes all recovered pages of his diaries and provides an account of the annihilation of the Jewish community of Vilna.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA history of the German invasion of Russia in 1941, in the light of archival material. It challenges the view that Stalin was about to invade Germany when Hitler made a pre-emptive strike, arguing that Stalin was actually negotiating for peace in order to redress the European balance of power.Trade Review"This literary sensation is an enthralling narrative and an outstanding historical investigation, based examination of western archives and recently declassified documents scattered in Russian arch Yeltsin's elusive presidential archive". "[A] fascinating and important book." Anthony Beevor, Daily Telegraph "Clearly written and elegantly argued, Grand Delusion is indispensable reading for the specia attempting to make sense of the events leading up to the greatest and deadliest land war in history." Journal of Military History "Not since the publication of John Erickson's books has any single work done so much to improve u went wrong for the Soviets in 1941" Military Review"

Read more less

Book SynopsisIlluminates many of the enigmas that have surrounded the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, offering insights into Stalin's thinking and the reasons for his catastrophic blunder.Trade Review"'A fascinating and meticulously researched account of mistaken assumptions and errors of judgment that culminated in Hitler's invasion of Russia in June 1941. Never before has this fateful period been so fully documented.' Henry A. Kissinger 'Murphy comes to his subject as a retired chief of Soviet operations in the Central Intelligence Agency. The result is an account by an American intelligence insider about the practice of espionage and counter-espionage in Stalin's USSR. And it is a gripping tale he tells.' Robert Service, Sunday Times 'If, after the war, the Soviet Union had somehow been capable of producing an official inquiry into the catastrophe of 6/22 - comparable in its mandate to the 9/11 commission here - its report might have read a little like this book... Murphy brings to his subject both knowledge of Russian history and an insider's grasp of how intelligence is gathered, analyzed and used - or not.' Niall Ferguson, New York Times Book Review"

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Atlantic Wall is perhaps the most famous of Germany's World War II-era fortification lines in Europe, but Hitler built many others, from elaborate coastal defenses along the English Channel to the nearly impervious lines protecting the German homeland-the massive West Wall and the hurriedly built East Wall. Fortress Third Reich is the first and only comprehensive treatment of Germany's World War II fortifications and the important Nazi defensive systems, such as the Reich's highly feared air defense. The authors present an in-depth and detailed account of all German fortifications and defensive systems of World War II, supplemented by scores of remarkable technical drawings by Robert M. Jurga.

Read more less

Book SynopsisShortly before Christmas in 1943, five Army aviators left Alaska''s Ladd Field on a routine flight to test their hastily retrofitted B-24 Liberator in harsh winter conditions. The mission ended in a crash that claimed all but one- Leon Crane, a city kid from Philadelphia with no wilderness experience. With little more than a parachute for cover and an old Boy Scout knife in his pocket, Crane found himself alone in subzero temperatures. 81 Days Below Zero recounts, for the first time, the full story of Crane''s remarkable twelve-week saga.Trade Review"The hardships endured by Leon Crane are unimaginable, and author Brian Murphy expertly takes the reader into Crane's inspiring journey of survival. You will find yourself rooting for Crane to take the next step, make the next right decision, and fight on. 81 Days Below Zero pulls you into Crane's thought process, and you might find yourself wondering, 'What would I have done in a similar situation?' Few of us would have that combination of creativeness and mental fortitude to do what Crane did."--Michael J. Tougias, author of Fatal Forecast, A Storm Too Soon, and Overboard Kirkus Reviews, 4/1/15 "A gripping story" Booklist, 5/15/15 "A solid entry in the perennially popular canon of real-life adventure stories." Roanoke Times review, 6/17/15 "[A] thrilling true story... Many have been the tales of man against nature, the struggle for survival among icy peaks in a howling wilderness--some fictitious (Jack London's "To Build a Fire"), others far too true ("Alive"). Few if any have chronicled such an epic battle as this, the journey of a lone airman from near death to life, in the course of which might be seen a series of miracles, fortified by his indomitable will to survive... It is a well-told tale." Minneapolis Star Tribune, 6/28/15 "81 Days Below Zero by Brian Murphy, is a thrilling page-turner of true-live adventure... Murphy's instincts for pacing and re-creating emotions, dialogue and details are so finely crafted that you might find yourself shivering right along with Crane as he struggles to hang on in subzero conditions with only his Boy Scout knife, 40 matches, a parachute and the clothes on his back." Alaska Dispatch News, 7/12/15 "Pilot's genuine Alaska survival story puts reality TV to shame... As survival tales go, this one is epic...81 Days Below Zero is a traditionally crafted narrative that balances historical details with themes of adventure and unlikely survival. But there is more here than just an unexpected World War II story, which is compelling enough...Murphy shows how close the 21st century is to the events of the past and the quietly heroic actions a historian can take. Reality television has very nearly convinced us that it takes manufactured drama to get our attention. Kudos to Brian Murphy for reminding readers how far from the truth that assertion can be." Portland Review of Books "An exciting, caring, and interesting story." Jacksonville Journal-Courier, 8/16/15 "Murphy relays the incredible survival story in subzero conditions with masterful suspense." Washington Post, 10/11/15 "This would be a great read at the beach on a hot summer day...A riveting story...An interesting saga of survival against formidable odds." WWII History magazine, December 2015 "Leon Crane's amazing story is recounted in great detail. The author relates the young aviator's harrowing tale in smooth prose, which beckons the reader to continue reading. There are many survival stories of airmen and sailors adrift at sea and how they beat the odds. This story reveals how one flyer endured an experience just as extreme and lived to tell about it." Charleston Post and Courier, 1/17/16 "[A] sharply detailed, gripping account...The reader shivers with Crane as he ponders each next step through a desolate Alaskan forest when a warm day during the winter of 1943 is zero degrees Fahrenheit...A fresh, vivid, film-worthy tale of World War II survival." Military Officer, February 2016 "Murphy vividly describes Crane's World War II Alaskan ordeal." Collected Miscellany, 1/28/16 "Gripping...Murphy perfectly captures Crane's predicament of trying to survive in some of the most brutal terrain and weather on the planet...This book is an epic story of one man's will to survive in a harsh environment." Advance Praise for 81 Days Below Zero "In 81 Days Below Zero, Brian Murphy rediscovers one of the most astounding survival stories in Alaskan history. The account is all the more remarkable because of Leon Crane's lifelong reluctance to talk about his ordeal. Murphy has saved from oblivion a tale that resonates with inspiration more than seventy years later."--David Roberts, author of Alone on the Ice: The Greatest Survival Story in the History of Exploration "This is a great story, wonderfully told. From the moment the doomed plane takes off until the lone survivor rejoins civilization, the reader is taken on a thrilling, emotional, and hugely satisfying ride. Seamlessly interweaving the pilot's intense struggle against the elements with the broader history of the war, Alaska, and the home front, Brian Murphy has created a fascinating page-turner that you will not want to put down."--Eric Jay Dolin, author of Leviathan and When America First Met China

Read more less

Book Synopsis“Riveting. . . a testament to a misconceived war, and to the ease with which ordinary men, under certain conditions, can transform into monsters.”—New York Times Book ReviewThis is the story of a small group of soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division’s fabled 502nd Infantry Regiment—a unit known as “the Black Heart Brigade.” Deployed in late 2005 to Iraq’s so-called Triangle of Death, a veritable meat grinder just south of Baghdad, the Black Hearts found themselves in arguably the country’s most dangerous location at its most dangerous time. Hit by near-daily mortars, gunfire, and roadside bomb attacks, suffering from a particularly heavy death toll, and enduring a chronic breakdown in leadership, members of one Black Heart platoon—1st Platoon, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion—descended, over their year-long tour of duty, into a tailspin of poor discipline, substance abuse, and brutality.<

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisTakes us not only into the battles fought from Normandy to Germany, but into the heart and mind of a soldier who beat the odds to become an elite paratrooper and lost his best friend during the nightmarish engagement at Bastogne.Trade ReviewAuthor [Don Malarkey] shares his story of those bloody days fighting his way from the shores of France to the heartland of Germany, and the epic story of how an adventurous kid from Oregon became a leader of men. Powell Valley News "First of all, you're going to love this book ... together, we were the best (not bragging). In training and in combat, we never had any problems. We've been friends for life, over sixty-five years. He's my hero. William "Wild Bill" Guarnere, member of Easy Company and coauthor of the New York Times bestseller Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends Don Malarkey is a staunch patriot who truly understands the principles for which we fought. He contributed his all in building the reputation of the 101st Airborne as a great fighting unit. His life today epitomizes the standards to which all good Americans should strive to emulate. Lt. Lynn "Buck" Compton, member of Easy Company and author of Call of Duty "Don Malarkey: an outstanding soldier in combat, a gentleman with the memory of an elephant who I always will consider to be an esteemed friend. Dick Winters, Commander of Easy Company and author of the New York Times bestseller Beyond Band of Brothers Very conscientious, very compassionate. We had great men in Easy Company and Don was one of the best. When I joined the men [in England], he took care of me like I was a Currahee man. He was a dead shot with the mortar. Ed "Babe" Heffron, member of Easy Company and co-author of the New York Times bestseller Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends "

Read more less

Book SynopsisMost Americans are unaware that Soviet forces detained and imprisoned Japanese soldiers and civilians on a massive scale following World War II.Table of ContentsThe August War Japanese Settlers and the Red Army Japanese in Stalin's Labor Camps Marxist-Leninist Indoctrination Attempts to Expedite Repatriation Return to Japan The Final Accounting Index

Read more less