Prisoners of war Books

106 products


  • Colditz

    Penguin Books Ltd Colditz

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisTHE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER - AND PERFECT GIFT FOR HISTORY BUFFS!''A master at setting the pulse racing'' Daily Mail''A fine feat of storytelling . . . will surely become the last word on the subject'' Telegraph_____________________________FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SAS: ROGUE HEROESColditz Castle: a forbidding Gothic tower on a hill in Nazi Germany. You may have heard about the prisoners and their daring and desperate attempts to escape, but that''s only part of the real story.In Colditz: Prisoners of the Castle, bestselling historian Ben Macintyre takes us inside the walls of the most infamous prison in history to meet the real men behind the legends. Heroes and bullies, lovers and spies, captors and prisoners living cheek-by-jowl for years in a thrilling game of cat and mouse - and all determined to escape by any means necessary.Deeply researched and full of incredible stories, this is a tale of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances - and will change how you think about Colditz forever._____________________________''Like watching a black-and-white photograph being colourised'' Spectator''Every Ben Macintyre book is a treat'' The TabletSunday Times bestseller, November 2022Trade ReviewA fine feat of storytelling . . . will surely become the last word on the subject -- Patrick Bishop * Telegraph *Like watching a black-and-white photograph being colourised . . . rich in humour and quirky detail . . . another compelling narrative -- Clare Mulley * Spectator *Nuanced and gripping . . . told with sensitivity and insight, with an eye for telling detail -- Gerard DeGroot * The Times *Fascinating * The Sun *Every Ben Macintyre book is a treat -- Jane Thynne * The Tablet *Entertaining yet objective and often moving * Wall Street Journal *Macintyre's genius has long been to excavate the nuance, subtlety and ambiguity beneath the myths he explores . . . remarkable -- Matthew D'Ancona * Tortoise Media *Another fine history . . . His unerring eye for the telling detail that can illuminate a greater story is apparent in Colditz -- Ronan McGreevy * The Irish Times *Macintyre so seamlessly fuses so many different accounts that their compilation creates something more profound than a simple escape yarn: a biography of the prison itself and the world detainees built there -- Andrea Pitzer * Washington Post *Macintyre recreates the daring escape stories with punchy flair . . . a lively page-turner -- NJ McGarrigle * Independent.ie *My book of the year . . . a masterful history of Colditz. It's absurdly readable (and at times just absurd) as well as being informative, hilarious and deeply moving -- Geoff Dyer * LitHub *

    15 in stock

    £10.44

  • 165 Days

    Schiffer Publishing Ltd 165 Days

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisA true first person account of Taliban captivity in Waziristan.

    15 in stock

    £23.79

  • Guantánamo Diary: The Fully Restored Text

    Canongate Books Guantánamo Diary: The Fully Restored Text

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisNow a major motion picture called The Mauritanian 'A vision of hell, beyond Orwell, beyond Kafka' JOHN LE CARRÉThe first and only diary written by a Guantánamo detainee during his imprisonment, now with previous censored material restored.Mohamedou Ould Slahi was imprisoned in Guantánamo Bay in 2002.There he suffered the worst of what the prison had to offer, including months of sensory deprivation, torture and sexual assault.In October 2016 he was released without charge.This is his extraordinary story.Trade ReviewAn extraordinary account . . . the global war on terror has found in a Mauritanian captive its true and complete witness * * Guardian * *A vision of hell, beyond Orwell, beyond Kafka -- JOHN LE CARRÉUnnerving yet ultimately magnificent . . . there is something special about Guantánamo Diary that lifts it from human rights polemic to the realm of literary magic * * Sunday Times * *The work is a kind of dark masterpiece, a sometimes unbearable epic of pain, anguish and bitter humour * * New York Times * *Heartbreaking . . . there has never been a book quite like this . . . extraordinary and overwhelming * * New Statesman * *This Guantánamo detainee's harrowing memoir is a tremendous achievement - and a grave warning against ignoring the rule of law * * Observer * *This is a necessary book. It reminds us that the evil we're fighting can be found in ourselves as well as our enemies * * Daily Telegraph * *A sobering, often chilling, read. Slahi's story deserves to be widely read * * Independent * *Slahi's book offers a reminders that the struggles we face in these difficult times involve real individuals, not faceless creatures who are to be characterised as members as one or other hated group. That he has resorted to words, the mightiest of weapons, even as his incarceration continues, makes his experience all the more relevant today * * Financial Times * *A harrowing account of [Mohamedou Ould Slahi's] detention, interrogation, and abuse . . . One of the most stubborn, deliberate and cruel Guantánamo interrogations on record * * Slate * *

    15 in stock

    £9.49

  • Burma Railway Original War Drawings of POW Jack

    4 in stock

    £21.25

  • The Secret Battle For Britain

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Secret Battle For Britain

    3 in stock

    3 in stock

    £22.50

  • In the Shadow of the Rising Sun: Surviving a

    Mirror Books In the Shadow of the Rising Sun: Surviving a

    3 in stock

    Book Synopsis“When they heard the allies were coming, we were given extra rice to have the strength and energy to dig our own graves.“ In February 1942, ten-year old Olga Morris and her family were living in Singapore when the city fell to the Japanese Imperial Army in the biggest defeat in history of the British Forces. Turned back at an evacuation ship’s gangway as the bombs fell, Olga and her parents and siblings were forced to take their chances and hide out until, captured by Japanese soldiers, they were sent on a forced march to the notorious Changi Prison. There’s a certain stereotype of the British in Singapore in the ‘30s and early ‘40s, which Olga Morris – Henderson as she is now – definitely did not fit. Her family was not part of the privileged Raffles Hotel set, with their big houses and servants. Her father worked in construction, building roads, the city’s hospital and a mosque. Olga and her siblings grew up in Johor Bahru, a diverse part of Malaya just across the causeway from Singapore, amongst children of all faiths and cultures, who played together without a thought to race or class. It was a very happy upbringing. All that changed in 1942. Olga was playing with her guinea pigs when a British Army officer arrived to tell her mother that the family had just 20 minutes to pack what they could and get out. The Japanese were ten miles away. Olga’s mother grabbed the family photograph album and they ran... Three years of captivity followed. Three years of disease, malnutrition, deprivation and oppression. Olga and her friends bravely raided the vegetable plot; “dodging the searchlights” and sometimes enduring severe punishments. She stood alongside the other women and children through the ordeal of Tenko in the blazing sun. They were used as slave labour. Halfway through their captivity, Olga’s ten-year-old brother William was put into the men’s camp, where he suffered terribly cruelty that scarred him for life. February 2022 marked 80 years since the Fall of Singapore and at last Olga is ready to tell the story of her years as a child prisoner of war. It’s a story of great fear and deprivation; of a childhood utterly lost to conflict. It’s also a story of class prejudice and unkindness that didn’t end when Olga was freed from the camp and returned to England as an unwanted refugee. Yet moments of humour and camaraderie also live on in Olga’s memory. The camp’s girl guide group held clandestine meetings, where they worked on sewing a quilt. The ‘Changi Quilt’ is now held at the Imperial War Museum in London, as an emblem of the guides’ courage and faith. As Olga says, “We always felt the end of the war would come, we lived for it, from month to month and tried never to lose hope.”

    3 in stock

    £9.49

  • The Great Escape

    Orion Publishing Co The Great Escape

    4 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe famous story of mass escape from a WWII German PoW camp that inspired the classic film.Trade ReviewOne of the great true stories of the war, and one of the great escape narratives of all time * SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE *A tense, thrilling, fabulous tale * PHILADELPHIA ENQUIRER *

    4 in stock

    £10.44

  • After Stalingrad: Seven Years as a Soviet Prisoner of War

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd After Stalingrad: Seven Years as a Soviet Prisoner of War

    1 in stock

    The battle for Stalingrad has been studied and recalled in exhaustive detail ever since the Red Army trapped the German 6th Army in the ruined city in 1942. Graphic first-hand accounts of the fighting have been published by soldiers of all ranks on both sides, so we have today an extraordinarily precise picture of the grim experience of the struggle from the individual's viewpoint. But most of these accounts finish at the end of the battle, with columns of tens of thousands of German soldiers disappearing into Soviet captivity. Their fate is rarely described. That is why Adelbert Holl's harrowing and vivid memoir of his seven-year ordeal as a prisoner in the Soviet camps is such an important record as well as an absorbing story.

    1 in stock

    £11.69

  • The True Story of the Great Escape: Stalag Luft

    Greenhill Books The True Story of the Great Escape: Stalag Luft

    4 in stock

    Book SynopsisIt shows the variety and depth of the men sent into harms way during World War II, something emphasised by the population of Stalag Luft III. Most of the Allied POWs were flyers, with all the technical, tactical and planning skills that profession requires. Such men are independent thinkers, craving open air and wide-open spaces, which meant than an obsession with escape was almost inevitable'- John D Gresham Between dusk and dawn on the night of March 24th-25th 1944, a small army of Allied soldiers crawled through tunnels in Germany in a covert operation the likes of which the Third Reich had never seen before. The prison break from Stalag Luft III in eastern Germany was the largest of its kind in World War II. Seventy nine Allied soldiers and airmen made it outside the wire - but only three made it outside Nazi Germany. Fifty were executed by the Gestapo. Jonathan Vance tells the incredible story that was made famous by the 1963 film, The Great Escape. The escape is a classic tale of prisoner and their wardens in a battle of wits and wills.The brilliantly conceived escape plan is overshadowed only by the colourful, daring (and sometimes very funny) crew who executed it - literally under the noses of German guards. From their first days in Stalag Luft III and the forming of bonds key to such exploits, to the tunnel building, amazing escape and eventual capture, Vance's history is a vivid, compelling look at one of the greatest 'exfiltration' missions of all time.

    4 in stock

    £9.49

  • Operation Jericho

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Operation Jericho

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis is the story of Operation Jericho, the spectacular prison break staged by an elite group of British, Australian and New Zealand bomber pilots, who flew a daring low-level mission to blow holes in the walls of Amiens jail and free French Resistance prisoners under the sentence of death during World War II. With D-Day looming, early 1944 was a time of massive intelligence activity across northern France, and many résistants were being captured and imprisoned by the Germans. Among the jails full of French agents was Amiens, where hundreds awaited likely execution for their activities. To repay their debt of honour, MI6 requested an air raid with a seemingly impossible brief: to simultaneously blow holes in the prison walls, free as many men and women as possible while minimizing casualties, and kill German guards in their quarters. The crews would have to fly their bomb-run at an altitude of just 20ft. Despite the huge difficulties, the RAF decided that the low-Trade Review...it includes some marvellous 3D diagrams clearly showing the flightpaths of the various aircraft over the prison site. -- Robin Buckland * Military Model Scene *The book is organised into four chapters with an introduction, the origins, the plan, and the raid along with an aftermath section, a bibliography, and a short index. The book is well illustrated throughout with a great selection of photographs along with superb artwork. There are three double page artworks that really leap off the pages. The diagrams showing the various attack axis is also noteworthy. And the abundance of first person accounts from the aircrew and prisoners alike is commendable. I did however find one editing error on the last page where a footnote says “VHS” instead of “VHF” for a frequency reference. This in no way detracts from the book and is a simple mistake to make. This is one of best and most affordable books out there on this somewhat controversial raid. RAMROD 564 as it was known then is one of the most famous low level bombing raids of World War Two and also one of the most controversial due to the mystery behind why it was actually ordered. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Mosquito operations, the French Resistance, or as a collector of the RAID Osprey series. -- Todd Shughart * Aviation News Magazine *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Target for Today Origins: The Aircraft - No.2 (Lighter Bomber) Group The Plan: The Reason Why - Group Captain Percy Charles Pickard The Raid: Take-off - The Attack - Aftermath in Amiens - The Deaths of Pickard and Broadley Aftermath Bibliography Index

    1 in stock

    £13.49

  • The Railway Man

    Vintage Publishing The Railway Man

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisNOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING COLIN FIRTH, NICOLE KIDMAN AND JEREMY IRVINEDuring the second world war Eric Lomax was forced to work on the notorious Burma-Siam Railway and was tortured by the Japanese for making a crude radio.Left emotionally scarred and unable to form normal relationships Lomax suffered for years until, with the help of his wife Patti and the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, he came to terms with what had happened and, fifty years after the terrible events, was able to meet one of his tormentors.The Railway Man is an incredible story of innocence betrayed, and of survival and courage in the face of horror.Winner of the Waterstones Esquire Award for Non-Fiction, the JR Ackerley Prize and the NCR Book Award.Trade ReviewWhat a great book. What a great man -- Harry Ritchie * Daily Mail *Forget the grueling films, just read the brilliant books * Independent *This beautiful, awkward book tells the story of a fine and awkward man. Here, I think, is an account that rises above mere timeliness and comes near to being a classic of autobiography -- Ian Jack * Guardian *When I turned to the book, the complexity of Lomax's emotions came alive and burned off the page * Independent *Of all the billions of words that have been written about the Second World War, with the exception of Churchill's Nobel Prize winning history, it is not an exaggeration to say there is no account of it more worth reading that this. Wistfully romantic, historically important, startling, horrifying and ultimately electrifyingly uplifting, The Railway Man is as indispensable as any book can be. -- Tom Peck * Independent *

    2 in stock

    £9.49

  • Free Fall

    Faber & Faber Free Fall

    3 in stock

    Book Synopsis''Marvellous.'' A.S. Byatt''Astonishing.'' John Gray''Luminous.'' Rose TremainI could take whichever I would of these paths.Sammy Mountjoy is an artist who has risen from poverty to see his pictures hung in the Tate Gallery. Swept into World War II, he is captured as a German prisoner of war, threatened with torture and locked in a cell of total darkness. He emerges transfigured by his ordeal, realising how his choices have made him the author of his life, interrogating religion and rationality, early loves and formative beliefs and questioning freedom itself.

    3 in stock

    £9.49

  • Frank Pantridge MC

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd Frank Pantridge MC

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis stirring biography reveals the full story of a remarkable man who survived against the odds to save countless lives.

    3 in stock

    £13.49

  • Stories from the Stalags

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd Stories from the Stalags

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisFirst-hand accounts from the prisoners themselves are woven into the overall picture of life behind the wire, creating a sense of the PoW experience.

    3 in stock

    £21.25

  • Pen & Sword Books Ltd Stalag Luft I: An Official Account of the POW

    2 in stock

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

    2 in stock

    £21.25

  • Escaping with His Life: From Dunkirk to Germany

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd Escaping with His Life: From Dunkirk to Germany

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisVery few British soldiers could lay claim to such a full war as Leslie Young. Having survived the retreat to and evacuation from Dunkirk, he volunteered for the newly formed Commandos and took part in their first operation, the raid on the Lofoten Islands. He fought and was captured in Tunisia. He went on the run before his POW camp at Fontanellato was taken over by the Nazis after the September 1943 Italian armistice. He then spent six months on the run in the Apennine mountains aided by many brave and selfless Italians, who were risking their lives in so doing. He eventually reached Allied lines but not before two of his helpers were tragically killed by German and American fire respectively. On returning to England he immediately signed up for the invasion of North West Europe and, despite being wounded, fought his way through to Germany.He was twice Mentioned in Despatches. Thanks to his son’s research, Major Young’s inspiring and thrilling story can now be told.

    3 in stock

    £21.25

  • The 21 Escapes of Lt Alastair Cram: A Compelling

    Pan Macmillan The 21 Escapes of Lt Alastair Cram: A Compelling

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisA genuinely new Second World War story, The 21 Escapes of Lt Alastair Cram by David M. Guss is a riveting account of the wartime exploits of the Scotsman. It is a tale of courage in the face of extraordinary odds and a testament to one man's dogged determination never to give up.‘The greatest serial escaper of the Second World War’ – The Times'Endlessly fascinating. Cram's story sizzles with adventure' – Giles Milton, Sunday Times In November 1941 Lt Alastair Cram was taken prisoner in North Africa as a devastating tank battle unfolded as Operation Crusader struggled to relieve Tobruk. His capture began a four year-long odyssey as he passed through twelve different POW camps, three Gestapo prisons and one asylum. Determined to regain his freedom, he became a serial escapee fleeing his captors no fewer than twenty-one times.The most dramatic of these attempts was from Gavi, the ‘Italian Colditz’. This maximum-security prison built inside a thousand year old stone fortress was for the pericolosi, those classified as the ‘most dangerous’ prisoners due to their unrelenting desire to escape. It was here that Alastair met David Stirling, the legendary founder of the SAS, and cooked up the plan for the ‘Cistern Tunnel’, one of the most audacious but little-known mass escape attempts of the entire war. ______________'Fascinating' – Daily Express'An enthralling portrait of true courage' Sunday Express S Magazine Trade ReviewEndlessly fascinating. Cram’s story sizzles with adventure and the author plays it for all it is worth. I found myself rooting for his hero at every scrape and turn. * Giles Milton, Sunday Times *The story of Alastair Cram is a remarkable one, perhaps richer for having remained untold for so long . . . a book that ranks among the best escape literature * The Times *Fascinating -- Dominic Midgley * Daily Express *An enthralling portrait of true courage * Sunday Express S Magazine *An extraordinary story, vividly told. * History Revealed *Reads like a John Buchan novel. * History of War *[A] masterful account . . . Harrowing and deeply touching 21 Escapes pays homage to an inspiring figure and the determination of the human spirit. * Scottish Field *

    2 in stock

    £9.49

  • Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Forgotten Indian Prisoners of World War II

    1 in stock

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

    1 in stock

    £21.25

  • The Burma Railway and PTSD

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Burma Railway and PTSD

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisA compelling insight into one Far East ex POW survivor's mental health and terrible suffering, long after he returned home to his loving family resulting in domestic abuse observed through the eyes of a child.

    2 in stock

    £21.25

  • A Cruel Captivity: Prisoners of the

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd A Cruel Captivity: Prisoners of the

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisCarefully and sensitively researched, A Cruel Captivity describes the ordeals of, and lasting impact on, survivors of Japanese captivity. Differing in a number of respects from other moving POW accounts, this book covers the experiences of 22 servicemen from the Army, Royal Navy, RAF and volunteer forces who were held captive in numerous locations through South East Asia including Thailand, Burma, Hong Kong, the Spice Islands and Japan itself. Some had to endure the inhumane conditions during hazardous journeys on the 'hellships' and all suffered appalling cruelty, starvation, disease and prolonged degradation on an epic scale. Yet these were the fortunate ones-many thousands perished and their graves were unmarked. The book also examines the differing mental and physical effects that the prisoners' captors' cruel treatment had on them. The author's handling of the 'legacy' of their experiences during the post-war years makes this moving book particularly important. For a full understanding of this dreadful aspect of the Second World War, A Cruel Captivity is a must-read.

    3 in stock

    £16.99

  • No Mercy from the Japanese: A Survivor's Account

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd No Mercy from the Japanese: A Survivor's Account

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisBy the laws of statistics John Wyatt should not be here today to tell his story. He firmly believes that someone somewhere was looking after him during those four years. Examine the odds stacked against him and his readers will understand why he hold this view. During the conflict in Malaya and Singapore his regiment lost two thirds of its men. More than three hundred patients and staff in the Alexandra Military hospital were slaughtered by the Japanese - he was the only known survivor. Twenty six percent of British soldiers slaving on the Burma Railway died. More than fifty men out of around six hundred died aboard the Aaska Maru and the Hakasan Maru. Many more did not manage to survive the harshest Japanese winter of 1944/45, the coldest in Japan since record began. John's experiences make for the most compelling and graphic reading. The courage, endurance and resilience of men like him never ceases to amaze.

    3 in stock

    £11.69

  • Stalag 383 Bavaria: A History of the Camp, the

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd Stalag 383 Bavaria: A History of the Camp, the

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisStalag 383 was somewhat unique as a Second World War prisoner of war camp. Located in a high valley surrounded by dense woodland and hills in Hofenfels, Bavaria, it began life in 1938 as a training ground for the German Army. At the outbreak of war it was commandeered by the German authorities for use as a prisoner of war camp for Allied non-commissioned officers, and given the name Oflag lllC. It was renamed Stalag 383 in November 1942. For most of its existence it comprised of some 400 huts, 30 feet long and 14 feet wide, with each typically being home to 14 men. Many of the British service men who found themselves incarcerated at the camp had been captured during the evacuations at Dunkirk, or when the Greek island of Crete fell to the Germans on 1 June 1941. Stalag 383 had somewhat of a holiday camp feel to it for many who found themselves prisoners there. There were numerous clubs formed by different regiments, or men from the same town or county. These clubs catered for interests such as education, sports, theatrical productions and debates, to name but a few. This book examines life in the camp, the escapes that were undertaken from there, and includes a selection of never before published photographs of the camp and the men who lived there, many for more than five years.

    2 in stock

    £16.99

  • Real Tenko: Extraordinary True Stories of Women

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd Real Tenko: Extraordinary True Stories of Women

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe mistreatment and captivity of women by the Japanese is a little known and poorly documented aspect of the Second World War. In The Real Tenko, Mark Felton, who has a fast growing reputation as an authority and author on the war in the Far East, redresses this omission with a typically well researched yet necessarily gruesome account of the plight of Allied service-women, female civilians and local women in Japanese hands.Among the atrocities shamefully committed by the Emperor's forces were numerous massacres of nurses; that at Alexandra Hospital, Singapore being perhaps the best known. The lack of respect for their defeated enemies extended in full measure to both European and Asian women and their vulnerability was all too often shockingly exploited. Those who found themselves imprisoned fared little better and suffered appalling indignities and starvation. Also covered are the hardships of gruelling marches under extreme conditions. Whereas the sexual enslavement of so called 'Comfort Women' has been regarded as affecting only Asiatic women, it transpires that this horror was experienced by whites as well.The Real Tenko is a disturbing and shocking testimony both to the callous and cruel behaviour of the Japanese and to the courage and fortitude of those who suffered at their hands.

    1 in stock

    £11.69

  • Syrian Gulag

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Syrian Gulag

    Book SynopsisUgur Ümit Üngör is Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust, and Genocide Studies, Holland. He has won several academic awards and held visiting positions in Dublin, Vancouver, Budapest, Toronto, and Los Angeles. His most recent publication is Paramilitarism: Mass Violence in the Shadow of the State (2020).Jaber Baker is a documentary filmmaker, novelist and human rights activist. Between 2002 and 2004 he was held in a military prison in Syria. He has 16 years' experience of research and specialises in the Syrian prison system.Trade ReviewIn Syrian Gulag, Jaber Baker and Ugur Ümit Üngör present the first detailed overview of the prison system. They have carried out more than 100 interviews with surviving detainees, as well as former prisoner workers and many other eyewitnesses. They have also drawn upon a huge amount of archival material. The results are profoundly shocking. In more than 30 years of book reviewing, this is the most horrifying volume I have read. -- Peter Carty * The Spectator *Syrian Gulag … is the most comprehensive and systematic single-volume book on Syria’s imprisonment system of terror. -- Usman Butt * The New Arab *This book is an extraordinary achievement. Drawing on extensive primary source material, Baker and Üngör reveal in an unprecedented level of detail the sheer magnitude of Syria’s massive internal security agencies, the bureaucratization of torture on an industrial scale, and the extent to which fear is a constant presence in the lives of ordinary Syrians. The book is unsparing in its accounts of survivors of torture and techniques of torture, and all the more powerful for including them. It makes an unimpeachable case for brutality and violence as defining attributes of the Assad regime. It is also a sobering rebuttal to those seeking the regime’s “normalization.” It should be required reading for all who have an interest in Syria, human rights, and states as perpetrators of mass violence. * Steven Heydemann, Professor, Smith College, USA *This study is the first in any language to begin to map the Syrian prison archipelago. It is an urgently necessary and timely insight into the workings of Syria's Assad regime. * Anne-Marie McManus, Principle Investigator at the ERC Project SYRASP, Germany *As some European states have started forcing refugees back to Syria, this book is a grim reminder that for its unfortunate citizens, the violence preceded the use of rockets and barrel bombs, and the threat to their life remains undiminished. What makes this book invaluable is its panoramic picture of Syria’s vast repressive apparatus that the uprising failed to dislodge. What makes this book frightening is that unlike Dante, who had to use his prodigious imagination to describe hell, the hell described herein comes from the direct experience of survivors who lived through its various circles of torment. In painstaking detail, Jaber Baker and Ugur Ümit Üngör have mapped the hellish institutions, sites, and methods through which the Syrian regime has preserved its rule by extinguishing hope and humanity. And through meticulous documentation they’ve also created an instrument through which the perpetrators may one day be held to account. * Dr. Muhammad Idrees Ahmad, Director of Journalism, University of Essex, UK *Syria's dungeons have long kept its secrets; places so foreboding and cruel that few dared mention what happens inside them. The war has changed that. Once taboo topics are now being discussed far from the broken country, where former prisoners now in exile are detailing a killing and torture machine that rivals the Khmer Rouge for the scale of its savagery. In Syrian Gulag, Üngör and Baker open the gates of one of modern history's most infamous prison systems and empower a brutalised people to tell their stories. * Martin Chulov, Middle East Correspondent, The Guardian *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Mezze: Political Elites and Incarceration 2. Intelligence Bureaus 3. Tadmur 4. The First Military Prison: Saydnaya 5. Civil Prisons for Justice and Reconciliation 6. Conclusion Appendix 1 Some Main characters Appendix 2 Tortures and their tools Appendix 3 Kitchen and Eating Utensils Appendix 4 Diseases Appendix 5 Medicines Appendix 6 Prison Jargon Bibliography Notes

    £22.50

  • Escape or Die: True stories of heroic escape in

    Canelo Escape or Die: True stories of heroic escape in

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisExtraordinary times. Extraordinary courage.Here, from the bestselling author of The Great Escape, are eight true and startling escape stories from the Second World War.The heroism of the servicemen who dared to defy their captors in this volume is matched only by that of the underground movements and ordinary civilians who helped the escapees in these stories of daring, invention and doggedness against the odds.From the account of the Spitfire pilot left for dead by an execution squad in Sicily to the story of the air gunner forced to blag his way across the Baltic, every one is an unputdownable classic.‘As long as there are prisons men will try to escape from them; and as long as there is an RAF it will bring to the problems of escape the qualities of high resource, pure cussedness and that indefinable, damnably annoying refusal to lie down when dead, of which all the stories in this book are such excellent - and, I think, such exciting - examples.’ H.E. Bates

    1 in stock

    £9.49

  • Penguin Books Ltd Colditz

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisBrought to you by Penguin.In a forbidding Gothic castle on a hilltop in the heart of Nazi Germany, an unlikely band of British officers spent the Second World War plotting daring escapes from their Nazi captors. Or so the story of Colditz has gone, unchallenged for 70 years. But that tale contains only part of the truth.The astonishing inside story, revealed for the first time by bestselling historian Ben Macintyre, is a tale of the indomitable human spirit, but also one of class conflict, homosexuality, espionage, insanity and farce. Through an astonishing range of material, Macintyre reveals a remarkable cast of characters, wider than previously seen and hitherto hidden from history, taking in prisoners and captors who were living cheek-by-jowl in a thrilling game of cat and mouse.From the Indian doctor whose hunger strike and eventual escape reads like a thriller, to America''s oldest paratrooper and least successful secret agent, the soldier-prisoners of Colditz were astonishingly imaginative in their escape attempts; but there were many other ways to survive while awaiting their unknown fate. Deeply researched and full of incredible colour, this is the definitive book on one of the greatest war stories ever told. Ben MacIntyre 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022Trade ReviewA fine feat of storytelling . . . will surely become the last word on the subject -- Patrick Bishop * Telegraph *Like watching a black-and-white photograph being colourised . . . rich in humour and quirky detail . . . another compelling narrative -- Clare Mulley * Spectator *Nuanced and gripping . . . told with sensitivity and insight, with an eye for telling detail -- Gerard DeGroot * The Times *Fascinating * The Sun *Every Ben Macintyre book is a treat -- Jane Thynne * The Tablet *Entertaining yet objective and often moving * Wall Street Journal *Macintyre's genius has long been to excavate the nuance, subtlety and ambiguity beneath the myths he explores . . . remarkable -- Matthew D'Ancona * Tortoise Media *Another fine history . . . His unerring eye for the telling detail that can illuminate a greater story is apparent in Colditz -- Ronan McGreevy * The Irish Times *Macintyre so seamlessly fuses so many different accounts that their compilation creates something more profound than a simple escape yarn: a biography of the prison itself and the world detainees built there -- Andrea Pitzer * Washington Post *Macintyre recreates the daring escape stories with punchy flair . . . a lively page-turner -- NJ McGarrigle * Independent.ie *My book of the year . . . a masterful history of Colditz. It's absurdly readable (and at times just absurd) as well as being informative, hilarious and deeply moving -- Geoff Dyer * LitHub *

    2 in stock

    £24.00

  • Imprisoning the Enemy

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd Imprisoning the Enemy

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisPrisoners of war (POWs) are an important part in the history of the Second World War. Nikolaos Theotokis, in this vividly written book, examines the subject, taking a closer look at the hundreds of thousands of Axis military personnel, including women (mostly German), who were held in POW camps, POW cages, prisons or forced labour camps, after being captured by or surrendering to Allied forces, between 1940 and 1945, in the North African, European and Pacific theatres of operations.Hundreds of cases of officers of the Wehrmacht and the SS, as well as of the Royal Italian and the Imperial Japanese Armies have been grouped by the author in two main categories: those who were taken prisoner by Allied forces and those who surrendered to them. This is not a book about military might, but about people, many of whom were proven innocent victims of circumstance. Officers who committed suicide to avoid capture and others who were charged and punished as war criminals are separately presented, a

    2 in stock

    £21.25

  • POW on the Sumatra Railway

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd POW on the Sumatra Railway

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis is Geoff's story of his captivity, release, and subsequent efforts in achieving his aim.

    2 in stock

    £17.00

  • Defending Crete from the Fallschirmjagers

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd Defending Crete from the Fallschirmjagers

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisJack Seed's first hand account of the defence of Crete during the Balkan Campaign of 1941 is told here for the first time.

    3 in stock

    £21.25

  • Stalag Luft III

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd Stalag Luft III

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisOpened in the spring of 1942 to house captured Allied airmen, Stalag Luft III at Sagan was planned and built to make escape particularly difficult, especially tunnelling. This, though, did not deter the prisoners. Numerous escape attempts followed, involving prisoners trying to go over, through or under the wire fences. In some cases they succeeded. It is for two of the successful escapes that Stalag Luft III is best known both of which went on to be depicted in films. The so-called Wooden Horse escape in October 1943 resulted in the three prisoners involved all making a home run'. Three further home runs' resulted from the mass escape which occurred the night of 24/25 March 1944 the so-called Great Escape'. Drawn from the information and testimonies of those who were held in Stalag Luft III, this official history of the camp was prepared for the War Office at the end of the Second World War, but was never released to the general public. It examines subjects such as the German administration and running of the camp, which eventually consisted of a number of separate compounds, the food and conditions the prisoners endured, and the means by which morale was maintained under such trying circumstances. Inevitably considerable space is devoted to the various escape plans and their careful preparation, as well as the anti-escape measures undertaken by the guards. There are also sections detailing the punishments meted out for attempting to escape, as well as the various shooting incidents that occurred. Whilst the camp also housed American personnel, this detailed account provides the reader with an accurate and unprecedented insight into life for British and Commonwealth prisoners in a German PoW camp during the Second World War.

    3 in stock

    £13.49

  • The Surrender of Singapore

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Surrender of Singapore

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisUntil the late 1930s, Singapore was noted as a popular stop-off point for wealthy European travellers on their way to countries such as Australia and New Zealand. All of that changed with the outbreak of the Second World War. Despite Major-General William Dobbie, the General Officer Commanding Malaya between 8 November 1935 and August 1939, warning that Singapore could be conquered by the Japanese, his concerns went unheeded. As far as the British authorities were concerned, Singapore was an impregnable fortress. There were many reasons which led to the fall of Singapore. The apparent arrogance of some senior British military personnel and politicians; a misconception that Japanese soldiers were inferior to their American and Commonwealth counterparts; a belief that Japan would not militarily engage both America and Britain at the same time; and that as far as the Allies were concerned, victory in Europe was a priority over defeating the Japanese throughout Asia and the Pacific.

    1 in stock

    £13.49

  • Prisoners on Cannock Chase: Great War PoWs and

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd Prisoners on Cannock Chase: Great War PoWs and

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisOver the course of many years Richard Pursehouse has painstakingly unravelled the story of a First World War prisoner of war camp which held captured German personnel in the very heart of the English countryside. He first became aware of the existence of the camp while walking over Cannock Chase in Staffordshire, finding sewer covers in what appeared to be uninhabited heathland. Intrigued, the author set out to investigate the mystery and discovered that the sewers were for two Army camps - Brocton and Rugeley - that had been constructed for soldiers training during the First World War. What he also found, however, was that the Brocton Camp site also included a segregated autonomous prisoner of war camp. With the aid of an old postcard, Richard was able to identify the exact location and layout of the long-lost camp. His research continued until he had accumulated an enormous amount of detail about the camp and life for its prisoners. He found a file by the Camp Commandant, Swiss Legation correspondence, stories in newspapers, letters and diaries, and received photographs from interested individuals. Amongst his finds was a box holding scores of fascinating letters sent home by an administration clerk while he was working at the camp. During his investigations, Richard also learned of attempted murders and escapes (including the only escapee to make it back to Germany), deaths, thefts - and a fatal scandal. The letters, documents and diaries reveal how the prisoners coped with incarceration, as well as their treatment, both in terms of camp conditions and their medical needs. He has also established a definitive answer to the 'myth' that some of the prisoners assisted in building the nearby Messines terrain model. The model was a post-battle training tool to instruct newly-arrived New Zealand troops, which also provided a visual explanation of how they had defeated the Germans in the Battle of Messines in June 1917. The result is a unique insight into what life was like inside a British Prisoner of War camp during the First World War.

    2 in stock

    £16.99

  • Left for Dead at Nijmegen: The True Story of an

    Casemate Publishers Left for Dead at Nijmegen: The True Story of an

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisLeft for Dead at Nijmegen recalls the larger-than-life experiences of an American paratrooper, Gene Metcalfe, who served in the 82nd Airborne during WWII. From his recruitment into the military at Camp Grant to his training with the 501st Paratroop Infantry Regiment at Camp Toccoa, it wasn't until D-Day itself that he first arrived in England to join the 508th PIR. Nannini records Gene's memories of being dropped during Operation Market Garden in Nijmegen, Holland. Gene was listed as KIA and left for dead by his patrol, who presumed the worst when they saw his injuries from a shell explosion.In the climax of the story, Gene is captured by German SS soldiers and, with absolutely no protection, found himself standing before a senior officer, whom Gene recognized as Heinrich Himmler himself, behind enemy lines in a 16th century castle. Gene's subsequent interrogation is fully recounted, from the questioning of his mission to the bizarre appearance of sausages, mustard, marmalade and bread for his "dinner." This would be his last proper meal for eight months.The rest of his story is equally gripping, as he became a POW held outside Munich, being moved between various camps ridden with disease and a severely undernourished population. Eventually, after making an escape attempt and being captured within sight of the snow-capped Swiss mountains, his camp was liberated by American troops in April 1945.Gene's story is both remarkable for his highly unusual encounter, and his subsequent experiences.Trade ReviewThis is an important biography worthy of inclusion in World War II themed collections. The book portrays military sacrifices and the reality of the struggle of POW as reported by a survivor. * authorsreading.com 03/05/2019 *The author has researched and studied this subject in great depth, his knowledge and ability to engage and keep the interest of the reader is accomplished and proficient. * Army Rumour Service 20/06/2019 *Left for Dead at Nijmegen: The True Story of an American Paratrooper is an important work, one that exemplifies the sacrifices made by our military and reveals the reality of the POWs’ struggle to survive under the harshest of situations. It’s most highly recommended. * Readers Favorite Book Reviews 22/01/2019 *… an extraordinary and simply riveting memoir. * Midwest Book Review 12/06/2019 *

    2 in stock

    £21.25

  • Stalag Luft III: Rare Photographs from Wartime

    Greenhill Books Stalag Luft III: Rare Photographs from Wartime

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisIn early 1942 the Third Reich opened a maximum security Prisoner Of War camp in Lower Silesia for captured Allied airmen. Called Stalag Luft III, the camp soon came to contain some of the most inventive escapers ever known. The escapers were led by Squadron Leader Roger Bushell, code-named 'Big X'. In March 1944, Bushell masterminded an attempt to smuggle hundreds of POWs down a tunnel build right under the notes of their guards. In fact, only 79 Allied airmen clambered into the tunnel and only three made successful escapes. This remarkable escape would be immortalised in the famous Hollywood film THE GREAT ESCAPE, in which the bravery of the men was rightly celebrated. Behind the scenes photographs from the film are included in this definitive pictorial work on the most famous POW camp of World War II.

    1 in stock

    £13.49

  • Breakout at Stalingrad

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Breakout at Stalingrad

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis'One of the greatest novels of the Second World War' The Times. 'A remarkable find' Antony Beevor. 'A masterpiece' Mail on Sunday. Stalingrad, November 1942. Lieutenant Breuer dreams of returning home for Christmas. But he and his fellow German soldiers will spend winter in a frozen hell – as snow, ice and relentless Soviet assaults reduce the once-mighty Sixth Army to a diseased and starving rabble. Breakout at Stalingrad is a stark and terrifying portrait of the horrors of war, and a profoundly humane depiction of comradeship in adversity. The book itself has an extraordinary story behind it. Its author fought at Stalingrad and was imprisoned by the Soviets. In captivity, he wrote a novel based on his experiences, which the Soviets confiscated before releasing him. Gerlach resorted to hypnosis to remember his narrative, and in 1957 it was published as The Forsaken Army. Fifty-five years later Carsten Gansel, an academic, came across the original manuscript of Gerlach's novel in a Moscow archive. This first translation into English of Breakout at Stalingrad includes the story of Gansel's sensational discovery.Trade ReviewOne of the greatest novels of the Second World War * The Times *Gerlach's truly magnificent novel [...] is a devastating account of the appalling privations suffered by the German army, left to their fate by the foundering, over-stretched Fatherland. A masterpiece * Mail on Sunday *A remarkable find -- Antony Beevor[It] is so deftly handled and well constructed... It is astonishing that [this] is Gerlach's first attempt at fiction' * The Sunday Times *This excellent book will shine a light on the horrors of the Eastern Front for a new generation of English-speaking readers... An absolute gem of a book' * Soldier magazine *[Written with] raw, vivid immediacy, which piles up compelling images and episodes... It is an exceptional, powerful and moving work' * Sunday Times *Anyone who wants an idea of what Stalingrad was really like should read this book... Gerlach records the lives and feelings of soldiers of all ranks' * Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung *

    1 in stock

    £9.50

  • Knights of Bushido: A History of Japanese War Crimes During World War II

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd Knights of Bushido: A History of Japanese War Crimes During World War II

    1 in stock

    '[Reveals] the full horror of a warped version of Bushido. It is not a pleasant read, but a necessary one.' Russ Lockwood, MagwebThe war crimes trials at Nuremberg and Tokyo meted out the Allies' official justice; Lord Russell of Liverpool's sensational bestselling books on the Axis' war crimes decided the public's opinion. The Knights of Bushido, Russell's shocking account of Japanese brutality in the Pacific in World War II, describes how the noble founding principles of the Empire of Japan were perverted by the military into a systematic campaign of torture, murder, starvation, rape and destruction. Notorious incidents like the Nanking Massacre and the Bataan Death March emerge as merely part of a pattern of human rights abuses. Undoubtedly formidable soldiers, the Japanese were terrible conquerors. Their conduct in the Pacific is a harrowing example of the doctrine of mutual destruction carried to the extreme, and begs the question of what is acceptable - and unacceptable - in total war.

    1 in stock

    £15.29

  • Sara

    Pluto Press Sara

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe second instalment of the iconic memoirs of one of the first female fighters of the PKKTrade Review'This memoir advances our knowledge of human endurance and allows the reader a closer look into the world of state violence. This is a compelling story of fear, hope, tensions, despair, joy, but mostly a dream of liberation' -- Shahrzad Mojab, co-author of 'Revolutionary Learning: Marxism, Feminism and Knowledge''Diyarbakir Military Prison was the main site of Kurdish resistance during the early 1980s and as a senior member of the PKK, Sakine Cansiz played a leading role in it. This book is an excellent resource for understanding this historic period in Kurdish politics' -- Cengiz Gunes, author of 'The Kurdish National Movement in Turkey: From Protest to Resistance' (Routledge, 2012).'This second volume of memoirs covers the 11 years Sakine Cansiz spent in Turkish prisons from 1979 until 1990. With tremendous lucidity and power Cansiz tells a story of struggle against dehumanisation and an unshakeable belief in freedom. This is a deeply moving documentation of the origins of the Kurdish women's movement. A most important book - beautifully written and urgent' -- Estella Schmid, Peace in Kurdistan Campaign'Sakine shows not only Kurdish women, but all women that the most beautiful way to live is to embrace life with more strength. Sakine never gave up her love for freedom, despite the heavy sacrifices she had to bear. In a country where it is forbidden to live in freedom as human beings, she knew that the only way to survive was to fight. Every woman who longs for freedom will find a voice in Sakine's struggle' -- Gönül Tepe, Kurdish Women's Liberation MovementTable of ContentsTranslator-editor's Preface Sara Notes List of People List of Political Names and Acronyms Timeline Index

    1 in stock

    £18.99

  • The Zekameron: Winner of 2023 English PEN Award

    Scotland Street Press The Zekameron: Winner of 2023 English PEN Award

    Book SynopsisWINNER OF ENGLISH PEN AWARD 2023 LONG-LISTED FOR THE REPUBLIC OF CONSCIOUSNESS PRIZE 2024 ‘How did these stories get into your hands? They flew, as if painted by Marc Chagall, through prison walls, borders, and languages.’ - Valzhyna Mort ‘It’s a terse account of painful experience, prison, bewilderment; hugely atmospheric and extremely funny – full of dry wit and small biting observations.’ - Anna Vaught 100 stories written from prison in Belarus with 'echoes of early Chekhov, Zoshchenko and Samuel Beckett' (Michael Purs). Despite its bleak context, this is a fundamentally optimistic book, engaging comically, yet honestly, with what it means to be human. Translated from the Russian by Jim and Ella Dingley. With an introduction by ‘risen star of the international poetry world’ Valzhyna Mort.Trade ReviewMaxim Znak's message is that wry humour and humanity trump the cruel absurdities of the regime [...] These stories, one hundred of them, none longer than three pages, have echoes of early Chekhov, Zoshchenko and Samuel Beckett and, ultimately, of Giovanni Boccaccio and Vernon Kress, who used the punning title for his 1991 novel of the Gulag. - Michael Purs The fact that this book exists at all should be a miracle. Simply because the stories were smuggled out … The true sensation, however, is the mental achievement the prisoner Maxim Znak was capable of: that in his situation, which could really be called hopeless, he still possesses the internal freedom to create literature. - Cornelia Geissler, Berliner Zeitung [Znak] uses the weapons that dictators like Lukashenko detest most: humour, wit, publicity. - Jens Uthoff, taz.die tageszeitung It's a terse account of painful experience, prison, bewilderment; hugely atmospheric and extremely funny – full of dry wit and small biting observations. - Anna Vaught

    £12.34

  • A Crowd Is Not Company

    Orion Publishing Co A Crowd Is Not Company

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisRobert Kee's vivid account of his years in a German prisoner-of-war camp - and his flight across Europe when he escaped. A classic survival storyTrade ReviewArguably the best POW book ever written * THE TIMES *A wonderfully impartial, unjudging account of the way feelings and imagination are shrunk and benumbed in a cramped and crowded world * LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS *Certain pages of this book, especially those about being questioned while on the run, still make my blood run cold . . . Dozens of accurate and perceptive images stop one in one's tracks * OBSERVER *His depiction of frightened, desperate men grappling for hope is touching and thought-provokling * BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH *Robert Kee went on to have a distinguished career as a writer and in television, but this marvellous memoir may well be his finest acheivement. * OLDIE *

    2 in stock

    £9.99

  • Lost to the World

    Transworld Publishers Ltd Lost to the World

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisIn late August of 2011, Shahbaz Taseer was driving to his office in Lahore, Pakistan when he was dragged from his car at gunpoint and kidnapped by members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), a Taliban-affiliated terrorist group.Just seven months earlier, his father, Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab Province, had been shot dead by his guard for speaking out against Pakistan''s blasphemy laws.For almost five years Shahbaz was held captive, moved ever-deeper into the lawless Hindu Kush, frequently tortured and forced to endure extreme cruelty, his fate resting on his kidnappers'' impossible demands and the uneasy alliances between his captors and the Taliban and ISIS.Lost to the World is the remarkable true story of Taseer''s time in captivity, and of his astonishing escape. It is a story of extraordinary faith, bravery and sorrow, with moments of kindness and humour offering a hopeful light in the dark years of his imprisonment. By Trade ReviewAstounding-an honest and fascinating account of something almost no other person has survived. * Jemima Khan *This memoir is a complete tour de force of emotions. * Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Academy Award-winning filmmaker and journalist *What a book. Lost to the World is a survival narrative unlike no other...Above all...a deeply moving testament to the triumph of human spirit. * Héctor Tobar, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Deep Down Dark *An astonishing story. A fascinating book. * Hugo Rifkind *

    1 in stock

    £10.44

  • The Bataan Death March

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Bataan Death March

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisShortly after the surprise bombing of Pearl Harbor in late 1941, over 70,000 American and Filipino servicemen were captured by the Japanese in the Philippines. What ensued for these young men is considered by many military historians to be one of the most barbaric sequences of war crimes in history, yet it remains an incredibly inspiring story of unmatched heroism and survival. According to the Japanese code of _Bushido_ a soldier captured alive had dishonoured himself and his country, so their new prisoners were often regarded with utter contempt. Then Second Lieutenant Patrick Rafferty and his fellow Battling Bastards of Bataan had just forfeited the right to be treated humanely, at least in the eyes of their captors. Forced to march shoeless over sixty-five miles northward in unbearable heat with no water or food, men were routinely executed if they showed any signs of slowing the forward progress towards their internment camp. Some estimates suggest that nearly 18,000 men perishe

    1 in stock

    £21.25

  • A Pocket History of Kilmainham Gaol

    Gill A Pocket History of Kilmainham Gaol

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisA wonderful introduction to an Irish landmark.

    1 in stock

    £6.99

  • Inside the Wire

    The History Press Ltd Inside the Wire

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisStalag VIII-B, Colditz, these names are synonymous with POWs in the Second World War. Gloucestershire was home to a wealth of prisoner-of-war camps and hostels, and many Italian and German prisoners spent the war years here. It also features the compelling first-hand account of Joachim Schulze, a German POW who spent the war near Tewkesbury.

    1 in stock

    £12.34

  • The Napoleonic Prison of Norman Cross

    The History Press Ltd The Napoleonic Prison of Norman Cross

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe human story of Cambridgeshire’s Napoleonic War prison

    1 in stock

    £14.24

  • The Hated Cage

    Oneworld Publications The Hated Cage

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisBuried in the history of our most famous jail, a unique story of captivity, violence and raceTrade Review‘Beguiling.’ -- The Times‘Meticulously researched… a vivid portrait.’ -- Daily Mail‘Easily the most comprehensive study to date (and probably for quite a long while)… a vivid reconstruction of the experiences of the men who endured Dartmoor, as well as the hundreds who did not survive… a compelling story of human indifference, cruelty and endurance.’ -- TLS‘The Dartmoor Massacre provides the dramatic climax of Nicholas Guyatt’s The Hated Cage, a compelling and compassionate study of the largest overseas contingent of American POWs before World War II… a vivid and convincing reconstruction.’ -- Wall Street Journal‘This is history as it ought to be – gripping, dynamic, vividly written, and altogether brilliant in its interpretation. Nicholas Guyatt has liberated a motley crew of American sailors from the double darkness of Dartmoor Prison and our own poor historical memory.’ -- Marcus Rediker, author of The Slave Ship: A Human History‘A beautifully narrated tale that starts with a forgotten massacre in an English prison and opens out on to a truly epic global canvas. This book illuminates how profoundly Black history underpins the national stories of Britain and the United States – and of the world beyond.’ -- Priyamvada Gopal, author of Insurgent Empire: Anticolonial Resistance and British Dissent‘Captivating, heartbreaking and uplifting, The Hated Cage takes us on a journey to human creativity and resilience even when violence is lurking on the surface. It shows us the power of togetherness in the midst of suffocating conditions.’ -- Olivette Otele, author of African Europeans‘In this brilliant book, Nick Guyatt tells the fascinating story of a long-forgotten massacre of American sailors in a British prison. While that tale on its own is gripping, The Hated Cage uses this prison drama to unlock a range of insights about life and death across the nineteenth-century Atlantic world. A must-read work.’ -- Kevin M. Kruse, professor of history, Princeton University‘In Britain, American military cemeteries dot the landscape, none more forgotten or haunting than the one at Dartmoor, with 271 American sailors from the War of 1812. Guyatt has written a stunning, revealing history of one of the darkest and most inhumane outposts of the British empire, hidden in plain sight and historical memory in southwest England. The book is a withering tale of race and the suffering fate of seamen in the age of sail. It is also a brilliant reminder of why we do research and why we remember.’ -- David W. Blight, Sterling Professor at Yale, author of Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom‘In Guyatt’s truly extraordinary recovery of Americans imprisoned long ago, he has excavated a most disturbing racial as well as carceral past, one that will feel disturbingly familiar, and one that underscores on every page the imperative of finally reckoning with white supremacy if there is to be a different future.’ -- Heather Ann Thompson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Blood in the Water‘Nicholas Guyatt’s absorbing story of the early nineteenth-century Dartmoor prison “massacre” asks who was an American and could Black men, detained as British as prisoners of war, be citizens? Told by way of archival sleuthing and exacting analysis, The Hated Cage is a fascinating study of how ideas about racism and the state became fused to one another in the early American republic. It is a must-read for anyone concerned with the origins of the anti-Black thought of our own time.’ -- Martha S. Jones, author of Vanguard‘Mostly set in a prisoner-of-war camp located on an otherworldly English moor, Nicholas Guyatt’s The Hated Cage is history at its most beguiling. Guyatt expertly synthesizes critical maritime and prison scholarship to give us a unique window into war, repression, racial violence, and incarceration in early modern American history. Anyone interested in exploring the meaning of the American Revolution would do well to lay off its founding fathers and read Guyatt’s account of long-ignored, tellingly so, events in Dartmoor’s “Black Prison”.’ -- Greg Grandin, Peter V. and C. Vann Woodward Professor of History, Yale University‘A gripping book that tells the forgotten account of the events that occurred in Dartmoor prison in 1815. In The Hated Cage, Guyatt masterfully centres attention on an intriguing cast of characters to document in clear detail the histories of race, violence and the struggles for survival that sit at the heart of the entangled connections between Britain and the US.’ -- Imaobong Umoren, associate professor of international history, London School of Economics and Political Science‘[A] colorful account… Expertly weaving digressions on the history of incarceration and the racial dynamics of America’s shipping industry into the narrative, Guyatt delivers an engrossing look at an intriguing historical footnote.’ * Publishers Weekly *

    1 in stock

    £10.79

  • The Lost Years Life as A Far Eastern POW

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Lost Years Life as A Far Eastern POW

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis_The Lost Years_ tells the story of Roger Rothwell, captured by the Japanese on Christmas Day 1941 during the fall of Hong Kong, along with 900 of his fellow soldiers. He was one of only 150 who walked through the camp gates to freedom in 1945. The book describes his four long years of captivity in Shamsuipo and Argyle Street prison camps in beautifully written and sometimes harrowing detail. Experiences are told from notes made in a secretly kept diary of Roger's incarceration, the discovery of which would have meant his inevitable death at the hands of his captors. Roger recounts his enlisting in the British Army as a newly qualified teacher at the outbreak of World War Two in 1939, his time training for combat, his long and arduous journey to Hong Kong via Africa, his capture and eventual release, and finally, the journey home. _The Lost Years_ is a book which will fascinate those interested in World War Two, the bombing of London during the Blitz, and the experiences of Priso

    1 in stock

    £21.25

  • In the Shadow of Death

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd In the Shadow of Death

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisAn exceptional and unique personal account of brutal Japanese captivity and heart-rending comradeship by a natural storyteller.

    1 in stock

    £13.49

  • Korean Atrocity

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd Korean Atrocity

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisControversial and shocking expos of mistreatment and killing of Allied POWs by their North Korean and Chinese captors.

    1 in stock

    £13.49

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