Specific wars and military campaigns Books

Book SynopsisFollowing his experiences as a militiaman in the Spanish Civil War, the author brings to bear all the force of his humanity, passion and clarity, describing with bitter intensity the bright hopes and cynical betrayals of that chaotic episode: the revolutionary euphoria of Barcelona, the courage of ordinary Spanish men and more.

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Book SynopsisDan Jones narrates in his inimitably vivid and authoritative fashion the remarkable story of the Knights Templar. 'Exhilarating, epic, sword-swinging history' TLS 'Jones is certainly an entertainer, but also a fine historian who knows how to render serious scholarship into accessible prose' The Times 'Another triumphant tale from a historian who writes as addictively as any page-turning novelist' Observer ‘When it comes to rip-roaring medieval narratives, Jones has few peers, and in the Templars he finds the perfect subject' Sunday Times The Knights Templar were the wealthiest, most powerful – and most secretive – of the military orders that flourished in the crusading era. Their story – encompassing as it does the greatest international conflict of the Middle Ages, a network of international finance, a swift rise in wealth and influence followed by a bloody and humiliating fall – has left a comet's tail of mystery that continues to fascinate and inspire historians, novelists and conspiracy theorists.Trade ReviewExhilarating, epic, sword-swinging history... A skilful storyteller [...] he enlivens the narrative with bloodcurdling details and arresting turns of phrase... There is also fine scholarly intuition' * TLS *Told with all Jones's usual verve and panache, this is a dramatic and gripping tale of courage and stupidity, faith and betrayal * Mail on Sunday *Jones is certainly an entertainer, but also a fine historian who knows how to render serious scholarship into accessible prose * The Times *Another triumphant tale from a historian who writes as addictively as any page-turning novelist * Observer *When it comes to rip-roaring medieval narratives, Jones has few peers, and in the Templars he finds the perfect subject * Sunday Times *A fresh, muscular and compelling history of the ultimate military-religious crusading order, combining sensible scholarship with narrative swagger, featuring a cast of exuberantly monstrous sword-swingers spattering Christian and Islamic blood from Spain to Jerusalem -- Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Jerusalem: The BiographyThe story of the Templars, the ultimate holy warriors, is an extraordinary saga of fanaticism, bravery, treachery and betrayal, and in Dan Jones they have a worthy chronicler. The Templars is a wonderful book! -- Bernard Cornwall, author of The Last KingdomSnappy, well-paced... The author's ambition, he says, is to tell the story of the Templars in a straightforward way and "to write a book that will entertain as well as inform". He has done precisely that' * Daily Telegraph *Full of tales of bloodshed, bravery and betrayal, this is a passionate guide to the unstoppable rise and spectacular fall of the poster boys of the Middle Ages * The Tablet, Books of the Year *[The Templars'] colourful story is grippingly told by the excellent Dan Jones * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisNapoleon is an out-and-out masterpiece and a joy to read' Sir Antony Beevor, author of StalingradA landmark new biography that presents the man behind the many myths. The first writer in English to go back to the original European sources, Adam Zamoyski's portrait of Napoleon is historical biography at its finest.Napoleon inspires passionately held and often conflicting visions. Was he a god-like genius, Romantic avatar, megalomaniac monster, compulsive warmonger or just a nasty little dictator?While he displayed elements of these traits at certain times, Napoleon was none of these things. He was a man and, as Adam Zamoyski presents him in this landmark biography, a rather ordinary one at that. He exhibited some extraordinary qualities during some phases of his life but it is hard to credit genius to a general who presided over the worst (and self-inflicted) disaster in military history and who single-handedly destroyed the great enterprise he and others had toiled so hard to constructTrade Review'A pacy and characteristically unintimidated picture of how and why Napoleon achieved what he did and then succeeded in screwing it all up …. 600 pages of narrative history will seldom pass so easily' David Crane, Spectator 'Adam Zamoyski refreshingly downsizes the Corsican commander-in-chief' Nicky Haslam, Spectator ‘Always elegant in style and original in analysis. Zamoyski, a master of the sources and of the culture and politics that created his subject, produces a fresh, nuanced, beautifully written, gripping and outstanding biography of Napoleon that reveals him to be a triumph of luck and accident as much as the invincible genius of the legend’ Simon Sebag-Montefiore, author of The Romanovs and Jerusalem: The Biography ‘Napoleon is an out-and-out masterpiece and a joy to read’ Sir Antony Beevor, author of Stalingrad ‘A lifetime’s diligent research and profound thinking about Napoleon and his times has gone into this hugely readable, highly enjoyable and well-balanced biography. Zamoyski is at the top of his game as a biographer’ Andrew Roberts, Visiting Professor, Department of War Studies, King’s College, London ‘Adam Zamoyski has retold a story that we thought we knew and made it fresh: stripping away two centuries of mythology, discarding the apocryphal stories and legends, he finally brings us the real Napoleon’ Anne Applebaum, author of Red Famine: Stalin’s War on Ukraine

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Book Synopsis''An unrivalled picture of the rumours, suspicions and treachery of civil war'' Antony BeevorEvery line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic Socialism as I understand it''. Thus wrote Orwell following his experiences as a militiaman in the Spanish Civil War, chronicled in Homage to Catalonia. Here he brings to bear all the force of his humanity, passion and clarity, describing with bitter intensity the bright hopes and cynical betrayals of that chaotic episode: the revolutionary euphoria of Barcelona, the courage of ordinary Spanish men and women he fought alongside, the terror and confusion of the front, his near-fatal bullet wound and the vicious treachery of his supposed allies.A firsthand account of the brutal conditions of the Spanish Civil War, George Orwell''s Homage to Catalonia includes an introduction by Julian Symons.Trade ReviewAn unrivalled picture of the rumours, suspicions and treachery of civil war -- Anthony BeevorA war story that is both brutally honest and lyrically beautiful * Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisJames McPherson is Professor Emeritus of American History at Princeton University. Battle Cry of Freedom won the Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction in 2003.Trade ReviewThe definitive study, meticulous in its scholarship and compulsive in its readability * Financial Times *McPherson is wonderfully lucid... Above all, everything is in a living relationship with everything else ... Omitting nothing important, whether military, political or economic, he yet manages to make everything he touches drive the narrative forward ... historical writing of the highest order * The New York Times *A distinguished contribution to American history ... He has succeeded brilliantly. He has written what will surely become the standard one-volume history of the great conflict which forged America as a united nation * Independent *Absolutely brilliant ... McPherson has fresh approaches to the war's background, the four years of struggle and the aftermath * Washington Post Book World *McPherson wears with equal ease the hats of biographer, economist, sociologist and military historian .. Probably the best single-volume history of America's Civil War yet written * Economist *Table of ContentsPrologue: from the halls of Montezuma. The United States of midcentury; Mexico will poison us; an empire for slavery; slavery, rum and Romanism; the crime against Kansas; mudsills and greasy mechanics for A. Lincoln; the revolution of 1860; the counterrevolution of 1861; facing both ways - the upper south's dilemma; amateurs go to war; farewell to the 90 Days' War; blockade and beachead - the Salt-Water War, 1861-1862; the River War in 1862; the sinews of war; Billy Yank's chickhominy blues; we must free the slaves or be ourselves subdued; carry me back to Old Virginny; John Bull's Virgina Reel; three rivers in winter, 1862-1863; fire in the rear; long remember - the summer of '63; Johnny Reb's Chattanooga Blues; when this cruel war is over; if it takes all summer; after four years of failure; we are going to be wiped off the Earth; South Carolina must be destroyed; we are all Americans. Epilogue: to the shoals of victory.

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Book SynopsisJohn Man is a historian and travel writer with a special interest in Mongolia. After reading German and French at Oxford he did two postgraduate courses, one in the history of science at Oxford, the other in Mongolian at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.John has written acclaimed and highly successful biographies of Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun and Kublai Khan as well as Alpha Beta, on the history of the alphabet, and The Gutenberg Revolution, on the invention of printing.Trade ReviewFast-paced ... thrilling. -- Ben Wilson * The Times *One could not wish for a better storyteller or analyst than John Man. * Simon Sebag Montefiore *His ability to put us in the picture, to feel, smell and almost touch the surroundings he describes, is matched by his ability to tell a good story. * Michael Palin *

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Book SynopsisA young teenager enlisted into the Polish Army in 1938. Deported to the Soviet Union and imprisoned in a Siberian prison camp, this audacious soldier became reunited with his compatriots in Scotland where he trained as a paratrooper and took part in the fated WW2 Operation Market Garden, Arnhem in 1944. Fifty years later, then a patient in hospital, the soldier recounted his life’s experience to my father in the next bed, who had the forethought to record their conversation onto a Dictaphone machine. My father’s empathetic nature and harrowing childhood experiences of seeing HMS Foylebank destroyed by German bomber planes on his way to school in 1940 led to a unique and unlikely friendship. The discovery of these recordings in 2020 inspired The Polish Voice, a fully researched historical record of both men’s lives, a tribute to them, reminding us of the importance to listen to one another and the legacy of a recorded voice.

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Book SynopsisAfter leaving the US Navy SEAL Teams in Spring of 2017, Ephraim Mattos, age 24, flew to Iraq to join a small group of volunteer humanitarians known as the Free Burma Rangers, who were working on the frontlines of the war on ISIS. Until being shot by ISIS on a suicidal rescue mission, Mattos witnessed unexplainable acts of courage and sacrifice by the Free Burma Rangers who, while under heavy machine gun and mortar fire, assaulted across ISIS minefields, used themselves as human shields, and sprinted down ISIS infested streets-all to retrieve wounded civilians.In City of Death: Humanitarian Warriors In the Battle of Mosul, Mattos recounts in vivid detail what he saw and felt while he and the other Free Burma Rangers evacuated the wounded, conducted rescue missions, and at times fought shoulder-to-shoulder with the Iraqi Army against ISIS. Filled with raw and emotional detail of what it's like to come face-to-face with death, this is the harrowing and uplifting true story of a small group of men who laid down their lives to save the lives of the Iraqi people and who chose to live or die by the words, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."As the co-Author of the #1 New York Times bestselling American Sniper, Scott McEwen has teamed up with Mattos to help create an unforgettable true story of an American warrior turned humanitarian forced to fight his way into and out of a Hell on Earth created by ISIS

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Book SynopsisIt was to be one of the most ambitious operations since 617 Squadron bounced their revolutionary bombs into the dams of the Ruhr Valley in 1943 . . . April 1982. Argentine forces had invaded the Falkland Islands. Britain needed an answer. And fast. The idea was simple: to destroy the vital landing strip at Port Stanley. The reality was more complicated. The only aircraft that could possibly do the job was three months from being scrapped, and the distance it had to travel was four thousand miles beyond its maximum range. It would take fifteen Victor tankers and seventeen separate in-flight refuellings to get one Avro Vulcan B2 over the target, and give its crew any chance of coming back alive.Yet less than a month later, a formation of elderly British jets launched from a remote island airbase to carry out the longest-range air attack in history. At its head was a single aircraft, six men, and twenty-one thousand-pound bombs, facing the hornet's nest oTrade ReviewExciting and breathtakingly pacy...This is exactly how modern history should be written * Andy McNab *Gripping, endlessly fascinating detail. I read the book in one sitting: it is an utterly compelling war story, brilliantly written * Simon Winchester *A masterwork of narrative history. Brilliantly described, the story of an impossible British mission is a compelling one; it's telling long overdue * Clive Cussler *Big heavy bombers. Proper old-fashioned heroism. And triumph of ingenuity over limited funding. So far as I'm concerned, it has the lot and to cap it all it reads like fiction when it's actually fact. I more than enjoyed it, it could have been written specially for me * Jeremy Clarkson *Exceptional...Written like the very best thriller, it draws the reader into the exclusive world of the combat crew in a unique and truly gripping way * John Nichol *

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Book SynopsisIn January 1991, eight members of SAS regiment embarked upon a top secret mission that was to infiltrate them deep behind enemy lines. Under the command of Sergeant Andy McNab, they were to sever the underground communication link between Baghdad and north-west Iraq, and to seek and destroy mobile Scud launchers. Their call sign: Bravo Two Zero.Trade Review"The best account yet of the SAS in action" Sunday Times "Extraordinary" The Times "Gripping" Daily Telegraph "Magnificent" Independent on Sunday "A gripping account of special forces at work...a tremendous adventure story" Daily Telegraph

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Book SynopsisA SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER''The best single-volume account of the Barbarossa campaign to date'' Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny''A page-turning descent into Hell and back . . . this fresh and compelling account of Hitler''s failed invasion of the Soviet Union should be on everyone''s reading list for 2021'' Dr Amanda Foreman, author of A World on Fire_______________________________The largest military operation in history. The turning point of the Second World War. The most important year of the twentieth century.Operation Barbarossa, Hitler''s invasion of Russia in June 1941, aimed at nothing less than a war of extermination to annihilate Soviet communism, liquidate the Jews and create Lebensraum for the German master race. But it led to the destruction of the Third Reich, and was cataclysmic for Germany with millions of men killed, wounded or registered as missing Trade ReviewThe best single-volume account of the Barbarossa campaign to date -- Andrew Roberts, author of 'Churchill: Walking with Destiny'It's a vital story, one everyone should know, and Dimbleby tells it with verve and elan -- Laurence Rees, author of 'Hitler and Stalin'Should be on everyone's reading list for 2021 -- Dr Amanda Foreman, author of 'A World on Fire'Masterly -- General Sir Mike JacksonVivid and engrossing -- Brendan Simms, author of 'Hitler: Only The World Was Enough'An impressive achievement . . . a fast-paced, gripping read -- Julia Boyd, author of 'Travellers in the Third Reich'A great read . . . he brings Barbarossa very vividly to life, as if you are there -- Robert Kershaw, author of 'War Without Garlands: Operation Barbarossa 1941-1942' and 'Borodino Field 1812/1941'Thought-provoking . . . a captivating eye-opener -- Prof Dr Gerhard Hirschfeld, University of Stuttgart, former President of the International Committee for the Study of the Second World WarSuperbly well-written . . . the most comprehensive study of Hitler's invasion of the USSR in years -- Keith Lowe, author of 'Savage Continent'Expertly narrated and written with piercing clarity -- Frederick Taylor, author of '1939: A People's History'A chilling account of war at its worst -- Bear GryllsSuperb . . . stays with you long after you have finished -- Henry Hemming, bestselling author of 'Our Man in New York'Brilliant . . . a wonderful piece of history -- Robert FoxEpic . . . captures all of Barbarossa's drama and magnitude -- Martin SixsmithBrings to life the sheer, staggering scale of these events... with great skill, care and attention to detail * Sunday Times *[An] encyclopedic new account... a vivid, meticulous tapestry, densely weaving the threads of German and Soviet military strategy, political calculation from Washington and London to Moscow, and war's pitiless human cost * The Telegraph *[Dimbleby] skilfully tracks the shifts and turns of the campaign, sparing no detail . . . a riveting account * Daily Mail, Book of the Week *Dimbleby tells the story of strategic miscalculation and (self-)deception on all sides, and then Hitler's 'war of extermination', magnificently * The Spectator *Amazing . . . fascinating -- Jeremy VineMy best history book of 2021 -- a masterful account of maybe the biggest event ever . . . essential! -- Lee Child

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Book SynopsisThe Revolutionary period was marked by upheaval for France and its army. The early Republic's military comprised former Royal Army members and revolutionary volunteers, reflecting diversity in their uniforms. Despite the chaos, records were meticulously maintained, and Paul L. Dawson examined thousands of documents from the Service Historique Armée du Terre in Paris to detail the uniforms worn before Napoleon's rise. Soldiers' clothing followed strict regulations, with each item assigned a specific lifespan. Regular inspections assessed uniform conditions, and unserviceable items were returned and replaced. Repairs were logged, and soldiers bore the costs of replacements. A regiment's clothing officer managed equipment purchases for enlisted men, while officers supplied their own uniforms. The regimental council ensured purchases met quality standards, recorded in a Register of Uniforms. Inspection returns and registers provide unprecedented insights into Revolutionary army uniforms, much of which was previously unpublished. Though not all regiments' data were found, Dawson's research offers the most accurate depiction to date. His book combines detailed records with illustrations and photographs of rare surviving items, giving readers a unique visual and historical perspective on soldiers' appearances during this transformative era.

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Book SynopsisOut of print for many years, this is a brand new edition of the definitive companion to the acclaimed Aubrey-Maturin series of novels, written by the author himself.What was daily life in Nelson''s navy really like, for everyone from the captain down to the rawest recruit? What did they eat? What songs did they sing? What was the schedule of watches? How were the officers and crew paid, and what was the division of prize-money?These questions and many more are answered in Patrick O''Brian''s elegant narrative, which includes wonderful anecdotal material on the battles and commanders that established Britain''s naval supremacy.The meticulously researched text and imagery together provide an unparalleled insight into life during wartime in the Napoleonic era, and offer a wonderfully evocative companion to the world of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin.Trade Review‘The greatest historical novelist of all time’ The Times ‘There is nothing in this century which rival Patrick O’Brian’s achievement. His novels embrace with loving clarity the full richness of the 18th-century world’ Amanda Foreman ‘…full of the energy that comes from a writer having struck a vein… Patrick O’Brian is unquestionably the Homer of the Napoleonic wars.’James Hamilton- Paterson ‘In a highly competitive field … a real first-rater.’Mary Renault

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Book SynopsisThe Sunday Times No.1 bestseller. 'Sixty special forces against 100,000 - a feat of British arms to take the breath away' Frederick Forsyth.They were branded as cowards and accused of being the British Special Forces Squadron that ran away from the Iraqis. But nothing could be further from the truth. Ten years on, the story of these sixty men can finally be told. In March 2003 M Squadron - an SBS unit with SAS embeds - was sent 1,000 kilometres behind enemy lines on a true mission impossible, to take the surrender of the 100,000-strong Iraqi Army 5th Corps. From the very start their tasking earned the nickname 'Operation No Return'. Caught in a ferocious ambush by thousands of die-hard fanatics from Saddam Hussein's Fedayeen, plus the awesome firepower of the 5th Corps' heavy armour, and with eight of their vehicles bogged in Iraqi swamps, M Squadron launched a desperate bid to escape, inflicting massive damage on their enemies. Running low on fuel and ammunition, outnumbered, outmanoeuvred and outgunned, the elite operators destroyed sensitive kit and prepared for death or capture as the Iraqis closed their deadly trap. Zero Six Bravo recounts in vivid and compelling detail the most desperate battle fought by British and allied Special Forces trapped behind enemy lines since World War Two. It is a classic account of elite soldiering that ranks with Bravo Two Zero and the very greatest Special Forces missions of our time.Trade ReviewBehind enemy lines: setting the record straight on an epic escape from Iraq * Soldier Magazine *More action than Call of Duty. Lifts the lid on the Special Forces mission they tried to keep secre * Captain David Blakeley *More than a tale of bravery against desperate odds. It provides an object lesson in what can go wrong when intelligence is flawed and insufficient resources and too few troops are used in war -- Toby Harnden * Sunday Times *One of the best accounts of a behind-enemy-lines mission ever * Phil Campion, ex-SAS and author of Born Fearless *One of the most remarkable stories in the history of special forces' operations * Daily Express. *Sixty special forces against 100,000 - a feat of British arms to take the breath away * Frederick Forsyth *Ten years after a near disastrous mission during the Second Gulf War, which ended in allegations of cowardice, the story of M Squadron Special Boat Service is finally being told * Daily Telegraph. *

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Book Synopsis''I think I could be a good woman if I had five thousand a year.''Becky Sharp is sharp, calculating, and determined to succeed. Craving wealth and a position in society, she charms, hoodwinks, manipulates everyone she meets, rising in the world as she attaches herself to a succession of rich men. Becky''s fortunes are contrasted with those of her best friend Amelia, who has none of Becky''s wit and vitality but whose gentle-heartedness attracts the devotion of the loyal Dobbin. Set during the Napoleonic wars, Vanity Fair follows Becky as she cuts a swathe through Regency society. Thackeray paints a panoramic portrait of the age, with war, money and national identity his great subjects. The battle for social success is as fierce as the battle of Waterloo, and its casualties as stricken. The satire is at once biting and profound, sparing none in a clear-eyed exposure of a world on the make. Thackeray''s scepticism of human motives borders on cynicism yet Vanity Fair is among the funniest novels of the Victorian age. This new edition includes all Thackeray''s original illustrations. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.Trade ReviewWe are more immersed in war now than we have ever been; we experience it and are affected by it remotely even when our country isn't actively participating. By focusing on how war affects the people who aren't heroes, Thackeray has given us the greatest novel about Waterloo, and one that is just as relevant 200 years later." * Telegraph online, Jonathan McAloon *

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Book Synopsis''A compulsive page-turner ... a triumph of brilliant storytelling ... an instant classic that is an awesome, remarkable and exuberant achievement'' Simon Sebag Montefiore Winner of the Wolfson History Prize and shortlisted for the Duff Cooper PrizeIn the summer of 1812 Napoleon, the master of Europe, marched into Russia with the largest army ever assembled, confident that he would sweep everything before him. Yet less than two years later his empire lay in ruins, and Russia had triumphed. This is the first history to explore in depth Russia''s crucial role in the Napoleonic Wars, re-creating the epic battle between two empires as never before. Dominic Lieven writes with great panache and insight to describe from the Russians'' viewpoint how they went from retreat, defeat and the burning of Moscow to becoming the new liberators of Europe; the consequences of which could not have been more important.Ultimately this book shows, memTrade ReviewA compulsive page-turner ... a triumph of brilliant storytelling ... an instant classic that is an awesome, remarkable and exuberant achievement -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * Evening Standard *Radically alters our assumptions about how Napoleon was beaten -- Andrew Roberts * Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year *(He creates) an historic canvas that is both overwhelming and meticulous ... he inevitably touches the nerve points of modern power politics. * The Economist *A compulsive read. This master storyteller and scholar has written an instant classic that is awesome, remarkable and exuberant. -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * The Scotsman *An essential reference ... the Princess would have approved. * The Spectator *(An) erudite, monumental piece of historial research ... it's a great tale with a clear argument, baked by an impressive array of sources and detail. -- Charles Clover * Financial Times *A superbly crafted book -- Alexander M. Martin * TLS *A lucid and detailed account -- Geoffrey Hosking * London Review of Books *

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Book SynopsisWhen the First Crusade ended with the conquest of Jerusalem in 1099, jubilant crusaders returned home to Europe bringing with them stories, sacred relics, and other memorabilia, including banners, jewelry, and weapons. In the ensuing decades, the memory of the crusaders'' bravery and pious sacrifice was invoked widely among the noble families of western Christendom. Popes preaching future crusades would count on these very same families for financing, leadership, and for the willing warriors who would lay down their lives on the battlefield. Despite the great risks and financial hardships associated with crusading, descendants of those who suffered and died on crusade would continue to take the cross, in some cases over several generations. Indeed, as Nicholas L. Paul reveals in To Follow in Their Footsteps, crusading was very much a family affair.Scholars of the crusades have long pointed to the importance of dynastic tradition and ties of kinship in the crusading movement bTrade Review[To Follow in Their Footsteps] is a stimulating contribution to each of the two subjects it covers. Its publication should mark a new phase in critical discussion about how the crusades were interpreted in the middle ages. * The English Historical Review *[Paul] weaves a history of the texts produced about crusader families into an analytic framework that draws on the insights of anthropology, literary theory, and sociology. Eschewing the more traditional positivist reading of crusade chronicles and family histories, Paul lays bare the various and variegated components of these texts, highlighting the role of women, objects, orality, romance, ritual, and liturgy in the collective articulation of dynastic memory. To Follow in Their Footsteps marks a critical moment in the creation of a new cultural history of crusading. * Speculum *A prominent example (of many) from Medieval Europe of how past generations were invoked to mould the actions of their successors is supplied by the crusades. As Nicholas Paul puts it in this lively new account, crusading was always a family matter. And by family he means the dead as wll as the quick.... In the first part of the book, Paul provides a splendidly informative, illuminating and often entertaining description and analysis of what, how and where ancestral voices could have been heard by putative crusaders in the twelfth century. * Times Literary Supplement *Paul showcases examples of two effective monarchs constantly exhorted to crusade, Henry II of England and Alfonso II of Aragon. For all the literary energy expended trying to persuade them, neither actually went, although their sons did. In the end, Paul suggests noble memory kept the idea of the crusade alive long after it had been laid to rest by governments and Christian society. Summing Up: Recommended. * Choice *Paul's book is an important contribution to crusading scholarship inthat it expands the current scholarship on memory and commemoration.An added strength of this work lies in the variety of themes undertaken.This is a compelling work that opens the way for further scholarship andmethodologies on many aspects of crusading, not least of all the ways inwhich texts and objects intersected with individuals and families to providemeaning and context to the early crusaders. -- Kathryn Smithies * Parergon - Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Association for Medieval and Early Modern Studies *The real achievement of this book is not so much that it is the 'last word' on aristocrats and the Crusades. Rather, in the sheer variety of the themes that it tackles, it broadens scope for discussion of this crucial issue. Paul's book may well follow in Marcus Bull's footsteps, and set the agenda for the 'next generation' of investigation into the topic. That is no mean achievement for the author's first book. * Reviews in History *The result is a very thoughtful and thought-provoking study of the impulses, dynamics and mechanisms involved in the shaping of medieval social memories and identities, and the long-term impact of the crusades on Europe's collective memory and culture. It is by all measures an intensely meticulous piece of research, presented by the author in an engaging way. Those inspired to delve deeper into the 'memories' of the many families and individuals introduced throughout the chapters will be greatly helped by the book's four appendices. -- Jochen Schenk, University of Glasgow * History: Journal of the Historical Association *Table of ContentsIntroductionPart I. Family Memory: Form and Function 1. Ancestor, Avatar, Crusader 2. Relations 3. The Fabric of Victory 4. Missing Men 5. Opening the Gates ConclusionsPart II. Two Count-Kings and the Crusading Past 6. The Fire at Marmoutier 7. Triumph at Ripoll EpilogueAppendix 1: Dynastic Narratives and Crusading Memory Appendix 2: Dynastic Narratives in Local and Monastic Chronicles Appendix 3: Description of Paris, BNF, MS Lat. 5132 Appendix 4: Letter of "Clement" in Paris, BNF, MS Lat. 5132, f. 106Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisAs the wars of Napoleon ravage Europe, chaos and fear reign and the darkness that once clung to the shadows has been emboldened. Supernatural creatures vampires, werewolves, ghouls, and worse take advantage of the havoc, striking out at isolated farms, villages, and even military units. Whether they are pursuing some master plan or simply revelling in their newfound freedom is unknown. Most people dismiss reports of these slaughters as the rantings of madmen or the lies of deserters, but a few know better The Silver Bayonet is a skirmish wargame of gothic horror set during the Napoleonic Wars. Each player forms an elite band of monster hunters drawn from the ranks of one of the great powers. Riflemen, swordsmen, and engineers fight side-by-side with mystics, occultists, and even those few supernatural creatures that can be controlled or reasoned with enough to make common cause. The game can be played solo, co-operatively, or competitively, with players progressing tTrade ReviewHorror games set in Napoleonic Europe, I'm pretty pumped for this. I think it's gonna be a lot of fun -- Ash Barker * GMG Reviews *“McCullough has proved his pedigree with his games so far… an interesting option for those of a more historical persuasion and those who like their horror and fantasy.” -- , * OnTabletop *The rules are refined, matches are tense and tight, and the narrative side of the game can be as focused or supplemental as you like. Most importantly, this might be the best jumping-on point for those totally new to small skirmishers. -- , * Wargamer *

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Book SynopsisThis fascinating millitary history tells the intriguing tale of the bitter and attritional Winter War between the USSR and Finland in the midst of World War II.On 30 November 1939, Soviet bombers unloaded their bombs on Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Stalin's ultimatum, demanding the cession of huge tracts of territory as a buffer zone against Nazi Germany, had been rejected by the Finnish government, and now a small Baltic republic was at war with the giant Soviet military machine.But this forgotten war, fought under brutal, sub-arctic conditions, often with great heroism on both sides, proved one of the most astonishing in military history. Using guerrilla fighters on skis, even reindeer to haul supplies on sleds, heroic single-handed attacks on tanks, and with unfathomable endurance and the charismatic leadership of one of the 20th century's true military geniuses, Finland not only kept at bay but won an epic, if short-lived, victory over the hapless Russian conscripts.Its surreal engagements included the legendary "Sausage Battle", when starving Soviet troops who had over-run a Finnish encampment couldn't resist the cauldrons of hot sausage soup left behind by their opponents - and were ambushed as they stopped to sup.Although by sheer attritional weight of numbers Stalin eventually prevailed over the Finns, their pointed resistance enabled their country to remain free, even as other countries fell one by one.This book gives a telling insight into the military history of Russia, as once again Russian troops march on foreign soil, and a nation at Russia's borders fights to retain its independence.

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Book SynopsisNapoleon Bonaparte held absolute political power in France and his influence stretched across Europe and beyond. Yet he remained between leading his armies and ruling over a vast empire an indefatigable reader who even carried libraries into battle. Bonaparte's love of the written word, birthed in childhood and nurtured as an adolescent and young adult, never left him. He was a lover of literature for its own sake often swooning over melodramatic love stories but he also understood the value of books as instruments of power. Before his campaigns, he poured over dozens of texts relating to the relevant theatres' geography, population, trade, and history. When contemplating grave decisions, such as his divorce to Empress Josephine, he consulted the historical record for useful precedents to justify and inform his actions. To bolster his troop's morale during challenging times, he constantly referenced history in his proclamations, making his contemporaries feel as if they were acti

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Book SynopsisFrom Roger Knight, established by the multi-award winning The Pursuit of Victory as ''an authority ... none of his rivals can match'' (N.A.M. Rodger), Britain Against Napoleon is the first book to explain how the British state successfully organised itself to overcome Napoleon - and how very close it came to defeatFor more than twenty years after 1793, the French army was supreme in continental Europe. How was it that despite multiple changes of government and the assassination of a Prime Minister, Britain survived and eventually won a generation-long war against a regime which at its peak in 1807 commanded many times the resources and manpower?This book looks beyond the familiar exploits (and bravery) of the army and navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. It shows the degree to which, because of the magnitude and intensity of hostilities, the capacities of the whole British population were involved: industrialists, farmers, shipbuilders, gunsmiths and gunpowder manufacturers. The intelligence war was also central; but no participants were more important, Knight argues, than the bankers and international traders of the City of London, without whom the armies of Britain''s allies could not have taken the field.ROGER KNIGHT was Deputy Director of the National Maritime Museum until 2000, and now teaches at the Greenwich Maritime Institute at the University of Greenwich. In 2005 he published, with Allen Lane/Penguin, The Pursuit of Victory: the life and achievement of Horatio Nelson, which won the Duke of Westminster''s Medal for Military History, the Mountbatten Award and the Anderson Medal of the Society for Nautical Research. The present book is a culmination of his life-long interest in the workings of the late eighteenth-century British state.''Superb'' - SpectatorTrade ReviewA wonderfully disorienting read ... for [Knight] the real heroes of the struggle against Napoleon are not Wellington or Nelson or Collingwood or Cochrane but the clerks and administrators and 'silent men of business' who put Britain's armies in the field and kept her ships at sea and her allies in funds and ultimately won the war ... there is scarcely a wasted sentence here, not a duff page, not a chapter ... that does not bring you very close to the realities of a total war -- David Crane * Spectator *

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Book SynopsisBetween two attempts in 1800 and 1804 to assassinate Napoleon Bonaparte, the British government launched a campaign of black propaganda of unprecedented scope and intensity to persuade George III''s reluctant subjects to fight the Napoleonic War, a war to the death against one man: the Corsican usurper and tyrant.This Dark Business tells the story of the British government''s determination to destroy Napoleon Bonaparte by any means possible. We have been taught to think of Napoleon as the aggressor - a man with an unquenchable thirst for war and glory - but what if this story masked the real truth: that the British refusal to make peace either with revolutionary France or with the man who claimed to personify the revolution was the reason this Great War continued for more than twenty years? At this pivotal moment when it consolidated its place as number one world power Britain was uncompromising. To secure the continuing rule of Church and King, the British invented aTrade ReviewGroundbreaking -- Andrew Roberts * Sunday Times *What an astonishing story it all is, alternately inspiring and disturbing, a challenging addition to the Napoleonic canon . . . Clayton writes with a fine eye for detail. You smell the sewers in which these men (and some women) hid or escaped, the cells in which they were confined and sometimes died - and the fear * Spectator *In the era of fake news, this fascinating tale has obvious contemporary resonances * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisFirst in-depth study of the ingenious logistics plan for OP CORPORATE, written by a highly experienced and senior military logistician.

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Book SynopsisMajor Russell Lewis MC was commissioned in to the Parachute Regiment in 1994. He has served three tours in Northern Ireland, one in Kosovo, one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan in 2008, after which he was awarded the Military Cross.Trade ReviewFor those of us who have never seen active service, Russell Lewis’s book is an exciting introduction to the tough and dangerous world of military leadership under fire * Chris Patten *The pressures on a Company Commander are huge and in this book Russell Lewis brings to life most vividly both the intensity of the combat and the depth of care for those under his command. It is a most compelling book that shines new light on the ferocity and the humanity of the Afghanistan conflict. I commend this book to military historians and the general reader alike * General The Lord Dannatt *

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Book Synopsis'A humbling, inspiring account of some of the real founders of modern day Special Forces soldiering' Bear GryllsPraise for Sunday Times No.1 bestselling author Damien Lewis' SAS mission series:'One of the great untold stories of WWII' - Bear Grylls on SAS Ghost Patrol'A tale of bravery against desperate odds' - Sunday Times on Churchill's Secret Warriors'True adventures laced with staggering bravery and sacrifice' - Sun on Hunting the Nazi BombSAS Nazi Hunters is the incredible, hitherto untold story of the most secret chapter in the SAS's history. Officially, the world's most elite special forces unit was dissolved at the end of the Second World War, and not reactivated until the 1950s. Among their last actions was a disastrous commando raid into occupied France in 1944, which ended in the capture,torture and execution of 31 soldiers.It can now be revealed that the SAS never was dissolved: it lived on, commanded personally by Churchill and hidden even from the British government. They were tasked with hunting through the ruins of the Reich for the SS commanders responsible for the murder of their comrades, including many who had escaped the failed justice of the Nuremberg trials. Along the way, they discovered before anyone else the full horror of Hitler's regime, and the growing threat from Stalin's Russia.Still studied by the SAS today and a central part of their founding myth, the story of the Nazi hunters is now told by bestselling author Damien Lewis.

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Book Synopsis''A Napoleonic triumph of a book, irresistibly galloping with the momentum of a cavalry charge'' Simon Sebag Montefiore''Simply dynamite'' Bernard CornwellFrom Andrew Roberts, author of the bestsellers The Storm of War and Churchill: Walking with Destiny, this is the definitive modern biography of Napoleon.Napoleon Bonaparte lived one of the most extraordinary of all human lives. In the space of just twenty years, from October 1795 when as a young artillery captain he cleared the streets of Paris of insurrectionists, to his final defeat at the (horribly mismanaged) battle of Waterloo in June 1815, Napoleon transformed France and Europe. After seizing power in a coup d''état he ended the corruption and incompetence into which the Revolution had descended. In a series of dazzling battles he reinvented the art of warfare; in peace, he completely remade the laws of France, modernised her systems of education and administration, and presided over a flourishing of the beautiful ''Empire style'' in the arts. The impossibility of defeating his most persistent enemy, Great Britain, led him to make draining and ultimately fatal expeditions into Spain and Russia, where half a million Frenchmen died and his Empire began to unravel.More than any other modern biographer, Andrew Roberts conveys Napoleon''s tremendous energy, both physical and intellectual, and the attractiveness of his personality, even to his enemies. He has walked 53 of Napoleon''s 60 battlefields, and has absorbed the gigantic new French edition of Napoleon''s letters, which allows a complete re-evaluation of this exceptional man. He overturns many received opinions, including the myth of a great romance with Josephine: she took a lover immediately after their marriage, and, as Roberts shows, he had three times as many mistresses as he acknowledged.Of the climactic Battle of Leipzig in 1813, as the fighting closed around them, a French sergeant-major wrote, ''No-one who has not experienced it can have any idea of the enthusiasm that burst forth among the half-starved, exhausted soldiers when the Emperor was there in person. If all were demoralised and he appeared, his presence was like an electric shock. All shouted Vive l''Empereur! and everyone charged blindly into the fire.''The reader of this biography will understand why this was so.Trade ReviewSimply dynamite ... Roberts's fine book encompasses all the evidence to give a brilliant portrait of the man -- Bernard Cornwell * Mail on Sunday *Masterly ... a huge, rich, deep, witty, humane and unapologetically admiring biography ... gloriously enjoyable -- Dan Jones * Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisOver 200 full-colour plates of cavalry and infantry uniforms detailed, together with lace patterns and buttons

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Book SynopsisThe first of two ground-breaking, prize-winning volumes on the Waterloo campaign, this book is based upon a detailed analysis of sources old and new in four languages. It highlights the political stresses between the Allies and their resolution, examining the problems of feeding and paying for 250,000 Allied forces assembling in Belgium during the undeclared war', and how a strategy was thrashed out. Hussey investigates the neglected topic of how the slow and discordant Allies beyond the Rhine hampered the plans of Bl cher and Wellington, thus allowing Napoleon to snatch the initiative from them. Napoleon's operational plan is analysed (and Soult's mistakes in executing it) and accounts from both sides help provide a vivid impression of the fighting on the first day, 15 June. The volume ends with the joint battles of Ligny and Quatre Bras the next day.Trade Review"John Hussey's magnum opus on the Waterloo campaign is a magisterial work which is unlikely ever to be beaten for detail and objectivity. This book. which is only the first volume and takes us up to the eve of the battle. goes comprehensively and thoroughly into the minds of the commanders and staff through contemporary source documents. In this way readers are able to judge for themselves regarding many of the controversies. The book is beautifully written, well mapped, and it will be the authoritative book on Waterloo for all time."--Major-General Sir Evelyn Webb-Carter, KCVO, Chairman 'Waterloo 200' "beautifully written and exhaustively researched; John Hussey's book will hold the field for a very long time."--Professor Sir Hew Strachan "Volume I of Waterloo: The Campaign of 1815 is a brilliant tour de force, not least for its comprehensive coverage of matters that so many histories of warfare either ignore or skate over. Key facts, all of which impinge on command and control of an army or formation, need to be understood if one is really to comprehend what commanders had to cope with. I suspect they are simply not factored in by the vast majority of commentators and historians."--Major-General Julian Thompson, CB, OBE "This book is a gem. Every chapter is filled with new information I have not seen before. It is a must-read for hose who are interested in the tumultuous events of 1815."--Robert Burnham, editor-in-chief, The Napoleonic Series "It will be decades before this book is superseded as the Best account of those extraordinary events of 1815."--Professor Andrew Roberts, author of Napoleon the Great "The strategic and multinational focus of this first of two volumes on the Waterloo campaign makes it stand head and shoulders above the mass of books that only look at the battles; this will be one of the most important histories ever written in English on the events of 1815."--Dr. Gregory W. Pedlow, author of On Waterloo: Clausewitz, Wellington and the Campaign of 1815 "This new study of the 1815 campaign presents a fresh and meticulously researched account of one of the most climactic battles in history. Its breadth of scope is comprehensive, importantly including the political perspective and how it impacted upon the military operations. Its sources are exhaustive and the mastery of its analysis compelling. It forms an essential guide to all aspects of the final campaign of two of the nineteenth century's greatest commanders, Napoleon and Wellington."--Philip Haythornthwaite, author of Waterloo Armies and The Napoleonic Source Book "John Hussey's study of the Waterloo campaign with its multiple armies and multiple battles is monumental and magisterial. The final word on Waterloo will never be written but this work is a close run thing."--Dr. John Peaty, FRGS FRHistS "These two volumes represent a comprehensive study of the events of 1815 that surpasses all previous studies of the subject. Future historians will be hard pressed to improve upon such a work! ... Every stage of the story of 1815 is handled in great detail with the author having used many sources, and every chapter presents new information and tells the story of events in such a way that this work is a veritable encyclopaedia of the subject... If your family want to know what you want for Christmas, then make sure these two books are at the top of your wish list."--The Waterloo Journal "This volume has set the new gold standard against which to measure books about 'Waterloo'. I cannot recommend it too highly."--Clash of Steel "Hussey's first volume is without peer for its overall treatment of the Water-loo campaign. It is simply unfathom-able to imagine anyone holding them-selves out as a serious student of Na-poleonic history to pass this work by, for in terms of scope, readability and a simple-but-comprehensive account for many facets of the campaign, this book is without peer."--ARMOR "...it is pretty much a slam dunk... The author has used sources in four languages to tell this amazing story... If you are looking for a one volume history of Napoleon's escape from Elba to the twin battles of Quatre Bras and Ligny, this is it. I cannot wait for the release of Volume II, and the author's telling of the battles of Waterloo and Wavre."--A Wargamers Needful Things

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Book SynopsisCreated during the Peace of Amiens, the nineteen regiments of cuirassiers that existed during the course of the 1e Empire were, after the Imperial Guard, perhaps the most famous and recognisable soldiers of the epoch. This book explores the long gestation of clothing and equipping the cuirassiers, the development of the arm from twelve regiments to twenty-one – if we include the carabiniers from 1811 – and how their clothing evolved across the period. As well as assessing the curiassiers, the story of the evolution of the uniforms of the carabiniers is also told. Much ink has been spilt on the two regiments and their uniforms, yet, as with the cuirassiers, precious little archive research has been carried out. This is one of a series of ground-breaking books which will be the defacto study of this perennially popular subject for historians, researchers, wargamers, re-enactors and artists. Using archive records to ‘set the record straight’, as well as contemporary illustrations and original items of uniforms, the author sets out to describe the uniform of every regiment of Napoleon’s army. Using archive sources found in the Archives Nationales and Service Historique du Armee de Terre in Paris, the author’s unrivalled research over a period of twenty years, will reveal exactly how, for the first time in over 200 years, Napoleon’s army was mounted, clothed and equipped. Having been granted to access to over 1,000 archive boxes, the author assesses how the regulations were adopted in practice. This vast resource, as yet untapped by the majority of researchers and historians for understanding the Napoleonic era in general, include the many regimental archive boxes preserved in the French Army archives. These sources provide, potentially bias free empirical data from which we can reconstruct the life story of a regiment, its officers and above all its clothing. What did trumpeters wear? Did cavalry regiments really have sapeurs? We answer these questions and present the reality of how regiments were dressed derived from diaries, letters, inspection returns, regimental accounts and even cases of fraud. For the first time, this unique series of books discusses the wide ranging 1806 uniform regulation and the more famous Bardin regulation which applied to all arms of the Army and explores the way in which regiments on campaign adopted and adapted their uniforms. For the first time since the days of Napoleon, we can say exactly what was worn by the French army.

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Book SynopsisPaul Kennedy''s classic naval history, now updated with a new introduction by the authorThis acclaimed book traces Britain''s rise and fall as a sea power from the Tudors to the present day. Challenging the traditional view that the British are natural ''sons of the waves'', he suggests instead that the country''s fortunes as a significant maritime force have always been bound up with its economic growth. In doing so, he contributes significantly to the centuries-long debate between ''continental'' and ''maritime'' schools of strategy over Britain''s policy in times of war. Setting British naval history within a framework of national, international, economic, political and strategic considerations, he offers a fresh approach to one of the central questions in British history. A new introduction extends his analysis into the twenty-first century and reflects on current American and Chinese ambitions for naval mastery.''Excellent and stimulating'' CorrTrade ReviewThe Rise and Fall of British Naval Mastery is the best single-volume study of Britain and her naval past now available to us. -- Jon Sumida * Journal of Modern History *As soon as it appeared in 1976, Paul M. Kennedy's magisterial survey of the historical role and significance of British seapower was recognized by serious naval historians as a work of first importance ... This is by far the most important survey of British Naval history since Sir Herbert Richmond's Statesmen and Sea Power (1946), and in some ways it is more important ... the whole book displays an immense historiographical grasp of a calibre that broad surveys seldom attain. The author's unfailing powers of discernment are further revealed by a sparkling and apt quotation on practically every page. -- Daniel A. Baugh * International History Review *

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Book SynopsisMary Kaldor's New and Old Wars has fundamentally changed the way both scholars and policy-makers understand contemporary war and conflict.Trade Review"A timely and important book. Putting the so-called revolution in military affairs firmly to one side, Mary Kaldor has provided us with a window into the future of war." Martin van Creveld, Hebrew University of Jerusalem "If you don’t read Mary Kaldor’s New and Old Wars, you won’t understand the world of violence we live in. And you will miss the only way out: the perspective of a cosmopolitan realpolitik that Kaldor opens up and paints in detail in her highly sophisticated and original analysis. Now revised and updated, it is the classical book on new wars." Ulrich Beck, University of Munich "More than any other book, the third edition of Mary Kaldor's brilliantly sustained enquiry into 'new wars' helps us grasp the complex terrain of political violence since the end of the Cold War. The richness and clarity of the overall presentation greatly strengthens Kaldor's stature as one of the most consistently imaginative and conceptually creative thinkers of our time on the central issues of global affairs." Richard Falk, Princeton UniversityTable of ContentsPreface to the Third Edition Abbreviations 1. Introduction 2. Old Wars 3. Bosnia-Herzegovina: A Case Study of a New War 4. The Politics of New Wars 5. The Globalized War Economy 6. Towards a Cosmopolitan Approach 7. The ‘New Wars' in Iraq and Afghanistan 8. Governance, Legitimacy and Security Afterword Notes Index

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Book SynopsisThis groundbreaking book offers a detailed exploration of the dress of the thirty-seven regiments of Light Infantry and other support troops in Napoleon's Grande Armée, including foot and horse artillery, sapeurs, musicians, and carabiniers. For the first time in two centuries, it accurately examines how these troops were clothed and equipped. Paul Dawson's research draws from over 1,000 archive boxes in the Service Historique de l'Armée de Terre and the Archives Nationales in Paris. These documents reveal how the 1806 uniform regulations and Bardin regulations were implemented in practice, offering insights previously unavailable to the public. The archives focus on the annual inspections of regiments, where the condition of uniforms and equipment was assessed. Soldiers' uniforms were provided through stoppages in their pay, with a prescribed lifespan for each item. The regimental Council of Administration also drew funds for clothing renewals, repairs, and equipment. Dawson's study demonstrates that the Bardin regulations, often seen as the standard, were largely a myth until the Waterloo Campaign. Through contemporary illustrations and photographs of existing uniforms, this book provides an authoritative understanding of the actual dress worn by Napoleon's troops, making previous descriptions of the Grande Armée's appearance obsolete.

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Book SynopsisTraces the military history of the Knights of St John from its origins in the Crusades to their defeat by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798.

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Book SynopsisThe crusades of 1200-1588 in Palestine, Spain, Italy and Northern Europe, from the Sack of Constantinople to the crusades against the Hussites, depicted in over 150 fine art images. This title offers an evocative account of what are known as the Late Crusades: the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eight and ninth crusades between 1200 and 1588. It explains the political and religious background to the struggles in Palestine, the Christian determination to regain Spain, and the rise of the Ottomans in Egypt. It includes the wars waged by fellow Christians with the papal campaigns against the Cathars and Hussites, as well as against the pagan tribes in the Baltic states. It features the brotherhoods of warrior monks, including the Knights of St John, and the Knights Templar. It includes special sections on the crusading knights, generals and princes of that time such as: Prince Edward of England, King Peter of Cyprus, and Grand Master Jacques de Molay. This title is richly illustrated throughout with over 150 images of the battles, fortresses and epic journeys of the crusaders. This expertly researched and vividly illustrated book details the fascinating later crusades, which were fought between 1200 and 1588. These began with the attempts to regain the city of Jerusalem, held by the Christians for two generations but lost to Saladin in 1187. Conflict soon spread to Egypt, Spain and Italy, and then beyond, as the Pope used his call to arms to invoke campaigns against European pagans and Christian heretics. Charles Philips succeeds in explaining this complex period of history, and examining how the crusades impacted on the religious, social and political aspects of life in that time.

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Book Synopsis''A superb little book that is micro-history at its best'' Washington Post''The brevity of this remarkable book belies the amount of work that went into it. One can only marvel at how well Professor Simms has gone through the original sources - the surviving journals, reminiscences and letters of the individual combatants - to produce a coherent and gripping narrative'' Nick Lezard, GuardianThe true story, told minute by minute, of the soldiers who defeated Napoleon - from Brendan Simms, acclaimed author of Europe: The Struggle for SupremacyEurope had been at war for over twenty years. After a short respite in exile, Napoleon had returned to France and threatened another generation of fighting across the devastated and exhausted continent. At the small Belgian village of Waterloo two large, hastily mobilized armies faced each other to decide the future of Europe.Unknown either to Napoleon or Wellington the bTrade ReviewThe brevity of this remarkable book belies the amount of work that went into it. One can only marvel at how well Professor Simms has gone through the original sources - the surviving journals, reminiscences and letters of the individual combatants - to produce a coherent and gripping narrative -- Nick Lezard * The Guardian *A superb little book that is micro-history at its best -- Paul O’Keeffe * Washington Post *Mr. Simms's fluent and meticulously researched narrative provides enough context to engage not only specialists, but also readers unfamiliar with the broader historical background...by focusing upon a particular episode, rather than the bigger picture, Mr. Simms manages to reflect the grim reality of Waterloo better than some more comprehensive surveys -- Stephen Brumwell * The Wall Street Journal *[Simms] tells more about realities of boots-on-the-ground combat than any other Waterloo book I have encountered. A five-gun read. -- Joseph C. Goulden * Washington Times *

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Book SynopsisThe volume comprises lightly annotated translation of a key medieval Arabic text that bears directly on the Crusades and Crusader society and the Muslim experience of them.

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Book SynopsisA new history that centers Judaism at the dawn of the United StatesJews played a critical role both in winning the American Revolution--fighting for the Patriot cause from Bunker Hill to Yorktown--and in defining the republic that was created from it. As the most visible non-Christian religion, Judaism was central to the debate over religious freedom in America at a critical juncture. During the war every city with a synagogue fell to the British-with the exception of Philadelphia, birthplace to the Declaration of Independence and a core of resistance. Jewish patriots throughout the colonies flocked to the city, where they re-founded the local synagogue as a distinctively American organization. After the war, Jews began to press for full citizenship in the hope that liberty would apply to everyone, and that the limits to freedom imposed on Jews in the Old World would be removed in the New. As Adam Jortner shows in this eye-opening account, the decision to extend citizenship to all reli

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Book SynopsisThe first account of Britain’s convoys during the Napoleonic Wars—showing how the protection of trade played a decisive role in victoryTrade Review“A delightful book. . . . Knight describes the nature of life on the convoys in intricate detail, but always in simple, accessible prose. Points are made through delightfully allegorical anecdotes, rather than cumbersome argument. We feel the waves, smell the sea, rub shoulders with long-suffering seamen.”—Gerard DeGroot, Times (UK)“The story of these men and their ships . . . is recounted brilliantly and deserves to be read as both a pleasure and a tribute.”—David Childs, Naval ReviewEach year, in memory of Dr Roger Charles Anderson, a distinguished naval scholar and founder member of the Society, the Society awards the Anderson medal for a book on maritime history published during the previous year.“Naval history at its best. A challenging text that examines the critical role of the British convoy system in the Napoleonic era, a partnership that bound the state, trade, the Royal Navy and the insurance industry, and foreshadowed the better-known but no less vital convoy systems of the World Wars of the twentieth century.”—Andrew Lambert, author of Nelson: Britannia’s God of War“This is an outstanding study of a vital and too-long neglected element of British power during the Napoleonic War. Knight takes us into the daily lives of those who worked on these dangerous missions, explodes many old myths and makes an important contribution to developing our understanding of life at sea in this period.”—Richard Harding, author of Naval Leadership in the Atlantic World“Outstanding. Roger Knight brilliantly tells the forgotten story that underpinned Britain’s survival and ultimate victory in the war against Napoleon. Authoritative and original, this will appeal to all readers with an interest in the Napoleonic Wars.”—Rory Muir, author of Wellington: The Path to Victory 1769–1814

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Book SynopsisNapoleon's 1812 invasion of Russia marked a major turning point in his reign. His Grande Armée, consisting of over half a million men, was decimated within six months, leaving only about 10,000 survivors. The campaign cost over a million lives, including soldiers and civilians. Historian Paul Dawson examines the uniforms and equipment of the more than 120 regiments that participated in the invasion and later campaigns. His research, based on over 1,000 archive boxes from the Service Historique de l'Armée de Terre and the Archives Nationales, provides unprecedented detail about the army's clothing and equipment. Dawson's study reveals the adoption of the 1806 and Bardin regulations and their practical implementation. Each year, regiments were inspected, and soldiers were issued clothing and equipment, with repairs recorded. New recruits paid for their gear through deductions from their wages, and any damage due to misuse was charged to them. The army faced constant challenges in maintaining uniforms and supplies, from simple vests to more specialized items like epaulettes and tools for sapeurs. This groundbreaking book offers rare insights into the French line infantry's attire, featuring period illustrations and photographs of existing uniforms, shedding light on what soldiers wore during Napoleon's final campaigns.

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Book SynopsisHighly-trained and immensely skilled, the SAS are widely regarded as one of the best Special Forces units in the world. Their missions are uniquely diverse:counter-terrorist responses at home and abroad; deep penetration for reconnaissance and guiding air strikes; training and supporting indigenous forces; counter-insurgency in collaboration with U.S. Delta Force, SEAL Team Six, and other foreign Special Forces; mobile operations in support of conventional forces; targeting terrorist leaders and manhunting war criminals, to direct action raids. This book charts the changing organization and operational emphases of the regiment over the past twenty-five years, as well as its individual deployments and operations, including those planned but aborted and joint missions with other British and foreign units. It sheds light on the SAS''s involvement in the Troubles of Northern Ireland, their operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the widespread use of the SAS in counter-terrorisTable of ContentsIntroduction: formation; brief overview of ops from WW II to Falklands War 1982 /The Embassy Effect – worldwide interest since Iranian Embassy counter-terrorist op in 1980 – foreign training ops /Op ‘Banner’ – the SAS in Northern Ireland /Op ‘Granby’ 1990-91 – the SAS in the First Gulf War /The 1990s – the Balkans, and Sierra Leone /Op ‘Veritas’ 2001 – frustrating first ops in Afghanistan /Op ‘Row’ 2003 – Task Force 14 in Iraq /Op ‘Telic’ 2003–2009 – Task Force Black & TF Knight in Iraq - joint ops with US SF /Op ‘Herrick 2006–2014 – Task Force 84 in Afghanistan /Weapons, Equipment & Vehicles /Special Forces Support Group /Commonwealth SAS - Australia & New Zealand

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Book SynopsisThe French Indochina War (194654) was the largest of the first generation of post-World War II wars of decolonization as Vietminh insurgents sought to topple their French colonial masters. It was also unique in that the insurgency evolved from low-level guerrilla activity to mobile operations by a large conventional army which finally defeated a large European-led expeditionary force supported by artillery, armor, and air-power. The war''s progress was almost entirely dictated by the extreme terrain, and by the Chinese support enjoyed by the Vietnamese insurgents. The actions explored in this study cover three contrasting phases of the war in Tonkin during 194852, setting both sides on the path that would lead to the conflict''s climactic encounter at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. Featuring specially commissioned artwork and drawing upon a range of sources, this meticulously researched study casts new light on the troops who fought on both sides in this evolving and momentous confTable of ContentsIntroduction / The opposing sides / Combat 1 / Combat 2 / Combat 3 / Analysis / Aftermath / Bibliography / Index

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Book SynopsisThe defeat of Napoleon's French army by the combined forces of Wellington and Blucher at Waterloo on 18 June 1815 was a turning point in world history. This was the climax of the Napoleonic Wars, and the outcome had a major influence on the shape of Europe for the next century and beyond. The battle was a milestone, and it cannot be properly understood without a detailed, on-the-ground study of the landscape in which it was fought-and that is the purpose of David Buttery's battlefield guide. This thoroughgoing, lucid, easy-to-follow guide is a fascinating introduction for anyone who seeks to understand what happened on that momentous day, and it will be an essential companion for visitors to the battlefield in Belgium.

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