Specific wars and military campaigns Books

Book SynopsisAfter the failed April 1972 invasion of South Vietnam and the heavy US tactical bombing raids in the Hanoi area, the North Vietnamese agreed to return to the Paris peace talks, yet very quickly these negotiations stalled. In an attempt to end the war quickly and ''persuade'' the North Vietnamese to return to the negotiating table, President Nixon ordered the Air Force to send the US' ultimate conventional weapon, the B-52 bomber, against their capital, Hanoi. Bristling with the latest Soviet air defence missiles, it was the most heavily defended target in Vietnam. Taking place in late December, this campaign was soon dubbed the Christmas Bombings'. Using specially commissioned artwork and maps, ex-USAF fighter colonel Marshall Michel describes Linebacker II, the climax of the air war over Vietnam, and history''s only example of how America''s best Cold War bombers performed against contemporary Soviet air defences.Table of ContentsIntroduction /Chronology /Attackers' Capabilities /Defenders' Capabilities /Campaign Objectives /The Campaign /Analysis and Conclusion /Further Reading /Index

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Book SynopsisThis title details the author''s unique military experience, from platoon command in the jungles of Vietnam, through service with the Paras in Northern Ireland and commanding a troop in the legendary 22 SAS, to operating with the ParaBats in South Africa and training the Special Forces of Oman. We are the Pilgrims, master; we shall go, Always a little further; it may be, Beyond that last blue mountain barred with snow.If there was ever anyone who went a little further, a little beyond, it was Alastair MacKenzie. In a career spanning 30 years, MacKenzie served uniquely with the New Zealand Army in Vietnam, the British Parachute Regiment, the British Special Air Service (SAS), the South African Defence Force''s famed ParaBats, the Sultan of Oman''s Special Forces and a host of private security agencies and defence contractors. MacKenzie lived the soldier''s life to the full as he journeyed the Golden Road to Samarkand. This extraordinary new work fromTable of ContentsGlossary 1. Early Days, 1948–65 2. New Zealand Army, 1966–73 3. 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, 1973–76 4. 22 Special Air Service Regiment, 1976–80 5. 1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, 1980–81 6. 44 South African Parachute Brigade (The Parabats), 1981–82 7. KMS Limited, 1982 and 21 SAS 8. New Zealand Army, 1982–85 9. The Sultan of Oman’s Special Forces, 1985–89 10. Royal Ordnance plc; Reliance Security Limited; Territorial Army, 1989–94 11. AMA Associates Limited; Territorial Army; and a Return to New Zealand, 1994–present Index

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Book SynopsisA unique first-hand narrative of the Falklands war. Rick Jolly was the Senior Medical Officer in the Falklands, setting up and running the field hospital at Ajax Bay, where he and his Royal Marine and Parachute Regiment medical teams treated a total of 580 casualties, of which only 3 died of wounds. The building itself was a derelict meat-packing factory, hastily converted to treat incoming wounded both British and Argentine even though two unexploded bombs lay at the back of the building. Rick''s diary of the campaign and its aftermath is a fast-paced and gripping account of war experience that covers the entire conflict from initial preparations and passage to the South Atlantic on the requisitioned liner Canberra to daily action reports, and observations and interaction with the key players of the conflict Col. H. Jones, Brian Hanrahan, Julian Thompson and Max Hastings. Incredible human stories abound, as Rick, a trained commando, dangles from the rescue winch of a Sea KinTrade ReviewJolly manages to convey so much within a relatively small number of pages, the pace of all 74 days of the conflict immediately apparent. The highs written with dark humour ... The lows are written with a moving sensitivity. I will definitely be reading this one through again very soon. * Rear Party Forum *This is a book for anyone interested in military medicine and psychology, anyone who just wants a fine testament to human endurance, leadership and stoicism in difficult and highly emotional circumstances, but perhaps most of all for veterans of the conflict who had little idea at the time of the miracles being worked on their colleagues as the battles raged around them. Personally, I found it absolutely compelling reading, filling another major jigsaw piece into the complex picture of those few short but bloody weeks in 1982. Highly recommended. * Flagship, the magazine for Seafarers UK *

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Book SynopsisResearched from genuine primary sources in regulations and memoirs, this is the first book to explain and illustrate the organization, activities, and personal stories of the female support staff who played a major role in the day-to-day life of Napoleon''s armies.The cantinières who accompanied Napoleon''s armies to war have an iconic status in the history of the Grande Armée. Sutler-women and laundresses were officially sanctioned members of the regiment performing a vital support role. In a period when the supply and pay services were haphazard, their canteen wagons and tents were a vital source of sustenance and served as the social hubs of the regiment. Although officially non-combatants, many of these women followed their regiments into battle, serving brandy to soldiers in the firing line, braving enemy fire.This book is a timely piece of social history, as well as a colorful new guide for modelers and re-enactors. Through meticulous research of Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION Definitions, and popular status WOMEN AND THE ARMIES Military marriages Soldier-sutlers Chaos in spring 1793 Bonaparte’s early campaigns: officers’ indiscipline Prostitution The Civil Code, 1804 ORGANIZATION Decree of 30 April 1793 – identification, and numbers Decree of 26 July 1800 Army of Germany, 1809 Grande Armée, 1812 THE ROLE OF VIVANDIÈRES & CANTINIÈRES Goods and services Sutlers’ tents Discipline Civilian canteens BLANCHISSEUSES In barracks and camp On campaign COSTUME The early 1790s From Revolution to Directory and Empire Revolutionary cockades THE REGIMENTAL CHILDREN The ancien régime Law of 26 July 1800 THE LEGEND OF MARIE TÊTE-DU-BOIS SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY PLATE COMMENTARIES INDEX

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Book SynopsisFollowing the American Declaration of Independence, communities from Boston to Savannah were forced to make a choice: to strike out for an independent republic, or remain true to the British Crown. This study explores the origins, methods and combat record of the combatants on both sides.The American Revolutionary War was America's first civil war. As the conflict raged from Canada to the Caribbean and from India to Gibraltar, it was in American communities that the war was the most intimate, the most personal, and accordingly the most vicious.In 1775, the inhabitants of British America included those born in North America and newly arrived immigrants; the established landed aristocracy and the indigent; the diverse nations of the Native Americans; and people of African descent, both enslaved and free. The coming of war forced every person to make the choice of whether to side with the Patriots or remain loyal to the British Crown. With so many cross-cuttingTrade ReviewThis excellent work looks at each aspect in turn, such as how the war began, the armies and their respective tactics as well as the branches of the armies. -- Laurent Tirone * Gun Mart & Militaria Mart magazine *Table of ContentsIntroduction The Opposing Sides Westchester County, 1776-83 Oriskany, August 6, 1777 Kings Mountain, October 7, 1780 Analysis Aftermath Select Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisAs well as offering a guide for researchers, this book will provide a narrative of the conflict, case studies of soldiers, and reveal how soldiers' families back home were affected.

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Book SynopsisThis book details all the milestones of the Lynx's career since its entry into service in 1976 to the present day, whilst simultaneously offering a unique cockpit perspective on events.

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Book SynopsisIn depth study of a significant but little known colonial war.

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Book Synopsis Combat helicopter pilots in the Vietnam War flew each mission facing the possibility of imminent death. Begun as a series of attempted letters to the Department of Veterans Affairs, this compelling memoir of an aircraft commander in the 116th Assault Helicopter Company--The Hornets--relates his experience of the war in frank detail. From supporting the 25th Infantry Division''s invasion of Cambodia, to flying the lead aircraft in the 101st Airmobile Division''s pivotal Operation Lam Son 719 invasion of Laos to cut the Ho Chi Minh Trail at LZ Hope, the author recounts the traumatic events of his service from March 1970 to March 1971.

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Book Synopsis There was another war in Vietnam, one that mostly did not make the headlines: the campaign to win the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese people. Fought not with artillery and helicopters but with food, medicine and shelter for civilians devastated by the conflict, the effort was unprecedented in U.S. history, involving both military and civilian personnel working together in widely spread areas of the countryside. Part history and part memoir, this book chronicles an overlooked aspect of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, with a focus on the war victims and refugees who were most tragically affected by the carnage. The author recounts his two years in-country as an aid worker and tells how the humanitarian effort was conducted and why it failed.

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Book Synopsis Perhaps more than all the campaigns of the Union armies, the Union naval blockade--covering all major Southern ports along 3,500 miles of coastline for the duration of the war--brought down the Confederacy. The daring exploits of Confederate blockade runners are well known--but many of them were British citizens operating out of neutral ports such as Nassau, Havana and Bermuda. Focusing on British involvement in the war, this history names the overseas bankers and manufacturers who, in critical need of cotton and other Confederate exports, financed and equipped the fast little ships that ran the blockade. The author attempts to disentangle the names and aliases of the captains--many of whom were Royal Navy officers on temporary leave--and tells their stories in their own words.

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Book SynopsisFrom the moment it began in 1936, the Spanish Civil War became the political question of the age. Hitler and Mussolini quickly sent aircraft, troops and supplies to the right-wing generals bent on overthrowing Spain's elected government. Millions of people around the world felt passionately that rapidly advancing fascism must be halted in Spain; if not there, where? More than 35,000 volunteers from dozens of other countries went to help defend the Spanish Republic.Adam Hochschild, the acclaimed author of King Leopold's Ghost, evokes this tumultuous period mainly through the lives of Americans involved in the war. A few are famous, such as Ernest Hemingway, but others are less familiar. They include a nineteen-year-old Kentucky woman, a fiery leftist who came to wartime Spain on her honeymoon; a young man who ran away from his Pennsylvania college and became the first American casualty in the battle for Madrid; and a swashbuckling Texas oilman who covertly violated US law and sold Generalissimo Francisco Franco most of the fuel for his army. Two New York Times reporters, fierce rivals, covered the war from opposite sides, with opposite sympathies. There are Britons in Hochschild's cast of characters as well: one, a London sculptor, fought with the American battalion; another, who had just gone down from Cambridge, joined Franco's army and found himself fighting against the Americans; and a third is someone whose experience of combat in Spain had a profound effect on his life, George Orwell.Trade ReviewHochschild’s contribution lies in the storytelling, his sure command of military history, and his beautiful sense of private hurt, which together yield original insight. An astute observer of contrasts, he navigates the hairpin turns between intimacy and barbarism, euphoria and despair, naivety and cynicism. The book effortlessly hopscotches from global history to individual – and emotional – experience. -- Rich Benjamin * Guardian *While Hochschild focuses on volunteers such as Berg, he doesn't ignore the war's local dynamic and global dimensions. What makes the book so effective, however, is his decision to explore these complexities through a set of interwoven biographies . . . Hochschild tells nuanced tales of political awakenings and disillusionment, but also steadfast ethical commitment. He never descends into easy moralising. * BBC History Magazine *Beautifully written with a hawk-eye for the telling anecdote, Spain in Our Hearts constitutes an endlessly fascinating and utterly unputdownable survey of the war to defend democracy in Spain that was not only the first act of the Second World War but also, for many across the world, the last great cause. -- Paul Preston, author of The Spanish Civil War: Reaction, Revolution, and RevengeSpain in Our Hearts is narrative non-fiction at its very best. Hochschild's achievement is to make this trial-by-combat story come alive, as if it were happening now. It is impossible for a reader not to identify and feel compassion for those sons and daughters of America who risked and often gave their lives for a cause that could not ultimately prevail against the darker forces of Franco, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin - and Texaco. A seamlessly-woven, unputdownable tapestry of war in Europe; intensely, unforgettably moving. -- Nigel Hamilton, author of The Mantle of CommandAdam Hochschild weaves a brilliant tapestry of colorful characters into a story that includes the young Ernest Hemmingway, the charismatic Robert Merriman, the scotch-drinking Milly Bennett, the glamorous reporter Virginia Cowles, and dozens of other Americans whose lives were dramatically altered by the Spanish Civil War. Hochschild's poignant narrative evokes E.L. Doctorow's great historical novel Ragtime-but Spain in Our Hearts is no novel but a tragic true story about a critical tipping point in the 20th century's slide into total warfare. Passionate, evocative, and gracefully written -- Kai Bird, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Good SpyGeorge Orwell once explained that going to Spain, in 1936, 'seemed the only conceivable thing to do.' As soon as he got there, the right thing to do got a lot less clear. And how to write about it was immediately difficult, too. The twenty-eight hundred Americans who fought in the Spanish Civil War felt the same way, as Adam Hochschild recounts in this rich and fascinating book. Few writers grapple so powerfully with the painful moral and ethical choices of past actors as does Hochschild, who brings to Spain in Our Hearts his exceptional talents - and his moral seriousness - as a reporter, as a historian, and as a writer. -- Jill Lepore, author of The Secret History of Wonder WomanIn this beautifully written portrait of Americans caught up in the Spanish Civil War, Adam Hochschild brings to brilliant life the heroism and horror of that fratricidal conflict. His account of the David-and-Goliath fight between the ragtag army of idealistic, pro-democracy volunteers and the mechanized, murderous forces of Franco, Hitler, and Mussolini is one of the most powerful narratives I have ever read. -- Lynne Olson, author of Citizens of London[An] excellent portrait of the war and of the men and women drawn to Spain ... It is Hochschild's vivid account of what these people witnessed that gives his book its edge. Many other writers have described the Americans who went to Spain, but few have brought to their accounts such an enjoyable and balanced mixture of history and personal narrative ... Hochschild is good at conveying the barbarity on both sides without letting it swamp the story ... fascinating. -- Caroline Moorehead * Literary Review *Table of ContentsSection - i: List of Maps Section - ii: Author's Note Introduction - iii: Prologue: Far from Home Chapter - 1: Chasing Moneychangers from the Temple Chapter - 2: Promised Land, Black Wings Chapter - 3: "Those Who Do Not Think as We Do" Chapter - 4: A New Heaven and Earth Chapter - 5: "I Will Destroy Madrid" Chapter - 6: "Don't Try to Catch Me" Chapter - 7: Rifles from the 1860s Chapter - 8: Over the Mountains Chapter - 9: Civil War at the Times Chapter - 10: The Man Who Loved Dictators Chapter - 11: Devil's Bargain Chapter - 12: "I Don't Think I Would Write about That If I Were You" Chapter - 13: "As Good a Method of Getting Married as Any Other" Chapter - 14: Texaco Goes to War Chapter - 15: "In My Book You'll Be an American" Chapter - 16: "A Letter to My Novia" Chapter - 17: "Only a Few Grains of Sand Left in the Hourglass" Chapter - 18: At the River's Edge Chapter - 19: A Change of Heart? Chapter - 20: Gambling for Time Chapter - 21: The Taste of Tears Chapter - 22: Kaddish Acknowledgements - iv: Acknowledgements Section - iv: Notes Section - v: Bibliography Section - vi: Photo Credits Index - vii: Index Acknowledgements - viii: Permissions Acknowledgements

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Book SynopsisFrom its origins as the Consular Guard of the French Republic, and as Napoleon's personal bodyguard, the Imperial Guard developed into a force of all arms numbering almost 100,000 men. Used by Napoleon as his principle tactical reserve, the Guard was engaged only sparingly, being deployed at the crucial moment of battle to turn the tide of victory in favour of the Emperor of the French. Naturally the Imperial Guard has been the subject of numerous books over many decades, yet there has never been a publication that has investigated the uniforms and equipment of the Guard in such detail and with such precision. The author has collected copies of almost all the surviving documents relating to the Guard, which includes a vast amount of material regarding the issuing of dress items, even in some instances down to company level. The Guard was extravagantly dressed and accoutred, with the finest materials and the brightest colours. On both campaign and parade, the Guard provided a dazzling display of military grandeur. From the green and gold trappings of the Chasseurs Cheval, to the multi-coloured Mamelukes, the Guard cavalry was among the most brilliantly clothed formations ever to grace the field of battle. This information is supported by around 100 contemporary prints, many of which have never been published before, as well as images of original items of equipment held in museums and private collections across the globe. In addition, the renown military artist, Keith Rocco has produced a series of unique paintings commissioned exclusively for this book. This glorious book is, and will remain, unsurpassed as the standard work on the clothing and equipment of the Imperial Guard, and will be eagerly sought by reenactors, wargamers and modellers, and will sit on the book shelves of historians and enthusiasts as one of the most important publications ever produced on this most famous of military formations.

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Book SynopsisSieges played a key role in the crusades, but they tend to be overshadowed by the famous battles fought between the Franks and the Muslims, and no detailed study of the subject has been published in recent times. So Michael Fulton's graphic, wide-ranging and thought-provoking book is a landmark in the field. He considers the history of siege warfare in the Holy Land from every angle - the tactics and technology, the fortifications, the composition of the opposing armies, and the ways in which sieges shaped Frankish and Muslim strategy at each stage of the conflict. The differences and similarities between the Eastern and Western traditions are explored, as is the impact of the shifting balance of power in the region. The conclusions may surprise some readers. Neither the Muslims nor the Franks possessed a marked advantage in siege technology or tactics, their fortifications reflected different purposes and an evolving political environment and, although there were improvements in technologies and fortifications, the essence of siege warfare remained relatively consistent. Michael Fulton's book is a fascinating all-round reassessment of an aspect of the crusades that had a decisive impact on the outcome of the struggle. It will be essential reading for medieval and military historians.

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Book SynopsisIn 1801 the newly forged United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland commenced life at war with France and her allies and remained so until 1815. After 1812 she had to shoulder the extra burden of a war against the United States of America. With conflict on multiple fronts, hardships continued to be inflicted at home. Trade was made precarious. People became bone-weary of hostilities and the threat of invasion ran high. Napoleon Bonaparte was no ordinary opponent, and the United States navy showed the world the worth of her ships, but what stood in their way was the Royal Navy. Despite notable losses, after the victory of Trafalgar in 1805 she dominated the seas. Although not the only means, her warships were the nation's first line of defence that helped keep British shores safe. As the era ended it was obvious the navy had to change. Steam began to alter perspectives with new opportunities. From the vantage point of later decades it could be seen what the Royal Navy had once been and still was. A naval superpower. Britain's oldest continual military force. The senior service.

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Book SynopsisThe Royal Navy of Nelson's time was such a huge organisation, that it is sometimes hard to comprehend its full scope. Indeed, during the Napoleonic Wars it was by far the largest employer in the entire world. Not only did the Royal Navy maintain a fleet of close on 1,000 ships, including over 100 line of battle ships, but it was also responsible for the entire organisation of maintaining them at sea. From the recruitment of crews, the maintenance and protection of bases throughout the world, the production and delivery of food supplies to feed this vast fleet and the procurement of naval supplies to keep the ships at sea, it was all the responsibility of this vast organisation. The Royal Navy was often Britain's last line of defence and many of its most successful officers became superstars, although none eclipsed Admiral Lord Nelson, who became the personification of the Navy. The whole country revelled in their successes and 'Jolly Jack Tar' became a source of national pride and a huge number of naval terms were taken into normal life and many are often still used to this very day. _Nelson's Navy in 100 Objects_ investigates all aspects of this incredible organisation and the lives of the men who served within it, including Nelson himself, using historical artefacts and naval terms that are now part of everyday language to illustrate them.

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Book SynopsisThough pressed many times to write about his battles and campaigns, the Duke of Wellington always replied that people should refer to his published despatches, and he refused to add further to his official correspondence, famously remarking that: The history of a battle, is not unlike the history of a ball. Some individuals may recollect all the little events of which the great result is the battle won or lost, but no individual can recollect the order in which, or the exact moment at which, they occurred, which makes all the difference as to their value or importance.' Yet Wellington did, in effect, write a history of the Peninsular War in the form of four lengthy memoranda, summarising the conduct of the war in 1809, 1810 and 1811 respectively. These lengthy accounts demonstrate Wellington's unmatched appreciation of the nature of the war in Spain and Portugal, and relate to the operations of the French and Spanish forces as well as the Anglo-Portuguese army under his command. Unlike personal diaries or journals written by individual soldiers, with their inevitably limited knowledge, Wellington was in an unparalleled position to provide a comprehensive overview of the war. Equally, the memoranda were written as the war unfolded, not tainted with the knowledge of hindsight, providing a unique contemporaneous commentary. Brought together by renowned historian Stuart Reid with reports and key despatches from the other years of the campaign, the result is the story of the Peninsular War told through the writings of the man who knew and understood the conflict in Iberia better than any other. These memoranda and despatches have never been published before in a single connected narrative. Therefore, Wellington's History of the Peninsular War 1808-1814 offers a uniquely accessible perspective on the conflict in the own words of Britain's greatest general.

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Book SynopsisIn the 200 years since the famous battle in the muddy, bloody fields of Waterloo, almost every aspect of the fighting has been examined and analysed, apart from one - that of finding and illustrating locations relating to the campaign. From Napoleon's landing on the Golfe Juan on France's Cote d'Azur, along the Route Napoleon and through Grenoble, the Emperor's journey back to Paris, and back to power, is revealed here. In this beautifully produced book, we see where Napoleon distributed the Imperial Eagles to the regiments of his army, and where his forces assembled before marching to war, and where the Due of Wellington's Anglo-Allied army gathered in Brussels. The camera follows the initial encounters on the banks of the River Sambre and the manoeuvring of the French and Coalition forces leading to the first great battles of the campaign at Quatre Bras and Ligny. The key sites occupied by the opposing armies at these battles are investigated as are the routes of the withdrawal to Mont St Jean by Wellington's army and to Wavre by Blucher's Prussians. The Waterloo battlefield and its associated buildings are examined in pictorial detail, as are the locations which marked the pivotal moments of the battle. The sites of the corresponding battle at Wavre are also shown, as well as the pursuit of the two wings of beaten French Army, including the sieges of the fortresses by the British army, before Paris was finally reached. The uprising in the Vendee and the last clashes of the campaign before Napoleon's abdication are also featured. The book closes with Napoleon's journey from Paris to St Helena via l'Ile d'Aix and Plymouth. Headquarters buildings, observation posts, monuments and memorials, bridges and battlefields, and the principal locations of the campaign are portrayed in unique photographs - and behind every plague and place is a tale of political posturing, military manoeuvring, sacrifice and savagery. Together these images tell the story of Napoleon's greatest gamble, and we know that a picture is worth a thousand words!

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Book SynopsisWhat was it like to be a military combat photographer in the most photographed war in history the Vietnam War? Cameras, Combat, and Courage , a companion volume to "Shooting Vietnam", takes you there as you read the firsthand accounts and view the hundreds of photographs by men who lived the war through the lens of a camera. They documented everything from the horror of combat to the people and culture of a land they suddenly found themselves immersed in. Some even juggled cameras with rifles and grenade launchers as they fought to survive while carrying out their assignments to record the war. Cameras, Combat, and Courage also finally brings recognition to these unheralded military combat photographers in Vietnam that documented the brutal, unpopular, and futile war. Firsthand accounts and photographs by military photographers in Vietnam from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s, Cameras, Combat, and Courage puts the reader right alongside these men as they struggle to document the war and stay alive while doing it although some didn't survive. The cameras around their necks often shared space with a rifle or grenade launcher that enabled them to stay alive while performing their assigned military duties, killing, if necessary, to survive. Often, during a brief respite from trudging through swamps and rice paddies or jumping from a chopper into a hot landing zone, they would wander the streets of villages or even downtown Saigon, curiously photographing a people and a culture so strange and different to them. It is these photographs, of a kinder, more personal nature, removed from the horror and death of war that they also share with the reader. The accounts in this book come from young men thrust into a conflict half way around the world, and all who had their own unique perspective on the war. Some were seasoned photographers before the military, others had only recently held a camera for the first time.

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Book SynopsisMemoirs of British soldiers who fought in the Peninsular War are commonplace and histories of the momentous campaigns and battles of Sir John Moore and Sir Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington, can be numbered by the score. Yet surprisingly little has been published in English on their opponents, the French. Using previously unseen material from the French army archives in Paris, which includes numerous memoires that have not even been published in France, renowned historian Paul Dawson tells the story of the early years of the Peninsular War as never before. Eyewitness accounts of the horrific Siege of Zaragoza, in which more than 50,000 soldiers and civilians were killed defending the city, and of the cataclysmic Spanish defeats at Medellin and Ocana are interspersed with details of campaign life in the Iberian Peninsula and of struggling through the Galician mountains in pursuit of the British army marching to Corunna. As well as the drama of the great battles and the ever-present fear of Spanish guerrillas - the knife in the back, the flash of steel in the dark - Paul Dawson draws on the writings of the French soldiers to examine the ordinary conscript's belief in the war they were fighting for their Emperor, Napoleon. In this much-needed study of the Peninsular War from the French perspective, Paul Dawson has produced an unprecedented, yet vital addition to our understanding of the war in Iberia. _Napoleon's Peninsular War_ is destined to become one of the classic accounts of this turbulent, yet endlessly fascinating era.

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Book SynopsisThe Indonesian Confrontation that raged from 1963 to 1966 stemmed from Indonesia's opposition to the creation of Malaysia. Fighting in the challenging jungle terrain of Borneo and in the countryside straddling the Malaysia/Indonesia border, where there were few roads, posed significant logistical challenges to both sides. That the conflict was ultimately a victory for the Commonwealth forces was in due in no small part to the fact that they enjoyed the advantage of vastly superior helicopter resources and better trained crews - many of which were provided by British units. During the Confrontation, many of these vital helicopter assets were flown by pilots and crews who had gained their knowledge and experience first-hand during the Malayan Emergency, one of the Cold War's first flash-points which had begun in 1948. Without doubt, the Malayan Emergency marked the formative years of the RAF's and Royal Navy's helicopter operations - the very early days in fact, when equipment and knowledge were much more basic. It was a time when operational procedures were still under development, even though the helicopters were already being flown on front line service. Told in the main through their own words, by the RAF and Royal Navy air and ground crews involved, this is the story of how these guinea pigs' undertook many of Britain's first rotary wing combat operations and, therefore, cemented their rightful place in the history of the helicopter.

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Book SynopsisOn June 25, 1950, the North Korean Army invaded South Korea. Among the US forces sent to South Korea was the 1st Marine Division. In September 1950, the Division audaciously landed deep behind enemy lines at Inchon port, throwing the North Korea Army into disarray. In November 1950, the Chinese Army invaded North Korea with eight divisions tasked with the destruction of the 1st Marine Division at the Chosin Reservoir. The Marines made a 78-mile fighting withdrawal in arctic conditions before being evacuated by the US Navy. In February 1951, the 1st Marine Division returned to combat assisting Eighth (US) Army to repulse five Chinese Army offensives over four months. By November 1951, the large-scale back and forth offensives operations by the opposing sides had ended, replaced by a stalemate which lasted until the 27 July, 1953 armistice. The bitter three-year conflict accounted for the death of 4,267 Marines with another 23,744 wounded. In classic Images of War style, expert author Michael Green describes the Marine Corps' outstanding contribution, organization, tactics, fighting doctrine and weaponry.

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Book SynopsisThe Potsdam Conference (officially known as the "Berlin Conference"), was held from 17 July to 2 August 1945 at Cecilienhof Palace, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm, in Brandenburg, and saw the leaders of the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States, gathered together to decide how to demilitarise, denazify, decentralise, and administer Germany, which had agreed to unconditional surrender on 8 May (VE Day). They determined that the remaining German populations in Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary - both the ethnic (Sudeten) and the more recent arrivals (as part of the long-term plan for the domination of Eastern Europe) - should to be transferred to Germany, but despite an undertaking that these would be effected in an orderly and humane manner, the expulsions were carried out in a ruthless and often brutal manner. Land was seized with farms and houses expropriated; the occupants placed into camps prior to mass expulsion from the country. Many of these were labour camps already occupied by Jews who had survived the concentration camps, where they were equally unwelcome. Further cleansing was carried out in Romania and Yugoslavia, and by 1950, an estimated 11.5 million German people had been removed from Eastern Europe with up to three million dead. The number of ethnic Germans killed during the 'cleansing' period is suggested at 500,000, but in 1958, Statistisches Bundesamt (the Federal Statistical Office of Germany) published a report which gave the figure of 1.6 million relating to expulsion-related population losses in Poland alone. Further investigation may in due course provide a more accurate figure to avoid the accusation of sensationalism.

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Book SynopsisWeek after week, the guns of the British expeditionary force battered away at the defences of Sevastopol, eight miles away from Balaklava, the port through which all besiegers' supplies arrived. As autumn turned to winter, rain and frost turned the track from Balaklava into a muddy quagmire and soon it became virtually impassable. Horses were dying daily in their endeavours to pull carts up the hills to the siege lines, and with few supplies reaching the front, the troops suffered terribly from malnutrition and frostbite. Unless a solution could be found, the entire operation was doomed to humiliating, disastrous failure. When news of the terrible plight of the troops reached the UK, a leading railway contractor and his partners undertook to build a railway at cost from Balaklava to the front line - and promised that they could construct it in just three weeks after they arrived in the Crimea. Though it took almost seven weeks to complete the railway, in that time a double track which rose 500 feet from the port and travelled for seven miles to the siege lines had been laid. With food, clothing and ammunition at last able to reach the front, the British along with their French allies were able to capture Sevastopol and bring the Crimean War to an end. In this comprehensive and detailed account of the construction and use of what became known as the Grand Crimean Central Railway the author describes the astonishing achievement in building the first railway ever employed in warfare, and the first to be used for casualty evacuation, thousands of miles from the UK.

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Book SynopsisFor half a millennium, throughout almost the entire medieval period, the Catholic church sanctioned military campaigns against what it perceived as its enemies. The rise of Islam and its spread across large parts of the Middle East, Asia, North Africa and even the peripheries of Europe, saw Muslim warriors seize the Holy Land, occupy Jerusalem and threaten Constantinople. In response, Pope Urban II advocated a crusade to retake the Holy Land -the first of nine military campaigns that stretched over the succeeding 200 years. Other, lesser-known crusades were subsequently mounted with the aim of Christianising the more remote regions of northern and north-eastern Europe, as well as against the Cathars in southern France. The advance of the Ottomans into the Balkans saw further crusades to halt the Muslims in Bosnia and Serbia, and the re-conquest of Spain from the Muslim Moors. Such diverse theatres of conflict have resulted in an equally diverse number of relics still to be found in a score of countries. From magnificent castles, swords, artillery and coats of arms, to Crusader-struck coins and even the brass pen box used by Muslim writers to spread the word of Islam, this remarkable collection of artefacts and structures tells the story, much of it largely forgotten, of the conflicts which shaped the nature of the Western World known today, both in spiritual and geographical terms. Beautifully illustrated and written by acknowledged period expert James Waterson, _The Crusades in 100 Objects_ opens a window into the past as never seen before.

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Book SynopsisIn the summer of 1812 Napoleon gathered his fearsome Grande Armée, more than half a million strong, on the banks of the Niemen River. He was about to undertake the most daring of all his many campaigns: the invasion of Russia. Meeting only sporadic opposition and defeating it easily along the way, the huge army moved forward, advancing ineluctably on Moscow through the long hot days of summer. On September 14, Napoleon entered the Russian capital, fully anticipating the Czar’s surrender. Instead he encountered an eerily deserted city—and silence. The French army sacked the city, and by October, with Moscow in ruins and his supply lines overextended, and with the Russian winter upon him, Napoleon had no choice but to turn back. One of the greatest military debacles of all time had only just begun. In this famous memoir, Philippe-Paul de Ségur, a young aide-de-camp to Napoleon, tells the story of the unfolding disaster with the keen eye of a crack reporter and an astute grasp of human character. His book, a fundamental inspiration for Tolstoy’s War and Peace, is a masterpiece of military history that teaches an all-too-timely lesson about imperial hubris and its risks.

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Book SynopsisOn the four sides of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, serried tablets display the names of 660 honoured commanders of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Most are those of generals and marshals of the French Army – but 26 are the names of admirals, commanders of the fleets of Republican and Napoleonic France.In Napoleon's Admirals, Richard Humble presents not only their individual stories, but an entirely new appraisal of the Anglo-French naval war of 1793–1814: the longest sea war in modern history, exploding many myths along the way.The aristocratic officers of the French Navy did not emigrate en masse when the Revolution came, leaving the Navy leaderless and doomed to repeated defeats at sea. Of the 26 ‘Admirals of the Arc,’ 23 had learned their trade in the French royal and merchant navies of the Ancien Régime. Republican France could call on a wide range of seasoned combat veterans from the American Revolutionary War (1778–83), whose stories are a revelation in themselves. These former King’s officers stayed, and loyally tried to serve their country as the Revolution pursued its wasteful and unpredictable course. Three of them paid for their loyalty under the guillotine.Contrary to popular British belief, the naval war did not end with Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar in October 1805. Thanks to an energetic warship-building program, the French Navy recovered quickly from Trafalgar, and Napoleon’s conquests created an ever-widening network of new French naval bases for the British Admiralty to cover. Collingwood, Nelson’s deputy at Trafalgar, was still commanding in the Mediterranean four years later. The Admiralty had not dared to recall him and he died at sea, utterly exhausted, in March 1810. Four months later the French inflicted the greatest humiliation suffered by the Royal Navy in the entire naval war: the annihilation of an entire British frigate squadron in the battle of Grand-Port, Mauritius, in August 1810.In this account of the men who imposed such a strain on the world’s greatest navy for 21 years, Richard Humble has provided a remarkable addition to the well-worn pages of conventional naval history.Trade ReviewFrom a wargaming perspective, there are multiple ideas for scenarios contained within these stories. * Miniature Wargames *

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Book SynopsisIn the fall of 1863, Knoxville came under Union occupation, and troops went immediately to work to strengthen existing defenses and construct new ones. The most important of these was the earthwork atop a hill west of the city that came to be known as Fort Sanders. The fort would be the site of a critical battle on November 29, in which General James Longstreet’s Southern forces mounted a bold but ill-conceived assault that lasted only twenty minutes yet resulted in over eight hundred Rebel casualties. The completion of the fort under General Davis Tilson would safeguard Knoxville from further attack for the rest of the war.Rediscovering Fort Sanders is a unique book that combines a narrative history of pre-Civil War Knoxville, the war years and continuing construction of Fort Sanders, the failed attempts to preserve the postwar fort, and the events which led to its almost total destruction. Research by Terry and Charles Faulkner resulted in two major discoveries: the fort was actually located a block farther to the west then previously recognized, and there are still identifiable remnants of the fortification where none were believed to exist.More than just a chronicle of a significant chapter in Civil War and postwar history, this book will inspire others to continue the effort to ensure that the site and remains of Fort Sanders are preserved and properly commemorated for future generations.

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Book SynopsisCitizen-soldier Strong Vincent was many things: Harvard graduate, lawyer, political speaker, descendent of pilgrims and religious refugees, husband, father, brother. But his greatest contribution to history is as the saviour of the Federal left on the second day at Gettysburg, when he and his men held Little Round Top against overwhelming Confederate numbers. Forgotten by history in favour of his subordinate, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, Vincent faded into relative obscurity in the decades following his death. This book restores Vincent to his rightful place among the heroes of the battle of Gettysburg: presenting his life story using new, never-before-published sources and archival material to bring the story of one of the most forgotten officers of the American Civil War back to the attention of readers and historians.Trade ReviewFor an unknown Union officer, Myers has done well to provide the facts of his life and a cogent argument that Vincent deserves much more credit, not only for a short life lived but for a decision which ultimately affected a battle’s outcome and possibly the fate of a nation. * Journal of America’s Military Past 02/11/2022 *Well researched and readable, The Lion of Round Top provides insight into the making of a brigade commander that excelled at Gettysburg. * The Historical Miniatures Gaming Society 02/11/2022 *In what is his first book Myers, a promising young historian, has written a first rate treatment of the life of this largely forgotten general, which will help the both scholars and buffs better understand who was the actual “Lion of Little Round Top". * NYMAS Review 02/11/2022 *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Vanishing of Vincent The Strongs and The Vincents: Early Life, Education, and Courtship January to August 1861: Lieutenant Vincent of "The Erie Regiment" August 1861 to March 1862: The Eighty-Third Pennsylvania Late March to September 1862: The Swamps of the Chickahominy October 1862 to January 1863: Colonel Vincent January to April 1863: "I enlisted to fight" May to June 1863: "I wish he were a brigadier-general" July 1, 1863: March to Mortality July 2, 1863: The Lion of Round Top July 3 to July 7, 1863: The Road to Immortality The Path to Being Forgotten: The Legacy of Strong Vincent

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Book SynopsisThe British Army's considerable contribution to The Korean War 1950 - 1953 was largely composed of 'conscripts' or national servicemen. Plucked from civilian life on a 'lottery' basis and given a short basic training, some like Jim Jacobs volunteered for overseas duty and suddenly found themselves in the thick of a war as intensive and dangerous as anything the Second World War had had to offer. As a member of 170 Independent Mortar Battery RA from March 1951 to June 1952 Jim was in the frontline at the famous Battle of the Imjin River. By great luck he evaded capture - and death - unlike so many. He returned to the UK only to volunteer again for a second tour with 120 Light Battery from March 1953 to March 1954. During this period he was in the thick of the action at the Third Battle of the Hook during May 1953. In this gripping memoir Jim calmly and geographically recounts his experiences and emotions from joining the Army through training, the journeys by troopship and, most importantly, on active service in the atrocious and terrifying war fighting that went on in a very foreign place.

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Book SynopsisIn 1948 the USAF, Marine Corps and US Navy were concentrating on converting over to an all-jet force. When the Korean War started in June 1950, the USAF had built up a sizable jet force in the Far East, while the US Navy was in the early stages of getting F9F Panthers operational as replacements for its piston-engined F8F Bearcats. At about this time, the Marine Corps had also begun using the Panthers in limited numbers. Operating from aircraft carriers off the Korean coast, F9Fs helped stop the North Korean invasion within two weeks of the communists crossing the 38th Parallel. The Panthers, escorting carrier-based AD Skyraiders and F4U Corsairs, penetrated as far north as Pyongyang, where they bombed and strafed targets that the North Koreans thought were out of range. The Panthers also took the battle all the way to the Yalu River, long before the MiG-15s became a threat. The F9F’s basic tasking was aerial supremacy and combat air patrols, but they also excelled in bombing and strafing attacks.Table of ContentsUS Navy Panthers strike early/ The war drags on /More missions and more MiGs /Interdiction, RESCAP, CAP and more MiGs /Marine panthers enter the war /Appendices

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Book SynopsisThe North Koreans' attack on their Southern neighbours shocked and surprised the World. The conflict rapidly escalated with China soon heavily involved on one side and the United States and United Nations on the other. The author, then a young Gunner officer, found himself in the midst of this very nasty war. He describes first handwhat it was like to be at the infamous Battle of the Hook, where UN troops held off massed attacks by the Communists. Few outside the war zone realised just how horrific conditions were. As a qualified Chinese interpreter and, later, a senior military intelligence officer, Parritt is well placed to analyse why the Commonwealth got involved, the mistakes and successes and the extreme risk that the war represented. This is not only a fine memoir but a unique insight into a forgotten War.

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Book SynopsisIt is June 1815 and an Anglo-led Allied army under the Duke of Wellington s command and Gebhard Leberecht von Bl cher is set to face Napoleon Boneparte near Waterloo in present-day Belgium. What happens next is well known to any student of history: the two armies of the Seventh Coalition defeated Bonaparte in a battle that resulted in the end of his reign and of the First French Empire. But the outcome could have been very different, as Peter Tsouras demonstrates in this thought-provoking and highly readable alternate history of the fateful battle. By introducing minor but realistic adjustments, Tsouras presents a scenario in which the course of the battle runs quite differently, which in turn sets in motion new and unexpected possibilities. Cleverly conceived and expertly executed, this is alternate history at its best. 'Cleverly conceived and expertly executed, this is alternate history at its best’ - Goodreads.com 'An interesting read and definitely inspiration for some tabletop skirmishes, after all wargaming is all about alternate history’ - Wargames IllustratedTrade Review"For What If history to work, it needs to be totally believable, and Philip G. Touras has made Napoleon Victorious! almost as much a work of history as of counterfactual history. You just can't spot the seam where real events elide into the invented ones. This is alternative history at is very best, in the hands of a master."--Andrew Roberts, author of "Napoleon the Great"

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Book SynopsisThis is a personal account of the war between Eritrea and Ethiopia, fought between May 1998 and June 2000, as well as of the periods immediately preceding and following the conflict. 'Shallow Graves' traces shifting local perceptions of time, the nation and the region, beginning in the mid-1990s and concluding with the peace agreement signed between the two governments in 2018. Richard Reid is a historian who was based in Eritrea during the war, and who continued to visit both that country and Ethiopia for several years afterwards. This personal perspective offers a more vivid, intimate portrait of the experience of the war than can normally be offered by putatively 'objective' academic accounts. As well as providing first-hand reportage and analysis, Reid problematises the role of the historian--and specifically the foreign historian--as the supposedly impartial observer of events. His eloquent narrative, constructed around conversations and interactions with a range of local witnesses, friends and colleagues, explores the impact of prolonged war and its aftermath--both on private and public memory, and on the nature of history itself.Trade Review'Shallow Graves offers the reader unparalleled access to actors who have witnessed and shaped Eritrea’s history. For those seeking context for recent developments in the region, it also provides an essential background to the 2018 Eritrean-Ethiopian peace agreement, and the current joint Ethiopian-Eritrean offensive in Tigray. This engaging, persuasive, and persistently insightful book forces us to reconsider the human impact of this brutal war afresh and suggests new ways of communicating and interrogating history.' -- African Studies Review

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Book SynopsisThe French Revolution facilitated the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, but after gaining power he knew that his first task was to end it. In this book William Doyle describes how he did so, beginning with the three large issues that had destabilized revolutionary France: war, religion and monarchy. Doyle shows how, as First Consul of the Republic, Napoleon resolved these issues: first by winning the war, then by forging peace with the Church and finally by making himself a monarch. Napoleon at Peace ends by discussing Napoleon’s one great failure – his attempt to restore the colonial empire destroyed by war and slave rebellion. By the time this was abandoned, the fragile peace with Britain had broken down, and the Napoleonic wars had begun.

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Book SynopsisAfter the Peace of Amiens was broken in 1803, Great Britain found herself at war with an old enemy (France) but also with a new competitor (Napoleon): the latter was the greatest military commander of his times, a man who was able to transform the French Army into the most lethal fighting machine of the early 19th century. The war experiences of 1793-1803 had not been very positive ones for the British Army; the latter was still recovering from the crushing defeats suffered during the American War of Independence and badly needed to be reformed in order to become more efficient and modern. At the turn of the new century, Great Britain was still the greatest colonial power of the world and could count on the most formidable navy of the world; on land, however, her army was too weak to confront the French one on almost equal terms. The British land forces did not have a great leader comparable to Napoleon and were still influenced by tactical models that had been outclassed by the events. During the Napoleonic Wars the British military apparatus did of its best to improve, especially thanks to the guidance of intelligent officers who belonged to a “new generation”. These innovative and capable men reformed the British Army, by improving its standards of service and by creating a new relationship (based on mutual trust) with the men under their command. Wellington was the greatest of these officers and one of the few European generals who had the personal capabilities to contrast Napoleon in an effective way: it was him who “forged” the new British Army, by fighting against the French in the Iberian Peninsula during 1808-1814. After learning from experience, the British soldiers were finally able to face Napoleon on the Belgian fields of Waterloo and thus they wrote the last page of a glorious military epic. Waterloo, however, was just the final result of a long process.

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Book SynopsisThe British in the Adriatic, 18001825 brings together three detailed studies of British naval and military, diplomatic and commercial activity in the eastern Adriatic during the Napoleonic wars, drawing on original research in various British archives. A focus is the strategically important island of Vis, where there are the remains of British fortifications, another the town of Rijeka where a leading merchant had lengthy dealings with the British Navy Board for the provision of timber.The third part, hitherto unpublished, was written on the bicentenary in 2012 of Napoleon's invasion of Russia. It investigates the unrealized plans by the British and Russians for a diversionary attack in the Adriatic.

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Book SynopsisWith this third volume John Gill brings to a close his magisterial study of the war between Napoleonic France and Habsburg Austria. The account begins with both armies recuperating on the banks of the Danube. As they rest, important action was taking place elsewhere: Eugene won a crucial victory over Johann on the anniversary of Marengo, Prince Poniatowski's Poles outflanked another Austrian archduke along the Vistula, and Marmont drove an Austrian force out of Dalmatia to join Napoleon at Vienna. These campaigns set the stage for the titanic Battle of Wagram. Second only in scale to the slaughter at Leipzig in 1813, Wagram saw more than 320,000 men and 900 guns locked in two days of fury that ended with an Austrian retreat. The defeat, however, was not complete: Napoleon had to force another engagement before Charles would accept a ceasefire. The battle at Znaim, its true importance often not acknowledged, brought an extended armistice that ended with a peace treaty signed in Vienna. Gill uses an impressive array of sources in an engaging narrative covering both the politics of emperors and the privations and hardship common soldiers suffered in battle. Enriched with unique illustrations, forty maps, and extraordinary order-of-battle detail, this work concludes an unrivalled English-language study of Napoleon's last victory.

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Book SynopsisThe seven-year campaign that saved Europe from Napoleon told by those who were there.What made Arthur Duke of Wellington the military genius who was never defeated in battle? In the vivid narrative style that is his trademark, Peter Snow recalls how Wellington evolved from a backward, sensitive schoolboy into the aloof but brilliant commander. He tracks the development of Wellington's leadership and his relationship with the extraordinary band of men he led from Portugal in 1808 to their final destruction of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo seven years. Having described his soldiers as the 'scum of the earth' Wellington transformed them into the finest fighting force of their time. Digging deep into the rich treasure house of diaries and journals that make this war the first in history to be so well recorded, Snow examines how Wellington won the devotion of generals such as the irascible Thomas Picton and the starry but reckless 'Black Bob' Crauford and soldiers like Rifleman Benjamin Harris and Irishman Ned Costello. Through many first-hand accounts, Snow brings to life the horrors and all of the humanity of life in and out of battle, as well as shows the way that Wellington mastered the battlefield to outsmart the French and change the future of Europe. To War with Wellington is the gripping account of a very human story about a remarkable leader and his men.Trade ReviewA superb account of what it must have been like serving under Britain's greatest - but also most exacting - soldier * Andrew Roberts, Sunday Telegraph, Books of the Year *Fascinating. History written as it should be: entertaining and informative * Independent on Sunday *Dramatic, often moving, sometimes shocking . . . Snow's story is far more powerful than fiction * Herald *The bloodcurdling (and surprisingly steamy) soldiers' diaries that reveal how Britain trounced Napoleon in battle * Daily Mail *Snow's descriptions of battles . . . are unrivalled * Oxford Times *A refreshingly accessible portrait of one of Britain's greatest generals, it will take some beating * Yorkshire Evening Post *A must-read * Heritage Today *'Snow writes with tremendous elan and his appraisal of Wellington is scrupulously fair' * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisThe Crimean War (1853-1856) was the first modern war. A vicious struggle between imperial Russia and an alliance of the British, French and Ottoman Empires, it was the first conflict to be reported first-hand in newspapers, painted by official war artists, recorded by telegraph and photographed by camera. In her new short history, Trudi Tate discusses the ways in which this novel representation itself became part of the modern war machine. She tells forgotten stories about the war experience of individual soldiers and civilians, including journalists, nurses, doctors, war tourists and other witnesses. At the same time, the war was a retrograde one, fought with the mentality, and some of the equipment, of Napoleonic times. Tate argues that the Crimean War was both modern and old-fashioned, looking backwards and forwards, and generating optimism and despair among those who lived through it. She explores this paradox while giving full coverage to the bloody battles (Alma, Balaklava, Inkerman), the siege of Sebastopol, the much-derided strategies of the commanders, conditions in the field and the cultural impact of the anti-Russian alliance.Trade Review‘Provides an authoritative account of the origins of the conflict, its principal engagements and its geopolitical consequences. The book also makes a very welcome contribution to current debate on the lasting historical and cultural significance of the Crimean War. An excellent introduction.’ -- Philip Shaw, Professor of Romantic Studies, University of LeicesterTable of ContentsList of Illustrations and Maps Acknowledgements Timeline Introduction 1. The Drift to War and the Battle of the Alma 2. The Siege Established and the Battle of Balaklava 3. Scutari, Inkerman and the Siege 4. Sebastopol: The Fallen City 5. The Baltic Campaign 6. The End of the War Further Reading Notes Index

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Book SynopsisThe battle of Borodino was one of the greatest encounters in European history, and one of the largest and most sanguinary in the Napoleonic Wars. Following the breakdown of relations between Russia and France, Napoleon assembled a vast Grande Armée drawn from the many states within the French sphere of influence. They crossed the river Neimen and entered Russian territory in June 1812 with the aim of inflicting a sharp defeat on the Tsar's forces and bringing the Russians back into line. In a bloody battle of head-on attacks and desperate counter-attacks in the village of Borodino on 7 September 1812, both sides lost about a third of their men, with the Russians forced to withdraw and abandon Moscow to the French. However, the Grande Armée was harassed by Russian troops all the way back and was destroyed by the retreat. The greatest army Napoleon had ever commanded was reduced to a shadow of frozen, starving fugitives. This title will cover the events of Napoleon's disastrous Russian campaign of 1812 in its entirety, with the set-piece battle of Borodino proving the focal point of the book.Table of ContentsThe road to Borodino /Chronology /Opposing commanders /Opposing plans and forces /The invasion The battle of Borodino The end of the campaign /Aftermath /The battlefield today /Bibliography /Index

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