War and defence operations Books
Cambridge University Press The Cambridge History of War Volume 4 War and the Modern World
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£133.95
Cambridge University Press Cold War Island
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£85.50
Cambridge University Press The Counterinsurgent Imagination
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£76.00
Cambridge University Press The Counterinsurgent Imagination
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£25.64
Cambridge University Press Neutrality and Collaboration in South China
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£80.75
Cambridge University Press Napoleon and the Struggle for Germany The FrancoPrussian War of 1813 Volume 1 Cambridge Military Histories
Book SynopsisThis is the first comprehensive history of the campaign that determined control of Germany following Napoleon's catastrophic defeat in Russia. Michael V. Leggiere reveals how, in the spring of 1813, Prussia, the weakest of the great powers, led the struggle against Napoleon as a war of national liberation. Using German, French, British, Russian, Austrian and Swedish sources, he provides a panoramic history that covers the full sweep of the battle for Germany from the mobilization of the belligerents, strategy, and operations to coalition warfare, diplomacy, and civil-military relations. He shows how Russian war weariness conflicted with Prussian impetuosity, resulting in the crisis that almost ended the Sixth Coalition in early June. In a single campaign, Napoleon drove the RussoâPrussian army from the banks of the Saale to the banks of the Oder. The RussoâPrussian alliance was perilously close to imploding, only to be saved at the eleventh-hour by an armistice.Trade Review'This is by far the best study in English of the spring campaign of 1813 which played a crucial part in the final defeat of Napoleon. Based on an impressive array of archival and published sources in many languages, Michael V. Leggiere traces the desperate Prussian struggle against the new French armies raised by Napoleon after the disaster of 1812, and their equally decisive efforts to keep their exhausted Russian allies in the war. It is unlikely that Leggiere's account will ever be surpassed.' Rory Muir, author of Wellington: The Path to Victory, 1769–1814'The 1813 campaign has been rather neglected in recent decades, above all because it was the traditional stamping-ground of German nationalist historians preaching the virtues and achievements of Prussia and its army. It is high time for a detailed new military history rooted in sources not previously available which seeks to provide a balanced view of the Prussian war effort. Michael V. Leggiere does this with remarkable skill and the result is a readable and fascinating account of Prussia's remarkable achievement.' Dominic Lieven, author of Russia Against Napoleon: The Battle for Europe, 1807 to 1814'I wish I had had this book in front of me while writing Citizen Emperor. This is a significant contribution to military history and sets Napoleon's loss of the German campaign in a context that has not been seen before in the English language. Leggiere is the preeminent military historian for the Napoleonic Wars.' Philip Dwyer, author of Citizen Emperor: Napoleon in Power, 1799–1815'With this first of two volumes on the 1813 Campaign, Michael V. Leggiere surely secures his position as a preeminent historian of Napoleonic warfare. In Napoleon and the Struggle for Germany, Leggiere uses profound archival research from across Europe to unearth the machinations and thought-processes within the disjointed allied command, and at Napoleon's headquarters. Leggiere reminds us of the complexity of war, and the inherent difficulty of maintaining alliances; and highlights parallels with the better known difficulties in the Anglo-American alliance during the Second World War.' Huw Davies, author of Wellington's Wars: The Making of a Military Genius'This is military history at its most instructive and fascinating. Leggiere skilfully links the dynamics of operational military history to the opportunities and strains of coalition warfare, showing how the Sixth Coalition faced major difficulties from the outset. This approach offers a valuable perspective in which to consider Napoleonic warfare.' Jeremy Black, author of The War of 1812 in the Age of Napoleon'Beyond doubt … Leggiere has made a major contribution to the literature, and military specialists will read his work with profit. His command of the narrative is assured and his judgements acute and sensible.' Charles J. Esdaile, H-FranceTable of ContentsPreface; 1. Odd man out; 2. A new coalition; 3. Saxony; 4. The Saale; 5. Großgörschen; 6. The Elbe; 7. Bautzen; 8. The Prussian Thermopylae; 9. Silesia; Assessment; Bibliography; Index.
£78.33
Cambridge University Press Napoleon and the Struggle for Germany The FrancoPrussian War of 1813 Volume 2 Cambridge Military Histories
Book SynopsisThe first comprehensive history of the decisive Fall Campaign of 1813, which determined control of Central Europe following Napoleon's catastrophic defeat in Russia the previous year. Using German, French, British, Russian, Austrian and Swedish sources, Michael V. Leggiere provides a panoramic history which covers the full sweep of the struggle in Germany. He shows how Prussia, the weakest of the Great Powers, led the struggle against Napoleon and his empire. By reconstructing the principal campaigns and operations in Germany, the book reveals how the defeat of Napoleon in Germany was made possible by Prussian victories. In particular, it features detailed analysis of the strategy, military operations, and battles in Germany that culminated with the epic four-day Battle of Nations at Leipzig and Napoleon's retreat to France. This study not only highlights the breakdown of Napoleon's strategy in 1813, but constitutes a fascinating study in coalition warfare, international relations, andTrade Review'Leggiere does an outstanding job of describing the interactions of a complex, internally-divided alliance whose armies nevertheless repeatedly managed to outmaneuver and outfight Napoleon! The operational analysis, particularly of Leipzig, is also unusually clear. This volume will - indeed must - be consulted by anyone seeking to understand the nature of war in the Napoleonic era.' Dennis E. Showalter, author of Frederick the Great: A Military History'Michael V. Leggiere offers a fascinating dissection of the 1813 campaign, both military and diplomatic, that culminated in Napoleon's defeat at Leipzig. He emphasizes the role played by Prussia, still eager to avenge the humiliation of Jena, and military historians will especially relish his mastery of strategy, tactics and operational art.' Alan Forrest, author of Napoleon: Life, Legacy, and Image: A Biography'Professor Leggiere has contributed immeasurably to the English-language scholarship on the Napoleonic 1813 campaign in Germany with this balanced sequel to his excellent operational and political study. The climatic fall 1813 campaign has long been ready for a reassessment and Leggiere has answered this need with a comprehensive operational-political history of Napoleon's great defeat from the perspective of the victors.' John T. Kuehn, author of A Military History of Japan: From the Age of the Samurai to the 21st CenturyTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Trachenberg and Reichenbach; 2. The Silesian army; 3. 'The infamous conduct of the Prussians'; 4. Löwenberg; 5. Goldberg; 6. The Katzbach; 7. Blücher's hare hunt; 8. 'Nothing more remains than to have them shot dead'; 9. Lusatia; 10. The Middle Elbe; 11. The Mulde; 12. Hide and seek; 13. Opening round; 14. 'A battle of the most obstinate and sanguinary class'; 15. The battle of Leipzig; 16. Race to the Rhine; Assessment; Bibliography; Index.
£80.09
Cambridge University Press The Battle for Moscow
Book SynopsisIn November 1941 Hitler ordered German forces to complete the final drive on the Soviet capital, now less than 100 kilometres away. Army Group Centre was pressed into the attack for one last attempt to break Soviet resistance before the onset of winter. From the German perspective the final drive on Moscow had all the ingredients of a dramatic final battle in the east, which, according to previous accounts, only failed at the gates of Moscow. David Stahel challenges this well-established narrative by demonstrating that the last German offensive of 1941 was a forlorn effort, undermined by operational weakness and poor logistics and driven forward by what he identifies as National Socialist military thinking. With unparalleled research from previously undocumented army files and soldiers' letters, Stahel takes a fresh look at the battle for Moscow, which even before the Soviet winter offensive, threatened disaster for Germany's war in the east.Trade Review'Another excellent account from David Stahel - whose thorough appraisal of the German sources leads to a perceptive overall analysis.' Michael Jones, author of Total War: From Stalingrad to Berlin and after Hitler'Stahel offers a fresh, definitive look at a major turning point of World War II, illustrating again why he is one of the world's foremost experts on Hitler's attack on Soviet Russia. His writing is taut, insights provocative, and research exhaustive. A masterful achievement!' Craig W. H. Luther, author of Barbarossa Unleashed'The Battle for Moscow was certainly one of the turning points of the Second World War. In this carefully constructed and well-researched account David Stahel explores the German options in what was clearly becoming an unwinnable campaign. This is solid military history revising what we thought we knew about the war in the East.' Richard Overy, author of The Bombing War: Europe, 1939–1945'Stahel convincingly argues that an overextended, exhausted and incompetently led Wehrmacht suffered inevitable defeat in front of Moscow. A crisp and judicious account that highlights the German high command's self-delusion.' Jeff Rutherford, author of Combat and Genocide on the Eastern Front: The German Infantry's War, 1941–1944'… fast-paced and engagingly written, Stahel draws on many primary sources, ranging from letters sent by troops and the war diaries of commanders to previously undocumented army files. His voice remains clear, consistent, and authoritative throughout, as he presents his evidence and guides the reader through the myths and realities.' Curtis Hutchinson, Military History Monthly'Like the previous three books in the series, The Battle for Moscow is very highly recommended for buffs and scholars alike. Stahel's research, writing, and analysis give us a new and gripping account of one of the greatest and most momentous campaigns in history.' Scott Stephenson, Military Review'David Stahel's thoroughly researched, persuasively argued, and engagingly written work of strategic and operational history deserves a wide readership among military professionals and the interested public alike.' MacGregor Knox, RUSI Journal'This book covers Germany's Army Group Center for the month of November 1941 … Stahel's history is predominantly operational: the war as seen from the viewpoint of Army Group and Army commanders. He supplements this narrative with vignettes from the daily lives of cold and demoralized frontline German soldiers, but his theme lies elsewhere … he has made a powerful argument.' David R. Stone, Slavic Review'The Battle for Moscow establishes David Stahel alongside Robert Citino as the leading historians of the German Army and the war in the east. This is a superbly argued and crisply presented account of German operational warfare that exposes the strategic bankruptcy of 'Hitler's generals' and lays bare the dire effects of a Nazi 'ethos' on Wehrmacht operations in the east.' Edward Westermann, The Journal of Modern HistoryTable of Contents1. Parallel wars; 2. The stalled offensive; 3. Preparing the final showdown; 4. The Orsha conference; 5. Typhoon re-launched; 6. The long road to Moscow; 7. Victory at any price; 8. The frozen offensive; 9. Down to the wire; 10. To the gates of Moscow; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.
£46.74
Cambridge University Press Amphibious Warfare and Combined Operations
Book SynopsisOriginally published in 1943, this book presents the content of the Lees Knowles Lectures for that year, which were delivered by Roger Keyes at Trinity College, Cambridge. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in naval history and military strategy.Table of ContentsForeword; 1. Combined operations in the St Lawrence River, 1759; 2. The China war, 1900; 3. The Dardanelles campaign; 4. Combined operations on the Belgian coast, 1918; 5. Combined operations in this war.
£19.99
Cambridge University Press Napoleon and the Struggle for Germany
Book SynopsisThis is the first comprehensive history of the campaign that determined control of Germany following Napoleon's catastrophic defeat in Russia. Michael Leggiere reveals how, in the spring of 1813, Prussia, the weakest of the Great Powers, led the struggle against Napoleon as a war of national liberation.Trade Review'This is by far the best study in English of the spring campaign of 1813 which played a crucial part in the final defeat of Napoleon. Based on an impressive array of archival and published sources in many languages, Michael V. Leggiere traces the desperate Prussian struggle against the new French armies raised by Napoleon after the disaster of 1812, and their equally decisive efforts to keep their exhausted Russian allies in the war. It is unlikely that Leggiere's account will ever be surpassed.' Rory Muir, author of Wellington: The Path to Victory, 1769–1814'The 1813 campaign has been rather neglected in recent decades, above all because it was the traditional stamping-ground of German nationalist historians preaching the virtues and achievements of Prussia and its army. It is high time for a detailed new military history rooted in sources not previously available which seeks to provide a balanced view of the Prussian war effort. Michael V. Leggiere does this with remarkable skill and the result is a readable and fascinating account of Prussia's remarkable achievement.' Dominic Lieven, author of Russia Against Napoleon: The Battle for Europe, 1807 to 1814'I wish I had had this book in front of me while writing Citizen Emperor. This is a significant contribution to military history and sets Napoleon's loss of the German campaign in a context that has not been seen before in the English language. Leggiere is the preeminent military historian for the Napoleonic Wars.' Philip Dwyer, author of Citizen Emperor: Napoleon in Power, 1799–1815'With this first of two volumes on the 1813 Campaign, Michael V. Leggiere surely secures his position as a preeminent historian of Napoleonic warfare. In Napoleon and the Struggle for Germany, Leggiere uses profound archival research from across Europe to unearth the machinations and thought-processes within the disjointed allied command, and at Napoleon's headquarters. Leggiere reminds us of the complexity of war, and the inherent difficulty of maintaining alliances; and highlights parallels with the better known difficulties in the Anglo-American alliance during the Second World War.' Huw Davies, author of Wellington's Wars: The Making of a Military Genius'This is military history at its most instructive and fascinating. Leggiere skilfully links the dynamics of operational military history to the opportunities and strains of coalition warfare, showing how the Sixth Coalition faced major difficulties from the outset. This approach offers a valuable perspective in which to consider Napoleonic warfare.' Jeremy Black, author of The War of 1812 in the Age of Napoleon'Beyond doubt … Leggiere has made a major contribution to the literature, and military specialists will read his work with profit. His command of the narrative is assured and his judgements acute and sensible.' Charles J. Esdaile, H-FranceTable of ContentsPreface; 1. Odd man out; 2. A new coalition; 3. Saxony; 4. The Saale; 5. Großgörschen; 6. The Elbe; 7. Bautzen; 8. The Prussian Thermopylae; 9. Silesia; Assessment; Bibliography; Index.
£29.44
Cambridge University Press The Red Terror and the Spanish Civil War Revolutionary Violence In Madrid
Book SynopsisThis book deals with one of most controversial issues of the Spanish Civil War (1936â9): the 'Red Terror'. Approximately 50,000 Spaniards were extrajudicially executed in Republican Spain following the failure of the military rebellion in July 1936. This mass killing of 'fascists' seriously undermined attempts by the legally constituted Republican government to present itself in foreign quarters as fighting a war for democracy. This study, based on a wealth of scholarship and archival sources, challenges the common view that executions were the work of criminal or anarchist 'uncontrollables'. Its focus is on Madrid, which witnessed at least 8,000 executions in 1936. It shows that the terror was organized and was carried out with the complicity of the police, and argues that terror was seen as integral to the antifascist war effort. Indeed, the elimination of the internal enemy - the 'Fifth Column' - was regarded as important as the war on the front line.Trade Review'The purpose of Julius Ruiz's study is not to present a lurid description of atrocities, as does much of the literature in this area, but to offer an in-depth study of the institutions and mechanisms of the Republican repression in Madrid. This makes it possible to reveal the structure and functioning of the terror, rather than dwelling on the pathos of victimization alone. Ruiz provides a kind of political history of Madrid on the eve of the Civil War and during the first six months of the conflict, revealing in detail the interplay, competition, and cooperation of the various Republican political forces in organizing and carrying out repression. No previous account has achieved this depth and quality of analysis. Ruiz offers a major contribution to the history of repression in the Civil War, a genuine research breakthrough.' Stanley G. Payne, University of Wisconsin, Madison'This excellent book carefully examines Madrid's 'Red Terror,' that is, the deaths of thousands of rightists in a city controlled by Republican forces during the Spanish Civil War. It provides new information and a convincing interpretation concerning many of the Terror's most important issues - the Soviet role, the Paracuellos massacres, Republican government complicity, participation of various forces of the left, and the influence of so-called uncontrollables. In an innovative manner, it demonstrates the cultural influence of Hollywood gangster films on the assassins, emphasizes the importance of the radio, and shows - in contrast to much of the literature - that the relationship between Nationalist and Republican atrocities was not direct, but rather was indirect. This is probably the best study of terror in a major city during the Spanish conflict.' Michael Seidman, University of North Carolina, Wilmington'His thoroughly researched and clear-eyed analysis of revolutionary terror and politically motivated killings in the city of Madrid goes a long way toward filling a noticeable gap in the historiography of the subject … The 'Red Terror' and the Spanish Civil War … provides the fullest and most factually reliable portrait of a particularly murky chapter of the Civil War.' George Esenwein, The Journal of Modern HistoryTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. On the brink; 2. The military rebellion; 3. Antifascist Madrid; 4. Forging the new police; 5. The justice of the people; 6. If it is the will of the people…; 7. Popular tribunals and the Rearguard Vigilance Militias (MVR); 8. A fifth column?; 9. The prison problem; 10. Paracuellos; 11. The dirty war against the fifth column; 12. Dealing with the legacy of the terror: forced labor for fascists, 1937–9; Epilogue; Appendices.
£25.64
Cambridge University Press Three Faces of Sun Tzu
Book SynopsisThis book analyzes the three faces of Sun Tzu's Art of War: one anchored in Warring States China, a second in world military history, and a third in 21st century contexts like cyber warfare. The author identifies Sun Tzu's limitations and blind spots relevant to managing strategic competitions with Sun-Tzu-inspired adversaries.Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Background: historical and textual; Preliminaries; 2. Strategist should be calculating; strategist should be cheap; 3. Strategist should find advantage; 4. Strategist should enact stratagems & formlessness; 5. Strategist should make a situation's natural dynamics work for her; 6. Strategist should have an accurate grasp of the significant information; 7. Strategist should manage the interfaces; Conclusion: demystifying Sun Tzu and future directions. Indices.
£28.49
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Three Roads To The Alamo The Lives and Fortunes
Book Synopsis
£19.79
Presidio Press The Supreme Commander The War Years of General
Book SynopsisIn this classic portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower the soldier, bestselling historian Stephen E. Ambrose examines the Allied commander’s leadership during World War II. Ambrose brings Eisenhower’s experience of the Second World War to life, showing in vivid detail how the general’s skill as a diplomat and a military strategist contributed to Allied successes in North Africa and in Europe, and established him as one of the greatest military leaders in the world. Ambrose, then the Associate Editor of the General’s official papers, analyzes Eisenhower’s difficult military decisions and his often complicated relationships with powerful personalities like Churchill, de Gaulle, Roosevelt, and Patton. This is the definitive account of Eisenhower’s evolution as a military leader—from its dramatic beginnings through his time at the top post of Allied command.
£21.80
WW Norton & Co The Line Upon a Wind
Book SynopsisThe thrilling story of Britain's death-struggle with Revolutionary France, wherein Napoleon is checkmated by Nelson's brilliant naval exploits.Trade Review"Ambitious, sweeping, and painstakingly delineated." -- Kirkus Reviews"This spirited work contributes significantly to a developing interpretation of the years 1794–1815 as an era of worldwide, total war." -- Publishers Weekly
£26.59
WW Norton & Co The Conquering Tide
Book SynopsisNew York Times Bestseller The devastation of Pearl Harbor and the American victory at Midway were prelude to a greater challenge: rolling back the vast Japanese Pacific empire, island by island.Trade Review"A beautiful blend of history and prose and proves again Mr. Toll’s mastery of the naval-war narrative, carrying the reader smoothly from the marble halls of Washington to the Pacific’s gritty, red-stained beaches." -- Jonathan W. Jordan - Wall Street Journal"A gripping narrative of the central Pacific campaign…. Toll is strong on the operational details of battle, but he is no less skilled at presenting something that is frequently missing from military histories, a well-rounded depiction of the home front on both sides." -- Walter R. Borneman - New York Times Book Review"Heavily researched…. Toll’s absorbing text flows smoothly and quickly, helped along by anecdotes and stories involving combatants and political leaders on both sides." -- S. I. Dunn - Dallas Morning News"In The Conquering Tide, Ian Toll takes his place as one of the great storytellers of war. He is equally vivid and commanding describing landing on a carrier at night, making grand strategy in Washington, and brawling in a bar in Australia. Toll is a master; he is writing for the ages." -- Evan Thomas, author of Sea of Thunder and Ike's Bluff"A lucid and learned exposition of the grand chess match between high commanders in the middle years of the Pacific War, vividly evoking the grit and gristle of its many horrors and triumphs. Ian W. Toll is a superb historian whose writing appeals to both the head and the heart." -- James D. Hornfischer, author of Neptune’s Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal
£26.59
The University Press of Kentucky In Defense of the Bush Doctrine Contemporary
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis is an important book about the central issue of our time - the struggle against Islamist extremism. Kaufman understands this fight and has made an effective case for the imperative of taking bold action to defeat this threat to our security and the ideals we cherish. - Senator Joseph Lieberman ""A corrective to much of the contemporary hysteria of the hour. As Kaufman shows, for all the heartbreak of our present efforts in Iraq, ultimately it remains the best practical and moral course to foster some third way other than either autocracy or theocracy."" - Victor Davis Hanson, Stanford University ""Kaufman presents a thoughtful, comprehensive case. It ranks as the most historically powerful support of Mr. Bush and his doctrine, including the Iraq war."" - Washington Times ""In this excellent new book, Kaufman describes the Bush approach to foreign policy as the latest example of what he calls 'moral democratic realism,' an approach he attributes to FDR, Truman, and Reagan as well."" - National Review
£22.91
Pathfinder Books Ltd 19121913
Book Synopsis
£23.75
Griffon International Limited Overlord
Book Synopsis
£25.00
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Stopping Hitler
Book SynopsisIt details the various plans made for Home Defence between 1939 and 1945.
£26.33
Pen & Sword Books Ltd A Photographic History of Amphibious Warfare
Book SynopsisHeavily illustrated history of Second World War amphibious operations.
£29.24
SOURCEBOOKS INC Opium Wars The Addiction of One Empire and the
Book SynopsisBy the early 19th century, 90 percent of the Emperor's court and the majority of the army were opium addicts. This book recounts the tragic story of the 2 Opium Wars of 1839-1842 and 1856-1860 between Britain and China through the eyes of the Chinese as well as the Imperial West.
£18.18
Amberley Publishing 1917 The First World War at Sea in Photographs
Book Synopsis1917, the fourth year of the war to end all wars, is documented in archive photographs in this series covering the naval war in detail.
£18.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Putins Wars
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThe prolific military chronicler and analyst Mark Galeotti has produced exactly the right book at the right time. * The Times *Galeotti’s work is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand current events in Ukraine. -- Gillian Tett * The Financial Times *Putin’s Wars is essential reading for anyone with an interest in Russia’s military. * Literary Review *The definitive work on this subject to date. * History of War *Mark Galeotti is one of the most insightful and incisive analysts on Russia’s past, present, and future. Russia’s February 2022 expanded invasion of Ukraine tragically highlights the critical importance of understanding the connection between politics and war. Galeotti vividly shows how Russia has waged its wars... [and] how those wars shaped the country’s politics and, in turn, how politics shaped Moscow’s military campaigns. * Joshua C. Huminski, Director, Mike Rogers Center for Intelligence and Global Affairs, Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress *This is a vivid account of how Putin has used armed force during his time in power, culminating in the deadly war in Ukraine. * Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King’s College London *An accessible, lucid and vivid comprehensive contemporary account of the inner workings, logic and rationales of the central military pillar of Putinism. I unreservedly recommend this gem. * Dr Graeme P. Herd, George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies *Putin’s Wars is Galeotti at his finest: writing that moves like a spy novel and enough information for the student or professional reader … An excellent and accessible contribution to the field for seasoned Russian observers and those interested in the larger sweep of how it all transpired. * Dr Yuval Weber, Bren Chair of Russian Military and Political Strategy at the Brute Krulak Center for Innovation and Creativity at the US Marine Corps University *Table of ContentsAuthor’s Note List of Illustrations List of Maps and Diagrams Abbreviations Cast of Characters Chronology 1. Introduction PART ONE: BEFORE PUTIN 2. Born in Chaos 3. A Military in Crisis 4. The First Chechen War 5. The Wars of Russian Assertion PART TWO: ENTER PUTIN 6. Putin’s Priorities 7. The Second Chechen War 8. Ivanov, the Initiator 9. Serdyukov, the Enforcer 10. Georgia, 2008 (1): Tbilisi’s Move … 11. Georgia, 2008 (2): … Moscow’s Counter 12. ‘New Look’ Army PART THREE: THE NEW COLD WAR 13. Shoigu, the Rebuilder 14. Crimea, 2014 15. Donbas, 2014– 16. Lessons of the Donbas War 17. Syria, 2015– (1): The Unexpected Intervention 18. Syria, 2015– (2): Lessons of the Syrian Campaign PART FOUR: REARMING RUSSIA 19. Rumble for Ruble 20. Armiya Rossii 21. The Sky is Russia’s! 22. Contesting the Sea 23. Power Projection: Blue and Black Berets 24. The Spetsnaz 25. The Nuclear Backstop PART FIVE: THE FUTURE 26. Political Warfare 27. New Generation Warfare 28. The Challenges of the Future 29. Ukraine 2022: Putin’s Last War? 30. Conclusions: The Eurasian Sparta? 31. Ukraine 2023: A Dispatch on a War in Progress Notes Selected English-language Bibliography Index
£18.70
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Waffen SS in Combat Rare Photographs from Wartime
Book SynopsisContains approximately 160 pages of integrated images from the period and covers the six-year history of the Waffen-SS. Ideal reading for anyone with an interest in the Second World War from the German's perspective.
£18.40
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Armoured Warfare in the Far East 1937 1945 Rare
Book SynopsisOver 150 wartime photographs of the Japanese, American, British and Russian armoured vehicles that fought in the Far East between 1937 and 1945.
£18.26
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Pope's Army: The Papacy in Diplomacy and War
Book SynopsisFor much of its 2,000-year history, the Roman Catholic Church was a formidable political and military power, in contrast to its pacifist origins and its present concentration on spiritual matters. The period of political and military activism can be dated to roughly between 410, when Pope Innocent I vainly tried to avert the sack of Rome by the Visigoths, and about 1870, when Pope Pius IX was abandoned by his protectors, the French Army, and forced to submit to the new Italian state by surrendering any political power the Vatican had left. During those centuries, the popes employed every means at their disposal, including direct military action, to maintain their domains centred on Rome. Some pontiffs, such as Alexander VI, Julius II (15th century), plus the energetic Borgia popes later, built the Papal States into a power in their own right. In the following century and a half, Europe's destructive religious wars almost always had a papal component, with the Lateran and later Vatican fielding their own armies. Climaxing the story are the little-known yet bitter late-nineteenth century battles between the papal volunteers from all over Europe and America, and the Italian nationalists who ultimately prevailed. John Carr narrates the story of Papal military clout with engaging verve.
£25.00
Pen & Sword Books Ltd North Korean Onslaught: Volume II: UN Stand at
Book SynopsisIn the first volume in this series on the Korean War, North Korea Invades the South, North Korean ground forces, armour and artillery crossed the 38th Parallel, and, in blitzkrieg style, rolled back UN and South Korean forces down the Korean peninsula. Despite the US and South Korea committing army, air force and navy units, supported by forces from Australia, Britain, New Zealand, France and Canada, by 31 July, eleven enemy divisions were concentrated in a disconnected line from Ch?nju to Y?ngdong. Along the south coast, North Korean divisions pushed eastward towards Masan. To the east and centre of the peninsula, the enemy closed in on Kimch'?n and the Naktong River line. On the east coast, three North Korean divisions secured the Y?ngd?k-P'ohang axis, placing them within mortar range of the UN airfield at Y?nil. Reeling, the UN forces desperately defended the 140-mile-line lodgement area that incorporated the port of Pusan. Supreme commander of UN forces, General Douglas MacArthur, had his back to the sea, facing thirteen enemy infantry divisions, two new tank brigades and an armoured division. On 1 September, North Korean forces launched their strongest offensive to date, and in the first two weeks of the month, American casualties became the heaviest of the war. Of particular concern to General Walker was the danger of losing the town of Taegu in the centre. The resultant loss of the strategic Taegu-Pusan railway would be catastrophic. MacArthur and Washington were running out of options, but the Pusan Perimeter had to be defended at all costs.
£14.99
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Disaster Before D-Day: Unravelling the Tragedy at
Book SynopsisThis is a book of two stories. The first is the sad tale of how at least 749 American servicemen lost their lives on a pre-D-Day landing exercise, code-named 'Operation Tiger', on the evening of 23/24 April 1943\. The second, was the unanswerable question of whether the attacking E-Boats of the German Kriegsmarine had fully grasped the importance of what they had stumbled across. Because of the time scale between the operation and the actual D-Day landings, secrecy surrounding the tragedy had to be stringently adhered to, and even after the invasion of Normandy, only scant information about the incident and those who were killed was ever released. The other factor which was of major concern, was if the Germans had understood the significance of the vessels they had attacked, then the intended Allied invasion of Europe was in grave danger of having to be postponed for an indefinite period of time. In late 1943, as part of the build-up to the D-day landings at Normandy, the British government had set up a training ground at Slapton Sands in Devon, to be used by the American forces tasked with landing on Utah Beach, in Normandy. Coordination and communication problems between British and American forces, resulted in friendly fire deaths during the exercise, making a bad situation even worse. The story was then lost to history until it was picked up again by Devon resident, Mr Ken Small after he discovered evidence of the aftermath washed up on the shore at Slapton Sands in the early 1970s. In 1974, Mr Small bought the rights to a submerged American tank, which he had discovered in the waters close to the beach at Slapton Sands. In 1984, he raised the tank, which is now a memorial close to the sea front.
£23.46
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Americans from Normandy to the German Border:
Book SynopsisThis classic Images of War book takes up the story of the massive American contribution to the campaign in north West Europe during the autumn and early witner of 1944. Following the dramatic breakout from the Normandy bridgehead, events moved fast with the liberation of Paris quickly following and the Allies closed in on the German border. But the apparent collapse of the Nazis was illusory. As lines of communication lengthened and German resistance stiffened, the Allied High Command was divided on the right strategy. The ill-fated Operation Market Garden brought home the reality that the war would continue into 1945\. The Siegried Line was penetrated and Aachen fell but the American First Army suffered heavy casualties in the Hurtgen Forest. As winter set in, the third Army crossed the Moselle River and into the Saar. The stage was set for the costliest battle in American history - The Bulge, to be covered in the Third and final volume of this trilogy. With his superb collection of images and grasp of the historic significance of the actions so graphically described, Brooke Blades' latest book will be appreciated by all with an interest in the final stages of the Second World War.
£21.43
Avalon Publishing Group Dirty Wars The World Is a Battlefield
Book SynopsisNow revised and updated: "This book is an unbelievable accomplishment. [W]hatever your politics, you should read this book. It is incredibly carefully reported... I think every member of Congress should read this book." Chris Hayes
£24.76
WW Norton & Co Something Abides: Discovering the Civil War in
Book SynopsisToday, throughout Vermont, it is possible to identify hundreds and hundreds of Civil War–related sites. Throughout Vermont are soldier homes, halls where war meetings encouraged enlistments, churches where soldier funerals were held and abolitionists spoke, monuments to those who served, hospital sites, and homes where women gathered to make items for the soldiers. The Vermont State House is a virtual Civil War museum. A building survives in Woodstock where the war was administered. Cemeteries hold the gravestones of many of the 34,000 who fought. A field even exists where in 1803 a Quaker preacher heard a voice from above fortell a bloody war over slavery. With the help of this book, Civil War sites can be located as in no other state, taking the reader through the beautiful Vermont landscape of hill farms and small towns that looks more like the Civil War era than that of any other state.
£16.99
WW Norton & Co Echoes of the Civil War: Capturing Battlefields
Book SynopsisIn 2011, Michael Falco set out to document the American Civil War's 150th anniversary by photographing reenactments of more than 20 major battles—from the First Manassas, Antietam, and Chancellorsville to Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Appomattox. But rather than shooting these historic re-creations in high-definition, Falco opted for a different, older medium: a pinhole camera. This antebellum photographic technology, shot from an on-the-ground perspective, captures these battlefields in a way that feels more “real” and fully realized than even the famous daguerrotypes made during the war itself. In Falco's transporting photographs, the smoke-filled battle reenactments become blurred and dreamlike, echoing the sentiments found in the actual letters and journals of soldiers who fought and died there. Throughout, historical photographs from the period offer context to the modern-day re-creations, showing just how much—or how little—has changed on this hallowed ground. One hundred and fifty years after the last soldier fell, Echoes of the Civil War provides beautiful and compelling evidence of a Civil War landscape that is, literally and metaphorically, still with us.Trade Review" A Civil War enthusiast since his childhood, photographer Michael Falco set out on a four-year, battlefield-to-battlefield odyssey coinciding with the war’s 150th anniversary. The result is the wonderfully haunting Echoes of the Civil War: Capturing Battlefields through a Pinhole Camera (Countryman Press, $35, 288 pages, ISBN 9781581573800). “Soldiers’ journals and memoirs describe the battlefields as dream-like,” Falco writes, “and that is how they appear through the patient eye of the pinhole camera.” While exploring major battle sites from Bull Run to Appomattox, Falco became not just a chronicler but a re-enactor himself, dressing in period clothing as he set up his primitive wooden box camera, using modern film but no lens, viewfinder or shutter. Along with these evocative photos, Falco interweaves past and present through his narrative as he “tumbled down the rabbit hole of Civil War history.” Echoes of the Civil War will hold great appeal for history and photography buffs alike. " -- Bookpage
£26.00
Savas Beatie The Last Road North: A Guide to the Gettysburg
Book Synopsis“I thought my men were invincible,” admitted Robert E. Lee. A string of battlefield victories through 1862 had culminated in the spring of 1863 with Lee’s greatest victory yet: the battle of Chancellorsville. Propelled by the momentum of that supreme moment, confident in the abilities of his men, Lee decided to once more take the fight to the Yankees and launched this army on another invasion of the North. An appointment with destiny awaited in the little Pennsylvania college town of Gettysburg. Historian Dan Welch follows in the footsteps of the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac as the two foes cat-and-mouse their way northward, ultimately clashing in the costliest battle in North American history. Based on the Gettysburg Civil War Trails, and packed with dozens of lesser-known sites related to the Gettysburg Campaign, The Last Road North: A Guide to the Gettysburg Campaign offers the ultimate Civil War road trip.Trade ReviewThis book would be extremely useful to anyone planning a visit to the Gettysburg battlefield, and an ideal companion on such a journey. * Miniature Wargames - Arthur Harman *…shows a deep knowledge of the subject and the style of writing is clear and easy to follow…buy this book! * Wargames, Soldiers, and Strategy *Important and fascinating addition to the literature of the American Civil War… * Books Monthly *
£13.81
Savas Beatie Decision at Tom’s Brook: George Custer, Tom Rosser, and the Joy of the Fight
Book SynopsisThe Battle of Tom’s Brook, recalled one Confederate soldier, was “the greatest disaster that ever befell our cavalry during the whole war.” The fight took place during the last autumn of the Civil War, when the Union General Phil Sheridan vowed to turn the croprich Shenandoah Valley into “a desert.” Farms and homes were burned, livestock slaughtered, and Southern families suffered.The story of the Tom’s Brook cavalry affair centers on two young men who had risen to prominence as soldiers: George A. Custer and Thomas L. Rosser. They had been fast friends since their teenage days at West Point, but the war sent them down separate paths—Custer to the Union army and Rosser to the Confederacy. Each was a born warrior who took obvious joy in the exhilaration of battle. Each possessed almost all of the traits of the ideal cavalryman—courage, intelligence, physical strength, innerfire. Only their judgment was questionable.Their separate paths converged in the Shenandoah Valley in the summer of 1864, when Custer was ordered to destroy, and Rosser was ordered to stop him. For three days, Rosser’s gray troopers pursued and attacked the Federals. On the fourth day, October 9, the tables turned in the open fields above Tom’s Brook, where each ambitious friend sought his own advancement at the expense of the other. One capitalized upon every advantage fate threw before him, while the other, sure of his abilities in battle and eager to fight, attempted to impose his will on unfavorable circumstances and tempted fate by inviting catastrophe. This longoverlooked cavalry action had a lasting effect on mounted operations and influenced the balance of the campaign in the Valley.Based upon extensive research in primary documents and gracefully written, awardwinning author William J. Miller’s Decision at Tom’s Brook presents significant new material on Thomas Rosser, and argues that his character was his destiny. Rosser’s decisionmaking that day changed his life and the lives of hundreds of other men. Miller’s new study is Civil War history and high personal drama at its finest.
£19.50
Casemate Publishers Barksdale'S Charge: The True High Tide of the
Book SynopsisOn the third day of Gettysburg, Robert E. Lee launched a magnificent attack. For pure pageantry it was unsurpassed, and it also marked the centerpiece of the war, both time-wise and in terms of how the conflict had turned a corner—from persistent Confederate hopes to impending Rebel despair. But Pickett’s Charge was crushed by the Union defenders that day, having never had a chance in the first place.The Confederacy’s real “high tide” at Gettysburg had come the afternoon before, during the swirling conflagration when Longstreet’s corps first entered the battle, when the Federals just barely held on. The foremost Rebel spearhead on that second day of the battle was Barksdale’s Mississippi brigade, which launched what one (Union) observer called the "grandest charge that was ever seen by mortal man.”Barksdale’s brigade was already renowned in the Army of Northern Virginia for its stand-alone fights at Fredericksburg. On the second day of Gettysburg it was just champing at the bit to go in. The Federal left was not as vulnerable as Lee had envisioned, but had cooperated with Rebel wishes by extending its Third Corps into a salient. Hood’s crack division was launched first, seizing Devil’s Den, climbing Little Round Top, and hammering in the wheatfield.Then Longstreet began to launch McLaws’ division, and finally gave Barksdale the go-ahead. The Mississippians, with their white-haired commander on horseback at their head, utterly crushed the peach orchard salient and continued marauding up to Cemetery Ridge. Hancock, Meade, and other Union generals desperately struggled to find units to stem the Rebel tide. One of Barksdale’s regiments, the 21st Mississippi, veered off from the brigade in the chaos, rampaging across the field, overrunning Union battery after battery. Barksdale himself was killed at the apex of his advance. Darkness, as well as Confederate exhaustion, finally ended the day’s fight as the shaken, depleted Federal units on their heights took stock. They had barely held on against the full ferocity of the Rebels, on a day that decided the fate of the nation. Barksdale’s Charge describes the exact moment when the Confederacy reached its zenith, and the soldiers of the Northern states just barely succeeded in retaining their perfect Union.Trade ReviewRecommended for the serious student of Gettysburg. I read this from cover to cover! * Miniature Wargames - John Drewienkiewicz *
£19.83
Casemate Publishers General Fox Conner: Pershing’S Chief of
Book SynopsisJohn J. Pershing considered Fox Conner to have been "a brilliant soldier" and “one of the finest characters our Army has ever produced.” During World War I, General Conner served as chief of operations for the American Expeditionary Force in Europe. Pershing told Conner: “I could have spared any other man in the A.E.F. better than you.”Dwight D. Eisenhower viewed Fox Conner as “the outstanding soldier of my time.” In the early 1920s, Conner transformed his protégé Eisenhower from a struggling young officer on the verge of a court martial into one of the American army’s rising stars. Eisenhower acknowledged Fox Conner as “the one more or less invisible figure to whom I owe an incalculable debt.” This book presents the first complete biography of this significant, but now forgotten, figure in American military history.In addition to providing a unique insider’s view into the operations of the American high command during World War I, Fox Conner also tells the story of an interesting life. Conner felt a calling to military service, although his father had been blinded during the Civil War. From humble beginnings in rural Mississippi, Conner became one of the army’s intellectuals. During the 1920s, when most of the nation slumbered in isolationism, Conner predicted a second world war. As the nation began to awaken to new international dangers in the 1930s, President Roosevelt offered Fox Conner the position of army chief of staff, which he declined. Poor health prevented his participation in World War II, while others whom he influenced, including Eisenhower, Patton, and Marshall, went on to fame.Fox Conner presents the portrait of the quintessential man behind the scenes in U.S. military history. Readers will find this book, and the man, fascinating.Trade ReviewGeneral Fox Conner is a figure from American military history that more people ought to know. I encourage anyone with an interest in well written (and thoroughly researched) works of history to read Steven Rabalais' new book on General Conner.
£23.75
Casemate Publishers The Devil’s General: The Life of Hyazinth Graf
Book SynopsisThis is the story of the most highly decorated German regimental commander of World War II, known as the 'Panzer Graf' (Armoured Count). An aristocratic Silesian, whose ancestors had faced the Mongols at Leignitz, Strachwitz first won the Iron Cross in the Great War. After fighting with the Freikorps and in between the wars, he was serving with the 1st Panzer Division when the Polish campaign inaugurated World War II.Leading from the front, his exploits as commander of a panzer battalion earned him further decorations during the French campaign. Transferred to the newly formed 16th Panzer Division, he participated in the invasion of Yugoslavia and then Operation Barbarossa where he earned the Knight’s Cross. The following year, during the advance on Stalingrad, he won the Oak Leaves for destroying 270 Soviet tanks at Kalach. Now commander of a regiment, he reached the Volga and fought ferociously on the northern rim of Sixth Army’s perimeter. Severely wounded during the battles, he was flown out of the Stalingrad pocket.Upon recuperation, he was named commander of the Grossdeutschland Division’s panzer regiment, and won the Swords to the Knight’s Cross during Manstein’s counteroffensive at Kharkov. After fighting through Kursk and the ensuing defensive battles, he was transferred the next year to Army Group North where he won the Diamonds to the Knight’s Cross at Narva.For the rest of the war, sandwiched around a stay in hospital, he commanded ad hoc battlegroups, and pioneered the formation of 'tank hunter brigades', consisting of deep-penetration infantry armed with panzerfausts and other demolitions who would ambush Soviet tanks. Wounded 12 times during the war, and barely surviving a lethal car crash, he was finally able to surrender to the Americans in May 1945.Australian author/researcher Raymond Bagdonas, though impaired by the disappearance of 16th Panzer Division’s official records at Stalingrad, and the fact that many of the Panzer Graf’s later battlegroups never kept them, has nevertheless written an intensely detailed account of this combat leader’s life, as well as ferocious armoured warfare in World War II.
£14.99
Casemate Publishers Frantic 7: The American Effort to Aid the Warsaw
Book SynopsisThe Frantic operations were conceived in late 1943 as Soviet advances made Soviet airfields accessible to Allied long-range aircraft. American aircraft could hit targets in central Europe, refuel and rearm at Soviet bases, then fly back to bomb additional targets. In addition to hitting Nazi war industries, the political objectives of Frantic were to build closer cooperation with the Red Army as the end of the war drew nearer. For the first two weeks of the Warsaw Uprising, Soviet forces stood outside the city, and Stalin refused to let the RAF land at Soviet bases after dropping supplies to the Polish freedom fighters. But eventually the United States persuaded him to let them use Frantic to supply the Poles. On 18 September 1944, American B-17 Flying Fortresses dropped arms, ammunition, medical supplies, and food over the city of Warsaw. The assistance came too late for the Polish freedom fighters. For many, Frantic 7 remains a mere gesture to placate Western public opinion, but the events of that day, and the courage of 1,220 airmen who risked their lives to bring them aid, are still remembered by the Poles of Warsaw. This book gives a full narrative of Frantic 7, using the first-hand accounts of those on the ground in Warsaw to tell the stories of the young aircrew. It puts Frantic 7 in context, and explains how the diplomatic wrangling set the stage for the breakdown in relations between the Soviet Union and the United States.Trade ReviewAn amazingly detailed account of the US Air Force's attempt to help the Poles in Warsaw. Inspiring! * Books Monthly *The strength of the book lies largely in the human interest story. * Miniature Wargames - Chris Jarvis *
£21.38
Casemate Publishers Countdown to D-Day: The German Perspective
Book SynopsisIn December 1943, among rising realisation that the Allies are planning to invade, Field Marshal Rommel was assigned the title of General Inspector for the Atlantic Wall. His mission was to assess their readiness – what he finds disgusts him. The famed Atlantic Wall, the first defence against invasion, is nothing more than a paper tiger, woefully unprepared for the forces being massed across the English Channel. His task to turn back the Allied assault already seems hopeless.Alongside Rommel are a set of elite commanders, each driven by their own ambitions, ideas and armies. At the frontline sits Erich Marcks, the wounded General tasked with the mighty burden of building up the coastal defences, all with inadequate supplies and a shortage of men. He is flanked by Hans von Salmuth, a relative novice but a favourite of the Führer, who has been assigned the lofty duty of defending Calais; the place Command believes will be the focal point of the Allied Invasion. At the rear, General Major Bayerlien is preparing the elite panzer divisions for what may lie ahead, while General Major Pemsel is struggling to coordinate efforts to prepare the Seventh Army, believing that should an invasion come, he will be the hub of the German response.All of these local commanders are subject to the whims of Hitler, hundreds of miles away but continually issuing orders increasingly divorced from the reality of the war. Countdown to D-Day takes a journal approach, tracing the daily activities and machinations of the OKH as they try to prepare for the Allied invasion.Trade ReviewThis is an interesting read on an interesting subject: the anecdotes of food preferences, and other personal and professional insights, bring the commanders to life in a way that standard documentary styles do not usually achieve. * Miniature Wargames 08/08/2019 *Well researched, this book does provide fascinating insights into the tense and complex relationships between the German High Command. * Military Historical Society Bulletin 17/07/2019 *'With vast depth, this is a very impressive look at what happened in the run up to D-Day, from the German side.' * The Armourer *Essential to a library on the subject… * 3945km.com *
£26.12
Fonthill Media Ltd If the Kaiser Comes: Defence Against a German
Book SynopsisOn the night of 20 November 1914, everything pointed to the likelihood of invasion by a German army, whisked across the North Sea on a fleet of fast transports. The Royal Navy's Grand Fleet prepared to sail south from remote bases in Scotland; shallow-draught monitors were moored in the Wash; and 300,000 troops stood by to repel the enemy on the beaches. Fortunately, the night passed without incident. For thirty years prior to the First World War, writers, with a variety of motivations, had been forecasting such an invasion. Britain regarded the army as an imperial police force and, despite the experience gained in military exercises involving simulated invasions, the Royal Navy was still expected to fulfil its traditional role of intercepting and destroying enemy forces. However, as the technology of warfare developed, with the proliferation of ever more powerful warships, submarines, mines, and torpedoes, alongside the added promise of aerial assault, it became obvious that these long-established notions of the Navy's invincibility might no longer be realistic. The perceived threat of invasion, whether justified or not, persisted throughout the First World War, and this book describes the measures taken to protect Britain against enemy attack by land, sea, or air.
£16.99
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Born of the Desert: With the SAS in North Africa
Book SynopsisBorn of the Desert is a classic account of the early years of the SAS. The Special Air Service was formed in 1941 and quickly earned a reputation for stealth, daring and audacity in the Western Desert Campaign. This elite force utilised the endless expanse of the desert to carry out surprise attacks and hit and run raids behind the Afrika Korps' lines, sowing confusion, fear and consternation. Malcolm James served as Medical Officer with the SAS throughout 1942 and 1943, and Born of the Desert is his atmospheric account of his life in the North African desert, the bitter fighting against Italian and German targets and the forging of a remarkable elite unit. James captures the excitement of this dramatic mode of warfare and brings to life the deadly beauty of the desert, the harsh environment and the strong bonds of comradeship and interdependence which resulted. Born of the Desert was written soon after the events depicted and has an immediacy which places it above other Second World War memoirs. The original text has now been augmented by supplementary notes by David List, and appendices on SAS casualties and awards by David Buxton.
£21.44
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Fighting the Breakout
Book Synopsis'Fascinating and essential stuff.' Gary Sheffield in Military Illustrated This gripping volume charts the progress of the Allied breakout of Normandy through German eyes. Beginning with Operation COBRA and ending with the offensive which led to the liberation of Paris, this critical phase of the war in the west is examined and described by five senior German officers. From staff officers at OKW to divisional generals on the ground, these officers critique their performance, examine Allied superiority, and evaluate their own efforts to contain Allied forces in Normandy. They look at such key events as the counter-attack at Mortain, the American offensive, British and Canadian efforts and the sequence of events that led to the fighting around the Falaise gap. The officers originally submitted the reports presented here to Allied intelligence during post-war debriefing sessions. This volume brings together a selection of these reports to provide a broad overview of German hopes balanced with the realisation that they could not hope to contain the Allied efforts for long. With supplementary material by David C.Isby, this is a fascinating glimpse into how a defeated army sought hard to turn the tide of defeat.
£18.79
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Through Hitler's Back Door
Book SynopsisRomania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia were all German allies in the Second World War, unlike the other countries of Europe which had either been forcibly occupied by the Nazis or remained neutral.SOE Missions mounted within their borders were thus doubly hazardous for they were conducted in enemy-populated territory, heavily policed by military forces and gendarmerie. Furthermore all these states had well developed and experienced security services, usually supplemented by Gestapo and Abwehr units.A further complication to the activities of SOE in these countries was that they had all been effectively conceded by Western Allies to Russia; not surprisingly therefore, operations in the Soviet 'sphere of influence' were to prove diabolically difficult.This is a story about the courage of individuals in the face of overwhelming odds. Hunger, ill-health, exhaustion, cold and treachery all combined to make life for those members of SOE who parachuted into these Fascist outposts of Fortress Europe as insufferable as it was dangerous.
£27.09
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC No Greater Ally: The Untold Story of Poland’s
Book SynopsisThere is a chapter of World War II history that remains largely untold; the monumental struggles of an entire nation have been forgotten, and even intentionally obscured. Giving a full overview of Poland's participation in World War II. Following their valiant but doomed defence of Poland in 1939, members of the Polish armed forces fought with the Allies wherever and however they could. Full of previously unpublished accounts, and rare photographs, this title provides a detailed analysis of the devastation the war brought to Poland, and the final betrayal when, having fought for freedom for six long years, Poland was handed to the Soviet Union.Table of ContentsIntroduction /1: Dawn of Darkness (the pre-war situation and the invasion of Poland in 1939) /2: French Misfortunes (The aftermath of the invasion, and the difficulties of the Polish forces trying to re-form in France, the fall of France, and the Polish evacuation to England) /3: Everything was in Secret (The story of the largest, most complex and most active resistance movement of the war) /4: On Wings of Eagles (Air War over Poland in 1939, over France in 1940, and then in England until the end of the war) /5: Warriors from a Wasteland (the fate of the hundreds of thousands of Polish PoWs and civilians deported to Soviet camps, and then the 100,000 survivors allowed to re-form a Polish army following Germany's declaration of war on the Soviet Union. /6: A Bloody Job Well Done (1st armored division, their formation, and their role in the Normandy breakout, and on into Germany) /7: A Bridge Not Far Enough (the 1st Polish Independant Parachute brigade, their formation, and their role in Operation Market Garden) /8: Poles Under Soviet Command (The actions of those Poles unable to leave Russia who fought as part of the 2nd Polish Corps, fighting under Soviet command from Stalingrad to Berlin) /9: Glory and Heartbreak (The Warsaw Uprising) /10: For Your Freedom (The devastation wrought on Poland by the war, the post-war settlements and the fate of the hundreds of thousands of displaced Polish troops and civilians) /Notes /Further Reading /Index
£14.67
