Search results for ""Pen Sword Books Ltd""
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Who Really Won the Battle of Marathon?: A bold re-appraisal of one of history's most famous battles
The Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, where an Athenian-led Greek force defeated a Persian invasion, is one of the most decisive battles in Antiquity and has been studied for centuries. It is famed as a triumph of the Greek hoplite heavy infantry phalanx against massively superior Persian numbers. But this exciting re-assessment of the evidence, including new archaeological findings, overturns many long-held assumptions. In particular the authors argue that the Greek numerical inferiority was less marked than previously thought, largely because the hoplites were accompanied by many light infantrymen who are given unprecedented credit for their role in the fighting. The contribution of these poorer citizens, it is argued, led to the immediate strengthening of democracy in Athens. The authors also tackle the much-debated mystery of the whereabouts of the Persian cavalry, generally thought to have been absent on the day of battle. Their bold answer is that it was not only present but played a central role in the fighting. However, the Greeks managed to defeat the Persian cavalry by their ingenious use of the terrain. Karyanos and Lagos also claim to have located the site of the Greek camp. This thoroughly researched and compelling re-assessment is an exciting new take on this justly famous event.
£29.36
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Inchon Landing: MacArthur's Korean War Masterstoke, September 1950
Inchon, a dramatic Cold War event: in the first two volumes in the author's series on battles of the Korean War, North Korean ground forces, armour and artillery cross the 38th Parallel into South Korea, inflicting successive ignominious defeats on the ill-prepared US-led UN troops, pushing them ever southward into a tiny defensive enclave the Pusan Perimeter on the tip of the Korean Peninsula. General Douglas MacArthur, Second World War veteran of the South East Asia and Pacific theatres, meets with considerable resistance to his plans for a counteroffensive, from both Washington and his staff in South Korea and Japan: it is typhoon season, the approaches to the South Korean port city of Inch'?n are not conducive to amphibious assault, and it will leave the besieged Pusan Perimeter in great danger of being overrun. However, the controversial MacArthur's obstinate persistency prevails and, with a mere three weeks to go, the US X Corps is activated to execute the invasion on D-Day, 15 September 1950. Elements of the US Marine Corps land successfully on the scheduled day, and with the element of surprise on their side, immediately strike east to Seoul, only 15 miles away. The next day, General Walker's Eighth US Army breaks out of Pusan to complete the southerly envelopment of the North Korean forces. Seoul falls on the 25th. MacArthur's impulsive gamble has paid off, and the South Korean government moves back to their capital. The North Koreans have been driven north of the 38th Parallel, effectively bringing to an end their invasion of the south that started on 25 June 1950.
£20.98
Pen & Sword Books Ltd On the Road to Victory: The Rise of Motor Transport with the BEF on the Western Front
The Great War produced many innovations, in particular the spectacular development by the British and French armies of motor transport. The age-old problem of moving soldiers and their supplies was no different in 1914 than it had been some 2,400 years ago, when the great Chinese military thinker Sun Tzu informed his readers that the further an army marched into enemy territory, the more the cost of transport increased, even to the point that more supplies were consumed by the transportation of men and their horses than was delivered to the troops. Using many previously unpublished illustrations, including artists' impressions, this book tells the story of the men and women who made motor transport [MT] work for the victorious British Army on the Western Front, so that in 1918, the humble lorry did indeed help propel the British Army forward On the Road to Victory'.
£31.60
Pen & Sword Books Ltd US Marine Corps Women's Reserve: They Are Marines': Uniforms and Equipment in World War II
When the US Marine Commandant, Major General Thomas Holcomb, announced the formation of what became the US Marine Corps' Women's Reserve, legend has it that the portrait of the fifth Commandant, Archibald Henderson, fell off the wall and crashed to the floor - in disbelief'. This branch of the US Marines was authorized by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on 30 July 1942. This law allowed for the acceptance of women into the reserve as commissioned officers and at the enlisted level, effective for the duration of the war plus six months. The purpose of the law was to release officers and men for combat and to replace them with women in shore stations. The result was that between 1943 and 1945 the women of America enlisted in their thousands to Free A Marine to Fight'. This book, the first of its kind, explores in detail the role of Women Marines, or WRs as they were known at the time. It also presents a detailed study of the uniforms of the WRs supported by numerous colour photographs. This book has been written with the full support of the US Marine Corps Histories Division, the Women Marine Association and surviving WR veterans.
£21.96
Pen & Sword Books Ltd On the Trail of the Yorkshire Ripper: His Final Secrets Revealed
Peter Sutcliffe, The Yorkshire Ripper, remains the most infamous serial killer in British criminal history. His reign of terror saw 13 women brutally murdered and the largest criminal manhunt in British history. Just like Jack the Ripper, his Victorian counterpart of 1888, he remains a killer of almost mythical proportions, yet the locations and circumstances surrounding his foul deeds remain a subject of confusion to this day .. until now. Using ground breaking new research together with the original police reports, newspaper descriptions and eye witness testimony, we can finally present the truth about what actually happened. For the first time in over four decades we re-examine the crime scenes and deliver the real story of the Yorkshire Ripper murders.
£32.33
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Test Pilots of the Jet Age: Men Who Heralded a New Era in Aviation
Today, as we board our flights to Adelaide, Zurich, and all points in between, we give little thought to the jet power that will take us there. But, this is only possible because just over 70 years ago a select band of British test pilots was prepared to risk all in the quest to fly further, faster and higher than ever before. Their quest was fraught with danger; disaster and death were never far away. This book captures eleven of those stories as told by the pilots themselves - their words as to how they took British aviation to the forefront of a new era, the Jet Age'. Britain's aircraft industry was booming in the years immediately after the end of the Second World War and the demand for test pilots seemingly limitless as new aircraft types rolled off the drawing boards. Meteors, Vampires, Hunters, Comets, Victors, Vulcans and Harriers were some of the aircraft that became world-beaters. Today, these names and the role played by the test pilots in bringing these projects to fruition are all but forgotten. The stories were filmed over a number of years and it is the edited transcripts of those interviews that form a unique and rare perspective on such a pivotal era in aviation. Most were veterans of the Second World War with illustrious service records. Now they faced new battles as they flew new airframes and engines to the limit and sometimes beyond. First, they had to conquer the sound barrier' which to many, scientists and the public alike, had assumed almost mythic status. Having done that, they were soon flying at twice the speed of sound, such was the rate of progress. It took discipline, technical know-how, an above average level of flying skill and according to some, a lack of imagination to make a good test pilot. Their stories are often insightful, always modest and often tinged with humour.
£32.70
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Men Who Flew the Heavy Bombers: RAF and USAAF Four-Engine Heavies in the Second World War
Martin Bowman's considerable experience as a military historian has spanned over forty years, during which time he has amassed a wealth of material on the participation by RAF and Commonwealth and US 8th and 15th Air Force crews in the series of raids on the cities and oil transportation and industrial targets in the Third Reich, culminating in 'Round-the-Clock' bombing by the RAF, operating at night on the largely forgotten Stirling, the gamely Halifax and ultimately the more successful Lancaster, and the US 8th Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator crews by day on a target list so long and wide ranging that it defies the imagination. Hundreds of hours of painstaking and fact-finding research and interviews and correspondence with numerous airmen and women and their relatives, in Britain, America and beyond has been woven into a highly readable and emotional outpouring of life and death in combat over the Third Reich as the men of the RAF and Commonwealth and American air forces describe in their own words the compelling, gripping and thought-provoking narrative of the Combined Bomber Offensive in World War Two, which resulted from the RAF nocturnal onslaught and the American unescorted precision attacks on targets throughout the Reich until the P-51 Mustang escort fighters enabled the 8th to assume the mantle of the leading bombing partner in theatre. February and March 1945 saw the most intense bombing destruction when Nazi defences were minimal or absent and the war was all but over. Final victory in May 1945 came at a high price indeed. Half of the U.S. Army Air Forces' casualties in World War II were suffered by Eighth Air Force, with in excess of 47,000 casualties, with more than 26,000 dead. RAF Bomber Command lost 55,573 men killed out of a total of 125,000 aircrew and 8,403 wounded in action while 9,838 became prisoners of war. RAF and American bomber crews could, therefore be forgiven for thinking they had won a pyrrhic victory; one that had taken such a heavy toll that negated any true sense of achievement, though, if nothing else, the human effort spent by RAF Bomber Command and the Eighth Air Force did pave the way for the Soviet victory in the east.
£33.65
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Vehicles and Heavy Weapons of the Vietnam War
The ground war in Vietnam pitted a myriad of American tanks, artillery, APC and trucks against not only the weapons of Communist North Vietnam, but also the terrain. Through archival images, the arsenal of the US Army and USMC are revisited. From the iconic M113 APC to the M48A3 tank, M551 Armored Reconnaissance/Airborne Assault Vehicle, M151 and M54 trucks, M50 Ontos, M107 and M109 artillery, and M42 Duster, the complete array of vehicles fielded is shown. This book, the first in a series on the US military's weapons, vehicles, aircraft, and naval vessels of the Vietnam War, offers a highly illustrated reference for this wishing to delve deeper into this conflict.
£31.66
Pen & Sword Books Ltd M2/M3 Bradley: Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives
Through hundreds of color photos, the bulk previously unpublished, Images of War: M2 Bradley explores America's premier Infantry Fighting Vehicle in an unprecedented level of detail. Go inside and out the modern-day icon, then ride it into battle through they myriad of photos presented in this book. See why Bradley remains one of the most formidable armored combat vehicles of its class, even as it logs over 35 years of service.
£22.56
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Disaster Before D-Day: Unravelling the Tragedy at Slapton Sands
This 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.
£27.78
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Bugatti Blue: Prescott and the Spirit of Bugatti
The British have had an affair with Bugatti for decades and perhaps Prescott is the place where that have relationship has reached its highlights across the decades. This collection of photographic images captures the brilliance of Bugatti design amid Bugatti blue at Prescott's wonderful natural amphitheatre in the Cotswolds - to which visitors, Bugatti owners, enthusiasts and addicts have travelled from all over the world for decades. The author is a designer, photographer and writer who has spent years around old cars and years visiting Prescott and the Bugatti Owners Club. In this collection of photographs, much of the masterworks of Molsheim are captured in action and at rest at the altar of British Bugatti enthusiasm. Herein are moments and memories of old Bugattis, their owners and drivers, and other vintage and classic cars in action at this revered location. This new collection of stunning images, created over a number of years, allied to a concise narrative and with assistance from Bugatti experts, should provide the Bugatti and vintage car enthusiast with something new to accompany their own memories of Bugatti amid a record of Prescott and the Bugatti Owners Club events and VSSC days.
£45.05
Pen & Sword Books Ltd United States Airborne Divisions 1942-2018: Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives
In 1942 the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions were formed and three more followed. 17th and 92nd (All American Division) and 101st (Screaming Eagles) fought in Sicily, D-Day, MARKET GARDEN and the Rhine Crossing (VARSITY). The 11th served in the Far East. The 13th did not see combat. Only the 82nd survived the post-war cull. The Screaming Eagles were reactivated in 1956 and both divisions served in Vietnam with the 101st becoming a helicopter delivered airmobile' division in 1968 before being re-designated an air assault' division in 1974. As this superbly illustrated book describes, both 82nd and 101st earned their reputations as crack' divisions at the forefront of US operations and military interventions, be it Grenada (URGENT FURY), Panama (JUST CAUSE), the Gulf Wars and most recently Afghanistan (ENDURING FREEDOM). Thanks to the Author's knowledge and research, this Images of War book gives the reader a full insight into the battles and the men and their equipment that have made these divisions the elite of the US Army.
£27.68
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Anglo-Boer War in 100 Objects
The Anglo-Boer War in 100 Objects brings the victories and the tragedies-and the full extent of the human drama behind this war-to life through 100 iconic artefacts. While a Mafeking siege note helps to illustrate the acute shortages caused by the siege, a spade used by a Scottish soldier at Magersfontein and the boots of a Boer soldier who died at Spion Kop tell of the severity of some of the famous battles. The book follows the course of the war but also highlights specific themes, such as British and Boer weaponry, medical services and POW camps, as well as major figures on both sides. The text is interspersed with striking historical images from the museum's photographic collection. More than 200 additional objects have been included to help tell the story of a conflict that left an indelible mark on the South African landscape.
£34.71
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Sieges of Ciudad Rodrigo 1810 and 1812: The Peninsular War
The area astride the Spanish/Portuguese border between the respective fortresses of Ciudad Rodrigo and Almeida was the focus of the Peninsular War for much of the period from the autumn of 1809 through until 1812\. The fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo that dominated the country between the Rivers Agueda and Coa, was one of the 'Keys to Spain' for any army attacking either east or west across the frontier. With the defeat of the Fifth Coalition at Wagram in 1809, Napoleon was free to turn his attention to the rebellious Iberian Peninsula and the small British Army. Tasking a reluctant Marshal Massena to 'throw the leopard into sea', preparations started for what proved to be a protracted and lacklustre siege. Marshal Ney, however, champed at the bit and wanted to press on with the invasion and despite an increasing tempo of outpost actions, such as the renowned affair at Barbra del Puerco, Napoleon in attempting to control events from Paris, insisted on an orderly siege. With the fall of Ciudad Rodrigo, Craufurd's Light Division remained covering the Army's frontage but after a superbly conducted withdrawal, Craufurd's judgement erred and he was force into a costly fighting withdrawal to the River Coa. The British now fell back into Portugal but by Spring 1811 they were back and with Napoleon stripping troops from the Peninsular Wellington could prepare to invade Spain and besiege Ciudad Rodrigo Preparations for the siege were almost complete in December 1811, when further troops were stripped from Marshal Marmont, an opportunity to presented itself for a lightening operation to take Ciudad Rodrigo in the 1812 siege, which was of very different character.
£29.25
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia: Brother and Sister of History's Most Vilified Family
Myths and rumour have shrouded the Borgia family for centuries - tales of incest, intrigue and murder have been told of them since they themselves walked the hallways of the Apostolic Palace. In particular, vicious rumour and slanderous tales have stuck to the names of two members of the infamous Borgia family - Cesare and Lucrezia, brother and sister of history's most notorious family. But how much of it is true, and how much of it is simply rumour aimed to blacken the name of the Borgia family? In the first ever biography solely on the Borgia siblings, Samantha Morris tells the true story of these two fascinating individuals from their early lives, through their years living amongst the halls of the Vatican in Rome until their ultimate untimely deaths. Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia begins in the bustling metropolis of Rome with the siblings ultimately being used in the dynastic plans of their father, a man who would become Pope, and takes the reader through the separate, yet fascinatingly intertwined, lives of the notorious siblings. One tale, that of Cesare, ends on the battlefield of Navarre, whilst the other ends in the ducal court of Ferrara. Both Cesare and Lucrezia led lives full of intrigue and danger, lives which would attract the worst sort of rumour begun by their enemies. Drawing on both primary and secondary sources Morris brings the true story of the Borgia siblings, so often made out to be evil incarnate in other forms of media, to audiences both new to the history of the Italian Renaissance and old.
£31.34
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Battle of the Lys 1918: North: Objective Ypres
The second of two Battelground Europe titles covering this highly significant battle of spring 1918. The German offensive in Flanders in April 1918 came close to catastrophe for the British Armies, but ultimately ended in strategic defeat for the Kaiser's men. Following close on the heels of the devastating 'Operation Michael' attack in March, which had been aimed against the British front on the Somme and Arras, this offensive, 'Operation Georgette', was aimed at strangling the vital railways and roads that supplied the British at Ypres and threatening the vital logistics links with the Channel Ports. Having assembled an overwhelming numerical advantage, the Germans attacked in thick fog on 9 April 1918. By day's end, the Germans had succeeded in gaining a crossing of the River Lys and were well on their way to the railway junctions at Hazebrouck. Next day, they extended the attacked front northwards and advanced to the very gates of Ypres, forcing a British retirement from the bloodily won advances during the Third Battle of Ypres. Messines Ridge, captured so spectacularly by the British in June 1917, was soon in German hands and fighting inched towards Mont Kemmel, which dominated the Ypres front. Once this fell, the way was open for the capture of the main supply roads into Ypres. To find sufficient reserves to counter the German attack, the British took the heart-breaking decision to abandon the ground won so dearly in the Passchendaele offensive in the summer and autumn of 1917. Gradually, fresher British and French reserves arrived and held their ground. With disappointing results, mounting casualties and a diminishing return for their efforts, the Germans paused to regroup. Late in the month they unleashed a rapid, unstoppable attack that captured Kemmel from the French forces that had been rushed north to reinforce the threatened line and which had been holding the summit: one of the finest military feats of the Great War. Behind the scenes, however, the Germans were already calling off a continuation of the offensive and so, by a seeming miracle, the bastion that was Ypres remained in British hands. What the British call 'The 'Battle of the Lys 1918' is a fascinating yet curiously neglected period of military history. Chris Baker examines this major battle from the strategic down to the platoon level, highlighting the key events, characters and acts of enormous bravery on both sides, both in historical narrative and in a series of tours of the area. This volume concentrates on the northern half of the battlefield; nearly all of the actions described in this volume took place in Belgium.
£21.23
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Battle of the Lys 1918: South: Objective Hazebrouck
The German offensive in Flanders in April 1918 came close to catastrophe for the British Armies, but ultimately ended in strategic defeat for the Kaiser's men. Following closely on the heels of the devastating 'Operation Michael' attack in March on the Somme and around Arras, named as 'Operation Georgette', the offensive was aimed at strangling the vital railways and roads that supplied the British at Ypres. Having assembled an overwhelming numerical advantage, the Germans attacked in thick fog on 9 April 1918. They faced tired British formations that had just been relieved from the earlier battle and which were receiving replacements, mainly in the form of 18 year-old conscripts. By the day's end, the Germans had succeeded in gaining a crossing of the River Lys and were well on their way to the vital railway junctions at Hazebrouck. Several British divisions were deployed to stop the advance, only to be effectively destroyed in the attempt over the next few days. Gradually, fresher British, Australian and French reserves arrived and held their ground. With disappointing results, mounting casualties and a diminishing return for their efforts, the Germans abandoned the offensive and turned their attention further south. What the British call The Battle of the Lys 1918 is a fascinating yet curiously neglected period of military history. Chris Baker examines this major battle from the strategic down to the platoon level, highlighting the key events, characters and acts of enormous bravery on both sides, both in a historical narrative and in a series of tours of the area. This volume, one of two on the battle, concentrates on the southern half of the battlefield.
£21.35
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The War With Hitler's Navy
As this well researched work reveals, Hitler's handling the German Navy during the Second World War was full of contradictions. The seriousness of the U-boat threat was never in doubt and in the dark days of 1940 - 1942, the Donitz's daring strategy coupled with the courage and determined actions of the captains and crews became perilously close to starving Britain into submission. But, despite having built and nurtured a surface fleet with capital ships of formidable power, Hitler was uncharacteristically cautious of employing them aggressively. Examination of the reasons for this make for fascinating reading, possibly stemming from the early loss of the Graf Spee and the fact that, whenever possible, the Royal Navy threw all its weight regardless of cost at the Nazi threat; the loss of the Hood in the pursuit of the Bismarck being one example. Even Goebbels could not 'spin' the loss of a battleship. The War against Hitler's Navy describes in fascinating detail the many fronts on which the adversaries faced each other and analyses the reasons for the ultimate outcome.
£28.39
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Red China: Mao Crushes Chiang's Kuomintang, 1949
When the world held its breath It is more than 25 years since the end of the Cold War. It began over 75 years ago, in 1944 long before the last shots of the Second World War had echoed across the wastelands of Eastern Europe with the brutal Greek Civil War. The battle lines are no longer drawn, but they linger on, unwittingly or not, in conflict zones such as Syria, Somalia and Ukraine. In an era of mass-produced AK-47s and ICBMs, one such flashpoint was China in 1949 China. 1949: two vast armies prepare for a final showdown that will decide Asia s future. One is led by Mao Tse-tung and his military strategists Zhou Enlai and Zhu De. Hardened by years of guerrilla warfare, armed and trained by the Soviets, and determined to emerge victorious, the People s Liberation Army is poised to strike from its Manchurian stronghold. Opposing them are the teetering divisions of the Kuomintang, the KMT. For two decades Chiang Kai-shek s regime had sought to fashion China into a modern state. But years spent battling warlords, and enduring Japan s brutal conquest of their homeland, has left the KMT weak, corrupt, and divided. Millions of Chinese perished during the crucible of the Sino-Japanese War and the long, gruelling years of the Second World War. But the Soviet victory against the Japanese Kwantung Army in 1945 allowed Mao s Communists to re-arm and prepare for the coming civil war. Within a few short years, the KMT were on the defensive while the Communists possessed the most formidable army in East Asia. The stage was set for China s rebirth as a communist dictatorship ruled by a megalomaniac who would become the biggest mass-murderer in history.
£19.70
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou: A Marriage of Unequals
He became king before his first birthday, inheriting a vast empire from his military hero father; she was the daughter of a king without power, who made an unexpected marriage at the age of fifteen. Almost completely opposite in character, together they formed an unlikely but complimentary partnership. Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou have become famous as the Lancastrian king and queen who were deposed during the Wars of the Roses but there is so much more to their story. The political narrative of their years together is a tale of twists and turns, encompassing incredible highs, when they came close to fulfilling their desires, and terrible, heart-breaking lows. Personally, their story is an intriguing one that raises may questions. Henry was a complex, misunderstood man, enlightened and unsuited to his times and the pressures of kingship. In the end, overcome by fortune and the sheer determination of their enemies, their alliance collapsed. England simply wasn't ready for a gentle king like Henry, or woman like Margaret who defied contemporary stereotypes of gender and queenship. History has been a harsh judge to this royal couple. In this discerning dual biography, Amy Licence leads the way in a long-overdue re-evaluation of their characters and contributions during a tumultuous and defining period of British history.
£28.48
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Building for Battle: U-Boat Pens of the Atlantic Battle
The only thing that ever really frightened me during the war was the U-boat peril - Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Churchill, as a former First Lord of the Admiralty, was well versed in the importance of Britain protecting itself at sea. In the opening years of the Second World War, Germany s U-boat (submarine) fleet was tasked with attacking and destroying the supply ships that Britain depended upon for its survival. The U-boats were under the command of Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz who, for much of the war, effectively guided that strategy. There was a very real possibility that the British people would starve if the U-boats succeeded in their campaign. When France fell to the German forces in 1940, Hitler s Ubootwaffe gained a significant asset in five important ports along the Brittany coast - Brest, Lorient, St. Nazaire, La Palace and Bordeaux. The use of these ports put Germany s submarine force hundreds of miles closer to the action in the North Atlantic, the routes of the Allied supply convoys which were operating mainly between Halifax, Nova Scotia and various English port cities. This afforded the U-boats several more days at sea on their deadly patrols than was possible while they had been based in Germany and German-occupied Norway. In this new publication from Philip Kaplan, the massive bunkers or pens constructed in Brittany by the labourers of the German Organisation Todt are revisited. These giant structures, some of which sheltered more than a dozen submarines at a time, still exist because they were built with concrete ceilings more than three metres thick. With equally impressive supporting walls, they suffered relatively little damage in the wartime bombing raids of the Royal Air Force and the US Eighth Army Air Force. Illustrated with more than 150 rare and compelling photo images, this book is a richly rewarding journey back across time to some of the most intriguing and electrifying sites from the war years. The story of the pen shelters and their part in that war is both fascinating and enduring.
£32.98
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Septimius Severus and the Roman Army
The assassination of Emperor Commodus in 192 sparked a civil war. Septimius Severus emerged as the eventual victor and his dynasty (the Severans) ruled until 235\. He fought numerous campaigns, against both internal rivals and external enemies, extending the Empire to the east (adding Mesopotamia), the south (in Africa) and the north (beyond Hadrian's Wall). The military aspects of his reign, including his reforms of the army, are the main focus of this new study. After discussing his early career and governorship of Pannonia, Michael Sage narrates his war with Pescennius Niger, the siege of Byzantium, and the campaign in northern Mesopotamia that added it as a province. The much more difficult campaign against Clodius Albinus in Gaul is also studied in detail, as is that in North Africa. The narrative concludes with an account of the last campaign in Britain and Severus' death. The final chapters analyse Septimius' reforms of the army and assess their impact on events of the next seventy years until the accession of Diocletian. His greatest weakness was his love for his family. Like Marcus Aurelius he loved his children too much. They failed to maintain what he had bequeathed them.
£26.99
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Total Onslaught: War and Revolution in Southern Africa 1945-2018
The end of the Second World War may have heralded peace in Europe but conflicts in Southern Africa were about to begin. The imperial powers were weakened by the cost of war and a string of wars challenged colonial rule in countries such as Namibia, Angola and Rhodesia. Once independence was achieved, civil wars between rival factions unfamiliar with democratic principles resulted. Liberation movements such as those in South Africa demanded self-rule and end to Apartheid. Tribal feuds, corruption and the ambitions of dictators led to more conflicts such as the protracted fighting in the Congo. These were wars that ran on until both sides were exhausted often only to be re-kindled after short periods of uneasy peace. The cost in human and material terms has been devastating and in too many cases remain so. Economic development has been frustrated and the result is often poverty, abuse and genocide. The Author who knows Southern Africa as a native is superbly equipped to tell this fascinating if tragic record.
£36.58
Pen & Sword Books Ltd A History of Birds
Even the most well-informed wildlife enthusiast will be entertained by the stories and fascinating facts in the beautifully illustrated book. Our ancestors hunted, tamed, worshipped and depicted birds, and even bestowed magical properties upon them. Why did ancient writers consider the sparrow a lustful creature? Which bird was killed and hung up to predict the weather? And what was an 'arse-foot'? Wildlife photographer and history journalist Simon Wills explores the intriguing and at times bizarre stories behind our relationship with birds. Find out why robins feature on Christmas cards, and how Mozart was persuaded to keep a pet starling. What bird did Florence Nightingale carry around in her pocket? How did the blue tit get its name? Whole careers have been created around birds - from falconers to ostrich farmers - and birds have had great symbolic importance too. Discover, for example, why Raleigh bicycles carry a heron logo and why church lectems are in the shape of an eagle. If you enjoy wildlife, then this book is full of surprises. Pigeons were trained to carry messages in wartime, but could gulls be taught to hunt U-boats? And which American president's parrot started swearing at his funeral?
£22.08
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Somme 1916: Touring the French Sector
With a few notable exceptions, the French efforts on the Somme have been largely missing or minimised in British accounts of the Battle of the Somme. And yet they held this sector of the Front from the outbreak of the war until well into 1915 and, indeed, in parts into 1916\. It does not hurt to be reminded that the French army suffered some 200,000 casualties in the 1916 offensive. David O Mara s book provides an outline narrative describing the arrival of the war on the Somme and some of the notable and quite fierce actions that took place that autumn and, indeed, into December of 1914\. Extensive mine warfare was a feature of 1915 and beyond on the Somme; for example under Redan Ridge and before Dompierre and Fay. The French limited offensive at Serre in June 1915 is reasonably well known, but there was fighting elsewhere for example the Germans launched a short, sharp, limited attack at Frise in January 1916, part of the diversionary action before the Germans launched their ill-fated offensive at Verdun. The book covers the Somme front from Gommecourt, north of the Somme, to Chaulnes, at the southern end of the battle zone of 1916\. The reader is taken around key points in various tours. For many British visitors the battlefields south of the Somme will be a revelation; there is much to see, both of cemeteries and memorials, but also substantial traces of the fighting remain on the ground, some of which is accessible to the public. It has always been something of a disgrace that there is so little available, even in French, to educate the public in an accessible written form about the substantial effort made by France s army on the Somme; this book and subsequent, more detailed volumes to be published in the coming years will go some way to rectify this. British visitors should be fascinated by the story of these forgotten men of France and the largely unknown part of the Somme battlefield.
£23.08
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Reconnaissance Planes Since 1945
Reconnaissance aircraft have always been the spearhead of the various air forces, helping to provide the basis for any further military operations. At the time of the Cold War and before the satellite era, the use of reconnaissance aircraft reached its zenith, as the warring nations were determined to know what was happening on the other side. Consequently, powerful aircraft emerged during this time, especially in terms of deployment altitude, speed and flight time; achievements which have been largely unrecognised until now.
£16.49
Pen & Sword Books Ltd SS Totenkopf Division at War: History of the Division
The SS Totenkopf (Death Head) Division even 70 years on retains its formidable and ruthless reputation as a superbly efficient yet murderous formation. It earned this for its actions throughout the Second World War, first in 1940 during the blitzkrieg in Northern France and then on the Eastern Front. The battles at Kharkov and Kurst saw some of the fiercest fighting of that long and terrible campaign. During the long retreat back to the Fatherland the Division fought with customary dogged determination, nay fanaticism. This superbly illustrated work, drawing on images taken by participants, portrays the SS Totenkopfs history from formation through training to the battles in northern France and in Russia.
£20.31
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Axis Tanks of the Second World War
The German Army used tanks to devastating effect in their Blitzkrieg campaigns during the early years of the Second World War and in the intense defensive battles leading up to final defeat in 1945. It may be a surprise to many that the Japanese Army had more tanks than Nazi Germany in 1938; these included the Type 95 light tank and the Type 89 and 97 medium tanks. Co-belligerents in the Axis Alliance that built their own tanks included Italy, Romania and Hungary. The latter was responsible for the Toldi and Turan light tank series. As can be seen from the descriptions and images in this classic Images of War series work, the Axis powers had drawn on British and, in some cases, French design for their tanks in the period leading up to the Second World War: the Carden-Loyd tankette suspension was used in the Panzer 1 series and the light Italian and Japanese tanks. German engineering talent resulted in the original and ingenious designs of the Panzer II, III and IV series and, later in the War, the Panther Medium and Tiger heavy tanks. This latest work by author and expert Mike Green will fascinate and inform historians, engineers and war gamers.
£20.59
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Storm Chaser
The storms that cross the Great Plains of North America each spring are some of nature's most spectacular. They can also be some of the most dangerous. Most people who live in areas susceptible to these storms keep a close eye on the weather reports and take cover or evacuate when one is on the way. Storm chasers keep an even closer eye on the weather data, but for a different reason: they don't run away when they see a storm approaching, they follow it! Professional photographer and Emmy Award winner, Mike Olbinski has chased storms throughout his native Arizona, as well as even further afield, including Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado. Whether he's photographing lightning, tornadoes or even cloud formations, his remarkable images are able to convey the awesome power and beauty of nature in its most dramatic and impressive forms. With over 100 stunning colour photographs, this book brings together some of Mike's most breath taking images from the past five years as he describes his love of the open road and the thrill of capturing the perfect storm on film.
£34.01
Pen & Sword Books Ltd ShipCraft 24: Japanese Battleship s Fuso and Ise Classes
The 'ShipCraft' series provides in-depth information about building and modifying model kits of famous warship types. Lavishly illustrated, each book takes the modeller through a brief history of the subject class, highlighting differences between sisterships and changes in their appearance over their careers. This includes paint schemes and camouflage, featuring colour profiles and highly-detailed line drawings and scale plans. The modelling section reviews the strengths and weaknesses of available kits, lists commercial accessory sets for super-detailing of the ships, and provides hints on modifying and improving the basic kit. This is followed by an extensive photographic survey of selected high-quality models in a variety of scales, and the book concludes with a section on research references - books, monographs, large-scale plans and relevant websites. This volume covers the two related classes of Japanese 14in-gunned battleships, originally built during the First World War but subsequently totally reconstructed. They are famous for the towering forward superstructure, usually described as a pagoda bridge, that they featured when rebuilt.Ise and Hyuga underwent further reconstruction during the Second World War to emerge as a unique hybrid of battleship and aircraft carrier in a desperate attempt to compensate for fleet carriers sunk earlier in the war.
£21.23
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Scandal of George III's Court
From Windsor to Weymouth, the shadow of scandal was never too far from the walls of the House of Hanover. Did a fearsome duke really commit murder or a royal mistress sell commissions to the highest bidders, and what was the truth behind George III's supposed secret marriage to a pretty Quaker? With everything from illegitimate children to illegal marriages, dead valets and equerries sneaking about the palace by candlelight, these eyebrow-raising tales from the reign of George III prove that the highest of births is no guarantee of good behaviour. Prepare to meet some shocking ladies, some shameless gentlemen and some politicians who really should know better. So tighten your stays, hoist up your breeches and prepare for a gallop through some of the most shocking royal scandals from the court of George III's court. You'll never look at a king in the same way again...
£29.85
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Ten Years at Hitler's Side: The Testimony of Wilhelm Keitel
In October 1946, Wilhelm Keitel was executed by hanging after being sentenced to death at the Nuremburg Trials. His road to this point was a long and controversial one, from the heady days of the surrender of France, to the eventual fall of Berlin and his subsequent arrest. There were few men better positioned to provide insight in to the minds and workings of the National Socialist Party, and of those a preciously limited amount were held accountable for their crimes. This renders the record of Keitel's trial as published here an invaluable historical record that goes some way to providing an understanding of the near incomprehensible crimes committed during the Third Reich. Edited and introduced by esteemed historian Bob Carruthers, this unadulterated record of Wilhelm Keitel's trial at Nuremburg is essential reading for all history enthusiasts and an important account of events that truly shook the world.
£23.00
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Bad Girls from History: Wicked or Misunderstood?
You wont be familiar with every one of the huge array of women featured in these pages, but all, familiar or not, leave unanswered questions behind them. The range is extensive, as was the research, with its insight into the lives and minds of women in different centuries, different countries, with diverse cultures and backgrounds, from the poverty stricken to royalty. Mistresses, murderers, smugglers, pirates, prostitutes and fanatics with hearts and souls that feature every shade of black (and grey!). From Cleopatra to Ruth Ellis, from Boudicca to Bonnie Parker, from Lady Caroline Lamb to Moll Cutpurse, from Jezebel to Ava Gardner. Less familiar names include Mary Jeffries, the Victorian brothel-keeper, Belle Starr, the American gambler and horse thief, La Voisin, the seventeenth-century Queen of all Witches in France but these are random names, to illustrate the variety of the content in store for all those interested in women who defy law and order, for whatever reason. The risque, the adventurous and the outrageous, the downright nasty and the downright desperate all human (female!) life is here. From the lower stratas of society to the aristocracy, class is not a common denominator. Wicked? Misunderstood? Nave? Foolish? Predatory? Manipulative? Or just out of their time? Read and decide.
£18.06
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Twenty-One Days in Normandy
The Canadian 4th armoured division crossed the Channel in July 1944 to reinforce the invading forces and assist in the Allied attempts to breakout of the Normandy beachhead around. They were heavily engaged in Operation Totalize and Operation Tractable but have been criticized for their failure to close the 'Falaise gap' and complete the entrapment of withdrawing German forces. Their commander, Major General George Kitching, was relieved of his command after just 21 days in action. Angelo Caravaggio re-examines the division's performance and particularly that of its leadership. Using new information, he establishes that, despite entering battle for the first time during one of the most challenging phases of Allied operations in August 1944, the 4th Armoured Division, under Kitching's leadership proved resilient and adaptive in overcoming the volatile and unpredictable nature of warfare in Normandy. The combat operations of August 1944 transformed the division into a battle-hardened combat formation that would later distinguish itself through its ability to generate a sustained drive across France out of the chaos and destruction of the Normandy battles.
£29.76
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Arnhem and the Aftermath: Airborne Assaults in the Netherlands 1940 - 1945
War is far more than a series of military victories and defeats. Civilians always are the biggest victims and there are often staggering imbalances between casualties on the frontlines, and those behind; between the victims and the aggressors. According to recent figures, The Second World War saw the deaths of an estimated 72 million people worldwide, two thirds of whom were civilians. Wars also have serious social, economic and human consequences. They may defeat politicians and aggressive politics, but it is communities who pay the price. In 1939 one European country after another suffered defeat, which later resulted in enormous social and economic degradations of the communities involved. The failure of Operation Market Garden in 1944 resulted in yet another tragedy for the Dutch and one that would have far deeper social consequences than those before it. After the Allies were defeated, the Nazis terrorised the local Dutch populace and the V2 rockets fired immediately from their Dutch launch sites resulted in over 9,000 casualties in the UK. Arnhem and the Aftermath begins and ends in Arnhem, in 1940 and 1945 respectively.It focuses on the experiences of the civilians in those mournful years, against a back-drop of all three airborne operations in the Netherlands, in which both German and Allied forces were involved.
£43.90
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Roman Empire at War: A Compendium of Roman Battles from 31 B.C. to A.D. 565
In a single volume, Empire at War catalogues and offers a brief description of every significant battle fought by the Roman Empire from Augustus to Justinian I (and most of the minor ones too). The information in each entry is drawn exclusively from Ancient, Late Antique, and Early Medieval texts, in order to offer a brief description of each battle based solely on the information provided by the earliest surviving sources which chronicle the event. This approach provides the reader a concise foundation of information to which they can then confidently apply later scholarly interpretation presented in secondary sources in order to achieve a more accurate understanding of the most likely battlefield scenario. In writing the battle descriptions, the author has not sought analyse the evidence contained in the surviving accounts, nor embellish them beyond that which was necessary to provide clarity to the modern reader. He allows the original writers to speak for themselves, presenting the reader with a succinct version of what the ancient chroniclers tell us of these dramatic events. It is an excellent first-stop reference to the many battles of the Roman Empire.
£29.16
Pen & Sword Books Ltd A Naval History of the Peloponnesian War: Ships, Men and Money in the War at Sea, 431-404 BC
Naval power played a vital role in the Peloponnesian War. The conflict pitted Athens against a powerful coalition including the preeminent land power of the day, Sparta. Only Athens superior fleet, her wooden walls , by protecting her vital supply routes allowed her to survive. It also allowed the strategic freedom of movement to strike back where she chose, most famously at Sphacteria, where a Spartan force was cut off and forced to surrender. Athens initial tactical superiority was demonstrated at the Battle of Chalcis, where her ships literally ran rings round the opposition but this gap closed as her enemies adapted. The great amphibious expedition to Sicily was a watershed, a strategic blunder compounded by tactical errors which brought defeat and irreplaceable losses. Although Athens continued to win victories at sea, at Arginusae for example, her naval strength had been severely weakened while the Spartans built up their fleets with Persian subsidies. It was another naval defeat, at Aegispotomi (405 BC) that finally sealed Athens fate. Marc De Santis narrates these stirring events while analysing the technical, tactical and strategic aspects of the war at sea.
£28.26
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Wargaming Campaigns
Most miniature wargames take the form of simulating a single battle with the opponents either winning or losing and that's that until the next game. Such games can be a fun test of tactical skill but it can be even more rewarding if they form part of a wider campaign. In a campaign, the players commanding the forces have to make the decisions at the strategic level that determine the context of any battles that occur. The outcome of these battles will, in turn, have strategic consequences for the ongoing campaign'. Although campaigns can be very rewarding, many wargamers are deterred by the need to produce maps and devise mechanisms for strategic movement, Intelligence, logistics, recruiting reinforcements, keeping track of casualties etc. Henry Hyde's excellent book greatly eases this task with masses of sound advice, concrete suggestions and even a full set of campaign rules useful for any period upto AD 1900. 'Whatever historical or fantasy setting your prefer, Henry shows that even simple campaigns can add extra fun to your gaming.
£55.66
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Royal Naval Air Service in the First World War
This book makes five original documents relating to the work of Britain's Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) during the First World War readily available to students and historians. To enhance visual interest a large collection of photographs, many hitherto unpublished, has been added. Some of these relate directly to the aircraft and events mentioned in the documents, but others show developments before and after the periods covered. The five documents concerned are the Diary of Important Operations, Flanders, 1916; Disposition of Aircraft, 24 February, 1917; Royal Naval Air Service Communiques Nos 1 to 14; Truing-up of Aeroplanes: Issued by the Air Department on 1 September 1916; and The Grain drawings, a unique set of sketches and drawings made by a draughtsman at the RNAS seaplane repair station at Port Victoria, Isle of Grain, in Kent during the Great War. All of these documents offer an array of fascinating insight into Royal Naval Air Service practices during the Great War. Much of the content on display has never been printed before. This unique treasure trove of visual reference is sure to appeal to all serious First World War historians, students and enthusiasts.
£42.54
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Mercenaries to Conquerors
When a band of Norman adventurers arrived in southern Italy to fight in the Lombard insurrections against the Byzantine empire in the early 1000s, few would have predicted that within a few generations, by force of arms, some of these men and other later arrivals would seize control of Apulia, Campania, Calabria and Sicily. How did they make such extraordinary gains and then consolidate their power? Paul Brown, in this thoroughly researched and absorbing study, seeks to answer these questions and throw light onto the Norman conquests across the Mediterranean which were even more remarkable than those achieved in France and England.Throughout he focuses on the military side of their progress, as they advanced from mercenaries to conquerors, then crusaders. The story of the campaigns they undertook in Italy, Sicily, the Balkans and the Near East, of the battles and sieges that marked their expansion, reveals their remarkable talent for war and the increasing efficiency of their organization.Particular attention is paid to the polyglot character of Norman forces, and the growing sophistication of their tactics, from cavalry raids to combined-arms warfare and siege craft.The dominant role played by a succession of Norman leaders from the Hauteville family is a key theme of the narrative - a line of ambitious and ruthless rulers that ran from Robert Guiscard and Bohemond to Tancred and King Roger II of Sicily. Paul Brown's account of the Norman conquests in the Mediterranean is based on the most recent scholarship in the field. It challenges some of the common assumptions about the equipment, organization and fighting methods of the Norman armies and the men who fought in them.
£31.78
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Beware Raiders German Surface Raiders in the Second World War
£17.80
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Charles Dickens: Places and Objects of Interest
Few writers have had a greater impact upon British society than Charles Dickens. His stories, and, in particular, his many memorable characters, highlighted the life of the forgotten poor and disadvantaged within society at a time when Britain was the leading economic and political power in the world. Dickens' portrayal of the poor, such as Oliver Twist daring to ask for more food in the parish workhouse, and Bob Cratchit struggling to provide for his family at Christmas, roused much sympathy and an understanding of the poor and the conditions in which they lived. This led to many people founding orphanages, establishing schools to educate the underprivileged, or to set up hospitals for those who could not afford medical treatment -one such was Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital where one of its wards was named after the great writer. Little wonder, then, that his legacy can be found across the UK. From the buildings where he lived, the inns and hotels he frequented, the streets and towns which formed the backdrop to his novels and short stories, to the places where he gave readings or performed his own amateur dramatic productions to raise funds for his philanthropic causes. Dickensian memorabilia also abound, including his original manuscripts to his famous works and letters to his wife. Many of these have been woven in a single volume which transports the reader magically through stories and images into the Dickensian world of Victorian Britain.
£34.86
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Naval Air: Celebrating a Century of Naval Flying
Naval aviation arrived early in the last century in the form of balloons and airships employed by the British Royal Navy for reconnaissance, and interest was stirring in naval circles in a greater aeronautical capacity for the service. Britain's tradition of projecting a global reach through her sea power would, in the view of many, be greatly enhanced by such a capability. Among the first advocates of military aircraft development was British naval minister, Winston Churchill. Over the course of the last century since this point of inception, huge leaps have been made in the design, development, and performance of naval aircraft. This comprehensive account, brought to us by eminent aviation historian Philip Kaplan, details the journey from origin through early development into wartime deployment. This is carried forward through post-war innovations and into modern conflicts such as the Falklands campaign. Attention is paid to the key landmarks of aviation history, such as Taranto, Pearl Harbour, The Doolittle Raid, the Battle of Midway and the Korean campaign. Reference is also paid throughout to the flying aces; the high points in the combat careers of the greatest naval and marine aviators of the past century. Kaplan weaves multiple threads in an effort to produce a comprehensive and detailed history. One of these is the part played by women in the history of flight, detailing a journey characterised by ever-closer involvement at the vanguard of aviation development, showing how societal changes have impacted upon this area in tune with others. Bringing the history up to date, there is a section dedicated to the Helicopter, its varying uses, current disposition and status of the various types in the U.S and British navies. Complemented by a collection of interesting photographs, this is sure to appeal to aviation enthusiasts as well as social historians of the past one hundred years; this isn't just a history of the various aircraft but of the people who got them off the ground and flew them into a new century.
£25.05
Pen & Sword Books Ltd A History of Women in Medicine and Medical Research: Exploring the Trailblazers of STEM
In the nineteenth century, a small but dedicated group of European and American women rose to agitate for the inclusion of women in the medical profession. It is a historic tale that we have told and retold for decades, but it is far from where the story of women as physicians and healers begins. Stretching back into deepest antiquity, we possess accounts of women who were consulted by emperors and paupers alike for their medical expertise. They were surgeons, apothecaries, midwives, university lecturers, and medical researchers in correspondence with the most learned societies of their time. And then it all came crashing down. A History of Women in Medicine and Medical Research is the story of the women who participated in that early Golden Age, and of a medical establishment closing ranks against them so effectively that, by the early Victorian era, they not only were barred from practicing medicine, but from so much as stepping into a classroom where medical topics were being discussed. It is the story of that intrepid band of reformers and pioneers who built back the women's medical profession from the ashes and constructed a thriving new community of researchers and practitioners who within a century had retaken not only the ground that had been lost, but boldly advanced to levels of fame and achievement unimaginable to any previous era. Told through in-depth accounts of the lives of the pioneers and practitioners who built and rebuilt the women's medical movement, this title dives into the lives of not only legendary figures like Florence Nightingale, Gertrude Elion, Rosalyn Yalow, and Elizabeth Blackwell, but visits women the world over whose medical contributions broke down doors and advanced the cause of women's and world health, like the revolutionary medieval physician Trota of Salerno, the pioneering eighteenth century midwife and businesswoman Madame du Coudray, the microbiological research trailblazer Mary Putnam Jacobi, and the HIV researcher and world epidemic response coordinator Francoise Barre-Sinoussi. With over 140 stories spanning three millennia of global medicine, this book shines a light on the unknown heroes, towering discoveries, tragic missteps, and profound struggles that have accompanied the Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of the women's medical profession.
£31.48
Pen & Sword Books Ltd A History of Women in Mathematics: Exploring the Trailblazers of STEM
From ancient Greece to medieval Baghdad, from Revolutionary France to China's Qing Dynasty, women mathematicians have worked alongside men to a degree that was denied them in most other fields of scientific inquiry. Locked out of biological studies first by restrictions on their freedom of travel and later because of concerns that they would be corrupted by evolutionary thought, effectively barred from experimental physics for centuries through lack of access to specialized equipment, and inconsistently permitted a medical education, women have, for three thousand years and more, been a steady presence during every great mathematical era. They have contributed to the fundamentals of geometry and the expansion of algebra from the earliest days of those disciplines, and stepped in, on multiple occasions, to save the mathematical traditions of their home countries from death by ossification. They have guided us through the twisted realms of non-Euclidean space, gifted us the mathematical models we need to understand the behavior of the metals of our buildings and the soils we construct them upon, and given us an at times chilling view into the fates of super-massive systems over deep time. A History of Women in Mathematics, the first comprehensive account of women's role in mathematics in 35 years, tells the stories of over a hundred women, some of whom had to go to the lengths of lying about their gender in correspondence, or secrete themselves behind screens during lectures to access the mathematical resources that their male counterparts took for granted, but many of whom had positions of academic honor and international prestige that women in other fields would have to wait centuries to attain. From Theano of Croton to Rachel Riley, here are the tales of the women who have illuminated and demystified the profound structures upon which our reality is built, with stones of number and mortar of imagination.
£28.38
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Napoleonic ‘Dad’s Army’: The British Volunteer Movement, 1794-1814
During the crisis year of 1792 when war against France was at its closest, a variety of societies and associations of ‘Loyal Britons’ were set up throughout Britain. Their aim was to organise patriotic, anti-French forces in defence of king and country, and to help maintain the established order. The need to provide an internal defence force resulted in the Volunteer Act of 1794. It witnessed the formation of hundreds of volunteer regiments on the upswell in loyalist sentiment following the disorder and instability witnessed across the Channel in Revolutionary France. By 1798, there were 118,000 volunteers but, faced with the possibility of a French invasion of Southern England, William Pitt’s government aimed to expand this number substantially. By 1804 there were an astonishing 380,000 volunteers under arms and the various Corps made up half to one third of all the home service forces. When we add in those volunteers who agreed to serve overseas, as garrison troops in India for example, the number grows to approximately 800,000 – meaning that around one in every five adult males participated in military activities. This amazing groundswell of patriotic fervour has seldom been investigated before. Using diaries and archive sources, this book seeks to explore the ‘Dad’s Army’ of the Napoleonic Wars. These men were far more than local bands of volunteers, they represented a militarisation of society not previously seen and which was repeated again when the world was thrown into war in the twentieth century.
£36.88
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Knights Templar at War 1120 -1312
There are many books about the Knights Templar, the medieval military order which played a key role in the crusades against the Muslims in the Holy Land, the Iberian peninsula and elsewhere in Europe. What is seldom explored is the military context in which they operated, and that is why Paul Hill's highly illustrated study is so timely, for he focuses on how this military order prosecuted its wars. The order was founded as a response to attacks on pilgrims in the Holy Land, and it was involved in countless battles and sieges, always at the forefront of crusading warfare. This absorbing study examines why they were such an important aspect of medieval warfare on the frontiers of Christendom for nearly two hundred years. Paul Hill shows how they were funded and supplied, how they organized their forces on campaign and on the battlefield and the strategies and tactics they employed in the various theatres of warfare in which they fought. Templar leadership, command and control are examined, and sections cover their battles and campaigns, fortifications and castles.
£24.44
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Hurricane Pilot Who Became a Gestapo Agent: The Betrayal and Treachery of an RAF Sergeant
Tucked away in the archives of the Museum for Transport and Technology in Berlin is an old photograph of a Hawker Hurricane on public display. The image must have been taken before the night of 23/24 November 1943, when the museum and the greater part of its collection – including the Hurricane – were destroyed in a RAF bombing raid. The aircraft in the photograph bore a squadron commander’s pennant under the cockpit, had broken propellor blades and carried the squadron markings PA-A on its fuselage, as well as the serial number W9147. Intrigued by what he had seen, the picture launched the author on an investigation that uncovered an incredible story of wartime treachery and betrayal. That tale concerns one man in particular – Augustin Přeučil. Also known to his family and friends as Gustav Přeučil, it was Augustin who had been the Hurricane’s last RAF pilot. A 26-year-old aviator from Czechoslovakia, on first appearances Přeučil had fled his homeland after Nazi Germany took control and created the Reich Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia – part of Hitler’s Greater Germany. Having initially travelled to Poland, he then escaped to France and, from there, ultimately reached Britain, where he joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve. Augustin Přeučil seemed to be just like many of the men who had arrived in the UK to continue the fight against Hitler. He appeared to be settled and even married an English girl in July 1941. But on 18 September of that year, he was posted missing, believed killed, while undertaking a training flight off the coast of Sunderland and Hartlepool. Přeučil’s body was never recovered and nothing more was heard of him. His young wife received a war widow’s pension; he was just another sad statistic of the war. However, Augustin Přeučil was far from dead. Having landed the ‘stolen’ Hurricane near Bastogne in Belgium, he was treated by local people as a downed Allied pilot, sheltered and then passed into the care of the local Resistance group. Přeučil repaid their trust by handing himself into the Gestapo – and revealing all he knew. The Gestapo’s response was swift and brutal. For Přeučil, this marked the start of a new career as an undercover agent for the Gestapo, principally in Czechoslovakia. As the author reveals, how he ended up serving Hitler’s Third Reich and betraying his homeland, his adopted country and a new wife, is a story that while strange is completely true. It is also one that ended with his death. Found guilty of High Treason, Přeučil was hanged by the Czech authorities in April 1947.
£37.81