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The Complete History of the SAS: The World's Most Feared Elite Fighting Force
Par Nigel McCrery. 2021
Specializing in covert reconnaissance, counter-terrorism and hostage rescue, the SAS is one of the world's most famous, feared and respected…
elite fighting forces. This book tells the full, fascinating story of the regiment, from formation in the sand dunes of Africa during World War II to present action in the Middle East, and incorporates jungle, desert and urban warfare, counter-terrorism and an insider's view at the selection and training methods employed by this usually secretive unit.As well as an insightful foreword by Andy McNab – one of the most famous members of the SAS – this revised, updated edition includes completely new chapters, features and information, including Key Missions in WWII, The Battle of Mirbat, Iranian Embassy Siege, Kenyan Hotel Rescue and Victoria Cross Awards.The Man With the Iron Heart: The Definitive Biography of Reinhard Heydrich, Architect of the Holocaust
Par Nancy Dougherty. 2022
A fascinating portrait of Reinhard Heydrich, one of the darkest figures of Hitler's elite, featuring words with those who knew…
him best, including in-depth and rare interviews with his wife, Lina. He was called the 'Hangman of the Gestapo' and the 'Butcher of Prague'. He had a reputation as a ruthlessly efficient killer and was known as an exemplar of Nazi ideals. He was the head of the SS and the Gestapo, second in command to Heinrich Himmler and supposedly in line to succeed the Fuhrer.His orders set in motion the Kristallnacht pogrom of 1938 and he was the lead planner of the Final Solution, which led to the murder of millions of Jews across Nazi-occupied Europe.Hitler called him 'the man with the iron heart'.This incredible biography explores who Reinhard Heydrich was, how he came to be and what led him to do what he did.Using in-depth research, Nancy Dougherty (and, following her death, Christopher Lehman-Haupt), paint a detailed picture of Heydrich as never seen before. Through extensive interviews with those who knew him best, including his wife Lina von Osten Heinrich, we hear about his rarefied musical family origins and ugly-duckling childhood, his failed Naval career and struggles to find employment, and finally his meteoric rise through the Nazi high command and his time within the Third Reich.The Man With the Iron Heart is an astonishing journey into the depths of Nazi evil and a powerful insight into one of humanity's darkest figures.The Biographical Landscapes of Raphael Lemkin (Routledge Approaches to History)
Par Piotr Madajczyk. 2024
The book is the first biography of Raphael Lemkin to draw on a comprehensive body of research into Lemkin as…
a person and his background and will be of interest to both non-specialists and academics. Drawing on archival materials, a nuanced description is provided of the ethnically mixed Belarusian-Polish-Jewish border region where Lemkin grew up and which shaped him, clarifying at the same time some of the misinterpretations that have surrounded Lemkin’s life. Lemkin’s professional career and intellectual interests up to the time of his flight from Poland after the German aggression of 1939 are exhaustively described. In the latter part of the book, the author poses, among other things, the question of how Lemkin’s activities in the United States were influenced by the experience of the first almost 40 years of his life.A British Achilles: The Story of George, 2nd Earl Jellicoe KBE DSO MC FRS
Par Lorna Almonds Windmill. 2008
&“Intriguing . . . describes a modest but exceptional man from whom the contemporary soldier, politician, and citizen can learn how to enjoy…
life (and how not to).&” —The Spectator Son of the victor of Jutland, George Jellicoe has enjoyed power and privilege but never shirked his duty. His war exploits are legendary and, as a founder member of Stirling&’s SAS and first commander of the Special Boat Service, he saw action a-plenty. A brigadier at twenty-six with a DSO and MC, he liberated Athens as the Germans withdrew and saved Greece from a Communist revolution. After the war, Jellicoe joined the Foreign Office and worked with spies Guy Burgess, Kim Philby, and Donald Maclean in Washington and on the Soviet Desk. His political life saw him in the Cabinet of the Heath Government and he is frank with his biographer over the issues and characters of his fellow ministers. Jellicoe&’s Achilles heel is his weakness for, and attraction to, women. His resignation over an involvement with a prostitute was a national scandal, but he is refreshingly honest and devoid of self-justification. He remained an active member of the Lords pursuing a top-level business career. A British Achilles is a superb biography of a major public figure and exemplary wartime soldier.Operation Lusty: The Race for Hitler's Secret Technology
Par Graham M. Simons. 2016
A fascinating overview of the Allies&’ post-WWII program to gain access to advanced Nazi war machines and the technology they…
ultimately recovered. Prior to the Allied D-Day assault on Normandy, France, rumors had already been circulating that high-tech Nazi super-weapons (wunderwaffe) had reached or were near completion. At the war&’s end, a mad scramble ensued to discover the enemy&’s secrets, fueled in large part by a US desire to regain its technological edge and to keep these weapons out of Soviet hands. Operation Lusty (LUftwaffe Secret TechnologY) was in full swing. In Operation Lusty, aviation historian Graham M. Simons delivers a comprehensive and detailed history of the program while cataloging the advanced war equipment that was ultimately discovered—from U-boats, carriers, and battleships to radar equipment and operating systems, to fighters, bombers, rockets, and other V-weapons. With access to previously unreleased documentation and wide-ranging archival materials, Simons distinguishes what was fact in the Nazi arsenal from what was pure fantasy, dreamed up by Joseph Goebbels&’s powerful propaganda machine. Operation Lusty sheds new light on the furious race for postwar technological superiority, and offers an insider&’s look at the full spectrum of military spoils that were gained.Buller: A Life of General Sir Redvers Buller VC
Par Geoffrey Powell. 1994
Command Decisions: Langsdorff And The Battle Of The River Plate
Par David Miller. 2013
This compelling new study of the Battle of the River Plate concentrates on Kapitn zur See Hans Langsdorff, the commander…
of the German pocket battleship Graf Spee it is written from his point of view. The story of his mission at the start of the Second World War to prey on merchant shipping is graphically retold, and Langsdorffs command decisions are the primary focus of David Millers gripping narrative. He considers in vivid detail the factors Langsdorff had to consider as he assessed the situation of his ship and choose his course of action. He describes the intelligence Langsdorff received and his knowledge of the position and strength of the forces of the Royal Navy that were arrayed against him. Langsdorffs interpretation of his mission and the tense calculations he had to make in order to carry it out are the essential elements of this dramatic story.Langsdorff, operating alone and thousands of miles away from home and with no prospect of support, had to grapple with the enormous burden of a lone command. He made grave mistakes, and these are ruthlessly exposed. But this fascinating re-examination of his actions and his leadership does nothing to diminish his reputation as a brave and honourable officer.North Northumberland at War, 1939–45 (Your Towns & Cities in World War Two)
Par Craig Armstrong. 2017
In 1939, North Northumberland shared a proud tradition of military service with its wider region and this was reflected in…
the huge numbers of men and women from the area who came forward for service in the military or in roles such as the Home Guard, ARP services or nursing.This part of Northumberland was a key recruitment centre for the local county regiment, the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, with men from the area being heavily involved in the fighting during the blitzkrieg of France and the Low Countries, the miracle of Dunkirk, as well as many more battles. Yet, to the dismay of many, an entire territorial battalion was taken prisoner at Singapore.This district was also vital as a training area, with the wide and relatively uncluttered skies being widely used for the training of aircrew, one airfield played a key role in the build up to D-Day.In addition to combat and training, this area was also rich with fertile land and so played a crucial role in the war effort as it supplied food to its own communities and wider Britain.Many communities in the area welcomed evacuees from urban Tyneside whilst also welcoming servicemen (especially from the RAF) into their homes. Others saw the business opportunities and this book includes accounts of the struggle that many families faced in coping with rising wartime prices, longer working hours and endless worry.Despite the hardships the people of North Northumberland undertook, they all bundled together, and continued to provide incredible charitable support right up until the end of the war in addition to their normal efforts.They managed to maintain their morale throughout the majority of the war despite rationing, blackout and wartime restrictions.North Northumberland at War 1939-1945 poignantly commemorates the efforts and achievements of Northumberlands northern communities: farmers, fighters, families divided, all surviving astounding feats.The Battle of Okinawa 1945: The Pacific War's Last Invasion (Images of War)
Par Jon Diamond Dr.. 2019
A pictorial history of one of World War II&’s most bitterly fought campaigns. The American campaign to capture Okinawa,…
codename Operation Iceberg, was fought from April 1 to June 22, 1945. Three hundred and fifty miles from Japan, Okinawa was intended to be the staging area for the Allied invasion of the Japanese mainland. The Japanese Thirty-second Army defenders were on land and the Imperial Navy at sea fought tenaciously. They faced the US Tenth Army, comprising the US Army XXIV Corps and the US Marines&’ III Amphibious Corps. As this superb book reveals in words and pictures, this was one of the most bitterly fought and costly campaigns of the Second World War. Ground troops faced an enemy whose vocabulary did not include &“surrender,&” and at sea the US Fifth Fleet, supported by elements of the Royal Navy, had to contend with kamikaze attacks by air and over seven hundred explosive-laden suicide boats. The Okinawa campaign is synonymous with American courage and determination to defeat a formidably ruthless enemy.A scholarly exploration of the British armoured regiment and its part in the Allied campaign to liberate Europe during World…
War II. On June 14, 1944, the tanks of the 144th Regiment Royal armored Corps disembarked on Gold Beach during the Normandy landings. A long and bitter campaign began, taking them across Northwest Europe into the heart of Germany. During that advance the regiment took part in several important actions. These included Operation Pomegranate (July 1944), Operation Totalize, an innovative night attack which was one of the final steps to breaking out of the Caen bridgehead (7/8 August 1944), the siege and capture of Le Havre, the fighting in Holland during late 1944, the crossing of the Rhine, and the capture of Bremen just before the end of the war in Europe. The author investigates the regiment&’s service through interviews with his late father-in-law, Captain R.W. Thorne, who had been an officer in it during the war. This book also draws on a variety of contemporary sources—not least of which are the archives of fellow officer Marcus Cunliffe, a distinguished British scholar and author, who specialized in American Studies after the war (particularly military and cultural history). From Arromanches to the Elbe is a serious contribution to World War II history. It explores all aspects of army life, such as training and the social history of an active service unit, and will appeal to those interested in the European campaign, the use of tanks and armored warfare, and, of course, the final battles to defeat Hitler&’s Third Reich.Covers the six principal extermination camps in Nazi occupied Poland; a sobering reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust.Nearly 80…
years on, the concept and scale of the Nazis’ genocide program remains an indelible, nay almost unbelievable, stain on the human race. Yet it was a dreadful reality of which, as this graphic book demonstrates, all too much proof exists. Between 1941 and 1945 an estimated three and a half million Jews and an unknown number of others, including Soviet POWs and gypsies, perished in six camps built in Poland; Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzec, Chelmno, Majdenak, Sobibor and Treblinka. Unpleasant as it may be, it does no harm for present generations to be reminded of man’s inhumanity to man, if only to ensure such atrocities will never be repeated. This book aims to do just this by tracing the history of the so called Final Solution and the building and operation of the Operation Reinhard camps built for the sole purpose of mass murder and genocide.Devon at War, 1939–45 (Your Towns & Cities in World War Two)
Par Derek Tait. 2017
When war was declared on 1 September 1939, the people of Devon pulled together in a way that they hadn't…
done since the Great War of 1914–18. This book covers the people of Devon's contribution to the war effort, from the commencement of the conflict in September 1939, to its end in September 1945. It features many forgotten news stories of the day and looks at the changes to civilian's everyday lives, entertainment, spies and the internment of aliens living within the area.Devon became vital as a base for troops and as a dispatch point for the many men who left to fight in Europe. Several RAF bases were also established within the county to repel German attacks. Air raid shelters were erected in gardens and at public places and many children living in larger cities were swiftly evacuated to the countryside, as Plymouth and Exeter both suffered greatly from German bombing, with much of Plymouth being obliterated. Carrying a gas mask, rationing, the make-do-and-mend culture and the collection of scrap metal all became a generic way of life.Many of the jobs left open by men fighting abroad were taken up by women on the Home Front. The Women's Voluntary Service assisted with the evacuation of mothers and children to the country, carried out civil defense duties and provided food and clothing for the many refugees from occupied Europe.During the buildup to D Day, American troops were trained and stationed within the county before leaving for the beaches of Normandy. Slapton Sands, Dartmoor and Woolacombe were all used as training grounds with tragic loss of life at Slapton.Devon played a truly vital role in the war and its people contributed greatly to bringing the world changing conflict to an end.Mad Mike: A Life of Brigadier Michael Calvert
Par David Rooney. 1997
Violent Space: The Jewish Ghetto in Warsaw
Par Anja Nowak. 2023
For Nazi Germany, the ghetto was a conceptual tool used to facilitate social and political exclusion and further their anti-Jewish…
campaign. For the Jews who lived in them, the ghettos became the center of their lives—even though they were also sites of immense suffering. Combining thorough historical research with an interdisciplinary analysis of the relationship between space and violence, Violent Space provides a unique insight into the history and the socio-spatial topography of the Jewish ghetto in German-occupied Warsaw (1939–1943). Using rare archival materials and firsthand accounts, many of which have never been translated into English, Anja Nowak traces out the trauma that the space of the ghetto inflicted on its Jewish inhabitants, and how it alienated, disoriented, and harmed them. While the physical ghetto—its buildings, boundaries, and streets—has been reabsorbed and redefined by modern-day Warsaw's urban structure, Violent Space shows us that its presence still lingers in the narratives of those who were forced into this first phase of the Holocaust.Task Force Hogan: The World War II Tank Battalion That Spearheaded the Liberation of Europe
Par William R. Hogan. 2023
A fourth-generation soldier tells the story of his father’s tank battalion, the “Spearhead,” that selflessly led the charge on the…
front lines from Normandy into Germany—against impossible odds, technologically superior weaponry, and a fanatical enemy on its home turf—and the heroes whose sacrifice won World War II.At twenty-eight, Sam Hogan is one of the youngest lieutenant colonels in the US Army. The West Point graduate from Texas stands in the commander’s hatch of his Sherman tank, behind him a steel wedge of seventeen other Shermans of his tank battalion. Two weeks after the now-infamous D-Day landings, Sam is preparing to give the order to advance into the German defenses that enclose the Normandy beachheads. Ahead of Sam lies seemingly impossible odds for survival: technologically superior Nazi tanks, camouflaged anti-tank guns, and infantry armed with new anti-tank rockets. But Sam has prepared for this moment for the past seven years. With a guttural call to move out accompanied by diesel fumes and the squeak of tank treads, Sam and his men begin their long journey to liberate Europe—a journey from which many of them would not return.So begins the story of Sam Hogan and his colorful band of tanker heroes of the Third Armored Division—the “Spearhead”—as they battle on the front lines of some of the war’s toughest fights, from Normandy to the Elbe to the Battle of the Bulge. The soldiers of Task Force Hogan come from all walks of life. There are cooks, tankers, infantrymen, salty old sergeants, and wet-behind-the-ears lieutenants. In common, they have a sense of duty to each other and their country, and the struggle against the most sinister enemy modern history has ever produced.In Task Force Hogan, the story of Sam and his band of heroes comes to life through the writing of his son, Will Hogan—aided by never-before-seen letters, military dispatches, journal entries, and interviews with surviving family of the Task Force. These were the soldiers at the tip of the spear, brave enough to lead the charge and fight against insurmountable odds, and often paying the ultimate price, while liberating French villages and concentration camps as they rolled towards Germany to ultimately win the war. In the pages of this book, Will Hogan finally gives these unsung soldiers the voice and memorial that they all deserve.Home after Fascism draws on a rich array of memoirs, interviews, correspondence, and archival research to tell the stories of…
Italian and German Jews who returned to their home countries after the Holocaust. The book reveals Jews' complex and often changing feelings toward their former homes and highlights the ways in which three distinct national contexts—East German, West German, and Italian—shaped their answers to the question, is this home? Returning Italian and German Jews renegotiated their place in national communities that had targeted them for persecution and extermination. While most Italian Jews remained deeply attached to their home country, German Jews struggled to feel at home in the "country of murderers." Yet, some retained a sense of belonging through German culture and language or felt attached to a specific region or city. Still others looked to the future; socialist and communists of Jewish origin hoped to build a better Germany in the Soviet Occupied Zone. In all three postwar states, surviving Jews fought against persistent antisemitism, faced the challenge of recovering lost homes and possessions, struggled to make sense of their persecution, and tried to find ways to reclaim a sense of belonging. Wide ranging and moving, Home after Fascism enriches our understanding of Jews' homecoming experiences after 1945. It reveals the deep affection and persistent love people feel for their homes, the suffering that comes with losing them, and the challenges of a return.Eagles Over North Africa and the Mediterranean, 1940–1943 (Luftwaffe at War)
Par Jeffrey Ethell. 1997
Although the Luftwaffe achieved a great deal of success in North Africa between 1940 and 1943, it was hampered by…
the constant demand for men and machines elsewhere, logistical problems, such as a crippling lack of fuel, and the harsh desert conditions. An impressive selection of photographs from archives and private collections reveal the German and Italian aircraft used and developed in this theatre as well as the people involved. With insightful captions and supporting text, this offers a fascinating perspective on the Luftwaffe at war.The Dambuster's Squadron: The Dambuster's Squadron (Voices in Flight)
Par Colin Higgs, Bruce Vigar. 2013
They were the Dambusters the pilots and crew of the RAFs elite 617 Squadron. They flew the most difficult missions.…
They breached the Dams! They sank the Tirpitz! They were the only squadron to drop the immense Grand Slam bombs and with them they destroyed bridges, viaducts and even Hitlers impregnable U-boat pens.In this unique book, introduced by Dams raid survivor, George Johnny Johnson, authors Colin Higgs and Bruce Vigar present no less than nine exclusive interviews with men who flew and fought in 617 Squadron during the Second World War. These men took part in virtually every operation the Squadron flew and went on some of the most daring and dangerous missions of the war. The result is one of the most vivid and unforgettable accounts of the RAF at war ever written.Leeds at War, 1939–45 (Your Towns & Cities in World War Two)
Par Stephen Wade. 2017
Leeds at War 1939-1945 is a comprehensive account of the city's experience of the war, covering in expert detail life…
on the Home Front set against the background of the wider theaters of war.The narrative of that global conflict is given with a focus on the trials and ordeals that faced the people of Leeds as they cheered their men and women fighters off to war, were bombed and saw their children evacuated to rural areas.Rare insights into the life of war-torn Leeds are included, along with untold stories from the footnotes of that history, from the air-raid shelters to the internment issues. The book incorporates the unique human record of that struggle from memoirs and memories, so that the reader sees the war bottom up from the ordinary people, although the military experiences of Leeds' citizens are not ignored.More controversial topics are also touched upon, such as anti-Semitism, labor troubles and crime, to give a full and fascinating picture of a great city facing profound trials of endurance, courage, and that true Yorkshire grit that has been the hallmark of the city's rise to prominence in Britain.D-Day Assault: The Second World War Assault Training Exercises at Slapton Sands
Par Mark Khan. 2014
&“This superb account describes the exercises undertaken on Slapton Sands, backed up by first hand accounts from those who were…
there at the time.&” —Military Machines International Preceded by a massive airborne assault, the largest amphibious operation ever undertaken began on June 6, 1944—D-Day. Over a fifty-mile stretch of heavily fortified French coastline, 160,000 Allied troops came ashore on the beaches of Normandy. Supported by more than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft, they quickly gained a foothold in fortress Europe. To plan and execute such a massive military operation successfully required training—and beaches. The perfect place for the Americans was found in the sleepy South Hams area of South Devon. But this choice came at a price. Over 20,000 acres of prime agricultural land, along with villages and farms were requisitioned. The peace of the South Devon coast was soon shattered as the Slapton Sands Assault Training Centre came into being. The training, however, was not without risk. During one of the final major coordinated practices—Exercise Tiger—over 800 men were lost to enemy action whilst traveling by sea to land on the beaches at Slapton Sands. Often shrouded in intrigue, this disaster has been the subject of conspiracy theories for many years. &“Using the latest information available about this secretive event, [D-Day Assault] features all aspects of the military exercises and first hand accounts of those who lived and trained there.&” —Western Morning News