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Cobra II
by Bernard E. Trainor Michael R. GordonWritten by the chief military correspondent of the New York Times and a prominent retired Marine general, this is the definitive account of the invasion of Iraq.A stunning work of investigative journalism, Cobra II describes in riveting detail how the American rush to Baghdad provided the opportunity for the virulent insurgency that followed. As Gordon and Trainor show, the brutal aftermath was not inevitable and was a surprise to the generals on both sides. Based on access to unseen documents and exclusive interviews with the men and women at the heart of the war, Cobra II provides firsthand accounts of the fighting on the ground and the high-level planning behind the scenes. Now with a new afterword that addresses what transpired after the fateful events of the summer of 2003, this is a peerless re-creation and analysis of the central event of our times.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Cobra Gold
by Damien LewisA rogue band of SAS commandos rob a bank in war-torn Beirut—and return decades later to find the gold—in this military thriller based on a true story.Beirut, 1976. As war ravages the country, an unknown band of armed men blast their way into the Imperial Bank of Beirut. Over the next forty-eight hours, they load three trucks with gold bullion and then disappear without a trace. Two weeks earlier, a new SAS Major had tasked his men with planning such a Beirut bank robbery—strictly as an exercise. But when veteran Luke Kilbride has his heist plan rejected as &“useless,&” he decides to prove the Major wrong by pulling the job off for real. The heist goes perfectly . . . until it doesn&’t. Kilbride and his men are forced to hide the loot and make their getaway. Thirty years later, Kilbride and his team are planning their return. The only problem is that a powerful enemy is hell-bent on finding the gold before they do. Kilbride dreams up an audacious mission, and the race is on to reach the gold before the ruthless Black Assassins can catch up with them.
Cobra Bargain
by Timothy ZahnIn this Cobra novel, a woman is allowed to have the surgery to turn her into a cobra. It is not because folks want this. There is a problem on a world whose language she knows and it will be hard for a male Cobra to infiltrate this insular patriarcal society without arousing suspicion. And, as soon as the mission starts, disasters begin to happen.
The Cobra
by Frederick ForsythFrederick Forsyth has helped define the international thriller as we know it. And now he does it again. What if you had carte blanche to fight evil? Nothing held back, nothing off the table. What would you do? For decades, the world has been fighting the drug cartels, and losing, their billions of dollars making them the most powerful and destructive organizations on earth. Until one man is asked to take charge. Paul Devereaux used to run Special Operations for the CIA before they retired him for being too ruthless. Now he can have anything he requires, do anything he thinks necessary. No boundaries, no rules, no questions asked. The war is on - though who the ultimate winner will be, no one can tell. . .
Coasters: An Illustrated History
by Roy FentonJohn Masefields dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smoke stack, butting through the Channel in the mad March days has become a ship type of universal appeal, both for its simple, functional beauty and its faithful toil before the advent of universal road haulage.In this new book a collection of more than 300 photographs has been drawn together to tell the story of the development of the steam and diesel coasters, which originated mainly in the UK and the Netherlands. The term coaster embraces a huge range of types including the steam colliers, the puffers, packets, steam flats and lighters mainly designed for inland seas, then the ubiquitous steam coaster itself, built in large numbers for use around British shores but also further afield in every corner of the world. Coastal tankers and other specialist types like chemical and cement carriers also evolved. As well as the details of the ships themselves, the book covers cargo handling and stowing, machinery, the coastal trades, the owners and builders and, not least, the crews and their jobs and their lives at sea. A hugely evocative and illuminating book to delight and inform ship enthusiasts everywhere.
Coastal Passenger Liners of the British Isles
by Nick RobinsAt the beginning of the last century it was possible to sail from London to Glasgow via the south coast ports and Belfast, returning along the east coast from either Dundee or Leith for as little as five pounds. Those were the days when 300 passengers were landed twice weekly at Grangemouth or Dundee from the London boat, and the coastal passenger and cargo liner was in its heyday, catering both for the first class tourist as well as offering keenly priced second class fares for the like of football fans following away matches. Sadly, these wonderful steamer services are now largely forgotten but this new book will stir fond memories of the ships and their coastal voyages. The Depression of the 1930s, coupled with competition from both railway and the motor coach, were to spell the end for many of the coastal liners, while heavy losses incurred in World War II left only a few ships each offering just a handful of passenger berths. The story of their one hundred years of service is accompanied by numerous fascinating anecdotes, and the book focuses as much on the social need for coastal passenger services, the men and women who provided the services and the passengers who used them, as it does on the nuts and bolts of the ships themselves. This beautifully presented book will delight both ship enthusiasts and all those who enjoy the maritime and social history of the British Isles.
Coastal Defences of the British Empire in the Revolutionary & Napoleonic Eras
by Daniel S. MacCannellFar more than an architecture book, Coastal Defences of the British Empire, 1775–1815 is a sweeping reinterpretation of the Martello towers, Grand Redoubts, Royal Military Canal and other new defence infrastructure of the Napoleonic War. Lavishly illustrated with period maps, views, portraits, cartoons and newly commissioned color photographs, it includes not only these structures’ forerunners, and plans that were never executed, but also the grand strategy that informed them. At its best, this saw Britain’s position as a vast land battle, with the deadly threat of the French-held Antwerp navy yards on its own ‘left wing’, and Lisbon as the enemy’s ‘weak left’ to be ‘turned’. The book also takes in the astonishingly inventive, bold and bloody small-boat wars that raged from the Baltic and Channel coast to Chesapeake Bay and Lake Ontario, and provides vivid pen-sketches of the now-obscure and sometimes deeply flawed strategic visionaries, engineers, inventors, and fighting men who held the line as – even after Trafalgar – the forces of an ever more powerful French empire circled like sharks. Along the way, it traces a fundamental change in the nature of war and society: from a ponderous game of fortresses and colonies played by rulers, to murderous ‘foot by foot’ defence of the whole territory of the nation by ‘both sexes and every social type’.
Coastal Dawn: Blenheims in Action from the Phoney War through the Battle of Britain
by Andrew D. BirdFrom the author of A Separate Little War, a detailed history of the British World War II aircraft and their brave crew. In 1940, the defense of Great Britain rested with a handful of volunteer aircrew, Churchill&’s &“few.&” Overshadowed in later folklore by the more famous Spitfire and Hurricane pilots, there were other pilots, observers and air gunners—just as courageous—flying the Bristol Blenheim MKIV-F. The future of the country and arguably that of the free world depended also on their skill, morale, and sacrifice. Remarkably little has been chronicled of these men and their aircraft—the &“Trade Protection&” squadrons formed by Hugh Dowding—allotted to 11 Group in October, 1939. The aircraft&’s range and endurance made it suitable for defense of coastal shipping against attack on the southern and eastern shores of Britain, and for operations further afield. Indeed, during bitter fighting casualties among Numbers 235, 236, 248, and 254 Squadron Blenheims were high on operations over Norway, Holland, France, Dunkirk, and then the Battle of Britain where the Blenheims were completely outclassed by Messerschmitt 109 and 110 fighters, and fell easy victims, scythed from the sky. But the record of the aircraft and their crew was an immensely proud one. Drawing on contemporary diaries, periodicals, letters, logbooks, memoirs, and interviews with survivors, lauded historian Andy Bird reassesses the vital role they played and repositions it in history. In doing so, he justifiably embraces the heroes we have left behind.
Coastal Convoys 1939–1945: The Indestructible Highway
by Nick HewittUsing official records from the National Archives personal accounts from the Imperial War Museum and other sources, Coastal Convoys 1939 1945: The Indestructible Highway describes Britains dependence on coastal shipping and the introduction of the convoy system in coastal waters at the outset of the war. It beings to life the hazards of the German mining offensive of 1939, the desperate battles fought in coastal waters during 1940 and 1941, and the long struggle against German air and naval forces which lasted to the end of the Second World War. Reference is also made to the important role played by coasters during the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940 and the Normandy landings in 1944.
Coastal Command's Air War Against the German U-Boats: Rare Photographs From Wartime Archives (Images of War)
by Norman FranksThis book summarises the story of how RAF Coastal Command overcame the German U-boat danger during the Second World War and how the escalation of the U-boat war promoted the development of anti-submarine warfare, leading to victory over this menace in the Atlantic.At the start of the war, RAF Coastal Command had virtually no real chance of either finding or sinking Germany's submarines, but within a short period of time, new methods of detecting and delivering deadly ordnance with which to sink this underwater threat were dreamt up and implemented. It took the men of Coastal Command long hours patrolling over an often hostile sea, in all types of weather, but their diligence, perseverance and dedication won through, saving countless lives of both merchant and navy seamen out in the cold wastes of the Atlantic and contributing much to the final victory over Nazi Germany. This new addition to the Images of War series serves as a tribute to these men, recording their exploits in words and images.
Coastal Command: The Air Ministry Account Of The Part Played By Coastal Command In The Battle Of The Seas, 1939-1942
by AnonymousWritten by the Air Ministry and first published in 1942, this account provides a vivid description of the RAF Coastal Command operations during World War II.A must-read of intrinsic historical value and importance for all avid readers of British Military History.
A Coast Guardsman's History of the U.S. Coast Guard
by Douglas KrollMore a book about Coast Guard heritage than an academic history, this book focuses on a variety of relatively unknown Coast Guardsmen who personify the service's core values. The author highlights the contributions of a variety of individuals, from seamen to admirals on active duty, as well as Reserves, Auxiliarists, and civilian members of Team Coast Guard. These heroes, representing a great diversity in age, sex, race, and ethnicity, set an example worthy of emulation and serve as role models for today's Coast Guard men and women.
Coalition Warfare Under The Duke Of Marlborough During The War Of The Spanish Succession
by Ltc Frank J. Gehrki IIICoalition warfare is an important area of military study for today. During the War of the Spanish Succession, the Duke of Marlborough successfully led a coalition of over twenty nations and states against the armies of Louis XIV of France. During the war, he waged ten campaigns applying military brilliance to defeat French military pre-eminence on the continent. His victories propelled England to a position of power in Europe. He achieved his many successes despite being crippled by the myriad problems incumbent in coalition warfare. This study examines Marlborough's prosecution of the War of the Spanish Succession, focusing on the aspects of coalition warfare. It examines how the Duke of Marlborough dealt with the challenges presented by his coalition partners. It concludes with potential lessons for those who might wage coalition warfare today.
Coalition Tactics On The Napoleonic Battlefield And Their Influence On Unity Of Effort
by Commander John Trost KuehnThe mechanism for the operation of our military forces beyond the shores of the U.S. is the modern coalition from the grand alliance of NATO to simple bilateral relationships. Understanding the dynamics of coalition warfare is important for a U.S. Military that often finds itself operating as the dominant member of any coalition it joins. One of the major considerations listed in the portion of joint doctrine which addresses multinational coalitions is the concept of unity of effort Current U.S. Army doctrine has long recognized the importance of unity of command. However, the latest drafts of the new Army keystone doctrine publication, FM 100-5, have upgraded the principle of unity of command to unity of effort. The efficacy of this change recognizes the realities of operations in a world of coalitions, trans-governmental agencies, and private organizations all which find themselves often in league with our military as we strive to reach common (not always strictly military) objectives.This monograph will examine two historical case studies from the Napoleonic Wars (1792-1815) in order to explore the relationship between tactical and doctrinal differences between different members of the same coalition. The first case study examines the coalition army of Marshal Suvorov at the battles of the Trebbia and Novi in 1799. The second example will move forward in time to the Russo-Prussian army of the spring of 1813 and its performance at the battles of Lützen and Bautzen.Although history does not provide us with exact recipes for implementing complex solutions in a complex world, it does provide a means to understand the dynamics of human behavior on a vast scale. The Napoleonic period represents a veritable laboratory of coalition warfare and provides a means of applying the lessons of a historical period to understanding the dynamics of coalitions.
Coalition Strategy and the End of the First World War: The Supreme War Council and War Planning, 1917–1918 (Cambridge Military Histories)
by Meighen McCraeWhen the Germans requested an armistice in October 1918, it was a shock to the Allied political and military leadership. They had been expecting, and planning for, the war to continue into 1919, the year they hoped to achieve a complete military victory over the Central Powers. Meighen McCrae illuminates how, throughout this planning process, the Supreme War Council evolved to become the predominant mechanism for coalition war-making. She analyses the Council's role in the formulation of an Allied strategy for 1918–1919 across the various theatres of war and compares the perspectives of the British, French, Americans and Italians. In doing so we learn how, in an early example of modern alliance warfare, the Supreme War Council had to coordinate national needs with coalition ones.
Coalition Navies during the Korean War: Understanding Combined Naval Operations (Routledge Studies in the Modern History of Asia)
by Ian BowersThis book presents a detailed assessment of the role of navies in the Korean War. It highlights that, despite being predominantly a land war, navies played a vital part. Moreover, the naval war was not solely a U.S. operation. Smaller navies from many countries made important contributions both in supporting the United States and carrying out independent and combined naval operations. This subject holds special importance since current Western strategic thinking and capabilities emphasise the necessity of combined naval operations involving multiple navies in any potential future naval conflict. The example set by the Korean War therefore offers valuable insights into the operational and strategic problems, and benefits and opportunities of contemporary and future combined coalition naval operations.
Coalition Challenges in Afghanistan: The Politics of Alliance
by Stephen M. Grenier Gale A. MattoxThis book examines the experiences of a range of countries in the conflict in Afghanistan, with particular focus on the demands of operating within a diverse coalition of states. After laying out the challenges of the Afghan conflict in terms of objectives, strategy, and mission, case studies of 15 coalition members--each written by a country expert--discuss each country's motivation for joining the coalition and explore the impact of more than 10 years of combat on each country's military, domestic government, and populace. The book dissects the changes in the coalition over the decade, driven by both external factors--such as the Bonn Conferences of 2001 and 2011, the contiguous Iraq War, and politics and economics at home--and internal factors such as command structures, interoperability, emerging technologies, the surge, the introduction of counterinsurgency doctrine, Green on Blue attacks, escalating civilian casualties, and the impact of the Provincial Reconstruction Teams and NGOs. In their conclusion, the editors review the commonality and uniqueness evident in the country cases, lay out the lessons learned by NATO, and assess the potential for their application in future alliance warfare in the new global order.
Coal Miners (Images of the Past)
by Brian ElliottThere have been many books published about the coal mining industry of Britain but relatively few about the miners themselves. This book is unique in that it concentrates on the miner, his family and his work through a careful selection of illustrations. Although most of the images are photographic, and therefore relate to the latter part of the nineteenth to the closing years of twentieth century, use is also made of much earlier sources, from woodcuts and engravings to illustrations in contemporary journals and magazines. A good deal of the material has come from the author's own collection, accumulated over many years of research; and also from archive sources. The selection is wide ranging, covering the traditional coal mining regions of Britain, from Scotland and northern England, through the midland coalfields and to Wales, as well as images from smaller coalfields such as Cumbria and Somerset. Today, coal mining is a virtually a lost industry and the men, women and children involved in what was once Britain's most important economic but most dangerous activity deserve both recognition and celebration.
Coal Black Horse (Historical Fiction Ser.)
by Robert OlmsteadWhen Robey Childs's mother has a premonition about her husband, a soldier fighting in the Civil War, she does the unthinkable: she sends her only child to find his father on the battlefield and bring him home. At fourteen, wearing the coat his mother sewed to ensure his safety—blue on one side, gray on the other— Robey thinks he's off on a great adventure. But not far from home, his horse falters and he realizes the enormity of his task. It takes the gift of a powerful and noble coal black horse to show him how to undertake the most important journey of his life: with boldness, bravery, and self-posession.Coal Black Horse joins the pantheon of great war novels—All Quiet on the Western Front, The Red Badge of Courage, The Naked and the Dead.
Co-ed Combat
by Kingsley BrowneA scholar makes a definitive, controversial argument against women in combat More than 155,000 female troops have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since 2002. And more than seventy of those women have died. While that's a small fraction of all American casualties, those deaths exceed the number of military women who died in Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War combined. Clearly, women in combat isn't a theoretical issue anymore. Women now fly combat aircraft and serve on warships. Even the remaining all-male corners of the military are blurring the lines in Iraq. And for many advocates, this trend is considered progress--toward a better, "gender neutral" military. Co-ed Combat makes the opposite case, based on research in anthropology, biology, history, psychology, sociology, and law, as well as military memoirs. It asks hard questions that challenge the assumptions of feminists.For instance: Has warfare really changed so much as to reverse the almost unanimous history of all-male armed forces? Are men and women really equivalent in combat skills, even leaving aside physical strength? Do female troops respond to traditional types of motivations? Can the bonds of unit cohesion form in a co-ed military unit? Can an all-volunteer military afford to reject women? This is a controversial book, likely to draw a passionate response from both conservatives and liberals.
Co. Aytch Maury Grays, First Tennessee Regiment Or, A Side Show Of The Big Show [Illustrated Edition]
by Sam R. WatkinsIncludes Civil War Map and Illustrations Pack - 224 battle plans, campaign maps and detailed analyses of actions spanning the entire period of hostilities."A classic account of Civil War combat. This is a justifiably famous account of the Civil War told by an ordinary soldier from within the ranks of a Tennessee regiment within the Confederate Army. Often quoted, it tells in a direct way, the story of an infantry company at war. In this it has much in common with similar accounts of men living and fighting together in combat irrespective of nationality, age or conflict. This is an intimate portrait of war with all its comradeship, hardship, fear, horror and humour. We accompany Watkins and his comrades of Company 'Aytch' on campaign as he recollects, in his easy and personable style, encounters at Shiloh, Corinth, Murfreesboro, Chattanooga, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge and other bloody battlefields where they fought and died for the Confederate cause until the eventual surrender of the Southern forces. Highly recommended."-Print ed.
Co. Aytch: A Confederate Memoir of the Civil War
by Sam R. WatkinsEarly in May 1861, twenty-one-year-old Sam R. Watkins of Columbia, Tennessee, joined the First Tennessee Regiment, Company H, to fight for the Confederacy. Of the 120 original recruits in his company, Watkins was one of only seven to survive every one of its battles, from Shiloh to Nashville. Twenty years later, with a "house full of young 'rebels' clustering around my knees and bumping about my elbows," he wrote this remarkable account of "Co. Aytch" -- its common foot soldiers, its commanders, its Yankee enemies, its victories and defeats, and its ultimate surrender on April 26, 1865. Co. Aytch is the work of a natural storyteller who balances the horror of war with an irrepressible sense of humor and a sharp eye for the lighter side of battle. Among Civil War memoirs, it is considered a classic -- a living testament to one man's enduring humanity, courage, and wisdom in the midst of death and destruction.
Co. Aytch: A Confederate Memoir of the Civil War
by Sam R. WatkinsThis classic book takes readers to the front lines via vivid descriptions of one company's foot soldiers and commanders, its Yankee enemies, and its victories and defeats--from Shiloh to Nashville.
Clydebank Battlecruisers: Forgotten Photographs from John Brown's Shipyard
by Ian JohnstonBetween 1906 and 1920 the Clydebank shipyard of John Brown & Sons built five battlecruisers, each one bigger than the last, culminating in the mighty Hood, the largest warship of her day. If Tiger is regarded as a modification of the Lion class design, this represents every step in the evolution of these charismatic, and controversial, ships. Like most shipyards of the time, Clydebank employed professional photographers to record the whole process of construction, using large-plate cameras that produced pictures of stunning clarity and detail; but unlike most shipyard photography, Clydebanks collection has survived, although very few of the images have ever been published. For this book some two hundred of the most telling of these were carefully selected, and scanned to the highest standards, depicting in unprecedented detail every aspect of the building and fitting out of Inflexible, Australia, Tiger, Repulse and Hood.Probably more has been written about battlecruisers than any other warship type, and as modelmaking subjects they have a devoted following, so any new book has to make a real contribution. This pictorial collection, with its lengthy and informative captions, and an authoritative introduction by Ian Johnston, offers ship modellers and enthusiasts a wealth of visual information simply unobtainable elsewhere.
Clovis Blade Technology: A Comparative Study of the Keven Davis Cache, Texas
by Michael B. CollinsAround 11,000 years ago, a Paleoindian culture known to us as "Clovis" occupied much of North America. Considered to be among the continent's earliest human inhabitants, the Clovis peoples were probably nomadic hunters and gatherers whose remaining traces include camp sites and caches of goods stored for utilitarian or ritual purposes. This book offers the first comprehensive study of a little-known aspect of Clovis culture-stone blade technology. Michael Collins introduces the topic with a close look at the nature of blades and the techniques of their manufacture, followed by a discussion of the full spectrum of Clovis lithic technology and how blade production relates to the production of other stone tools. He then provides a full report of the discovery and examination of fourteen blades found in 1988 in the Keven Davis Cache in Navarro County, Texas. Collins also presents a comparative study of known and presumed Clovis blades from many sites, discusses the Clovis peoples' caching practices, and considers what lithic technology and caching behavior can add to our knowledge of Clovis lifeways. These findings will be important reading for both specialists and amateurs who are piecing together the puzzle of the peopling of the Americas, since the manufacture of blades is a trait that Clovis peoples shared with the Upper Paleolithic peoples in Europe and northern Asia.