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From Journey's End to The Dam Busters: The Life of R.C. Sherriff, Playwright of the Trenches
by Roland WalesKingston playwright R.C. Sherriff came to fame with his First World War drama Journeys End, which was based on his own experiences as a young officer on the Western Front. Its success made him a household name and opened the door to a highly lucrative career as a novelist, playwright and screenwriter in Hollywood and in Britain. Many of his movies The Invisible Man, Goodbye Mr Chips, The Four Feathers Odd Man Out, Quartet, and, of course, The Dam Busters are still well known, but the man behind them much less so. This book rediscovers Sherriff using his own words his letters, diaries, published and unpublished manuscripts to shed light on a man who ironically gained his greatest success from the trench warfare he found so difficult to bear.
From Kabul to Baghdad and Back
by David W. Lamm John R. Ballard John K. WoodFrom Kabul to Baghdad and Back provides insight into the key strategic decisions of the Afghan and Iraq campaigns as the United States attempted to wage both simultaneously against al-Qaeda and its supporting affiliates. It also evaluates the strategic execution of those military campaigns to identify how well the two operations were conducted in light of their political objectives. The book identifies the elements that made the 2001 military operation to oust the Taliban successful, then with combat operations in Iraq as a standard of comparison, the authors analyze the remainder of the Afghan campaign and the essential problems that plagued that effort, from the decision to go to war with Iraq in 2002, through the ill-fated transition to NATO lead in Afghanistan in 2006, the dismissal of Generals McKiernan and McChrystal, the eventual decision by President Obama to make the Afghan campaign the main effort in the war on extremism, and the final development of drawdown plans following the end of the war in Iraq. No other book successfully compares and contrasts the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan from a national strategic perspective, analyzing the impact of fighting the Iraq War on the success of the United States campaign in Afghanistan. It is also the first book to specifically question several key operational decisions in Afghanistan including: the decision to give NATO the lead in Afghanistan, the decisions to fire Generals McKiernan and McChrystal and the decision to conduct an Iraq War-style surge in Afghanistan. It also compares the Afghan campaigns fought by the Soviet Union and the United States, the counterinsurgency campaigns styles in Iraq and Afghanistan and the leadership of senior American officials in both Iraq and Afghanistan. In the final chapter, the key lessons of the two campaigns are outlined, including the importance of effective strategic decision-making, the utility of population focused counterinsurgency practices, the challenges of building partner capacity during combat, and the mindset required to prosecute modern war.
From Korti to Khartum: A Journal of the Desert March from Korti to Gubat, and of the Ascent of the Nile in General Gordon’s Steamers [Ill. Ed.]
by Col. Sir Charles W. WilsonFrom 1884 to 1885, British Army officer Charles William Wilson took part in the Khartoum Relief Expedition, commanded by Garnet Wolseley. He was part of the advance rescue force led by Sir Herbert Stewart. After Stewart was mortally wounded Brigadier-General Wilson took command of this group of about 1,400 men. On two Nile steamers Wilson’s Desert Column reached Khartoum in the afternoon of 28 January 1885. It came two days too late: Khartoum had been seized by the Mahdists in the early hours of January 26. Between 5,000 and 10,000 inhabitants were slaughtered, among them Major-General Charles George Gordon.This book, first published in 1886, is Charles William Wilson’s Journal of the march from Korti to Gubat, and of the voyage in General Gordon’s steamers to the junction of the two Niles. The Journal formed part of a daily journal that Wilson kept whilst employed in the Sudan, and sent home by nearly every mail. It was transcribed from his field-notes immediately following his return to Korti, whilst all the events which it describes were still fresh in his memory. Wilson released it to the public upon strong encouragement of his friends back home in England, allowing the reader to read for himself the vivid account “of courage […] of discipline […] of dash […] of endurance […].”Richly illustrated with a special picture and map pack.
From Leningrad to Hungary: Notes of a Red Army Soldier, 1941-1946 (Soviet (russian) Study Of War Ser.)
by Evgenii D. MoniushkoThis new book is a chronological narrative of the experiences of Evgenii Moniushko, who lived through and survived the first year of the siege of Leningrad and who served as a junior officer in the Red Army during the last eighteen months of war and the first year of the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia and Hungary. This volume presents&nbs
From Lightnings to MiGs: A Cold War Pilot's Operations, Test Flying & an Airspeed Record
by Russ PeartIt was supposed to be just a training flight. The two Soviet-manufactured MiG 21s, each with two practice bombs and four air-to-ground rockets, were lined up on the runway in Bangladesh at the height of the Cold War, when air traffic control suddenly reported an incursion by Indian Air Force Jaguars. Though ill-equipped for combat, the two MiGs were scrambled. One of the MiGs’ pilots was an RAF officer – Squadron Leader Russell Peart. On a seven-month loan to the Bangladeshi Air Force, Peart suddenly found himself at the centre of the simmering hostility between two neighbouring nations. By the time they reached the area that had been threatened by the Indian pilots, the Jaguars had gone. Later, when Squadron Leader Russell Peart spoke of the incident to the British High Commissioner, he was told not to shoot down any Jaguars as the Indians had still not paid for them! Russell Peart flew many other aircraft in his varied career, including the MiG 19, and while a test pilot at Boscombe Down trialled such designs as the Tornado GR1. But it was whilst he was seconded to the Sultan of Oman’s Air Force, particularly during the so-called ‘Secret War’ in Dhofar, that he saw the most action. In that theatre the author flew some 200 operational sorties, 180 of which involved live fire, during which he was hit many times. He was also hit and wounded by a 75mm shell. Russ Peart has written in detail of his exciting RAF career, from flying Lightnings in the Far East to winning the top prize in the International Tactical Bombing Competition against a handpicked team of United States Air Force fighter pilots and being awarded the Sultan Of Oman’s Distinguished Service Medal. Supplemented by a selection of previously unseen photographs, this uniquely original memoir throws new light on the operational flying undertaken by some RAF pilots during the tense years of the Cold War.
From Mahan to Pearl Harbor
by Sadao Asadamajor work by one of Japan's leading naval historians, this book traces Alfred Thayer Mahan's influence on Japan's rise as a sea power after the publication of his classic study, The Influence of Sea Power Upon History. Hailed by the British Admiralty, Theodore Roosevelt, and Kaiser Wilhelm II, the international bestseller also was endorsed by the Japanese Naval Ministry, who took it as a clarion call to enhance their own sea power. That power, of course, was eventually used against the United States. Sadao Asada opens his book with a discussion of Mahan's sea power doctrine and demonstrates how Mahan's ideas led the Imperial Japanese Navy to view itself as a hypothetical enemy of the Americans.Drawing on previously unused Japanese records from the three naval conferences of the 1920s--the Washington Conference of 1921-22, the Geneva Conference of 1927, and the London Conference of 1930--the author examines the strategic dilemma facing the Japanese navy during the 1920s and 1930s against the background of advancing weapon technology and increasing doubt about the relevance of battleships. He also analyzes the decisions that led to war with the United States--namely, the 1936 withdrawal from naval treaties, the conclusion of the Tripartite Pact in September 1940, and the armed advance into south Indochina in July 1941--in the context of bureaucratic struggles between the army and navy to gain supremacy. He concludes that the "ghost" of Mahan hung over the Japanese naval leaders as they prepared for war against the United State and made decisions based on miscalculations about American and Japanese strengths and American intentions.
From Mahan to Pearl Harbor: The Imperial Japanese Navy and the United States
by Sadao AsadaMahan is the author of a classical book on seapower. His ideas were widely read, and became the basis for efforts on both side of the Pacific to dominate the area with naval power. Asada examines Japanese naval files to tell the story of the development of Japan's modern navy going into World War II.
From Manassas To Appomattox: Memoirs Of The Civil War In America [Illustrated Edition]
by General James LongstreetIncludes Civil War Map and Illustrations Pack - 224 battle plans, campaign maps and detailed analyses of actions spanning the entire period of hostilities."For a comprehensive, readable, insightful account of the Civil War from one of its most important and controversial generals, few contemporary memoirs match the power and detail of Longstreet's From Manassas to Appomattox."The reputation of Confederate General James Longstreet-second-in-command to and intimate friend of Robert E. Lee-has undergone dramatic swings over the course of history. Revered by his men and respected by his fellow officers during the American Civil War, Longstreet became one of the Confederacy's most visible scapegoats shortly after the war's end. From Manassas to Appomattox is Longstreet's memoir of the war. He recounts his participation in some of its most important battles-Manassas, Antietam, Chickamauga, and, most significantly from the standpoint of his reputation, Gettysburg. While some have argued that Longstreet did not comply efficiently with Robert E. Lee's orders at Gettysburg, historians have concluded that the primary responsibility for the Confederate defeat on the Pennsylvania battlefield lies with Lee. "Longstreet's memoir covers the full range of his life and wartime experiences, from his early years as a boy in the antebellum south to his appointment as a cadet at West Point to his command of troops in the Mexican War. He devotes a full chapter to an assessment of his friend and commander Robert E. Lee and nearly four chapters to the Battle of Gettysburg. He details disagreements with his fellow officers and offers appraisals of his Union counterparts. He frankly recounts how he considered offering his "relief from service" on more than one occasion. And, of course, Longstreet offers his perspective on the Confederate surrender to Union forces at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, in April 1865."-Print Edition
From Manassas to Appomattox: Memoirs of the Civil War in America
by James LongstreetThe reputation of Confederate General James Longstreet—second-in-command to and intimate friend of Robert E. Lee—has undergone dramatic swings over the course of history. Revered by his men and respected by his fellow officers during the Ameri
From Manassas to Appomattox: Memoirs of the Civil War in America
by James LongstreetAn American Civil War memoir from a confederate general of the First Army Corps of Northern Virginia—a primary source for scholars and history buffs.Peer through history at Confederate Lieutenant General James Longstreet, whose steady nature and dominating figure earned him the nicknames “War Horse,” “Bulldog,” and “Bull of the Woods.” Years after the war, Longstreet’s reputation swung between Confederate hero and brutish scoundrel. A dutiful soldier with a penchant for drink and gambling, Longstreet spoke little but inspired many, and he continues to fascinate Civil war historians.In his memoir From Manassas to Appomattox, Longstreet reveals his inner musings and insights regarding the War between the States. Ever the soldier, he skims over his personal life to focus on battle strategies, war accounts, and opinions regarding other officers who were as misunderstood as him. The principle subordinate under General Robert E. Lee, Longstreet provides several accounts of Lee’s leadership and their strong partnership.An invaluable firsthand account of life during the Civil War, From Manassas to Appomattox not only illuminates the life and ambitions of Lieutenant General James Longstreet, but it also offers an in-depth view of army operations within the Confederacy. An introduction and notes by prominent historian James I. Robertson Jr. and a new foreword by Christian Keller offer insight into the impact of Longstreet’s career on American history.
From Mercenaries to Market: The Rise and Regulation of Private Military Companies
by Simon Chesterman Chia Lehnardt<p>Frequently characterized as either mercenaries in modern guise or the market's response to a security vacuum, private military companies are commercial firms offering military services ranging from combat and military training and advice to logistical support, and play an increasingly important role in armed conflicts, UN peace operations, and providing security in unstable states. <p>As private military companies assume more responsibilities in conflict and post-conflict settings, their growing significance raises fundamental questions about their nature, their role in different regions and contexts, and their regulation. This volume examines the interaction between regulation and market forces and analyzes the current legal framework and the needs and possibilities for regulation in the years ahead.</p>
From Midshipman To Field Marshal – Vol. I (From Midshipman To Field Marshal #1)
by Field Marshal Sir Evelyn Wood V.C. G.C.B., G.C.M.G.Autobiographies come in many shapes and forms, particularly those of the military genre. In this two-volume work, Field-Marshal Wood charts his remarkable career from the Navy to the highest rank in the British Army with wit, verve, honesty and no little depreciation. He served with distinction in the mud and misery of the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, Wolseley's Ishanti War, the Zulu War and in Egypt and the Sudan. His actions on attacking a gang of robbers intent on murdering a local merchant earned him the Victoria Cross - his second recommendation for the V.C. A man of considerable self-taught talents (he ran away from school), upright and forthright and of great personal courage, he survived multiple wounds during his military career to reach the pinnacle of rank. He was greatly concerned with the welfare of his troops and was at the forefront of the reforms that were to ensure the British Army's success in the First World War.Author -- Field Marshal Sir Evelyn Wood V.C. G.C.B., G.C.M.G., 1838-1919Text taken, whole and complete, from the edition published in London : Methuen & co., 1906.Original Page Count - xiv and 322 pages.Illustrations -- numerous maps and plans
From Military to Civilian Rule (Routledge Revivals)
by Constantine P. DanopoulosMilitary disengagement from power in favour of a civilian government is not an uncommon phenomenon, especially in the developing world. First published in 1992, From Military to Civilian Rule is the first comparative study of the motives behind military withdrawal and the establishment of sustainable civilian rule.Using case studies from Africa, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Europe written by regional specialists, the book looks at the future of civil–military relations in the post-disengagement state. It reviews the factors — organizational, societal, and international — necessary for maintaining civilian rule, and it establishes conceptual themes common to the countries discussed.This volume will appeal to academics and advanced students with interests in Third World Politics, Latin American Politics, and the role of the military in the State.
From Mons To Loos - The Diary Of A Supply Officer [Illustrated Edition]
by Major Herbert A. StewartIncludes with 21 illustrations and photos.A member of General French's "Contemptible" little army recounts his tales of the opening two years of the First World War. Under shot and shell in the front lines with the gallant Tommies of the BEF from the first engagements until the bloody battle of Loos."THIS little work does not profess to be a record of historical facts, but merely a series of impressions snap-shotted upon my mind as they occurred, and set down here in simple language; and if these snapshots can bring home to my readers some idea, however faint, of what war and its attendant miseries mean, then my labour will not have been in vain."To those who may imagine that the British fighting man of to-day is not the equal of his forebears, who fought from Crécy and Agincourt to Albuera and Waterloo, I trust the story of Mons, the Aisne, Neuve Chapelle, and Ypres will set all doubts at rest."STEWART, HERBERT ARTHUR, Major, was born 18 May, 1878, and was commissioned from the Militia 4 Jan. 1899, in the Suffolk Regt., from which he was transferred to the Army Service Corps 12 Feb. 1900. Capt. Stewart served in the South African War, 1899-1902, he received the Queen's Medal with three clasps, and the King's Medal with two clasps. He was Adjutant, Territorial Force, 1 Aug. 1911, to 31 July, 1914. He again saw active service in the European War from Aug. 1914, to the conclusion of hostilities, becoming Major the day war broke out. He was one of the very few British officers who entered Mons on Sunday, 23 Aug. 1914. For his services with the 3rd Division during the First Battles of Neuve Chapelle and Ypres in Oct. and Nov. 1914, he received a D.S.O. awarded "for services in connection with operations in the field."
From Mons To The First Battle Of Ypres [Illustrated Edition]
by Captain James G. W. Hyndson M.C.Includes The First World War On The Western Front 1914-1915 Illustrations Pack with 101 maps, plans, and photos.An exceptional and vivid account of the opening battles of the First World War with the B.E.F.. Captain Hyndson was with the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment during the retreat from Mons until the First Battle of Ypres during which he was wounded and invalided back to Blighty. In recognition of his bravery he was awarded the Military Medal in 1915."As there has as yet been published no connected account of the first phase of the Great War from a Regimental Officer's point of view, I have been persuaded to put into book form the diary which I began on the first day of mobilization and kept up until I was invalided home from the French Front in 1915. As far as I am aware, there are only three or four platoon and company commanders still living who went through the Battle of, and Retreat from, Mons, as well as the Battles of the Marne, the Aisne and Ypres. This fact has emboldened me to add one more book to the already enormous bulk of war literature.It is also my desire to place on record the wonderful devotion to duty and the sterling fighting qualities of the men of Lancashire Nulli Secundus."- The Author.
From Mons To Ypres With General French; A Personal Narrative [Illustrated Edition]
by Frederic Abernethy ColemanWhen the British troops advanced into Belgium in 1914 to face the German foe, it was with a sure and steady confidence in the outcome. These same men trudged back, grumbling, along the same path toward France as the full weight of the German steamroller advanced toward the numerically small British Expeditionary Force. At Mons they turned at bay and gave the Germans a tough time, but little more than a check as two corps could not hold up two huge armies. As the static battlelines began to coalesce, from Switzerland to the English channel, the fierce fighting flared up for any advantageous town, and none more so than Ypres. The first battle of Ypres was a bitter, bloody affair which ended the German advance but at terrible cost to the last of the regular soldiers of the B.E.F.Along with these hardened professional soldiers went a handful of amateurs determined to help; these members of the Royal Automobile Club with their motor cars were attached to various headquarters to aid in transmission of orders. As the eyes and ears of the army, the two cavalry brigade were in need of the most help from the R.A.C. volunteers as they ranged far and wide. The author was attached to the cavalry during retreat from Mons to the first battle of Ypres; he admired and had grown fond of the men with whom he had shared much danger. His post enabled him to meet a great number of the high-ranking officers, and in his capacity as messenger would have been better informed than most. His book is excellently written and deserves reading and re-reading.Author -- Frederic Abernethy Coleman 1876-1931Text taken, whole and complete, from the edition published in New York, Dodd, Mead and company, 1916.Original Page Count - xvii and 381 pages.Illustrations - 50 illustrations.
From Mons to Mali: Fifty Extraordinary and Little-Known Vignettes of British and Commonwealth Airmen in Action since 1914
by Andrew ThomasAcclaimed author Andrew Thomas has chosen fifty fascinating cameos of individual actions or incidents across a wide variety of major and minor campaigns and scenarios ranging from the First World War to the present day. Each selection is accompanied by relevant, often rare, photographs. So, from the Battle of Mons in 1914 through shooting down a Zeppelin over Teeside, to WW2 Timor Ace ‘Butch’ Gordon in his Beaufighter in 1943 and a nightmare for Halifaxes over Nuremburg in 1944, to SAAF fighters over Angola in September 1985 and army support tasks in Mali in 2021, with many more in between, the author’s hand-picked personal choices make for gripping reading. A must for all those interested in the war in the air throughout history.
From Montreal To Vimy Ridge And Beyond; The Correspondence Of Lieut. Clifford Almon Wells, B.A.,: Of The 8th Battalion, Canadians, B.E.F., November, 1915-April, 1917
by Lieutenant Clifford Almon WellsClifford Almon Wells was born in Toronto, Canada, March 12th, 1892. His teaching career at Johns Hopkins University was bought to a end when he decided in the summer of 1915 that it was his duty to relinquish his position and take his part as a Canadian in the European war. In Sep. he enlisted as a Private in the 4th University Company, one of the reinforcing companies of the famous Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. Although without previous military training his advancement was rapid, later he was transferred to the 8th Battalion as 2nd Lieutenant.His letters cover a period of eighteen months. They were written in railway cars and on board ship; in tents in England, Belgium and France; in huts, shacks, furnace rooms and ruined houses; in London boarding houses and hotels; in French farm-houses, and German dugouts; in the midst of the awful clamors and crashings and thunders of artillery, and within sound of the coughing of a sick German in the front line of enemy trenches.He wrote of things which others have written about; of things which pleased him, and of other things which displeased him, most of these relating to the commonplace of life. But in addition to the commonplace there will be found in these letters a surprising variety of topics, and withal such graphic descriptions, thrilling or amusing stories, and information on many matters of interest to all who have friends overseas that the letters will both entertain and enlighten.His last dated letter was written the 20th day of April, 1917, eleven days after the battle of Vimy Ridge. Thankful because he had had a part in that battle, exultant and confident in view of the great victory, but before this letter reached her she had received official notice that he had been killed in action the 28th day of April.
From Moscow to Stalingrad: The Eastern Front, 1941-1942 (Casemate Illustrated #Cis0005)
by Yves BuffetautA concise and entertaining history of the Roman legionary—from the age of Augustus through the heyday of the Roman Empire.The might of Rome rested on the back of its legions; the superbly trained and equipped fighting force with which the imperial Roman army conquered, subdued and ruled an empire for centuries. The legionary soldier served for 20 years, was rigorously trained, highly equipped, and motivated by pay, bonuses and a strong sense of identity and camaraderie. Legionaries wore full body-armor and carried a shield, as well as two javelins, a sword, and a dagger. In battle they hurled their javelins and then immediately drew their swords and charged to close combat with the enemy. They were the finest heavy infantrymen of antiquity, and a massed legionary charge was a fearsome sight.In The Roman Legionaries, Simon Elliott, author of Julius Caesar: Rome’s Greatest Warlord, provides an introduction to these elite soldiers, including their training, tactics, weapons, the men themselves, life on and off the battlefield, as well as significant triumphs and disasters in the great battles of the era.
From Munich To Pearl Harbor: Roosevelt's America And The Origins Of The Second World War (American Ways Series)
by David ReynoldsFour years before Pearl Harbor, the United States had turned in on itself, mired in the Great Depression and fearing entanglement in another European war. Four years after Pearl Harbor, it accounted for half the world's economic output and boasted a navy and air force second to none. The period from 1938 to 1941, David Reynolds argues in his brilliant new book, was a turning point in modern American history. Drawing upon his own research and the latest scholarship, Mr. Reynolds shows how Franklin Roosevelt led Americans into a new global perspective on foreign policy, one based on geopolitics and ideology. FDR insisted that in an age of airpower, U.S. security required allies far beyond the Western Hemisphere, and that in an era of dictatorships, American values could and should transform the world. Months before Pearl Harbor, he had popularized the term "second world war." Mr. Reynolds, in his succinct overview of American foreign policy from Munich to Pearl Harbor, shows how the president used his new perspective in responding to international shocks—the fall of France, Hitler's invasion of Russia, Japan's drive into Southeast Asia. But one of the signal accomplishments of From Munich to Pearl Harbor is also to explain how the main features of America's cold war posture (following World War II) were established in the years before the war—a new globalism, a bipolar worldview, the foundations of the military-industrial complex, and the origins of the "imperial presidency."
From Night Flak to Hijack: It's a Small World
by Reginald Levy Alex SchiphorstThis is the autobiography of Reginald Levy, a British pilot who reached a total of 25,090 flying hours in over 40 years of civil, military, and commercial aviation. He recounts his training and military operations as an RAF pilot during the Second World War. He flies 44 types of aircraft between 1941 and 1981. He takes part in the Berlin Airlift, and in 1952 joins Sabena airline. In 1972, he is hijacked by Black September terrorists, and plays a heroic part thanks to his professionalism and training. Not only does the book offer an insight into the hardships and camaraderie of the war and of the Cold War, it also gives a first-hand report of a Palestinian terrorist attempt. Two of the Israeli commandos who freed the hostages would go on to become Prime Ministers of Israel—Barak and Netenyahu! The epilogue is provided by his youngest grandson.
From Normandy to Auschwitz
by Paul Le GoupilThe odds on Paul le Goupil living to see the end of the Second World War let alone the 21st Century were negligible in 1944. Yet he did.As his extraordinary memoir describes, as a young man he found himself caught up in the maelstrom of the Second World War, active resistance to, and defiance of, the German occupation came naturally to Paul but led to his capture, beating and interrogation by the Gestapo and solitary incarceration in first French prisons. Worse still was to come and after an appalling journey and various labor camps he ended up in Auschwitz and Buchenwald. He experienced starvation, slave labor, unbelievable hardship—death for many was a relief.Paul survived but his suffering was not over as he and others had to endure a nightmare march before being liberated by the advancing Russians. All this and far more make this memoir an unforgettable, moving and inspiring account.
From Normandy to the Baltic: The Story of the 44th Lowland Infantry Brigade of the 15th Scottish Division from D Day to the End of the War in Europe
by AdvocateThis is the story of the 44th Lowland Infantry Brigade of the 15th Scottish Division from D Day until the surrender of the German armies in May 1945.The story is written by one who had the very great honour to be a member of the Brigade HQ staff of the Lowland Brigade throughout the whole period. The writer had also been previously in the Brigade during the greater part of the war, while in the United Kingdom. The story is a catalogue of events as seen and experienced by one man; the indulgence of those who took part in the events described is, therefore, craved for the many inaccuracies which will no doubt be apparent. At the same time, Brigade HQ was probably the best place for getting a bird’s-eye view of operations as a whole, and the account may perhaps be found to be more objective than if the writer had been in one of the battalions. Use has been made of the records of Brigade HQ to check the facts, but not those of the battalions, and the writer has also had the benefit of the help and advice of many officers of the Brigade, to whom his thanks are due.
From North Africa to the Arakan: The Engrossing Memoir of WWII Spitfire Ace
by Alan McGregor PeartAn ace fighter pilot recounts his experiences fighting the Germans and the Japanese from Malta to Burma in this WWII combat memoir. Born in New Zealand in 1922, Alan Peart always dreamed of becoming a Spitfire pilot. During the Second World War, he volunteered for the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and after distinguishing himself in training, joined the elite 610 Squadron. He served in numerous theaters of combat, from Italy and North Africa to India and Burma, where he took part of the Arakan Campaign. Operating from 'Broadway' airstrip, his was the only spitfire not destroyed during air strikes. In this lively account, Peart puts readers in the cockpit as he achieves ace status in heated combat against both German Luftwaffe and the Japanese Army Air Force. He also details the appalling living conditions and the issues the aircrew faced living far from civilization. After miraculously surviving World War II, Peart became president of the Burma Star Veterans association.
From Northern Ireland to Afghanistan: British Military Intelligence Operations, Ethics and Human Rights (Military and Defence Ethics)
by Jon MoranMoran concentrates on three aims: to provide an overview of British military intelligence operations in the last 30 years which concentrates on operational not strategic intelligence; to examine the debates over ethics and effectiveness that have followed these operations; and to examine the increasing attempts to place military intelligence under the same type of regulation that police and security intelligence operations have been subject to. As such, he provides a timely overview of intelligence effectiveness and ethics in this area of heightened interest and relevance in terms of the recent UK deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and in the light of the UK Strategic Defence Review. This book is not a philosophical discussion of military ethics; nor is it a study of operations alone. In the light of experiences from Northern Ireland to Afghanistan, it examines the debates over effectiveness which have surrounded British military intelligence activities whilst tying these debates closely to the ethical issues they raise. Each stage of operations is evaluated in context. Interest will cut across disciplines and as such this book will appeal to intelligence, counter-terrorism, military studies, politics, human rights and philosophy practitioners, scholars and students.