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North American Mustang P-51: Long Range Fighter (Profiles of Flight)
by Martin W. Bowman Dave WindleThe Mustang was born from a British WW2 specification to North American during 1940. The prototype was completed within 117 days but the RAF was not happy with the aircraft's performance and suggested replacing the V-12 Allison with the more powerful RR Merlin. The result was a superbly fast and maneuverable aircraft that had the range to escort Allied bomber forces on raids deep into occupied Europe. A total of 15,469 of the type were built and used in combat until the Korean War.This book contains the world famous color profiles created by Dave Windle of the type in different operational modes, configurations and color schemes. Martin Bowman has written detailed descriptions and photographs to create the perfect enthusiasts' reference.
North Atlantic Patrol: The Log of a Seagoing Artist
by Lt.-Cmdr. Griffith Baily CoaleEyewitness account of the sinking of the U.S.S. Reuben James in Iceland as a result of a German submarine torpedo attack on 31st October 1941, vividly described in word and picture by combat artist Griffith Baily Coale."IN THIS log of his adventures on the North Atlantic Patrol, shortly before America's entrance into the War, Griffith Baily Coale has put down, directly and simply, in words and paint, what one man saw of as difficult and essential a task as any the United States Navy has been called upon to perform. And to that job he brought an unusual combination of qualities. A mural painter by profession, an expert on ship models, a small-boat sailor by choice and avocation, he knows as much about salt water as he does about paint--and he knows a lot about them both. You can't talk to Griffith Coale for half an hour without realizing that his first love is and remains the sea--and that he has a wide and accurate knowledge of ships and sailormen, past and present."
North Dakota Air National Guard (Images of Aviation)
by Maxwell Sabin David LippThe North Dakota Air National Guard's (NDANG) 119th Wing boasts an illustrious 60-year history of flying fighters. The NDANG can trace its roots back to the 392nd Fighter Squadron, which fell under the 367th Fighter Group. Many of its charter members began their careers in the Army Air Corps during World War II and brought their expertise and experience to their home station unit in Fargo, North Dakota. People like Alexander Macdonald had a hand in nearly every success from 1950 through the F-16 years as a pilot, commander, adjutant general, and then as a civilian advocate. Duane "Pappy" Larson is credited with being the namesake for the unit nickname "The Happy Hooligans." The 119th unit's history is a story about the people who achieved unprecedented accomplishments within the Air National Guard and, sometimes, even among the active duty US Air Force.
North Korea Invades the South: Across the 38th Parallel, June 1950 (Cold War, 1945–1991)
by Gerry van TonderWhen 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 Korea Without warning, at 4.00 a.m. on 25 June 1950, North Korean artillery laid down a heavy bombardment on the Ongjin Peninsula, followed four hours later by a massive armored, air, amphibious and infantry breach of the ill-conceived postwar border that was the 38 north line of latitude. At 11.00 a.m., North Korea issued a declaration of war against the Republic of Korea. Three days later, the South Korean capital, Seoul, fell.The attack upon Korea makes it plain beyond all doubt that Communism has passed beyond the use of subversion to conquer independent nations and will now use armed invasion and war. A week after his reaction to the North Korean invasion, US President Harry S. Truman, in compliance with a UN Security Council resolution, appointed that iconic Second World War veteran, General Douglas MacArthur, commander-in-chief of forces in Korea.The first in a six-volume series on the Korean War, this publication considers those first few fateful days in June 1950 that would cement northsouth antagonism to this day, the pariah state that is communist North Korea a seemingly increasing threat to an already tenuous global peace.
North Korea's Military-Diplomatic Campaigns, 1966-2008 (Routledge Security in Asia Pacific Series)
by Narushige MichishitaThis book examines North Korea’s nuclear diplomacy over a long time period from the early 1960s, setting its dangerous brinkmanship in the wider context of North Korea’s military and diplomatic campaigns to achieve its political goals. It argues that the last four decades of military adventurism demonstrates Pyongyang’s consistent, calculated use of military tools to advance strategic objectives vis à vis its adversaries. It shows how recent behavior of the North Korean government is entirely consistent with its behavior over this longer period: the North Korean government’s conduct (rather than being haphazard or reactive) is rational – in the Clausewitzian sense of being ready to use force as an extension of diplomacy by other means. The book goes on to demonstrate that North Korea’s "calculated adventurism" has come full circle: what we are seeing now is a modified repetition of earlier events – such as the Pueblo incident of 1968 and the nuclear and missile diplomacy of the 1990s. Using extensive interviews in the United States and South Korea, including those with defected North Korean government officials, alongside newly declassified first-hand material from U.S., South Korean, and former Communist-bloc archives, the book argues that whilst North Korea’s military-diplomatic campaigns have intensified, its policy objectives have become more conservative and are aimed at regime survival, normalization of relations with the United States and Japan, and obtaining economic aid.
North Korea/South Korea: U.S. Policy at a Time of Crisis
by John FefferThe Korean peninsula, divided for more than fifty years, is stuck in a time warp. Millions of troops face one another along the Demilitarized Zone separating communist North Korea and capitalist South Korea. In the early 1990s and again in 2002-2003, the United States and its allies have gone to the brink of war with North Korea. Misinterpretations and misunderstandings are fueling the crisis. "There is no country of comparable significance concerning which so many people are ignorant," American anthropologist Cornelius Osgood said of Korea some time ago. This ignorance may soon have fatal consequences. North Korea, South Korea is a short, accessible book about the history and political complexites of the Korean peninsula, one that explores practical alternatives to the current US policy: alternatives that build on the remarkable and historic path of reconciliation that North and South embarked on in the 1990s and that point the way to eventual reunification.
North Korea: Warring with the World
by Paul MoorcraftA journalist and military historian&’s in-depth look at the reclusive rogue nation, its ruling dynasty, and the ongoing threat it presents. Created in 1945 when Korea was partitioned, North Korea, or the Democratic People&’s Republic of Korea, remains the world&’s most secretive nation. Even the few permitted visitors are closely monitored by minders, so accounts of those who have escaped are the main source of information on conditions within the country. What is not in doubt is the totalitarian control over the population exercised by the ruling dynasty. Kim Jong-un is the grandson of the first dictator, Kim Il-sung. Until the development of a credible nuclear arsenal, it was possible to ignore North Korean posturing. But that is no longer an option as test firing proved that not only were other Asian nations directly threatened but the United States as well. While President Trump and Kim Jong-un met in Singapore in June 2018, there remains distrust and dangerous uncertainty. In this book, longtime foreign correspondent and military historian Paul Moorcraft traces the history of this small rogue nation that represents a major threat to world peace—and examines the situation&’s political and military implications.
North Korean Reform: Politics, Economics and Security (Adelphi series #382)
by Robert L. Carlin Joel WitIn the past, foreign policy and security concerns have trumped any efforts to reform the North Korean economy. Today, the linkage between security and economic policies is being reconsidered as part of a larger debate in the North Korean leadership that has already transformed the country in fundamental ways. Despite renewed tensions with the United States, North Korea has begun to implement important economic reforms. Moreover, underneath the cover of the ever-present ‘military-first’ slogan in the controlled media, a debate is taking place between ‘reformers’ and ‘conservatives’ over whether Pyongyang’s bloated military industrial complex should be scaled back to help ensure the success of economic reform. Not only do these developments reflect strong political forces in the North Korean leadership that support reform, but they could also have profound implications for the future of Pyongyang’s national security policy. North Korea may decide that it will need a more favourable external security environment in order to secure greater access to international economic and financial assistance for its reform measures and, ultimately, downsizing its military. Pyongyang could launch a new policy of engagement that would include greater flexibility in the Beijing Six Party Talks. A second scenario is continued internal struggle over reform that could lead to an inability to act decisively on key security and foreign policy issues, including at the nuclear talks. Finally, progress in reform may, paradoxically, strengthen conservatives, leading to hopes in Pyongyang that it can improve the economy, while simultaneously maintaining a large powerful military. Whether Washington can do anything at this point to influence directly the emerging debate in Pyongyang is unclear, but a renewed policy of engagement on its part could enhance the chances of success for North Korean advocates of reform.
North Korea’s Nuclear Decisions and Strategies: Sovereignty, Legitimacy, and the Bomb (Asian Security Studies)
by George A. HutchinsonThis book provides a comprehensive analysis of North Korea’s nuclear strategies and of the decisions which explain its strategic motivations.The existence of two separate Koreas is an accepted outcome of the current international system. However, in today’s emerging multipolar order, the question of Korean legitimacy remains unresolved and South Korea finds itself surrounded by three nuclear powers— China, Russia, and, de facto, North Korea. This book traces North Korea’s nuclear quest across three major epochs: the Cold War, the post-Cold War, and post- September 11 periods. Through these lenses, the book reveals the underlying drivers of North Korea’s nuclear decisions and strategies, providing evidence that North Korea’s nuclear weapons are not only intended to guarantee the survival of the Kim regime but also hold the key for Pyongyang to resolve the lingering question over Korean legitimacy. The book provides evidence, through a longitudinal case study, that North Korea’s nuclear program provides a means to achieve full sovereign control of the Korean Peninsula by exploiting future opportunities in an increasingly multipolar international order.This book will be of interest to students in the fields of foreign policy, defense policy, nuclear proliferation, Korean Studies and International Relations.
North Northumberland at War, 1939–45 (Your Towns & Cities in World War Two)
by Craig ArmstrongIn 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.
North S*A*R
by Gerry CarrollIn this searingly realistic novel, Gerry Carroll, one of the most decorated naval aviators since Vietnam, brings us the dramatic story of attack bomber pilots and helicopter pilots flying combat Search and Rescue (SAR) in the war against North Vietnam. Lt. Mike Santy flies attack bombers over the Gulf of Tonkin, catapulting from the deck of the carrier Concord. He is determined to serve heroically despite a fierce clash of wills with his squadron commanding officer. His closest friend is Lt. Tim Boyle, who flies a SAR helicopter and uses his considerable skills to go in fast and low, rescuing downed pilots. Neither Boyle nor Santy can foresee the harrowing mission ahead. When an attack staged across the entire width of North Vietnam requires a SAR operation, Boyle's rescue helicopter crashes in mountainous "Indian country" - and Mike Santy flies in, circling overhead, desperately hoping his best friend is still alive. Together, both men will face the ultimate test of endurance and courage - on the ground in North Vietnam.
North Sea Battleground: The War and Sea, 1914–1918
by Bryan PerrettDuring WW1 the North Sea became the principal battleground for the navies of Britain and Germany. This book explains in chronological order the major encounters between Kaiser Wilhelm IIs High Seas Fleet and the Royal Navy. It also includes other important operations such as mine-laying and sweeping, the Zeppelin Offensive, the bomber offensive against the UK and complete background operational information within the area.Engagements of special note include The Battle of Heligoland Bight, the attempted first German Bombardment of Yarmouth, the German bombardments of Scarborough, Whitby and Hartlepool, together with the Scheers escape, and the Battle of Dogger Bank. Other actions include the Zeppelin raids, unrestricted U Boat Warfare, the Battle of Jutland and its consequences, the second Battle of Heligoland Bight, the climax and defeat of the German heavy bomber air offensive against the UK and in 1918 the Zeebrugge and Ostend raids, North Sea mine barriers and the mutiny of the High Seas Fleet.
North Sea Diary. 1914-1918 [Illustrated Edition]
by Commander Sir Stephen King-HallIncludes The First World War At Sea Illustrations Pack with 189 maps, plans, and photos.Originally published under the pseudonym "Etienne" this book is the narrative based on the diary of Commander Sir Stephen King-Hall during the First World War. The Author served on board the cruiser H.M.S. Southampton seeing service at the engagement at Dogger Bank and at the battle of Jutland. He then transferred to the nascent submarine service and was assigned to the 11th Submarine Flotilla.
North Strike (The WWII Naval Thrillers)
by Max HennessyA searing tale of combat and espionage at the edge of the world from the author who &“writes about war as few men can&” (Daily Mail). Magnusson had expected to go to war—though not as a spy, and certainly not in a windjammer. But it is 1939 and the Navy desperately needs information about German raiders and blockade runners operating in northern waters. One of the key places to uncover that information is the port of Narvik in Norway—and the man to do it is Magnusson. Soon he and the rest of the ship&’s crew find themselves playing a key role in the rescue of British prisoners from the Altmark, a German oil tanker, and are subsequently plunged into the very heart of the Nazi invasion of Norway. Set against the majestic background of the Norwegian fjords, North Strike is a powerful story from one of war fiction&’s greatest storytellers, perfect for fans of Alan Evans, Alexander Fullerton, and Douglas Reeman.
North Vietnam's 1972 Easter Offensive: Hanoi's Gamble (Cold War, 1945–1991)
by Stephen EmersonA history of the military campaign that set the stage for the end of the Vietnam War. By the end of 1971, in what Hanoi called the American War and at the height of the Cold War, the fighting had dragged on for eight years with neither side gaining a decisive advantage on the battlefield and talks in Paris to the end the war were going nowhere. While the United States was steadily drawing down its ground forces in South Vietnam, Washington was also engaging in a grand effort to build up and strengthen Saigon&’s armed forces to the point of self-sufficiency. Not only had the ranks of Saigon&’s forces swelled in recent years, but they were now being equipped and trained to use the latest American military equipment. Perhaps now was the time for Hanoi to take one last gamble before it was too late. With the rumble of men and mechanized equipment breaking the early morning silence, some 40,000 North Vietnamese troops advanced across the demilitarized zone into South Vietnam on March 30, 1972, in what would become the largest conventional attack of the war. Ill-prepared and poorly led, South Vietnamese troops in the far north were quickly routed in the face of the ensuing onslaught. Likewise, coordinated attacks across the Cambodian border northwest of Saigon and into the central highlands in the coming weeks gained steam and in due course as many as 200,000 men along with T-54/55 main battle tanks, 130mm towed artillery, ZSU-57 self-propelled ant-aircraft guns, and hundreds of trucks and armored personnel carriers were engaged across three battlefronts. Soon Saigon&’s beleaguered forces were being pushed to the brink of defeat in what appeared to be the end for the Thieu government. Ultimately, however, the timely and massive intervention by U.S. and South Vietnamese air power, along with the bravery of some South Vietnamese commanders and their American advisers saved the day. Hanoi&’s gamble had failed and, in its wake, lay up to 100,000 dead and South Vietnamese roads littered with the smoldering wrecks of North Vietnamese military equipment. Moreover, it would be another three years before the North had recovered enough to try again. &“Informatively presents an episode of the Vietnam War that has otherwise lapsed into obscurity, crowed out of the history books by North Vietnam&’s ultimate victory against the U.S. and South Vietnamese military.&” —Midwest Book Review &“The lessons from Hanoi&’s military victory, which are discussed in this book, still echo in today&’s U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan, so this book&’s account is especially pertinent in understanding the current predicaments facing the U.S. in that troubled country.&” —Journal of Counterterrorism & Homeland Security International
North Vietnamese Army Soldier 1958-75
by Gordon Rottman Brian DelfThe North Vietnamese Army is often forgotten by the histories of the Vietnam War (1955-1975). Commonly mistaken for the locally raised Viet Cong guerrillas, the NVA was in fact an entirely different force for the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. After first supporting the VC in the Republic of Vietnam in 1958, the NVA entered into their own violent armed struggle as the war escalated. Entire divisions and vast numbers of NVA troops were sent south, conducting large-scale operations in a conventional war fought almost entirely by the NVA, and not the VC, as is often believed. Despite limited armor, artillery and air support, the NVA were an extremely politicized and professional force with strict control measures and leadership concepts - soldiers were expected to be totally committed to the cause, and to sacrifice all to ensure its success. Gordon Rottman follows the fascinating life of the highly motivated infantryman from conscription and induction through training to real combat experiences. Covering the evolution of the forces from 1958 onwards, this book takes an in-depth look at the civilian and military lives of the soldiers, while accompanying artwork details the uniforms, weapons and equipment used by the NVA in their clash against America and her allies.
North and South: North And South, Love And War, And Heaven And Hell (The North and South Trilogy #1)
by John JakesThe first volume of John Jakes&’s acclaimed and sweeping saga about a friendship threatened by the divisions of the Civil WarIn the years leading up to the Civil War, one enduring friendship embodies the tensions of a nation. Orry Main from South Carolina and George Hazard from Pennsylvania forge a lasting bond while training at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Together they fight in the Mexican-American War, but their closeness is tested as their regional politics diverge. As the first rounds are fired at Fort Sumter, Orry and George find themselves on different sides of the coming struggle. In John Jakes&’s unmatched style, North and South launches a trilogy that captures the fierce passions of a country at the precipice of disaster.This ebook features an illustrated biography of John Jakes including rare images from the author&’s personal collection.
North to Freedom
by Anne Holm L. W. KingslandAfter escaping from an Eastern European concentration camp where he has spent most of his life, a twelve-year-old boy struggles to cope with an entirely savage world as he flees northward to freedom in Denmark.
North-West Aircraft Wrecks: New Insights into Dramatic Last Flights (Aviation Heritage Trail)
by Nick WotherspoonThis is a different approach to Aviation Archaeology. The book includes 18 crash sites and each chapter includes a description of how the incident occurred and the reasons behind the crash. Copious notes then reveal what the authors have discovered about the artifacts and the history surrounding the cause of the event. Contact with surviving relatives or fellow comrades has in many instances revealed new information and gives a more detailed insight into the geographical location itself. Each chapter will be illustrated to show the site, wreckage and objects found, the crew involved and aircraft type. In addition there will be location information. The appendices will give outline only information on some 400 other incidents, date, location, aircraft type, crew, fate etc.
Northampton in the Great War
by Kevin TurtonWhen war was declared in August 1914, Northampton was swept by a wave of patriotism. Men clamoured to join the ranks and fight in a war they believed would be short lived. There was a sense of excitement, with everyone wanting to do their bit for the country. They believed it was to be a glorious war and thousands, eager to be a part of it, queued outside the recruitment stations to enlist.As that excitement subsided and the town settled into life at war, what really happened in Northampton? How did people react? What did they do and how did it affect their lives? This book describes in meticulous detail exactly what happened in those five years of the Great War and its impact on the town.From the fevered excitement of the early months of war, through to the hope and expectation at its end, this is the story of Northampton's remarkable people and how they helped Belgian refugees who had fled the German invasion, organized fundraising events for the troops and local hospitals, accepted soldiers of the Welsh Fusiliers into their homes and worked long hours producing boots for the army. Against a background of key military events, the book celebrates the huge contribution Northampton and all its people made towards the countrys war effort. It documents a war the like of which no one had ever seen before
Northamptonshire at War, 1939–45 (Your Towns & Cities in World War Two)
by Kevin TurtonWhen the Second World War was declared in September 1939, Northamptonshire was better prepared for the years that followed than it had been twenty-five years earlier. Lessons had been learned from the First World War, and people were far more aware of the impact modern warfare could have on their lives. Through film, press and radio, they were able to monitor the events in Europe in a way unprecedented by any previous generation, which led to a greater understanding of world politics and a realization that the rise to power of Adolf Hitler would have predictable repercussions. So, when Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain addressed the nation after Germanys armies had invaded Poland, war, for many, had already become inevitable.But what exactly did this mean to the people of Northamptonshire, and how did they react to the threat of invasion? What were the consequences of the conflict on the Home Front? How did Northamptonshire's towns and villages function through six years of grinding warfare? These questions, and many others, are examined and answered in the pages of this book.This is the story of those who were there; the people who never accepted the possibility of defeat, who coped with rationing, blackouts, conscription and aerial bombardment, and then welcomed London's evacuees and greeted the American Air Force with open-armed hospitality.Using military events as a background, this book relates Northamptonshire's story, from the parts played in the war effort by the shoe industry, the Northamptonshire Regiment, the Home Guard, the ARP and to, of course, the people.
Northern Armageddon
by D. Peter MacleodThe Battle of the Plains of Abraham is one of the pivotal events in North American and global history. This clash between British General James Wolfe and French General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm on September 13, 1759, led to the British victory in the Seven Years' War in North America, which in turn led to the creation of Canada and the United States as we know them today.Rooted in original research, featuring quotations and images that have never appeared before, Northern Armageddon immerses the reader in the campaign, battle and siege through the eyes of dozens of participants, such as British sailor William Hunter, four Quebec residents enduring the bombing of their city and a teenage Huron warrior. Shifting from perspective to perspective, we move from the bombardment of Quebec to the field of combat, where Montcalm and Wolfe gave their orders but thousands of individual soldiers determined the outcome of the battle. In the final chapters, D. Peter MacLeod traces the battle's impact on Canada, the United States, both countries' Aboriginals and the world, from 1759 into the twenty-first century.
Northern Armageddon: The Battle of the Plains of Abraham and the Making of the American Revolution
by D. Peter MacleodA huge, ambitious re-creation of the eighteenth-century Battle of the Plains of Abraham, the pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War (1754-1763) to win control of the trans-Appalachian region of North America, a battle consisting of the British and American colonists on one side and the French and the Iroquois Confederacy on the other, and leading directly to the colonial War of Independence and the creation of Canada. It took five years of warfare fought on three continents--Europe, Asia, and North America--to bring the forces arrayed against one another--Britain, Prussia, and Hanover against France, Austria, Sweden, Saxony, Russia, and Spain (Churchill called it "the first world war")--to the plateau outside Quebec City, on September 13, 1759, on fields owned a century before by a fisherman named Abraham Martin . . . It was the final battle of a three-month siege by the British Army and Navy of Quebec, the walled city that controlled access to the St. Lawrence River and the continent's entire network of waterways; a battle with the British utilizing 15,000 soldiers, employing 186 ships, with hundreds of colonists aboard British warships and transports from Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, with France sending in a mere 400 reinforcements in addition to its 3,500 soldiers. The battle on the Plains of Abraham lasted twenty minutes, and at its finish the course of a continent was changed forever . . . New military tactics were used for the first time against standard European formations . . . Generals Wolfe and Montcalm each died of gunshot wounds . . . France surrendered Quebec to the British, setting the course for the future of Canada, paving the way for the signing of the Treaty of Paris that gave the British control of North America east of the Mississippi, and forcing France to relinquish its claims on New Orleans and to give the lands west of the Mississippi to Spain for surrendering Florida to the British. After the decisive battle, Britain's maritime and colonial supremacy was assured, its hold on the thirteen American colonies tightened. The American participation in ousting the French as a North American power spurred the confidence of the people of New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, who began to agitate for independence from Great Britain. Sixteen years later, France, still bitter over the loss of most of its colonial empire, intervened on behalf of the patriots in the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). In Northern Armageddon, Peter MacLeod, using original research--diaries, journals, letters, and firsthand accounts--and bringing to bear all of his extensive knowledge and grasp of warfare and colonial North American history, tells the epic story on a human scale. He writes of the British at Quebec through the eyes of a master's mate on one of the ships embroiled in the battle. And from the French perspective, as the British bombarded Quebec, of four residents of the city--a priest, a clerk, a nun, and a notary--caught in the crossfire. MacLeod gives us as well the large-scale ramifications of this clash of armies, not only on the shape of North America, but on the history of Europe itself.A stunning work of military history.
Northern Armageddon: The Battle of the Plains of Abraham and the Making of the American Revolution
by D. Peter MacleodA huge, ambitious re-creation of the eighteenth-century Battle of the Plains of Abraham, the pivotal battle in the Seven Years’ War (1754–1763) to win control of the trans-Appalachian region of North America, a battle consisting of the British and American colonists on one side and the French and the Iroquois Confederacy on the other, and leading directly to the colonial War of Independence and the creation of Canada. It took five years of warfare fought on three continents—Europe, Asia, and North America—to bring the forces arrayed against one another—Britain, Prussia, and Hanover against France, Austria, Sweden, Saxony, Russia, and Spain (Churchill called it “the first world war”)—to the plateau outside Quebec City, on September 13, 1759, on fields owned a century before by a fisherman named Abraham Martin . . . It was the final battle of a three-month siege by the British Army and Navy of Quebec, the walled city that controlled access to the St. Lawrence River and the continent’s entire network of waterways; a battle with the British utilizing 15,000 soldiers, employing 186 ships, with hundreds of colonists aboard British warships and transports from Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, with France sending in a mere 400 reinforcements in addition to its 3,500 soldiers. The battle on the Plains of Abraham lasted twenty minutes, and at its finish the course of a continent was changed forever . . . New military tactics were used for the first time against standard European formations . . . Generals Wolfe and Montcalm each died of gunshot wounds . . . France surrendered Quebec to the British, setting the course for the future of Canada, paving the way for the signing of the Treaty of Paris that gave the British control of North America east of the Mississippi, and forcing France to relinquish its claims on New Orleans and to give the lands west of the Mississippi to Spain for surrendering Florida to the British. After the decisive battle, Britain’s maritime and colonial supremacy was assured, its hold on the thirteen American colonies tightened. The American participation in ousting the French as a North American power spurred the confidence of the people of New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, who began to agitate for independence from Great Britain. Sixteen years later, France, still bitter over the loss of most of its colonial empire, intervened on behalf of the patriots in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). In Northern Armageddon, Peter MacLeod, using original research—diaries, journals, letters, and firsthand accounts—and bringing to bear all of his extensive knowledge and grasp of warfare and colonial North American history, tells the epic story on a human scale. He writes of the British at Quebec through the eyes of a master’s mate on one of the ships embroiled in the battle. And from the French perspective, as the British bombarded Quebec, of four residents of the city—a priest, a clerk, a nun, and a notary—caught in the crossfire. MacLeod gives us as well the large-scale ramifications of this clash of armies, not only on the shape of North America, but on the history of Europe itself.A stunning work of military history.
Northern Ireland: The British Army and the Troubles 1980–83
by Ken WhartonThis book is called ‘An Agony Continued’ because it was simply that: an agony. It was an agony which commenced at the end of the 1960s and as the new decade of the 80s arrived, so the pain, the grief, the loss and the economic destruction of Northern Ireland continued. Little did any of us know at the time, but it was to do so for almost a further two decades. Between January 1980 and December 1989, around 1,000 people died; many were soldiers and policemen; some were Prison Officers; some were paramilitaries; and some were innocent civilians. The Provisional IRA (PIRA) and their slightly more psychopathic cousins in the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) would continue to kill innocent civilians by the score during this decade. Across the sectarian divide the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) and the equally vicious Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) would continue to slaughter Catholics in streets, in pubs and in restaurants. This book will look at the period which encompassed the 48 months of 1980 and 1983. It was a near half-decade which saw the Hyde Park and Regent’s Park massacre of soldiers and horses from the Blues and Royals and the cowardly bombing of the Royal Green Jackets’ band. It further witnessed the murder of 18 people by the INLA at a disco held in the Droppin’ Well in Ballykelly and also the death of the leader of the Shankill Butchers: Lenny Murphy. The years under study include the 1981 deaths of ten Republican paramilitaries who starved themselves to death in protest against the loss of their status as ‘political prisoners'. As ever, this book pulls no punches in its absolute detestation of both Republican and Loyalist paramilitaries. This book continues Ken Wharton's epic journey through the Troubles in Northern Ireland, viewed primarily through the eyes of the British Army squaddies on the ground.