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Masters and Commanders: How Four Titans Won the War in the West, 1941–1945
by Andrew Roberts“Masterly. . . . Roberts’s portrait of the relationship between the four men who made Allied strategy through the war years is a triumph of vivid description, telling anecdotes, and informed analysis." —Max Hastings, The New York Review of BooksAn epic joint biography, Masters and Commanders explores the degree to which the course of the Second World War turned on the relationships and temperaments of four of the strongest personalities of the twentieth century: political masters Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt and the commanders of their armed forces, General Sir Alan Brooke and General George C. Marshall. Each was exceptionally tough-willed and strong-minded, and each was certain that only he knew best how to win the war. Andrew Roberts, "Britain's finest contemporary military historian" (The Economist), traces the mutual suspicion and admiration, the rebuffs and the charm, the often-explosive disagreements and wary reconciliations, and he helps us to appreciate the motives and imperatives of these key leaders as they worked tirelessly in the monumental struggle to destroy Nazism.
The Master's Cry: Episode Five
by Chris Stewart"It really grips you....I lost a lot of sleep reading it." -Tim LaHaye, co-author of the LEFT BEHIND series EVERYTHING FELL SILENT "The flash was sudden and bright, white-hot, blazing and intense. It burst down from the night sky, leaving a yellow glow that quickly faded and then disappeared. Their car stopped suddenly. No chug. No cough or sputter. It was as if someone had reached over and turned the key off." In the wake of a devastating nuclear attack on Washington, D.C., the surviving member of the government begin to plot their retaliation. But, before they can act, the world goes insane. Missiles from Israel and Iran pass each other in the air, decades of threats finally giving way to death and destruction. Japan, South Korea and China watch as the North Koreans begin to fuel their missiles. Millions of Muslims in Western Europe begin to riot. India and Pakistan raise their defense levels. The entire world seems to be on the edge of the abyss. In Saudi Arabia, however, things are going exactly to plan. King Al-Rahman, prodded along by a mysterious old man, consolidates his power within the Kingdom and orders a final, debilitating blow on the United States. Against the backdrop of torn-from-the-headlines Middle Eastern drama, the Wrath & Righteousness series is a fast-paced thriller that explores man's role in the eternal battle between good and evil. Chris Stewart is the New York Times bestselling author of several books, including The Miracle of Freedom. He is a world-record-setting Air Force pilot (fastest nonstop flight around the world) and president and CEO of The Shipley Group, a nationally recognized consulting and training company. Wrath & Righteousness is a ten episode e-book series by New York Times bestselling author Chris Stewart. Each episode is approximately 50,000-60,000 words (roughly two-thirds the length of a normal full-length novel). This series was adapted from the previously published The Great and Terrible series that was released from 2003-2008.
The Master's Mistress
by Carole MortimerHired to catalog the Sullivan House library, Elizabeth Brown is in her element. Books she can handle. Men—well, she's a little less experienced in that department. She's certainly not at all prepared for the unexpected arrival of the master of the house, Rogan Sullivan!Rogan is dark, dangerous and wickedly sexy—exactly the kind of man Elizabeth has read she should stay away from. But it's not long before Rogan is showing his virgin librarian reasons she should let herself be seduced by a masterful rogue….
Masters of Command: Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar, and the Genius of Leadership
by Barry StraussIn Masters of Command, Barry Strauss compares the way the three greatest generals of the ancient world--Alexander, Hannibal, and Caesar--waged war and draws lessons from their experiences that apply on and off the battlefield. Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar--each was a master of war. Each had to look beyond the battlefield to decide whom to fight, when, and why; to know what victory was and when to end the war; to determine how to bring stability to the lands he conquered. Each general had to be a battlefield tactician and more: a statesman, a strategist, a leader. Tactics change, weapons change, but war itself remains much the same throughout the centuries, and a great warrior must know how to define success. Understanding where each of these three great (but flawed) commanders succeeded and failed can serve anyone who wants to think strategically or has to demonstrate leadership. In Masters of Command, Barry Strauss explains the qualities these great generals shared, the keys to their success, from ambition and judgment to leadership itself. The result of years of research, Masters of Command is based on surviving written documents and archeological evidence as well as the author's travels in Italy, France, Greece, Turkey, and Tunisia in the footsteps of Alexander, Hannibal, and Caesar.
Masters of Death: The SS-Einsatzgruppen and the Invention of the Holocaust
by Richard RhodesIn Masters of Death, Richard Rhodes gives full weight, for the first time, to the part played by the Einsatzgruppen - the professional killing squads deployed in Poland and the Soviet Union, early in World War II, by Himmler's SS. And he shows how these squads were utilized as the Nazis made two separate plans for dealing with the civilian populations they wanted to destroy. Drawing on Nuremberg Tribunal documents largely ignored until now, and on newly available material from eyewitnesses and survivors, Richard Rhodes has given us a book that is essential reading on the Holocaust the World War II.
Masters of Rome (Vespasian #5)
by Robert FabbriBritannia, 45 AD: In the shadow of Stonehenge, Vespasian's brother, Sabinus, is captured by druids. The druids want to offer a potent sacrifice to their gods - not just one Roman Legate, but two. They know that Vespasian will come after his brother, and they plan to sacrifice the siblings on a summer's day. But to whom will they be making this sacrifice? What were the gods of this land before the Celts came? Only the druids still hold the secret and it is one of pure evil. Vespasian must strive to save his brother whilst completing the conquest of the haunted isle, before he is drawn inexorably back to Rome and the heart of Imperial politics. Claudius' three freedmen remain at the locus of power. As Messalina's time as Empress comes to a bloody end, the three freedmen each back a different mistress. But which woman will be victorious? And at what price for Vespasian?
Masters of the Air: The Great War Pilots McLeod, McKeever, and MacLaren
by Roger GunnA fascinating look at three of the greatest Canadian pilots in the First World War. Alan McLeod, from Stonewall, Manitoba; Andrew McKeever, from Listowel, Ontario; and Donald MacLaren, originally from Calgary, Alberta, were daring and talented pilots. Although decidedly different from each other — in personality, in the planes they flew, and in their contributions to the war effort — they shared a strong sense of duty and a passion for flying, performing remarkable deeds in primitive planes, when aviation was in its infancy. One hundred years after they flew and fought for king and country, Masters of the Air brings these three men to life, detailing their development as pilots, battles in the air, and near-death experiences Like thousands of others, these three men answered the call to fight for the British Empire. And in the skies of Europe, they achieved greatness.
Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany
by Donald L. MillerThe inspiration for the major Apple TV+ series, streaming now! The riveting history of the American Eighth Air Force in World War II and the young men who flew the bombers that helped beat the Nazis and liberate Europe, brilliantly told by historian and World War II expert Donald L. Miller. The Masters of the Air streaming series stars Austin Butler and Callum Turner, and is produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, the legendary duo behind Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Masters of the Air is the deeply personal story of the American bomber boys in World War II who brought the war to Hitler&’s doorstep. With the narrative power of fiction, Donald Miller takes you on a harrowing ride through the fire-filled skies over Berlin, Hanover, and Dresden and describes the terrible cost of bombing for the German people. Masters of the Air is the deeply personal story of the American bomber boys in World War II who brought the war to Hitler&’s doorstep. With the narrative power of fiction, Donald Miller takes you on a harrowing ride through the fire-filled skies over Berlin, Hanover, and Dresden and describes the terrible cost of bombing for the German people. Fighting at 25,000 feet in thin, freezing air that no warriors had ever encountered before, bomber crews battled new kinds of assaults on body and mind. Air combat was deadly but intermittent: periods of inactivity and anxiety were followed by short bursts of fire and fear. Unlike infantrymen, bomber boys slept on clean sheets, drank beer in local pubs, and danced to the swing music of Glenn Miller&’s Air Force band, which toured US air bases in England. But they had a much greater chance of dying than ground soldiers. The bomber crews were an elite group of warriors who were a microcosm of America—white America, anyway. The actor Jimmy Stewart was a bomber boy, and so was the &“King of Hollywood,&” Clark Gable. And the air war was filmed by Oscar-winning director William Wyler and covered by reporters like Andy Rooney and Walter Cronkite, all of whom flew combat missions with the men. The Anglo-American bombing campaign against Nazi Germany was the longest military campaign of World War II, a war within a war. Until Allied soldiers crossed into Germany in the final months of the war, it was the only battle fought inside the German homeland. Masters of the Air is &“a stunning achievement&” (David McCullough), &“a fresh new account&” (Walter Boyne, former director of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum) of life in wartime England and in the German prison camps, where tens of thousands of airmen spent part of the war. It ends with a vivid description of the grisly hunger marches captured airmen were forced to make near the end of the war through the country their bombs destroyed. Drawn from recent interviews, oral histories, and American, British, German, and other archives, Masters of the Air is an authoritative, deeply moving account that &“accurately and comprehensively&” (Lt. Gen. Bernard E. Trainor, USMC (Ret.) and coauthor of Cobra II) tells of the world&’s first and only bomber war.
Masters of the Art: A Fighting Marine's Memoir of Vietnam
by Ronald WinterNo punches are pulled in this gripping account of Vietnam combat through the eyes of a highly decorated Marine helicopter crewman and door gunner with more than three hundred missions under his belt.In 1968, U.S. Marine Ronald Winter flew some of the toughest missions of the Vietnam War, from the DMZ grasslands to the jungles near Laos and the deadly A Shau Valley, where the NVA ruled. Whether landing in the midst of hidden enemy troops or rescuing the wounded during blazing firefights, the work of helicopter crews was always dangerous. But the men in the choppers never complained; they knew they had it easy compared to their brothers on the ground.Masters of the Art is a bare-knuckles tribute to the Marines who served in Vietnam. It's about courage, sacrifice, and unsung heroes. The men who fought alongside Winter in that jungle hell were U.S. Marines, warriors who did their job and remained true to their country, no matter the cost.From the Paperback edition.
Masters of the Universe: NATO's Balkan Crusade
by Tariq AliNATO’s war on Yugoslavia in the spring of 1999 was unleashed in the name of democracy and human rights. This view was challenged by the world’s three largest countries, India, China and Russia, who saw the bombing of Serbia and Kosovo as a naked attempt to assert US dominance in an unstable world. In the West, media networks were joined by substantial sectors of left/liberal opinion in supporting the war. Nonetheless, a wide variety of figures emerged to challenge the prevailing consensus. Their work, gathered here for the first time, forms a collection of key statements and anti-war writings from some of democracy’s most eloquent dissidents—Noam Chomsky, Harold Pinter, Edward Said and many others—who provide carefully researched examinations of the real motives for the US action, dissections and critiques of the ideology of ‘humanitarian warfare’, and chartings of the unnecessary tragedy of a region laid to waste in the pursuance of Great Power politics. This reader presents some of the most important texts on NATO’s Balkan crusade and forms a major intervention in the debate on global geo-political strategy after the Cold War.
Masters of War: Classical Strategic Thought
by Michael I. HandelThis is the first comprehensive study based on a detailed textual analysis of the classical works on war by Clausewitz, Sun Tzu, Mao Tse-tung, and to a lesser extent, Jomini and Machiavelli. Brushing stereotypes aside, the author takes a fresh look at what these strategic thinkers actually said—not what they are widely believed to have said. He finds that despite their apparent differences in terms of time, place, cultural background, and level of material/technological development, all had much more in common than previously supposed. In fact, the central conclusion of this book is that the logic of waging war and of strategic thinking is as universal and timeless as human nature itself. This third, revised and expanded edition includes five new chapters and some new charts and diagrams.
Masters of War: Danny Black Thriller 1 (Danny Black #1)
by Chris RyanThe first book in the hugely popular Danny Black series by the creator of the hit TV show Strikeback.Paris. An elderly man is assassinated as he takes his morning walk.In the war-torn cities of Syria, government forces wage a bloody war against their own people.The Russians are propping up the government, the French are backing one rebel fraction and the British are backing another.In north Africa, young SAS trooper Danny Black is coming to the end of a gruelling tour of duty, or so he thinks.Danny has a new mission. An MI6 agent needs to make contact with Syrian rebel forces, and also with the private military contractors who are - unofficially - training this rebel faction as it struggles to bring down their government and establish a new regime that will be favourable to British business interests. Danny will learn who the masters of war, the men who call the shots, really are.Danny discovers a world where death is dispensed by the highest bidder and individuals will betray anybody if the price is right.
Masters of War: Danny Black Thriller 1
by Chris RyanThe first book in the hugely popular Danny Black series by the creator of the hit TV show Strikeback.Paris. An elderly man is assassinated as he takes his morning walk.In the war-torn cities of Syria, government forces wage a bloody war against their own people.The Russians are propping up the government, the French are backing one rebel fraction and the British are backing another.In north Africa, young SAS trooper Danny Black is coming to the end of a gruelling tour of duty, or so he thinks.Danny has a new mission. An MI6 agent needs to make contact with Syrian rebel forces, and also with the private military contractors who are - unofficially - training this rebel faction as it struggles to bring down their government and establish a new regime that will be favourable to British business interests. Danny will learn who the masters of war, the men who call the shots, really are.Danny discovers a world where death is dispensed by the highest bidder and individuals will betray anybody if the price is right.
Masters of War: Danny Black Thriller 1 (Danny Black #1)
by Chris RyanIn Paris, an elderly man is assassinated as he takes his morning walk. In the war-torn cities of Syria, government forces wage a bloody war against their own people. The Russians are propping up the government, the French are backing one rebel fraction and the British are backing another. And in north Africa, young SAS trooper Jamie Truman is coming to the end of a gruelling tour of duty, or so he thinks. Jamie has a new mission. An MI6 agent needs to make contact with Syrian rebel forces, and also with the private military contractors who are - unofficially - training this rebel faction as it struggles to bring down their government and establish a new regime that will be favourable to British business interests. As they travel deep into rebel heartland, Jamie will learn who the masters of war, the men who call the shots, really are. As Jamie finds himself sucked into the murky orbit of the private military, he discovers a world where death is dispensed by the highest bidder and individuals will betray anybody if the price is right.And where a secret lurks that will change the course of Jamie's own life, however long that might last...(P)2013 Hodder & Stoughton
Masters of Warfare: Fifty Underrated Military Commanders from Classical Antiquity to the Cold War
by Eric G. PinzelliIn Masters of Warfare, Eric G. L. Pinzelli presents a selection of fifty commanders whose military achievements, skill or historical impact he believes to be underrated by modern opinion. He specifically does not include the household names (the "Gods of War" as he calls them) such as Alexander, Julius Caesar, Wellington, Napoléon, Rommel or Patton that have been covered in countless biographies. Those chosen come from every period of recorded military history from the sixth century BC to the Vietnam War. The selection rectifies the European/US bias of many such surveys with Asian entries such as Bai Qi (Chinese), Attila (Hunnic), Subotai (Mongol), Ieyasu Tokugawa (Japanese) and Võ Nguyên Giáp (Vietnamese). Naval commanders are also represented by the likes of Khayr al-Din Barbarossa, Francis Drake and Michiel de Ruyter. These 50 "Masters of War" are presented in a chronological order easy to follow, with a concise overview of their life and career. Altogether they present a fascinating survey of the developments and continuities in the art of command, but most importantly their contribution to the evolution of weaponry, tactic and strategy through the ages.
Mata Hari
by Michelle MoranFrom the internationally bestselling author of Nefertiti comes a captivating novel about the infamous Mata Hari, exotic dancer, adored courtesan, and, possibly, infamous spy.Paris, 1917. The notorious dancer Mata Hari sits in a cold cell awaiting freedom . . . or death. Alone and despondent, Mata Hari is as confused as the rest of the world about the charges she's been arrested on: treason leading to the deaths of thousands of French soldiers.As Mata Hari waits for her fate to be decided, she relays the story of her life to a reporter who is allowed to visit her in prison. Beginning with her carefree childhood, Mata Hari recounts her father's cruel abandonment of her family as well her calamitous marriage to a military officer. Taken to the island of Java, Mata Hari refuses to be ruled by her abusive husband and instead learns to dance, paving the way to her stardom as Europe's most infamous exotic dancer.From lush Indian temples and glamorous Parisian theatres to stark German barracks in war-torn Europe, Moran brings to vibrant life the famed world of Mata Hari: dancer, courtesan, and possibly, spy.
The Matabele Rebellion 1896 With the Belingwe Field Force: With The Belingwe Field Force (classic Reprint)
by D Tyrie Laing“The struggles for AfricaThere can be few more interesting and evocative periods of British imperial history than the struggles for south-eastern Africa. The empire had found itself colliding with the interests of many native powers across the globe during the decades of its expansion. Many had fought to maintain their independence and some, like the Sikhs of the Punjab, were sufficiently well versed in the practice of warfare as to be a serious threat. This could not be said of the tribes which rose from the Zulu nation, yet the Zulu War of 1879 gave British forces a chilling and brutal lesson in what a 'primitive' African tribal army was capable of achieving on the field of battle. The Matabele, as an off-shoot of the martial Zulus, also inevitably came into conflict with the British during the closing decade of the 19th century. The First Matabele War did not decisively subjugate the tribe and in 1896 it rose again laying siege to Bulawayo with over 10,000 Ndebele warriors.”-Print ed.
The Matchmaker (The Matchmaker Novels #1)
by Rexanne BecnelA genteel English lady looking for a spark is about to get a bonfire in this Regency romance by the USA Today–bestselling author of the Rosecliffe Trilogy. Olivia may have entered London society three years ago, but all she has to show for it is extensive notes. The pages of her diary are filled with details on every bachelor who has ever clamored for a spot on her dance card. Although her book has afforded her a new hobby in matchmaking, it has yet to provide her with a suitable man. And she is not about to settle for just anyone . . . Since returning from the war, Lord Neville Hawke slakes his thirst with any spirit he can find and satisfies his lust with any woman he desires. His charms, however, are lost on a well-bred lady like Olivia. After their disastrous meeting, she wants nothing to do with him. Neville, on the other hand, feels something he has not felt in a long time. Olivia makes the darkest days of his past feel a bit more bearable. But since Olivia has made up her mind on Neville and he is not in the market for a wife, it would take a miracle for them to get together—or a kiss. Perfect for fans of the Bridgerton series! &“If you like your heroes dark and flawed, then run, don&’t walk, to buy The Matchmaker. . . . Becnel gives us true insight into the human spirit and does not stint on creating the ideal atmosphere and recreating the era to near perfection. A powerful love story and a thinking reader&’s book.&” —RT Book Reviews &“Once again, Rexanne Becnel delivers a special reading treat. . . . The supporting cast is fantastic, and the story . . . will richly entertain you and have you clamoring for more works by the talented Rexanne Becnel.&” —The Belles and Beaux of Romance
The Matchmaker Novels, Books 1–3: The Matchmaker, The Troublemaker, and The Bridemaker (The Matchmaker Novels)
by Rexanne BecnelThe first three entries in a Regency romance series featuring a heroine with a knack for finding the right man, just not for herself. After three years in London society, Olivia has extensive notes on every bachelor she&’s met, and although she hasn&’t landed a husband yet, she&’s helped several young women find the perfect match . . . The Matchmaker Since returning from the war, Lord Neville Hawke satisfies his needs with spirits and women. His charms, however, are lost on a well-bred lady like Olivia. After their disastrous meeting, she wants nothing to do with him. Neville, on the other hand, feels something he has not felt in a long time. Olivia makes the darkest days of his past feel a bit more bearable. But since Olivia has made up her mind on Neville and he is not in the market for a wife, it would take a miracle for them to get together—or for just a kiss. The Troublemaker The parents of a troublesome beauty send her off to the Scottish countryside to keep her out of trouble. When she discovers her chaperone is not home, she vows to show her family she can be a good girl on her own. But the arrival of a handsome American in search of justice and revenge might stir up some trouble. The Bridemaker A straitlaced schoolmarm, Mrs. Hester Poitevant runs a successful academy for girls. Yet no one knows that underneath the guise of a stuffy widow, she&’s secretly a beautiful young woman. But when she&’s forced to stop rakish businessman Adrian Hawke from seducing one of her students, she falls victim to his charms. Now the clever rogue is intrigued by Hester and is determined to uncover what she&’s hiding, in more ways than one. Perfect for fans of Bridgerton.Praise for the Matchmaker series&“If you like your heroes dark and flawed, then run, don&’t walk, to buy The Matchmaker. . . . Becnel gives us true insight into the human spirit and does not stint on creating the ideal atmosphere and recreating the era to near perfection. A powerful love story and a thinking reader&’s book.&” —RT Book Reviews on The Matchmaker&“With this sparkling romance between a highly regarded widow and a thoroughly charming rake, Becnel . . . breathes life into the rigid Regency-era romance genre. . . . Hester&’s spirited personality and Adrian&’s devil-may-care attitude will appeal to a broad readership. Playful in tone and rich in character, this book is fun, breezy entertainment.&” —Publishers Weekly on The Bridemaker
Material Cultures of Childhood in Second World War Britain (Material Culture and Modern Conflict)
by Gabriel MoshenskaHow do children cope when their world is transformed by war? This book draws on memory narratives to construct an historical anthropology of childhood in Second World Britain, focusing on objects and spaces such as gas masks, air raid shelters and bombed-out buildings. In their struggles to cope with the fears and upheavals of wartime, with families divided and familiar landscapes lost or transformed, children reimagined and reshaped these material traces of conflict into toys, treasures and playgrounds. This study of the material worlds of wartime childhood offers a unique viewpoint into an extraordinary period in history with powerful resonances across global conflicts into the present day.
Materials and Manufacturing Capabilities for Sustaining Defense Systems
by Defense Materials Manufacturing and Infrastructure Standing Committee National Research Council Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences Robert J. KattThe Standing Committee on Defense Materials Manufacturing and Infrastructure (DMMI) conducted a workshop on July 23-24, 2012, to share information and gather perspectives on issues concerning Materials and Manufacturing Capabilities for Sustaining Defense Systems. This workshop, held at the headquarters building of the National Academies, 2101 Constitution Avenue N.W., Washington D.C., was conducted according to the procedures of the National Research Council (NRC) for a convening activity. That is, all workshop participants--including presenters, members of the DMMI standing committee, Reliance 21, invited guests, and visitors--spoke as individuals, and no overall findings, conclusions, or recommendations were developed during or as a result of the workshop. All statements and views summarized in this publication are attributable only to those individuals who expressed them. It is worth noting that the sponsor, Reliance 21, is a Department of Defense group of professionals that was established to enable the DOD science and technology (S&T) community to work together to enhance Defense S&T programs, eliminate unwarranted duplication, and strengthen cooperation among the military services and other DOD agencies. The DMMI standing committee named a workshop planning group to develop the workshop agenda and decide on invited guests and presenters, in accordance with the statement of task approved by the Governing Board of the NRC. The planning group also consulted with the Reliance 21 materials and processing community of interest. The presentations and discussions during the workshop are summarized sequentially in the main part of this report. As an aid to readers, nine themes have been identified by the author that recurred in multiple presentations and discussions. Materials and Manufacturing Capabilities for Sustaining Defense Systems: Summary of a Workshop explains these nine themes and summarizes the two day workshop.
Materials Research to Meet 21st-century Defense Needs
by National Research CouncilIn order to achieve the revolutionary new defense capabilities offered by materials science and engineering, innovative management to reduce the risks associated with translating research results will be needed along with the R&D. While payoff is expected to be high from the promising areas of materials research, many of the benefits are likely to be evolutionary. Nevertheless, failure to invest in more speculative areas of research could lead to undesired technological surprises. Basic research in physics, chemistry, biology, and materials science will provide the seeds for potentially revolutionary technologies later in the 21st century.
The Mathews Men: Seven Brothers and the War Against Hitler's U-boats
by William Geroux"Vividly drawn and emotionally gripping."--Daniel James Brown, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Boys in the BoatOne of the last unheralded heroic stories of World War II: the U-boat assault off the American coast against the men of the U.S. Merchant Marine who were supplying the European war, and one community's monumental contribution to that effortMathews County, Virginia, is a remote outpost on the Chesapeake Bay with little to offer except unspoiled scenery--but it sent an unusually large concentration of sea captains to fight in World War II. The Mathews Men tells that heroic story through the experiences of one extraordinary family whose seven sons (and their neighbors), U.S. merchant mariners all, suddenly found themselves squarely in the cross-hairs of the U-boats bearing down on the coastal United States in 1942. From the late 1930s to 1945, virtually all the fuel, food and munitions that sustained the Allies in Europe traveled not via the Navy but in merchant ships. After Pearl Harbor, those unprotected ships instantly became the U-boats' prime targets. And they were easy targets--the Navy lacked the inclination or resources to defend them until the beginning of 1943. Hitler was determined that his U-boats should sink every American ship they could find, sometimes within sight of tourist beaches, and to kill as many mariners as possible, in order to frighten their shipmates into staying ashore. As the war progressed, men from Mathews sailed the North and South Atlantic, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean, and even the icy Barents Sea in the Arctic Circle, where they braved the dreaded Murmansk Run. Through their experiences we have eyewitnesses to every danger zone, in every kind of ship. Some died horrific deaths. Others fought to survive torpedo explosions, flaming oil slicks, storms, shark attacks, mine blasts, and harrowing lifeboat odysseys--only to ship out again on the next boat as soon as they'd returned to safety. The Mathews Men shows us the war far beyond traditional battlefields--often the U.S. merchant mariners' life-and-death struggles took place just off the U.S. coast--but also takes us to the landing beaches at D-Day and to the Pacific. "When final victory is ours," General Dwight D. Eisenhower had predicted, "there is no organization that will share its credit more deservedly than the Merchant Marine." Here, finally, is the heroic story of those merchant seamen, recast as the human story of the men from Mathews.From the Hardcover edition.
The Mathews Men: Seven Brothers and the War Against Hitler's U-boats
by William Geroux“Vividly drawn and emotionally gripping."—Daniel James Brown, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Boys in the BoatOne of the last unheralded heroic stories of World War II: the U-boat assault off the American coast against the men of the U.S. Merchant Marine who were supplying the European war, and one community’s monumental contribution to that effortMathews County, Virginia, is a remote outpost on the Chesapeake Bay with little to offer except unspoiled scenery—but it sent an unusually large concentration of sea captains to fight in World War II. The Mathews Men tells that heroic story through the experiences of one extraordinary family whose seven sons (and their neighbors), U.S. merchant mariners all, suddenly found themselves squarely in the cross-hairs of the U-boats bearing down on the coastal United States in 1942. From the late 1930s to 1945, virtually all the fuel, food and munitions that sustained the Allies in Europe traveled not via the Navy but in merchant ships. After Pearl Harbor, those unprotected ships instantly became the U-boats’ prime targets. And they were easy targets—the Navy lacked the inclination or resources to defend them until the beginning of 1943. Hitler was determined that his U-boats should sink every American ship they could find, sometimes within sight of tourist beaches, and to kill as many mariners as possible, in order to frighten their shipmates into staying ashore. As the war progressed, men from Mathews sailed the North and South Atlantic, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean, and even the icy Barents Sea in the Arctic Circle, where they braved the dreaded Murmansk Run. Through their experiences we have eyewitnesses to every danger zone, in every kind of ship. Some died horrific deaths. Others fought to survive torpedo explosions, flaming oil slicks, storms, shark attacks, mine blasts, and harrowing lifeboat odysseys—only to ship out again on the next boat as soon as they'd returned to safety. The Mathews Men shows us the war far beyond traditional battlefields—often the U.S. merchant mariners’ life-and-death struggles took place just off the U.S. coast—but also takes us to the landing beaches at D-Day and to the Pacific. “When final victory is ours,” General Dwight D. Eisenhower had predicted, “there is no organization that will share its credit more deservedly than the Merchant Marine.” Here, finally, is the heroic story of those merchant seamen, recast as the human story of the men from Mathews.From the Hardcover edition.
Matilda Infantry Tank 1938-45
by David Fletcher Peter SarsonThe Matilda was the principal British infantry tank in the early years of World War II. It served with the BEF in France and later in North Africa, where it earned the title 'Queen of the Desert'. Outclassed by increasingly powerful German anti-tank weapons, it still remained a power in the South-East Pacific, and was kept in service until the end of the war by Australian forces. In this title, David Fletcher deals with Marks I to V. Development and operational history are discussed, along with service in other countries, including Germany and Russia. Numerous variants are also covered, including the prototype 'Hedgehog' bunker-busting weapon.