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Proceedings of 4th International Conference in Software Engineering for Defence Applications
by Paolo Ciancarini Alberto Sillitti Giancarlo Succi Angelo MessinaThis book presentshigh-quality original contributions on new software engineering models,approaches, methods, and tools and their evaluation in the context of defenceand security applications. In addition, important business and economic aspectsare discussed, with a particular focus on cost/benefit analysis, new businessmodels, organizational evolution, and business intelligence systems. Thecontents are based on presentations delivered at SEDA 2015, the 4thInternational Conference in Software Engineering for Defence Applications,which was held in Rome, Italy, in May 2015. This conference series represents atargeted response to the growing need for research that reports and debates thepractical implications of software engineering within the defence environmentand also for software performance evaluation in real settings throughcontrolled experiments as well as case and field studies. The book will appealto all with an interest in modeling, managing, and implementing defence-relatedsoftware development products and processes in a structured and supportable way.
The Prodigal Sun (Evergence #1)
by Sean Williams Shane DixMorgan Roche, commander in the intelligence arm of the Commonwealth Empires, has been charged with protecting the AI known as The Box on a secret voyage across the galaxy. But en route her ship is ambushed by the Dato Bloc, and she is forced to crash-land on a nearby prison planet.MAROONED ON SCIACCA&’S WORLD:Battling deadly inmates and treacherous guards, she fights her way through a hostile environment toward her only hope of escape, the mysterious Adoni Cane at her side. A genetically enhanced warrior with a past not even he can fathom, he could be the savior of the human race, or its downfall--but either way, Morgan Roche won&’t survive without him…&“THE PRODIGAL SUN is a close-knit personal story told on a galaxy-sized canvas. Filled with action as well as intriguing ideas.&” --Kevin J Anderson&“With echoes of vintage Jack Williamson and Poul Anderson, as well as Niven, Asimov and Vinge, Williams and Dix proudly continue a vital tradition, proving SF as diverse a field as ever.&” --Asimov's&“[A] very satisfying classic Golden Age-style yarn…. strongly recommended&” --Locus&“Space opera of the ambitious, galaxy-spanning sort... fast and furious action.&” --New York Review of SF
Prodigals
by Richard TaylorThis well-written combat memoir is heartfelt, earnest, honest, and melancholy--a poignant look at two intense tours in Vietnam. During his first tour in Vietnam, from 1967 to 1968, Dick Taylor was a well-trained and highly motivated amateur assigned to advise a hard-bitten Army of the Republic of Vietnam infantry battalion working in the mud and streams of IV Corps. He became savvy in a hurry and found that he was both brave and resourceful. He barely survived the Tet Offensive of 1968, and then served on an advisory team staff. For the next two years, Taylor earned a Ranger tab, served on a division staff, and schooled on. He met his wife, and married her days before he returned to Vietnam. Taylor's second tour, from 1970 to 1971, was altogether different. He immediately assumed command of Bravo Company, 1/7 Cav, and excelled as a commander and a leader. He was aggressive in the field, confident in his command, and assertive with his superiors. He fought a good war, a successful war, and when he was forced to take a staff job it was as his battalion's intelligence officer. But the war was winding down, its purpose lost. Taylor's spirit's flagged, but not his fidelity.
Profane Men
by Rex MillerProfane Men brings the dark, creative, visionary energy of Slob, Chaingang, and other works by Rex Miller to a story set in Vietnam during the late 1960s. There have been many tales written about that troubled and troubling era, and Miller's popular fiction work is clearly informed by personal experience relating to the war. In fact, this novel is filled with apparently autobiographical touches (the central narrator character has a developing career in broadcast radio, among other things). A rootless young man drifting through life faces the likelihood of being drafted and decides to choose his own destiny, seeking a way to avoid becoming cannon fodder. Unfortunately for him, he finds himself thrust into some of the worst corners of Vietnam, working with a team of assassins tracking a pirate radio broadcaster who seems to be supplying intelligence to the Viet Cong. And then things get complicated . . .
Professional Military Development Of Major General Ernest N. Harmon
by Major Matthew B. DaleThis study is a partial biography of Major General Ernest N. Harmon, focusing on his military career from his West Point graduation in 1917 to his assuming command of the 2nd Armored Division in 1942. When Harmon attained division command in July 1942 he was one of the most experienced officers in the army to command an armored division. However, he is overlooked in many histories and leadership studies. The intent of this thesis is to determine what in Harmon's professional military development prepared him to become a successful and widely acclaimed leader of armored forces in the European Theater of Operations (ETO) during World War II.Harmon's career reflected the generation of army officers whose service began during World War I and ended just prior to or during the early years of the Cold War. However, his World War I experience was unique in that, with only eighteen months of service, he commanded the largest U.S. cavalry formation to see combat in France. Harmon's interwar career mirrored that of most of his peers, shifting between command, staff, instructor, and student assignments. Therefore, this study also provides a snapshot era's officer professional development...The first twenty-five years of his career prepared Harmon for combat in World War II and the occupation of Germany that followed. His career development and personal experiences forged his competence and character. He personally played crucial roles in ending three of the greatest crises faced by American forces in the ETO: Kasserine, Anzio, and the Ardennes. The units that he commanded played decisive parts in securing North Africa, seizing Rome, and penetrating the Siegfried Line into Germany. Following the war Harmon served in a variety of key positions including military governor of Czechoslovakia and the organizer and first commander of the U.S. Constabulary Force in Germany before retiring in 1947 with thirty years of military service.
The Professor and the Parson: A Story of Desire, Deceit and Defrocking
by Adam SismanOne day in November 1958, the celebrated historian Hugh Trevor-Roper received a curious letter. It was an appeal for help, written on behalf of a student at Magdalene College, with the unlikely claim that he was being persecuted by the Bishop of Oxford. Curiosity piqued, Trevor-Roper agreed to a meeting. It was to be his first encounter with Robert Parkin Peters: plagiarist, bigamist, fraudulent priest and imposter extraordinaire.The Professor and the Parson traces the strange career of one of Britain's most eccentric criminals. Motivated not by money but by a desire for prestige, Peters' lied, stole and cheated his way to academic positions and religious posts from Cambridge to New York, Singapore and South Africa. Frequently deported, and even more frequently discovered, his trail of destruction included seven marriages (three of which were bigamous), an investigation by the FBI and a disastrous appearance on Mastermind.Based on Trevor-Roper's own detailed 'file on Peters', The Professor and the Parson is a witty and charming account of eccentricity, extraordinary narcissism and a life as wild and unlikely as any in fiction.
El profeta del nuevo mundo: Louis Riel
by Jean Meyer«La voz de todos los susurros de la conciencia canadiense, el símbolo de una composición étnica abigarrada» Héroe, traidor, asesino, hereje, mártir, loco, noble salvaje, agente del imperialismo yanqui, defensor de los derechos de los mestizos y de los indios, padre de la provincia de Manitoba e, incluso, uno de los fundadores de la Confederación Canadiense. La Historia quiso que epítetos tan diversos y discordantes correspondan a un mismo individuo: Louis Riel. La vida y muerte de este personaje se han convertido en mitos fundacionales de Canadá. Louis Riel fue líder del pueblo métis —etnia mestiza, de ascendencia indígena y europea— que encabezó dos movimientos de resistencia contra el gobierno canadiense. El primero (1869-1870) dio como resultado la creación de la provincia de Manitoba, y el segundo (1885) derivó en un enfrentamiento militar, la única guerra que ha tenido lugar hasta la fecha en suelo canadiense. Este conflicto, alentado por sir John Macdonald, primer ministro de Canadá, además de costarle la vida a Louis Riel, les valió a los indios su encierro en las reservas por más de sesenta años y cuyas consecuencias vemos hasta ahora. Sobre ninguna otra figura de la historia de Canadá se ha escrito tanto como sobre Louis Riel, sin embargo, ésta es la primera biografía en español. Resultado de una labor de investigación de cincuenta años, El profeta del Nuevo Mundo nos revela la vida de un hombre que quiso hacer de Canadá un espacio de comunión para las naciones.
Profiles #5: The Vietnam War (Profiles #5)
by Daniel PolanskyIt takes more than one person to bring about War. This book will follow the lives of six key players during one of the most controversial wars in history. Profiles is so much more than just your typical biography. The next book in our six-in-one, full-color bio series will focus on the five W's of the Vietnam War--who, what, where, when, and why. Kids will learn all of the biographical information they need to know (background, family, education, accomplishments, etc.) about: Ho Chi Minh (prime minister of Democratic Republic of Vietnam) John F. Kennedy (US president 1961-1963), Lyndon B. Johnson (US president (1963-1969), Ngo Dinh Diem (president of South Vietnam), Henry Kissinger (US National security advisor), and William Westmoreland (US army general). This book will help illuminate one of the most controversial wars in American history for a new generation of readers.
Profiles #7: War Spies (Profiles #7)
by Daniel PolanskySix bios in one! Profiles is so much more than just your typical biography. The next book in our six-in-one, full-color bio series will focus on war spies. Kids will learn all of the biographical information they want to know about some of the most famous spies in history. Featuring Sir Francis Walsingham, Nathan Hale, Belle Boyd, Kim Philby, Virginia Hall, and Allen Dulles. Find out how and why they grew up to be spies!
Profiles In Courage
by President John F. KennedyThis is a book about Courage and Patriotism. It tells the dramatic stories of a number of American politicians of various political and regional allegiances whose one overriding loyalty was to the United States and to the right as God gave them to see it. They range from born aristocrats to self-made men. Some are well-known, some almost forgotten. But all of them, in the face of dreadful consequences, exhibited a special kind of greatness. These stories about them remind us sharply that there is, in addition to a courage with which men die, a courage by which men must live. --Print Ed.
Prohibition’s Greatest Myths: The Distilled Truth about America’s Anti-Alcohol Crusade
by Garrett Peck Joe Coker Thomas R. Pegram H. Paul Thompson Lisa M. Andersen Mark Schrad Robert Beach Anne-Marie E. SzymanskiThe word “prohibition” tends to conjure up images of smoky basement speakeasies, dancing flappers, and hardened gangsters bootlegging whiskey. Such stereotypes, a prominent historian recently noted in the Washington Post, confirm that Americans’ “common understanding of the prohibition era is based more on folklore than fact.” Popular culture has given us a very strong, and very wrong, picture of what the period was like. Prohibition’s Greatest Myths: The Distilled Truth about America’s Anti-Alcohol Crusade aims to correct common misperceptions with ten essays by scholars who have spent their careers studying different aspects of the era. Each contributor unravels one myth, revealing the historical evidence that supports, complicates, or refutes our long-held beliefs about the Eighteenth Amendment. H. Paul Thompson Jr., Joe L. Coker, Lisa M. F. Andersen, and Ann Marie E. Szymanski examine the political and religious factors in early twentieth-century America that led to the push for prohibition, including the temperance movement, the influences of religious conservatism and liberalism, the legislation of individual behavior, and the lingering effects of World War I. From there, several contributors analyze how the laws of prohibition were enforced. Michael Lewis discredits the idea that alcohol consumption increased during the era, while Richard F. Hamm clarifies the connections between prohibition and organized crime, and Thomas R. Pegram demonstrates that issues other than the failure of prohibition contributed to the amendment’s repeal. Finally, contributors turn to prohibition’s legacy. Mark Lawrence Schrad, Garrett Peck, and Bob L. Beach discuss the reach of prohibition beyond the United States, the influence of anti-alcohol legislation on Americans’ longterm drinking habits, and efforts to link prohibition with today’s debates over the legalization of marijuana. Together, these essays debunk many of the myths surrounding “the Noble Experiment,” not only providing a more in-depth analysis of prohibition but also allowing readers to engage more meaningfully in contemporary debates about alcohol and drug policy.
Project Azorian
by Michael White Norman C. PolmarDespite incredible political, military, and intelligence risks, and after six years of secret preparations, the CIA attempted to salvage the sunken Soviet ballistic missile submarine K-129 from the depths of the North Pacific Ocean in early August 1974. This audacious effort was carried out under the cover of an undersea mining operation sponsored by eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes. "Azorian"-incorrectly identified as Project Jennifer by the press- was the most ambitious ocean engineering endeavor ever attempted and can be compared to the 1969 moon landing for its level of technological achievement. Following the sinking of a Soviet missile submarine in March 1968, U.S. intelligence agencies were able to determine the precise location and to develop a means of raising the submarine from a depth of more than 16,000 feet. Previously, the deepest salvage attempt of a submarine had been accomplished at 245 feet. The remarkable effort to reach the K-129, which contained nuclear-armed torpedoes and missiles as well as cryptographic equipment, was conducted with Soviet naval ships a few hundred yards from the lift ship, the Hughes Glomar Explorer. While other books have been published about this secret project, none has provided an accurate and detailed account of this remarkable undertaking. To fully document the story, the authors conducted extensive interviews with men who were on board the Glomar Explorer and the USS Halibut, the submarine that found the wreckage, as well as with U.S. naval intelligence officers and with Soviet naval officers and scientists. The authors had access to the Glomar Explorer's logs and to other documents from U.S. and Soviet sources. The book is based, in part, on the research for Michael White's ground-breaking documentary film,Azorian: The Raising of the K-129, released in late 2009. As a result of the research for the book and the documentary film, the CIA reluctantly issued a report on Project Azorian in early 2010, even though they tried to withhold details that were in that brief document from the public record by redacting one-third of it. In this book, the story of the CIA's Project Azorian is finally revealed after decades of secrecy.
Project Eagle: The American Christians of North Korea in World War II
by Robert S. KimRobert S. Kim contributes to a fuller understanding of Asia in World War II by revealing the role of American Christian missionary families in the development of the Korean independence movement and the creation of Project Eagle, the forgotten alliance between that movement and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), called Project Eagle.Project Eagle tells the story of American missionaries in Korea from 1884 to 1942. They brought a new religion, modern education, and American political ideals to a nation conquered and ruled by the Japanese Empire. The missionaries’ influence inextricably linked Christianity and American-style democracy to Korean nationalism and independence, meanwhile establishing an especially strong presence in Pyongyang. Project Eagle connects this era for the first time to OSS-Korean cooperation during the war through the story of its central figures: American missionary sons George McCune and Clarence Weems and one of Korea’s leading national heroes, Kim Ku. Project Eagle illuminates the shared history between Americans and Koreans that has remained largely unexamined since World War II. The legacy of these American actions in Korea, ignored by the U.S. government and the academy since 1945, has shaped the relationship of the United States to both North Korea and South Korea and remains crucial to understanding the future of U.S. relations with both Koreas.
Project HULA: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan
by Richard A. Russell"This booklet, based on original materials culled from archives in the United States and in the Russian Federation, treats a little known aspect of lend-lease and of Soviet-American relations at the end of the Second World War. The author, Richard A. Russell, has cultivated singularly productive relations with prominent historians, archivists, and naval officers in Russia. His tireless efforts to obtain access to Russian naval archives and to introduce their materials into the writing of recent American history will revise how historians approach working on the navel aspects of the Soviet-American alliance in World War II and the Cold War at sea." William S. Dudley Director of Naval History United States Navy
Project Plowshare: The Peaceful Use of Nuclear Explosives in Cold War America
by Scott KaufmanInspired by President Dwight D. Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" speech, scientists at the Atomic Energy Commission and the University of California's Radiation Laboratory began in 1957 a program they called Plowshare. Joined by like-minded government officials, scientists, and business leaders, champions of "peaceful nuclear explosions" maintained that they could create new elements and isotopes for general use, build storage facilities for water or fuel, mine ores, increase oil and natural gas production, generate heat for power production, and construct roads, harbors, and canals. By harnessing the power of the atom for nonmilitary purposes, Plowshare backers expected to protect American security, defend U.S. legitimacy and prestige, and ensure access to energy resources.Scott Kaufman's extensive research in nearly two dozen archives in three nations shows how science, politics, and environmentalism converged to shape the lasting conflict over the use of nuclear technology. Indeed, despite technological and strategic promise, Plowshare's early champions soon found themselves facing a vocal and powerful coalition of federal and state officials, scientists, industrialists, environmentalists, and average citizens. Skeptical politicians, domestic and international pressure to stop nuclear testing, and a lack of government funding severely restricted the program. By the mid-1970s, Plowshare was, in the words of one government official, "dead as a doornail." However, the thought of using the atom for peaceful purposes remains alive.
Project Quick Find: Memoirs of a U.S. Navy SEAL Training Sea Lions
by Michael P. WoodProject Quick Find is the true story of sea lions trained to help U.S. Navy SEALs. Begun in Hawaii in the late 1960s, the project recruited trainers in Coronado, California, to successfully teach the animals to recover objects from the ocean floor. The program eventually received official navy certification, expanded its scope and evolved its mission. Author, photojournalist and former Navy SEAL Michael P. Wood documented the program in the 1970s and presents this fascinating look at the bond between man and beast.
Project Seven Alpha: American Airlines in Burma, 1942
by Leland ShanleThe true story of American Airlines pilots who ferried essential supplies to US troops over the Himalayas is recounted in this thrilling WWII history. In late 1941, to prevent a Japanese invasion of India, President Roosevelt formed a defensive line on the eastern side of the Patkai and Himalayan Mountain Ranges. To support these troops, he needed an air supply from Eastern India. But he lacked the aircraft and pilots capable of navigating &“The Hump&”—the dangerous path over the world's highest mountains. The solution was Project Seven Alpha: a plan to enlist the DC-3 aircraft and World War I veteran pilots of American Airlines. This newly formed Squadron would fly these medium-range aircraft in a series of long-distance hops across the Pacific and Southern Asia to the Assam Valley in India. They would then establish the vital supply route carrying arms, ammunition and food to the Allied bases and return with wounded personnel. Based on the experiences of those who were involved, this is the story of this little-known operation of the Burma Campaign.
Projekt 1065: A Novel of World War II
by Alan GratzInfiltrate. Befriend. Sabotage. World War II is raging. Michael O'Shaunessey, originally from Ireland, now lives in Nazi Germany with his parents. Like the other boys in his school, Michael is a member of the Hitler Youth. But Michael has a secret. He and his parents are spies. Michael despises everything the Nazis stand for. But he joins in the Hitler Youth's horrific games and book burnings, playing the part so he can gain insider knowledge. When Michael learns about Projekt 1065, a secret Nazi war mission, things get even more complicated. He must prove his loyalty to the Hitler Youth at all costs -- even if it means risking everything he cares about. Including... his own life. From acclaimed author Alan Gratz (Prisoner B-3087) comes a pulse-pounding novel about facing fears and fighting for what matters most.
Proliferation Concerns: Assessing U.S. Efforts to Help Contain Nuclear and Other Dangerous Materials and Technologies in the Former Soviet Union
by National Research Council StaffThe successor states of the former Soviet Union have enormous stocks of weapons-usable nuclear material and other militarily significant commodities and technologies. Preventing the flow of such items to countries of proliferation concern and to terrorist groups is a major objective of U.S. national security policy. This book reviews the effectiveness of two U.S. programs directed to this objective. These programs have supported the efforts of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakstan in upgrading the physical protection, control, and accountability of highly enriched uranium and plutonium and strengthening systems to control the export of many types of militarily sensitive items.
The Prometheus Bomb: The Manhattan Project and Government in the Dark
by Neil J. SullivanDuring World War II, the lives of millions of Americans lay precariously in the hands of a few brilliant scientists who raced to develop the first weapon of mass destruction. Elected officials gave the scientists free rein in the Manhattan Project without understanding the complexities and dangers involved in splitting the atom. The Manhattan Project was the first example of a new type of choice for congressmen, presidents, and other government officials: life and death on a national scale. From that moment, our government began fashioning public policy for issues of scientific development, discoveries, and inventions that could secure or threaten our existence and our future. But those same men and women had no training in such fields, did not understand the ramifications of the research, and relied on incomplete information to form potentially life-changing decisions. Through the story of the Manhattan Project, Neil J. Sullivan asks by what criteria the people in charge at the time made such critical decisions. He also ponders how similar judgments are reached today with similar incomprehension from those at the top as our society dives down the potential rabbit hole of bioengineering, nanotechnology, and scientific developments yet to come.
The Prometheus Design
by Sondra Marshak Myrna CulbreathCAN THE GALAXY'S GROWING VIOLENCE BE STOPPED? Captain Kirk and his crew are on a mission to investigate the mysterious wave of violence that has overtaken the Helvans -- revolutions, mass riots, horrible tortures. This chaos is all part of an experiment by an unimaginable power that soon grips even the crew of the U.S.S. EnterpriseTM. Captain Kirk is plagued by violent hallucinations and removed from command. Spock takes charge but his orders seem irrational -- even cruel. Unless this terrible power can be stopped, not only the Starship Enterprise, but an entire galaxy will be ensnared in the deadly grip of the... Prometheus Design.
The Prometheus Man
by Scott ReardonA man with no identity... hunting a man without limits. When a pile of bodies is found in Paris, CIA Agent Tom Blake hustles his way onto a major case: tracking a man with enhanced abilities, the test subject of a secret government program. There's just one problem: the man using Agent Blake's identity is not Agent Blake. He's Tom Reese, a man without a family or a home. Reese is searching for his brother's killer. He stole Agent Blake's identity two months ago and has bluffed his way onto the team investigating his only lead. But his time as a CIA agent is accelerating toward its expiration date.Soon the CIA will find out that Agent Blake is in two places at once. Soon the augmented man will come looking for him. And soon both will discover that Tom Reese carries a secret even he doesn't know about. He is the last test subject of Project Prometheus.
The Promise: A Novel of China and Burma (Colophon #Vol. 14)
by Pearl S. BuckA novel set in WWII Burma about a tragic Chinese–English alliance from the New York Times–bestselling author of Dragon Seed and The Good Earth. Burma is under attack from the Japanese army, and a unit of Chinese soldiers is sent to aid endangered British forces trapped behind enemy lines. China&’s assistance hinges on a promise: In return, the Allies will supply China with airplanes and military equipment, much needed to protect their own civilian population. But the troops—including a young commander named Lao San, whom Buck fans will remember from Dragon Seed—are met with ingratitude on both sides. The Burmese deplore any friend of their abusive colonizers, and the prejudiced British soldiers can&’t bring themselves to treat the Chinese as true allies. As the threat of disaster looms and the stakes grow higher, the relations between the British and Chinese troops become ever more fraught. A trenchant critique of colonialism and wartime betrayal, The Promise is Buck at her evocative best.This ebook features an illustrated biography of Pearl S. Buck including rare images from the author&’s estate.
The Promise: a life-affirming novel of love and loss from bestselling author Susan Sallis
by Susan SallisWartime memories evoke both pain and happiness in this heart-warming novel from multi-million copy seller and Sunday Times bestselling author Susan Sallis. Readers of Rosamunde Pilcher, Maeve Binchy and Fiona Valpy will not be disappointed.'Sallis's West Country novel has the feel of Mary Wesley and character insight that is all her own' -- Daily Mail'The thing about Susan Sallis's books - once you pick them up, it's very hard to put them down!' -- ***** Reader review'Brilliant' -- ***** Reader review'Excellent read, very enjoyable' - -- ***** Reader review'Wonderful' - -- ***** Reader review********************************************************************THE ONLY PROMISE WORTH MAKING IS THE ONE YOU KEEP...There were four of the Thorpe family in the Anderson shelter the night of the raid on Coventry. Mum and Dad, Florrie and little May....Jack was missing. He was one of those who had not come back from Dunkirk. And May had to promise to keep a terrible secret, a promise which affected the lives of all the survivors, until May herself was the only one left.Seventy years later Daisy and Marcus, sixth formers in a Gloucestershire School, are given an A Level project on the bombing of Coventry in 1940. They go to talk to May, now living in sheltered accommodation nearby.A friendship is forged which bridges the gap between them. The two youngsters have their own problems, but as their lives unfold they become involved in the strange history of May's missing brother and of the promise, made all those years ago, which still has its repercussions today.
"Promise Me You'll Shoot Yourself": The Mass Suicide of Ordinary Germans in 1945
by Florian HuberNamed a Best History Book of 2019 by The Times (UK)The astounding true story of how thousands of ordinary Germans, overcome by shame, guilt, and fear, killed themselves after the fall of the Third Reich and the end of World War II.By the end of April 1945 in Germany, the Third Reich had fallen and invasion was underway. As the Red Army advanced, horrifying stories spread about the depravity of its soldiers. For many German people, there seemed to be nothing left but disgrace and despair. For tens of thousands of them, the only option was to choose death -- for themselves and for their children. "Promise Me You'll Shoot Yourself" recounts this little-known mass event. Using diaries, letters, and memoirs, historian Florian Huber traces the euphoria of many ordinary Germans as Hitler restored national pride; their indifference as the Führer's political enemies, Jews, and other minorities began to suffer; and the descent into despair as the war took its terrible toll, especially after the invasion of the Soviet Union. Above all, he investigates how suicide became a contagious epidemic as the country collapsed.Drawing on eyewitness accounts and other primary sources, "Promise Me You'll Shoot Yourself" presents a riveting portrait of a nation in crisis, and sheds light on a dramatic yet largely unknown episode of postwar Germany.