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The Battle of Albuera 1811: Glorious Fields of Grief
by Michael Oliver Richard PartridgeOn 16 May 1811 a combined British, Portuguese and Spanish force commanded by the British general Beresford met the French army under Soult at Albuera in southern Spain. What followed was one of the bloodiest and most controversial battles of the Peninsular War. Yet despite the battle's significance in the wider campaign to expel Napoleon's armies from Spain, the story of Albuera has rarely received the coverage accorded to other battles of the war. In this ground-breaking book, Michael Oliver and Richard Partridge seek to set the historical record straight. They examine the carnage of Albuera in unprecedented detail, and they give a lucid account of the circumstances and the conflicting allied and French strategies that gave rise to this awful confrontation. They also offer vivid portraits of the personalities and military skills of the notable commanders who took part.
The Battle of Allatoona Pass: Civil War Skirmish in Bartow County, Georgia (Civil War Ser.)
by Brad ButkovichA Civil War historian explores one of the conflict&’s most dramatic and significant yet overlooked battles. In the 1840s, engineers blasted through 175 feet of earth and bedrock at Allatoona Pass, Georgia, to allow passage of the Western & Atlantic Railroad. Little more than twenty years later, both the Union and Confederate armies fortified the hills and ridges surrounding the gorge to deny the other passage during the Civil War. In October 1864, the two sides met in a fierce struggle to control the iron lifeline between the North and the recently captured city of Atlanta. Though small compared to other battles of the war, this division-sized fight produced casualty rates on par with or surpassing some of the most famous clashes. In this expertly researched volume, Brad Butkovich explores the controversy, innovative weapons and unwavering bravery that make the Battle of Allatoona Pass one of the war's most unique and savage battles.
Battle Of Antietam, Staff Ride Guide [Illustrated Edition]
by Ted BallardContains more than 20 maps, diagrams and illustrationsThe Battle of Antietam has been called the bloodiest single day in American History. By the end of the evening, 17 September 1862, an estimated 4,000 American soldiers had been killed and over 18,000 wounded in and around the small farming community of Sharpsburg, Maryland. Emory Upton, then a captain with the Union artillery battery, later wrote, "I have heard of 'the dead lying in heaps,' but never saw it till this battle. Whole ranks fell together." The battle had been a day of confusion, tactical blunders, individual heroics, and the effects of just plain luck. It brought to an end a Confederate campaign to "liberate" the border state of Maryland and possibly take the war into Pennsylvania. A little more than one hundred and forty years later, the Antietam battlefield is one of the best-preserved Civil War battlefields in the National Park System.Antietam is ideal for a staff ride, since a continuing goal of the National Park Service is to maintain the site in the condition in which it was on the day of the battle. The purpose of any staff ride is to learn from the past by analyzing the battle through the eyes of the men who were there, both leaders and rank-and-file soldiers. Antietam offers many lessons in command and control, communications, intelligence, weapons technology versus tactics, and the ever-present confusion, or "fog" of battle. We hope that these lessons will allow us to gain insights into decision-making and the human condition during combat.
The Battle of Anzio
by T. R. FehrenbachThe Battle of Anzio was among the most bloody of the World War II conflicts. T.R. Fehrenbach's accurate account stunningly depicts the reality of the Allied forces' fight for survival on an Italian beach as they stormed what Winston Churchill called the soft underbelly of the Axis powers. In one of the turning points of the war, the allies clung to a narrow strip of sand while German planes swooped in from above and artillery shells and mortar fire pounded them on the ground. This is a true and dramatic account of the battle from the perspective of a soldier and military historian, told with pride, compassion and spirit. T.R. Fehrenbach's account of war needs no embellishing and brings you into the thick of the action.
The Battle of Ap Bac
by Neil SheehanAn eBook short.In the opening years of the Vietnam War, a small group of American military advisors and their South Vietnamese allies were facing down the Viet Cong. The confident Americans were there to do what seemed elementary: help the South Vietnamese army defeat a ragtag guerrilla enemy. They were assured of swift success. But one officer, John Paul Vann, saw darker omens for the future--and in the Battle of Ap Bac, the Viet Cong proved him correct.Encapsulating the great terrors, mistakes, ironies, and courageous acts of the Vietnam War, "The Battle of Ap Bac" recounts the clash in which the Viet Cong first won their spurs. It is an exciting, terrifying, fast-paced portrait of close-contact warfare in the rice paddies, the story of John Vann's attempt to singlehandedly change the terms of battle and avoid the relentless killing grounds of Vietnam that lay ahead. A key selection from Neil Sheehan's masterpiece, A Bright Shining Lie--which remains the preeminent history of the Vietnam War--it offers a prescient warning for current conflicts between powerful forces and underestimated foes.
The Battle of Arginusae: Victory at Sea and Its Tragic Aftermath in the Final Years of the Peloponnesian War (Witness to Ancient History)
by Debra HamelA harrowing, immersive introduction to a violent turning point in the conflict between Sparta and Athens.A pivotal skirmish involving nearly three hundred Athenian and Spartan ships toward the end of the Peloponnesian War, the Battle of Arginusae was at the time the largest naval battle ever fought between warring Greeks. It was a crucial win for the Athenians, since losing the battle would have led to their total defeat by Sparta and, perhaps, the slaughter and enslavement of their entire population. Paradoxically, the win at Arginusae resulted in one of the worst disasters to befall the Athenians during the brutal twenty-seven-year war.Due to a combination of factors—incompetent leadership, the weariness of the sailors, a sudden storm—the commanders on the scene failed to rescue the crews of twenty-five Athenian ships that had been disabled during the battle. Thousands of men, many of them injured, were left clinging to the wreckage of their ships awaiting help that never came. When the Athenians back home heard what had happened, they deposed the eight generals who had been in command during the battle. Two of these leaders went into exile; the six who returned to Athens were tried and eventually executed.The Battle of Arginusae describes the violent battle and its horrible aftermath. Debra Hamel introduces readers to Athens and Sparta, the two thriving superpowers of the fifth century B.C. She provides a summary of the events that caused the long war and discusses the tactical intricacies of Greek naval warfare. Recreating the claustrophobic, unhygienic conditions in which the ships' crews operated, Hamel unfolds the process that turned this naval victory into one of the most infamous chapters in the city-state's history. Aimed at classics students and general readers, the book also provides an in-depth examination of the fraught relationship between Athens' military commanders and its vaunted sovereign democracy.
Battle of Arginusae: Victory at Sea and Its Tragic Aftermath in the Final Years of the Peloponnesian War (Witness to Ancient History)
by Debra HamelAn Athenian triumph against Sparta end in disaster and infamy in this naval history of Ancient Greece in the 5th century B.C.Toward the end of the Peloponnesian War, nearly three hundred Athenian and Spartan ships fought a pivotal skirmish in the Arginusae Islands. Larger than any previous naval battle between warring Greeks, the Battle of Arginusae was a crucial win for Athens. Its aftermath, however, was a major disaster for its people.Due to numerous factors, the Athenian commanders abandoned the crews of twenty-five disabled ships. Thousands of soldiers were left clinging to wreckage and awaiting help that never came. When the failure was discovered back home, the eight generals in charge were deposed. Two fled into exile, while the other six were tried and executed.In The Battle of Arginusae, historian Debra Hamel describes the violent battle and its horrible aftermath. Hamel introduces readers to Athens and Sparta, the two thriving superpowers of the fifth century B.C. She provides a summary of the events that caused the long war and discusses the tactical intricacies of Greek naval warfare. Recreating the claustrophobic, unhygienic conditions in which the ships’ crews operated, Hamel unfolds the process that turned this naval victory into one of the most infamous chapters in the city-state’s history.
The Battle of Arnhem: The Deadliest Airborne Operation of World War II
by Antony BeevorThe prizewinning historian and internationally bestselling author of D-Day reconstructs the devastating airborne battle of Arnhem in this gripping new account.On September 17, 1944, General Kurt Student, the founder of Nazi Germany's parachute forces, heard the groaning roar of airplane engines. He went out onto his balcony above the flat landscape of southern Holland to watch the air armada of Dakotas and gliders, carrying the legendary American 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions and the British 1st Airborne Division. Operation Market Garden, the plan to end the war by capturing the bridges leading to the Lower Rhine and beyond, was a bold concept, but could it have ever worked? The cost of failure was horrendous, above all for the Dutch who risked everything to help. German reprisals were pitiless and cruel, and lasted until the end of the war. Antony Beevor, using often overlooked sources from Dutch, American, British, Polish, and German archives, has reconstructed the terrible reality of the fighting, which General Student called "The Last German Victory." Yet The Battle of Arnhem, written with Beevor's inimitable style and gripping narrative, is about much more than a single dramatic battle--it looks into the very heart of war.
The Battle of Arnhem
by Christopher HibbertIn this book, first published in Christopher Hibbert, one of Britain’s foremost historians, tells the true story of the Battle of Arnhem which was fought in September 1944 on Dutch soil and made famous in the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far.Nine thousand men of the First British Airborne Division were parachuted into the peaceful countryside that surrounded Arnhem. Their objective was to capture and hold the bridge over the Rhine ahead of the advancing British Second Army. Nine days later, after some of the fiercest street-fighting of the war, 2,000 paratroopers managed to escape to safety. This is the vivid account of how a brilliant plan turned into an epic tragedy.‘Alive with the detail that evokes the smoking background’—Daily Telegraph‘Finely recorded...truly the battle of Arnhem has been fortunate in its historian’—Sunday Times‘Clear-sighted, well written and scrupulously fair…it deserves to stand with the best of the battle chronicles’—Sunday Telegraph
Battle Of Aschaffenburg: An Example Of Late World War II Urban Combat In Europe
by Major Quentin W. SchillareThe Battle of Aschaffenburg examines the fight for the Main River city of Aschaffenburg in the closing weeks of World War II in Europe. It investigates the reasons why it took mobile and well supported elements of the U.S. Army ten days to subdue a defending German military force that was very much militia in character. After setting the battle in the context of Nazi Germany and the Aschaffenburg region just prior to the fight, the study takes the reader through the battle day-by-day describing the struggle and establishing the reasons why it was so prolonged.The study groups the reasons for the successful German defense into three categories: terrain, operational factors and behavioral determinants. It establishes that the terrain favored the defenders with the town located across the Main River from the attackers so that they were forced into frontal assaults. Granting favorable defensive terrain, it was not until a numerically superior attacking force enveloped the urban defenses, under the cover of massive fire support, that the Americans gained the upper hand. The study further demonstrates the Impact of the concept of the will to win on military operations, even in a hopeless cause.The Battle of Aschaffenburg addresses Europe an urban combat in the context of World War II and concludes that the factors relevant to success then are still applicable. An attacker must carefully plan operations in urbanized terrain, follow doctrine and be physically and mentally prepared for a difficult fight.
The Battle of Ball's Bluff: All the Drowned Soldiers (Civil War Series)
by Bill HowardThree months after the Civil War's first important battle at Manassas in 1861, Union and Confederate armies met again near the sleepy town of Leesburg. What began as a simple scouting mission evolved into a full-scale battle when a regiment of Union soldiers unexpectedly encountered a detachment of Confederate cavalry. The Confederates pushed forward and scattered the Union line. Soldiers drowned trying to escape back to Union lines on the other side of the Potomac River. A congressional investigation of the battle had long-lasting effects on the war's political and military administration. Bill Howard narrates the history of the battle as well as its thorny aftermath.
Battle Of Ball’s Bluff, Staff Ride Guide [Illustrated Edition]
by Ted BallardContains more than 20 maps, diagrams and illustrationsOn the night of 20 October 1861, Union Brig. Gen. Charles P. Stone put into action a plan to attack what had been reported as a small, unguarded Confederate camp between the Potomac River at Ball's Bluff and Leesburg, Virginia. Later, after Stone learned there was no camp, he allowed the operation to continue, now modified to capture Leesburg itself. But a lack of adequate communication between commanders, problems with logistics, and violations of the principles of war hampered the operation. What originally was to be a small raid instead turned into a military disaster. The action resulted in the death of a popular U.S. senator and long-time friend of President Abraham Lincoln, the arrest and imprisonment of General Stone, and the creation of a congressional oversight committee that would keep senior Union commanders looking over their shoulders for the remainder of the war. For such a small and relatively insignificant military action, Ball's Bluff would cast a long shadow. The purpose of a Ball's Bluff staff ride is to learn from the past by analyzing the battle through the eyes of the men who were there, both leaders and rank-and-file soldiers. The battle contains many lessons in command and control, communications, intelligence, weapons technology versus tactics, and the ever-present confusion, or "fog," of battle. Hopefully, these lessons will allow us to gain insights into decision making and the human condition during combat. Today, the battlefield is enclosed in the 225-acre Ball's Bluff Regional Park, managed by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. A short trail includes interpretive markers and a small national cemetery containing the remains of fifty-four soldiers.
The Battle of Bardia (Australian Army Campaigns #9)
by Craig StockingsOn the morning of 3 January 1941, Australians of the 6th Division led an assault against the Italian colonial fortress village of Bardia in Libya, not far from the Egyptian-Libyan frontier. The ensuing battle was the second of the First Libyan Campaign, but the first battle of the Second World War planned and fought predominantly by Australians. The fortress fell to the attackers a little over two days after the attack began, in what could only be described as a remarkable victory. At a cost of 130 killed and 326 wounded, the 6th Division captured around 40,000 Italian prisoners and very large quantities of military stores and equipment. The victory was heralded at the time in Australia as one of the greatest military achievements of that nation's military history. Quite soon afterwards, however, overshadowed perhaps by Rommel's subsequent desert advances, the tragedy in Greece, and the war in the Pacific, Bardia slipped from the public mind. Very few Australians today have heard of the battle. This book attempts to bring Bardia back into the light.
Battle Of The Barricades: U.S. Marines In The Recapture Of Seoul [Illustrated Edition] (Marines In The Korean War Commemorative Series #2)
by Colonel Joseph H. Alexander USMCIncludes over 30 maps, photos and illustrationsThe Second Battle of Seoul was the battle to recapture Seoul from the North Koreans in late September 1950.The advance on Seoul was slow and bloody, after the landings at Inchon. The reason was the appearance in the Seoul area of two first-class fighting units of the North Korean People's Army, the 78th Independent Infantry Regiment and 25th Infantry Brigade, about 7,000 troops in all.The NKPA launched a T-34 attack, which was trapped and destroyed, and a Yak bombing run in Incheon harbor, which did little damage. The NKPA attempted to stall the UN offensive to allow time to reinforce Seoul and withdraw troops from the south. Though warned that the process of taking Seoul would allow remaining NKPA forces in the south to escape, MacArthur felt that he was bound to honor promises given to the South Korean government to retake the capital as soon as possible.On September 22, the Marines entered Seoul to find it heavily fortified. Casualties mounted as the forces engaged in desperate house-to-house fighting. Anxious to pronounce the conquest of Seoul, Almond declared the city liberated on September 25 despite the fact that Marines were still engaged in house-to-house combat. Despite furious resistance by the North Korean forces, the Marines triumphed; pushing the communists soldiers out of Seoul. This U.S. Marine Corps history provides unique information about this important battle of the Korean War.
The Battle of Barrosa: Forgotten Battle of the Peninsular War
by Martin Mace John GrehanBy the winter of 1810-11, the armies of Napoleon had overrun most of Spain and Joseph Bonaparte sat on the throne in Madrid. But the Spanish Government had found refuge in the fortress-port of Cadiz and the Spaniards refused to admit that they had been conquered. With a British army under Sir Thomas Graham helping to defend Cadiz, the Spanish cause seemed certain to prevail.But then the Spaniards wanted to throw Graham's force into a reckless battle against the French. If the battle was won, the siege of Cadiz would be lifted; if the battle was lost Cadiz would be rendered defenseless and the Spanish government left at the mercy of the invaders.The opposing forces met on the heights of Barossa in one of the most savage encounters of the Peninsular War. At stake was the very survival of the Spanish nation and the future course of the war against Napoleon.The Battle of Barossa is the first book to examine this crucial campaign in detail and to reveal its true historical importance.
The Battle of Bellewaarde, June 1915
by Carole McEntee-TaylorIt was 2am on the 16th June 1915 and dawn was slowly breaking over Bellewaarde. It was exceptionally quiet, the troops of 3rd Division were situated on the western edge of Railway Wood and shrouded in a thick mist which reduced visibility and gave the illusion of safety. Across the few yards of no man's land, the German troops of Reserve Infantry Regiments (RIR) 248 and 246, and Unter-Elsssisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 132 were also blanketed in the thick damp mist. It swirled round their trenches, deadening sound and reinforcing the illusion that all was secure. Fifty minutes later the planned British artillery bombardment began. By the end of the day more than 4,000 men would be casualties on a field approximately half a mile square. At the close of the 2nd Battles of Ypres, the German trenches between the Menin Road and the Ypres-Roulers railway formed a salient. From Bellewaarde ridge, situated on the eastern side of the lake, they were able to overlook the greater part of the ground east of Ypres. In early June it was decided to attack the salient, and take possession of Bellewaarde ridge. The attack was to be carried out by the 9th Brigade of the 3rd Division, with 7th Brigade in support.The book is a tribute to those who fought and died at Bellewaarde on the 16th June 1915 and author royalties will be donated to a fund to help raise money for a memorial.
The Battle of Berlin: Bomber Command Over the Third Reich, 1943–1945
by Martin W. Bowman&“A fascinating look into the aircrews used and the effect on those who had to live through this constant bombing&” by the RAF during World War II (UK Historian). Berlin was bombed by four Allied air forces between 1940 and 1945. British bombers alone dropped 45,517 tons of bombs, while the Americans a further 23,000 tons. By 1944, some 1.2 million people, 790,000 of them women and children, about a quarter of Berlin&’s population, had been evacuated to rural areas. An effort was made to evacuate all children from Berlin, but this was defeated by parents and many evacuees who soon made their way back to the city. However, by May 1945, 1.7 million people—40% of the population—had fled the city. This fitting tribute to those who died in the relentless struggle to knock Berlin, and hopefully Germany, out of the war resonates with eyewitness accounts and background information which the author has painstakingly investigated and researched. The result is a hugely fascinating and highly readable narrative containing very real and unique observations by British and Commonwealth aircrew and, equally importantly, the long-suffering citizens of Berlin, and well as the capital&’s defenders. Though not a defeat in absolute terms, in the operational sense The Battle of Berlin was an offensive that Air Marshal Sir Arthur Harris and his aircrews could not win. &“Berlin won&” concluded Sir Ralph Cochrane, the Air Officer Commanding 5 Group RAF Bomber Command. &“It was just too tough a nut.&”&“An impressively informative, deftly written, exceptionally well documented, and expertly organized history . . . a seminal work of original scholarship.&” —Midwest Book Review
The Battle of Betazed: Star Trek The Next Generation (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
by Charlotte Douglas Susan KearneyCounselor Deanna Troi and the crew of the USS Enterprise work to carry out a perilous and desperate plan to stop the invasion of her home planet of Betazed by the Dominion conquerors.In the darkest hours of the Dominion War, as the Federation&’s downfall seemed ever more certain, Jem&’Hadar and Cardassian forces conquered Betazed, the homeworld of Deanna Troi. Their victory sent shock waves through the Alpha Quadrant, and put the Dominion within striking distance of Vulcan, Andor, Tellar, and possibly Earth itself. To secure their position in the very heart of the Federation, the Cardassians begin constructing space station Sentok Nor in orbit of Betazed. The station is to serve as both the seat of the Dominion occupation and the site of horrific experiments by Cardassia&’s foremost exobiologist, the infamous Dr. Crell Moset. With Starfleet&’s forces spread too thickly in the ongoing struggle to retake Betazed outright, the USS Enterprise along with some old and new friends, is deployed to carry out a dangerous and desperate plan. But no matter what the outcome, the consequences could alter Betazed irrevocably, forcing Deanna Troi to choose between her world&’s survival and its very soul.
Battle of Big Bethel: Crucial Clash in Early Civil War Virginia
by J. Michael Cobb Edward B. Hicks Wythe HoltThe Battle of Big Bethel: Crucial Clash in Early Civil War Virginia by J. Michael Cobb, Ed Hicks, and Wythe Holt is the first full-length treatment of the small but consequential June 1861 battle that reshaped both Northern and Southern perceptions about what lay in store for the divided nation. In the spring of 1861, many people in the North and South imagined that the Civil War would be short and nearly bloodless. The first planned engagement of the war at Big Bethel, however, provided undeniable evidence of just how wrong popular opinion could be.Major General Benjamin F. Butler was in command of Union forces at Fort Monroe, Virginia, at the tip of the peninsula between the James and York rivers only ninety miles from the Confederate capital at Richmond. Thanks to the foresight of Lt. Gen. Winfield Scott, President Abraham Lincolns elderly chief military adviser, thousands of troops had been assigned to Butler to protect the fort, eventually threaten Richmond, and perhaps bring a quick end to the war.Opposing the Yankees was the aggressive and dramatic Col. John Bankhead Magruder, who decided to lure Butler into a fight. Magruder fortified a strategic swampy creek crossing, skillfully placed several artillery pieces, selected excellent defensive positions for his 1,500 men, and camouflaged the whole with brush. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Butler marshaled about 4,000 men for a daring dawn attack.Although Butler launched three charges against earthworks well supported by artillery, each was repulsed. Several reasons account for this, including friendly-fire, a combination of murderous cannon and musketry, Magruders deft handling of his men, the inexperience of the attackers, and poor Union leadership. One of the sterling performances of the day was turned in by Col. Daniel H. Hill, who ordered his Southern infantry to move across the enemys front to retake a forward redoubt.Although the carnage was light compared to later battles, the combat at Big Bethel remained indelibly imprinted on those who fought there. The successful defense reinforced the belief most Southerners held that their martial invincibility and defense of home and hearth were divinely inspired. After initial disbelief and shame, the defeat hardened Northern resolution to preserve their sacred Union. The notion began to take hold that, contrary to popular belief, the war would be difficult and protracteda belief that was cemented in reality the following month on the plains of Manassas.Years in the making, The Battle of Big Bethel relies upon letters, diaries, newspapers, reminiscences, official records, and period imagessome used for the first time. The authors detail the events leading up to the encounter, survey the personalities as well as the contributions of the participants, set forth a nuanced description of the confusion-ridden field of battle, and elaborate upon its consequences. Here, finally, the story of Big Bethel is colorfully and compellingly brought to life through the words and deeds of a fascinating array of soldiers, civilians, contraband slaves, and politicians whose lives intersected on that fateful day in the early summer of 1861.
The Battle of Borodino: Napoleon Against Kutuzov (Campaign Chronicles)
by Alexander MikaberidzeAlbert Balls individuality and his insistence on fighting alone set him apart from other fighter pilots during World War One. His invincible courage and utter determination made him a legend not only in Britain but also amongst his enemies, to whom the sight of his lone Nieuport Scout brought fear. In 1914 he enlisted in the British army with the 2/7th Battalion (Robin Hoods), of the Sherwood Foresters, Notts and Derby Regiment. By the October of 1914 he had reached the rank of Sergeant and then in the same month was made a Second-Lieutenant to his own battalion. In June 1915 he paid for private tuition and trained as a pilot at Hendon. In October 1915 he obtained Royal Aero Club Certificate and requested transfer to the Royal Flying Corps. The transfer granted, he further trained at Norwich and Upavon, being awarded the pilot's brevet on 22 January 1916. On 16 May 1916—flying Bristol Scout 5512—he opened his score, shooting down an Albatros C-type over Beaumont. On 29 May 1916 he shot down two LVG C-types, whilst flying his Nieuport 5173.Captain Albert Ball made his final flight on 7 May 1917 when he flew SE5 A4850 as part of an eleven-strong hunting patrol into action against Jagdstaffel 11, led by Lothar Von Richthofen. It was a very cloudy day. Albert was pursuing Lothar's Albatros Scout who crash-landed, wounded. Then Albert was seen by many observers to dive out of a cloud and crash. He died minutes later in the arms of a French girl, Madame Cecille Deloffre. He rose from obscurity to the top rank of contemporary fighter pilots in only 15 months. In that period he had been awarded the MC, DSO and two Bars and was credited with at least 44 victories. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
The Battle of Brice's Crossroads (Civil War Series)
by Stewart L BennettThe history of this unexpected Confederate victory in Civil War Mississippi, told through a collection of first-person soldier accounts. An insignificant crossroads in northeast Mississippi was an unlikely battleground for one of the most spectacular Confederate victories in the western theater of the Civil War. But that is where two generals determined destiny for their men. Union general Samuel D. Sturgis looked to redeem his past military record, while hard-fighting Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest aimed to drive the Union army out of Mississippi or die trying. In the hot June sun, their armies collided for control of north Mississippi in a story of courage, overwhelming odds, and American spirit. In this book, Stewart Bennett retells the day&’s saga through a wealth of first-person soldier accounts. Includes photos
The Battle of Britain: An Epic Conflict Revisited
by Christer BergströmA thorough look at this turning-point WWII aerial battle, with eyewitness accounts, maps, and rare photos: &“incredibly well-researched&” (Aircrew Book Review). By late summer 1940, Nazi Germany had conquered all its opponents on the continent, including the British Army itself, which was forced to scramble back aboard small boats to its shores. A non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union in hand, Hitler had only one remaining object that season—the British Isles themselves. However, before he could invade, his Luftwaffe needed to wipe the Royal Air Force from the skies. History&’s first strategic military campaign conducted in the air alone was about to take place. This book contains a large number of dramatic eyewitness accounts, even as it reveals new facts that will alter common perceptions of the battle. For example, the twin-engined Messerschmitt Bf 110 was actually a good day fighter, and it performed at least as well in this role as the Bf 109 during the battle. The Luftwaffe&’s commander, Hermann Göring, performed far better than has been believed. The British night bombers played a more decisive role than previously thought; in addition, this book disproves that the German 109 pilots were in any way superior to their Hurricane or Spitfire counterparts. The author has examined records from both sides and provides surprising statistics that shatter much conventional wisdom—laying out the Battle of Britain as seldom seen before. Includes color photos of the relevant aircraft.
The Battle of Britain (Routledge Library Editions: WW2 #1)
by Edward BishopThis book, first published in 1960, is a close examination of the twelve most decisive weeks in British history. It looks at the responsibility of pre-war politicians for the preparedness of the air defence system, the conflicting views on the conduct of the battle on both sides, the attitude of the US, and the part played by such leading figures as Dowding, Park, Beaverbrook, Kesselring and Sperle.
Battle of Britain: Day by day Chronicle
by Patrick BishopThe Battle of Britain is the epic story of the fight for control of the skies over England in the bitterly long summer of 1940. Bestselling author Patrick Bishop's compelling day-to-day chronicle is enhanced with eye-witness accounts, diary extracts and pilot profiles, as the horrific reality of air combat is vividly portrayed in this account of the life and death struggle between the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe. This is the story Britain's "finest hour," a fight for national survival that had a profound impact on servicemen and civilians alike, and ultimately proved to be a key a turning point in the course of the war.
The Battle of Britain: A Miscellany
by Norman FergusonHave you ever wondered...• How fast a Spitfire could travel?• Which pilot won Fighter Command’s only Victoria Cross?• What a ‘Stuka Party’ was?Telling the stories of the commanders, the air raids, the pilots, the aircraft and the vital use of the world’s first radar air defence system, this comprehensive miscellany is a compelling guide to this most crucial of Second World War battles – the first to be fought solely in the air.