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The Grand Fleet 1914-19: The Royal Navy in the First World War
by Daniel G. Ridley-Kitts Stephen M. PayneThe First World War was the first real time in 100 years that the reputation of the British Royal Navy was put on the line in defence of the country. This book tells of the creation and development of the Grand Fleet under the drive of the energetic and charismatic admiral of the fleet ‘Jacky’ Fisher, who modernised the navy with the introduction of the revolutionary Dreadnought battleship. This type of vessel in particular made other nations’ battleships obsolete, created a powerful weapon for the defence of Empire and trade, and finally defeated the designs of Kaiser William III. Using unique technical drawings rendered by the author, the history of the Grand Fleet is told in accessible narrative style, with outstanding technical detail which will satisfy naval enthusiasts.
The Grand Illusion (Section W)
by Syd MooreHistorical fiction inspired by the War Office response to the Nazi obsession with the occultStep forward Daphne Devine - you are about to change the course of the war &‘A breathtaking historical thriller.&’ Erin Kelly, author of The Skeleton Key June 1940. As World War Two rages, Daphne Devine remains in London, performing each night as assistant to stage magician Jonty Trevelyan, aka the Grand Mystique. Then the secret service call. For, aware of Hitler&’s belief in the occult, the war office has set up a hidden cohort to exploit this quirk in the enemy&’s chain of command. Daphne and Jonty find themselves far from the glitz and glamour of the theatre, deep inside the lower levels of Wormwood Scrubs prison. Here, they join secret ranks of occultists, surrealists, and other eccentrics co-opted to the war effort. There is one goal: to avert invasion on British shores. Soon Daphne realises she must risk everything if there is any chance of saving her country 'Quirky, clever and compelling.' Anna Mazzola, author of The Clockwork Girl 'A rattling good read.' Barbara Nadel, author of Belshazzar's Daughter
The Grand Old Duke of York: A Life of Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany 1763–1827
by Derek Winterbottom&“A modern look at HRH the Duke of York . . . a nice addition to Napoleonic Era history&” from the historian and author of The Mighty Montagus (The Napoleon Series Reviews). Oh, the grand old Duke of York, He had ten thousand men; He marched them up to the top of the hill, And he marched them down again. And when they were up, they were up, And when they were down, they were down, And when they were only half-way up, They were neither up nor down. Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany is famous because of the nursery rhyme which ridicules him for poor leadership but, as Derek Winterbottom&’s biography shows, he was far from incompetent as a commander. What is more, the famous rhyme does not even hint at his achievements as commander-in-chief of the British army during the Napoleonic Wars. His career as a commander and administrator and his scandalous private life are long overdue for reassessment, and that is what this perceptive and absorbing study provides. He transformed the British military machine, and the Duke of Wellington admitted that without York&’s reforms he would not have had the army that fought so well in the Peninsular War and at Waterloo. York also led a turbulent personal life which was engulfed by scandal when his mistress was accused of using her influence over him to obtain promotion for ambitious officers. Today the Duke of York is a neglected, often derided figure. This biography should go some way towards restoring his reputation as a commander and military reformer. &“This is an excellent, readable biography of a major but somewhat neglected historical figure.&” —History of War
The Grand Portage: A Novel
by Walter O'MearaThe Grand Portage—The Great Novel of Traders and Trappers in the Northwest 1800-1819.“VIOLENT, BRUTAL AND RAW AS TRADING RUM…A FIRST-RATE TALE OF THE FIGHT FOR FURS THAT SENT RUGGED, UNSCRUPULOUS MEN FROM THEIR LAKE SUPERIOR HEADQUARTERS NORTH TO HUDSON'S BAY, THE ARCTIC CIRCLE AND THE PACIFIC COAST.”—Salt Lake Tribune“PRESENTS A SWEEPING PANORAMA OF THE NORTHWEST FUR TRADE…THE COLD RIVERS, THE TRAMPLED PORTAGES, THE JOSTLING LIFE OF THE GREAT DEPOTS AND THE LONELY WASTES OF WOODS AND PRAIRIE.”—Chicago Tribune
The Grand Scuttle: The Sinking of the German Fleet at Scapa Flow in 1919 (A\format Ser.)
by Dan van der VatA true account of a unique event in naval history from &“a superb storyteller&” (Northern Mariner). On June 21, 1919, the German High Seas Fleet, one of the most formidable ever built, was deliberately sent to the bottom of the sea at the British Grand Fleet&’s principal anchorage at Orkney by its own officers and men. The Grand Scuttle became a folk legend in both Germany and Britain. However, few people are aware that Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter became the only man in history to sink his own navy because of a misleading report in a British newspaper; that the Royal Navy guessed his intention but could do nothing to thwart it; that the sinking produced the last casualties and the last prisoners of the war; and that fragments of the Kaiser&’s fleet are probably on the moon. This is the remarkable story of the scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow. It contains previously unused German archive material, eyewitness accounts, and the recollections of survivors, as well as many contemporary photos which capture the awesome spectacle of the finest ships of the time being deliberately sunk by their own crews.
The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta: The Persian Challenge (Yale Library of Military History)
by Paul Anthony Rahe> “Powerfully illustrates . . . that this regime determined the character and limits of Sparta’s domestic and foreign policy.” (Susan D. Collins, The Review of Politics)More than 2500 years ago a confederation of small Greek city-states defeated the invading armies of Persia, the most powerful empire in the world. In this meticulously researched study, historian Paul Rahe argues that Sparta was responsible for the initial establishment of the Hellenic defensive coalition and was the most essential player in its ultimate victory.Drawing from an impressive range of ancient sources, including Herodotus and Plutarch, the author veers from the traditional Atheno-centric view of the Greco-Persian Wars to examine from a Spartan perspective the strategy that halted the Persian juggernaut. Rahe provides a fascinating, detailed picture of life in Sparta circa 480 B.C., revealing how the Spartans’ form of government and the regimen to which they subjected themselves instilled within them the pride, confidence, discipline, and discernment necessary to forge an alliance that would stand firm against a great empire, driven by religious fervor, that held sway over two-fifths of the human race. “[Rahe] has an excellent eye for military logistics . . . crisp and persuasive.” —The Wall Street Journal“Intensely well-researched and well-balanced.” —Steve Donoghue, The National“Masterful.” —Joseph Bottum, Books and Culture“A serious scholarly endeavor.” —Eric W. Robinson, American Historical Review“This brilliant revisionist study . . . reminds us how Sparta . . . saved Western freedom from the Persian aggression—and did so because of its innate courage, political stability, and underappreciated genius.” —Victor Davis Hanson, author of The Other Greeks “Full of keen understandings that help explain Spartan policy, diplomacy, and strategy.” —Donald Kagan, author of The Peloponnesian War
The Grand Strategy of the Habsburg Empire
by A. MitchellThe Habsburg Empire’s grand strategy for outmaneuvering and outlasting stronger rivals in a complicated geopolitical worldThe Empire of Habsburg Austria faced more enemies than any other European great power. Flanked on four sides by rivals, it possessed few of the advantages that explain successful empires. Its army was not renowned for offensive prowess, its finances were often shaky, and its populace was fragmented into more than a dozen ethnicities. Yet somehow Austria endured, outlasting Ottoman sieges, Frederick the Great, and Napoleon. The Grand Strategy of the Habsburg Empire tells the story of how this cash-strapped, polyglot empire survived for centuries in Europe's most dangerous neighborhood without succumbing to the pressures of multisided warfare.Taking readers from the War of the Spanish Succession in the early 1700s to the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, A. Wess Mitchell argues that the Habsburgs succeeded not through offensive military power or great wealth but by developing strategies that manipulated the element of time in geopolitical competition. Unable to fight all their enemies at once, the Habsburgs learned to use the limited tools at their disposal—terrain, technology, and treaty allies—to sequence and stagger their conflicts, drive down the costs of empire, and concentrate scarce resources against the greatest threat of the moment. Rarely holding a grudge after war, they played the "long game" in geopolitics, corralling friend and foe alike into voluntarily managing the empire's lengthy frontiers and extending a benign hegemony across the turbulent lands of middle Europe.A study in adaptive statecraft, The Grand Strategy of the Habsburg Empire offers lessons on how to navigate a messy geopolitical map, stand firm without the advantage of military predominance, and prevail against multiple rivals.
The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire: From the First Century CE to the Third
by Edward N. LuttwakA newly updated edition of this classic, hugely influential account of how the Romans defended their vast empire.At the height of its power, the Roman Empire encompassed the entire Mediterranean basin, extending much beyond it from Britain to Mesopotamia, from the Rhine to the Black Sea. Rome prospered for centuries while successfully resisting attack, fending off everything from overnight robbery raids to full-scale invasion attempts by entire nations on the move. How were troops able to defend the Empire’s vast territories from constant attacks? And how did they do so at such moderate cost that their treasury could pay for an immensity of highways, aqueducts, amphitheaters, city baths, and magnificent temples? In The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire, seasoned defense analyst Edward N. Luttwak reveals how the Romans were able to combine military strength, diplomacy, and fortifications to effectively respond to changing threats. Rome’s secret was not ceaseless fighting, but comprehensive strategies that unified force, diplomacy, and an immense infrastructure of roads, forts, walls, and barriers. Initially relying on client states to buffer attacks, Rome moved to a permanent frontier defense around 117 CE. Finally, as barbarians began to penetrate the empire, Rome filed large armies in a strategy of "defense-in-depth," allowing invaders to pierce Rome’s borders. This updated edition has been extensively revised to incorporate recent scholarship and archeological findings. A new preface explores Roman imperial statecraft. This illuminating book remains essential to both ancient historians and students of modern strategy.
The Grand Turk: Sultan Mehmet II-Conqueror of Constantinople and Master of an Empire
by John FreelyThe historian and author of Strolling Through Istanbul presents a detailed portrait of the fifteenth century Ottoman sultan, revealing the man behind the myths.Sultan Mehmet II—known to his countrymen as The Conqueror, and to much of Europe as The Terror of the World—was once Europe's most feared and powerful ruler. Now John Freely, the noted scholar of Turkish history, brings this charismatic hero to life in evocative and authoritative biography. Mehmet was barely twenty-one when he conquered Byzantine Constantinople, which became Istanbul and the capital of his mighty empire. He reigned for thirty years, during which time his armies extended the borders of his empire halfway across Asia Minor and as far into Europe as Hungary and Italy. Three popes called for crusades against him as Christian Europe came face to face with a new Muslim empire. Revered by the Turks and seen as a brutal tyrant by the West, Mehmet was a brilliant military leader as well as a renaissance prince. His court housed Persian and Turkish poets, Arab and Greek astronomers, and Italian scholars and artists. In The Grand Turk, Freely sheds vital new light on this enigmatic ruler.
The Grand Wheel
by Barrington J. BayleyWhen empires hung on the turn of a card...Cheyne Scarne was a gambler - a lucky one. What he didn't know about randomatics wasn't worth knowing. He had brains to get right to the heart of the Grand Wheel - the syndicate that controlled all illegal activity in the planets under human control.But what Scarne had staked to get that far was chickenfeed compared to what he would risk to get into the real big time - the massive intergalactic combine that dwarfed the empires of mere men.For Scarne, double-crossing at every deal, had laid his life on the line to win a game where no one knew the value of the cards and the rules changed with every trick!
The Granddaughter: From the author of the no.1 international bestseller The Reader
by Prof Bernhard Schlink'Anyone who wants to understand contemporary Germany must read The Granddaughter now' Le Monde 'The great novel of German reunification' Le Figaro 'A masterpiece' Maurice SzafranMay, 1964. At a youth festival in East Berlin, an unlikely young couple fall in love. In the bright spring days, anything seems possible for them - it is only many years later, after her death, that Kaspar discovers the price his wife paid to get to him in West Berlin. Shattered by grief, Kaspar sets off to uncover Birgit's secrets in the East. His search leads him to a rural community of neo-Nazis, and to a young girl who accepts him as her grandfather. Their worlds could not be more different - but he is determined to fight for her. From the author of the no.1 international bestseller The Reader, The Granddaughter is a gripping novel that transports us from the divided Germany of the 1960s to contemporary Australia, asking what might be found when it seems like all is lost.Translated from the German by Charlotte Collins
The Granddaughter: From the author of the no.1 international bestseller The Reader
by Prof Bernhard Schlink'Anyone who wants to understand contemporary Germany must read The Granddaughter now' Le Monde 'The great novel of German reunification' Le Figaro 'A masterpiece' Maurice SzafranMay, 1964. At a youth festival in East Berlin, an unlikely young couple fall in love. In the bright spring days, anything seems possible for them - it is only many years later, after her death, that Kaspar discovers the price his wife paid to get to him in West Berlin. Shattered by grief, Kaspar sets off to uncover Birgit's secrets in the East. His search leads him to a rural community of neo-Nazis, and to a young girl who accepts him as her grandfather. Their worlds could not be more different - but he is determined to fight for her. From the author of the no.1 international bestseller The Reader, The Granddaughter is a gripping novel that transports us from the divided Germany of the 1960s to contemporary Australia, asking what might be found when it seems like all is lost.Translated from the German by Charlotte Collins
The Granville Affair (The Granville Sisters Trilogy)
by Una-Mary ParkerThe women of the Granville family find their lives changed—and endangered—as World War II rages in this novel in the &“sweeping and poignant series&” (Booklist). The Granville family has fled bomb-torn London for Hartley Hall in Surrey, but even away from the city, life remains turbulent. Rosie is trapped in a loveless marriage to a penniless peer. With her husband away fighting, she finds the temptations that come with his absence too much to avoid. Meanwhile, her younger sister Juliet&’s world comes crashing down when she must face a tragedy without the support of the only man she has ever loved. Desperate to forget her past, she puts herself in the line of danger as a Red Cross nurse, braving the carnage of the Blitz. And the fragile peace at Hartley Hall is disrupted further when fifteen-year-old Louise becomes involved with an East End evacuee—and threatens the family with yet another scandal . . .Praise for the Granville novels &“A gripping and enjoyable historical saga filled with one family's triumphs and tragedies set against a broad canvas.&” —Booklist
The Granville Legacy (The Granville Sisters Trilogy)
by Una-Mary ParkerThe war is over but life will never be the same . . . &“Fans of romantic family sagas will find much to enjoy . . . [a] sweeping and poignant series.&” —BooklistThe Second World War has finally ended, but times are still difficult and emotions run high. Juliet Granville is now married to a man she loves, and is finally happy following years of turmoil—but she remains terrified that he&’ll find out about her scandalous past. Her sister Rosie, who is bored with her own life and desperate for another child, is jealous of Juliet. She has everything Rosie wants. So when the opportunity arises for her to spoil Juliet&’s perfect life, she cannot resist . . .Meanwhile, their ambitious mother, Liza, cannot accept that times have changed and is determined that her youngest daughter should follow the path that her sisters did. But Charlotte has other dreams. When Liza makes a desperate decision to try to regain some of the glamour of their former life, it will rock the family and test their loyalties to the limit . . .
The Granville Sisters (The Granville Sisters Trilogy)
by Una-Mary ParkerAs World War II looms, a battle rages between two wealthy London sisters: &“[The] characters are rich, varied, and intriguing.&” —Booklist It is 1935, and the Granville family lives in a world of splendor. Rosie Granville and her younger sister Juliet are launched onto the London social scene in an extravagant debutante ball, and the Granville girls are the talk of the town. Vying for the affections of the same set of men, each is desperate to make a better match than her sister—regardless of the collateral damage. But when Juliet becomes embroiled in a series of scandals, she and Rosie soon discover there are some things even their rich and influential parents aren&’t able to cover up, in this dramatic and enthralling historical saga of love and sibling rivalry.
The Grapple (Settling Accounts #3)
by Harry TurtledoveIn this stunning retelling of World War II, Harry Turtledove has created a blockbuster saga that is thrilling, troubling, and utterly compelling. It is 1943, the third summer of the new war between the Confederate States of America and the United States, a war that will turn on the deeds of ordinary soldiers, extraordinary heroes, and a colorful cast of spies, politicians, rebels, and everyday citizens. The CSA president, Jake Featherstone, has greatly miscalculated the North’s resilience. In Ohio, where Confederate victory was once almost certain, Featherstone’s army is crumbling, and reinforcements of uninspired Mexican troops cannot stanch a Northern assault on the heartland. The tide of war is changing, and victory seems within the grasp of the USA. Still, new fighting flares from Denver to Los Angeles. Indeed, as the air, ground, and water burn with molten fury, new and demonic tools of killing are unleashed, and secret wars are unfolding. The U.S. government in Philadelphia has proof that the tyrannical Featherstone is murdering African Americans by the tens of thousands in a Texas gulag called Determination. And the leaders of both sides know full well that the world’s next great power will not be the one with the biggest army but the nation that wins the race against nature and science–and smashes open the power of the atom. In Settling Accounts, Harry Turtledove blends vivid fictional characters with a cast inspired by history, including the Socialist assistant secretary of war Franklin Delano Roosevelt and beleaguered Confederate military commander Nathan Bedford Forrest. In The Grapple, he takes his spellbinding vision to new heights as he captures the heart and soul of a generation born and raised amid unimaginable violence. This is a struggle of conquest and conscience, played out on American soil.
The Grave on the Wall
by Brandon ShimodaA memoir and book of mourning, a grandson's attempt to reconcile his own uncontested citizenship with his grandfather's lifelong struggle. Award-winning poet Brandon Shimoda has crafted a lyrical portrait of his paternal grandfather, Midori Shimoda, whose life--child migrant, talented photographer, suspected enemy alien and spy, desert wanderer, American citizen--mirrors the arc of Japanese America in the twentieth century. In a series of pilgrimages, Shimoda records the search to find his grandfather, and unfolds, in the process, a moving elegy on memory and forgetting.
The Gray Bird of Baghdad: An Ex-Secret Service Agent's Desperate Mission to Save an Iraqi Scientist
by Stephen Phillip MonteiroA missing Iraqi scientist, an ex–Secret Service agent, and the threat of another biological terrorist attack—all these elements come together in the gripping true story of the Gray Bird of Baghdad. Iraqi Microbiologist Thamer Abdul Rahman Imran has information vital to stopping the unthinkable: a biological attack on the US. When he learns that the new Iraqi government wants to arrest him and the insurgents want to kill him, he goes into hiding. Racing against time, ex–Secret Service agent Steve Monteiro and his team set out on a mission to find the missing scientist and learn what he knows. The journey takes them from the White House to the Middle East as they fight bureaucrats in Washington who want them to fail. Why? And what is this vital information that Thamer possesses?The Gray Bird of Baghdad tells the true story of one’s man’s quest to protect his country and another man’s fight to save his family from the ravages of a country at war.
The Great Air Race: Glory, Tragedy, And The Dawn Of American Aviation
by John LancasterThe incredible, untold story of the men who risked their lives in the first transcontinental air contest—and put American aviation on the map. The Great Air Race reclaims one of the most important moments in the history of American aviation: the transcontinental air race of October 1919 that saw scores of pilots compete for the fastest roundtrip time between New York and San Francisco in frail, open-cockpit biplanes. Riveting the nation, the aviators—most of them veterans of the Great War—pioneered the first coast-to-coast air route, braving blizzards and driving rain as they landed in fields or at the edges of cliffs. Bringing the pilots and the race’s impresario, Billy Mitchell, to vivid life, journalist and amateur pilot John Lancaster captures the challenges of flying in that almost prehistoric age—the deafening roar of the engine, the constant fear of mechanical failure, the threat posed by mere rain. As he demonstrates, the race, despite much drama and tragedy, was a milestone in the development of commercial aviation. The Great Air Race is a captivating story of man and machine, and the debut of a major new popular historian.
The Great American Land Bubble: The Amazing Story of Land-Grabbing, Speculations, and Booms from Colonial Days to the Present Time
by Aaron M. SakolskiOriginally published in 1932, Sakolski's book is the first general history of land speculation in the American colonies and the United States. It begins with the Pre-Revolutionary War Ohio Companies, and thereafter its chapters cover most of the land booms and bubbles up to the twentieth century. Two hundred years of get-rich quick schemes give the reader a concentrated exposure to the gamble and promoting aspect of the American character.-Print ed.
The Great Battles of History
by Colonel Jean-Lambert-Alphonse Colin Spenser WilkinsonThis ebook is purpose built and is proof-read and re-type set from the original to provide an outstanding experience of reflowing text for an ebook reader. Colonel Jean Colin was the head of the historical section of the French General Staff for many years. He authored a number of books on the military history of the French Revolution, wars of Napoleon and the great man himself. He also oversaw the publications of many more in his position as the head of the historical section in the latter part of the 19th into the 20th century, as part of a further well-spring of military literature printed in the wake of the epic defeat of the French by the Prussians in 1870-71. In this volume, translated by Spenser Wilkinson (then Chichele Professor of Military History of Oxford), he covers, in an elegant yet concise style, 13 of the greatest battles of European history. As he himself points out, he cannot cover all important battles of them in one tome; those covered are Marathon, Arbela, Cannae, Zama, Pharsalia, Bouvines, Rocroi, Valmy, Jena, Waterloo, Gravelotte, Mukden, and Lule Burgas. There is a slight bias in terms of the extent of coverage in favour of the more recent battles over the more ancient ones, but the book doesn't suffer for it: the expert commentary of each is very illuminating. Title - The Great Battles of History Author -- Colonel Jean-Lambert-Alphonse Colin (1864-1917) Translator -- Spenser Wilkinson (1853-1937) Text taken, whole and complete, from the edition published in 1915, London, by Hugh Rees Ltd. Original - xii and 418 pages. Illustrations - 28 maps and plans.
The Great Bicycle Experiment: The Army's Historic Black Bicycle Corps, 1896-97
by Kay MooreStationed at Fort Missoula in 1896 was the 25th Infantry, an all-black regiment. From these African American troops, Lt. Moss chose an elite group to form the Bicycle Corps and attempt a historic 2,000-mile journey to St. Louis. <P><P> In The Great Bicycle Experiment, Kay Moore chronicles this challenging journey, highlighting the hardships and triumphs of these stalwart soldiers as they pedaled and pushed their way across the mountains and plains into history.
The Great Boer War
by Byron FarwellThe story of the battle for independence from the British Empire in South Africa by &“a vivid chronicler of military forces, generals, and wars&” (Kirkus Reviews). The Great Boer War (1899-1902), more properly known as the Great Anglo-Boer War, was one of the last romantic wars, pitting a sturdy, stubborn pioneer people fighting to establish the independence of their tiny nation against the British Empire at its peak of power and self-confidence. It was fought in the barren vastness of the South African veldt, and it produced in almost equal measure extraordinary feats of personal heroism, unbelievable examples of folly and stupidity, and many incidents of humor and tragedy. Byron Farwell traces the war&’s origins; the slow mounting of the British efforts to overthrow the Afrikaners; the bungling and bickering of the British command; the remarkable series of bloody battles that almost consistently ended in victory for the Boers over the much more numerous British forces; political developments in London and Pretoria; the sieges of Ladysmith, Mafeking and Kimberley; the concentration camps into which Boer families were herded; and the exhausting guerrilla warfare of the last few years when the Boer armies were finally driven from the field. The Great Boer War is a definitive history of a dramatic conflict by the author of Queen Victoria&’s Little Wars, &“a leading popular military historian&” (Publishers Weekly).
The Great Cat and Dog Massacre: The Real Story of World War Two's Unknown Tragedy (Animal Lives Ser.)
by Hilda KeanThe tragedies of World War II are well known. But at least one has been forgotten: in September 1939, four hundred thousand cats and dogs were massacred in Britain. The government, vets, and animal charities all advised against this killing. So why would thousands of British citizens line up to voluntarily euthanize household pets? In The Great Cat and Dog Massacre, Hilda Kean unearths the history, piecing together the compelling story of the life—and death—of Britain’s wartime animal companions. She explains that fear of imminent Nazi bombing and the desire to do something to prepare for war led Britons to sew blackout curtains, dig up flower beds for vegetable patches, send their children away to the countryside—and kill the family pet, in theory sparing them the suffering of a bombing raid. Kean’s narrative is gripping, unfolding through stories of shared experiences of bombing, food restrictions, sheltering, and mutual support. Soon pets became key to the war effort, providing emotional assistance and helping people to survive—a contribution for which the animals gained government recognition. Drawing extensively on new research from animal charities, state archives, diaries, and family stories, Kean does more than tell a virtually forgotten story. She complicates our understanding of World War II as a “good war” fought by a nation of “good” people. Accessibly written and generously illustrated, Kean’s account of this forgotten aspect of British history moves animals to center stage—forcing us to rethink our assumptions about ourselves and the animals with whom we share our homes.
The Great Chevauchée # John of Gaunt#s Raid on France 1373
by David Nicolle Peter DennisIn 1373, John of Gaunt set off from Calais on a great raid to strike at the heart of France. Driven by the high ideals of chivalry, the raiders left with epic pageantry. However, the reality soon overwhelmed the raiders. Beset on all sides by French ambushes and plagued by disease and starvation, the raiders battled their way through Champagne, east of Paris, into Burgundy, across the Massif Central and finally down into the Dordogne. Unable to attack any major fortifications, John of Gaunt's men plundered the countryside, raiding towns and villages, weakening the French infrastructure. While the military value of the raid is debatable, the English knights who finally made it home were hailed as heroes. This book charts the course of the raid from beginning to end, studying all the battles and skirmishes the raiders fought along the way in this bloody example of chivalric warfare.