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The Sea Witch: Three Novellas
by Stephen CoontsAirplanes, adventures, life and death in the skies: The Sea Witch brings together three dramatic tales - from three periods of history - of men and women at war: The Sea Witch: A rookie WW2 seaplane pilot is thrown in at the deep end on a mission to locate a missing colleague during the Battle of Guadalcanal. The 17th Day: Seventeen days is the average life expectancy of a British aviator during WW1. Today is Paul Hyde's seventeenth day. Will he live to see the next? Al-Jihad: 2001 - an ex-US Marine becomes caught up in a rogue plot to avenge the terrorists who killed his former commander. This collection, born of Coonts's lifelong passion for military aviation, shows his trademark storytelling at its most scintillating, passionate and powerful.
The Sea and Civilization: A Maritime History of the World
by Lincoln PaineA monumental retelling of world history through the lens of maritime enterprise, revealing in breathtaking depth how people first came into contact with one another by ocean and river, lake and stream, and how goods, languages, religions, and entire cultures spread across and along the world's waterways, bringing together civilizations and defining what makes us most human. Lincoln Paine takes us back to the origins of long-distance migration by sea with our ancestors' first forays from Africa and Eurasia to Australia and the Americas. He demonstrates the critical role of maritime trade to the civilizations of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus Valley. He reacquaints us with the great seafaring cultures of antiquity like those of the Phoenicians and Greeks, as well as those of India and Southeast and East Asia, who parlayed their navigational skills, shipbuilding techniques, and commercial acumen to establish thriving overseas colonies and trade routes in the centuries leading up to the age of European expansion. And finally, his narrative traces how commercial shipping and naval warfare brought about the enormous demographic, cultural, and political changes that have globalized the world throughout the post-Cold War era. This tremendously readable intellectual adventure shows us the world in a new light, in which the sea reigns supreme. We find out how a once-enslaved East African king brought Islam to his people, what the American "sail-around territories" were, and what the Song Dynasty did with twenty-wheel, human-powered paddleboats with twenty paddle wheels and up to three hundred crew. Above all, Paine makes clear how the rise and fall of civilizations can be linked to the sea. An accomplishment of both great sweep and illuminating detail, The Sea and Civilization is a stunning work of history.
The Sea and the Second World War: Maritime Aspects of a Global Conflict (New Perspectives on the Second World War)
by Marcus Faulkner and Alessio PatalanoAn in-depth study of World War II&’s naval operations. &“Rarely does a collection of essays offer so many new and persuasive assessments. Well done!&”—Professor David Snead, Liberty University The sea shaped the course and conduct of World War II, from the first moments of the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, to the Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945. The impact could be felt far beyond the shoreline, as the arms and armies carried across the oceans were ultimately destined to wage war ashore. Populations and industries depended on the raw materials and supplies in a war that increasingly became a contest of national will and economic might. Ultimately, it was the war at sea that linked numerous regional conflicts and theaters of operation into a global war. As the war grew in complexity and covered an increasingly larger geographical area, the organization of the maritime effort and the impact it had on the formulation of national strategy also evolved. This volume illustrates the impact of naval operations on the Second World War by highlighting topics previously neglected in the scholarship. In doing so, it provides new insights into political, strategic, administrative, and operational aspects of the maritime dimension of the war. &“A fine collection of essays by some of the leading scholars in the field. The book addresses comprehensively the vital importance of the sea across a range of theaters during the Second World War through a diverse selection of case studies. The examinations and re-examinations in this volume will be of interest to both scholars and practitioners.&”—Dr. Steven Paget, University of Portsmouth
The Seabound Coast
by William Johnston Richard H. Gimblett William G.P. Rawling John MacFarlaneCommended for the 2011 Keith Matthews Award From its creation in 1910, the Royal Canadian Navy was marked by political debate over the countrys need for a naval service. <P><P>The Seabound Coast, Volume I of a three-volume official history of the RCN, traces the story of the navys first three decades, from its beginnings as Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Lauriers tinpot navy of two obsolescent British cruisers to the force of six modern destroyers and four minesweepers with which it began the Second World War. <P><P>The previously published Volume II of this history, Part 1, No Higher Purpose, and Part 2, A Blue Water Navy, has already told the story of the RCN during the 19391945 conflict. Based on extensive archival research, The Seabound Coast recounts the acrimonious debates that eventually led to the RCNs establishment in 1910, its tenuous existence following the Laurier governments sudden replacement by that of Robert Borden one year later, and the navys struggles during the First World War when it was forced to defend Canadian waters with only a handful of resources. <P><P>From the effects of the devastating Halifax explosion in December 1917 to the U-boat campaign off Canadas East Coast in 1918, the volume examines how the RCNs task was made more difficult by the often inconsistent advice Ottawa received from the British Admiralty in London. <P><P>In its final section, this important and well-illustrated history relates the RCNs experience during the interwar years when anti-war sentiment and an economic depression threatened the services very survival.
The Seafort Saga Books 1–3: Midshipman's Hope, Challenger's Hope, and Prisoner's Hope (The Seafort Saga)
by David FeintuchFrom a John W. Campbell Award–winning author: The original trilogy chronicling the military science fiction adventures of Nicholas Seafort. In a &“splendid homage to the grand tradition of the old seafarer&’s tale,&” the Seafort Saga tells the story of an intergalactic captain&’s journey through the galaxy (Roger MacBride Allen). Now, the first three installments of this epic series are available in one volume. Midshipman&’s Hope: The year is 2194. Seventeen-year-old Nicholas Seafort is a fresh recruit with the United Nations Naval Service, serving as midshipman onboard the UNS Hibernia. En route to the colony of Hope Nation, the ship answers a distress call—only to lose the senior command staff in a daring rescue attempt. The chain of command has elevated Seafort into a leadership role he never anticipated. Surrounded by resentful and potentially mutinous officers, Seafort earns his stripes throughout Hibernia&’s voyage, but his real trial awaits at Hope Nation with a startling revelation for humanity. Challenger&’s Hope: Capt. Nicholas Seafort was in command of the UNS Challenger until he was assigned to Adm. Geoffrey Tremaine&’s task force. Removed from his flagship, Seafort has been given the smaller UNS Portia, transporting colonists to the world of Detour. But an alien attack devastates both ships, leaving dozens of crewmen and passengers dead. Only UNS Challenger is in good enough condition to bring the survivors home—provided Seafort can regain and retain his captaincy. Prisoner&’s Hope: Nicholas Seafort&’s disastrous mission as captain of the UNS Challenger cost him nearly everything. The aliens responsible for decimating the United Nations Naval fleet are still a threat to the colony world of Hope Nation, whose inhabitants feel abandoned as the navy returns to Earth. To save the colonists, Seafort will have to sacrifice everything he has left and commit an act of high treason that could result in his death sentence.
The Seafort Saga Books 4–7: Fisherman’s Hope, Voices of Hope, Patriarch’s Hope, and Children of Hope (The Seafort Saga)
by David FeintuchFrom the John W. Campbell Award–winning author: The final four novels chronicling the military science fiction adventures of Nicholas Seafort. In a “splendid homage to the grand tradition of the old seafarer’s tale,” the Seafort Saga tells the story of an intergalactic captain’s journey through the galaxy (Roger MacBride Allen). Fisherman’s Hope: After he saved the Hope Nation colony from alien attack, Nick Seafort returned to Earth expecting a court martial, but instead his exploits have earned him a dignified position as an instructor at the United Nations Naval Academy. But when the fishlike aliens mount an attack, it’s up to Seafort to teach them a lesson. “Feintuch has constructed a fascinating story . . . highly entertaining.” —Science Fiction Chronicle Voices of Hope: Everyone knows Nick Seafort as “the Fisherman”—the hero who stopped the merciless, fishlike aliens when they attacked Earth. Decades have passed and he’s retired as the secretary general of the United Nations. But when his son, Philip, encounters the transpop culture—desperate people who live in the dangerous lower levels of New York City in a powder keg situation ready to blow—Seafort must save him. “This is the finest action tale in the series to date.” —Booklist Patriarch’s Hope: The Transpop Rebellion ended ten years ago with now–Secretary General Nicholas Seafort as a hero. But now an explosive disaster forces Nick to reexamine his life, his family, and his future as adversaries align against him. To save the planet from itself, he will need cunning, allies, and a large helping of luck. “Top-notch sci-fi political intrigue with a strong military flavor.” —Library Journal Children of Hope: Nicholas Seafort is the hero who saved the planet of Hope Nation from civil war and the fishlike aliens. But Randy Carr, son of Seafort’s old friend Derek, blames him for his father’s death. As a religious group called the Patriarchs fight to gain political control of Earth, and the aliens suddenly reappear, claiming they have peaceful intentions, Randy and Seafort become unlikely allies in a final fight for the planet’s future. “Amid the nonstop action, Feintuch skillfully pushes all the emotional buttons.” —Publishers Weekly
The Seaforth Bibliography: A Guide to More Than 4000 Works on British Naval History 55BC – 1815
by Eugene RasorThis remarkable work is a comprehensive historiographical and bibliographical survey of the most important scholarly and printed materials about the naval and maritime history of England and Great Britain from the earliest times to 1815. More than 4,000 popular, standard and official histories, important articles in journals and periodicals, anthologies, conference, symposium and seminar papers, guides, documents and doctoral theses are covered so that the emphasis is the broadest possible. But the work is far, far more than a listing. The works are all evaluated, assessed and analysed and then integrated into an historical narrative that makes the book a hugely useful reference work for student, scholar, and enthusiast alike. It is divided into twenty-one chapters which cover resource centres, significant naval writers, pre-eminent and general histories, the chronological periods from Julius Caesar through the Vikings, Tudors and Stuarts to Nelson and Bligh, major naval personalities, warships, piracy, strategy and tactics, exploration, discovery and navigation, archaeology and even naval fiction. Quite simply, no-one with an interest and enthusiasm for naval history can afford to be without this book at their side.
The Search (Grace Livingston Hill Series #39)
by Grace Livingston HillJohn Cameron knew Ruth Macdonald was out of his league. He was a simple soldier, seeking to fulfill his duty. She was the well-known daughter of a wealthy family, surrounded by friends, parties, and glitter. Still, neither of them could forget the special bond they shared, forged in childhood when John had been Ruth's brave defender against Harry Wainwright, the neighborhood bully. Now John and Ruth have rediscovered each other, but can they regain what they once shared? Or will their disapproving families, the war--and the sinister intentions of Harry Wainwright--forever doom their search for God and each other?
The Search (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
by Diane CareyThe Dominion: The mysterious rulers of the worlds on the other side of the wormhole. The Dominion: a ruthless planet-conquering race unknown even to those they rule. The Dominion: the most dangerous foe the Federation may ever face. At the edge of the wormhole, the space station Deep Space Nine and the planet Bajor sit on what will be the front line in any Dominion attack. To try and prevent the conflict, Commander Benjamin Sisko ant his crew take a never-tested Federation warship through the wormhole to track down and confront the Dominion. If Commander Sisko fails, not only the Federation, but the Klingons, Romluans, Cardassians, and all the worlds of the Alpha Quadrant will face an interstellar war they cannot win.
The Search for Gestapo Muller
by Charles WhitingOn April 29th, 1945, General Heinrich Gestapo Muller, head of that feared Nazi organisation, left Hitler's bunker and disappeared. Today over a half a Century later, he is still carried on the books of the German Office of Investigation of Nazi war crimes as their No. 1 wanted man - The question is why?For nearly five years Muller had the power of life-and-death over 300 million Europeans in Occupied Europe. In that time not only did he play a major role in the Holocaust but he helped in kidnapping of Payne, Stevens and Best, chiefs of the SIS in Europe; had a hand in the planned abduction of the Duke of Windsor; broke the power of the European-Soviet spy ring the 'Red Orchestra'; terrorised the French resistance; shot British SAS and SOE prisoners and master-minded the executions of the Great Escape POW escapees.But was he all the time working for the Russians, and if so, what happened to him on that April day? His subordinate Eichmann escaped as did other top Gestapo officials. Did he really die in Berlin?In his search for the truth the Author takes an interesting and exciting stance. He examines, with typical thoroughness, both Muller's career as it progresses from being a simple Bavarian policeman through to becoming a top Third Reich's henchman and the Allies post-war efforts to find out if Muller survived.The Search for Gestapo Muller is a truly intriguing modern mystery story.
The Search for Major Plagge: The Nazi Who Saved Jews
by Michael GoodAn “exceptional” historical detective story that follows one man’s quest to find the German commander who saved his mother—and many other Jews (Booklist).Part detective story, part personal quest, Michael Good’s book is the story of the German commander of a Lithuanian work camp who saved hundreds of Jewish lives in the Vilnius ghetto —including the life of Good’s mother, Pearl. Who was this enigmatic officer Pearl Good had spoken of so often?After five years of research—interviewing survivors, assembling a team that could work to open German files untouched for fifty years, following every lead he could, Good was able to uncover the amazing tale of one man’s remarkable courage. And in April 2005, Karl Plagge joined Oskar Schindler and 380 other Germans as “Righteous among Nations,” honored by the State of Israel for protecting and saving Jewish lives during the Holocaust.This expanded edition features new photographs and a new epilogue on the impact of the discovery of Karl Plagge—especially the story of eighty-three-year-old Alfons von Deschwanden, who, after fifty years of silence, came forward as a veteran of Plagge’s unit. His testimony is now part of this growing witness to truth.“A rewarding tale of redemption in the face of horror.” —Kirkus Reviews
The Search for Security in Post-Taliban Afghanistan (Adelphi series)
by Mark Sedra Cyrus HodesBy the middle of 2007, Afghans had become increasingly disillusioned with a state-building process that had failed to deliver the peace dividend that they were promised. For many Afghans, the most noticeable change in their lives since the fall of the Taliban has been an acute deterioration in security conditions. Whether it is predatory warlords, the Taliban-led insurgency, the burgeoning narcotics trade or general criminality, the threats to the security and stability of Afghanistan are manifold. The response to those threats, both in terms of the international military intervention and the donor-supported process to rebuild the security architecture of the Afghan state, known as security-sector reform (SSR), has been largely insufficient to address the task at hand. NATO has struggled to find the troops and equipment it requires to complete its Afghan mission and the SSR process, from its outset, has been severely under-resourced and poorly directed. Compounding these problems, rampant corruption and factionalism in the Afghan government, particularly in the security institutions, have served as major impediments to reform and a driver of insecurity. This paper charts the evolution of the security environment in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban, assessing both the causes of insecurity and the responses to them. Through this analysis, it offers some suggestions on how to tackle Afghanistan’s growing security crisis.
The Search for Tactical Success in Vietnam
by Andrew Ross Robert Hall Ross, Andrew and Hall, Robert and Griffin, Amy Amy GriffinFrom 1966 to 1971 the First Australian Task Force was part of the counterinsurgency campaign in South Vietnam. Though considered a small component of the Free World effort in the war, these troops from Australia and New Zealand were in fact the best trained and prepared for counterinsurgency warfare. However, until now, their achievements have been largely overlooked by military historians. The Search for Tactical Success in Vietnam sheds new light on this campaign by examining the thousands of small-scale battles that the First Australian Task Force was engaged in. The book draws on statistical, spatial and temporal analysis, as well as primary data, to present a unique study of the tactics and achievements of the First Australian Task Force in Phuoc Tuy Province, South Vietnam. Further, original maps throughout the text help to illustrate how the Task Force's tactics were employed.
The Search for the Japanese Fleet: USS Nautilus and the Battle of Midway
by David W. Jourdan Philip G. RenaudIn The Search for the Japanese Fleet, David W. Jourdan, one of the world’s experts in undersea exploration, reconstructs the critical role one submarine played in the Battle of Midway, considered to be the turning point of the war in the Pacific. In the direct line of fire during this battle was one of the oldest boats in the navy, USS Nautilus. The actions of Lt. Cdr. William Brockman and his ninety-three-man crew during an eight-hour period rank among the most important submarine contributions to the most decisive engagement in U.S. Navy history. Fifty-seven years later, Jourdan’s team of deep-sea explorers set out to discover the history of the Battle of Midway and find the ships that the Allied fleet sank. Key to the mystery was Nautilus and its underwater exploits. Relying on logs, diaries, chronologies, manuals, sound recordings, and interviews with veterans of the battle, including men who spent most of June 4, 1942, in the submarine conning tower, the story breathes new life into the history of this epic engagement. Woven into the tale of World War II is the modern drama of deep-sea discovery, as explorers deploy new technology three miles beneath the ocean surface to uncover history and commemorate fallen heroes.
The Search: The true story of a D-Day survivor, an unlikely friendship, and a lost shipwreck off Normandy
by John Henry PhillipsWhen archaeologist John Henry Phillips volunteered with a charity that took D-Day veterans back to Normandy, due to an administrative error he found himself without a hotel room and reliant on the generosity of one of the veterans who had a spare bed. That veteran was Patrick Thomas - and it was an encounter that would change both their lives forever.Patrick's landing craft, LCH 185, had led the first wave into Sword Beach on D-Day, and stayed off Normandy until the 25th June when an acoustic mine sent it to the seabed along with most of the crew. His story transfixed John, and the resulting search for the shipwreck was to consume him.Jumping back and forwards in time, between vivid descriptions of the final days on board LCH 185 and John's thrilling search to find the shipwreck, The Search is an emotional story of a devastating time in history, an unlikely, life-changing friendship and a quest to honour a wartime home and family lost over seventy-five years ago.
The Search: The true story of a D-Day survivor, an unlikely friendship, and a lost shipwreck off Normandy
by John Henry PhillipsWhen archaeologist John Henry Phillips volunteered with a charity that took D-Day veterans back to Normandy, due to an administrative error he found himself without a hotel room and reliant on the generosity of one of the veterans who had a spare bed. That veteran was Patrick Thomas - and it was an encounter that would change both their lives forever.Patrick's landing craft, LCH 185, had led the first wave into Sword Beach on D-Day, and stayed off Normandy until the 25th June when an acoustic mine sent it to the seabed along with most of the crew. His story transfixed John, and the resulting search for the shipwreck was to consume him.Jumping back and forwards in time, between vivid descriptions of the final days on board LCH 185 and John's thrilling search to find the shipwreck, The Search is an emotional story of a devastating time in history, an unlikely, life-changing friendship and a quest to honour a wartime home and family lost over seventy-five years ago.
The Seasick Admiral: Nelson and the Health of the Navy
by Kevin BrownHoratio Nelson did not enjoy robust good health. From his childhood he was prone to many of the ailments so common in the eighteenth century, and after he joined the Navy he contracted fevers that further undermined his strength: he was even seasick whenever he first put to sea. Nevertheless, he saw more action than most officers, and was often wounded the loss of the sight in one eye and a shattered arm were the most public, but by no means his only injuries. This personal experience of sickness made him uniquely aware of the importance of health and fitness to the efficient running of a fleet, and this new book investigates Nelson's personal contribution to improving the welfare of the men he commanded.It ranges from issues of diet, through hygiene to improved medical practices. Believing prevention was better than cure, Nelson went to great lengths to obtain fresh provisions, insisted on cleanliness in his ships, and even understood the relationship between mental and physical health, working tirelessly to keep up the morale of his men. Many other people contributed to what became a revolution in naval health but because of his heroic status Nelson's influence was hugely significant, a role which this book reveals in detail for the first time.
The Second Admiral: A Life of David Dixon Porter, 1813-1891
by Richard S. WestA DEFINITIVE BUT HIGHLY EXCITING LIFE OF ONE OF THE MOST COLORFUL AND HITHERTO NEGLECTED FIGURES IN AMERICAN HISTORYDavid Dixon Porter (1813-1891) was a U.S. Navy admiral and a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the U.S. Navy. Promoted as the second U.S. Navy officer ever to attain the rank of admiral, Porter helped improve the Navy as the Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy after significant service in the American Civil War.Porter began naval service as a midshipman at the age of 10 under his father, Commodore David Porter, on the frigate U.S.S. John Adams. He served in the Mexican War in the attack on the fort at the City of Vera Cruz, commanded an independent flotilla of mortar boats at the capture of New Orleans, and later advanced to the rank of (acting) rear admiral in command of the Mississippi River Squadron, which co-operated with the army under Maj.-Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in the Vicksburg Campaign.After the fall of Vicksburg, he led the naval forces in the difficult Red River Campaign in Louisiana. Late in 1864, Porter was transferred from the interior to the Atlantic coast, where he led the U.S. Navy in the joint assaults on Fort Fisher, the final significant naval action of the war.Porter worked to raise the standards of the U.S. Navy in the position of Superintendent of the Naval Academy when it was restored to Annapolis. He initiated reforms in the curriculum to increase professionalism. In the early days of President Grant's administration, Porter was de facto Secretary of the Navy. When his adoptive brother David G. Farragut was advanced from rank of vice-admiral to admiral, Porter took his previous position; likewise, when Farragut died, Porter became the second man to hold the newly created rank of admiral. He gathered a corps of like-minded officers devoted to naval reform.
The Second Amendment
by Freya Ottem HansonPresents an overview of the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution and examines the debate that has surrounded the right to bear arms.
The Second Amendment: The Right To Bear Arms (Amendments To The United States Constitution: The Bill Of Rights)
by Larry GerberThe United States has the most guns per capita of any country in the world. Many Americans value the right to bear arms, which they believe is guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the Constitution. Others believe that the Second Amendment only guarantees the right for organized militias to own guns. This book surveys the history of the Second Amendment and gun ownership in the United States, and explores how the amendment continues to affect us today.
The Second Battle of Winchester: The Confederate Victory that Opened the Door to Gettysburg
by Eric J. Wittenberg Scott L. Mingus Sr.A comprehensive, deeply researched history of the pivotal 1863 American Civil War battle fought in northern Virginia. June 1863. The Gettysburg Campaign is underway. Robert E. Lee&’s Army of Northern Virginia pushes west into the Shenandoah Valley and then north toward the Potomac River. Only one significant force stands in its way: Maj. Gen. Robert H. Milroy&’s Union division of the Eighth Army Corps in the vicinity of Winchester and Berryville, Virginia. What happens next is the subject of this provocative new book. Milroy, a veteran Indiana politician-turned-soldier, was convinced the approaching enemy consisted of nothing more than cavalry or was merely a feint, and so defied repeated instructions to withdraw. In fact, the enemy consisted of General Lee&’s veteran Second Corps under Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell. Milroy&’s controversial decision committed his outnumbered and largely inexperienced men against some of Lee&’s finest veterans. The complex and fascinating maneuvering and fighting on June 13-15 cost Milroy hundreds of killed and wounded and about 4,000 captured (roughly one-half of his command), with the remainder routed from the battlefield. The combat cleared the northern end of the Shenandoah Valley of Federal troops, demonstrated Lee could obtain supplies on the march, justified the elevation of General Ewell to replace the recently deceased Stonewall Jackson, and sent shockwaves through the Northern states. Today, the Second Battle of Winchester is largely forgotten. But in June 1863, the politically charged front-page news caught President Lincoln and the War Department by surprise and forever tarnished Milroy&’s career. The beleaguered Federal soldiers who fought there spent a lifetime seeking redemption, arguing their three-day &“forlorn hope&” delayed the Rebels long enough to allow the Army of the Potomac to arrive and defeat Lee at Gettysburg. For the Confederates, the decisive leadership on display outside Winchester masked significant command issues buried within the upper echelons of Jackson&’s former corps that would become painfully evident during the early days of July on a different battlefield in Pennsylvania. Award-winning authors Eric J. Wittenberg and Scott L. Mingus Sr. combined their researching and writing talents to produce the most in-depth and comprehensive study of Second Winchester ever written, and now in paperback. Their balanced effort, based upon scores of archival and previously unpublished diaries, newspaper accounts, and letter collections, coupled with familiarity with the terrain around Winchester and across the lower Shenandoah Valley, explores the battle from every perspective.
The Second Day at Gettysburg
by Gary GallagherDifferent historians examine commanders who fought at Gettysburg.
The Second Day at Gettysburg: The Attack and Defense of Cemetery Ridge, July 2 1863
by David L. Shultz Scott L. MingusSo much has been written about Gettysburg, goes the well-worn cliché, that there is nothing new left to write. The Second Day at Gettysburg: The Attack and Defense of Cemetery Ridge, July 2, 1863, by David L. Shultz and Scott L. Mingus Sr. aptly demonstrates that there is indeed still much to learn about the war's largest and bloodiest battle. The Second Day at Gettysburg offers a balanced, compelling, and ultimately satisfying account of one of the most overlooked and yet important aspects of the defining battle of the American Civil War.
The Second Day at Gettysburg: The Attack and Defense of the Union Center on Cemetery Ridge, July 2, 1863
by David Schultz Scott L. Mingus Sr.“Emphasize[s] the role of Winfield Scott Hancock . . . [and] the Second Corps in plugging the gap and saving the day for the Union.” —Gettysburg MagazineOn the afternoon of July 2, 1863, Lt. Gen. James Longstreet struck the Union left flank with a massive blow that collapsed Dan Sickles’ advanced position in the Peach Orchard and rolled northward, tearing open a large gap in the center of the Federal line on Cemetery Ridge. Fresh Confederates from A. P. Hill’s Corps advanced toward the mile-wide breach, where Southern success would split the Army of the Potomac in two. The fate of the Battle of Gettysburg hung in the balance.Despite the importance of the position, surprisingly few Union troops were available to defend Cemetery Ridge. Major General Winfield S. Hancock’s veteran Second Corps had been whittled from three divisions to less than one after Gibbon’s division was sucked into earlier fighting and Caldwell’s command was shattered in the Wheatfield. With little time and few men, Hancock determined to plug the yawning gap. Reprising Horatio at the Bridge, the gallant commander cobbled together various commands and refused to yield the precious acres in Plum Run ravine. The swirling seesaw fighting lasted for hours and included hand-to-hand combat and personal heroics of which legends are made.The Second Day at Gettysburg expands on David Shultz and David Wieck’s critically acclaimed earlier work The Battle Between the Farm Lanes. This completely revised and expanded study, which includes new photographs, original maps, and a self-guided tour of the fighting, is grounded in extensive research and unmatched personal knowledge of the terrain.
The Second Front: Grand Strategy And Civil-Military Relations Of Western Allies And The USSR, 1938-1945
by Captain Denys SchurThe debate about grand strategy in the Second World War has scarcely ended even in the 21st Century. The present study examines the classical issue of the grand strategy in Europe and the anti-Hitler coalition as concerns the US-UK-Soviet exchange about the Second Front. The great phenomenon of the Second World War was the creation of an unprecedented military alliance between the western powers and the Soviet Union. Due to mutual antagonism, inter-Allied cooperation during the Second World War was very complicated and at times extremely tense. Perhaps the most acute disagreement in the relationship between the Allies was the "Second Front" controversy. Despite desperate Soviet demands to open the Second Front as soon as possible, the Western Allies launched a massive cross-channel operation in the northwestern Europe only in June 1944. This thesis analyses the reasons why it took the western powers so long to organize and execute such an operation and its implications for the post-war order. The detailed analysis of the grand strategy during the Second World War is one of the ways to comprehend the violent 20th Century amid the carnage of the 21st Century and its own problems of grand strategy.