- Table View
- List View
War Before Civilization
by Lawrence H. KeeleyThe myth of the peace-loving "noble savage" is persistent and pernicious. Indeed, for the last fifty years, most popular and scholarly works have agreed that prehistoric warfare was rare, harmless, unimportant, and, like smallpox, a disease of civilized societies alone. Prehistoric warfare, according to this view, was little more than a ritualized game, where casualties were limited and the effects of aggression relatively mild. Lawrence Keeley's groundbreaking War Before Civilization offers a devastating rebuttal to such comfortable myths and debunks the notion that warfare was introduced to primitive societies through contact with civilization (an idea he denounces as "the pacification of the past"). Building on much fascinating archeological and historical research and offering an astute comparison of warfare in civilized and prehistoric societies, from modern European states to the Plains Indians of North America, War Before Civilization convincingly demonstrates that prehistoric warfare was in fact more deadly, more frequent, and more ruthless than modern war. To support this point, Keeley provides a wide-ranging look at warfare and brutality in the prehistoric world. He reveals, for instance, that prehistorical tactics favoring raids and ambushes, as opposed to formal battles, often yielded a high death-rate; that adult males falling into the hands of their enemies were almost universally killed; and that surprise raids seldom spared even women and children. Keeley cites evidence of ancient massacres in many areas of the world, including the discovery in South Dakota of a prehistoric mass grave containing the remains of over 500 scalped and mutilated men, women, and children (a slaughter that took place a century and a half before the arrival of Columbus). In addition, Keeley surveys the prevalence of looting, destruction, and trophy-taking in all kinds of warfare and again finds little moral distinction between ancient warriors and civilized armies. Finally, and perhaps most controversially, he examines the evidence of cannibalism among some preliterate peoples. Keeley is a seasoned writer and his book is packed with vivid, eye-opening details (for instance, that the homicide rate of prehistoric Illinois villagers may have exceeded that of the modern United States by some 70 times). But he also goes beyond grisly facts to address the larger moral and philosophical issues raised by his work. What are the causes of war? Are human beings inherently violent? How can we ensure peace in our own time? Challenging some of our most dearly held beliefs, Keeley's conclusions are bound to stir controversy.
The War Begins in Paris: A Novel
by Theodore WheelerFrom the author of Kings of Broken Things and In Our Other Lives comes a "powerful, immersive" literary noir about two female World War II correspondents whose fates intertwine in Europe (Caitlin Horrocks). Paris, 1938. Two women meet: Mielle, a shy pacifist and shunned Mennonite who struggles to fit in with the elite cohort of foreign correspondents stationed around the city; the other, Jane, a brash, legendary American journalist, who is soon to become a fascist propagandist. When World War II makes landfall in the City of Lights, Mielle falls under Jane&’s spell, growing ever more intoxicated by her glamour, self-possession, and reckless confidence. But as this recklessness devolves into militarism and an utter lack of humanity, Mielle is seized by a series of visions that show her an inescapable truth: Jane Anderson must die, and Mielle must be the one to kill her. Structured as a series of dispatches filed from around Europe and based on the misadventures of a real journalist-turned-Nazi mouthpiece, The War Begins in Paris is a cat-and-mouse suspense that examines the relentlessness of propaganda, the allure of power, and how far one woman will go for the sake of her morality.
War Behind the Wire: Australian Prisoners of War
by Michael CaulfieldMichael Caulfield presents accounts of Australian prisoners of war, capturing the Aussie spirit that manages to endure through all.
The War Behind the Wire: The Life, Death and Glory of British Prisoners of War, 1914-18
by John Lewis-StempelOn capture, British officers and men were routinely told by the Germans 'For you the war is over'. Nothing could be further from the truth. British Prisoners of War merely exchanged one barbed-wire battleground for another.In the camps the war was eternal. There was the war against the German military, fought with everything from taunting humour to outright sabotage, with a literal spanner put in the works of the factories and salt mines prisoners were forced to slave in. British PoWs also fought a valiant war against the conditions in which they were mired. They battled starvation, disease, Prussian cruelties, boredom, and their own inner demons. And, of course, they escaped. Then escaped again. No less than 29 officers at Holzminden camp in 1918 burrowed their way out via a tunnel (dug with a chisel and trowel) in the Great Escape of the Great War.It was war with heart-breaking consequences; more than 12,000 PoWs died, many of them murdered, to buried in shallow unmarked graves.Using contemporary records - from prisoners' diaries to letters home to poetry - John Lewis-Stempel reveals the death, life and, above all, the glory of Britain's warriors behind the wire. For it was in the PoW camps, far from the blasted trenches, that the true spirit of the Tommy was exemplified.
The War Behind the Wire: Second World War POW Experiences (Voices of the Veterans)
by Patrick WilsonPublished to coincide with the major 2 part BBC1 series (Autumn 2000) of the same name, War Behind the Wire focuses on the capture, interrogation, the comradeship of camp life, escape planning and forgery techniques, tunnelling, the thrill of life on the run, re-capture and punishment, the joy of liberation. All these experiences and more are vividly described by former POWs of the Second World War and their German camp guards, in War Behind the Wire.Through gripping first-hand accounts enhanced with numerous illustrations, we learn the true story of the ill-fated Great Escape, which ended in the barbaric murder of 50 gallant men of many nationalities. Former inmates tell what life in Colditz Castle was really like.War Behind the Wire is an inspiring book of memories and experiences of those who never gave up hope. These will be as unforgettable for the reader as they were for those who found themselves in captivity.
The War Below: The Story of Three Submarines That Battled Japan
by James Scott“Beautifully researched and masterfully told” (Alex Kershaw, New York Times bestselling author of Escape from the Deep), this is the riveting story of the heroic and tragic US submarine force that helped win World War II in the Pacific.Focusing on the unique stories of three of the war’s top submarines—Silversides, Drum, and Tang—The War Below vividly re-creates the camaraderie, exhilaration, and fear of the brave volunteers who took the fight to the enemy’s coastline in World War II. Award-winning journalist James Scott recounts incredible feats of courage—from an emergency appendectomy performed with kitchen utensils to sailors’ desperate struggle to escape from a flooded submarine—as well as moments of unimaginable tragedy, including an attack on an unmarked enemy freighter carrying 1,800 American prisoners of war.The casualty rate among submariners topped that of all other military branches. The war claimed almost one out of every five submarines, and a submarine crewman was six times more likely to die than a sailor onboard a surface ship. But this valorous service accomplished its mission; Silversides, Drum, and Tang sank a combined sixty-two freighters, tankers, and transports. The Japanese were so ravaged from the loss of precious supplies that by the war’s end, pilots resorted to suicidal kamikaze missions and hungry civilians ate sawdust while warships had to drop anchor due to lack of fuel. In retaliation, the Japanese often beat, tortured, and starved captured submariners in the atrocious prisoner of war camps.Based on more than 100 interviews with submarine veterans and thousands of pages of previously unpublished letters and diaries, The War Below lets readers experience the battle for the Pacific as never before.
The War Below
by Marsha Forchuk SkrypuchThe Nazis took Luka from his home in Ukraine and forced him into a labor camp. Now, Luka has smuggled himself out -- even though he left behind his dearest friend, Lida. Someday, he vows, he'll find her again.But first, he must survive.Racing through the woods and mountains, Luka evades capture by both Nazis and Soviet agents. Then he meets up with an underground army whose members are fighting Nazis and Soviets alike. But the desperate rescues and guerilla raids put Luka back in the line of fire. Can he persevere long enough to find Lida again or make it back home where his father must be waiting for him?Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch, author of Making Bombs for Hitler, delivers another action-packed story, inspired by true events, of daring quests and the crucial decisions we make in the face of war.
The War Beneath (The Rise of Oceania #1)
by Timothy S. JohnstonA Global Thriller Award–winning novel: “Fast-paced, good old-fashioned Cold War espionage set underwater in 2099, this book offers a great escape!” (The Minerva Reader). Living underwater is inherently dangerous. At any moment, a trickle of water from the bulkheads could mean immanent death. But Truman “Mac” McClusky is used to danger. He’s been out of the intelligence business for years, working the kelp farms and helping his city Trieste flourish on the shallow continental shelf just off the coast of Florida. Then his former partner shows up, steals a piece of valuable new technology and makes a mad dash into the Atlantic. Before he knows it, Mac is back in the game, chasing the spy to retrieve the tech—and teach his former friend a lesson he won’t forget. But when Mac learns the grim truth behind the theft, it plunges him into an even deadlier mission. With lethal secrets in his pocket, he needs to evade the submarines of hostile foreign powers, escape assassins, and forge through the world’s oceans at breakneck pace on a daring quest to save his city and stay alive.
War Beneath the Waves
by Don KeithFrom the national bestselling author of Final Patrol-a gripping story of heroism under the sea. In November 1943, while on war patrol in the Makassar Strait, the USS Billfishsubmarine was spotted by the Japanese, who launched a vicious depth charge attack. Explosions wracked the sub for fifteen straight hours. With his senior officers incapacitated, diving officer Charlie Rush boldly assumed command and led key members of the crew in a heroic effort to keep their ship intact as they tried to escape. Now, in War Beneath the Waves, this intense story is finally told in all its harrowing detail. It is an inspiring tale of one man's leadership and courage under fire, and of the remarkable efforts of a submarine crew to do their duty and save their ship.
War Beyond the Dragon Pagoda: A Personal Narrative of the First Anglo-Burmese War 1824 - 1826
by J. J. Snodgrass“The author—a staff officer—who was an eyewitness to most of the major events of the First Anglo-Burmese War, gives us an incisive overview of the whole war. This provides the reader with a unique insight into the actions of the various troops during the course of the campaign. However it is the author's descriptions of pitched battles against a richly caparisoned foe—including everything from umbrella bearing generals and war elephants to "invincibles" and Amazons—that bring this exotic and spectacular conflict vividly to life. Re-living this war from just one step away, whether witnessing fighting in jungle stockades or experiencing river actions against Burmese war boats, will remain with and intrigue all who are interested in the British in the East.”-Print ed.
War Birds
by R. M. MeluchWORLDS AT WAR Tannia, Erde, and Occo-Earth's farthest- flung colony worlds. Long forgotten by the mother planet, each had found its own path to survival. Occo, an isolated planet of mystery ... Tannia and Erde, twin colonies that had coexisted for 192 Earth years-but far from peacefully. Twenty years earlier, the world had come under Tannia's sway, and Anton Nordveldt, shot down on Tannia, became first a prisoner of war, then a professor of the classics, attempting to civilize his former enemies. Then he met the beautiful Maggie, a fighter pilot. Drawn together by love, they were eventually driven apart by Nordveldt's past loyalties-until Tannia and Erde were attacked by a new deadly foe, Occo! And suddenly old enemies became uneasy allies, and Anton and Maggie flew the skies together in a desperate struggle to save both their worlds. . . .
War Birds: The Diary of a Great War Pilot
by Elliott White SpringsFollowing the declaration of war by the United States, more than 200 American men, unwilling to wait until US squadrons could be raised, volunteered to join the Royal Flying Corps in the summer of 1917. Amongst these men was John MacGavock Grider and Elliott White Springs who both joined 85 Squadron to fly SE.5 fighters.During his service with the RFC and the RAF, Grider kept a record of his experiences from when he joined up until his untimely death in 1918, when he was shot down over the Western Front. Before his death, Grider had made a pact with Elliott White Springs that in the event of one of them dying, the other would complete their writings. Springs went on to write this book, an amalgamation of his own recollections and Griders diary and correspondence.War Birds records in detail the stresses of training and the terror and elation of failure and success during combats with the enemy the First World War. This unique edition of War Birds has been produced from a copy owned by another officer from 85 Squadron, Lieutenant Horace Fulford. In his copy, Fulford made numerous handwritten annotations and stuck in a number of previously unpublished photographs all of which have been faithfully reproduced.
War Bonds: Love Stories from the Greatest Generation
by Cindy HvalAmerica's World War II is most often told through the stories of its great battles, when an entire generation of our young men was suddenly thrust across the oceans to represent the New World in deadly combat against the great powers of the Old. On sea, in the air, and on land our boys fought against totalitarian powers that threatened to overturn the American ideal of liberty for every individual, even civilization itself. But while often forgotten, America's women participated too. On the home front they were more than willing to share in the hardships of wartime, and in countless cases they fairly lived and breathed with support for our troops overseas. Whether working in factories or taking care of families, rationing or volunteering, their unflagging support contributed more to our victories than has ever been told. Young people have been falling in love since time began, but romance during a global conflagration brought a unique set of challenges. The uncertainty of the time led to an abundance of couples marrying quickly, after brief courtships. Others grew closer through intermittent correspondence, in which the soldier was often censored by officers, yet true longing from both sides invariably came through. It was the worst time of all to try to have a relationship, yet amazingly, thousands of couples created lifelong bonds. From blind dates to whirlwind romances to long separations, War Bonds highlights stories of couples who met or married during WWII. Each of the 30 stories begins with a World War II-era song title and concludes with a look at wartime couples in their twilight, as well as when they were so hopeful and young and determined to save the world. Illustrated with photographs from the 1940s as well as current ones of each couple, War Bonds offers readers a glimpse of bygone days, as well as a poignant glimpse of our own. During history's greatest war it was no time to start a relationship. But many among our young men and women did so regardless, and in this book we see how amazingly the "war bonds" of that World War II generation so frequently endured.
The War Born: Seven Forges, Book VI
by James A MooreThe final episode from the Seven Forges series!A final battle against the Wellish Overlords for the date of the empire takes place as their army of War-Born nightmares rages across Fellein.---The Overlords have risen!They've torn apart the Wellish Steppes and raised mountains, they're fighting against the gods themselves, attacking the Daxar Taaalor and bringing the wrath of the Children of the Forges. They've turned one of the greatest sorcerers in the history of Fellein to their side and divided the council of wizards, forcing Desh Krohan into battle with old allies. The empire is at war.The Sa'ba Taalor are preparing for battle, and the Overlords have begun their own plans, raising an army of shapechangers called the War-Born to do their bidding. The armies of the Overlords are savage, they hunt, kill and eat their prey. They are endlessly hungry.The final war is on, one that will change the shape of the Fellein Empire. Even as the gods involve themselves in the final confrontations between the empire and the enemies, old and new. File Under: Fantasy [ Last Stand | The Battle Persists | Rising Enemy | Cold Front ]
War Brides: The Stories of the Women Who Left Everything Behind to Follow the Men They Loved
by Melynda JarrattFor thousands of young British girls, the influx of Canadian soldiers conscripted to Britain during the Second World War meant throngs of handsome young men. The result was over 48,000 marriages to Canadian soldiers alone, and a mass emigration of British women to North America and around the world in the 1940’s. For many brides, the decision to leave their family and home to move to a country thousands of miles away with a man they hardly knew brought forth ensuing happiness. For others, the outcome was much different, and the darker side of the story reveals the infidelity, domestic violence, poverty, alcoholism and divorce that many lived through. War Brides draws on original archival documents, personal correspondence, and key first hand accounts to tell the amazing story of the War Brides in their own words-and shows the love, passion, tragedy and spirit of adventure of thousand of British women.
The War Bride's Scrapbook: A Novel in Pictures
by Caroline PrestonA World War II love story, narrated through a new bride’s dazzling array of vintage postcards, newspaper clippings, photographs, and moreLila Jerome has never been very lucky in love, and has always been more interested in studying architecture and, more recently, supporting the war bond effort on the home front. But in the fall of 1943, a chance spark with a boarder in her apartment sets Lila on a course that shakes up all of her ideas about romance.Lila is intoxicated by Perry Weld, the charismatic army engineer who’s about to ship out to the European front, and it isn’t long before she discovers that the feeling is mutual. After just a few weeks together, caught up in the dramatic spirit of the times and with Perry’s departure date fast approaching, the two decide to elope. In a stunning kaleidoscope of vibrant ephemera, Lila boldly attempts to redefine her life in America as she navigates the heartache and longing of a marriage separated by ocean and war.In her second scrapbook novel after the lauded Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt, Caroline Preston has once again pulled from her own extraordinary collection of vintage memorabilia, transporting us back to the lively, tumultuous 1940s and introducing us to an unforgettable, ambitious heroine who must learn to reconcile a wartime marriage with a newfound self-confidence.
The War Business: The International Trade in Armaments
by George ThayerAfter the two world wars with security of individual Nations very high, a new business in armaments trade has become a routine. The U.S. government sells armaments to various countries and has become a super power. U.S.S.R. did not lag behind.
War by Land, Sea, and Air
by David JablonskyIn this book a retired U.S. Army colonel and military historian takes a fresh look at Dwight D. Eisenhower's lasting military legacy, in light of his evolving approach to the concept of unified command. Examining Eisenhower's career from his West Point years to the passage of the 1958 Defense Reorganization Act, David Jablonsky explores Eisenhower's efforts to implement a unified command in the U.S. military--a concept that eventually led to the current organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and that, almost three decades after Eisenhower's presidency, played a major role in defense reorganization under the Goldwater-Nichols Act. In the new century, Eisenhower's approach continues to animate reform discussion at the highest level of government in terms of the interagency process.
War by Numbers: Understanding Conventional Combat
by Christopher A. LawrenceWar by Numbers assesses the nature of conventional warfare through the analysis of historical combat. Christopher A. Lawrence establishes what we know about conventional combat and why we know it. By demonstrating the impact a variety of factors have on combat he moves such analysis beyond the work of Carl von Clausewitz and into modern data and interpretation. Using vast data sets, Lawrence examines force ratios, the human factor in case studies from World War II and beyond, the combat value of superior situational awareness, and the effects of dispersion, among other elements. Lawrence challenges existing interpretations of conventional warfare and shows how such combat should be conducted in the future, simultaneously broadening our understanding of what it means to fight wars by the numbers.
War by Other Means: Building Complete and Balanced Capabilities for Counterinsurgency
by John Gordon David C. GompertExamines how the United States should improve its counterinsurgency (COIN) capabilities through, for example, much greater focus on understanding jihadist strategy, using civil measures to strengthen the local government, and enabling local forces to conduct COIN operations. Provides a broad discussion of the investments, organizational changes, and multilateral arrangements that the United States should pursue to improve its COIN capabilities.
War by Other Means: A General in the Trump White House
by Keith KelloggGeneral Keith Kellogg saw it all. The only national security advisor to work side by side with both President Trump and Vice President Pence, he was their confidant as they made their most momentous decisions. No one knows better than he that the hysterical accusations of the administration&’s partisan detractors were unconnected to reality. Demolishing baseless caricatures of Donald Trump, General Kellogg provides one of the few reliable accounts of the administration from the earliest days of the 2016 campaign to the end of the president&’s term. Kellogg reveals: How Trump&’s &“America First&” policies strengthened the nation after Obama&’s eight-year apology tour Why the president&’s tough approach to China worked—and why future administrations must continue to take the China threat seriously How withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and the strike on General Soleimani slowed the spread of radical Islamist terror Why Democrats&’ appeasement policies are courting disaster for America and the world The radicals attacking President Trump&’s legacy are sacrificing sound policy to politics. Kellogg&’s account is an urgently needed reminder that politics is &“war by other means.&” Our enemies never forget that, and Americans forget it to their peril.
The War Came Home with Him
by Catherine MadisonDuring his years as a POW in North Korea, "Doc" Boysen endured hardships he never intended to pass along, especially to his family. Men who refused to eat starved; his children would clean their plates. Men who were weak died; his children would develop character. They would also learn to fear their father, the hero. In a memoir at once harrowing and painfully poignant, Catherine Madison tells the stories of two survivors of one man's war: a father who withstood a prison camp's unspeakable inhumanity and a daughter who withstood the residual cruelty that came home with him.Doc Boysen died fifty years after his ordeal, his POW experience concealed to the end in a hidden cache of documents. In The War Came Home with Him, Madison pieces together the horrible tale these papers told--of a young captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps captured in July 1950, beaten and forced to march without shoes or coat on icy trails through mountains to camps where North Korean and Chinese captors held him for more than three years. As the truth about her father's past unfolds, Madison returns to a childhood troubled by his secret torment to consider, in a new light, the telling moments in their complex relationship.Beginning at her father's deathbed, with all her questions still unspoken, and ending with their final conversation, Madison's dual memoir offers a powerful, intimate perspective on the suppressed grief and thwarted love that forever alter a family when a wounded soldier brings his war home.
War Cantata / Child Object
by Chantal Bilodeau Larry Tremblay Keith TurnbullWar Cantata translated by Keith TurnbullHow far will humanity go in its quest for power? Why do we desire to eliminate each other through war? War Cantata looks at ways the impulse for violence is transmitted from one generation to the next; for example, when a father teaches his son hatred to transform him into a soldier impervious to pity. Without focusing on a particular battle or soldier, this harsh, intense, choral text builds the rhythmic power of words to expose war's spiral toward hatred.In 2012, SACD (Société des auteurs et compositeurs dramatiques), in partnership with France Culture, awarded War Cantata the Prix SADC for best world play written in French, and CEAD (Centre des auteurs dramatiques) awarded it the Prix Michel-Tremblay for the best play written in Quebec in 2012.Cast of 2 men and a chorusChild Object translated by Chantal BilodeauWith child as a blank page, a man sets about constructing his ideal companion manipulating personality, gender, and body. The child becomes the ultimate consumer good.Cast of 1 woman and 2 men
The War Chronicles: From Flintlocks to Machine Guns
by Joseph CumminsA Global Survey of Modern Warfare, from the First Fervid Days of the French Revolution of 1789 to the Bloody Stalemate that Ended the Iran-Iraq War in 1988.
The War Chronicles of Jerzy Dobiecki
by Ian HientzeThis tribute to the life of Jerzy Dobiecki, a Polish cavalry captain with the 18-ty Pułk Ułanów Pomorskich – the 18th Polish Pomeranian Lancers, is a story based on previously archived material, originally written by the Captain in Polish, that has been translated for the first time into English. The Captain’s chronicles bring to life eye-witness accounts of his regiment’s deployments during the Russo-Polish War between 1919 and 1921, one of several little-publicized wars in English and fought between Poland and her neighbors immediately following the 1914-1918 Great War. Eighteen years later, as Poland was invaded by Germany in September 1939, from his position on attachment to the Polish Ministry of Military Affairs in Warsaw, Captain Dobiecki kept a diary of battles as they developed across Poland during the first weeks of the Second World War. The diary records events as he, and what remained of the Polish military High Command, were evacuated to neighboring Romania when Poland was additionally overrun by Soviet forces from the east. His journal sheds light on his subsequent escape from internment across Europe to France and later on to Britain, where he served as a staff officer with the command of the Polish 1st Corps, formed in exile in Scotland. Following the end of hostilities in Europe in 1945 and upon return to Britain after the fighting on the continent, like thousands of other Poles commissioned under the auspices of the Polish Resettlement Corps, Jerzy had to decide whether to return to his native Poland or whether he should try to somehow rescue and bring to England what was left of his family – now trapped behind the iron curtain in eastern Poland, facing an uncertain future and severity under a Stalinist regime.