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War of the U-Boats: British Merchantmen Under Fire
by Bernard EdwardsFrom the earliest days of the Second World War, Hitlers U-Boats were unleashed with the mission of sinking as much Allied merchant tonnage as possible. From the sinking of the Glasgow-based ship Olivegrove by U-23, to the end of hostilities six years later officers and seamen of the Merchant Marine played a key role in winning the war by their blatant disregard of the risks from Axis forces. The most dangerous were the U-Boats working unseen but there were also surface raiders and aircraft.All too often the result was the loss of ship, cargo and, tragically, crew. But as described in this excellent book great gallantry against overwhelming odds brought rewards and surprising results.We learn of acts of both chivalry and brutal activity by the enemy.The actions described in this book are varied but always make for excellent reading.
War of the Whales
by Joshua HorwitzTwo men face off against an all-powerful navy--and the fate of the ocean's most majestic creatures hangs in the balance."A gripping, brilliantly told tale of the secret and deadly struggle between American national security and the kings of the oceans."--Bob WoodwardWar of the Whales is the gripping tale of a crusading attorney who stumbles on one of the US Navy's best-kept secrets: a submarine detection system that floods entire ocean basins with high-intensity sound--and drives whales onto beaches. As Joel Reynolds launches a legal fight to expose and challenge the Navy program, marine biologist Ken Balcomb witnesses a mysterious mass stranding of whales near his research station in the Bahamas. Investigating this calamity, Balcomb is forced to choose between his conscience and an oath of secrecy he swore to the Navy in his youth. When Balcomb and Reynolds team up to expose the truth behind an epidemic of mass strandings, the stage is set for an epic battle that pits admirals against activists, rogue submarines against weaponized dolphins, and national security against the need to safeguard the ocean environment. Waged in secret military labs and the nation's highest court, War of the Whales is a real-life thriller that combines the best of legal drama, natural history, and military intrigue.
War of the White Death: Finland Against the Soviet Union, 1939–40 (Stackpole Military History Ser.)
by Bair IrincheevA thorough history of the Winter War, the uneven Russo-Finnish conflict that began shortly after the start of World War II. On November 30, 1939, Stalin&’s Red Army attacked Finland, expecting to crush the outnumbered, ill-equipped Finnish forces in a matter of days. But, in one of the most astonishing upsets in modern military history, the Finnish defenders broke the Red Army&’s advance, inflicting devastating casualties and destroying some of the divisions that had been thrown against them. Eventually, in March, 1940, the overhauled Red Army prevailed through the deployment of massive force. The Finns were compelled to cede territory and cities to their overbearing neighbor, but the moral victory was theirs. The courage and skill their army displayed in the face of the Soviet onslaught—and the chaotic, reckless performance of their opponents—had an important influence on the massive struggle soon to break out between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. For this highly illustrated and original portrayal of this conflict, Bair Irincheev brings together a compelling selection of eyewitness accounts, war diaries, battle reports, and other records from the Finnish and Russian archives to reconstruct the frontline fighting, and he analyzes the reasons for the Red Army&’s poor performance. Never before has the harsh reality of the combat in the depths of the northern winter been conveyed in such authentic detail. The arduous daily experience of the troops on both sides, the brutality of combat, and the constant struggle against the elements are recalled in the words of the men who were there.
War of the Wolf: A Novel (Saxon Tales #11)
by Bernard CornwellBernard Cornwell’s epic story of the making of England continues in this eleventh installment in the bestselling Saxon Tales series—"like Game of Thrones, but real" (The Observer)—the basis of the hit Netflix television series The Last Kingdom.His blood is SaxonHis heart is VikingHis battleground is England"Perhaps the greatest writer of historical adventure novels today" (Washington Post), Bernard Cornwell has dazzled and entertained readers and critics with his page-turning bestsellers. Of all his protagonists, however, none is as beloved as Uhtred of Bebbanburg.And while Uhtred might have regained his family’s fortress, it seems that a peaceful life is not to be – as he is under threat from both an old enemy and a new foe. The old enemy comes from Wessex where a dynastic struggle will determine who will be the next king. And the new foe is Sköll, a Norseman, whose ambition is to be King of Northumbria and who leads a frightening army of wolf-warriors, men who fight half-crazed in the belief that they are indeed wolves. Uhtred, believing he is cursed, must fend off one enemy while he tries to destroy the other. In this new chapter of the Saxon Tales series—a rousing adventure of courage, treachery, duty, devotion, majesty, love and battle, as seen through the eyes of a warrior straddling two worlds—Uhtred returns to fight once again for the destiny of England.
The War of the World: Twentieth-Century Conflict and the Descent of the West
by Niall FergusonAstonishing in its scope and erudition, this is the magnum opus that Niall Ferguson's numerous acclaimed works have been leading up to. In it, he grapples with perhaps the most challenging questions of modern history: Why was the twentieth century history's bloodiest by far? Why did unprecedented material progress go hand in hand with total war and genocide? His quest for new answers takes him from the walls of Nanjing to the bloody beaches of Normandy, from the economics of ethnic cleansing to the politics of imperial decline and fall. The result, as brilliantly written as it is vital, is a great historian's masterwork.
War of the Worlds
by Mike BruntonOn one terrible night in August 1895, the world changed for ever. Southern England became the landing site of a group of mysterious grey cylinders that came hurtling down from the stars. Nobody could have guessed that these strange objects would herald the most desperate and important conflict in the history of mankind. The war pitted man against machines from space and no quarter was asked for or given on either side. The outcome would be decided by the smallest of things...This is the essential guide to the Anglo-Martian conflict of 1895, offering unique comparison of the two belligerents, English and alien. It looks at the forces available to each and evaluates their respective tactics and strategies. Finally, it tells the full story of those fateful fifteen days, punctuated by the best and worst possible human experiences. It is a story of hope and despair, courage and terror, victory and defeat.
War of the Worlds: Global Dispatches
by H. G. WellsFrom the father of science fiction, the nineteenth-century British classic novel of alien invasion, along with two sequels. Together in one volume for the first time—H. G. Wells&’s seminal science fiction classic The War of the Worlds, with the contemporaneous, unauthorized, but extremely popular sequel Edison&’'s Conquest of Mars, as well as Wells&’s own, much later conceptual sequel, Star Begotten. How often do you watch the sky at night? Ever see bright streaks of light exploding from the red planet? Get ready for adventurous reading as you embark on a journey to find out just how these alien invasions play out! In The War of the Worlds, how will woefully unprepared Earthlings respond to towering three-legged &“fighting machines&” armed with heat-rays and chemical weapons that far exceed the capabilities of the nineteenth-century English military? In Edison&’s Conquest of Mars, Earth's leaders fear that the Martians will return to invade once more. US President William McKinley, Queen Victoria, Kaiser Wilhelm II and Emperor Mutsuhito unite to plan an attack on Mars. Led by American inventor Thomas Edison, a group of scientists develop new technologies based on what earlier Martian visitors left behind. They design and build a fleet of space ships for the pre-emptive move. What will happen when the two opposing forces meet? The protagonist of Star Begotten, Joseph Davis, is an author of popular histories, who becomes suspicious that he and his family have been exposed to a Martian influence of another sort and are in the process of being changed. What might that influence be? Three classics of Martian invasion in one volume.
The War of the Worlds (Adapted Version)
by H. G. Wells Mary Ann EvansWhen a spaceship from Mars lands on Earth, people try to welcome the alien visitors at first. When the Martians start killing the humans, will Earth be ready for the war of the worlds?
A War of Their Own: Bombers Over the Southwest Pacific [Illustrated Edition]
by Captain Matt Rodman[Illustrated with more than 45 diagrams, photos and tables]Captain Rodman, an instructor weapon-systems officer at Dyess AFB, Texas, examines the distinctive nature of Fifth Air Force's role in the air war over the Southwest Pacific Area during World War II. Especially notable is Gen George Kenney's innovative use of light attack aircraft as well as both medium and heavy bombardment aircraft, characterized by theater-specific tactics, ordnance, and structural modifications. A War of Their Own also considers the free exchange of aircraft and missions in the Southwest Pacific a hallmark of that theater; in terms of the conflict between doctrine and tactics that underlay Fifth Air Force's relationship to the prewar Army Air Corps and the postwar Air Force. The author also notes the relevance of the Fifth's experiences to airpower.
War of Two Worlds
by Poul AndersonThe twenty-year Earth-Mars war was finally over. What was left of Earth - its crumbled cities, its ruined farmlands - were firmly and completely under the rule of the Martian Archon. And this powerful planetary ruler was taking no chances: he intended to reduce the Terrans to a society of primitive agricultural tribes in less than a generation!But for David Arnfeld, ex-spaceman and Earth Base Commander, there was something in the whole set-up which did not ring true. Why had both sides muffed countless chances to end that awful war in the first year or two? And why had the two planets gone to war in the first place?In the back of Arnfeld's mind an idea was growing...perhaps there was yet a chance to save the doomed population of Earth. But if his idea was true, and proof was available, he had to work fast. Too many people were involved in this War of the Two Worlds to let one man upset their plans.
The War of Wars: The Epic Struggle Between Britain and France: 1789-1815 (Social And Economic Studies Of Post-war France Ser.)
by Robert HarveyRobert Harvey brilliantly recreates the story of the greatest conflict that stretches from the first blaze of revolution in Paris in 1789 to final victory on the muddy fields of Waterloo.On land and at sea, throughout the four corners of the continent, from the frozen plains surrounding Moscow and terror on the Caribbean seas, to the muddy low lands of Flanders and the becalmed waters of Trafalgar, The War of Wars tells the powerful story of the greatest conflict of the age.
The War of Wars: The Epic Struggle Between Britain And France, 1789-1815 (Social And Economic Studies Of Post-war France Ser.)
by Robert HarveyRobert Harvey brilliantly recreates the story of the greatest conflict that stretches from the first blaze of revolution in Paris in 1789 to final victory on the muddy fields of Waterloo.On land and at sea, throughout the four corners of the continent, from the frozen plains surrounding Moscow and terror on the Caribbean seas, to the muddy low lands of Flanders and the becalmed waters of Trafalgar, The War of Wars tells the powerful story of the greatest conflict of the age.
A War of Words: Political Violence and Public Debate in Israel (Political Violence Ser.)
by Gerald CromerThis book examines a series of controversies surrounding Israel's use of force and its failure to prevent violence. Influenced by Weber's definition of the state as the 'monopoly of violence', politcial scientists and criminologists alike have focused their attention on the legitimation struggles of non-state actors who resort to violence. This boo
War on Hospital Ships, 1914–1918
by Stephen McGrealIt is often said The first casualty of war is the truth and there is no better example of this than the furore caused by the claims and counterclaims of the British and German Governments at the height of the First World War. Wounded allied personnel were invariably repatriated by hospital ships, which ran the gauntlet of mined waters and gambled on the humanity of the U- Boat commanders. For, contrary to the terms of the Geneva Convention, on occasions Germany had sunk the unarmed hospital ships under the pretense they carried reinforcement troops and ammunition. The press seized on these examples of Hun Barbarity, especially the drowning of noncombatant female nurses. The crisis heightened following the German Governments 1 February 1917 introduction of unrestricted naval warfare. The white painted allied hospital ships emblazoned with huge red crosses now became in German eyes legitimate targets for the U-Boats. As the war on the almost 100 strong fleet of hospital ships intensified the British threatened reprisals against Germany, in particular an Anglo-French bombing raid upon a German town. Undeterred the Germans stepped up their campaign sinking two hospital ships in swift succession. Seven hospital ships struck mines and a further eight were torpedoed. Faced with such a massacre of the innocents Britain decided her hospital ships, painted and brightly lit in accordance with the Geneva Convention, could no longer rely on this immunity. The vessels were repainted in drab colors, defensively armed and sailed as ambulance transports among protected convoys. Germany had successfully banished hospital ships from the high seas.
War On Iraq: What Team Bush Doesn't Want You to Know
by William Rivers Pitt Scott RitterIraq and our involvements in the twentieth century.
The War on our Doorstep: London's East End and how the Blitz Changed it Forever
by Harriet Salisbury The Museum of London GroupLondon's East Enders are known for being a tough, humorous and lively lot. In the early 20th century, families crowded into single rooms, children played on the streets and neighbours' doors were never locked in case you needed an escape route from the police...World War 2 changed everything. During the Blitz, men set off for work never to return and rows of houses were reduced to rubble overnight. Yet the East Enders' ability to keep calm and carry on cemented their reputation for cheerful resilience. They say Hitler killed off the bugs but, along with the slums, the Blitz destroyed a way of life. After the war families were scattered - some to estates on the edge of London, others to isolated high-rise blocks. The old East End communities were gone forever.Told by the residents themselves, The War on Our Doorstep is an eye-opening, moving and laugh-out-loud depiction of the history of London's East End and what it means to be an East Ender.
War on the Ballot: How the Election Cycle Shapes Presidential Decision-Making in War
by Andrew PayneThe president of the United States is at once holder of the highest elected office and commander in chief of the armed forces. How do upcoming elections influence presidents’ behavior during wartime? How do presidents balance perceptions of the national interest with personal political interests?War on the Ballot examines how electoral politics shaped presidential decisions on military and diplomatic strategy during the wars in Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq. Drawing on a wealth of declassified documents and interviews with senior officials and military officers, Andrew Payne reveals the surprisingly large role played by political considerations during conflicts. He demonstrates how the exigencies of the electoral cycle drove leaders to miss opportunities to limit the human and financial costs of each war, gain strategic advantage, or sue for peace, sometimes making critical decisions with striking disregard for the consequences on the ground. Payne emphasizes the importance of electoral pressures throughout the full course of a conflict, not just around the initial decision to intervene. He shows how electoral constraints operate across different phases of the political calendar, going beyond the period immediately preceding a presidential election.Offering a systematic analysis of the relationship between electoral politics and wartime decision-making, this book raises crucial questions about democratic accountability in foreign policy.
War on the Border: Villa, Pershing, the Texas Rangers, and an American Invasion
by Jeff GuinnAn &“engagingly written&” (The Wall Street Journal) account of the &“Punitive Expedition&” of 1916 that brought Pancho Villa and Gen. John J. Pershing into conflict, and whose reverberations continue in the Southwestern US to this day.Jeff Guinn, chronicler of the Southwestern US and of American undesirables (Bonnie and Clyde, Charles Manson, and Jim Jones) tells the &“riveting and supremely entertaining narrative&” (S.C. Gwynne, New York Times bestselling author of Empire of the Summer Moon) of Pancho Villa&’s bloody raid on a small US border town that sparked a violent conflict with the US. The &“Punitive Expedition&” was launched in retaliation under Pershing&’s command and brought together the Army, National Guard, and the Texas Rangers—who were little more than organized vigilantes with a profound dislike of Mexicans on both sides of the border. Opposing this motley military brigade was Villa, a guerrilla fighter who commanded an ever-changing force of conscripts in northern Mexico. The American expedition was the last action by the legendary African American &“Buffalo Soldiers.&” It was also the first time the Army used automobiles and trucks, which were of limited value in Mexico, a country with no paved roads or gas stations. Curtiss Jenny airplanes did reconnaissance, another first. One era of warfare was coming to a close as another was beginning. But despite some bloody encounters, the Punitive Expedition eventually withdrew without capturing Villa. Today Anglos and Latinos in Columbus, New Mexico, where Villa&’s raid took place, commemorate those events, but with differing emotions. And although the bloodshed has ended, the US-Mexico border remains as vexed and volatile an issue as ever.
War on the Detroit: The Chronicles of Thomas Verchères de Boucherville
by Thomas Verchères de BouchervilleAn inside look at the War of 1812 from the journals of two young men, edited by American historian Milo Milton Quaife (1880-1959). Part I of the book is the journal of Thomas Vercheres de Boucheville, of French descent; and part II is from someone who called himself "an Ohio volunteer". Both are drawn into the war by circumstances, and converge on the battle for Detroit (it was little more than a village then). A fascinating look at a young nation at war on the frontier wilderness.
The War on the Eastern Front: The Soviet Union, 1941-1945 - A Photographic History
by Alexander HillThe RIA-Novosti press agency – now known as Sputnik in the West – has one of the best archives of Soviet Second World War photographs and for this remarkable book Alexander Hill has made a superb selection of them. These striking images record vividly, as only photographs can, the brutal conflict on the Eastern Front and the extraordinary experience of the soldiers and civilians who were caught up in it. Every aspect of the struggle is depicted – the fighting on the front lines and behind the lines, aerial combat and naval warfare, the ordeal of living under German occupation, the war industries and Lend-Lease and the massive sacrifices made at every level of Soviet society to defeat the Germans. The photographs and captions take the reader through the entire course of the war, from the Nazi-Soviet Pact and Soviet expansion into Poland, Finland and the Baltic Republics, through Operation Barbarossa and the German advances of 1941 and 1942, to the momentous battles at Stalingrad and Kursk and the sequence of massive offensives mounted by the Red Army that drove the Wehrmacht back to Berlin. The landscapes over which the armies moved, and the shattered towns and cities they left behind, are recorded as are individuals whose faces were captured by the camera during this devastating conflict over seventy years ago.
War on the Eastern Front: The German Soldier in Russia, 1941–1945 (Greenhill Military Paperback Ser.)
by James LucasThis classic WWII history presents a comprehensive yet vividly detailed account of the Third Reich&’s epic and bitter clash with the Red Army. The opening onslaughts of Operation Barbarossa began on June 22nd, 1941, as German forces stormed into the Soviet Union. Few of them were to survive the five long years of bitter struggle. A posting to the Eastern Front during the Second World War was rightly regarded with dread by the German soldiers. They faced the unremitting hostility of the climate, the people and even, at times, their own leadership. There were epic conflicts, such as the battles of Stalingrad and Kursk. But surrounding these famous events was a daily war of attrition which ultimately ground Hitler&’s war machine to a halt. In this classic account, military historian James Lucas examines the Eastern Front from trench warfare to a bicycle-mounted antitank unit fighting against the oncoming Russian hordes. Told through the experiences of the German soldiers who endured these nightmarish years of warfare, War on the Eastern Front is a unique record of this cataclysmic campaign.
War on the Run: The Epic Story of Robert Rogers and the Conquest of America’a First Frontier
by John F. RossRoss, executive editor of American Heritage magazine, has written this biography of American colonial frontiersman Robert Rogers to reveal how his observations of Native American warriors led to combat strategies that are still effective today. Written for general audiences, this book explains how Rogers trained and led an army of farmers, scouts and woodsmen on a series of military missions that are still considered impossible today. The author also explains how Rogers' 28 Rules of Engagement laid the groundwork for the Revolutionary War, and how his explorations of the frontier inspired the Lewis and Clark expedition. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
War on the Waters
by James M. McphersonAlthough previously undervalued for their strategic impact because they represented only a small percentage of total forces, the Union and Confederate navies were crucial to the outcome of the Civil War. In War on the Waters, James M. McPherson has crafted an enlightening, at times harrowing, and ultimately thrilling account of the war's naval campaigns and their military leaders. McPherson recounts how the Union navy's blockade of the Confederate coast, leaky as a sieve in the war's early months, became increasingly effective as it choked off vital imports and exports. Meanwhile, the Confederate navy, dwarfed by its giant adversary, demonstrated daring and military innovation. Commerce raiders sank Union ships and drove the American merchant marine from the high seas. Southern ironclads sent several Union warships to the bottom, naval mines sank many more, and the Confederates deployed the world's first submarine to sink an enemy vessel. But in the end, it was the Union navy that won some of the war's most important strategic victories--as an essential partner to the army on the ground at Fort Donelson, Vicksburg, Port Hudson, Mobile Bay, and Fort Fisher, and all by itself at Port Royal, Fort Henry, New Orleans, and Memphis.
The War on Truth: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Invasion of Iraq but Your Government Wouldn't Tell You
by Neil MackayThe War on Truth investigates all aspects of the lead up to the war in Iraq, its execution, and its aftermath. Neil MacKay contends that the public was systematically fed untruths in a manner that questions what kind of democracy we really have. MacKay, award winning investigative journalist for Scotland&’s Sunday Herald newspaper has covered the West&’s intelligence agencies for many years. In this book he questions why &‘intelligence&’ missed 9/11 and why the best funded intelligence networks in history got things so badly wrong. The WMD debate is also covered. MacKay&’s extensive contacts in the intelligence community make a telling contribution to this investigation and we see an intimate picture of how intelligence is gathered, how it is interpreted and why things go wrong. We also gain an insight to Neo–Cons, the radical think tank that surround George W. Bush and some of whom stated before 9/11, that the US &“needed another Pearl Harbor&” to condition the American people (and their allies) into supporting war against Saddam Hussein. Author Neil MacKay is a three–times finalist as British Reporter of tile Year in the British Press Awards, Britain&’s equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize. MacKay revealed the identity of the Omagh bomber, exposed the British Army colonel who used loyalist terrorists as proxy assassins throughout the &“Troubles&” in Northern Ireland and unmasked &“Stakeknife&”, the highest-ranking British army spy inside the IRA. His investigations into the war on terror and the invasion of lraq have won international acclaim. More than 200,000 US readers regularly turn to his stories on the internet every Sunday. In 1999, MacKay famously wrote an article based on briefings with CIA operatives in Pakistan that reported that aI-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden planned to use planes to attack mainland America. He has appeared on TV and radio regularly as a commentator in the UK, France. Italy. Japan. America. Canada, South America, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and throughout the Middle East. John Pilger: &“Neil&’s masterly and prodigious scoops are the stuff of newspaper legend&” Truthout.org: &“the gold standard of investigative journalists&”
War on Two Fronts: An Infantry Commander's War in Iraq and the Pentagon
by Christopher HughesA vivid memoir of the conflict&’s early years combined with &“an insightful review of our problems in Iraq&” (Publishers Weekly). Winner of The Army Historical Foundation&’s Distinguished Writing Award. Shortly after the launch of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the war in Iraq became the most confusing in US history, the high command not knowing who to fight, who was attacking coalition troops, and who among the different Iraqi groups were fighting each other. Yet there were a few astute officers like Lt. Col. Christopher Hughes, commanding the 2nd Battalion of the 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne, who sensed the complexity of the task from the beginning. In War on Two Fronts, Lt. Col. Hughes writes movingly of his &“no-slack&” battalion at war in Iraq. The war got off to a bang for Hughes when his brigade command tent was fragged, leaving him briefly in charge of the brigade. Amid the nighttime confusion of fourteen casualties, a nearby Patriot missile blasted off, panicking nearly everyone while mistakenly bringing down a British Tornado fighter-bomber. As Hughes&’ battalion forged into Iraq, they successfully liberated the city of Najaf, securing the safety of Grand Ayatollah Sistani and the Mosque of Ali while showing an acute cultural awareness that caught the world&’s attention. It was a feat that landed Hughes within the pages of Time, Newsweek, and other publications. The Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne then implemented creative programs in the initial postwar occupation, including harvesting the national wheat and barley crops while combating nearly invisible insurgents. Conscious that an army battalion is a community of some seven-hundred-plus households, and that when a unit goes off to war, the families are intimately connected in our internet age, Hughes makes clear the strength of those connections and how morale is best supported at both ends. Transferred to Washington after his tour, Hughes also writes an illuminating account of the herculean efforts of many in the Pentagon to work around the corporatist elements of its bureaucracy in order to better understand counterinsurgency and national reconstruction, which Lawrence of Arabia described as &“like learning to eat soup with a knife.&” This book helps explain the sources of mistakes made—and the process needed to chart a successful strategy. Written with candor and no shortage of humor, mixed with brutal scenes of combat and frank analysis, it is a must-read for all who seek insight into our current situation in the Mideast.