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Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA, 1981-1987
by Bob WoodwardVeil is the story of the covert wars that were waged in Central America, Iran and Libya in a secretive atmosphere and became the centerpieces and eventual time bombs of American foreign policy in the 1980s.
Vein Pattern Recognition: A Privacy-Enhancing Biometric
by Chuck WilsonAs one of the most promising biometric technologies, vein pattern recognition (VPR) is quickly taking root around the world and may soon dominate applications where people focus is key. Among the reasons for VPR‘s growing acceptance and use: it is more accurate than many other biometric methods, it offers greater resistance to spoofing, it focuses
Velocity Weapon (The Protectorate #1)
by Megan E. O'KeefeDazzling space battles, intergalactic politics, and rogue AI collide in Velocity Weapon, the first book in this epic space opera by award-winning author Megan O'Keefe.Sanda and Biran Greeve were siblings destined for greatness. A high-flying sergeant, Sanda has the skills to take down any enemy combatant. Biran is a savvy politician who aims to use his new political position to prevent conflict from escalating to total destruction. However, on a routine maneuver, Sanda loses consciousness when her gunship is blown out of the sky. Instead of finding herself in friendly hands, she awakens 230 years later on a deserted enemy warship controlled by an AI who calls himself Bero. The war is lost. The star system is dead. Ada Prime and its rival Icarion have wiped each other from the universe.Now, separated by time and space, Sanda and Biran must fight to put things right. "Meticulously plotted, edge-of-your-seat space opera with a soul." --KirkusThe ProtectorateVelocity Weapon
Velocity Weapon: Book One of The Protectorate (The Protectorate)
by Megan E. O'Keefe'A brilliantly plotted yarn of survival and far-future political intrigue' Guardian ***SHORTLISTED FOR THE PHILIP K. DICK AWARD***The last thing Sanda remembers is her gunship exploding.She expected to be recovered by salvage-medics and to awaken in friendly hands, patched-up and ready to rejoin the fight. Instead she wakes up 230 years later, on a deserted enemy starship called The Light of Berossus - or, as he prefers to call himself, 'Bero'.Bero tells Sanda the war is lost. That the entire star system is dead.But is that the full story? After all, in the vastness of space, anything is possible . . . Dazzling space battles, deadly galactic politics and rogue AI collide in Velocity Weapon, an epic space opera from award-winning author Megan E. O'Keefe.Praise for Velocity Weapon'An entertaining SF thriller' SciFiNow'Furious action sequences, funny dialogue, and a plot that will keep you guessing every step of the way' K. B. Wagers'Velocity Weapon is fast-paced, twisty, edge-of-your-seat fun. Space opera fans are in for a massive treat!' Marina J. Lostetter
Velocity Weapon: Book One of The Protectorate (The Protectorate)
by Megan E. O'Keefe'A brilliantly plotted yarn of survival and far-future political intrigue' Guardian ***SHORTLISTED FOR THE PHILIP K. DICK AWARD***The last thing Sanda remembers is her gunship exploding.She expected to be recovered by salvage-medics and to awaken in friendly hands, patched-up and ready to rejoin the fight. Instead she wakes up 230 years later, on a deserted enemy starship called The Light of Berossus - or, as he prefers to call himself, 'Bero'.Bero tells Sanda the war is lost. That the entire star system is dead.But is that the full story? After all, in the vastness of space, anything is possible . . . Dazzling space battles, deadly galactic politics and rogue AI collide in Velocity Weapon, an epic space opera from award-winning author Megan E. O'Keefe.Praise for Velocity Weapon'An entertaining SF thriller' SciFiNow'Furious action sequences, funny dialogue, and a plot that will keep you guessing every step of the way' K. B. Wagers'Velocity Weapon is fast-paced, twisty, edge-of-your-seat fun. Space opera fans are in for a massive treat!' Marina J. Lostetter
Vendaval
by Alberto Vázquez-FigueroaUna trepidante novela basada en hechos reales. En 1965 estalló en la República Dominicana una cruenta guerra civil que a la postre determinó la primera invasión estadounidense de la historia reciente. Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa vivió de cerca, como enviado especial, aquel confuso acontecimiento, y fue testigo de excepción del comportamiento de muchos de sus principales protagonistas, entre ellos el coronel Caamaño, los generales Wessin e Imbert-Barrera, y los presidentes Bosch, Balaguer y García Godoy. Resultado de sus vivencias es esta apasionante narración con un riguroso fondo histórico.
Vendetta: The Giant Novel (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
by Peter DavidThe Borg -- half organic being and half machine, they are the most feared race in the known galaxy. In their relentless quest for technological perfection, they have destroyed entire star systems, enslaved countless peoples, and, in a single brutal attack, decimated Starfleet's mightiest vesels. Only a final desperate gambit by Captain Picard and the U.S.S. Enterprise crew stopped the Borg from conquering the entire Federation. And now they have returned. VENDETTA In the bestselling tradition of Metamorphosis and The Lost Years, here is the newest Star Trek ® Giant Novel, a story of vengeance and obsession. Answering a distress call from a planet under attack by the Borg, the U.S.S. Enterprise crew meets Delcara, the lone survivor of an alien race the Borg obliterated. Blinded by hatred, Delcara seeks the ultimate revenge -- the complete destruction of her race's executioners. But the U.S.S. Enterprise crew learns that Delcara's vengeance carries a terrible price, for once unleashed, the destructive force she commands will annihilate not only the Borg, but countess innocents as well...
Vengadoras angelicales
by Isak DinesenCuando una tiene «nazis en el jardín y judíos en la cocina», lo mejor es ponerse a escribir una novela. Eso hizo Isak Dinesen, autora de Memorias de África, en 1944, con su país ocupado por los alemanes, y de ello resultó Vengadoras angelicales. <P><P>En su momento, Vengadoras angelicales se leyó como una alegoría política. Hoy sabemos que su contenido era mucho más ancho y más profundo. Una reflexión sobre la fuerza de la maldad, la potencia del amor, el significado y la necesidad del coraje. <P><P>Y también una lúcida visión del papel contradictorio de la mujer en el mundo: adorada y ultrajada, apenas libre, objeto de comercio infame, manipulada hasta todos los abusos. Lectura amena y reveladora, Vengadoras angelicales es el más ambicioso trabajo narrativo de IsakDinesen.
Vengeance: The SSU Book 1
by Vanessa KierScarred by a tragic past, one woman will do anything to exact vengeance...Left for dead after assassins killed her parents, Jenna Paterson believes she survived for one reason only. Vengeance. She vows revenge on the men behind the attack, including her once beloved older brother, Kai. But Kai has disappeared with a microchip containing data on a top-secret government research program.Ten years ago, undercover agent Niko Andros sent a vicious Mexican crime lord to prison. Now the man has been released and he's kidnapped Niko's aunt. The price for his aunt's freedom is Kai and the microchip. Niko will do anything to save his aunt-including using Jenna as bait.As Niko dives back into the deadly criminal underground he'd barely escaped, Jenna discovers she's not as tough as she thinks. Teamed up to find her brother, Niko and Jenna fight to survive in a dangerous world of lies, betrayal, and hidden agendas. Only love can save them...if they'll let it.
Venom: The Complete History
by Brian Mercer David WatkinsWhile it is true to say that the Venom carried out more operational ground attack sorties than any other RAF aircraft since the Second World War, its history has hitherto been sadly neglected or misreported. With the co-operation and assistance of many former Service and civilian pilots, the record can finally be set straight in what is the definitive history of this ground-attack, all weather and naval strike fighter.David Watkins discusses the problems of the trials and development programme and takes a detailed look at the aircraft's operational service with the air arms of Australia, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Iraq and Venezuela. Of particular interest is new information relating to the Sea Venom's career with the Fleet Air Arm and the catastrophic wing failures and engine fires that plagued the early Second Tactical Air Force Venoms. It also contains a comprehensive account of Venom sorties during the Suez campaign, the 'Firedog' operations in Malaya and the protracted anti-terrorist offensive in Aden and Oman. These accounts throw new light on the conflicts and have been compiled from interviews, private papers and personal accounts. Accompanying the text is a wealth of photographs, line drawings and maps, a number of which are from private collections and are previously unpublished.
Venomous: A Must Read Crime Thriller (The Adam Black Thrillers #3)
by Karl HillA Scottish special forces officer is recruited to help rescue the prime minister&’s daughter in this thriller by the author of Violation. Tasked with uncovering crucial information from a psychopath nicknamed &“The Red Serpent,&” Adam Black infiltrates one of Scotland&’s hardest prisons. A young woman has been abducted and the Red Serpent may have the answers to her whereabouts. But the clock is ticking. When Black is betrayed, his only option is to break out prison in order to find the woman and the identity of her abductor. Can Black rescue the woman and stop a deranged psychopath? Will he make it out of this alive? Black knows one thing for sure—there will be bloodshed.A great choice for fans of Lee Child, Mark Dawson, James Deegan, and Rob Sinclair. Venomous can be read as the third entry in the Adam Black Series or as an unmissable stand-alone.
Venona: Decoding Soviet Espionage in America (Annals of Communism)
by John Earl Haynes Harvey KlehrThis groundbreaking historical study reveals the shocking infiltration of Soviet spies in America—and the top-secret cryptography program that caught them. Only in 1995 did the United States government officially reveal the existence of the super-secret Venona Project. For nearly fifty years American intelligence agents had been decoding thousands of Soviet messages, uncovering an enormous range of espionage activities carried out against the United States during World War II by its own allies. This extraordinary book is the first to examine the Venona messages—documents of unparalleled importance for our understanding of the history and politics of the Stalin era and the early Cold War years. Hidden in a former girls&’ school in the late 1940s, Venona Project cryptanalysts, linguists, and mathematicians attempted to decode thousands of intercepted Soviet intelligence telegrams. When they cracked the Soviet code, analysts uncovered information of powerful significance: the first indication of Julius Rosenberg&’s espionage efforts; references to the espionage activities of Alger Hiss; proof of Soviet infiltration of the Manhattan Project; evidence that spies had reached the highest levels of the U.S. State and Treasury Departments; indications that more than three hundred Americans had assisted in the Soviet theft of American secrets; and confirmation that the Communist party of the United States was consciously and willingly involved in Soviet espionage against America. Drawing not only on the Venona papers but also on newly opened Russian and U. S. archives, John Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr provide the most rigorously documented analysis ever written on Soviet espionage in the early Cold War years.
Verbeck of Japan: A Citizen Of No Country; A Life Story Of Foundation Work Inaugurated By Guido Fridolin Verbeck
by William Elliot GriffisGuido Herman Fridolin Verbeck (born Verbeek) (23 January 1830 – 10 March 1898) was a Dutch political advisor, educator, and missionary active in Bakumatsu and Meiji period Japan. He was one of the most important foreign advisors serving the Meiji government and contributed to many major government decisions during the early years of the reign of Emperor Meiji.“DR. WILLIAM E. GRIFFIS'S present biographical sketch of Guido Fridolin Verbeck, a missionary, and above all, a pioneer of the higher education in Japan, will be found a worthy complement to the same author's life stories of Commodore Perry and of Townsend Harris”.-NY Times
Vercors 1944
by Peter LiebAfter D-Day the French resistance rose to sabotage the Nazi war effort. Germany rutghlessly assaulted a French stronghold with Fallschirmjaeger airborne troops.Fighting insurgents has always been one of the greatest challenges for regular armed forces during the 20th century. From Malaya through Algeria and Vietnam to the ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the list is long. The war between the Germans and the French resistance, also called FFI (Forces Françaises d'Intérieur) or Maquis, during World War II has remained a near-forgotten chapter in the history of these 'Small Wars', particularly in the English-speaking world. This is all the more astonishing as agencies like the British SOE (Special Operations Executive) and the American OSS (Office of Strategic Services) pumped a good amount of their resources into the support of the French resistance movement. By diversionary attacks on German forces in the occupied hinterland the Allies hoped the FFI could provide assistance in disrupting German supply lines as well as crumbling their morale. The mountain plateau of the Vercors south-west of Grenoble was the main stronghold of the French Maquis and in July 1944 some 8,000 German soldiers mounted an operation on the plateau and destroyed the insurgent groups there. The battle of the Vercors was the largest operation against the FFI during World War II and the German's fast and crushing victory has caused traumatic memories for the French that persist to the present day.Following D-Day the FFI fully mobilised on orders given from London and posed a real threat to the German lines of communications. Operating from their sanctuaries in the mountains and armed with British and US weapons from Allied air drops, the Maquis descended into the valleys and tried to challenge the German troops of occupation. By mid-June the Germans launched a series of major counter-operations in the mountains which, carried out by the Gebirgsjäger, dispersed the French resistance from the Massif des Bauges and the French Jura. On the mountain plateau of the Vercors the FFI made the mistake of attempting to hold their ground against regular German forces, and were encircled and destroyed, accompanied by terrible reprisals against the local population. British and US liaison teams could do little to help. A month later, a similar operation put paid to the resistance on the Tarentaise. However, the Germans were too short of manpower to exploit these tactical victories and were always compelled to withdraw, letting the French resistance re-appear and take control again. German tactical victories did not translate into strategic success. By their constant harassment the FFI eventually fragmented the German forces. When after the landings at the French Riviera on 15 August 1944 US troops advanced swiftly to the north, German troops could not offer a coherent line of defence in the Alps and had to withdraw from French territory by the end of the month.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Verdun 1916: The Renaissance of the Fortress
by H. W. Kaufmann J. E. KaufmannWrapped in myth and distortion, the Battle of Verdun is one of the most enigmatic battles of the Great War, and the controversy continues a century later. Before the battle the Germans believed they had selected one of the strongest points in the French defences in the hope that, if they smashed through it, the French would collapse. But Verdun was actually a hollow shell since its forts were largely disarmed and the trench lines were incomplete. So why did the Germans fail to take Verdun? As well as seeking to answer this fundamental question, the authors of this perceptive new study reconsider other key aspects of the battle the German deployment of stormtroopers, the use of artillery and aircraft, how the French developed the idea of methodical battle which came to dominate their military thought after the war. They look too at how Verdun brought about a renaissance of fortress engineering that resulted in the creation of the Maginot Line and the other fortifications constructed in Europe before the Second World War.
Verdun 1917: The French Hit Back (Battleground Verdun)
by Christina HolsteinA tour of the historic French battlefield that goes beyond the usual dates and places, and reveals the full story of the fighting after the fighting. Despite the popular view, the French army did not cease offensive operations after the disastrous Nivelle Offensive of spring 1917 and the subsequent mutinies. Nor did the fighting at Verdun come to an end in 1916.The successful French counteroffensives at the end of that year led to preliminary planning for a two Army operation in 1917 to break out of the Verdun salient and recapture the strategically very significant Briey coal basin. The French Army mutinies of May and June 1917 led to a more limited version of the plan being implemented, with the aim of establishing new lines for a breakout in 1918.The need to rebuild morale in the French army meant that nothing was left to chance. The immense logistical effort of this late summer 1917 campaign and the detailed planning and careful training at all levels brought success to an army weary of war but determined to win. The industrial nature of the preparations, the spectacular numbers of guns, and the first appearance of the Americans at Verdun presage the campaigns of 1918 and the final Allied victory.Christina Holstein, Britain’s premier expert in the battlefields around Verdun, leads the reader around the various vital points of this largely unknown battle of 1917, one which was crucial for the rebuilding of a French army that played such a notable part in the victorious Allied campaign of 1918. Like all the books in the Battleground Europe series, it is profusely illustrated and mapped using contemporary and modern material, with clear maps to support each of the tours.
Verdun: The Left Bank (Battleground Verdun)
by Christina HolsteinA Battle of Verdun specialist explores the lesser-known events of the left bank in this illustrated WWI history and battlefield guide. This fascinating study explores the background of the battle and casts light on the first three critical months of fighting there. It also explains fateful decision to change the original German offensive plan, extending the action to the Left Bank of the River Meuse. Using only original French and German sources, historian Christina Holstein describes the fighting on the Left Bank and follows the German offensive as it slowly pushed forward, taking three terrible months to reach its objectives: the two hills known as Cote 304 and the Mort-Homme, or Dead Man. The French defense of the Left Bank hills, described by Germans themselves as outstanding, is also covered in great detail. With intimate knowledge of the Verdun battlefield, Holstein describes the events in vivid detail and provides three walking tours through areas of the Left Bank rarely seen by visitors. This volume also contains more than 150 photographs, most of which have never been published before.
Verdun: The Lost History of the Most Important Battle of World War I
by John MosierAlongside Waterloo and Gettysburg, the Battle of Verdun during the First World War stands as one of history’s greatest clashes. Yet it is also one of the most complex and misunderstood, in a war only imperfectly grasped. Conventional wisdom holds that the battle began in February 1916 and lasted until December, when the victorious French wrested all the territory they had lost back from the Germans. In fact, says historian John Mosier, from the very beginning of the war until the armistice in 1918, no fewer than eight distinct battles were waged for the possession of Verdun. These conflicts are largely unknown, even in France, owing to the obsessive secrecy of the French high command and its energetic propaganda campaign to fool the world into thinking that the war on the Western Front was a steady series of German checks and defeats. Although British historians have always seen Verdun as a one-year battle designed by the German chief of staff to bleed France white, Mosier’s careful analysis of the German plans reveals a much more abstract and theoretical approach. Our understanding of Verdun has long been mired in myths, false assumptions, propaganda, and distortions. Now, using numerous accounts of military analysts, serving officers, and eyewitnesses, including French sources that have never been translated, Mosier offers a compelling reassessment of the Great War’s most important battle. .
Vertical Dive
by Michael DimercurioDuring NATO exercises, the French Navy unveils Le Vigilant, a nuclear submarine so advanced that it can elude any radar system in the water. But France's maritime marvel is about to become its own worst enemy. A band of Algerian terrorists has hijacked Le Vigilant. They mean to wipe Paris and every major French city off the face of the earth-and then turn their missiles against the great Satans of the United States and Russia. Despite the French Navy's protests, two NATO subs are called into action: the USS Hampton, captained by veteran sub warrior Burke Dillinger, and the USS Texas, commanded by iron-willed Peter Vornado. Paris is being evacuated. Time is running out. And the coming conflict will pit the ultimate in technological weaponry against pure courage, skill, and determination....
Vertigo: The Rise and Fall of Weimar Germany
by Harald JähnerThe dramatic and consequential history of Germany&’s short-lived experiment with democracy between the world wars, when vibrant cultural experimentation collided with political and economic turmoil Out of the ashes of the First World War, Germany launched an unprecedented political project: its first democratic government. The Weimar Republic, named for the city where it was established, endured for only fifteen years before it was toppled by the insurgent Nazi Party in 1933. In Vertigo, prizewinning historian Harald Jähner tells the Republic&’s full story, capturing a nation caught in a whirlwind of uncertainty and struggling toward a better future. In the aftermath of World War I, Germany was buffeted by political partisanship, economic upheaval, and the constant threat of revolutionary violence. At the same time, many Germans embraced newly liberated lifestyles. They flouted gender norms, flooded racetracks and dance halls, and fostered a vibrant avant-garde that encompassed groundbreaking artists like filmmaker Fritz Lang, painter Wassily Kandinsky, and architect Walter Gropius. But this new Germany sparked a reactionary backlash that led to the Republic&’s fall to the Nazis and, ultimately, the conflagration of World War II. Blending deeply researched political history with the firsthand experiences of everyday people, Vertigo is a vital, kaleidoscopic portrait of a pivotal moment in German history.
Vertriebene and Pieds-Noirs in Postwar Germany and France: Comparative Perspectives
by Jan C. Jansen Manuel BoruttaThis volume compares one of the largest instances of 'ethnic cleansing' – the German expellees from the East (Vertriebene) – with the most important case of decolonization migration – the French repatriates of Algeria (pieds-noirs).
Very Crazy, G.I.: Strange But True Stories of the Vietnam War
by Kregg P. J. JorgensonAMERICAN BOYS AT WAR IN VIETNAM--AND INVOLVED IN INCIDENTS YOU WON'T FIND IN THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES. In this compelling, highly unusual collection of amazing but true stories, U. S. soldiers reveal fantastic, almost unbelievable events that occurred in places ranging from the deadly Central Highlands to the Cong-infested Mekong Delta. "Finders Keepers" became the sacred byword for one exhausted recon team who stumbled upon a fortune worth more than $500,000--and managed, with a little American ingenuity, to relocate the bounty to the States. Jorgenson also chronicles Marine Sergeant James Henderson's incredible journey back from the dead, shares a surreal chopper rescue, and recounts some heart-stopping details of the life--and death--of one of America's greatest unsung heroes, a soldier who won more medals than Audie Murphy and Sergeant York. Whether occurring in the bloody, fiery chaos of sudden ambushes or during the endless nights of silent, gnawing menace spent behind enemy lines, these stories of war are truly beaucoup dinky dau ... and ultimately unforgettable.
Very Long Range P-51 Mustang Units of the Pacific War
by Carl MolesworthThe pilots called themselves the 'Tokyo Club'. It was a simple task to become a member. All you had to do was strap yourself into a heavily loaded P-51 Mustang, take off from Iwo Jima (a postage-stamp sized volcanic island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean), fly 650 miles north over the sea - often through monsoon storms - in your single-engined aircraft to Japan, attack a heavily defended target in the vicinity of the enemy's capital city and then turn around and fly home while fretting over your shrinking fuel supply and perhaps battle damage as well. If your gas held out and you were not blown off-course on your return trip, you landed back at 'Iwo' after an eight-hour flight. Do it once and you earned membership in the club. Do it 15 times and you earned a trip home. But make one mistake or have one touch of bad luck, and you had a very good chance of ending up dead. This book will tell the little-known story of these brave men and their efforts to defeat the aerial forces defending Japan during the final five months of World War 2. Used initially to provide fighter escort for B-29s bombing Tokyo and other Japanese cities, the Iwo Jima-based P-51s enjoyed such success that they were soon called on to make low-level attacks against ground targets in preparation for the invasion of Japan. The book will cover the three Mustang-equipped Very Long Range fighter groups of the USAAF's Seventh Fighter Command - the 15th, 21st and 506th FGs - based on Iwo Jima with an action-packed text, many rare photos drawn from private collections and appendices providing statistical information. These units flew some of the most colourful P-51s ever seen in USAAF, and the author has extensive photographic references available to allow Jim Laurier to produce profile illustrations of 30 P-51D/Ks in their finery.
Very Long War: The Families Who Waited
by Margaret ReesonA Very Long War is about the experiences of the families of men missing in the New Guinea islands during World War 2, many of whom never returned. When Japan entered the Pacific war, the Australian Government evacuated all Australian women and children from the Territory of New Guinea. The women found themselves suddenly alone and solely responsible for the welfare of their families. Back in Australia, they were cut off from letters and reliable news for three and a half years. Rumours abounded, adding to their trauma and anxiety. Like the families of POWs, they lived in a limbo of waiting. For many of them, the effects of the mystery and the trauma have continued to the present day. A Very Long War is a calm, respectful narrative, beautifully told, never over-written. Its poignant, sometimes shocking stories are treated with insight and restraint. Through the voices of those who provided oral testimony, it echoes the common condition of all people struggling to deal with trauma and loss.
Very Special Intelligence: The Story of the Admiralty's Operational Intelligence Centre, 1939–1945
by Patrick BeeslyOperational Intelligence Centre was the nerve centre of the British Admiralty in World War II, dedicated to collecting, analyzing and disseminating information from every possible source which could throw light on the intentions and movements of German naval and maritime forces. OIC labored tirelessly, despite early disappointments, to supply the Navy and RAF with the intelligence that would enable them to defeat Hitler and his admirals. Patrick Beesly, an insider drawing on considerable personal knowledge, reveals, in full, the compelling story of OIC. He throws light on dramatic episodes such as the hunt for the Bismarck; the tragedy of Convoy PQ17; the long war against the U-boats; and on many other significant events critical to the course of the war. Very Special Intelligence, here presented with a new Introduction which sets the work in context and takes account of new research, is the fascinating story of an organization which contributed so much to Allied success.