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What Ship, Where Bound?: A History of Visual Communication at Sea
by David CraddockA colorful history of visual signalling methods used at sea, from AD 900 to today. What Ship, Where Bound? takes its title from the familiar opening exchange of signals between passing ships, and celebrates the long history of visual communications at sea. It traces the visual language of signalling from the earliest naval banners or streamers used by the Byzantines in AD 900 through to morse signalling still used at sea today.The three sections, Flag Signalling, Semaphore, and Light Signalling each trace the development of the respective methods in meeting the needs of commanders for secure and unambiguous communication with their fleets. Though inextricably linked to naval tactics and fleet manoeuvres, the history of signalling at sea also reflects the exponential growth in global maritime trade in the nineteenth century when dozens of competing systems vied for the attention of ship owners and led to a huge proliferation of codes.By setting each method in the context of its time, the book explores their practical use, successes and shortcomings and, particularly in the case of signal flags – though by no means exclusively so – their place in our visual, cultural and maritime heritage. Covering a wide spectrum of visual signalling methods from false fire, through shapes, furled sails and coloured flags to experiments in high speed text messaging by signal lamp, the book also examines the complex interrelation between all three methods under battle conditions. A detailed analysis of visual signal exchanges before and during the Battle of Jutland reveals both the success and ultimate limitations on flag signalling at the limits of visibility.Extensively and beautifully illustrated, the book will appeal to present and former mariners familiar with the signals, all those with an interest in naval and maritime history, with particular emphasis on late eighteenth-century signalling practice, artists and ship modellers, graphic designers and all those involved in visual communications today.“A brief but colorful history of the signaling at sea and ashore, with much emphasis on the use of flags, semaphore, and telegraph in the age of sail, and how these have evolved through the ages. . . . A fascinating addition to the literature of the sea.” —Warships: International Fleet Review
What Ship, Where Bound?: A History of Visual Communication at Sea
by David CraddockA colorful history of visual signalling methods used at sea, from AD 900 to today. What Ship, Where Bound? takes its title from the familiar opening exchange of signals between passing ships, and celebrates the long history of visual communications at sea. It traces the visual language of signalling from the earliest naval banners or streamers used by the Byzantines in AD 900 through to morse signalling still used at sea today.The three sections, Flag Signalling, Semaphore, and Light Signalling each trace the development of the respective methods in meeting the needs of commanders for secure and unambiguous communication with their fleets. Though inextricably linked to naval tactics and fleet manoeuvres, the history of signalling at sea also reflects the exponential growth in global maritime trade in the nineteenth century when dozens of competing systems vied for the attention of ship owners and led to a huge proliferation of codes.By setting each method in the context of its time, the book explores their practical use, successes and shortcomings and, particularly in the case of signal flags – though by no means exclusively so – their place in our visual, cultural and maritime heritage. Covering a wide spectrum of visual signalling methods from false fire, through shapes, furled sails and coloured flags to experiments in high speed text messaging by signal lamp, the book also examines the complex interrelation between all three methods under battle conditions. A detailed analysis of visual signal exchanges before and during the Battle of Jutland reveals both the success and ultimate limitations on flag signalling at the limits of visibility.Extensively and beautifully illustrated, the book will appeal to present and former mariners familiar with the signals, all those with an interest in naval and maritime history, with particular emphasis on late eighteenth-century signalling practice, artists and ship modellers, graphic designers and all those involved in visual communications today.“A brief but colorful history of the signaling at sea and ashore, with much emphasis on the use of flags, semaphore, and telegraph in the age of sail, and how these have evolved through the ages. . . . A fascinating addition to the literature of the sea.” —Warships: International Fleet Review
What Should Armies Do?: Armed Forces and Civil Security
by John L. ClarkeClarke examines the role of North American and European armed forces in support of civil authorities in domestic contingencies. He seeks to answer the question of what roles are - and are not - appropriate for contemporary armed forces in carrying out task and functions within national borders. The book takes as its starting point, two key elements in the North American and European security debate: the decline of both the external threats to most North American and European states and that of budgetary resources available for defense. These twin declines are coupled with a desire on the part of civil leaders to engage the military in more domestic tasks and the desire of senior military leaders to preserve force structure, resulting in a dynamic in which civil leaders will ask their militaries to do more, and military leaders will be more inclined to say yes. As such, this book focuses on the enormous increase in the provision of non-military services and support asked of North American and European military establishments. Looking at the historical context for how North America's and Europe’s armed forces have been employed in the past, this book establishes guidelines for their employment in the future.
What Soldiers Do: Sex and the American GI in World War II France
by Mary Louise RobertsHow do you convince men to charge across heavily mined beaches into deadly machine-gun fire? Do you appeal to their bonds with their fellow soldiers, their patriotism, their desire to end tyranny and mass murder? Certainly—but if you’re the US Army in 1944, you also try another tack: you dangle the lure of beautiful French women, waiting just on the other side of the wire, ready to reward their liberators in oh so many ways. That’s not the picture of the Greatest Generation that we’ve been given, but it’s the one Mary Louise Roberts paints to devastating effect in What Soldiers Do. Drawing on an incredible range of sources, including news reports, propaganda and training materials, official planning documents, wartime diaries, and memoirs, Roberts tells the fascinating and troubling story of how the US military command systematically spread—and then exploited—the myth of French women as sexually experienced and available. The resulting chaos—ranging from flagrant public sex with prostitutes to outright rape and rampant venereal disease—horrified the war-weary and demoralized French population. The sexual predation, and the blithe response of the American military leadership, also caused serious friction between the two nations just as they were attempting to settle questions of long-term control over the liberated territories and the restoration of French sovereignty. While never denying the achievement of D-Day, or the bravery of the soldiers who took part, What Soldiers Do reminds us that history is always more useful—and more interesting—when it is most honest, and when it goes beyond the burnished beauty of nostalgia to grapple with the real lives and real mistakes of the people who lived it.
What Soldiers Do: Sex and the American GI in World War II France
by Mary Louise RobertsHow do you convince men to charge across heavily mined beaches into deadly machine-gun fire? Do you appeal to their bonds with their fellow soldiers, their patriotism, their desire to end tyranny and mass murder? Certainly—but if you’re the US Army in 1944, you also try another tack: you dangle the lure of beautiful French women, waiting just on the other side of the wire, ready to reward their liberators in oh so many ways. That’s not the picture of the Greatest Generation that we’ve been given, but it’s the one Mary Louise Roberts paints to devastating effect in What Soldiers Do. Drawing on an incredible range of sources, including news reports, propaganda and training materials, official planning documents, wartime diaries, and memoirs, Roberts tells the fascinating and troubling story of how the US military command systematically spread—and then exploited—the myth of French women as sexually experienced and available. The resulting chaos—ranging from flagrant public sex with prostitutes to outright rape and rampant venereal disease—horrified the war-weary and demoralized French population. The sexual predation, and the blithe response of the American military leadership, also caused serious friction between the two nations just as they were attempting to settle questions of long-term control over the liberated territories and the restoration of French sovereignty. While never denying the achievement of D-Day, or the bravery of the soldiers who took part, What Soldiers Do reminds us that history is always more useful—and more interesting—when it is most honest, and when it goes beyond the burnished beauty of nostalgia to grapple with the real lives and real mistakes of the people who lived it.
What Stalin Knew: The Enigma of Barbarossa
by David E. MurphyThis &“riveting account of one of history&’s greatest blunders&” chronicles Russia&’s tragic mishandling of Nazi Germany&’s invasion during WWII (William L. O&’Neill, The New Leader). On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany&’s Operation Barbarossa was launched against Russia. Within days, the invading army had taken hundreds of thousands of Soviet captives while the Luftwaffe bombed a number of Russian cities, including Minsk. Though accurate intelligence about the plan had been available to Stalin before the attack, he chose not to heed the warning. In What Stalin Knew, historian and former chief of the CIA&’s Soviet division David E. Murphy illuminates many of the enigmas surrounding the catastrophic invasion, offering keen insights into Stalin&’s thinking and the reasons for his fatal error of judgment. A story of successful misinformation campaigns, and a leader more paranoid about threats from within his regime than from an aggressive neighbor, this authoritative history sheds essential new light on the most consequential event in the Eastern Front of World War II. &“If, after the war, the Soviet Union had somehow been capable of producing an official inquiry into the catastrophe of 6/22—comparable in its mandate to the 9/11 commission here—its report might have read a little like [this book]. . . . Murphy brings to his subject both knowledge of Russian history and an insider&’s grasp of how intelligence is gathered, analyzed and used—or not.&” —Niall Ferguson, The New York Times Book Review &“A fascinating and meticulously researched account of mistaken assumptions and errors of judgment . . . Never before has this fateful period been so fully documented.&” —Henry A. Kissinger
What They Didn't Teach You About World War II (What They Didnt Teach You)
by Mike WrightProvides a different view of World War II.
What They Don't Tell You About: World War I
by Robert FowkeThis book explains how the war started, what it was about and who it involved. It describes the major battles and looks at what life was like for the soldiers in the trenches, the pilots in the air, the sailors at sea and the civilians back home. Written in the lively style common to this series, the author deals with this difficult subject in a sensitive and skilful manner, introducing humour only where appropriate. With black line illustrations throughout.
What They Don't Tell You About: World War II
by Robert FowkeDid you know that Adolf Hilter wasn't, in fact, German? The Second World War brought horror and heartache to millions of people all over the globe, and it turned everyday living upside down too. Any history book will give you the boring facts THEY think you should know, but only this one will tell you what life during World War II was REALLY like ...
What Tommy Took to War: 1914-1918
by Peter DoyleA century may now have passed since the Great War, but the stories of everyday soldiers serving in miserable and life-threatening conditions still have a sobering sense of immediacy. Personal records, photographs and sentimental possessions that bring us even closer to the soldier as a person have often become valuable heirlooms, passed down through the generations. Nothing better depicts an individual soldier than these items, which were kept about his person and in his kitbag, and which constituted all his worldly possessions while on service in the trenches. This book looks at fifty objects with which every Tommy would have been familiar, from official uniform and equipment to good-luck charms and letters from sweethearts. With each artifact – be it an identity disc, training manual, packet of cigarettes, postcard or foreign phrasebook – the accompanying text explains the significance of all the things that, together, help to define him both as a man and as a soldier.
What Was Asked of Us: An Oral History of the Iraq War by the Soldiers Who Fought It
by Trish Wood Bobby Muller"A visceral account of the war ... honest, agenda-free, and chilling." - New York Times Book Review. The Iraq war officially began on March 20, 2003, and since then more than one million young Americans have rotated through the country's insurgent-infested hot spots. But although stories of dramatic ambushes and attacks dominate the front pages of newspapers, most of us do not truly know what the war is like for the Americans who fight it. What Was Asked of Us helps us bridge that gap.The in-depth and intensely probing interviews this book brings together document the soldiers' experiences and darkest secrets, offering a multitude of authentic, unfiltered voices - at times raw and emotional, at other times eloquent and lyrical. These voices walk us through the war, from the successful push to Baghdad, through the erroneous "Mission Accomplished" moment, and into the dangerous, murky present. "Monumental ... Amid the glut of policy debates, and amid the flurry of news reports that add names each day to the lists of the dead, Trish Wood has produced what is perhaps, to date, the only text about Iraq that matter."- San Francisco Chronicle. "An illuminating glimpse of American fighters' experiences in Iraq ... There are moments of strange beauty in the soldiers' recollections." - Chicago Tribune. "Stunning ... chillingly eloquent ... Powerful and unflinchingly honest, Wood's book deserves to be a bestseller." -People.
What Was Asked of Us: An Oral History of the Iraq War by the Soldiers Who Fought It
by Trish Wood"A visceral account of the war ... honest, agenda-free, and chilling." New York Review of Books. The Iraq war officially began on March 20, 2003, and since then more than one million young Americans have rotated through the country's insurgent-infested hot spots. But although stories of dramatic ambushes and attacks dominate the front pages of newspapers, most of us do not truly know what the war is like for the Americans who fight it. What Was Asked of Us helps us bridge that gap. The in-depth and intensely probing interviews this book brings together document the soldiers' experiences and darkest secrets, offering a multitude of authentic, unfiltered voices--at times raw and emotional, at other times eloquent and lyrical. These voices walk us through the war, from the successful push to Baghdad, through the erroneous "Mission Accomplished" moment, and into the dangerous, murky present. "Monumental. ... Amid the glut of policy debates, and amid the flurry of news reports that add names each day to the lists of the dead, Trish Wood has produced what is perhaps, to date, the only text about Iraq that matter."--San Francisco Chronicle. "An illuminating glimpse of American fighters' experiences in Iraq ... There are moments of strange beauty in the soldiers' recollections."--Chicago Tribune. "Stunning ... chillingly eloquent. ... Powerful and unflinchingly honest, Wood's book deserves to be a bestseller."--People
What Was D-Day?
by Scott Anderson Patricia Brennan Demuth David Grayson KenyonIn the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, an armada of 7,000 ships carrying 160,000 Allied troops stormed the beaches of Nazi-occupied France. Up until then the Allied forces had suffered serious defeats, yet D -Day, as the invasion was called, spelled the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany and the Third Reich. Readers will dive into the heart of the action and discover how it was planned and carried out and how it overwhelmed the Germans who had been tricked into thinking the attack would take place elsewhere. D-Day was a major turning point in World War II and hailed as one of the greatest military attacks of all time.
What Was Pearl Harbor? (What Was?)
by Patricia Brennan DemuthA terrifying attack! On December 7, 1941, Japanese war planes appeared out of nowhere to bomb the American base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. It was a highly secretive and devastating attack: four battleships sunk, more than two thousand servicemen died, and the United States was propelled into World War II. In a compelling, easy-to-read narrative, children will learn all about a pivotal moment in American history. .
What Was World War I? (What Was?)
by Nico Medina Who HQThis compelling addition to the What Was? series covers what was supposed to be &“the war to end all wars&” but tragically wasn't.In 1914, the assassination of an Austrian archduke set off a disastrous four-year-long conflict involving dozens of countries with battles taking place in all parts of the world. World War I was the first to use planes and tanks as well as deadly gases that left soldiers blinded or &“shell shocked&” (a condition now called Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome). There were battles that lasted for months with opposing troops fighting from rat-infested trenches, battles that often ended in a hollow victory with only a small area of land retaken. The author of many successful Who HQ titles Nico Medina gives young readers a clear and compelling account of this long and tragic event, a war that left over 20 million dead and was the lead-up to World War II barely twenty years later.
What Was the Alamo?
by David Groff Meg Belviso Pamela D. Pollack"Remember the Alamo!" is still a rallying cry more than 175 years after the siege in Texas, where a small band of men held off about two thousand soldiers of the Mexican Army for twelve days. The Alamo was a crucial turning point in the Texas Revolution, and led to the creation of the Republic of Texas. With 80 black-and-white illustrations throughout and a sixteen-page black-and-white photo insert, young readers will relive this famous moment in Texas history.
What Was the Battle of Gettysburg? (What Was?)
by Who HQ Jim O'Connor"Four score and seven years ago..." begins Abraham Lincoln's beautiful speech commemorating the three-day battle that turned the tide of the Civil War. The South had been winning up to this point. So how did Union troops stop General Robert E. Lee's invasion of the North? With black-and-illustrations throughout and sixteen pages of photos, this turning point in history is brought vividly to life.
What Was the Bombing of Hiroshima? (What Was?)
by Jess Brallier Who HQHiroshima is where the first atomic bomb was dropped. Now readers will learn the reasons why and what it's meant for the world ever since.By August 1945, World War II was over in Europe, but the fighting continued between American forces and the Japanese, who were losing but determined to fight till the bitter end. And so it fell to a new president--Harry S. Truman--to make the fateful decision to drop two atomic bombs--one on Hiroshima and one on Nagasaki--and bring the war to rapid close. Now, even seventy years later, can anyone know if this was the right choice? In a thoughtful account of these history-changing events, Jess Brallier explains the leadup to the bombing, what the terrible results of it were, and how the threat of atomic war has colored world events since.
What Was the Vietnam War? (What Was?)
by Jim O'Connor Who HQLearn how the United States ended up fighting for twenty years in a remote country on the other side of the world.The Vietnam War was as much a part of the tumultuous Sixties as Flower Power and the Civil Rights Movement. Five US presidents were convinced that American troops could end a war in the small, divided country of Vietnam and stop Communism from spreading in Southeast Asia. But they were wrong, and the result was the death of 58,000 American troops. Presenting all sides of a complicated and tragic chapter in recent history, Jim O'Connor explains why the US got involved, what the human cost was, and how defeat in Vietnam left a lasting scar on America.
What We Did in the War
by Jennie WaltersCan you ever let go of the past? Two women unhappy with their lives seize a chance to start over during a WWII bombing raid, in this dramatic and suspenseful novel. London, 1944: As bombs start raining from the sky, two women rush out of a restaurant, leaving their possessions behind. Their chance meeting amid the chaos and destruction will have long-lasting consequences. Both beset by desperate problems, they take advantage of the wartime chaos to escape their humdrum lives and start again. Sticking together, the pair live under the radar, using a stolen ration book to feed themselves and relying on a street kid&’s help to get by. Cecil eventually finds work, while glamorous, feckless Claude looks after the flat—or doesn&’t. Gradually their friendship sours and resentment creeps in. Just as Cecil is wondering whether she should ever have trusted Claude in the first place, she makes a shocking discovery—one that will expose a web of secrets, lead to an act of violence, and set the two on separate and very different paths.Praise for The Clockmaker&’s Wife, written by the author under the name Daisy Wood: &“A ticking time-bomb of intrigue, wrapped around stark but rich descriptions of the Blitz. An unforgettable wartime debut.&” —Mandy Robotham, international bestselling author of The Berlin Girl
What We Leave Behind: A Novel
by Christine Gallagher KearneyIn 1947, war bride Ursula arrives in Minneapolis torn between guilt over leaving loved ones behind and her desire to start a new life—and a family—in this promised land. But the American dream proves elusive—she is struck with polio, and then shocked by the sudden death of her GI husband. Without a spouse or the child she so desperately wanted, Ursula must rely on her shrewd survival skills from wartime Berlin, and she takes in a boarder to help make ends meet. She soon falls in love with the Argentinean medical technician living in her spare bedroom, but his devotion to communism troubles her—and when she finds herself pregnant with his child, she is faced with a dilemma: how to reconcile her dream of motherhood with an America that is so different from what she imagined.
What We Owe The Future: The Sunday Times Bestseller
by William MacAskillThe challenges we face are enormous. But we can still secure a positive future for our planet, and for everyone on it. In What We Owe The Future, philosopher William MacAskill persuasively argues for longtermism, the idea that positively influencing the distant future is a moral priority of our time. It isn&’t enough to mitigate climate change or avert the next pandemic. We can ensure that civilization would rebound if it collapsed; cultivate value pluralism; and prepare for a planet where the most sophisticated beings are digital and not human. 'Unapologetically optimistic and bracingly realistic, this is the most inspiring book on &‘ethical living&’ I&’ve ever read.' Oliver Burkeman, Guardian &‘A monumental event.' Rutger Bregman, author of Humankind &‘A book of great daring, clarity, insight and imagination. To be simultaneously so realistic and so optimistic, and always so damn readable… well that is a miracle for which he should be greatly applauded.&’ Stephen Fry
What Were The Causes Of The Delay Of The 79th Division Capturing Montfaucon?
by Major Paul B. Mitchell IIIOn the opening day of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive of World War I, the newly-created United States 79th Division was templated to advance nine kilometers through German-controlled terrain. However, the advance through the first four kilometers, which included the German strong point of Montfaucon, took two days. The slowed advance of the 79th Division is credited with slowing the progress of the entire American Expeditionary Forces' First Army, thus allowing time for Germans to react to the surprise American offensive. Thus, the central research question is: What were the factors that caused the delay of the 79th Division in their capture of Montfaucon? Little research has been completed on this subject, and most historians pinpoint the sole cause as inexperience on the part of the 79th Division. Therefore, an analysis will be conducted which takes into account the training received by the 79th Division in the United States, the training received in France, and other factors that influenced the outcome of the battle.
What You Leave Behind
by Diane CareyA powerful novel in the classic tradition of All Good Things... Seven years ago, Benjamin Sisko took command of an alien space station newly christened Deep Space Nine . There he met Kira Nerys, Odo, Miles O'Brien, Quark, Worf, Julian Bashir, and many others who would touch his life deeply. He also found a new and troubling destiny as the long-awaited Emissary to the mysterious wormhole entities known as the Prophets. Now, after years of triumph and tragedy, and a cataclysmic war that rocked the entire Alpha Quadrant, Captain Sisko and his valiant crew face their final challenge. No one is safe, nothing is certain, and not even the Prophets can predict the ultimate fate of Deep Space Nine!
What is Coming? A Forecast of Things after the War (The World At War)
by H. G. WellsProphecy may vary between being an intellectual amusement and a serious occupation; serious not only in its intentions, but in its consequences. For it is the lot of prophets who frighten or disappoint to be stoned. But for some of us moderns, who have been touched with the spirit of science, prophesying is almost a habit of mind. (Excerpt from book)