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Blockade: Cruiser Warfare and the Starvation of Germany in World War One

by Steve R Dunn

This WWI naval history vividly tells the story of the Royal Navy&’s Northern Blockade and the battles at sea that brought Germany to its knees. At the outbreak of World War I, Britain established a naval blockade that greatly diminished Germany&’s access to trade and vital resources. The Northern Blockade brought the German economy to its knees and greatly diminished home front morale. Patrolling the inhospitable waters between Iceland and Scotland, the 10th Cruiser Squadron played a vital role in winning the war on the Western Front. At the same time, the Royal Navy successfully countered Germany&’s attacks on British commerce, preventing much suffering in Britain. Drawing on numerous first-hand accounts, Historian Steve Dunn vividly chronicles this long-running battle at sea. Beginning with the blockade&’s initial formation, he recounts the changes in strategy on both sides, including the use of converted liners and armed merchant vessels as warships. He also vividly describes the final destruction of German surface vessel commerce warfare, culminating in the hard-fought battle between the raider SMS Leopard and two British warships.

Blocking Kampfgruppe Peiper: The 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the Battle of the Bulge

by Frank van Lunteren

The account of these elite paratroopers&’ encounter with the Germans is &“a story of raw courage in the face of seemingly impossible odds . . . a great read&” (World War II). In December 1944, an enormous German army group crashed through the thin American line in the Ardennes forest. Caught by surprise, the Allies were initially only able to throw two divisions of paratroopers to buttress the collapse—the 82nd Airborne, which was rushed to the area of St. Vith, and the 101st, which was trucked to Bastogne. After their successful campaign in Holland, Col. Reuben Tucker&’s elite 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment was resting and refitting in France when news came of the German breakthrough. Most dangerous to the Allies was the German spearhead of the 1st SS Panzer Division led by Jochen Peiper, which aimed to sever the Allied front. The 504th was committed to block the SS advance, and within forty-eight hours of their arrival, Col. Tucker&’s paratroopers were attacking the SS-Panzergrenadiers of Peiper&’s battlegroup, eventually forcing them to withdraw. More ferocious fighting ensued as follow-up German units forced a US retreat from St. Vith. In adverse weather conditions against the German 9th SS Panzer and 3rd Fallschirmjäger Divisions, the 504th lived up to its regimental motto: Strike and Hold. Although some rifle companies were whittled down to less than fifty paratroopers, the Americans doggedly fought on until victory was achieved. This work provides a fascinating, up-close view of the 504th PIR during the Battle of the Bulge, as well as its gallant sacrifice. Using never-before-published diaries, letters, battle reports, and interviews with over a hundred veterans, a comprehensive account is painted of a triumphant US regiment in one of the fiercest-fought campaigns in the history of the US Army.

Blogging from the Battlefield: The View from the Front Line in Afghanistan

by Paul Smith

Front Line Bloggers - Afghanistan and Helmand Blog - Aghanistan (now combined as UK Forces Afghanistan) were established by the MoD to allow UK armed forces personnel to tell the public back home what they were doing there, in their own words. Officers, NCOs and other ranks representing a wide variety of units - infantry, artillery, signals, logistics, aviation, medical - contribute their thoughts and experiences on everything from what it's like to take on the Taliban in a firefight to the difficulties of trying to eat well at a patrol base. These personal accounts give a picture of the conflict at ground level, the details of daily life that usually do not make the news, as well as individuals' perspectives on major events. Some of the bloggers have even been asked to contribute to the Radio 4 Today Programme and Channel 4 News. With the war in Afghanistan in the news almost constantly, this is a timely book which tells the real story of what it's like for our troops on the ground.

Blondie: A Life of Lieutenant-Colonel HG Hasler DSO,OBE, RM

by Ewen Southby-Tailyour

Blondie Hasler was the leader of the famous 'Cockleshell Heroes'. He designed the canoes which were used in the operation, he recruited and trained the twelve men who made up this most secret team and led them on their daring mission, code name 'Operation Frankton', to attack enemy shipping in Bordeaux harbor. He was one of only two 'Cockleshell Heroes' who came back alive, the other being Bill Sparks, his partner in the cockleshell Catfish. His story is told by former Royal Marine, Ewen Southby- Tailyour. The story of how Blondie managed to make contact with the Maquis once he and Sparks had completed the mission is well worth a book in itself. Although the book offers a new insight into the men that were the 'Cockleshell Heroes' Blondie Hasler was more than just a 'Cockleshell Hero'. Ewen Southby- Tailyour has been given full access to family archive material, which reveals Herbert George Hasler as an extraordinary figure who makes this one of the outstanding biographies of the year.

Blood & Iron: Letters from the Western Front

by Hugh Montagu Butterworth

Until now Hugh Butterworth was just one of the millions of lost soldiers of the Great War, and the extraordinary letters he sent home from the Western Front have been forgotten. But after more than ninety years of obscurity, these letters, which describe his experience of war in poignant detail, have been rediscovered, and they are published here in full. They are a moving, intensely personal and beautifully written record by an articulate and observant man who witnessed at first hand one of the darkest episodes in European history. In civilian life Butterworth was a dedicated and much-loved schoolmaster and a gifted cricketer, who served with distinction as an officer in the Rifle Brigade from the spring of 1915. His letters give us a telling insight into the thoughts and reactions of a highly educated, sensitive and perceptive individual confronted by the horrors of modern warfare. He was killed on the Bellewaarde ridge near Ypres on 25 September 1915, and his last letter was written on the eve of the action in which he died.

Blood & Steel: Book II (Throne of the Caesars #2)

by Harry Sidebottom

Ancient Rome&’s Emperor Maximinus faces wars and uprisings in this tale of political intrigue from the bestselling author of the Warrior of Rome novels. Blending heart-pounding action and historical accuracy, Harry Sidebottom&’s bestselling Warrior of Rome series took readers from the shouts of the battlefield to the whisperings of the emperor&’s inner circle. In this second book of his new Throne of the Caesars series, Sidebottom continues his retelling of one of the bloodiest periods of Roman history—the Year of the Six Emperors. In Rome in the year 238 AD, Emperor Maximinus&’s reign hangs in the balance. The empire is bleeding manpower and money in order to sustain its wars in the north, and rebellions flare in the far reaches of its territories. Meanwhile in Africa, Gordian the Elder and Younger are proclaimed as the new Augusti. A family descending from the Imperial bloodline, they represent a chance for the establishment to take back the empire. The first blood of the revolt is shed in Rome when an assassin murders the emperor&’s prefect, announcing to Rome that the Gordians have taken the throne; still bitter at Maximinus&’s rise from the barracks to power, the Senate endorses the rebellion, and chaos descends on the capitol. But in his heart, Maximinus is a man of war: when he hears of the betrayal, he acts with decisive brutality and violence. On the dusty plains outside Carthage, blood and steel will determine the fate of the Roman Empire . . .Praise for Blood & Steel &“Swashbuckling as well as bloody, yet curiously plausible . . . Best of all [Sidebottom] has a real gift for summoning up a sense of place, and conveying the sheer vastness of the Roman empire and its implications.&” —Times Literary Supplement &“Sidebottom continues his &“Throne of the Caesars&” series . . . with his new novel, Blood & Steel, and reading the intense drama he crafts out of the tumultuous events of the Roman Empire in AD 238 is a reminder that we&’re lucky to have these books. . . . This is an era of Roman history for which we have less reliable primary source histories than we&’d like; it&’s the perfect playground for a novelist, and it&’s found a superb dramatist.&” —Open Letters Monthly

Blood Alone (Billy Boyle World War II Mystery #3)

by James R. Benn

Praise for the Billy Boyle series:"The brash kid from Southie is still open, direct and fearless in his manner (and in his wonderfully loose-jointed use of the English language) and in no danger of losing his cover as a happy-go-lucky Yank. ' But even amid the excitement of the spirited wartime storytelling, Benn allows Boyle's experiences to change him in ways both subtle and dramatic. "-Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review"Thoroughly enjoyable. "-The Seattle Times"This series brings WWII alive. "-Deadly Pleasures"Great fun. Benn knows his war history. "-The Globe and Mail"Kudos to author Benn . . . and here's hoping that Billy will continue to make his way through his Uncle Ike's world for many titles to come. "-Bookslut. comBilly Boyle awakens in a field hospital in Sicily with amnesia. In his pocket is a yellow silk handkerchief embroidered with the initial L. Gradually he remembers: he has been sent ashore in advance of the troops with this token from Lucky Luciano to contact the head of the Sicilian Mafia. But he must also thwart a murderous band of counterfeiters of Army scrip led by Vito Genovese. James R. Benn is the author of Billy Boyle: A World War II Mystery, selected by Book Sense as one of the top five mysteries of 2006 and nominated for a Dilys Award. The First Wave was a Book Sense Notable title. Benn is a librarian and lives in Hadlyme, Connecticut.

Blood Brotherhood

by Dave Seeley M. Zachary Sherman Fritz Casas

On December 1, 1950, during the heart of the Korean War, Lieutenant Everett Donovan awakens in a mortar crater behind enemy lines. During the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, a mine explosion has killed his entire platoon of U. S. Marines. Shaken and shivering from the subzero temps, the lieutenant struggles to his feet and stands among the bodies of his fellow Devil Dogs. Suddenly, a shot rings out! Donovan falls to his knees and when he looks up, he's face to face with his Korean counterpart. Both men know the standoff will end in brotherhood or blood -- and neither choice will come easy.

Blood Brothers: Among the Soldiers of Ward 57

by Michael Weisskopf

This "expert piece of journalism by a brave man about brave men" follows three soldiers and a reporter through eighteen months on Ward 57, Walter Reed's amputee wing (The Washington Post)Time magazine's Michael Weisskopf was riding through Baghdad in the back of a U.S. Army Humvee when he heard a metallic thunk. Looking down, he spotted a small object inches from his feet and reached down to take it in his hand. Then everything went black. Weisskopf lost his hand and was sent to Ward 57 at Walter Reed Medical Center, the wing reserved for amputees. There he met soldiers Pete Damon, Luis Rodriguez, and Bobby Isaacs, alongside whom he navigated the bewildering process of recovery and began reconciling life before that day in Baghdad with everything that would follow his release. Blood Brothers is the story of this difficult passage—a story that begins with healthy men heading off to war, and continues through the months in Ward 57 as they prepare for a different life than the one they left. A chronicle of devastation and recovery, this is a deeply affecting portrait of the private aftermath of combat casualties.

Blood Clot: In Combat with the Patrols Platoon, 3 Para, Afghanistan 2006

by Jake Scott

"As you know 'blood clot' means blood cells coming together to form a strong clot that forms and sticks together to keep the wound sealed enabling it to repair. The Parachute Regiment's 'blood clot' acts the same, whether downtown scrapping or in some far away country fighting alongside each other. Our maroon berets come together, they stick together, they close ranks forming the blood clot and fight against anything that comes their way." (Jake Scott) When the 3 Para battle group departed for Helmand Province, south Afghanistan, nobody really knew what to expect. Within a month of being on the ground the first of many contacts between the Taliban and British forces began. The British government and media were in shock - for the men on the ground it was what they were trained for. As weeks went on the fighting increased. Resources and manning were poor but for the Paras it was too late - it was back to basics, living in holes in the ground in 60 degree temperatures, often in small numbers and under constant attack from the Taliban. It looked as if it was going to be a long six months… 'Blood Clot' is a personal account of the Parachute Regiment's ferocious tour of duty in Helmand Province, Afghanistan 2006 by a man who was involved in the thick of the action. Born in 1981, Jake Scott joined the Parachute Regiment aged 17, and had already seen service around the world - including Iraq - before becoming part of a small reconnaissance team trained to operate behind enemy lines, known as 'the Patrols'. Jake and his mates probed, escorted and fought their way in and around some of the most dangerous areas in the whole of the Middle East - virgin Taliban country. After intense fighting against the odds, leaving dead Taliban soldiers in their wake and encountering some very near misses themselves, the Patrols platoon eventually ended their tour of duty. This is their story - the very beginning of the Afghan troubles in the south, the build up and lack of support and equipment in the initial stages, the close and dangerous fighting, the boredom of the open desert and the uncontrollable sadness of friends killed and injured around them. The Paras and their battle group arrived in small numbers in Helmand in 2006. They set the example for others to follow for many years to come - the aggressiveness of the airborne soldier when it was called for, fighting the Taliban on their turf, up close and personal.

Blood Cries Afar: The Forgotten Invasion of England 1216

by Sean McGlynn

150 years after the Norman Conquest, history came within a hair’s breadth of repeating itself. In 1216, taking advantage of the turmoil created in England by King John’s inept rule, Prince Louis of France invaded England and allied with English rebels. The prize was the crown of England. Within months Louis had seized control of one-third of the country, including London. This is the first book to cover the bloody events of the invasion, one of the most dramatic but most overlooked episodes of British history. The text vividly describes the campaigns, sieges, battles and atrocities of the invasion and its colourful leaders – Louis the Lion, King John, William Marshal, and the mercenaries Fawkes de Béauté and Eustace the Monk – to offer the first detailed military analysis of this epic struggle for England.

Blood Dark

by Alice Kaplan Louis Guilloux Laura Marris

Set during World War I, this monumental philosophical novel about human despair inspired Albert Camus' own writing and prefigured the greater existential movement.Blood Dark tells the story of a brilliant philosopher trapped in a provincial town and of his spiraling descent into self-destruction. Cripure, as his students call him—the name a mocking contraction of Critique of Pure Reason—despises his colleagues, despairs of his charges, and is at odds with his family. The year is 1917, and the slaughter of the First World War goes on and on, with French soldiers not only dying in droves but also beginning to rise up in protest. Still haunted by the memory of the wife who left him long ago, Cripure turns his fury and scathing wit on everyone around him. Before he knows it, a trivial dispute with a complacently patriotic colleague has embroiled him in a duel.

Blood Hunt

by Ian Rankin

The horror has just begun... A brilliant thriller from the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES.'No one writes more gripping stories than Rankin' TLSIt begins with a phone call. Gordon Reeve's brother has been found dead in his car in San Diego. The car was locked from the inside, a gun was in his hand. In the US to identify the body Gordon realises that his brother has been murdered. What's more, it's soon obvious that his own life is in danger.Once back in Scotland he finds out his home has been bugged by professionals. But Reeve is a professional too. Ex-SAS, he was half of a two-man unit with someone he came to fear, then to hate. It looks like his nemesis is back...

Blood Hunt: From the Iconic #1 Bestselling Writer of Channel 4’s MURDER ISLAND

by Ian Rankin

It begins with a phone call. Gordon Reeve's brother has been found dead in his car in San Diego. The car was locked from the inside, a gun was in his hand. In the US to identify the body Gordon realises that his brother has been murdered. What's more, it's soon obvious that his own life is in danger.Once back in Scotland he finds out his home has been bugged by professionals. But Reeve is a professional too. Ex-SAS, he was half of a two-man unit with someone he came to fear, then to hate. It looks like his nemesis is back...Read by James Frain(p) 2002 Orion Publishing Group

Blood In the Water

by Taylor Anderson

Taylor Anderson's enthralling New York Times bestselling series of alternate history continues as game-changing revelations upend the Grand Alliance in a potentially cataclysmic war. Ever since the USS Walker came from another world war to defy the terrifying Grik and diabolical Dominion, Matt Reddy and his crew have given their all to protect the oppressed Lemurians. But with the Walker in desperate need of repairs just as the Grik's First General is poised to strike, Reddy is desperate. With more enemies than ever before arrayed against them, the crew of the Walker needs new allies. That means combing the lethal wilds of Madagascar to find the Lemurians' fabled ancestors, as well as the enigmatic dwellers east of the Pass of Fire. But what Reddy's crew unearths may be more than they can handle--discoveries so shattering they could tilt the balance of the war in either direction. But Reddy's greatest adversary is from his past: a madman named Kurokawa whose single-minded mission of revenge will shake the Alliance to its core and raise the stakes to the most personal and terrifying levels Reddy has ever faced.

Blood Is Thicker than War: Brothers and Sisters on the Front Lines

by Martin King

From the author of Triage and Searching for Augusta, comes a history of love, hate, jealousy, and revenge between brothers and sisters during times of war through the ages.Journey back through time to discover remarkable accounts of parents who waved off their sons and daughters, never knowing if they would ever see them again. One mother saw no less than ten of her sons between the ages of eighteen and thirty-seven, dispatched to the frontline in the First World War. The biggest &“real&” band of brothers that ever served their country, but to discover how many made it back and who this dear lady was, you will have to read the rest. War is completely indiscriminate when it comes to inflicting suffering and heartbreak on families, particularly when one&’s own blood takes up arms to fight with, and in some cases against their own kin. These stories recount some of the prime examples of families divided and united in some of the direst conflict. When British police discovered the body of a dead woman, who locals knew as the &“Crazy Cat Lady&” they found a small bundle of possessions that revealed a truly incredible story of two amazing sisters who served behind enemy lines as elite Special Operations Agents (SOE) during World War II.

Blood Kindred: W. B. Yeats, the Life, the Death, the Politics

by W J McCormack

In June 1934, W. B. Yeats gratefully received the award of a Goethe-Plakette from Oberburgermeister Krebs, four months after his early play The Countess Cathleen had been produced in Frankfurt by SS Untersturmfuhrer Bethge. Four years later, the poet publicly commended Nazi legislation before leaving Dublin to die in southern France. These hitherto neglected, isolated and scandalous details stand at the heart of this reflective study of Yeats's life, his attitudes towards death, and his politics.Blood Kindred identifies an obsession with family as the link connecting Yeats's late engagement with fascism to his Irish Victorian origins in suburban Dublin and industrializing Ulster. It carefully documents and analyses his involvement with both Maud Gonne and her daughter Iseult, his secretive consultations with Irish army officers during his Senate years, his incidental anti-Semitism, and his approval of the right-wing royalist group L'Action Française in the 1920s. The familiar peaks and troughs of Irish history, such as the 1916 Rising and the death of Parnell, are re-oriented within a radical new interpretation of Yeats's life and thought, his poetry and plays. As far as possible Bill McCormack lets Yeats speak for himself through generous quotation from his newly accessible correspondence. The result is a combative, entertaining biography which allows Ireland's greatest literary figure to be seen in the round for the first time.

Blood Money: Stories Of An Ex-Recce's Missions In Iraq

by Johan Raath

‘I remember the cracking sound of the AK-47 bullets as they tore through our windscreen . . . A piece of bullet struck my bulletproof vest in the chest area and another piece broke off and lodged in my left forearm.’ <P><P> Johan Raath and a security team were ambushed in May 2004 while on a mission to reconnoitre a power plant south of Baghdad for an American firm. He had been in the country for only two weeks. This was a taste of what was to come over the next few years as he worked as a private military contractor (PMC) in Iraq. <P><P> His mission? Not to wage war but to protect lives. Raath and his team provided security for engineers working on reconstruction projects in Iraq. Whether in the notorious Triangle of Death, in the deadly area around Ramadi or in the faction-ridden Basra, Raath had numerous hair-raising experiences. <P><P> Key to his survival was his training as a Special Forces operator, or Recce. <P><P> This riveting account offers a rare glimpse into the world of private military contractors and the realities of everyday life in one of the world’s most violent conflict zones.

Blood Money: Stories of an Ex-Recce's Missions in Iraq

by Johan Raath

A former Special Forces soldier—and presidential bodyguard—shares heart-stopping stories of his time as a private military contractor in Iraq.“I remember the cracking sound of the AK-47 bullets as they tore through our windscreen . . . A piece of bullet struck my bulletproof vest in the chest area and another piece broke off and lodged in my left forearm.”Johan Raath and a security team were ambushed in May 2004 while on a mission to reconnoiter a power plant south of Baghdad for an American firm. He had been in the country for only two weeks. This was a taste of what was to come over the next few years as he worked as a private military contractor (PMC) in Iraq.His mission? Not to wage war, but to protect lives. Raath and his team provided security for engineers working on reconstruction projects in Iraq. Whether in the notorious Triangle of Death, in the deadly area around Ramadi, or in the faction-ridden Basra, Raath had numerous hair-raising experiences.Key to his survival was his training as a Special Forces operator, or Recce.This riveting account offers a rare glimpse into the world of private military contractors and the realities of everyday life in one of the world’s most violent conflict zones.

Blood Money: Wasted Billions, Lost Lives, and Corporate Greed in Iraq

by T. Christian Miller

It was supposed to be quick and easy. The Bush Administration even promised that it wouldn't cost American taxpayers a thing--Iraqi oil revenues would pay for it all. But billions and billions of dollars, and thousands of lives, later, the Iraqi reconstruction is an undeniable failure. Iraq pumps out less oil now than it did under Saddam. At best, Iraqis average all of twelve hours a day of electricity. American soldiers lack body armor and adequate protection for their motor vehicles. Increasingly worse off, Iraqis turn against us. Increasingly worse off, our troops are killed by a strengthening insurgency. As T. Christian Miller reveals in this searing and timely book, the Bush Administration has fatally undermined the war effort and our soldiers by handing out mountains of cash not to the best companies for the reconstruction effort, but to buddies, cronies, relatives and political hacks--some of whom have simply taken the money and run with it. Blistering, brilliant and shocking, this will be the breakout title when it comes to Iraq books, and the catalyst for national debate.

Blood Oath (Sawbones #2)

by Melissa Lenhardt

"Kill or be killed historical romance with bandits, Pinkerton agents, bounty hunters, mystery and more. Melissa Lenhardt writes with passion and does not hold anything back." -RT Book ReviewsLaura Elliston and William Kindle are on the run-from the Army and from every miscreant in the West eager to claim the $500 bounty for Laura's capture as their own. But the danger isn't just from those pursuing them. Laura and Kindle each have demons of their own and a past that won't stay dead. Exhausted, scared, scarred, and surrounded by enemies, neither realizes the greatest danger is yet to come.Blood Oath is the second novel in a gripping historical fiction series. "Packs a big punch with grit and raw passion. There is mystery, murder, Indians, bounty hunters and intrigue. The women are brave, intelligent and don't take crap from anyone. Lenhardt is a talented, creative writer; she has a grand slam out of the park with Sawbones." -- RT Book Reviews (Top Pick!) 4.5 stars"Raw, gritty and sometimes graphic, Melissa Lenhardt has crafted a page-turner. In Sawbones, the women are smart, brave and at times 'incorrigible.' The plot twists, unique characters and intriguing story of passion and betrayal make this a book well worth discovering." -- Jane Kirkpatrick, New York Times bestselling author of A Light in the Wilderness"Absolutely loved it! I couldn't tear myself away from Sawbones. An epic story of love and courage that sweeps from east to west, Sawbones will rip right through you." - Marci Jefferson, author of Girl on the Golden Coin"You will fall in love with Catherine, as I did, as she struggles to assert herself in a violent and treacherous world, fighting not only prejudice but evil."-- Sandra Dallas, New York Times bestselling author"Sawbones is a thoroughly original, smart and satisfying hybrid, perhaps a new subgenre: the feminist Western." -- Lone Star Literary LifeLaura Elliston novelsSawbonesBlood Oath Badlands

Blood Of Brothers: Life And War In Nicaragua

by Stephen Kinzer

This is Stephen Kinzer's dramatic story of the centuries-old power struggle that burst into the headlines in 1979 with the overthrow of the Somoza dictatorship. It is a portrait of the Nicaraguan people and their volcanic land, a cultural history rich in poetry and bloodshed, baseball and insurrection.

Blood Red Ivory

by John Stamp

Some Cases You Solve. Some Cases You Survive. Naval Criminal Investigative Service Special Agent, Tyrone Benhoff is in purgatory. That&’s what agents call it when they find themselves on the wrong side of command and are transferred to a place like Djibouti, Africa. He tried to open a case in Virginia that was too close to the wrong people. Now he&’s being watched for even the slightest screw-up so his enemies at headquarters can drive him out of the agency. When a sailor on leave from Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Africa is killed outside a wildlife preserve in Zimbabwe, Ty is hand-picked to lead the investigation. He finds himself in the middle of a turf war between ivory smugglers and an amazing group of female anti-poaching rangers trying to protect a herd of endangered elephants. If his enemies in NCISHQ don&’t get him, it&’s even money the wilds of Zimbabwe will. But Tyrone Benhoff doesn&’t quit a case … even when the whole thing was a setup from the start. A wild ride of a thriller from John Stamp, whose twenty-year law enforcement career included posts as a police officer and special agent with the FBI and NCIS.

Blood Red Snow: The Memoirs of a German Soldier on the Eastern Front

by Günter K. Koschorrek

A German soldier recounts his experience serving along the deathly cold Eastern Front, fighting the Russian army in World War II. Gnter Koschorrek wrote his illicit diary on any scraps of paper he could lay his hands on, storing them with his mother on infrequent trips home on leave. The diary went missing, and it was not until he was reunited with his daughter in America some forty years later that it came to light and became Blood Red Snow. The author&’s excitement at the first encounter with the enemy in the Russian Steppe is obvious. Later, the horror and confusion of fighting in the streets of Stalingrad are brought to life by his descriptions of the others in his unit, their differing manners and techniques for dealing with the squalor and death. He is also posted to Romania and Italy, assignments he remembers fondly compared to his time on the Eastern Front. This book stands as a memorial to the huge numbers on both sides who did not survive and is, some six decades later, the fulfilment of a responsibility the author feels to honor the memory of those who perished.

Blood Revenge in Irregular Warfare: Causes and Consequences of a Lingering Custom

by Roberto Colombo Emil A Souleimanov

This book offers an original assessment of the ways in which the sociocultural code of blood revenge and its modern remnants shape irregular warfare. Despite being a common driver of communal violence, blood revenge has received little attention from scholars. With many civil wars and insurgencies occurring in areas where the custom lingers, strengthening our understanding of blood revenge is essential for discerning how conflicts change and evolve. Drawing upon extensive multidisciplinary evidence, this book is the first in the literature on civil war and insurgency to analyse the impact of blood revenge and its modern remnants on irregular warfare. Even when blood revenge undergoes erosion, its unregulated version still shapes the social fabric of insurgency, although in different ways than its institutionalised counterpart. At times of political instability, the presence of a culture of retaliation weighs heavily on the dynamics of violent mobilisation, target selection, recruitment, and disengagement. This book brings in evidence from dozens of conflicts, providing unprecedented insights into how a better understanding of blood revenge can improve military blueprints for irregular warfare. This book will be of much interest to students of insurgency, terrorism, military and strategic studies, anthropology, and sociology, as well as to decision-makers and irregular warfare professionals.

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