<div><B>A fascinating look at what might have happened had historical assassination attempts succeeded.</B><BR />  <BR /> If Hitler had died at any stage in the Second World War, would Germany have immediately sued for peace, or would the generals have taken over and fought a far more practical war than the obdurate F&uuml;hrer? Equally intriguing is the possible failed assassination attempt on General de Gaulle on British soil. Who, one wonders, was behind that scheme, and how would Anglo-French relations have developed if he had been killed?<BR />  <BR /> In <I>Assassinations Anthology</I>, a number of well-known authors and historians look at past events where key individuals were involved in either attempts on their lives, or strange incidents occurred which, had they led to their deaths, might have radically affected the outcome of the war. Events surrounding Hitler and Operation Valkyrie, Stalin and Jan Smuts are investigated, as well as the peculiar circumstances relating to the theft of a valuable Gainsborough painting. Just how great a role did the Government&rsquo;s Chief Whip, David Margesson, play in persuading the MPs to accept the unpopular Winston Churchill as Prime Minister, and what would have happened if Margesson had been killed when the Gainsborough disappeared? It is fascinating stuff. Grounded in actual events, the various scenarios portrayed in this collection examine the likely chain of events that would have followed if the assassination attempts had succeeded. A few inches, a few minutes&mdash;that was all the difference between life and death, and between the past that we know and one that we can only imagine.<BR />  </div>

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Assassinations Anthology

<div><B>&ldquo;A remarkably candid and graphic account&rdquo; of the World War I service of a member of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (<I>Britain at War Magazine</I>).</B><BR />  <BR /> Having enlisted in 1915 and serving in the 56th Battalion Australian Imperial Force, Harold Roy Williams arrived in France, from Egypt, on June 30, 1916. He describes the horrors of the Fromelles battlefield in shocking clarity and the conditions the troops had to endure are revealed in disturbing detail.<BR />  <BR /> Surviving a later gas attack, Harold Williams&rsquo;s subsequent postings read like a tour of the Western Front. Following the Somme, there was the mud and squalor of the line south of Ypres, the German Spring Offensive of 1918, the Battle of Amiens&mdash;frequently described as the most decisive battle against the Germans in France and Flanders&mdash;the capture of Villers-Bretonneux and, finally, the assault on P&eacute;ronne.<BR />  <BR /> Injured at P&eacute;ronne and invalided back to the United Kingdom, Williams survived the war to return to Australia in 1919. <I>An Anzac on the Western Front</I> is his vivid description of his service in the First World War&mdash;an account that was described as &ldquo;the best soldier&rsquo;s story . . . yet read in Australia&rdquo; when it was first published.<BR />  <BR /> &ldquo;Williams&rsquo; experience was defined by his rise from private soldier to platoon commander and he confined his writing to it. This is a story of cold, hunger, injury, fear, humour, friendship and death . . . So bloody good.&rdquo; &mdash;<I>War History Online</I></div>

An Anzac on the Western Front

<div>From its south-eastern tip Sussex is little more than sixty miles from continental Europe and the countys coastline, some seventy-six miles long, occupies a large part of Britains southern frontier. Before the days of Macadam and the Turnpike, water travel could prove more certain than land transportation and the seas that define the borders of our nation aided, rather than deterred, the invader.Though the last successful invasion of Britain took place almost 1,000 years ago, the gently shelving beaches of Sussex have tempted the prospective invader with the promise of both an easy disembarkation and a short and direct route to London  the last time being just seven decades ago.As the authors demonstrate, the repeated threat of invasion from the Continent has shaped the very landscape of the county. The rounded tops of the Iron Age hill forts, the sheer walls of the medieval castles, the squat stumps of Martello towers, the moulded Vaubanesque contours of the Palmerstone redoubts and the crouched concrete blocks and bricks of the Second World War pillboxes constitute the visible evidence of Sussexs position on Britains front line.</div>

Battleground Sussex

<div><B>This historical study upends the traditional narratives surrounding the Norman Conquest by revealing the true location of its most important battle.</B><BR /><BR /> The Duke of Normandy&rsquo;s victory at the Battle of Hastings on October 14th, 1066, was one of the most important events in English history. As such, its every detail has been analyzed by scholars and interpreted by historians. Yet one of the most fundamental aspect of the battle&mdash;the ground upon which it was fought&mdash;has never been seriously questioned, until now. Could it really be that for almost 1,000 years everyone has been studying the wrong location?<BR /><BR /> In this in-depth study, the authors examine both early sources and modern interpretations, unravelling compulsive evidence that historians have chosen to ignore because it does not fit the traditional narrative of this foundational event. Most importantly, the authors investigate the archaeological data to reveal the exact terrain on which history was made.</div>

The Battle of Hastings 1066: The Uncomfortable Truth

<div>The Special Operations Executive developed a vast network of agents across Occupied Europe which played a vital role in developing and sustaining Resistance movements that persistently sought to subvert German control of their territories. The culmination of their efforts was seen when the Allied armies landed at Normandy in June 1944, with the SOE and the Resistance causing widespread destruction and disruption behind the German lines.None of this would have been possible had it not been for the Royal Air Force. Not only the RAF supply the SOE, and the movements it led and coordinated, with the thousands of tons of arms and equipment needed to undertake this role, it also delivered and retrieved agents from under the very noses of the enemy.Compiled at the end of the war by the Air Historical Branch of the RAF, this is an extremely detailed and comprehensive account of the RAFs support for the SOE, and in it we learn of the enormous and complex arrangements undertaken by the Special Duties squadrons as well as showing how the material delivered by these aircraft was used in the field.This account is reproduced here in its entirety, along with a detailed appendix containing the official historical record of Bomber Command aircrews and aircraft engaged in clandestine operations. Taken together, this book represents the most comprehensive account of the RAFs support for SOE ever published.</div>

RAF and the SOE

<div>From the moment the German army moved quietly into Luxemburg on 2 August 1914, to the Armistice on 11 November 1918, the fighting on the Western Front in France and Flanders never stopped. There were quiet periods, just as there were the most intense, savage, huge-scale battles.The war on the Western Front can be thought of as being in three phases: first, a war of movement as Germany attacked France and the Allies sought to halt it; second, the lengthy and terribly costly siege warfare as the entrenched lines proved impossible to crack (late 1914 to mid–1918); and finally a return to mobile warfare as the Allies applied lessons and technologies forged in the previous years.As with previous wars, British Commanders-in-Chief of a theatre of war or campaign were obliged to report their activities and achievements to the War Office in the form of a despatch and those written from the Western Front provide a fascinating, detailed and compelling overview of this part of the First World War.</div>

Western Front, 1914–1916

<div>Despatches in this volume include those covering the Battle of Matapan in 1941, Fleet Air Arm operations in 1940, the Battle of Sirte in 1942, the action with the Italian Fleet off Calabria (Central Mediterranean) in 1940, the engagement between British and Italian forces off Cape Spartivento (Central Mediterranean) in 1940, the Mediterranean convoys between January 1941 and August 1942  which includes the famous Operation Pedestal, operations in the Aegean in 1943, the engagement with an Italian convoy in 1941, and the despatch covering Coastal Force actions, including those in the Mediterranean.This unique collection of original documents will prove to be an invaluable resource for historians, students and all those interested in what was one of the most significant periods in British military history.The Coastal Forces despatch also includes those vessels assigned to the Levant, Dover and Nore stations  i.e. outside of the Mediterranean theatre.</div>

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The War at Sea in the Mediterranean, 1940–1944

<div>From the moment the German army moved quietly into Luxemburg on 2 August 1914, to the Armistice on 11 November 1918, the fighting on the Western Front in France and Flanders never stopped. There were quiet periods, just as there were the most intense, savage, huge-scale battles.The war on the Western Front can be thought of as being in three phases: first, a war of movement as Germany attacked France and the Allies sought to halt it; second, the lengthy and terribly costly siege warfare as the entrenched lines proved impossible to crack (late 1914 to mid–1918); and finally a return to mobile warfare as the Allies applied lessons and technologies forged in the previous years.As with previous wars, British Commanders-in-Chief of a theatre of war or campaign were obliged to report their activities and achievements to the War Office in the form of a despatch and those written from the Western Front provide a fascinating, detailed and compelling overview of this part of the First World War.This volume concludes with Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig's fascinating despatch, originally published in 1919, on the execution of the fighting on the Western Front</div>

Western Front, 1917–1918

<div>At 07.30 hours on 1 July 1916, the devastating cacophony of the Allied artillery fell silent along the front on the Somme. The ear-splitting explosions were replaced by the shrill sound of hundreds of whistles being blown. At that moment, tens of thousands of British soldiers climbed out from the trenches on their part of the Western Front, and began to make their way steadily towards the German lines opposite. It was the first day of the Battle of the Somme.By the end of the day, a number of the regiments involved had met with some degree of success; others had suffered heavy losses for no gain, whilst a few quite literally ceased to exist. That day, the old infantry tactics of the British Army clashed head-on with the reality of modern warfare. On what is generally accepted as the worst day in the British Armys history, there were more than 60,000 casualties  a third of them fatal.In this publication, the authors have drawn together, for the first time ever, all the War Diary entries for 171 British Regiments that went over the top that day  a day that even now still touches so many families both in the United Kingdom and around the world.  The result will be a vital work of reference to the events of 1 July 1916, a valuable information source for not only for those interested in military history, but genealogists and historians alike.</div>

Slaughter on the Somme 1 July 1916

<div>For more than twenty years Europe had been torn apart by war. Dynasties had crumbled, new states had been created and a generation had lost its young men. When it seemed that peace might at last settle across Europe, terrible news was received  Napoleon had escaped from exile and was marching upon Paris. Europe braced itself once again for war. The allied nations agreed to combine against Napoleon and in May 1815 they began to mass on France's frontiers. The scene was set for the greatest battle the world had yet seen.Composed of more than 300 eyewitness accounts, official documents, parliamentary debates and newspaper reports, Voices from the Past tells the story of Napoleon's last battles as they were experienced and reported by the men and women involved. Heroic cavalry charges, devastating artillery bombardments, terrible injuries, heart-breaking encounters, and amusing anecdotes, written by aristocratic officers and humble privates alike, fill the pages of this ambitious publication. Many of these reports have not been reproduced for almost 200 years.</div>

Waterloo 1815

<div>The events at Rorke&#39;s Drift, the iconic defence of a mission station by a small force of British and colonial troops, were immortalised in the 1964 film Zulu. In January 1879, a small garrison of just over 150 British and colonial troops successfully defended the mission against a force of 3,000 to 4,000 Zulu warriors. The fierce, but piecemeal, Zulu attacks on Rorke&#39;s Drift came very close to defeating the defenders but were ultimately repelled. Eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded to the defenders.The battle at Rorke&#39;s Drift was an early engagement in the Zulu War. Lasting between January and July 1879. Noted for several particularly bloody battles, including a stunning opening victory by the Zulu at Battle of Isandlwana, as well as for being a landmark in the timeline of imperialism in the region the war ended in a British victory and the end of the Zulu nation&#39;s independence. This unique collection of original accounts will prove to be an invaluable resource for historians, students and all those interested in what was one of the most significant periods in British military history.</div>

The Zulu War

<div>Despatches in this volume include that on the Conquest of Sicily from 10 July 1942 to 17 August 1943 by Field-Marshall Viscount Alexander of Tunis; the despatch on the invasion of Sicily in July 1943, by Admiral of the Fleet Sir Andrew B. Cunningham, Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean; despatch on naval operations in connection with the landings in the Gulf of Salerno in September 1943, by Admiral of the Fleet Sir Andrew B. Cunningham; and the despatch on operations of the Allied Armies between September 1943 and December 1944, by Field Marshal the Viscount Alexander of Tunis.This unique collection of original documents will prove to be an invaluable resource for historians, students and all those interested in what was one of the most significant periods in British military history.</div>

The War in Italy, 1943–1944

<div>Germany's attempts to build a battleship fleet to match that of the United Kingdom, the dominant naval power on the 19th-century and an island country that depended on seaborne trade for survival, is often listed as a major reason for the enmity between those two countries that led to the outbreak of war in 1914. Indeed, German leaders had expressed a desire for a navy in proportion to their military and economic strength that could free their overseas trade and colonial empire from dependence on Britain's good will, but such a fleet would inevitably threaten Britain's own trade and empire.Despite this backdrop of large standing navies, naval warfare in the First World War was mainly characterized by the efforts of the Allied powers, with their larger fleets and surrounding position, to blockade the Central Powers by sea, and the efforts of the Central Powers to break that blockade or to establish an effective blockade of the UK with submarines and raiders. Indeed, the use of the former saw naval conflict enter a new era, one that affected every member of the British population and, in 1917, raised the spectre of a German victory.This unique collection of original documents will prove to be an invaluable resource for historians, students and all those interested in what was one of the most significant periods in British military history.Despatches in this volume include those relating to the events at Antwerp in 1914, Royal Navy armoured car squadrons, the Battle of Dogger Bank, the Battle of the Falklands, the Battle of Heligoland Bight, minesweeping operations, Royal Naval Air Service operations and attacks, and, of course, the Battle of Jutland.</div>

The Royal Navy and the War at Sea, 1914–1919

<div>Despatches in this volume include Air Operations in Burma and Bay of Bengal 1 January to 22 May 1942 by General Wavell, the despatch on air operations in South-East Asia November 1943 to May 1944, by Air Chief Marshal Sir R.E.C. Peirse, the despatch on air operations in South-East Asia from June 1944 to May 1945, by Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park, and the despatch on air operations in South East Asia between May 1945 and September 1945, by Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park.This unique collection of original documents will prove to be an invaluable resource for historians, students and all those interested in what was one of the most significant periods in British military history.</div>

Far East Air Operations, 1942–1945

<div>Despatches in this volume include that on the first and second battles of Narvik in 1940; the despatch on operations in central Norway 1940, by Lieutenant General H.R.S. Massy, Commander-in-Chief, North West Expeditionary Force; Despatch on operations in Northern Norway between April and June 1940; the despatch on carrier-borne aircraft attacks on Kirkenes (Norway) and Petsamo (Finland) in 1941, by Admiral Sir John C. Tovey; the despatch on the raid on military and economic objectives in the Lofoten Islands (Norway) in March 1941, by Admiral Sir John C. Tovey, Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet; and the despatch on the raid on military and economic objectives in the vicinity of Vaagso Island (Norway) in December 1941, by Admiral Sir John C. Tovey.This unique collection of original documents will prove to be an invaluable resource for historians, students and all those interested in what was one of the most significant periods in British military history.</div>

The Battle for Norway, 1940–1942

<div>Fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Orange Free State and the Transvaal Republic, the First Boer War (18801881) was a rebellion by the Boers (farmers) against British rule in the Transvaal that re-established their independence. The engagements that it involved, such as they were, were small and involved few casualties.More commonly referred to as just the Boer War, the Second Boer War (18991902), by contrast, was a lengthy conflict involving large numbers of troops from many British possessions (up to as many as 500,000 men), which ended with the conversion of the Boer republics into British colonies. The British defeated the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, first in open warfare and then in a long and bitter guerrilla campaign. British losses were high due to both disease and combat. It was also the war conflict which saw Winston Churchill first achieve household fame. The war had a lasting effect on the region and on British domestic politics. For Britain, the Boer War was the longest, the most expensive (200 million), and the bloodiest conflict between 1815 and 1914, lasting three months longer and resulting in higher British casualties than the Crimean War. This unique collection of original documents will prove to be an invaluable resource for historians, students and all those interested in what was one of the most significant periods in British military history.</div>

The Boer War, 1899–1902

<div>Despatches in this volume include the Despatch on air operations by the Allied Expeditionary Air Force in North West Europe between November 1943 and September 1944, the despatch on the assault phase of the Normandy landings June 1944, despatch on operations of Coastal Command, Royal Air Force in Operation Overlord  the invasion of Europe 1944, the despatch on operations in North West Europe between 6 June 1944 and 5 May 1945, by Field Marshal the Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, Commander 21st Army Group, the despatch on the final stages of the naval war in North West Europe, and, as an addition, the despatch on the Dieppe Raid in 1942.This unique collection of original documents will prove to be an invaluable resource for historians, students and all those interested in what was one of the most significant periods in British military history.</div>

Liberating Europe: D-Day to Victory in Europe, 1944–1945

<div><B>Collected frontline communications from the British Expeditionary Force sent during their efforts in France during World War II.</B><br/><br/>The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force.<br/><br/>The British Expeditionary Force was started in 1938 in readiness for a perceived threat of war after Germany annexed Austria in March 1938 and the claims on the Sudetenland, which led to the invasion of Czechoslovakia in March 1939. After the French and British had promised to defend Poland, the German invasion of that country began and war was declared on 3 September 1939.<br/><br/>The BEF was sent to France in September 1939 and deployed mainly along the Belgian—French border during the so-called Phoney War leading up to May 1940. The BEF did not commence hostilities until the invasion of France on 10 May 1940. After the commencement of battle, they were driven back through Belgium and north-western France, forcing their eventual evacuation from several ports along the French northern coastline in Operations <I>Dynamo</I>, <I>Ariel</I> and <I>Cycle</I>. The most notable evacuation was from the Dunkirk region and from this the phrase Dunkirk Spirit was coined.</div>

The BEF in France, 1939–1940

<div>The epic of Dunkirk has been told many times, but the numerous accounts from surviving soldiers and sailors were often a blur of fear and fighting with the days mingling into each other, leaving what is, at times, a confusing picture. In this book, adopting a day by day approach, the author provides a clear portrayal of the unfolding drama on the perimeter around Dunkirk, in the port itself and along the beaches to La Panne and the Belgian border.Reports from many of the captains of the vessels which took part in the great evacuation were submitted to the Admiralty immediately after the conclusion of Operation Dynamo. With access to these, and supported by the various records maintained by the Army and RAF, the author has been able to finally piece together the movements and actions of the many of the squadrons, units and ships involved.With the Admiralty reports and a mass of other firsthand accounts, many of which have never been published before, the true tale of the heroism of the rescued and the rescuers is laid bare. Operation Dynamo saw civilian volunteers and Royal Navy personnel manning every type of craft from the antiaircraft cruiser HMS Calcutta to the cockle boats of the Thames Estuary. The accounts of the men who crewed these vessels tell of being bombed and strafed by the Luftwaffe or shelled from the shore. There are stories of collisions in the dark, chaos on the beaches and tragic losses as ships went down. Similar tales are told by the men waiting on the beaches, defending the perimeter or flying in the skies overhead in a valiant effort to hold the German Army and Luftwaffe at bay.Yet this is ultimately a story, as Churchill described it, of deliverance, for against all the predictions, the BEF was saved to fight again another day. With civilians and servicemen working without respite for days and nights on end under almost continual attack to rescue the army, the nation pulled together as never before. It truly was Britains finest hour.</div>

Dunkirk: Nine Days That Saved An Army

<div>The bombing campaign conducted against Germany and German-occupied Europe in the Second World War was, and remains, one of the most controversial operations of the entire war. Much of Bomber Command&#39;s effort was what was defined as &#39;area&#39; bombing, in which whole cities or districts were targeted. The ultimate aim of an attack on a town area, Sir Arthur Harris wrote in one of his despatches, is to break the morale of the population which occupies it ... namely, to produce (i) destruction and (ii) fear of death.This strategy was so successful it almost brought Germany to the point of collapse until Churchill, worried about the devastation it was causing and the number of civilian deaths which resulted, ordered it to cease.Harris&#39; despatches explain in great detail the success of his methods which, if given full reign, may have brought the war to a speedier conclusion but would have meant even more German casualties. Such was the controversy surrounding Bomber Command&#39;s operations, Harris&#39; despatches were not published by the government, even though the despatches of every other branch of the armed services, and all of their operations, were made public. The full text of Harris&#39; despatches is reproduced here along with an explanation why these documents were withheld for so many years.</div>

Bomber Harris

<div>Despatches in this volume include that on operations in Burma between 15 December 1941 and 20 May 1942 by General Wavell; Operations in Eastern Theatre, based on India, March 1942 to 31 December 1942 by Field-Marshall Wavell; Operations in the Indo-Burma Theatre 21 June to 15 November 1942 by Field-Marshall Auchinleck; and Operations in the India Command 1 January to 20 June 1943 by Field-Marshall Wavell.This unique collection of original documents will prove to be an invaluable resource for historians, students and all those interested in what was one of the most significant periods in British military history.</div>

The Fall of Burma, 1941–1943

<div>The Fourteenth Army was one of the most successful British and Commonwealth forces of the Second World War. It was not only the largest of the Commonwealth armies but was also the largest single army in the world with around half a million men under its command. Operating in the most inhospitable terrain, it drove the previously undefeated Japanese Army from the Indian border and out of Burma in an unrelenting offensive.The Fourteenth Army, often referred to as the Forgotten Army, was made up from units that came from all corners of the Commonwealth and was composed of thirteen divisions from East and West Africa as well as Britain and India. After the defeat of the Japanese these divisions compiled a summary of its actions and it is these unique documents that form the basis of this new book.Presented here together then for the first time is the story of war against the Japanese as told by each of the divisions that fought in that bitter conflict  the original and authentic accounts untouched by the pens of historians.These accounts can never be supplanted and will be an invaluable source of information for generations to come. It will also help the many millions of relatives of those men that fought with the Fourteenth Army understand the complex campaign of 1943-1945.The Fighting Divisions of the Fourteenth Army is completed with citations for those actions which saw the award of the Victoria Cross and detailed Orders of Battle throughout the Fourteenth Army's existence to make this the most detailed study of its kind.</div>

Fighting with the Fourteenth Army in Burma

<div>Despatches in this volume include that on the Battle of Britain, and air fighting 1940-1941, by Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh C.T. Dowding, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Fighter Command, Air Operations by Fighter Command between November 1940 and the end of December 1941, the anti-aircraft defence of the United Kingdom between 1939 and 1945, and the report on air operations by Air Defence of Great Britain and Fighter Command in connection with the German flying bomb and rocket offensives, 1944-1945.This unique collection of original documents will prove to be an invaluable resource for historians, students and all those interested in what was one of the most significant periods in British military history.</div>

Defending Britain's Skies, 1940–1945

<div>Dispatches in this volume include those relating to the sinking of the German battleship Graf Spee in the Battle of the River Plate in 1939, the loss of the battleships HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse in the Far East, the sinking of the German battle cruiser Scharnhorst in 1943, the attack on Tirpitz by midget submarines, the contribution by British Pacific Fleet to the assault on Okinawa in 1945 (which included four Royal Navy battleships), and the sinking of Bismarck in 1941.This unique collection of original documents will prove to be an invaluable resource for historians, students and all those interested in what was one of the most significant periods in British military history.</div>

Capital Ships at War, 1939–1945

<div>The Middle East Command in the SecondWorld War covered a vast region, stretchingacross Egypt, Libya, Malta, Palestine andTransjordan, Cyprus, Sudan, Eritrea, most ofSyria and a small part of Iraq, and includedsome forty different languages. At one pointit also oversaw operations in Greece, Kenyaand British Somaliland. Its campaign area ranfor a thousand miles from the Jordan to theHorn of Africa.Initially under the leadership of General SirArchibald Wavell, Middle East Commandsearly actions were in contending with theItalian forces in Libya and Italian East Africa.He was soon distracted by the Germaninvasion of Greece and the subsequentdefence of, and withdrawal from, the Islandof Crete. With his attention turned fromNorth Africa to the gean, Italian forces inNorth Africa were able to hold their groundand even receive reinforcements in the formof Rommels Afrika Korps .Wavells despatches detail all of thesecampaigns up to July 1941, when he wassuperseded by General Claude Auchinleck.The Auk had to deal with the Anglo-FreeFrench invasion of Syria and Lebanon and thenationalist uprising in Iraq. His mainconcern, though, was with stoppingRommels advances through Libya. The Axisforces were eventually held close to theborder of Egypt at El Alamein. It was as faras Rommel would go and it marked the endof the long run of Axis successes in NorthAfrica.The despatches presented here form aunique collection of original reports from thecommanding officers in this widespread anddifficult region. This is the first time thesedocuments have been brought together in asingle volume</div>

Operations in North Africa and the Middle East, 1939–1942

<div><B>Military historians John Grehan and Martin Mace’s <I>Gallipoli and the Dardanelles, 1915-1916</I> examines the naval World War I battle and aftermath.</B><br/><br/>The fighting in the Gallipoli or Dardanelles campaign began in 1915 as a purely naval affair undertaken partly at the instigation of Winston Churchill, who, as First Lord of the Admiralty, had entertained plans of capturing the Dardanelles as early as September 1914. It was the Royal Navy that bore the brunt of the initial action, supported by the French and with minor contributions from the Russian and Australian fleets.<br/><br/>On 3 November 1914, Churchill ordered the first British attack on the Dardanelles following the opening of hostilities between Ottoman and Russian empires. The British attack was carried out by battle cruisers of Carden’s Mediterranean Squadron, HMS <I>Indomitable</I> and HMS <I>Indefatigable</I>, as well as two French battleships. This attack actually took place before a formal declaration of war had been made by Britain against the Ottoman Empire. Royal Navy submarines had already been operating in the region. When the naval operations failed, a full invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula was launched. The bitter fighting that followed resonated profoundly among all nations involved. The campaign was the first major battle undertaken by the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC), and is often considered to mark the birth of national consciousness in both of these countries. For the Turkish forces it would prove a major victory.<br/><br/><I>Gallipoli and the Dardanelles, 1915-1916</I> is an indispensable, comprehensive guide to the strategies and battles of this conflict.</div>

Gallipoli and the Dardanelles, 1915–1916

<div>Despatches in this volume include the despatch fo the campaign from Alamein to Tunis, by Field Marshal the Viscount Alexander of Tunis.  Deputy Commander-in-Chief  Allied Forces North Africa; despatch on operation in the Western Desert December 1940 to February 1941, by General Sir Archibald P. Wavell, Commander-in-Chief British land Forces, Middle East; despatch on Operation Torch, the landings in North Africa, by Admiral of the Fleet Sir Andrew B. Cunningham; and the despatch in  operations in North Africa November 1942 to May 1943, by Lieutenant-General K.A.N. Anderson, General Officer Commander-in-Chief, 1st Army.  This unique collection of original documents will provide to be an inevitable resource for historians, students and all those interested in what was one of the most significant periods in British Military history.</div>

Operations in North Africa and the Middle East, 1942–1944

<div>The Crimean War was the most destructive armed conflict of the Victorian era. It is remembered for the unreasoning courage of the Charge of the Light Brigade, for the precise volleys of the Thin Red Line and the impossible assaults upon Sevastopol's Redan. It also demonstrated the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of the British military system based on privilege and purchase.Poor organisation at staff level and weak leadership from the Commander-in-Chief with a lack of appreciation of the conditions the troops would experience in the Crimea resulted in the needless death of thousands of soldiers. The Royal Navy, by comparison, was highly effective and successfully undertook its operations in the Baltic, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.The relative performance of the two branches of Britain's armed forces is reflected in the despatches sent back to the UK by therespective commanders. The comparative wealth of detail provided by Admirals Napier, Dundas and Lyons contrast sharply with the limited, though frequent, communications from Generals Raglan, Codrington and Simpson.The despatches of all these commanding officers are presented in this compilation just as they were when first published in the 1850s. They tell of the great battles of the Alma, Balaklava and Inkerman, of the continuing struggle against Sevastopol and the naval operations which cut the Russian communications and ensured an eventual, if costly, victory. They can be read, just as they were when revealed to the general public more than 150 years ago.</div>

British Battles of the Crimean Wars, 1854–1856

<div>The Napoleonic Wars was truly a world-wide conflict and Britain found itself engaged in battles, sieges and amphibious operations around the globe. Following every battle the commanding officer submitted a report back to the Admiralty or the War Office. Presented here together for the first time are those original despatches from some forty generals, captains and admirals detailing more than eighty battles that took place in India, Africa, Europe and the Americas. This unique collection of original documents will prove to be an invaluable resource for historians, students and all those interested in what was one of the most important periods in British military and naval history.The reports include those from some of Britain's most famous battles, the likes of Trafalgar and Waterloo, as well as less well-known but just as important engagements which resulted in the capture of the islands and territories which helped form the greatest empire the world has ever known.</div>

British Battles of the Napoleonic Wars, 1807–1815

British Battles of the Napoleonic Wars, 1793–1806

<div>Despatches in this volume include that on operations in Burma and North-East India between November 1943 and June 1944, by General Sir George J. Giffard; the despatch on operations in Assam and Burma between June 1944 June and November 1944, by General Sir George J. Giffard, Commander-in-Chief; the despatch on Naval operations in the Ramree Island area (Burma) in January and February 1945 by Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur J. Power, Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station; and the despatch on operations in Burma between November 1944 and August 1945 by Lieutenant-General Sir Oliver Leese.This unique collection of original documents will prove to be an invaluable resource for historians, students and all those interested in what was one of the most significant periods in British military history.</div>

The Battle for Burma, 1943–1945

<div>Despatches in this volume include that on the Far East between October 1940 and December 1941, by Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham; the despatch on operations in Hong Kong between 8 and 25 December 1941, by Major-General C.M. Maltby, General Officer Commanding British Troops in China; the report on the air operations during the campaigns in Malaya and Netherland East Indies between December 1941 and March 1942; and the important despatch by Percival detailing the fall of Malaya and Fortress Singapore.This unique collection of original documents will prove to be an invaluable resource for historians, students and all those interested in what was one of the most significant periods in British military history.</div>

Disaster in the Far East, 1940–1942

<div>In the spring of 1942 Britain's far-flung empire was in the greatest peril. North Africa was being overrun by the German Afrika Korps and in south-east Asia the forces of Imperial Japan had captured Singapore and were threatening India. Only the most urgent reinforcement of both war fronts could prevent disaster. But Britain's shipping routes to Egypt and India passed the island of Madagascar. If the Japanese Navy, operating out of Madagascar, could severe Britain's communications with Cairo and Delhi, then the whole of North Africa and the Indian sub-continent would be at the mercy of the Axis Powers. In a desperate race against time, and under conditions of the utmost secrecy, at Churchill's instigation Britain planned to seize Madagascar, the fourth largest island in the world, before the Japanese could strike. An overwhelming force was assembled and despatched as part of the largest convoy ever to have left Britain's shores. Yet the expedition's commanders were faced with not just military but also political obstacles, because the forces occupying the island were not those her enemy's but those of her former ally - France. The Secret Invasion is the first book to examine in detail this crucial campaign which was Britain's largest amphibious assault since the First World War and the first large-scale combined air, sea and land operation Britain had attempted.</div>

Churchill's Secret Invasion

<div><B>&ldquo;This is a well-researched, well-written, closely argued and fascinating contribution to the historiography of the Peninsular War.&rdquo;&mdash;<I>The Spectator</I></B><BR />  <BR /> In 1809 French armies controlled almost every province of Spain and only Wellington&rsquo;s small force in Portugal stood between Napoleon and the conquest of Iberia.<BR />  <BR /> The French invaded Portugal in the summer of 1810, but found their way blocked by the most extensive field fortifications the world had ever seen&mdash;the Lines of Torres Vedras. Unable to penetrate the Lines, the French were driven back into Spain having suffered the heaviest defeat yet experienced by Napoleon&rsquo;s armies. The retreat from Portugal marked the turning point in the Peninsular War and, from the security of the Lines, Wellington was able to mount the offensive campaigns that swept France&rsquo;s Imperial armies back across the Pyrenees.<BR />  <BR /><I>The Lines of Torres Vedras</I> is an authoritative account of the planning, construction and occupation of the Lines and of the battles, sieges and horrors of the French invasion. It is also an important study of Wellington&rsquo;s strategy during the crucial years of the war against Napoleon.<BR />  <BR /> &ldquo;Essential reading for every Peninsula enthusiast, this is recommended highly.&rdquo;&mdash;<I>Military Illustrated</I></div>

The Lines of Torres Vedras

<div>Officers led and men followed; all were expected to do their duty without thought of reward. Enlisted men rarely penetrated the officer ranks and promotion owed more to money than merit. Then came the Crimean War.The incompetence and ineffectiveness of the senior officers contrasted sharply with the bravery of the lower ranks. Fuelled by the reports from the first-ever war correspondents which were read by an increasingly literate public, the mumblings of discontent rapidly grew into a national outcry. Questions were asked in Parliament, answers were demanded by the press  why were the heroes of the Alma, Inkerman and the Charge of the Light Brigade not being recognised? Something had be done.That something was the introduction of an award that would be of such prestige it would be sought by all men from the private to the Field Marshal. It would be the highest possible award for valour in the face of the enemy and it bore the name of the Queen for whom the men fought.This is the story of how the first Victoria Crosses were attained in the heat of the most deadly conflict of the nineteenth century. It is also an examination of how the definition of courage, as recognised by the awarding of VCs, evolved, from saving the regimental colours at the Alma to saving a comrade in the No Mans Land before Sevastopol.</div>

The First VCs

<div><B>A “compelling” portrait of the fateful Crimean War cavalry charge told through the soldiers’ own words (<I>Historical Novels Review</I>).</B><br/><br/>The most notorious, and most contentious, cavalry charge in history still remains an enigma. Though numerous books have been written about the charge, all claiming to reveal the truth or to understand the reason why, exactly what happened at Balaklava on October 25, 1854 continues to be fiercely debated. <br/><br/><I>Voices from the Past: The Charge of the Light Brigade</I> relives that fateful day not through the opinions of historians but from the words of those that were there. This is the story of the charge told by the soldiers of both sides, in the most detailed description of the Battle of Balaklava yet written. Gallop with the light dragoons and lancers into the mouths of the Russian cannon as the shells and cannonballs decimate their ranks. Read of the desperate efforts to return down the Valley of Death as the enemy pressed around the remnants of the Light Brigade, and of the nine Victoria Crosses won that day.<br/><br/>Possibly more significant are the accusations and counter-arguments that followed the loss of the Light Brigade. Just who was responsible for that terrible blunder? The leading figures all defended their own positions, leading to presentations in Parliament and legal action. Yet one of those senior figures made an astonishing admission immediately after the battle, only to change his story when the charge became headline news. Just who was it that made the fatal error that cost the British Army its Light Brigade?<br/><br/>“Quotations from contemporary sources skillfully woven together . . . How literate those Victorians were, even the private soldiers!” —<I>Historical Novels Review</I></div>

The Charge of the Light Brigade

<div><B>The author of <I>The Charge of the Light Brigade</I> examines the history behind a treasure of military gold that disappeared during the Peninsula War.</B><BR />  <BR /> History abounds with unresolved puzzles and unanswered questions, none more so than that of the loss of the British Army&rsquo;s military chest during the retreat to Corunna in 1809. Now, with a group of fellow historians, the author set off to search the archives and the mountains of Galicia in a bid to find Moore&rsquo;s gold.<BR />  <BR /> Sir John Moore&rsquo;s small force had dared to attack Marshal Soult&rsquo;s II Corps isolated in the north of Spain. But before Moore could pounce on the unsuspecting French corps, he learned that the Emperor Napoleon, at the head of an overwhelming body of troops, was bearing down on the British force, hoping to cut it off from the sea and its only avenue of escape.<BR />  <BR /> A desperate race for the coast then began, with the French hard on Moore&rsquo;s heels. In subzero temperatures, the troops were driven on through the snow-clad Galician mountains at a punishing pace. As the men trudged on in deteriorating conditions, the bullocks pulling the army&rsquo;s military chest could no longer keep up. So, in order to prevent the money from falling into enemy hands, the entire military chest was thrown down a deep ravine.  <BR />  <BR /> What then happened to all those dollars and doubloons? Some were snatched up by the pursuing French cavalry. Some, also, were retrieved by British soldiers who intentionally lagged behind, though their greed cost them their lives on the end of a French bayonet. But what of the rest of the money?</div>

The Hunt for Moore's Gold

<div><B>&ldquo;Stuffed with great images . . . and perfectly detailed information, superbly illustrating one of the first major international crises of the Cold War.&rdquo; &mdash;</B><B>Vintage Airfix</B><BR />  <BR /> During the multinational occupation of post-World War II Germany, Stalin decided to make the Allied hold on West Berlin untenable by shutting down all the overland routes used to keep the city supplied. The choice faced by the Allies was a stark one&mdash;let Berlin fall, or risk war with the Soviets by breaking the Soviet stranglehold. In a remarkably visionary move, the Allies decided that they could keep Berlin supplied by flying over the Soviet blockade, thus avoiding armed conflict with the USSR.<BR />  <BR /> On 26 June 1948, the Berlin Airlift began. Throughout the following thirteen months, more than 266,600 flights were undertaken by the men and aircraft from the US, France, Britain and across the Commonwealth, which delivered in excess of 2,223,000 tons of food, fuel and supplies in the greatest airlift in history.<BR />  <BR /> The air-bridge eventually became so effective that more supplies were delivered to Berlin than had previously been shipped overland and Stalin saw that his bid to seize control of the German capital could never succeed. At one minute after midnight on 12 May 1949, the Soviet blockade was lifted, and the Soviet advance into Western Europe was brought to a shuddering halt.<BR />  <BR /> &ldquo;The book is packed full of fascinating photographs detailing the huge variety of aircraft involved in the airlift, each accompanied by detailed explanations and text. The book is a fitting tribute to the aircrew who lost their lives in this incredible operation.&rdquo; &mdash;Army Rumour Service (ARRSE)</div>

The Berlin Airlift

<div><B>A pictorial history of America’s response to Pearl Harbor, with “hundreds of photos of the various stages of the raid” (<I>ModelingMadness</I>).</B><br/><br/>On April 1, 1942, less than four months after the world was stunned by the attack on Pearl Harbor, sixteen US aircraft took to the skies to exact retribution. Their objective was not merely to attack Japan, but to bomb its capital. The people of Tokyo, who had been told that their city was invulnerable from the air, would be bombed and strafed—and the shock waves from the raid would extend far beyond the explosions of the bombs.<br/><br/>The raid had first been suggested in January 1942 as the US was still reeling from Japan’s preemptive strike against the US Pacific Fleet. The Americans were determined to fight back—as quickly as possible. The 17th Bomb Group (Medium) was chosen to provide the volunteers who would crew the sixteen specially modified North American B-25 bombers. As it was not possible to reach Tokyo from any US land bases, the bombers would have to fly from aircraft carriers, but it was impossible for such large aircraft to land on a carrier; the men had to volunteer for a one-way ticket.<br/><br/>Led by Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle, the seventy-one officers and 130 enlisted men embarked on the USS <I>Hornet</I>, which was shielded by a large naval task force—and set out on their mission, which would ultimately jolt the Japanese out of their complacency. This is the full story of this remarkable operation and the men and machines involved, told through a fascinating collection of photographic images.</div>

The Doolittle Raid

<div><B>A history of Germany’s attempts to construct flying bombs during World War II and how to threat was handled by the Allies.</B><br/><br/>At 04.08 hours on the morning of June 13, 1944, two members of the Royal Observer Corps were on duty on the top of a Martello tower on the seafront at Dymchurch in Kent. At that moment, they spotted the approach of an object spurting red flames from its rear and making a noise like “a Model-T-Ford going up a hill.” It was a development that they, and many others throughout the UK, had been anticipating for months. The first V1 flying bomb, an example of what Hitler had called his <I>Vergeltungswaffen</I> or Vengeance Weapons, to be released against Britain was rattling towards them. The two spotters on top of the tower may well have been aware that a new Battle of Britain had just begun . . .<br/><br/>For years, key individuals in the UK had been aware of German experiments to build long-range weapons. From leaked documents, reports from the French Resistance, and aerial photography, a picture was gradually put together of the Nazis’ extensive program to build pilotless aircraft, the Fi 103 V1 flying bomb, and the V2, the A4 rocket, which could be directed at the United Kingdom. By 1943, enough information had been gathered for Britain and its American allies to act, and the first bombing raids were undertaken against the long-range weapons installations.<br/><br/>From August 1943, British and U.S. Air Forces worked to destroy every site lined to the V-weapons. This book, written by the Air Ministry’s Air Historical Branch is the official account of the measures undertaken by the Air Defence of Great Britain, Fighter Command, Anti-Aircraft Command, Bomber Command, and even the Balloon Command to defend the UK from what was potentially the greatest threat it had ever encountered.<br/><br/>It was only through this multi-disciplinary approach that the actual effect of the V-weapons was contained to the level it was. Even so, the extent of the damage and deaths the flying bombs and rockets caused and the fear they generated, was considerable and had this coordinated approach not been undertaken the UK’s resolve in the crucial months of the war might have been seriously challenged.<br/><br/>This highly detailed, accurate, and unbiased account is a valuable addition to the history of the World War II. It demonstrates the difficulties the UK faced in identifying the nature of the highly secret German weapons and how, through an enormous, combined effort, this threat was overcome.<br/><br/><B>Praise for <I>Hitler’s V-Weapons</I></B><br/><br/><B>“Mr. Grehan collates reports and analysis from the war against the V weapons, divining important chunks of detail to underscore narrative histories that do the rounds.” —<I>War History Online</I></B></div>

Hitler's V-Weapons

<div><B>&ldquo;Takes you right to the scene of the action in late May and early June 1940, when more than 300,000 soldiers were saved from capture or death.&rdquo; &mdash;<I>Rambles</I></B><BR /><BR /> The &ldquo;miracle&rdquo; of Dunkirk is one of the most inspiring stories of all time. The British Expeditionary Force had been all but surrounded, and, with the French armies collapsing on all sides, it appeared that Britain was about to suffer the heaviest defeat in its history.<BR /><BR /> When Winston Churchill&rsquo;s War Cabinet finally accepted that the Battle of France had been lost, preparations were made to try and rescue as many soldiers as possible from one of the few ports left open to the British Expeditionary Force&mdash;Dunkirk.<BR /><BR /> So rushed and chaotic was the retreat to the Channel coast, with thousands of guns, vehicles and tanks being abandoned, there was little time for soldiers to consider taking photographs of the shocking scenes of death and destruction which surrounded them. Yet images do exist of the ships and boats of all descriptions which braved the bombs and guns of the German Air Force to rescue Britain&rsquo;s only field army from the clutches of Hitler&rsquo;s panzer divisions.<BR /><BR /> One man in particular, Sub-Lieutenant John Rutherford Crosby, a member of the crew of the minesweeper, and converted Clyde paddle steamer, HMS <I>Oriole</I>, left a legacy of dramatic images. These include the never-to-be-forgotten scenes of long lines of tired and anxious troops stretching into the sea and of bombs exploding on the packed beaches&mdash;all with his own personal little camera.<BR /><BR /> Other images in this book paint a vivid and memorable picture, as no words ever could, of the greatest evacuation of troops under fire.</div>

Dunkirk Evacuation, Operation Dynamo

<div><B>The British Army’s report on the Japanese invasion of Burma during WWII—based on firsthand accounts by the officers who survived it.</B><br/><br/>In 1942, the Japanese military drove British and Indian forces out of Burma. Colonel E.C.V. Foucar, M.C., was given the task of discovering what happened. Seeking information and documentary evidence from officers of the First Burma Campaign, Foucar wrote this detailed account for the Director of Military Training.<br/><br/>This volume describes the challenging geographical, climatic, and political conditions in Burma before turning to the devastating Japanese ground assault. He describes harrowing episodes such as the ‘Disaster’ at Sittang Bridge, the evacuation of Rangoon, and the march to the River Irrawaddy in an attempt to secure the north of Burma and its oilfields. <br/><br/>With the Japanese closing in on the beleaguered British force, the decision was taken to abandon Burma and try to reach India. The ragged, disease-ridden troops battled their way west just as the monsoons broke. General Wavell, wrote that, “operations were now a race with the weather as with the Japanese and as much a fight against nature as against the enemy.”</div>

First Burma Campaign

<div><B>A photographic history of World War II’s largest naval battle, in which the Japanese and Americans squared off in the Philippines.</B><br/><br/>On October 20, 1944, the U.S. Sixth Army began landing on Leyte’s eastern coast, supported by the U.S. Navy's 3rd and 7th fleets, which were assisted by ships from the Royal Australian Navy. The Japanese were aware that the Americans were poised to attack the Philippines and planned to draw the American warships into one last great battle to try and stave off the otherwise inevitable defeat. Over the course of the following three days, the two naval forces had four separate engagements. Involving more than 360 ships and 200,000 naval personnel, the battle was the greatest naval encounter of World War II—and possibly the largest naval battle in history.<br/><br/>The result was disastrous for the Japanese, who lost three battleships, four aircraft carriers, ten cruisers, and eleven destroyers, along with almost 300 aircraft—the greatest loss of ships and crew the Japanese had ever experienced. In <I>Battle of Leyte Gulf</I>, the actions of the warships as well as the accompanying amphibious landings on Leyte by the U.S. Sixth Army are vividly revealed through a dramatic collection of photographs depicting the ships, sailors, airmen, and soldiers who made history.</div>

Battle of Leyte Gulf

<div>Singapore and Hong Kong had fallen to the forces of Imperial Japan, Thailand and Burma had been invaded and islands across the Pacific captured. But one place, one tiny island fortress garrisoned by a few thousand hungry and exhausted men, refused to be beaten. That island fortress was Corregidor which guarded the entrance to Manila Bay and controlled all sea-borne access to Manila Harbor. At a time when every news bulletin was one of Japanese success, Corregidor shone as the only beacon of hope in the darkness of defeat.  The Japanese 14th Army of Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma, threw everything it had at Corregidor, officially named Fort Mills. But deep within the island’s rocky heart, a tunnel had been excavated into Malinta Hill and there the US troops, marine, naval and army, endured the terrible onslaught. At their head was General Douglas MacArthur who became a national hero with his resolute determination never to surrender, until ordered to evacuate to Australia to avoid such a senior officer being captured by the enemy. Bur with his departure, the rest of the garrison knew that there was no possibility of relief. They would have to fight on until the bitter end, whatever form that might take.  That end came in May 1942. The defenders were reduced to virtually starvation rations with many of them wounded. Consequently, when, on 5 May the Japanese mounted a powerful amphibious assault, the weakened garrison could defy the enemy no longer. Corregidor, the ‘Gibraltar of the East’, finally fell to the invaders.  Those invaders were to become the invaded when MacArthur returned in January 1945. For three weeks, US aircraft, warships and artillery hammered the Japanese positions on Corregidor. Then, on 16 February, the Americans landed on the island. It took MacArthur’s men ten days to hunt down the last of the Japanese, after many had chosen to commit suicide rather than surrender, but Corregidor was at last back in Allied hands.  In this unique collection of images, the full story Corregidor’s part in the Second World War is dramatically revealed. The ships, the aircraft, the guns, the fortifications and the men themselves, are shown here, portraying the harsh, almost unendurable, realities of war.</div>

Corregidor

<div><P><B>This detailed guide to Hitler&rsquo;s secret Prussian headquarters is fully illustrated with historic photos and rare color images of how it appears today.</B><BR /><BR /> Set deep in the Masurian woods of northern Poland, formally East Prussia, lies a vast complex of ruined bunkers known as the <I>Wolfsschanze </I>or Wolf&rsquo;s Lair. This was Hitler&rsquo;s headquarters for the German attack on the Soviet Union in 1941. It is also where Colonel von Stauffenberg almost killed Hitler in the summer of 1944.<BR /><BR /> Built in under total secrecy, the Wolfsschanze was camouflaged with artificial grass and trees. Drawing on a unique collection of color photographs, <I>Hitler&rsquo;s Wolfsschanze</I> presents a detailed tour of the 2.5 square mile campus as it appears today&mdash;with each building and its purpose identified. Laced with personal accounts of the installation and Hitler&rsquo;s routines, the Wolfsschanze is brought to life once more.<BR /><BR /> Yet the Wolfsschanze was not the only German military complex in this small part of the Eastern Front. This comprehensive volume also shows and describes the German Army&rsquo;s headquarters at Mauerwald, the Luftwaffe&rsquo;s headquarters near the current Russian border, and those of the SS and the Reich Chancellery, both situated near the Wolfsschanze. </P></div>

Hitler's Wolfsschanze

<div>In 1944, a compilation of medical reports from the main prisoner of war work camps along the infamous Thailand-Burma railway was submitted to General Arimura Tsunemichi, commander of the Japanese Prisoner of War Administration. The authors stated that the reports were neither complaints nor protests, but merely statements of fact. The prisoners received only one reply – that all copies of the documents must be destroyed. As one officer later recalled, ‘Of course, this was not done’ and copies of these reports survived, stored away in dusty files, for future generations to learn the truth.  Work on the railway began in June 1942, the Japanese using mainly forced civilian labour as well as some 12,000 British and Commonwealth PoWs. Such is well-known. So are the stories of ill-treatment and brutality, many of which have been published. The vast majority of these accounts, however, were written after the war, colored by the sufferings the men had endured. The reports presented here are quite unique, for they were written by the medical officers in the camps as the events they describe were unfolding before their eyes.  The health and well-being of the PoWs was the medical officers’ primary concern, and these reports enable us to learn exactly how the men were treated, fed and cared for in unprecedented detail. There are no exaggerated tales or false memories here, merely facts, shocking and disturbing though they may be. We learn how the medical officers organised their hospitals and dealt with the terrible diseases, beatings and malnutrition the men endured. As the compilers of the reports state, 45 per cent of the men under their care died in the course of just twelve months.  But equally, we find that the prisoners did have a voice and had the facilities, and the courage, to write and submit such reports to the Japanese, perhaps contradicting some of the long-held beliefs about conditions in the camps. Through the words of the Medical Officers themselves, some of the detail of what really happened on the Death Railway, for good or ill, is revealed here.</div>

Medical Officers on the Infamous Burma Railway

<div><P><B>This volume of U.S. Navy reports offers an authoritatively detailed, refreshingly immediate perspective on the major battles of WWII in the Pacific.</B><BR /><BR /> Scores of historians have chronicled the naval battles fought against Imperial Japan during the Second World War. But as we know, hindsight gives us 20/20 vision. The accounts collected in this volume were written during or immediately after the war&mdash;before historians had begun to interpret these momentous events.<BR /><BR /> These accounts were never intended for the general public and are therefore unburdened by jingoistic bias or literary posturing. The authors simply relate each battle accurately and dispassionately, producing a document that reads like a running commentary. Action follows action, minute by minute.<BR /><BR /> Clear, thorough, and utterly impartial, this is the permanent record of these five major battles, each of which represents a dramatic turning point in the struggle for the Pacific. </P></div>

Great Naval Battles of the Pacific War

<div>Throughout his political life, Adolf Hitler was the subject of numerous assassination plots, some of which were attempted, all of which failed. While a few of these have become well known, particularly the bomb explosions at the Bürgerbräukeller in Munich in 1939 and the Stauffenberg Valkyrie attempt carried out at the Wolfsschanze on 20 July 1944, many others have received far less attention – until now.  In this book, John Grehan has examined the known planned or proposed assassination attempts on Hitler, from Chicago to London and from Sweden to the Ukraine – some of which have not previously been presented to the general public by historians.  All manner of methods were proposed by those willing to bring Hitler’s life to a premature and sticky end and Hitler was well aware of the danger which lurked potentially around every corner of every road, railway track, every building and even every individual. As a result, an immense, multi-layered security apparatus surrounded the Führer day and night. Despite this, and knowing the risks they faced, many people sought to kill the German leader, and some very nearly did. Yet Hitler survived, often by just a minute or a millimetre, to die ultimately of his own hand.  These plots and conspiracies are detailed in this book, along with a unique collection of photographs of many of the proposed or actual assassination locations. All will be revealed in this fascinating compilation of the obscure, the fanciful and the carefully considered attempts to assassinate Hitler.</div>

The Hitler Assassination Attempts

<div>Having all but swept the Japanese Imperial Navy from the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, the Allied forces stood on the brink of invading the Japanese Home Islands. The launching pad for the invasion was to be the island of Okinawa.  Amid the terrible slaughter and the shocking casualty statistics of the US Tenth Army and the US Marines, as well as the unrelenting defiance of the Japanese defenders so often detailed in the many books on the battle, the vital part played by the Allied navies in transporting, landing and supporting the ground offensive is all too often overlooked.  The naval forces involved included the US Task Force 58 and the British Pacific Fleet composed of ships from the Royal Australian Navy, the Royal Canadian Navy, and the Royal New Zealand Navy which together with those of the Royal Navy constituted the most powerful fleet Britain had ever put together.  The total firepower of the Allied force was staggering, consisting of 18 battleships, 27 cruisers, 177 destroyers/destroyer escorts, 11 fleet carriers, 6 light carriers and 22 escort carriers and various support and troop transport ships. Pitted against this formidable array was the Japanese Combined Fleet, with just one super battleship, one light cruiser and eight destroyers. But the Japanese had one other fearful weapon – the kamikaze.  The resultant battle saw the Japanese fleet wiped out, but the Allies lost twenty-four support vessels and a further 386 ships were damaged – many at the hands of the kamikaze pilots.  After the fighting the Admiralty called for a summary of the battle to be written for internal Royal Navy consumption. It is that secret report, which it was never intended would be seen by the general public, that is published here for the first time.</div>

Okinawa: The Last Naval Battle of WW2

<div>A chronological account of the battle with more than 200 photographs, including graphic images of the fighting and the huge naval bombardment.<BR /><BR />After the astonishing Japanese successes of 1941 and early 1942, the Allies began to fight back. After victories at Guadalcanal, Coral Sea, Midway and other islands in the Pacific, by 1944, the Japanese had been pushed back onto the defensive. Yet there was no sign of an end to the war, as the Japanese mainland was beyond the reach of land-based heavy bombers. So, in the spring of 1944, the focus of attention turned to the Mariana Islands – Guam, Saipan and Tinian – which were close enough to Tokyo to place the Japanese capital within the operational range of the new Boeing B-29 Superfortress.  The attack upon Saipan, the most heavily-defended of the Marianas, took the Japanese by surprise, but over the course of more than three weeks, the 29,000 Japanese defenders defied the might of 71,000 US Marines and infantry, supported by fifteen battleships and eleven cruisers. The storming of the beaches and the mountainous interior cost the US troops dearly, in what was the most-costly battle to date in the Pacific War.  Eventually, after three weeks of savage fighting, which saw the Japanese who refused to surrender being burned to death in their caves, the enemy commander, Lieutenant General Saito, was left with just 3,000 able-bodied men and he ordered them to deliver a final suicide banzai charge. With the wounded limping behind, along with numbers of civilians, the Japanese overran two US battalions, before the 4,500 men were wiped out. It was the largest banzai attack of the Pacific War.  As well as placing the Americans within striking distance of Tokyo, the capture of Saipan also opened the way for General MacArthur to mount his invasion of the Philippines and resulted in the resignation of the Japanese Prime Minister Tojo. One Japanese admiral admitted that ‘Our war was lost with the loss of Saipan’. This is a highly illustrated story of what US General Holland Smith called ‘the decisive battle of the Pacific offensive’. It was, he added, the offensive that ‘opened the way to the Japanese home islands’.</div>

Saipan 1944

<div>Incredible as it may seem today, detailed plans were drawn up to recapture the Channel Islands, the most heavily fortified of all the German-occupied territories, regardless of the potentially ‘severe’ loss of life and the widespread destruction to the property of the British citizens.  Under the codenames Constellation, Condor, Concertina, and Coverlet, the islands of Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney were to be attacked in 1943. The operation against Alderney would be preceded by a bombardment by between 500 and 600 medium/light bombers and an astonishing forty to fifty squadrons of fighters. The official papers which have now become available state that: ‘The islands cannot be taken without causing some civilian casualties. In the case of Alderney, it is thought that the air bombardment will have to be on such a scale that all personnel on the island will have to become casualties.’  A similar number of aircraft would attack Guernsey while, for the assault upon Jersey, thirty-one squadrons of heavy bombers and strike aircraft would bombard the island’s east and west coasts. This would be followed, on D-Day, by parachute and infantry landings and then a commando assault in the south-west. On Day 2 of the operation the first of the tanks were to land, with more armor and infantry to follow on subsequent days. As the German garrison of the Channel Islands was some 40,000 strong, the islands would be turned into an enormous battlefield, and a vast killing ground.  The consequences for the Islanders were almost too horrendous to imagine and the political fallout beyond calculation if the operations failed in their objectives after the devastation and loss of British lives that the fighting had caused.  Despite all this, it was thought that such operations would become the ‘second front’ so persistently demanded by Stalin to draw German troops from the Eastern Front and might also help the Allied forces which were about to invade Italy – Operation Husky – from North Africa. Equally, the Channel Islands would be the ideal base for the D-Day invasion of France scheduled for 1944.  There was much then in favor of mounting the operations against the Channel Islands regardless of the fact that it meant the death of untold British citizens at the hands of British troops and the Allied air forces. The Allied Assault Upon Hitler's Channel Island Fortress is, therefore, the first detailed analysis of what would have been the most controversial operation ever undertaken by the British and American armed forces.</div>

The Allied Assault on Hitler's Channel Island Fortress

<div>From the warmer climate of the Mediterranean to the frozen wastes of Norway’s Arctic islands, the Combined Operations organization was a persistent thorn in the side of Hitler’s Third Reich. From mounting attacks against enemy-held coastlines with small teams of less than a dozen men, through to huge expeditions involving thousands of troops and other personnel, the headquarters of Combined Operations oversaw a wide variety of amphibious operations, all undertaken with the sole aim of tying down the Führer’s forces.  The raids, both big and small, were mounted as frequently as possible against anywhere boats could reach, keeping the Axis forces constantly on guard. The effects of the early Combined Operations far outweighed the resources committed to the raids, with an extra 30,000 German troops being sent to garrison Norway following the Commando raids, the largest of which included only around 500 men.  The Combined Operations organization grew as the war progressed, and it was instrumental in the planning and training of troops and the provision of landing craft for the amphibious assaults which saw the capture of French North Africa, Operation Torch, and the invasion of Sicily, Operation Husky. Its culminating glory came in the summer of 1944, when the largest amphibious operation in history saw a quarter of a million men shipped across the English Channel to the beaches of Normandy on D-Day and its aftermath.  Combined Operations is an official history that explores the full story of how the body was set up, its structure, and how it put together the hugely complex tri-service operations. Also detailed is how its headquarters staff operated, and how the planning section functioned – in 1942, for example, the planners envisaged one raid every month, which culminated in the disastrous Dieppe raid in August of that year.  The Combined Operations organization was also instrumental in the development and provision of specialist landing craft and ships, and of the clearing of beach obstacles and mines – all of which is explored in detail.  As might be expected, a large proportion of the book is dedicated to the various and fascinating projects in preparation for Operation Overlord which saw the culmination of everything that had been learned, in the successes and failures, throughout four years of amphibious warfare.</div>

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John Grehan
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