The ordinary fighting man often paid the price for his generals' mistakes. In this book Charles Whiting recreates the combat soldiers' world of fifty years ago down to the most intimate detail: their weapons, the food they ate, how they learned to cope with the ever-present threat, how they lived in the hope and died in agony. From the beaches of Normandy to the cruel setbacks at Arnhem and the Battle of the Bulge, "'44: In Combat from Normandy to the Ardennes" is the story of early confidence turning to disillusion as the campaign wore on - appalling strategic blunders, of strained relations among the Allies, of ideals steadily overtaken by the grim realities of war.

In 1942, the 82nd infantry Division at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, was split in two. One of the new divisions began intense preparation and training for a surprise landing on Nazi-occupied Europe, at Normandy. The division selected became the 101st Airborne, the now-legendary "Band of Brothers".

This book covers the divisions heroic performance on D-Day and follows them right up to the Allied victory in Europe. Filled with historic images, many of them published here for the first time, it is a tribute to the fallen who sacrificed themselves to secure the future and a testament to those who survived to build a better world. This is the story of an accomplishment well known but rarely so dramatically depicted: landing on Utah Beach, from the sea, descending by glider and parachute.

Stirring word and pictures capture the landing, linking both Utah and Omaha beachheads, the key points in the allied landing; the breaking of the German drive for the coast; their resolute, implacable stand at Bastonge where the request to surrender from the German commander was met with the brief refusal :"Nuts!"

During the immediate period before World War Two, the RAF modified its command structure to rationalise for rapid expansion. Bomber Command was divided into six operational groups, each flying the same type of aircraft. In 1939 5 Group was flying the Handley Page Hampden, a fast, modern aircraft that carried a large payload. However, during the early daylight raids into enemy occupied Europe it suffered great losses due to its defensive armament leaving too many blind spots. The Group now turned to night bombing and mine-laying operations. During November 1940, the first Avro Manchesters entered service but were to prove dangerously unreliable. It was not until the Avro Lancaster began arriving in strength that the Group began its proud history of successful and often highly dangerous raids into the Reich, the most famous of which was No 617 Squadron's attack on the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams. Between 1939 and 1945 the Group flew 70,351 sorties with the loss of 1,888 aircraft. This book contains a lengthy narrative of the group's operations and contains individual squadron statistics, their commanding officers, stations and aircraft losses. It provides a detailed reference for one of the RAF's most important and successful operational groups.

Adam Tomacevski is a Polish airman, flying Hurricanes alongside British pilots as the Battle of Britain rages in the summer skies over Kent and Sussex. Always something of an outsider back on the ground, Adam finds himself drawn to a maverick Irish soldier called Gerry Cunningham. 'You're out of luck, chum,' are the first words Gerry says when they meet in the crush of men competing for the few women at a dance in a seaside hotel, but when Gerry abandons his lover Moira, Adam's fortunes seem to have changed.

For the next four years, Adam's life and Gerry's are intertwined like good luck and bad, love and loss, life and death, their paths crossing at various points on Adam's perilous journey from the ruins of Poland to the rolling English countryside, from Egypt to Occupied France. A hauntingly evocative picture of wartime Britain, an explosive drama of fighting behind enemy lines, a compelling, suspenseful love story, A GOOD WAR proves Patrick Bishop -- already acclaimed as an historian of the war in the air -- to be a superbly gifted novelist.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, Fleetway and its successor IPC was the world's biggest comic-book publisher and its line of digest-sized "Picture Libraries" was the jewel in their crown. The most popular and longest lasting titles were "War", "Battle", "Air Ace and War at Sea" which ran for a combined total of over four and a half thousand issues. This book collects together 400 of the finest "War", "Battle", "Air Ace and War at Sea" covers, digitally remastered from the original archived artwork in a lavish format with the finest quality reproduction

At the beginning of 1918 the great aces seemed invincible. Flying above the battlefields of the Western Front, they cut a deadly swathe through the ranks of their enemies, as each side struggled to keep control of the air. Some were little more than boys when they started to fly, yet they were respected and feared as some of the deadliest killers in the sky.

But as the press of fighting increased with the great offensives of 1918, nervous stress and physical exhaustion finally began to take their toll - and one by one the aces began to fall. This book charts the rise and fall of the WWI aces in the context of the vast battles that were taking place in 1918. It shows the vital importance of reconnaissance, and how large formations of aircraft became the norm - bringing an end to the era of the old, heroic 'lone wolves'.

As the First World War came to a close very few of the aces survived. This epic history of the final year of the air war is both a chronicle of the ways in which 1918 changed aerial combat forever, and a requiem for the pioneers of aerial combat who eventually became the victims of their own brilliant innovations.

The importance of marine salvage during armed conflict has been vastly underestimated since becoming a vital Naval arm during the First World War. Between 1915 and 1918 the Admiralty Salvage Section saved nearly 400 merchant vessels, desperately needed to bring food and war materials into Britain. During the Second World War, some two million tons of shipping was successfully recovered. From D-Day onwards Admiralty salvage men cleared many stricken craft from the Normandy beaches alone, often under heavy shellfire. Then, as the Germans retreated back across Europe, salvage teams undertook vital port clearance duties, greatly aiding the Allied advance on Germany.During the Suez Crisis, Falklands Conflict and even the last Gulf War the same story can be told. And their peacetime operations have also been important. In 1954 for instance, under the direction of Earl Mountbatten of Burma, wreckage from a de Havilland Comet airliner was recovered from a record-breaking depth of more than 600 ft. and helped lead to the discovery of metal fatigue.Drawing on a wealth of official documents, Admiralty Salvage is the first book to explore in depth the courage, personal sacrifice and invaluable contribution these forgotten heroes have made during both peace and war.

A very different biography of Hitler, revealing aspects of his life that are either unknown or hardly known, based on original research in primary sources, analysed and narrated in a fresh, insightful style. Did you know that Hitler was a radically 'Green' politician? Or that at his trial after the failed Munich Putsch the courtroom was besieged by his many female admirers? That he instituted a National Health Service and cruise ship holidays for the workers? That he saw himself, above all else, as an artist? This is the first book: to explain convincingly the origins of Hitler's anti-Semitism; to demonstrate the crucial importance of art in Hitler's life and vision for the German people; and to reveal the truth about the 1939 assassination attempt on Hitler. It is a lucid and cogent analysis of the genesis of the Holocaust.

It is carefully selected extracts from Mein Kampf included. It is a hardback edition sold over 20,000 copies. This is a penetrating insight into the complex and twisted mind of Adolf Hitler.

First published in 1980, shortly after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, this book speedily became a standard work of reference at military academies and staff colleges in the UK and overseas. T.E. Heathcote departs from the Eurocentric approach of most British military historians and sets the causes and events of the Anglo-Afghan wars firmly in their Asian context. Using previously unpublished official dispatches and private letters as well as existing histories, this book remains essential reading for anyone with an interest in the study of warfare in one of the world’s most hostile environments.

"Age-proof Your Brain", by multi-million copy bestselling author Tony Buzan, offers revolutionary new techniques to help you develop and maintain the agility of your mind. Packed with quick exercises, brain tools and fascinating facts, you can start to think quicker and remember things more easily in as little as 7 days. Bestselling author, Tony Buzan is back with a brilliant new book that offers simple and effective techniques to help you boost your memory and maximize your brain power in as little as a week.

Full of fun and practical exercises, information bites and expert advice on nutrition and supplements, this book will change the way you think, forever; improve memory and concentration; remember facts and figures with ease; understand concepts and think laterally; unlock the imagination; and achieve more in less time.

Consolidating the success of the first volume, the paperback of which is still in print "Daily Telegraph", obituary writer Jay Iliffe has compiled and edited one hundred additional mini-biographies of outstanding aviators of the last century. Numerous fascinating characters abound, men like John "Cat's Eyes" Cunningham, night fighter ace and test pilot; Ian Harvey, the BEA pilot who safely landed his airliner after a bomb had exploded onboard; Stanislaw Skalski, Polish Battle of Britain ace; Pierre Clostermann, French fighter ace; the marvellous "Bunny" Currant; Ray Hanna, leader of the Red Arrows hired by Steven Spielberg to fly in "Saving Private Ryan"; Bob Morgan, the American pilot of the Memphis Belle; steadfast women like Iris "Fluff" Bower, an RAF nurse who tended wounded soldiers on Normandy beaches; and Felicity Peake, appointed director of the WAAF in 1946 aged just 32.

In July 1942, German and Italian forces seemed to be at the point of sweeping away the remainder of British resistance in the Middle East and triumphantly overrunning Egypt. If this had happened, the disaster for the Allies would have been irretrievable. Instead, Rommel's victorious army was checked on the Alamein line in what became the first battle of Alamein. Two months later with Montgomery and Alexander as C in C Middle East, another Axis thrust was held in the second battle of Alamein at Alam El Halfa. On October 23rd the Allied forces were finally on the offensive and, after two long weeks of bitter fighting, Rommel's forces were in head-long retreat. The higher strategy of these battles has been well covered in other books, but this is about the men who fought in the tanks and minefields, in the sand dunes and behind the guns. Through a fascinating selection of first-hand accounts from battalion commanders and private soldiers alike, Philip Warner reveals the loyalty and chivalry, courage and hardship, humour and compassion behind these remarkable series of battles.

Rich in romance and nostalgia, this fascinating book takes the reader on an odyssey around Britain in pursuit of the lost railways.This title focuses on the 10,000 miles of lines closed in Britain since the 1950s, bringing to life the glorious story of train travel as it used to be. Images of the railways' active past and pieces of ephemera capture British rural lines.It documents all the lost and forgotten aspects of railways, including timetabled journeys, stations, tunnels, staff and railway vehicles.Like previous books in the series, "Along Lost Lines" takes a very visual approach to the subject matter by highlighting the places and features that best tell the story, through stunning images and fascinating visual detail.

'I want him to fly over the edge of the Downs and in at my bedroom window. I want to kiss his mouth.' So wrote Aimee McHardy of her fighter pilot lover William Bond in 1917. The two enjoyed a racy and passionate life together long before they were married and Aimee speaks of their pre-war vagabond existence which included a flat in the Latin Quarter of Paris, a cottage on the Seine and winters in St.

Moritz. But then war intervened and Bill went to serve on the Western Front from where, to the ever present sound of gun fire, hardly a day went by without him writing to his sweetheart. Letters of unconditional love which also described in detail his service life and experiences.

And Aimee replied in kind. By now, Bill was a captain and an ace and when, tragically, he was taken from her one July day, she completed her book about their extraordinary love affair as he had urged her to do. It was first published in 1918, hailed as the period classic that it is, and then disappeared without trace, as indeed did Aimee.

Reissued here in paperback, with helpful annotations, it is as readable and moving today as it was then.

From Agincourt to Waterloo, from Dunkirk tothe Gulf War, and everywhere in between, one man has served in all these battles. This is the story of Britain at war from the perspective of that man. It is the autobiography of the British soldier.

In a comprehensive series of first-hand accounts, this anthology offers a huge variety of views on the experience of war: from a letter written by Oliver Cromwell to the Speaker of Parliament, to a First World War's soldier's last letter home to his son, and a powerful description of what it was like to be on the Sir Galahad when it was hit by a missile in the Falklands conflict of the 80s, right up to life as a soldier on the ground in Basra. Winner of impossible victories, cannon fodder for the Western Front, thin khaki line against Hitler - wherever and whenever, the British soldier has done his duty - and more. This is his story.

A stunning pictorial tribute to an iconic British aircraft, with images from throughout its service career, celebrating the awesome Vulcan’s return to flight and the 25th anniversary of its historic Falklands missions.

The origins of the Avro Vulcan, which entered squadron service in 1956, went back to an Air Ministry requirement, issued in 1947, for a jet bomber capable of a top speed of nearly 500 knots, able to fly at a height in excess of 50,000 feet, with a range of over 3,000 miles and capable of carrying a nuclear weapon.

The Vulcan was the most famous of the three types known, along with the Victor and the Valiant as the V-bombers, which maintained Britain's strategic nuclear deterrent during the early years of the Cold War. Initially finished in an all-over white colour scheme to protect the aircraft and their crews from the heat and flash of a nuclear explosion, the V-Force's aircraft could be scrambled in minutes in response to any Soviet attack. V-Bombers and their crews stood on constant alert until 1969 when the V-Force handed over its nuclear deterrent role to the Royal Navy's Polaris submarines.

In all, 136 Vulcans were built by Avro near Manchester, the last being completed in January 1965. After it lost its nuclear deterrent function, the Vulcan found other roles as a conventional bomber, a maritime reconnaissance aircraft and as a tanker. Its only combat sorties were the famous Operation Black Buck raids during the Falklands Conflict flown from Ascension Island in the mid-Atlantic. At the time, these were the longest bombing missions in the history of warfare, the Vulcans covering some 8,000 miles in around 16 hours. The aircraft was finally withdrawn from squadron service in 1984. A Vulcan will once again take to the skies in 2007. Years of work on the part of the Vulcan to the Skies Trust will allow their preserved Vulcan XH558, to lead the 25th anniversary commemorative flypast for the Falklands Conflict in June.

On 9th August 1941, one of the greatest icons of the Second World War, Douglas Bader, was shot down, captured and later incarcerated. But by whom, and how? Was it by one of his deadly German opponents, as Douglas Bader himself maintained, or was it by one of his own side? There has been much debate and controversy among historians and in 2003 the author of this book revealed for the first time that Bader may have been victim to 'friendly fire'. That revelation was followed by interest in the national press and later by a TV documentary screened on Channel 4 in August 2006.

In this book, aviation historian Andy Saunders develops his hypothesis, backed up by strong evidence and a wealth of statistics, and separates fact from fiction. He expertly dissects all the material relating to the day itself, and subsequent events. He has also continued the quest to find the legendary fighter pilot's aircraft, which holds vital clues.

And he has startling new material to divulge here also. This book will fascinate all who read it and will be seen by most observers to be the final word on one of the great mysteries of the entire war.

Continuing the brilliant World War Two fighter pilot series - this time the theatre of war is the incredible story of the Siege of Malta, Summer 1941. The tiny island of Malta has become the most bombed place on earth. The Germans and Italians want to destroy it.

For the fighter pilots of the RAF, initially equipped with ageing Hurricanes and outnumbered in the air, defeat seems almost certain. Flight commanders Englishman Kit Curtis and American Ossie Wolf have survived the Fall of France and the Battle of Britain but Curtis remains idealistic and eager to prove himself. Wolf, by contrast, is ruthless and thrives in the chaos of imminent invasion.

But as each man is tested to the limit, they come to share a fresh understanding. By turns brutal, funny, tragic and heroic here is a spell-binding tour de force, a brilliant sequel to the bestselling "Blue Man Falling".

The Battle class was the epitome of wartime design with features developed through the struggles of world-wide conflict. In-depth research has allowed the author to cover the careers of each of the destroyers of the class

In this remarkable new study of the Far Eastern War, Oliver Lindsay and John R. Harris have provided the most thorough and searching enquiry into the debacle which led to over 12,000 British, Canadian, Indian and Chinese defenders surrendering Hong Kong on Christmas Day 1941. The authors have made use of a mass of unpublished material - part of it drawn from the original war diaries which have never before been in the public domain.

Although it is over 60 years since Hong Kong was liberated from the Japanese, numerous important questions regarding the war in the East and occupation of the Colony from 1941 to 1945 have not been explored until now. To what extent, for example, were Churchill and the successive Chiefs of the Imperial General Staff responsible for abandoning this outpost, which could not be reinforced when attacked or defended adequately? Is it true that fine leadership prolonged the fighting, inflicting serious casualties on the highly experienced Japanese when they struck in 1941? How useful was Britain's spying organization in China, which led to catastrophic repercussions for the POWs and Internees?What form did the Japanese atrocities take upon the helpless captives? This detailed and authoritative account of the campaign will provide a particularly compelling read for those interested in the Second World War or the history of the Far East.

The history of the Flight began with the formation of the Historic Aircraft Flight in July 1957 which was to become The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. Countless displays and fly-pasts have enthralled audiences and enthusiasts all over Britain and in many parts of Europe, when the traditional Avro Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane can be seen in their wartime colours. This book is written with the wholehearted support of the Flight's Commanding Officer and the author has access to archive material. The book includes a Foreword from the OC BBMF, a complete history of the unit, chapters on each of the types operated, including the DC-3 Dakota and de Havilland Chipmunk and present-day operations. Photos include superb images from the BBMF archives, the author's collection that includes historic black and white shots from the early days, air-to-air colour, personalities and behind-the-scenes images.
This will be the ultimate souvenir of the celebration of the BBMF's 50th Anniversary

High above the warm, summer fields Churchill's 'few' fought with courage & skill against overwhelming odds - and won. A vivid account of the air battles as well as an explanation of how the campaign developed. Fresh insights into the controversies with the aid of original material as well as recollections of many of the surviving air crew & ground staff. Vividly illustrated with many photographs. Denis Richards, co-author of the official history of RAF operations in World War Two, and Richard Hough, the historian and biographer, have collaborated to write this magnificent new account for the general reader; as well as offering vivid descriptions of the air fighting. It explains with great authority how both sides developed their air forces in the inter-war years, a necessary prelude to a true understanding of the Battle itself. It provides fresh insights into the controversies of the time and makes use of original material derived from interviews and correspondence with over three hundred surviving air-crew and ground staff.

The true and amazing story of Birdsong has never been fully told - until now! This highly illustrated, definitive, important book is the first full account of the British and German mine warfare of the Ypres Salient combining personal testimonies of the tunnellers themselves with details of the workings, giving the reader a new insight into this most secret of all Great War battles and incorporating a host of previously unpublished archive photographs. The underground war had many hazards to overcome - bad, waterlogged ground; camouflets; gas; and the enemy themselves, in hand-to-hand conflict. Overcoming these horrendous difficulties became an obsession in a complex war of silence, tension, claustrophobia and engineering ingenuity.

Theirs was a secret, private and deadly war of blindfold cat and mouse, a round-the-clock kill or be killed nightmare. For the first time, this extraordinary hidden world is explored, explained and revealed in full colour.

This book is an explosive memoir of a 17 year old German boy called up to fight in the last weeks of the Second World War. This is a teenager's vivid account of his experiences as a conscript during the final desperate weeks of the Third Reich, during which he experienced training immediately behind the front line east of Berlin, was caught up in the massive Soviet assault on Berlin from the Oder, retreated successfully and then took part in the fight for the western suburb of Spandau, where he became one of the only two survivors of his company of seventeen year-olds.

Les Bartlett has become one of the great characters of World War II history. He flew as bomb aimer with the then Flying Officer Michael Beetham, who later became Marshal of the Royal Air Force. At that time he was a sergeant but gained his commission in April 1944 and flew his tour, including 27 raids over Germany and France between November 1943 and May 1944. On his second operation his aircraft was attacked by a Ju 88, leaving it with no flaps or brakes - a crash landing at Wittering ensued. At the end of his third mission they found the whole of Lincolnshire fogbound and eventually landed at RAF Melbourne in Yorkshire just before that airfield was closed also because of the fog. His aircraft was hit in the wing by a 30lb incendiary bomb dropped by another Lancaster flying above them on his sixth operation - but they survived. On his twelfth operation to Leipzig he used the nose guns to destroy a Ju 88 night fighter, for which he was awarded the DFM. In February 1944 the port outer engine caught fire and the crew baled out. Les was then posted as Assistant Adjutant to RAF Thornaby.

The bestselling author and widely-respected physician, Dr Frank Ryan reveals new research that shows a daily dose of the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils can reduce our risk of mental decline - especially of dementia and Alzheimer's - by as much as 50 per cent. The first book to weigh up all the evidence about the effectiveness of omega-3s, "The Brain Food Diet" sets out up-to-the-minute scientific evidence - unknown to the public until now - that omega-3s reduce the risk of cognitive decline, Alzheimer's and depression.Written in layman's terms, the book is particularly relevant to the over 50s, but also explains the relevance of omega-3s to improving mental function at all stages of human development. Dr Ryan explains how they prevent heart attacks and strokes, gives useful tips on how to redress a dietary imbalance (for the first time ever showing the right balance of omega-3s with omega-6s), and describes the other ways in which we can all keep our brains healthy.

With 800,000 people in the UK suffering from Alzheimer's and millions in premature mental decline, this is vital reading if a mental health epidemic is to be prevented.

Jilly McNair saw 18 months active service as a Queen Alexandra's nurse in Japan and Korea during the Korean War. During her time as a nurse in the conflict she wrote a large number of letters home to her parents, letters now held by the Imperial War Museum. This is her account of that extraordinary time, based on her letters and illustrated with photographs and drawings she did while stationed there.

This very personal book covers the highs and lows of nursing sick and wounded in the British Commonwealth General Hospital as one of around 80 European women in the garrison in Kure, Japan; and life in the small 100-bedded British Commonwealth Zone Medical Unit in Seoul, Korea. The Korean War has become something of a 'forgotten war', as, focused on recovering from World War Two, many failed to realise the sacrifices made by UN forces and the Korean population. Certainly little has been written about it by women, so this is an important first-hand account by a young British woman in active service during the Korean War.

65 years have passed since a brilliant young art student set sail from Liverpool to fight Japanese aggression in the Far East. Captured on arrival in the chaotic fall of Singapore, Jack Chalker joined the 60,000 allied prisoners driven to the limits of human endurance in the slave labour camps of the infamous Burma Railway. "A sleeper laid for every life lost" ran the legend, and the author's brushes and paints, improvised with genius from the unlikeliest of sources, record not only the misery, squalor, savagery, heroism and fortitude of the prison camps, but also the horrific reality of disease, wounds and the ravages of starvation.Unseen for nearly three generations, the drawings in this book, accompanied by Chalker's own commentary, occupy an enthralling niche in the chronicling of the Second World War.

As an historical document, a medical record, and a tribute to the memory of the thousands who lost their lives, "Burma Railway" is a profoundly moving document, exquisite in its detail, unique in its honesty.It features over 100 full colour illustrations and photographs.

The camp held a number of prisoners such as Gunter d'Alquen, the journalist; Otto Kretschmer, the 'Wolf of the Atlantic'; and Paul Werner Hoppe, former commandant of Stutthof Concentration Camp in Poland. The history of its inception and creation are described, as is the daily life of the prisoners. Although some were allowed out of the camp to work on local farms others, who were labelled as 'black', denoting their high-risk status, were not.

However, all of them had the opportunity to learn new skills or study the many varied courses that were on offer behind the barbed wire. Numerous escape attempts were made but all of the prisoners returned to the camp, either through choice or necessity. Local people give their account of the camp with many having fond memories of the theatre groups and orchestras; one of which played at a local girl's wedding!The camp had a profound effect on Caithness which endures to this day through the friendships built up over its time as Prisoner of War Camp 165.

It brings together a plethora of information with links to other camps, not only in the UK. The role of the London District Cage, infamous for its interrogation of prisoners of war, is also explored as is its impact on the camp's history, including the case of the scientist Paul Schroder who worked on the V2 bomb. The Polish soldiers stationed in Caithness, who lived for a short time in the camp before its status changed, are also included in the book as they too had a considerable impact on Caihtness and its people.

"Camp 165 Watten" will be of special interest to many people in Caithness, those with local connections and anyone interested in military history.

This is the story of the 39 Castle Class corvettes which played such a vital role in countering the U-Boat threat during the latter stages of the Battle of the Atlantic, as told by those involved. A massive 530 pages, very well illustrated