Best of
Military

1973

Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad


William Craig - 1973
    It signaled the beginning of the end for the Third Reich of Adolf Hitler; it foretold the Russian juggernaut that would destroy Berlin and make the Soviet Union a superpower. As Winston Churchill characterized the result of the conflict at Stalingrad: " the hinge of fate had turned." William Craig, author and historian, has painstakingly recreated the details of this great battle: from the hot summer of August 1942, when the German armies smashed their way across southern Russia toward the Volga River, through the struggle for Stalingrad-a city Hitler had never meant to capture and Stalin never meant to defend-on to the destruction of the supposedly invincible German Sixth Army and the terror of the Russian prison camps in frozen Siberia. Craig has interviewed hundreds of survivors of the battle-both Russian and German soldiers and civilians-and has woven their incredible experiences into the fabric of hitherto unknown documents. The resulting mosaic is epic in scope, and the human tragedy that unfolds is awesome.

The Passing of the Night: My Seven Years as a Prisoner of the North Vietnamese


Robinson Risner - 1973
    Book by Robinson Risner

Sand in the Wind


Robert Roth - 1973
    Fiction

Nuremburg Raid, The: 30-31 March 1944


Martin Middlebrook - 1973
    The target received only light damage, while 96 of the 779 attacking aircraft disappeared. What happened that fateful night in 1944? A military writer internationally recognized for his superb research recreates the events in astonishing detail from archives, correspondence with the raid's planners, and interviews with RAF and Luftwaffe aircrews, plus civilians from the bombed area. A meticulous, dramatic, and often controversial testimony.

Log of the Centurion: Based on the original papers of Captain Philip Saumarez on board HMS Centurion, Lord Anson's flagship during his circumnavigation, 1740-1744 (The Age of Sail)


Leo Heaps - 1973
     In 1740, George Anson and his fleet set off to harass Spanish commerce in the Pacific and attack towns on the coasts of Chile and Peru. Four years later, over half the men had died and of the seven ships which left Portsmouth only the Centurion had completed its objective of attacking Spanish possessions around the globe. Although this journey came at the cost of numerous lives and ships, the Centurion had succeeded in capturing the biggest prize of all time, the Acapulco galleon. Captain Philip Saumarez kept a daily record of the voyage around the world in his four log books, which along with a wealth of letters and documents give brilliant insight into life aboard these ships. Leo Heaps has compiled and edited these manuscripts to provide a complete chronicle of the expedition which saw men decimated by scurvy, mutinies among marooned sailors, ships battered by mountainous waves around Cape Horn and eventual glory in the capture of the gold-laden Nuestra Señora de la Covadonga. Log of the Centurion is a unique account of a daring maritime expedition across the high seas of the globe in the mid-eighteenth century. “It is a tribute to her officers that she not only captured the greatest prize at sea, but that she returned at all.” Christopher Lloyd, former Professor of History at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich “It is an absorbing tale … The merit of this book lies in its realistic evocation of the mid-18th century. We have fine descriptions of China and the delicate negotiations conducted with the Manchus for supplies and repairs. Patagonia, Juan Fernandez (Crusoe’s island), Madeira, and other exotic places are vividly described.” Regis A. Courtemanche, History: Reviews of New Books

Go In and Sink!


Douglas Reeman - 1973
    As the balance of the war slowly shifts in Britain's favour, Lieutenant-Commander Steven Marshall brings his battle-scarred submarine into home port. Captain and crew are exhausted after fourteen months' continuous service, but for most there can be no thought of leave. If the enemy collapse in North Africa is to be exploited, every experienced man will be needed. Marshall must return to the Mediterranean, but this time to a very different kind of war. For his new command is secret and extremely hazardous - a captured German U-boat . . .

I'm No Hero: A Pow Story As Told to Glen DeWerff


Charlie Plumb - 1973
    It tells of the torture room with walls built to muffle human screams, of the 'rope trick' and 'fanbelt' techniques designed to make a man talk, of illness, of insanity. But it also tells of the ingenuity and creativity which allowed the men to outsmart their guards and to set up communication systems, classes, escape plans, and to maintain their chain of command.It is a revealing story. It pictures men who are reduced to the basics physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It shows how these situations can be survived with individual integrity and pride intact.It tells of growing relationships with God which came as a result of desperate need. It outlines a closed society's methods of developing rules which allow members to live together in harmony.It is a story of hope, for it suggests that the techniques used by POWs to survive their conditions can be used by others to overcome similar situations faced in day-to-day living.

Talleyrand: A Biography


J.F. Bernard - 1973
    

Ploesti: The Great Ground-Air Battle of 1 August 1943, Revised Edition


James Dugan - 1973
    This mission was Operation Tidal Wave. Its target—“the taproot of German might,” Hitler’s giant oil refineries at Ploesti. Hundreds of U.S. airmen had volunteered for the mission despite warnings that half might not return. In thirty minutes, more firepower was exchanged than in two Gettysburgs, and five men earned the Medal of Honor. Ploesti presents a vivid reconstruction of a dramatic and controversial mission.

For You The War Is Over


Sam Kydd - 1973
    

The American Steel Navy: A Photographic History of the U.S. Navy from the Introduction of the Steel Hull in 1883 to the Cruise of the Great White Fleet, 1907-1909


John D. Alden - 1973
    Navy from its first steel ships authorized in 1883 through the War with Spain until its maturing in the form of the Great White Fleet. The text is heavily illustrated by photographs and drawings of the ships themselves, their equipment, and the men who designed and served on them. Appendices include outline plans of the major ships and biographical sketches of important people involved in their development. This classic study of the U.S. Navy is now back in print due to popular demand. This is the third printing.

Battleships and Battle Cruisers, 1905-1970: Historical Development of the Capital Ship


Siegfried Breyer - 1973
    Breyer's book, published in 1973, shows the plannig, development and fate of all capital ships in all navies around the globe.

Tarawa the Story of a Battle


Robert Sherrod - 1973
    

The Chinese High Command: A History of Communist Military Politics, 1927-71


William W. Whitson - 1973
    

The Last Offensive: The European Theater of Operations


Charles B. MacDonald - 1973
    This volume tells the story of that offensive, one which eventually involved more than four and a half million troops, including ninety-one divisions, sixty-one of which were American. The focus of the volume is on the role of the American armies -First, Third, Seventh, Ninth, and, to a lesser extent, Fifteenth- which comprised the largest and most powerful military force the United States has ever put in the field. The role of Allied armies -First Canadian, First French, and Second British- is recounted in sufficient detail to put the role of American armies in perspective, as is the story of tactical air forces in support of the ground troops.

Encyclopedia of British, Provincial, and German Army Units, 1775-1783


Philip R.N. Katcher - 1973
    Each entry includes the date the regiment was formed, its service during the war, and a listing of the unit's colonel, commander, and lieutenant colonel.

The Man Who Hit The Scharnhorst: The Ordeal Of Leading Seaman Nick Carter


John Austin - 1973
    

Not in Vain


Ken Bell - 1973
    Right through to the German surrender, he captured with his cameras telling scenes of the European battlefields.

Bombers of the West


Bill Gunston - 1973
    

Free Fire Zone: Short Stories by Vietnam Veterans


Wayne Karlin - 1973
    

Wavell: The Viceroy's Journal


Archibald Wavell - 1973
    His journal helps to correct a number of misconceptions concerning this period and leads to a better appraisal of his qualities as a Viceroy and as a man.