It was a brutal six-month campaign that cost the lives of some 7,000 Americans and over 30,000 Japanese.This volume, ten years in the writing, recounts the full story of the critical campaign for Guadalcanal and is based on first-time translations of official Japanese Defense Agency accounts and recently declassified U.S. radio intelligence, Guadalcanal recreates the battle--on land, at sea, and in the air--as never before: it examines the feelings of both American and Japanese soldiers, the strategies and conflicts of their commanders, and the strengths and weaknesses of various fighting units.

    This true story of the Prairie Fire FACs describes the impossible rescues and harrowing day-long missions these courageous fliers experienced as they took the war into the enemy's backyard. Photographs. Martin's.

    Army's Chief of staff through World War II, George Catlett Marshall (1880-1959) organized the military mobilization of unprecedented number of Americans and shaped the Allied strategy that defeated first Nazi Germany, then Imperial Japan. As President Truman's Secretary of State, and later as his Secretary of Defense during the Korean War, Marshall the statesman created the European Recovery Act (known as the Marshall Plan) and made possible the Berlin Airlift. Ed Cray in this masterful biography brings us face-to-face with a genuine American hero and the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

    During World War II Anderson flew with Chuck Yeager in the famed 357th Squadron where he became a triple ace by shooting out of the sky fifteen enemy planes. Following World War II, Anderson became a test pilot and later commanded jet fighter squadrons in South Korea and Okinawa. Then, in 1970, at an age when most pilots have long-since retired, Anderson flew combat strikes over Vietnam.

    Tracking the enemy, lying in wait for the target to appear -- then they shoot to kill. Armed with an unerring eye, infinite patience and a mastery of camouflage, combat snipers stalk the enemy with only one goal... In World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Beirut, American snipers honed the art of delivering a single deadly shot from nowhere -- and devastating enemy morale. They met the enemy on his own turf, picking off officers, unwary soldiers, and even other snipers from extraordinary distances of up to 1 ½ miles. Now, these uncommon men tell their stories: of the emotions felt when a man's face came into their crosshairs and they pulled the trigger, of the nerve-wracking hours and days of waiting, motionless, for the enemy, of the primal savagery of a sniper duel. Often trained haphazardly in wartime, and forgotten in times of peace, combat snipers were officially recognized after the Vietnam War, when the Marine Corps became the first military branch to start a full-time sniper school. One Shot-One Kill is their powerful record of desperate trials and proud victories. A MAIN SELECTION OF THE MILITARY BOOK CLUB

    Fjestad has been expanded to 2,432 pages, easily making it the highest page count of any firearms book currently in print. New 2012 makes and models have been included, along with updated values on discontinued firearms and antiques. The new Blue Book of Gun Values cover features NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre one of the firearms industry's most passionate advocates. Wayne gives Blue Book an exclusive, in-depth interview with sidebars from NRA-ILA's Chris Cox and journalist Tony Makris!Once again, the 80-page Photo Percentage Grading System provides high resolution color images that are the last word to help ascertain any firearm's correct condition factor based on the percentage of original condition. Revolvers, pistols, rifles, and shotguns are also shown separately, in addition to NRA Antique Condition Factors.

    For American commanders it was the culmination of years of planning and hope, the day when their self-defending formations of the famous Flying Fortress could at last perform their true role and reach out by daylight to strike at targets in the deepest corners of industrial Germany. The day ended in disaster for the Americans. Thanks to the courage of the aircrews the bombers won through to the targets and caused heavy damage, but sixty were shot down and the hopes of the American commanders were shattered. Historically, it was probably the most important day for the American air forces during the Second World War.While researching this catastrophic raid the Author interviewed hundreds of the airmen involved, German defenders, ‘slave workers’ and eye witnesses. This took him twice to both the USA and Germany.The result is a mass of fresh, previously unused material with which the author finally provides the full story of this famous day’s operations. Not only is the American side described in far greater depth than before but the previously vague German side of the story – both the Luftwaffe action and the civilian experiences in Schweinfurt and Regensburg, are now presented clearly and in detail for the first time. The important question of why the RAF did not support the American effort and follow up the raid on Schweinfurt as planned is also fully covered.

    This book portrays the gradual awakening in the mind of a young Hitler Youth æeducatedÆ soldier of a Panzer Division, bogged down in the bitterest fighting on the Eastern Front, to the truth of the criminal character of what he is involved in.Having in mind that about 9 out of 10 German soldiers who died in WWII were killed in Russia, the book throws light on the largely unreported heroic sacrifices of Soviet soldiers and civilians often against seemingly hopeless odds, without which Europe might well have fallen to fascism. It deals less with grand strategies, tactics and military technicalities than with the human involvement of ordinary people, from both sides, who were caught up in that enormity of a tragedy, that epic struggle in Russia.It throws light on the chasm which existed between officers and men in the sharply class-divided Wehrmacht with most of the top rank officers having been drawn from the old imperial aristocracy.

    Lieutenant David Brent and his crew are waiting on a torpedo boat – fast, agile and terribly vulnerable.They are the sole members of a Commando raiding party, poised to charge ashore on a carefully orchestrated rescue mission. Little do they know that Hell is about to break loose…The near-suicidal mission has been ordered at the very highest level of government. Now, engines idling, alert for the tell-tale sounds of patrolling E-boats, they can only pray to come out of this alive… A nerve-shredding war thriller that crackles with intensity, perfect for fans of Anthony Trew, Douglas Reeman and Philip McCutchan.

    His sacrifice and the men around him and the wife he loved was quite often more than just blood. Based on real Marines and real combat the life of Gunnery Sergeant Jessie Slate will make you proud of America and proud of the Corps.

    The dramatic national bestseller and remarkably exciting account of Germany's little-known U-boat campaign against merchant shipping along the North American Atlantic coast during the first six months of 1942.

    Based on extensive research and containing new material it uniquely chronicles that struggle through the eyes of the German soldier and analyses the reasons for the eventual outcome.

    Drawing on the wartime memories of these men, Nam describes how America's war machine tore through Southeast Asia, fueled by billions of dollars but no real commitment to win. This year-by-year chronicle includes firsthand accounts highlighted in fact boxes plus a narrative overview of the conflict. Vivid color and black-and-white photographs punch home the realities of life in Vietnam, documenting the terrifying devastation of air strikes and heated jungle battles, as well as the mind-numbing boredom in between. From Da Nang to the U.S. evacuation in 1975, here is the brutal, ugly story of the only war America ever lost. 9" x 12". Color and black-and-white photos.

    Using information from previously classified secrets and techniques for achieving optimal results, this is a book to give readers the competitive edge in both business and personal affairs.

    The Atlas of the Crusades chronicles Christendom's Holy Wars, charting the entire 700-year history of the Crusades with a brilliant integration of text, illustrations, and more than 150 maps.

    This comprehensive reference describes flying fundamentals in a step-by-step, accessible procedures including the solo, cross-country, and night flights. An authoritative volume completely revised regulations, procedures, aeronautical charts, and terminology, this resource also contains a completely serves as a guide for teaching ground and flight instruction as well as a checklist of student accomplishments through the private-pilot knowledge and practical tests.

    For Megan, coming home to Edwards Air Force Base meant facing up to her childhood with a risk-taking father an an alcoholic mother, and finding her own path in a world of handsome test pilots, Officer Club groupies, and Air Force wives. Yet there was something about the tall, confident fighter in cowboy boots and jeans that said he was a breed apart. Coming up the hard way, honing his flying skills, and pushing himself to his limits, Sam Holt was fighting a bitter rivalry and desperately trying to escape the memory of a tragedy. When Sam urged Megan to follow her heart's instincts, a dangerous intrigue of jealousy and scandal started to swirl about them like a hot desert storm, threatening his career and her peace of mind. But Megan knew she was facing her best chance for the most daring act of all--to love...

    Michael Helms boarded a bus to the legendary grounds of Parris Island, where mere boys were forged into hardened Marines—and sent to the jungles of Vietnam. It was the first stop on a journey that would forever change him—and by its end, he would be awarded the Purple Heart Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Unit Citation, and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry. From the brutality and endurance-straining ordeals of boot camp to the endless horror of combat, Helms paints a vivid, unflinchingly realistic depiction of the lives of Marines in training and under fire. As powerful and compelling a battlefield memoir as any ever written, Helms's “grunt's-eye” view of the Vietnam War, the men who fought it, and the mindless chaos that surrounded it, is truly a modern military classic.

    Unpublished letters, written and oral testimony of over 350 veterans restores these gruelling months into a historical record.

    It was here that the U.S. Airborne plunged into the crucible of combat, as green troopers turned into bloodied fighting men. It was here that Spike Harwood, fresh from the mean streets of Detroit, had to battle not only the foe but his own C.O. in a flight against all the savage odds - and for the greatest story.....

    These forces were often dropped behind enemy lines, and despite casualties they triumphed in some of the bloodiest fighting of the war, including the Battle of the Bulge. One such paratrooper was Kurt Gabel, and this is his story.

    In his remarkable career - from nugget, to competent jet aviator, to test pilot, to Vietnam fighter pilot, to air wing commander, to head of Fightertown, USA, Gillcrist flew the F-8 Crusader, F-4 Phantom, F-14 Tomcat, and a myriad of other tactical aircraft. He took part in the Navy\s transition to jet aircraft, when accident rates were high and many feared that jets would not be able to operate in the harsh, demanding environment of blue water ops. Gillcrist saw the introduction of critical innovations - the angled deck, steam catapult, optical landing system - that saved carrier jet aviation from extinction. Few aviators have had such varied and fascinating experiences, and few could write about them with such eloquence. Available now in a new hard cover reprint edition, Feet Wet (aviator talk for reaching the safety of water) is a chronicle of adventure, heroism, courage, and humor, with some of the most exciting passages ever written on flying. From his magical first flight - the sheer exstasy of being airborne, to the heart-pounding excitement of his first night trap, the terror of ejecting from a test plane spinning out of control, to dodging SAMs and jousting with MiGs over Hanoi - Gillcrist takes the reader into his world and vividly conveys what all pilots live for - the tremendous high of all-out flying. As part of his absorbing stories. Gillcrist shares technical information on carrier aviation; the reader sees, step-by-step, how an airplane is launched, and then trapped again on a small deck aboard a moving ship - this, the most dificult feat in aviation. Paul gillcrist retired in 1985 after a 33-year career as a naval aviator. He commanded a fighter squadron, a carrier air wing, a major jet base, and as a flag officer, the Pacific Fleet fighter wing. He flew 167 combat missions in three Vietnam combat deployments, for which he was awarded seventeen combat decorations. Paul Gillcrist is also the author of Tomcat! The Grumman F-14 Story, Crusader! Last of the Gunfighters, and Vulture\s Row: Thirty Years in Naval Aviation (all three titles are available from Schiffer Publishing Ltd.).

    strike Berlin in a daylight raid and winner of three Presidential Distinguished Unit citations. Its personal stories chronicle furious air combat, fiery crashes, captures, escapes and friendships forged for life. Caught up in a global war, the men of the legendary 95th found the courage to alter the course of history. Ian Hawkins is the author of Munster: Bloody Skies Over Europe.

    F, 6th South Carolina Cavalry) in the Civil War.

    An unforgettable account of bravery and survival under impossible conditions, told entirely in the words of the men who braved the ordeal together.

    THis series was originally conceived in 1883 by the editors of Century Company, who set out to provide an accurate, unbiased account of the war. It was authored by the commanders and their subordinates from both the Confederate and Union forces who actually fought, planned or were eyewitnesses to the events they describe therein. Volume 1 begins with a view of Washington on the eve of the war, gives an account of the fall of Fort Sumter, the preperations for war in the North and South, and the formation of the Confederacy.

    THis series was originally conceived in 1883 by the editors of Century Company, who set out to provide an accurate, unbiased account of the war. It was authored by the commanders and their subordinates from both the Confederate and Union forces who actually fought, planned or were eyewitnesses to the events they describe therein. Volume 2 opens with the siege and capture of Fort Pulaski, the capture of New Orleans, and a summary of operations in the far southwest. It covers the Peninsular Campaign, the battles of Yorktown, Williamsburg, Manassas, and Seven Pines.

    

    

    This book traces the complex development of the aircraft, including the political in-fighting which delayed it, its test programmes and its active service in various theatres.

    

    Its global scope and human toll reveal the true face of modern, industrialized warfare. Now, for the first time, we have a comprehensive, single-volume account of how and why this global conflict evolved as it did. 'A War to be Won' is a unique and powerful operational history of the Second World War that tells the full story of battle on land, on sea, and in the air. Williamson Murray and Allan R. Millett analyze the operations and tactics that defined the conduct of the war in both the European and Pacific Theaters. Moving between the war room and the battlefield, we see how strategies were crafted and revised, and how the multitudes of combat troops struggled to discharge their orders. The authors present incisive portraits of the military leaders, on both sides of the struggle, demonstrating the ambiguities they faced, the opportunities they took, and those they missed. Throughout, we see the relationship between the actual operations of the war and their political and moral implications. 'A War to be Won' is the culmination of decades of research by two of America's premier military historians. It avoids a celebratory view of the war but preserves a profound respect for the problems the Allies faced and overcame as well as a realistic assessment of the Axis accomplishments and failures. It is the essential military history of World War II-from the Sino-Japanese War in 1937 to the surrender of Japan in 1945-for students, scholars, and general readers alike.

    This tale of blood and vengeance is just one chapter in the valiant history of an oppressed people.

    He ended the war as a Lieutenant General - and was again a squadron commander - this time flying Me 262 jet fighters. In all of aviation history there is no comparable rise and fall by a fighter pilot. The most famous German ace and fighter leader of his generation, Galland's story is simultaneously that of the Luftwaffe Fighter Arm, in which he served from foundation to finish. Fighter General recounts the career of an outstanding combat leader torn from the fighter cockpit to defend his country - and sometimes his own pilots - in the bizarre bureaucracy of the Luftwaffe High Command. Galland's battles against the Allied air forces, both as a general and in individual combat, hold no less drama than his head-on battles with Goering and Hitler. Galland's triumphs and tragedies, his friends and his flames, his humor and heartaches pulse anew in Fighter General. Here in this official biography is real-life adventure to shame the wildest fiction.

    

    New Hardcover with dust jacket

    It spans the centuries from the Persian Wars to Clausewitz at the beginning of the 19th century. Although individual details have been criticised, Delbr ck counts among the great 19th century German historians, Gregorovius, Mommsen, von Ranke and Burckhardt. Delbruck puts paid once and for all to the view that wars are only conducted by the leaders in the field; for him, military organisation and changes in tactics over the centuries are of primary significance, and he relates these changes to political history. At the same time he unfolds a living panorama of the various social groupings and the cultural context.

    With extensive use of primary sources and strong secondary sources, it places us closer to the actual operational planning, preparation, and deployment of one of the most successful military operations in recent history. It covers major changes made by the German Army after the Polish Campaign; and the infighting surrounding these changes; the reorganization and preparation of the Army for the Battle of France. It also provides the only detailed day-by-day breakdown of German action during the battle's first five critical days. According to S. J. Lewis, it provides a totally new perspective to these battles and a unique view of the German Army.This volume covers extensive ground and uses numerous appendices and detailed biographical sketches to set the stage for its primary focus--a five day period during the Battle of France. Similar to the Allied Invasion of Normandy, the campaign plan for the Battle of France required six months to develop and elaborate. As a result, this reading provides an ideal opportunity to observe the World War II German Army performing its military work and an insightful look at the friction inherent in campaign planning and on the battlefield.

    It examines the area where intelligence and operations overlap; the nature of co-ordination between the two; and the support provided by intelligence to operational planning and execution (or the absence of such support). This is not a study of intelligence work as such, but of how intelligence can improve the chances of success on the battlefield by facilitating the more effective and economical use of troops.

    Certainly it included a fascinating cast of characters and more than its share of enduring poignancy. Especially moving were the deaths of two of the best and the brightest on both sides, Stephen Dodsen Ramseur of North Carolina, a Major General at 27, and the brilliant and revered 29-year-old Charles Russell Lowell of Massachusetts.Among others who met on that field were the two rival commanders, tiny Phil Sheridan and blasphemous Jubal Early; George Armstrong Custer; John Gordon; George Crook; Tom Rosser; two future presidents, Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley; and many more. In thoroughly exploring their lives and prior experiences in the war the narrative includes descriptions of 1st and 2nd Manassas, Seven Pines, Gaines's Mill, Antietam (Sharpsburg), Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Brandy Station, and Gettysburg.No more dramatic battle could be imagined than what occurred that October day at Cedar Creek. It began with a pre-dawn assault by the Confederates that drove the Federal left wing back, followed by Sheridan's famous 14-mile ride on his legendary horse, Rienzi, to rally his retreating army, and ended in growing darkness as the victorious Federals drove the Confederates from the field.The book closes with an account of the subsequent fates of the main figures of Cedar Creek, which included for some participation in the surrender of Appomattox barely six months later, and ranged from fighting Indians in the West to politics and building railroads. none of them, the author points out, ever forgot Cedar Creek or ceased to write or talk about it, whether with generosity or bitterness toward former comrades and foes.

    In his remarkable career - from "nugget", to competent jet aviator, to test pilot, to Vietnam fighter pilot, to air wing commander, to head of "Fightertown, USA," Gillcrist flew the F-8 Crusader, F-4 Phantom, F-14 Tomcat, and a myriad of other tactical aircraft. He took part in the Navy's transition to jet aircraft, when accident rates were high and many feared that jets would not be able to operate in the harsh, demanding environment of "blue water ops." Gillcrist saw the introduction of critical innovations - the angled deck, steam catapult, optical landing system - that saved carrier jet aviation from extinction. Few aviators have had such varied and fascinating experiences, and few could write about them with such eloquence. Available now in a new hard cover reprint edition, Feet Wet (aviator talk for reaching the safety of water) is a chronicle of adventure, heroism, courage, and humor, with some of the most exciting passages ever written on flying. From his magical first flight - the sheer exstasy of being airborne, to the heart-pounding excitement of his first night "trap," the terror of ejecting from a test plane spinning out of control, to dodging SAMs and jousting with MiGs over Hanoi - Gillcrist takes the reader into his world and vividly conveys what all pilots live for - the tremendous "high" of all-out flying. As part of his absorbing stories. Gillcrist shares technical information on carrier aviation; the reader sees, step-by-step, how an airplane is launched, and thentrapped again on a small deck aboard a moving ship - this, the most dificult feat in aviation. Paul gillcrist retired in 1985 after a 33-year career as a naval aviator. He commanded a fighter squadron, a carrier air wing, a major jet base, and as a flag officer, the Pacific Fleet fighter wing. He flew 167 combat missions in three Vietnam combat deployments, for which he was awarded seventeen combat decorations. Paul Gillcrist is also the author of Tomcat! The Grumman F-14 Story, Crusader! Last of the Gunfighters, and Vulture's Row: Thirty Years in Naval Aviation (all three titles are available from Schiffer Publishing Ltd.).

    Tight spine, clear crisp pages, no writing, no tears, smokefree.

    The P-51 Mustang is widely regarded as the best propeller-driven fighter that ever flew. What many might not realize is that the plane's developer was a German migrant. This book tells of how Schmued created a weapon that would ultimately prove lethal to the aspirations of those who had seized control over his native land.

     ‘An unexpected and utter joy to read.’ - Financial Times ‘Enthralling.’ The Mail on Sunday ‘Friend of Hemingway, dandy, lover and tactician, Chink is marvellously retrieved here.’ - Sunday Times Books of the Year ‘Chink, at the heart of the international bohemian world, was a figure as incongruous as David Niven strolling into a novel by Dostoyevsky. Hemingway had a lasting admiration for his friend and repeatedly wove elements of him into his fictions over more than 30 years. But Chink’s real-life story, as told by Lavinia Greacen, is a stranger and more poignant tale than anything the novelist made of it.’ - The Times ‘This moving story of an uncompromising outsider must be one of the most interesting publishing coups of the year.’ - Sunday Independent ‘Greacen’s biography deserves wide attention. It is at once shiningly honest and unapologetically partisan; it illuminates the nature both of courage and of command. I cannot think of any account of soldiering, by a man or a woman, which more convincingly conveys its bloody allure.’ - Frederic Raphael, The Listener ‘Was Chink a military wizard who fell foul of the conservatism of ‘Eton in Uniform’? Or was he an egocentric whose skills as a tactician were outweighed by his idiosyncrasies? Whatever the answer, this is an absorbing story which tells us as much about the modern British military as it does about this ‘Chink’ in its armour.’ - Daily Mail ‘This complex man has been finely and carefully drawn by Lavinia Greacen. Her use of the family papers and her wide-ranging research have brought Chink to life.’ - Hampstead & Highgate Express ‘This book, superbly researched and crafted, is a classic tragedy, the inexorable story of a hero destroyed by his own flaws, the hubris that made him a hero. I would not know a TAC HQ or CIGS if I met one, and yet, thanks to the ease of Lavinia Greacen’s story-telling, I read this biography in almost one sitting.’ - Books Ireland ‘Lavinia Greacen’s readable and intelligent book states the case for Chink without overstating it. She is aware of his faults as well as his great gifts. The picture which emerges is a convincing one, revealing his charm and his inventive intelligence as well as his vanity.’ - Sunday Times ‘A dazzling triumph, widely and justifiably acclaimed. I know of several people who tried to get copies and were unable to do so because it had sold out. It is a superb work, both a magnificent piece of research sustained by a beautifully crafted narrative style.’ - Irish Times ‘A tragic climax, and the enthralling story of a soldier whose worst enemy was himself.’ - Mail on Sunday ‘A graceful and sympathetic biographer who plots the details of his tendentious career with skill and compassion.’ - Irish Independent ‘Fascinatingly told; one of the best biographies for years.’ - Irish Times British general and passionate Irish nationalist; revered by Auchinleck, sacked by Churchill; Hemingway’s lifelong hero and Montgomery’s villain – Chink Dorman-Smith remains a fascinating and controversial enigma. This is the acclaimed biography of the brilliant soldier who outwitted Rommel at the First Battle of Alamein and helped turn the tide for the British army – only to fall into disgrace and obscurity.

    It discusses the development of the armed forces as institutions and examines the relationship between governments and military policy. This book is a revised and updated edition of one of the most acclaimed overviews of Australian military history available. It is the only comprehensive, single-volume treatment of the role and development of Australia's military and their involvement in war and peace across the span of Australia's modern history. It concludes with consideration of Australian involvement in its region and more widely since the terrorist attacks of September 11 and the waging of the global war on terror.

    

     On that day the Luftwaffe mounted two large-scale daylight raids on London. Winston Churchill, on a visit to No. 11 Group’s underground headquarters, watched Air Vice-Marshal Park direct his Spitfires and Hurricanes against the enemy with devastating effect. The dogfights were among the most concentrated ever fought, with no fewer than eight aircraft destroyed in mid-air collisions. Bombs caused severe damage in Battersea and East Ham, and Buckingham Palace was hit. Its tail knocked off when it was rammed by a Hurricane, a Dornier smashed into the forecourt of Victoria station. One of the plane’s crewmen, landing by parachute near Kennington Oval cricket ground, was set upon by enraged civilians and received fatal injuries. That evening the defenders triumphantly proclaimed that they had destroyed 185 German planes, giving a much-needed boost to British morale. The German High Command knew the true number of aircraft lost was only 56, but the day’s hard fighting forced them to realize that there would be no victory over Royal Air Force Fighter Command before the weather broke in the autumn. Without air superiority over the Channel a successful invasion of England was out of the question, and Adolf Hitler called a halt to the preparations to invade England. This book tells the story of the momentous events of 15 September 1940, seen through the eyes of more than sixty of those who witnessed them in the air or on the ground. Alfred Price served as an aircrew officer in the Royal Air Force and, during a flying career spanning fifteen years, he logged some 4,000 flying hours. While in the service he specialized and instructed in air fighting tactics. Now working full time as an author, he has written more than thirty books on aviation subjects including Battle of Britain: Target Berlin and One Day in a Long War on the hardest-fought action over North Vietnam. He holds a PhD in history from Loughborough University, is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and compiles aviation questions for the popular BBC programme Mastermind.

    Full-color illustrations.

    Historian Carol Reardon scrutinizes the Army's relationship to its own history and traces the Army's attempts, from the end of the Civil War through the Progressive Era, to lay claim to the discipline of military history.Owning military history was important to the Army, Reardon maintains. Not only was military history a cornerstone in the Army's emerging education system, but it carried with it a professional image and social respectability as well.As a result, the Army tenaciously defended the discipline from the incursions of civilian academics, arguing that military professionals should set the standards for the study of military history. The American Historical Association, on the other hand, countered that military history should not be left to amateurs.In this well-researched study Rearson argues that the lengthy, unresolved debate over proprietorship of military history was largely responsible for its demise as a discipline during the half century following World War I.

    In the bestselling tradition of Thomas Fleming's Officers' Wives, here is a glorious novel about the indomitable women married to the military--and their dreams of pride and honor.

    Anne Noggle, now a photographer and author based in Albuquerque, has captured the spirit of these dynamic aviation pioneers in her photographic book For God, Country, and the Thrill of It.In 1943-44 Noggle was a WASP--a member of the Women Airforce Service Pilots group, the country's first women military pilots. She and her colleagues disproved assertions that women would be too emotional or high-strung to fly military aircraft. They flew every type of plane in use at the time, initially ferrying aircraft wherever they were needed and later serving as test pilots and "enemy" in training maneuvers for male combat flyers. Earning $50 a month less than male counterparts in noncombatant roles, WASPs were called on several times to test planes, such as the P-39, that male flyers had declared "flying coffins." The women flyers had better records and adhered to flight regulations, and after their test flights the military declared that the planes were indeed safe to fly--if flown properly. Still, thirty-eight WASPs did lose their lives on active duty. Not until 1979, however, did Congress affirm that these women had been in active military service and were thus eligible for veterans' benefits. Women Airforce Service Pilots had been abruptly dismissed in December 1944, when it was decided that they were no longer needed.Since 1944 Anne Noggle has been a flight instructor, a crop duster, and an air show pilot. More recently she has turned her considerable energy and enthusiasm toward photography and serves on the arts faculty at the University of New Mexico. It was at the 1986 WASP reunion at their old training ground on the flat prairies of Sweetwater, Texas, that Anne Noggle made the stunning photographs of these military pioneers. The Chicago Tribune reported that "the portraits, taken against a neutral background that focuses attention on the women themselves, are the heart of the book. . . . Pride and confidence are hallmarks of these pictures. Some women wear their uniforms and the rest wear every manner of civilian dress. But all of them wear their wings and their age with the distinct bearing of people who challenged their own strength of character and won." The WASP portraits have been exhibited across the country. Ms. Noggle's interest in photography on women's experiences in the military took her to Moscow three times, even as the Soviet Union dissolved. Her forthcoming book, A Dance with Death (fall 1994), presents the stories of the Soviet Union's female combat pilots in World War II, along with historic photographs and contemporary portraits by Noggle.

    

    The last 20 years have witnessed a growing appreciation of his importance as a social commentator on the nature of life and the strategic and psychological preoccupations in a typical Greek city-state at a time dominated by two extraordinary and untypical ones, Athens and Sparta. In Aineias we see what conditions were like in a "polis" obliged to play the passive role in the history of its age: not laying siege but suffering it. His recommendations on this clearly derive from his own accumulated experience, but he also draws copious illustrative material from other writers including Herodotus and Thucydides. The author provides a comprehensive introduction and a full historical commentary.

    Ten thousand British tribal warriors fell to the troops of Julius Agricola in the culmination of a campaign in which much of North Britain was over-run and subsequently occupied by the Romans. The description of the battle by P. Cornelius Tacitus, son-in-law of the Roman victor, has intrigued and delighted scholars over the ages. This work analyzes that literary records, and considers the evidence in the light of the very latest advances in knowledge and research.

    

    

    We witness the climactic moments and brave deeds that made history in World War II: the bombing of Pearl Harbor, where fifteen men earned the medal; the vicious, desperate fighting in the Pacific islands; the invasion on the beaches of Normandy, and other crucial battles in the European theater, as the history of World War II unfolds in the heroic deeds of the men who won the war.

    Hoyt demonstrates both his flair for dramatic battle accounts and his penetrating eye for personal and political motivation. He offers a thorough and engaging portrait of Admiral Yamamoto and, from that vantage point, provides a revealing new view of the events of World War II."Yamamoto" details his life from his youth in Nagaoka and his early military successes, to the dynamic leader's orchestration of the infamous sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, his subsequent naval victories, and his eventual assassination by American fighter planes in the Solomon Islands at the order of President Roosevelt himself.

    well and offers many sound perceptions." --Choice..". a stimulating book... a timely warning against overindulgence in hindsight in evaluating the great issues of the war... " --Parameters..". a significant new study... a clearly written, excellent book... " --Airpower Journal..". an impressive work of scholarship... " --British Politics Group Newsletter"Wilt's comparative approach permits us fresh perspectives on both sides of the war. Moreover, Wilt has chosen to compare two of the major rival belligerents at the most stimulating and interesting level at which such comparison might be made, the level of the summit of decision making--with the magnetic figures of Hitler and Churchill playing major roles in his narrative and analysis." --Russell F. Weigley"This is a masterful treatment of a complex subject and a must read book for anyone writing about the Second World War." --The Historian

    

    Charles Allen draws political, social and moral conclusions from interviews with a wide-ranging, cross-section of the "survivors". He covers all ranks, services and areas of conflict, from the struggles in Palestine in 1948 to the Cyprus emergency of 1955 and the recent fighting in Northern Ireland and the Falklands.

    

    Drawing on French Army archives, the author presents a definitive account of Napoleon's 1813 army, its composition and organization previously unavailable in English. 207 pages of narrative and charts, appendices and notes from page 211 through to page 373.

    

    Skillfully analyzing a mass of previously inaccessible and often quite astonishing data, he demonstrates conclusively that Allied victory—against both the Axis and Japan—finally owed for more to the endless stream of tanks, artillery and military aircraft rolling off Allied production lines than it did to the ability of their commanders. Drawing from his masterly analysis of production statistics, Ellis reviews the entire course of the war and demonstrates how American, British and Russian commanders continually mismanaged the resources at their deposal and how serious mistakes were made in almost every theater of war—land, sea and air. Time and again, Allied generals proved incapable of deploying their numerical advantage in the most effective way, instead falling back on crude, attritional tactics that prolonged the war unnecessarily: appalling armored tactics in Africa, Italy and Northwest Europe; Bomber Command’s wrongheaded targeting policies; Russian acceptance of enormous casualty bills; the American navy’s failure to recognize that Japan’s economy and lines of imperial communication should have been the prime target—all of these issues and many more are thoroughly aired in this authoritative and stimulating work.

    For 872 days between 1941 and 1944, residents of Leningrad starved and scavenged, and the result was a humanitarian catastrophe with few historical parallels. Elena Kochina was thirty–four when the blockade began, and reasonably prosperous―she had a job, a loving family, and an active cultural life. All of this was promptly effaced, and Blockade Diary is the record what happened next. Her book goes inside the horror to reveal the blockade in its totality. But this is far more than a catalogue of suffering and starvation: Blockade Diary is a testament to selfishness and moral collapse, but also a tribute to generosity and courage. This remarkable book reveals humanity at its best and worst.

    

    

    This is a history to redress the past neglect of the regular infantry. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.