Best of
Military

2008

The Last Stand of Fox Company: A True Story of U.S. Marines in Combat


Bob Drury - 2008
    Their only chance for survival is to fight their way south through the Toktong Pass, a narrow gorge that will need to be held open at all costs. The mission is handed to Captain William Barber and the 234 Marines of Fox Company, a courageous but undermanned unit of the First Marines. Barber and his men climb seven miles of frozen terrain to a rocky promontory overlooking the pass, where they will endure four days and five nights of nearly continuous Chinese attempts to take Fox Hill. Amid the relentless violence, three-quarters of Fox’s Marines are killed, wounded, or captured. Just when it looks like the outfit will be overrun, Lt. Colonel Raymond Davis, a fearless Marine officer who is fighting south from Chosin, volunteers to lead a daring mission that cuts a hole in the Chinese lines and relieves the men of Fox. This is a fast-paced and gripping account of heroism and sacrifice in the face of impossible odds.

The Mission, the Men, and Me: Lessons from a Former Delta Force Commander


Pete Blaber - 2008
    And he's learned and experienced more about the real world and how things really work than most people could imagine.

Apache. Ed Macy


Ed Macy - 2008
    An astonishing first book, Apache is a story of courage, comradeship, technology and tragedy, during the ongoing war in Afghanistan.

Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives


Jim Sheeler - 2008
    It begins with a knock at the door. “The curtains pull away. They come to the door. And they know. They always know,” said Major Steve Beck. Since the start of the war in Iraq, Marines like Major Beck found themselves thrown into a different kind of mission: casualty notification. It is a job Major Beck never asked for and one for which he received no training. They are given no set rules, only impersonal guidelines. Marines are trained to kill, to break down doors, but casualty notification is a mission without weapons. For Beck, the mission meant learning each dead Marine’s name and nickname, touching the toys they grew up with and reading the letters they wrote home. He held grieving mothers in long embraces, absorbing their muffled cries into the dark blue shoulder of his uniform. He stitched himself into the fabric of their lives, in the simple hope that his compassion might help alleviate at least the smallest piece of their pain. Sometimes he returned home to his own family unable to keep from crying in the dark. In Final Salute, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Jim Sheeler weaves together the stories of the fallen and of the broken homes they have left behind. It is also the story of Major Steve Beck and his unflagging efforts to help heal the wounds of those left grieving. Above all, it is a moving tribute to our troops, putting faces to the mostly anonymous names of our courageous heroes, and to the brave families who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this country. Final Salute is the achingly beautiful, devastatingly honest story of the true toll of war. After the knock on the door, the story has only begun.

Easy Company Soldier: The Legendary Battles of a Sergeant from World War II's "Band of Brothers"


Don Malarkey - 2008
    Don Malarkey takes us not only into the battles fought from Normandy to Germany, but into the heart and mind of a soldier who beat the odds to become an elite paratrooper, and lost his best friend during the nightmarish engagement at Bastogne. Drafted in 1942, Malarkey arrived at Camp Toccoa in Georgia and was one of the one in six soldiers who earned their Eagle wings. He went to England in 1943 to provide cover on the ground for the largest amphibious military attack in history: Operation Overlord.In the darkness of D-day morning, Malarkey parachuted into France and within days was awarded a Bronze Star for his heroism in battle. He fought for twenty-three days in Normandy, nearly eighty in Holland, thirty-nine in Bastogne, and nearly thirty more in and near Haugenau, France, and the Ruhr pocket in Germany.This is his dramatic tale of those bloody days fighting his way from the shores of France to the heartland of Germany, and the epic story of how an adventurous kid from Oregon became a leader of men.

Belisarius I: Thunder at Dawn


Eric Flint - 2008
    Guided or possessed by an intelligence from beyond time, with new weapons, old treachery, and an implacable will to power, the Malwa will sweep over the whole Earth. Only three things stand between the Malwa and their plan of eternal domination: the empire of Rome in the East, Byzantium; a crystal with vision; and a man named Belisarius, the greatest commander Earth has ever known.In the Heart of Darkness : Having conquered sixth century India, the Malwa Empire is forging the subcontinent's vast population into an invincible weapon of tyranny. Belisarius, the finest general of his age, must save the world. Guided by visions from a future that may never be, he and a band of comrades penetrate the Malwa heartland, seeking the core of the enemy's power. And when Belisarius leads the forces of good, only a fool would side with evil.

The Marine's Baby, Maybe


Rogenna Brewer - 2008
     Wife. Widow. Mother-to-be. All Caitlin Calhoun wanted was to honor her late husband by having his baby. But thanks to an unfortunate mix-up, her baby’s father is her husband’s half-brother. Caitlin would like to keep that little secret between the two of them. Marine. Uncle? Biological donor-daddy? “Lucky” Luke Calhoun Jr. has always been unlucky in love. Family is the last thing the battle-hardened Marine expected to have––not with all the bad blood running through his own. But he’s not the kind of man to turn his back on his child or the child’s mother. Can the unluckiest Calhoun convince Caitlin he’s the real deal? She's having his baby...and they're about to meet for the first time. Don’t miss this full-length bundle of joy––get your copy of The Marine’s Baby, Maybe today!

Tank Men: The Human Story of Tanks at War


Robert Kershaw - 2008
    This is warfare at the sharp end' --NOTTINGHAM EVENING POST The First World War saw the birth of an extraordinary fighting machine that has fascinated three generations: the tank. In Tank Men, ex-soldier and military historian Robert Kershaw brings to life the grime, the grease and the fury of a tank battle through the voices of ordinary men and women who lived and fought in those fearsome machines. Drawing on vivid, newly researched personal testimony from the crucial battles of the First and Second World Wars, this is military history at its very best.

Surviving Hell: A POW's Journey


Leo Thorsness - 2008
    Air Force in 1951 at age 18 and became a jet pilot during the Vietnam War. During an 1967 mission he was shot down over North Vietnam. Injured and captured, he spent six years in the Hanoi Hilton. When the war ended in 1973, Thorsness was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Surviving Hell is a harrowing story of captivity, as told by the man who lived it.

A Dawn Like Thunder: The True Story of Torpedo Squadron Eight


Robert J. Mrazek - 2008
    fleet win critical victories at Midway and Guadalcanal. These 35 American men--many flying outmoded aircraft--changed the course of history, going on to become the war's most decorated naval air squadron, while suffering the heaviest losses in U.S. naval aviation history. Mrazek paints moving portraits of the men in the squadron, and exposes a shocking cover-up that cost many lives. Filled with thrilling scenes of battle, betrayal, and sacrifice, A DAWN LIKE THUNDERis destined to become a classic in the literature of World War II.

Wild Card


Lora Leigh - 2008
    All Navy SEAL Nathan Malone had to do was rescue three young girls from a Colombia drug cartel, then allow himself to be captured just long enough to draw out a government spy. That was before his mission went disastrously wrong…and before his wife, Bella, was told that Nathan was never coming home.Bella’s mourned her husband’s death for three long years. But she has no idea he’s still alive. Forced to assume a new identity, the man Nathan was is now dead. If he can get back to his wife, can he keep the secret of who he really is…even as desire threatens to consume them? And as danger threatens to tear Bella from Nathan’s arms once more?

Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives


Jocelyn Green - 2008
    This book is not “ten easy steps” for a painless life; instead, it is a collection of devotions that squarely addresses the challenges wives face when their husbands are away protecting freedom, challenges like:How does a military wife maintain a strong sense of patriotism without allowing her country to become an idol?What good can possibly come from moving every two or three years?How can I be sure that God has a purpose for my life that’s as strong as His purpose for my husband’s?The foundation of this devotional is the unchanging character of God and the anchor of Jesus Christ, even amidst the shifting circumstances of a military family.

We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam


Harold G. Moore - 2008
    And Young" (1992) is still required reading in all branches of the military. Every day the authors receive letters from readers wanting to know what's happened to the characters they came to admire such as Ed "Too Tall to Fly" Freeman and Bruce "Old Snake" Crandall. There are also questions about whether they are still in touch with their North Vietnam counterparts and where they are now.Many of these questions are finally answered in title "We are Soldiers Still", which recounts a unique journey back to the battlefields by the commanders and veterans of both sides - a journey which ended with the authors and some of the comrades stranded overnight, alone, on the isolated field code-named Landing Zone XRay where so many perished. They will tell what was learned and felt during a night when a meteor shower filled the sky and peace came upon them. The authors mix gritty and vivid detail with reverence and respect for their comrades. Their authority on the military, their ability to capture man's sense of heroism and brotherhood, and readers' fascination with their story is sure to make this a must-buy book for all history buffs. While "We Were Soldiers" brought to life an important moment in US history, "We are Soldiers Still" will illuminate how that history has changed the authors, the men involved, and our country.

Mortar Gunner on the Eastern Front: The Memoir of Dr Hans Rehfeldt. Volume 1: From the Moscow Winter Offensive to Operation Zitadelle


Hans Heinz Rehfeldt - 2008
    Battling in freezing conditions, at its lowest -52℃, the descriptions of the privations are vivid and terrifying. With no winter clothes they resorted to using those taken from Soviet corpses.In 1942, fighting near Oriel, however, his battalion suffered heavy losses and was disbanded. Ill with frostbitten legs, Rehfeldt was treated in hospital and once recovered was dispatched to the Front.Following various battles (Werch, Bolchov) his battalion again suffered heavy losses and it merged. In agony from severe frostbite to his legs, Rehfeldt defied the odds and astonished his surgeon when he walked again. He was promoted from Gunner to Trained Private Soldier in 1942, and to Corporal for bravery in the field in 1943.He was awarded numerous honors including the Wound Badge and the Infantry Assault Badge.On 3 May 1945 he was captured by US Forces and held as POW for one month in a camp at Waschow before internment in Holstein from where he was released in July 1945 after agreeing to work on the land. In December 1945 he began studying veterinary medicine: his future career.This astonishing account of a man who kept bouncing back from near death is a testament to the author’s determination and sheer strength of spirit.

Freeground


Randolph Lalonde - 2008
    Large enough to support an entire civilization, one of the last free ports all alone in the dark, Freeground Station is about to come under siege. Able to fight off periodical assaults and attempted takeovers in the past, they are losing ground technologically, and with no nearby allies they find themselves resorting to the unorthodox to improve their situation. Jonas Valent, a former engineer with the Freeground Fleet has reduced his professional life as a trade and supply agent, a not so glorified port traffic director. In his spare time he and his friends engage in anonymous combat with anyone who opposes them in station wide simulations. Their success rate and original thinking have earned them the attention of Freeground Fleet Command who have plans for the unsuspecting anonymous team. This book is about how it all began for Jonas and his friends. How they came together and took their first steps out into the galaxy. This is the first installment in the First Light Chronicles Series and can also be found in the First Light Chronicles Omnibus.

The Gettysburg Companion: A Guide to the Most Famous Battle of the Civil War


Mark Adkin - 2008
    Based on extensive research, The Gettysburg Companion describes the battle in detail, drawing on firsthand accounts of participants on all sides in order to give the reader a vivid sense of what it was like to experience the carnage at Gettysburg in early July 1863. The many full-color maps--all specially commissioned for the book--and the numerous photographs, charts, and diagrams make this book a feast for the eyes and a collector's dream.

Apache Dawn


Damien Lewis - 2008
    Deployed for the first time in Afghanistan, it has already passed into legend. The only thing more incre - dible than the Apache itself are the pilots that fly her. For the first time, "Apache Dawn "tells their story--and their baptism of fire in the unforgiving battle of Helmand Province. Their call-sign was "Ugly"--and there was no better word for the grueling 100-day deployment they endured. Day after day, four of England's Army Air Corps' finest pilots flew right into the heart of battle, testing their aircraft to the very limit. "Apache Dawn "takes the reader with them on a series of unrelenting and brutally intense combat missions, from daring, edge-ofthe- seat rescues to dramatic close-air support in the white heat of battle. Bestselling author Damien Lewis has been given unprece - dented access to these heroic aircrews and to the men on the ground whose lives they saved. It is an astounding story of bravery, skill and resilience in the face of unbelievable odds. And it is the story of the Apache itself--the ultimate fighting machine.

Whisky Tango Foxtrot


Lynne M. Black Jr. - 2008
    You have to know Lynne, he is one of those easy going guys that just do everything well. Lynne was on his second tour in Vietnam when he came to SOG recon. He was a grunt in the 173rd Airborne on the first tour and returning to Vietnam and SOG recon as a SP4 right out of Special Forces Training Group. So there was nothing special that prepared him for the day that Spike Team Alabama invaded a division base camp. But that day Lynne became a 10 (Team Leader) in one of the most successful small unit actions against a large enemy concentrations in military history. There have been a lot of lobsided "last stands" in military history, but there has been one that I know of where a small Special Forces led team completely outfought (with the dead enemies weapons and ammo) and out maneuvered a division on their own ground. ST Alabama lost two men in the fight and according to an enemy survivor of that engagement the NVA lost 80% of a division (a large portion was KBA called by the team and covey rider). That was Lynne's first mission in SOG recon, read this book to find out the rest and when you are done you will be waiting for his next book.To order this book contact Lynne Black at idahonezero@msn.com the cost is $25.00 (includes S&H).

Never Surrender: A Soldier's Journey to the Crossroads of Faith and Freedom


William G. Boykin - 2008
    His work in this area of the military placed him in many battles--some of them legendary. He was commander of the Delta Force team portrayed in the movie Black Hawk Down. These and other dramatic experiences make Boykin's life story read like the riveting fiction of Tom Clancy. He shares how his foundation of faith--while challenged and even broken--was restored and became the lifeblood that brought him through unimaginable circumstances to a rich and inspiring life.In the end, the general realizes his life would have gone very differently, even tragically, without his faith.

Green Eyes and Black Rifles: Warriors Guide to the Combat Carbine


Kyle E. Lamb - 2008
    Lamb passes on lessons learned to fellow Warriors. Green Eyes and Black Rifles: The Warrior s Guide to the Combat Carbine is intended to enhance your shooting skills, and refine the tactical employment of your combat carbine. New shooter and veteran alike will find a wealth of information, and numerous tools for their tactical toolbox. You will also see references to combat mindset, and its value in training and actual encounters. So learn, enjoy, and most of all....stay in the fight!

Those Damned Black Hats! The Iron Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign


Lance J. Herdegen - 2008
    Hardy men were these soldiers from Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan, who waged war beneath their unique black Hardee Hats on many fields, from Brawner's Farm during the Second Bull Run Campaign all the way to Appomattox. In between were memorable combats at South Mountain, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Mine Run, the Overland Campaign, and the grueling fighting around Petersburg. None of these battles compared with the "four long hours" of July 1, 1863, at Gettysburg, where the Iron Brigade was all but wrecked.Lance Herdegen's Those Damned Black Hats! The Iron Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign is the first book-length account of their remarkable experiences in Pennsylvania during that fateful summer of 1863. Drawing upon a wealth of sources, including dozens of previously unpublished or unused accounts, Herdegen details for the first time the exploits of the 2nd, 6th, 7th Wisconsin, 19th Indiana, and 24th Michigan regiments during the entire campaign. On July 1, the Western troops stood line-to-line and often face-to-face with their Confederate adversaries, who later referred to them as "those damned Black Hats." With the help of other stalwart comrades, the Hoosiers, Badgers, and Wolverines shed copious amounts of blood to save the Army of the Potomac's defensive position west of town. Their heroics above Willoughby Run, along the Chambersburg Pike, and at the Railroad Cut helped define the opposing lines for the rest of the battle and, perhaps, won the battle that helped preserve the Union.Herdegen's account is much more than a battle study. The story of the fighting at the "Bloody Railroad Cut" is well known, but the attack and defense of McPherson's Ridge, the final stand at Seminary Ridge, the occupation of Culp's Hill, and the final pursuit of the Confederate Army has never been explored in sufficient depth or with such story telling ability. Herdegen completes the journey of the Black Hats with an account of the reconciliation at the 50th Anniversary Reunion and the Iron Brigade's place in Civil War history."Where has the firmness of the Iron Brigade at Gettysburg been surpassed in history?" asked Rufus Dawes of the 6th Wisconsin. Indeed, it was a fair question. The brigade marched to Gettysburg with 1,883 men in ranks and by nightfall on July 1, only 671 men were still to be counted. It would fight on to the end of the Civil War, and do so without its all-Western makeup, but never again was it a major force in battle.Some 150 years after the last member of the Iron Brigade laid down his life for his country, the complete story of what the Black Hats did at Gettysburg and how they remembered it is finally available.

Armored Thunderbolt: The U.S. Army Sherman in World War II


Steven J. Zaloga - 2008
    George Patton, believed that the Sherman helped win World War II. So which was it: death trap or war winner? Armor expert Steven Zaloga answers that question by recounting the Sherman's combat history. Focusing on Northwest Europe (but also including a chapter on the Pacific), Zaloga follows the Sherman into action on D-Day, among the Normandy hedgerows, during Patton's race across France, in the great tank battle at Arracourt in September 1944, at the Battle of the Bulge, across the Rhine, and in the Ruhr pocket in 1945.

Moment of Truth in Iraq: How a New 'Greatest Generation' of American Soldiers is Turning Defeat and Disaster into Victory and Hope


Michael Yon - 2008
    Worked to find and kill terrorists, reclaim neighborhoods and help lead Iraq to democracy. Iraqis respect strength. They saw that American soldiers are great-hearted warriors who rejoice in killing Al Qaeda terror gangs that took over whole cities, raped too many women and boys, cut off too many heads. But Iraqis also discovered that these great warriors are even happier rebuilding a clinic, school or neighborhood. They learned from the American soldier that the most dangerous man in the world could be the best man too. - Follow the great Deuce Four battalion that became the center of a warrior cult dreaded by terrorists and revered by Iraqis. - Read about an elite Iraqi SWAT team taking down a terror cell for the murder of four American soldiers and a brave Iraqi guide. - Occupiers, not liberators? Tell that to the wounded Iraqi interpreter, who, convinced he was about to die, begged his U.S. commander to have his heart cut out and buried in America.

A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn - the Last Great Battle of the American West


James Donovan - 2008
    The news of this devastating loss caused a public uproar, and those in positions of power promptly began to point fingers in order to avoid responsibility. Custer, who was conveniently dead, took the brunt of the blame.The truth, however, was far more complex. A TERRIBLE GLORY is the first book to relate the entire story of this endlessly fascinating battle, and the first to call upon all the significant research and findings of the past twenty-five years--which have changed significantly how this controversial event is perceived. Furthermore, it is the first book to bring to light the details of the U.S. Army cover-up--and unravel one of the greatest mysteries in U.S. military history. Scrupulously researched, A TERRIBLE GLORY will stand as ta landmark work. Brimming with authentic detail and an unforgettable cast of characters--from Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse to Ulysses Grant and Custer himself--this is history with the sweep of a great novel.

An Ordinary Soldier: Afghanistan - A Ferocious Enemy, a Bloody Conflict, One Man's Impossible Mission. Doug Beattie with Philip Gomm


Doug Beattie - 2008
    An outstandingly written, first-person account of a decorated British soldier's experience of fighting Taliban forces in Afghanistan.

The Gates to Love and War


Janie Pendleton - 2008
    Each carries with them top government secrets that cannot fall into the wrong hands. One soldier makes it his objective to get back what the government owes him, no matter the cost. Soon the lives of these three war-torn heroes collide while venturing deep into the treacherous Montana wilderness. On a journey to find peace within themselves, hope and true love are discovered as danger throws them intimately together. It will not only test their survival skills, but their growing desires as well. Can Lt Col. Jade Pickard find love, or will she find herself alone on her Montana ranch-forever?

Iwo Jima: World War II Veterans Remember the Greatest Battle of the Pacific


Larry Smith - 2008
    Over the next thirty-five days, approximately 28,000 soldiers died, including nearly 22,000 Japanese and 6,821 Americans, making Iwo Jima one of the costliest battles of World War II.Best-selling oral historian Larry Smith dug deep for exclusive stories from Iwo Jima veterans, including the last surviving flag raiser on Mount Suribachi, a Navajo "Code Talker," a retired general, two Medal of Honor recipients, B-29 flyers, and other die-hard Marines who secured the island. Along the way, Smith investigates the controversy surrounding the famous photograph by Joe Rosenthal and presents the groundbreaking story of Japanese General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, rumored to have committed suicide rather than submit to capture.With dozens of photographs and maps, Iwo Jima is an unprecedented look at this pivotal battle and an inspiring study in courage, perseverance, and humanity.

The God of War


Chris Stewart - 2008
    super- jet named after the Greek God of war. With its ultra powerful laser and ability to easily outmaneouver anything else in the sky, the Ares opens a new era in warfare. But when it is stolen before of a crowd of international dignitaries, the President and his defence staff must use outdated technology to try to stop their creation from sparking a war between civilizations.It's up to Colonel "Jesse" James to save the world from impending doom. But, the obstacles will be numerous. He faces suspicion from the President's chief advisor, a romantic interest with unknown allegiances, and a terror plot that seems too obvious to be true. In his fourth novel, Stewart is in top form- fusing a high octane plot with hair raising flight scenes drawn from his career as a fighter pilot.

RAF Harrier Ground Attack - Falklands


Sqn Ldr Jerry Pook MBE DFC. - 2008
    1(F) Squadron RAF, flew air interdiction, armed reccon, close-air-support and airfield attack as well as pure photo-reccon missions. Most weapons were delivered from extreme low-level attacks because of the lack of navigation aids and in the absence of Smart weapons. The only way he could achieve results was to get low down and close-in to the targets and, if necessary, carry out re-attacks to destroy high-value targets. Apart from brief carrier trials carried out many years previously there had been no RAF Harriers deployed at sea. The RAF pilots were treated with ill-disguised contempt by their naval masters, their professional opinions ignored in spite of the fact that the RN knew next to nothing about ground-attack and reccon operations. Very soon after starting operations from the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes the squadron realized that they were considered as more or less expendable ordnance. The Harriers lacked the most basic self-protection aids and were up against 10,000 well-armed troops who put up an impressive weight of fire whenever attacked. "

Deutsche Soldaten: Uniforms, Equipment & Personal Items of the German Soldier 1939-45


Agustín Sainz - 2008
    Deutsche Soldaten is a stunning visual history of the German soldier and provides a unique reflection of how the men lived, ate, and washed themselves on the front, or behaved when at rest, what were their pastimes, ambitions, worries and how they spent their leave, through the collections of personal items and other artifacts they left behind.

My Private War: Liberated Body, Captive Mind: A World War II Pow's Story


Norman Bussel - 2008
    Touching-down in a field outside Berlin, Norm was immediately seized by local farmhands, who were in the process of lynching him when a passing German soldier put a stop to the execution. For the next year, Norm would struggle to survive at the hands of the Nazis as a prisoner of war.And that is when the rage began. Rage that he and his fellow captives were cold and starving, their wounds and illnesses left untreated. Rage that men were shot without warning. The rage and emotional turmoil he suffered during that year of hell would follow him home, denying him the peace and stability he and his loved ones longed for. This is one soldier's searing and honest story of his battle with post-traumatic stress disorder. A battle that speaks to the hearts and minds of veterans of all wars who find themselves with liberated bodies but captive minds.

The Lions of Iwo Jima


Fred Haynes - 2008
    Marines. Combat Team 28, 4500 men strong, trained for a full year, landed on the black sands of Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945, and raised the flag atop Mount Suribachi after four days of ferocious combat. Major General Fred Haynes USMC (Ret'd), then a young captain, is the last surviving officer in CT28 intimately involved in planning and coordinating all phases of the Team's fight on Iwo Jima. Drawing on a wealth of previously untapped documents, personal narratives, and letters, in addition to more than 100 interviews with survivors, Haynes and Warren recapture in riveting detail what the Marines of Combat Team 28 experienced, placing particular emphasis on the Team's ferocious struggle to break through the main belt of the Japanese defenses to the north, and reduce the final pocket of resistance on the island in Bloody Gorge. "The Lions of Iwo Jima "offers fresh interpretations of the fight for Suribachi, the iconic flag raising photo, and the nature of the campaign as a whole, and helps to answer the essential questions: Who were these men? What accounts for their extraordinary performance in battle?

Diver


Tony Groom - 2008
    'Diver' is an honest, moving and sometimes hilarious account of a hair-raisingly exciting career, both in the Royal Navy and in commercial deep-sea diving-training.

Last Man Standing: The 1st Marine Regiment on Peleliu, September 15-21, 1944


R.D. Camp - 2008
    It had been overshadowed by the summer 1944 Allied breakout from Normandy and the subsequent race across France and liberation of Paris. Since then, the Peleliu campaign has become much better known—Peleliu is featured in both Ken Burns’ monumental documentary The War and the HBO miniseries The Pacific—generating considerable controversy, with most historians regarding it as unnecessary. The battle resulted in a tremendous number of Marine casualties that foreshadowed a deadly shift in Japanese defensive strategy. Last Man Standing draws heavily on the author’s in-depth personal interviews and close association with two of the 1st Regiment’s battalion commanders—Ray Davis and Russ Honsowetz – as well as the vast oral, written and photographic collections of the Marine Corps History Division and Gray Research Center. Its first-hand accounts from the men who survived represent a source of never-before published information that sets it apart from previous books of its kind. It is a story rich in detail—an exciting account of combat action.

The Forever War


Dexter Filkins - 2008
    We go into the homes of suicide bombers and into street-to-street fighting with a battalion of marines. We meet Iraqi insurgents, an American captain who loses a quarter of his men in eight days, and a young soldier from Georgia on a rooftop at midnight reminiscing about his girlfriend back home. A car bomb explodes, bullets fly, and a mother cradles her blinded son.Like no other book, The Forever War allows us a visceral understanding of today’s battlefields and of the experiences of the people on the ground, warriors and innocents alike. It is a brilliant, fearless work, not just about America’s wars after 9/11, but ultimately about the nature of war itself.

The History Of Sniping And Sharpshooting


John L. Plaster - 2008
    Twenty-four years as a sniping instructor. Twenty years of exhaustive research, including decades spent seeking out hundreds of historic volumes long out of print, test-firing historic firearms, walking Revolutionary and Civil War battlefields with a laser rangefinder, and visiting military museums in the United States and Europe. Only Major John Plaster, author of the highly acclaimed The Ultimate Sniper, has the background and knowledge to bring you this authoritative history of sniping and sharpshooting - the first such book from a combat rifleman's unique perspective.In The History of Sniping and Sharpshooting, John Plaster has assembled the most comprehensive combat history ever published on the subject. It begins in the 15th century, with the first use of "precision" musket fire in Europe and continues into the 21st century with the significant role sniping is playing the Iraq and Afghanistan and the global War on Terror. Detailing major engagements and minor skirmishes over five centuries of warfare, Plaster has unearthed hundreds of incidents where calculated precision rifle fire has changed the course of battles - and, sometimes, history. He fittingly addresses well-known sharpshooters and snipers - Hiram Berdan, Vasili Zaitsev, Carlos Hathcock - but also pays tribute to forgotten riflemen such as John Burns, Benjamin Forsyth and Arthur Wermuth, to name but a few. He also explains how the evolution of firearms and optical technology has intertwined with sniping on the battlefield and how it has influenced tactics, organizations, and capabilities - a subject that has never before been address adequately.

American Heroes: In the Fight Against Radical Islam


Oliver North - 2008
    Those who serve America in harm’s way in the war against radical Islam have that quality in abundance. And so do their families and loved ones at home. Yet, they rarely get the attention or coverage they deserve.“Despite the way they are presented by too many in the press and politics, the men and women in uniform today are overwhelmingly good. I never cease to be amazed at the self-discipline of these brave young Americans. They can endure the adrenaline-pumping violence of an enemy engagement, and then, just minutes later, help school children get safely to their classes . . . No nation—ours included—has ever had a military force better than the one we have today. I’m proud of them. You should be too.” In American Heroes (a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post best seller), North offers an inspiring, first-hand account of the extraordinary men and women defending America against radical Islamic terror from his perspective as a forty year member of the United States military, a member of the National Security Council staff and serving as the U.S. government’s counter-terrorism coordinator from 1983-1986. This patriotic book also pulls in new reports and exclusive full-color photographs from War Stories, the award-winning FOX News Channel series hosted by North. Endorsements "Oliver North has spent his life among America’s heroes. This book with its moving words and powerful images will inspire patriots, reassure the faint of heart, and infuriate our nation’s adversaries. These are our heroes, they deserve to have their story told, and no one is better to tell it than Col. North, because when it comes to heroes, it takes one to know one. This book is a treasure."—Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House of Representatives and New York Times bestselling author of Real Change"Ollie North has ‘been there—done that’ with the American heroes who are winning the war against radical Islamic terror. This book is a magnificent tribute to the warriors who defend us all."—Sean Hannity, host of The Sean Hannity Show and FOX News Channel’s Hannity & Colmes

Patton, Montgomery, Rommel: Masters of War


Terry Brighton - 2008
    Opening new avenues of inquiry into the lives and careers of three men widely profiled by scholars and popular historians alike, Brighton definitively answers numerous lingering and controversial questions: Was Patton really as vainglorious in real life as he was portrayed to be on the silver screen?—and how did his tireless advocacy of "mechanized cavalry" forever change the face of war? Was Monty's dogged publicity-seeking driven by his own need for recognition or by his desire to claim for Britain a leadership role in postwar global order?—and how did this prickly "commoner" manage to earn affection and esteem from enlisted men and nobility alike? How might the war have ended if Rommel had had more tanks?—and what fundamental philosophical difference between him and Hitler made such an outcome virtually impossible? Abetted by new primary source material and animated by Terry Brighton's incomparable storytelling gifts, Patton, Montgomery, Rommel offers critical new interpretations of the Second World War as it was experienced by its three most flamboyant, controversial, and influential commanders—and augments our understanding of each of their perceptions of war and leadership.

Bloody Streets: The Soviet Assault on Berlin


Aaron Stephan Hamilton - 2008
    The objective was to seize Berlin before the Western Allies.Sixteen days later, the former capital of the Third Reich fell to the conquering armies of Generals Georgi Zhukov and his rival Ivan Koniev. The cost to capture the largest urban complex on mainland Europe from a handful of understrength Heer and Waffen-SS divisions, supported by Volkssturm and Hitlerjugend formations armed mainly with Panzerfaust anti-armour rockets, was exceptionally high. The Red Army suffered more casualties among its soldiers than during the six month siege of Stalingrad, and it lost more armoured vehicles than during the Battle of Kursk.Total losses among the defenders and civilian population remain unknown. Central Berlin was left a wasteland. The scars of the street fighting are still visible today, seventy-five years after the battle.When Bloody Streets was first published in 2008 it detailed the tactical street fighting in Berlin day-by-day for the first time through vivid first person accounts and period aerial imagery of the city. Ten years later this ground breaking study is back in print completely revised. Previously unpublished first person accounts from both the German and Soviet perspectives supplement archival documents that include new data from the operational war diaries of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian Fronts. The book is highly illustrated throughout with period images of the city, aerial overviews, and wartime photos.Building on more than 15 years of research, the second edition of Bloody Streets is a capstone to the author's prior works on the final climatic battles along the Eastern Front. It will remain a benchmark study of the Battle of Berlin for years to come.https://helionbooks.wordpress.com/202...

NOT A BOOK: House of Flying Daggers [DVD]


NOT A BOOK - 2008
    Unrest is raging throughout the land, and the corrupt government is locked in battle with rebel armies that are forming in protest. The largest, and most prestigious of these rebel groups, is the House of Flying Daggers, which is growing ever more powerful under a mysterious new leader. Two local captains, Leo and Jin are ordered to capture the new leader and the two hatch an elaborate plan. Captain Jin will pretend to be a lone warrior called Wind and rescue the beautiful, blind revolutionary Mei from prison, earning her trust and escorting her to the secret headquarters of the House of Flying Daggers. The plan works, but to their surprise, Jin and Mei fall deeply in love on their long journey to the House. Danger lurks in the forest surrounding them, and the wind is still, as if sensing the tension in the air. What lies ahead for Jin and Mei, these star-crossed lovers? If this is true love, then why are there plots in their heads, and secrets in their hearts?

Franco's International Brigades: Adventurers, Fascists, and Christian Crusaders in the Spanish Civil War


Christopher Othen - 2008
    

In a Time of War: The Proud and Perilous Journey of West Point's Class of 2002


Bill Murphy Jr. - 2008
    The following June, when President George W. Bush spoke at their commencement and declared that America would "take the battle to the enemy," the men and women in the class of 2002 understood that they would be fighting on the front lines. In this stirring account of the five years following their graduation from West Point, the class experiences firsthand both the rewards and the costs of leading soldiers in the war on terror.In a Time of War focuses on two members of the class of 2002 in particular: Todd Bryant, an amiable, funny Californian for whom military service was a family tradition; and Drew Sloan, the hardworking son of liberal parents from Arkansas who is determined to serve his country. On the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, Todd, Drew, and their classmates—the army's newest and youngest officers—lead their troops into harm's way again and again.Meticulously reported, sweeping in scope, Bill Murphy Jr.'s powerful book follows these brave and idealistic officers—and their families—as they experience the harrowing reality of the modern battlefield. In a Time of War tells a vivid and sometimes heartbreaking story about courage, honor, and what war really means to the soldiers whose lives it defines.

Project Seven Alpha: American Airlines in Burma 1942


Leland Shanle - 2008
    He foresaw their intentions of taking India and linking up with the two other Axis Powers, Germany and Italy, in an attempt to conquer the Eastern Hemisphere. US naval forces had been severely surprised and diminished in Pearl Harbor and the army was outnumbered and ill-prepared to take on the invading hoards. One of his few options was to form a defensive line on the eastern side of the Patkai and Himalayan Ranges, there he could look for support from the Chinese and Burmese. It was to be the only defence to a Japanese invasion of India.To support and supply these troops, fighting in hostile jungle terrain where overland routes had been cut off, he desperately needed to set up an air supply from Eastern India. His problem was lack of aircraft and experienced pilots to fly the dangerous 'Hump, over the world's highest mountains. Hence came Operation Seven Alpha, a plan to enlist the aircraft, DC-3s, and pilots, veterans of World War One, of American Airlines. This newly formed Squadron would fly these medium-range aircraft in a series of long-distance hops across the Pacific and Southern Asia to the Assam Valley in India. They would then create and operate the vital supply route carrying arms, ammunition and food Eastward to the Allied bases and return with wounded personnel. This is the story of this little-known operation in the early days of the Burma Campaign.This book is based on the true experiences of those who were involved and is a fitting tribute to the bravery and inventiveness of a band of men who answered their country's desperate call at the outset of the war against Japan in Asia.

A Military History of the Ottomans: From Osman to Atat�rk


Mesut Uyar - 2008
    This study, written by a Turkish and an American scholar, is a revision and corrective to western accounts because it is based on Turkish interpretations, rather than European interpretations, of events. As the world's dominant military machine from 1300 to the mid-1700's, the Ottoman Army led the way in military institutions, organizational structures, technology, and tactics. In decline thereafter, it nevertheless remained a considerable force to be counted in the balance of power through 1918. From its nomadic origins, it underwent revolutions in military affairs as well as several transformations which enabled it to compete on favorable terms with the best of armies of the day. This study tracks the growth of the Ottoman Army as a professional institution from the perspective of the Ottomans themselves, by using previously untapped Ottoman source materials. Additionally, the impact of important commanders and the role of politics, as these affected the army, are examined. The study concludes with the Ottoman legacy and its effect on the Republic and modern Turkish Army.This is a study survey that combines an introductory view of this subject with fresh and original reference-level information. Divided into distinct periods, Uyar and Erickson open with a brief overview of the establishment of the Ottoman Empire and the military systems that shaped the early military patterns. The Ottoman army emerged forcefully in 1453 during the siege of Constantinople and became a dominant social and political force for nearly two hundred years following Mehmed's capture of the city. When the army began to show signs of decay during the mid-seventeenth century, successive Sultans actively sought to transform the institution that protected their power. The reforms and transformations that began frist in 1606successfully preserved the army until the outbreak of the Ottoman-Russian War in 1876. Though the war was brief, its impact was enormous as nationalistic and republican strains placed increasing pressure on the Sultan and his army until, finally, in 1918, those strains proved too great to overcome. By 1923, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk emerged as the leader of a unified national state ruled by a new National Parliament. As Uyar and Erickson demonstrate, the old army of the Sultan had become the army of the Republic, symbolizing the transformation of a dying empire to the new Turkish state make clear that throughout much of its existence, the Ottoman Army was an effective fighting force with professional military institutions and organizational structures.

British Napoleonic Uniforms: A Complete Illustrated Guide to Uniforms, Facings and Lace


C.E. Franklin - 2008
    Changes to the uniforms of all the numbered regiments of cavalry and infantry are discussed in detail, while lavish illustrations present every aspect of their regimental distinctions. The book is divided into four parts, with the first part considering the uniforms of the Heavy and Light cavalry regiments, including full-page color illustrations of the Household Cavalry, the Heavy Cavalry (Dragoon Guards and Dragoons), and the Light Cavalry (the Light Dragoons and Hussars). Part Two looks at the commonalities of the cavalry and considers uniforms appropriate to each regiment, such as headwear, the evolution of the uniforms, and horse furniture. Part Three discusses the uniforms and distinctions of the infantry, including the regiments of Foot Guards and Infantry of the Line (Fusiliers, Light Infantry, Riflemen, and Highland Regiments). Part Four shows the commonalties of the infantry and considers the uniform appropriate to each regiment, such as those of the Drummers and Highland Regiments, as well as their tartans.

Not Our War


Sanjiva Wijesinha - 2008
    Sanjiva Wijesinha's short stories - many of which have been awarded prizes in short story competitions - collected in an anthology for the first time.Drawing on the knowledge and experience gained during his long and varied career as an army medical officer, a paediatric surgeon and a family physician who has worked in various parts of the world, Sanjiva Wijesinha has crafted a series of short stories that are suffused with romance, drama and humour - and often carry a twist in the tail.A superbly written and engaging collection set in places ranging from Sri Lanka during the war against the Tamil Tigers to the Falkland Islands in the nineteen eighties, Wijesinha's book is in the same league as George Sava's Surgery Holds the Door and Arthur Conan Doyle's Round the Red Lamp.

My Bit: A Lancashire Fusilier at War 1914-18


George Ashurst - 2008
    My Bit is a fascinating and moving first-hand account of the First World War written by a working-class soldier.

Marine Force Recon in Action


Michael Sandler - 2008
    Readers will be inspired as they follow recruits from the grueling training program to their dangerous search-and-rescue missions behind enemy lines. Large action photos, grade-appropriate text, and a narrative format will keep kids turning the pages as they learn about our nations military heroes. Marine Force Recon in Action is part of Bearports Special Ops series.

The Tiger Man of Vietnam


Frank Walker - 2008
    The CIA wanted to kill him. This is the remarkable true story of Australian war hero Barry Petersen. In 1963, 28-year-old Australian Captain Barry Petersen was sent to Vietnam as part of the 30-man Australian Training Team, two years before the first official Australian troops arrived. Seconded to the CIA, he was sent to the remote Central Highlands to build an anti-communist guerrilla force among the indigenous Montagnard people. He was sent off with bagloads of cash and a vague instruction to 'get to know the natives'. Petersen took over the running of the paramilitary force that had been started by the local police chief and started to earn the Montagnards respect. He lived drank and ate with the Montagnards, learned their language and respected their skills. The Vietcong dubbed Petersen's force 'Tiger Men'. When Petersen he heard this, he had special badges made for their berets and supplied tiger print uniforms. The Montagnards loved Petersen and flocked to join his force but the CIA were worried. They thought he was out of control and too close to the Montagnard people...

Fighting Men of World War II Allied Forces: Uniforms, Equipment & Weapons


David Miller - 2008
    The hardcover reference book examines the organization of each army, its rank structure and numerical groupings as a prerequisite to examining each soldier’s equipment in detail: his clothing- boots, trousers, helmet, tunic, greatcoat, camouflage, his weapons, his support items like medical kit, mess kit and rations.Each section will feature archive pictures of the soldier in the field and specially photographed artefacts, showing preserved examples of the items that he carried with him. There will be badges, medals, pennants and flags as well as other popular personal items carried by many troops like cigarette lighters, razors and postcards of loved ones, which were not standard issue but of extreme importance to each man.The book will evaluate that equipment and how it compared to that of other soldiers in other armies both on the same side and among the opposing forces and will provide a complete picture of the day-to-day lives and conditions of the fighting men of the American, Russian, British and Commonwealth armies as well as Polish, Free French, and other nations thought fought albeit briefly on the side of the allies making it an essential reference work for all military historians, collectors, modellers and interested general readers.

The Devil Dogs at Belleau Wood: U.S. Marines in World War I


R.D. Camp - 2008
    Repeatedly accosted by the retreating French and urged to turn back, Captain Lloyd Williams of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, uttered the now-famous retort, "Retreat, hell. We just got here." And indeed, by the end of that terrible June of 1918, the Marines had broken the back of the Germans powerful spring offensive. Their ferocity had earned them the nickname Teufelshunde--Devil Dogs--from their enemies; it also won such admiration from their allies that the French government changed the name of Belleau Wood to Bois de la Brigade de Marine. The Devil Dogs at Belleau Wood recreates the drama of the battle for Belleau Wood as it was experienced by those who were there. Drawing on numerous firsthand accounts of the month-long engagement, the book captures the spirit of the Leathernecks in desperate battle. It offers a harrowing look at a critical campaign in which, as one soldier says, "men were being mowed down like wheat." And, amidst the carnage and cruelty, it tells the very human story of camaraderie and courage that carried the day. Rich with the personal insights and observations that bring history to life, the book is illustrated with a great number of photographs, many of which are rare and never before published.

U.S. Air Force Survival Handbook


U.S. Air Force - 2008
    Air Force Survival Handbook iis the bible for pilots who want to stay alive—no matter what. Assuming, as the Air Force does, that flight personnel may be faced at any time with a bailout or crash landing in hostile territory without supplies, the advice here is superlatively practical, but also surprisingly readable and interesting. Detailing specific survival threats at sea, in the tropics, in the desert, in Arctic conditions, and the psychological perils of imprisonment and torture, this handbook is replete with fascinating and useful (if unsettling) information. Precisely written, profusely illustrated, and completely authoritative, this is an essential book for anyone—soldier or civilian—looking for knowledge that could prove to be the difference between life and death in a dangerous situation.

Solitary: The Crash, Captivity and Comeback of an Ace Fighter Pilot


Giora Romm - 2008
    Tulip Four was Romm’s aircraft’s call-sign on the day he was shot down over the Nile Delta.

Intrepid: The Epic Story of America's Most Legendary Warship


Bill White - 2008
    Since her launching in 1943, the 27,000-ton, Essex-class aircraft carrier has sailed into harm’s way around the globe. During World War II, she fought her way across the Pacific—Kwajalein, Truk, Peleliu, Formosa, the Philippines, Okinawa—surviving kamikaze and torpedo attacks and covering herself with glory. The famous ship endured to become a Cold War attack carrier, recovery ship for America’s first astronauts, and a three-tour combatant in Vietnam. In a riveting narrative based on archival research and interviews with surviving crewmen, authors Bill White and Robert Gandt take us inside the war in the Pacific. We join Intrepid’s airmen at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, in October 1944, as they gaze in awe at the apparitions beneath them: five Japanese battleships, including the dreadnoughts Yamato and Musashi, plus a fleet of heavily armored cruisers and destroyers. The sky fills with multihued bursts of anti-aircraft fire. The flak, a Helldiver pilot would write in his action report, “was so thick you could get out and walk on it.” Half a dozen Intrepid aircraft are blown from the sky, but they sink the Musashi. A few months later, off Okinawa, they again meet her sister ship, the mighty Yamato. In a two-hour tableau of hellfire and towering explosions, Intrepid’s warplanes help send the super-battleship and 3,000 Japanese crewmen to the bottom of the sea. We’re next to nineteen-year-old Alonzo Swann in Gun Tub 10 aboard Intrepid as he peers over the breech of a 20-mm anti-aircraft gun. He’s heard of kamikazes, but until today he’s never seen one. Swann and his fellow gunners are among the few African Americans assigned to combat duty in the U.S. Navy of 1944. Blazing away at the diving Japanese Zero, Swann realizes with a dreadful certainty where it will strike: directly into Gun Tub 10.The authors follow Intrepid’s journey to Vietnam. “MiG-21 high!” crackles the voice of Lt. Tony Nargi in his F-8 Crusader. It is 1968, and Intrepid is again at war. Launching from Yankee Station in the Tonkin Gulf, Nargi and his wingman have intercepted a flight of Russian-built supersonic fighters. Minutes later, after a swirling dogfight over North Vietnam, Nargi—and Intrepid—have added another downed enemy airplane to their credit. Intrepid: The Epic Story of America’s Most Legendary Warship brings a renowned ship to life in a stirring tribute complete with the personal recollections of those who served aboard her, dramatic photographs, time lines, maps, and vivid descriptions of Intrepid’s deadly conflicts. More than a numbers-and-dates narrative, Intrepid is the story of people—those who sailed in her, fought to keep her alive, perished in her defense—and powerfully captures the human element in this saga of American heroism.

The Historical Atlas of World War II


Alexander Swanston - 2008
    Examines all the key events of the six-year conflict, with thoroughly researched text accompanied by 140 highly detailed maps that give an entirely original visual reappraisal of this global war.

When War Comes Home: Christ-centered Healing for Wives of Combat Veterans


Chris Adsit - 2008
    These are solutions for the “Secondary Trauma” she is experiencing when his trauma symptoms impact the family and even begin to show up in her. Insights from the medical and counseling community are wrapped in biblical principles and combined with the shared experiences of wives who are veterans of their own husbands’ PTSD struggles. The book guides wives to: 1) understand what happened to her husband – spiritually, psychologically and physiologically; 2) understand how her husband’s trauma symptoms are affecting her; 3) learn how to deal positively with grief, loss and forgiveness issues associated with her husband’s PTSD; 4) learn how to build her own “healing place,” develop her support network and know when and how to find physical safety; 5) understand and focus on her true identity in Christ; 6) recognize the real enemy and how to fight the spiritual war she and her family are engaged in; 7) learn how she can contribute to her husband’s healing environment; 8) learn how to construct a safe, healthy environment for her children; and 9) understand the process of moving on to a “new normal.”

Rescue at Pine Ridge: Based on a True American Story


Erich Martin Hicks - 2008
    Hicks pens the story of the heroic rescue of the famed 7th Cavalry by the 9thCavalry Buffalo Soldiers.

Jane's Guns Recognition Guide


Richard D. Jones - 2008
    The most comprehensive, authoritative guide to identifying firearms includes:Pistols, revolvers, submachine guns, machine guns, bolt-action and automatic rifles, and shotgunsTechnical specificationsManufacturers and brand names indexFirearm safety informationMore than 400 photographs

Brady's Civil War Journal: Photographing the War 1861-1865


Theodore P. Savas - 2008
    Brady actually got so close to the action during the First Battle of Bull Run that he only narrowly avoided capture. Brady's Civil War Journal chronicles the events of the war by showcasing a selection of Brady's moving, one-of-a-kind images and describing each in terms of its significance. The text by Theodore P. Savas, authoritative expert on the Civil War, adds context to Brady's memorable photographs, creating an unrivaled visual account of the most costly conflict in American history as it unfolded. 150 b/w photographs.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Through the Wheat: The U.S. Marines in World War I


Edwin H. Simmons - 2008
    'Through the Wheat' is a vivid and detailed study of the role of US Marines in World War One.

Digging the Trenches: The Archaeology of the Western Front


Andrew Robertshaw - 2008
    This is especially true of the history of the Great War. In this, the first comprehensive survey of this exciting new field, Andrew Robertshaw and David Kenyon introduce the reader to the techniques that are employed and record, in vivid detail, many of the remarkable projects that have been undertaken. They show how archaeology can be used to reveal the position of trenches, dugouts and other battlefield features and to rediscover what life on the Western Front was really like. And they show how individual soldiers are themselves part of the story, for forensic investigation of the war dead is now so highly developed that individuals can be identified and their fate discovered.

Faith in the Service: Inspirational Stories from Latter-Day Saint Servicemen and Servicewomen


Chad S. Hawkins - 2008
    In their own words, these men and women describe feeling the Lord's blessings as they have served in some of the most harsh and difficult circumstances imaginable. Their experiences range from leading armed combat and air rescue missions to saving lives in a makeshift hospital tent. Also included are stories of much-needed help and support received by families of those who are serving away from home. These life-changing stories, recorded in on-site personal interviews by bestselling author and artist Chad Hawkins, are reminders that the Lord does watch over and protect His children during troubling times. Featured black-and-white photographs throughout.

Emoria Campfire Tales


T.J. Mindancer - 2008
    Meet K'miel, the seafaring Emoran princess, and Melia, a Lukrian warrior in training. Encounter the descendants of Queen Jamelin I and her consort Tigh of Ingor in 21st century California. Hang on to your swords as Warriors of the Emoriat, the peacekeepers of the universe, get caught up in a crazy galaxy-hopping adventure.

RAF Evaders: The Comprehensive Story of Thousands of Escapers and Their Escape Lines, Western Europe, 1940-1945


Oliver Clutton-Brock - 2008
    The first one to assist the evaders and escapers ("E & E" as the Americans called them) was the PAT line, along the Mediterranean coast to Perpignan and down the Spanish border; named after a naval officer Pat O'Leary, from 1942 it became the PAO line.Next was the Comet line, from Brussels to the Pyrenees. Thousands of brave people were to be involved for whom, if caught, the penalty was death. Theirs is a stirring and awe-inspiring story. Respected historian Oliver Clutton-Brock has researched in depth this secret world of evasion, uncovering some treachery and many hitherto unpublished details, operations and photos.It is a tremendous reference work, written in his own colorful style with numerous anecdotes, which fills a gap of knowledge formerly unavailable to historians, professional or amateur. Packed the information, key figure biographies and listings--2, 094 evaders identified--this is a valuable testimony to the courage of all those involved.

Tarawa and the Marshalls: A Pictorial Tribute


Eric Hammel - 2008
    Three days of intense fighting secured the island for the Allies, at the cost of 1,000 Marines dead and more than 2,000 wounded.The book then turns to the Marshall Islands where, early in World War II, the Japanese had built airfields on the Kwajalein and Eniwetok atolls.  Dramatic photographs document the taking of Kwajalein by U.S. Marines and Army troops after the most massive bombardment of the war.  We then witness the landing of the 22d Marines on the five islands of Eniwetok on February 18, followed by the intense fighting that brought the entire atoll under Allied control within four days--securing crucial landing fields and operational support for the Allies’ island-hopping campaign to ultimate victory in the Pacific.  A tribute to the rare courage and heroism that, for the Marines in WWII, were merely a matter of course, this illustrated history keeps their spectacular sacrifices and feats of valor forever before us.

Fighting Ships 1850 1950


Sam Willis - 2008
    The most significant naval engagements of this period are depicted in detail, including the battles of Tsushima and Jutland, the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Midway and the D-Day landings.

It Had to Be Done: The Navajo Code Talkers Remember World War II


Stephen Mack - 2008
    Their task: devise a top-secret code that would thwart the sharpest cryptanalytic minds in Imperial Japan. And they succeeded. This book documents their staggering wartime achievement: the formation and use of the Navajo Code. But the book is also about the lives of eight Navajo Code Talkers, told in their own words: the difficult living conditions faced during their childhood, and their boarding school experiences where the Navajo language was strictly sometimes brutally suppressed. This is their story. It's a story about a code of humble origins; a code that the most brilliant minds were unable to break; a code that saved thousands of American lives in World War 2. It's a story about their hazardous duty from Guadalcanal to Iwo Jima and Okinawa often performed under murderous enemy fire, with some paying the ultimate price. It's a story about intelligence, courage, and ultimately, about patriotism. Softcover, 7 x 10 inches, 96 pages, b/w illustrations, index. Appendices include the Navajo Code and a list of all known Navajo Code Talkers. This book was written with the cooperation of members of the Navajo Code Talkers Association. Sales of this book supports the Navajo Code Talkers Association, a non-profit organization.

Our War: Ireland and the Great War


John Horne - 2008
    You came out older than any span of years could make you." - Catherine Black, Ramelton Co. Donegal, describing her work as a nurse in France during the Great War * "[He] kept me an hour talking of his dead boy. He read his letters aloud but broke down. At this rate everybody in a year will be mourning. I can think of half a dozen already." - Shane Leslie, Glaslough Co. Monaghan; 12 November 1914 * "One fellow's brains were shot into my mouth as I was shouting for them to jump for it. I dived into the sea. Then came the job to swim ashore and one leg useless, where I had been shot. I pulled out a knife and cut the straps and swam ashore. All the time bullets were nipping around me." - Sergeant J. McColgan, describing the assault on Gallipoli, 25 April 1915 * "I was waiting for a barm brack & they did not get them in. I am just sending a cake & butter, but shall send cake & bacon on Friday...I never prayed as fervently.asking the Little Infant Jesus to bring you home safe and unhurt to me." - Mary Moynihan, Tralee Co. Kerry, in a letter to her son Michael, 3 June 1918 (Michael was reported dead on 18 June 1918) * "...you will be alright and you might to [sic] be satisfied now and give over your wild ways." - Roseanne Mooney, Thomas St. Dublin, in a letter to her wounded husband John, c. 1916-17 *** Our War: Ireland and the Great War, written by some of Ireland's leading historians, provides an Irish perspective on the Great War which saw over 200,000 Irish soldiers fighting and up to 50,000 dying. The book relays the experiences of ordinary Irish people during the war and it chronicles the effect this war had, and still has, on Irish society. The lives and deaths of soldiers in the trenches, nurses, politicians, and the workforce are all examined. Archival letters, diaries, wills, and illustrations are reproduced which document the pride, fear, anxiety, and sorrow felt by sweethearts, families, and friends. The book accompanies Ireland's RTE Radio 1 series Our War: Ireland and the Great War, which was broadcast in 2008, from late October to late December.

Managing Crises: Responses to Large-Scale Emergencies


Arnold M. Howitt - 2008
    What accounts for governments' effective responses to unfolding disasters? How should they organize and plan for significant emergencies? With fifteen adapted Kennedy School cases, students experience first-hand a series of large-scale emergencies and come away with a clear sense of the different types of disaster situations governments confront, with each type requiring different planning, resourcing, skill-building, leadership, and execution. Grappling with the details of flawed responses to the LA Riots or Hurricane Katrina, or with the success of the Incident Management System during the Pentagon fire on 9/11, students start to see the ways in which responders can improve capabilities and more adeptly navigate between technical or operational needs and political considerations.

German Saints at War


Robert C. Freeman - 2008
    Including several original photographs and firsthand accounts, this volume explores the culture and lives of German Saints, as they tried to stay true to their faith during this difficult time. With interesting facts and stories in every account, German Saints at War captures the essence of World War II on the German front. This beautiful book includes accounts from Dieter F. Uchtdorf, F. Enzio Busche, and many more.

A World Of Trouble: The White House and the Middle East- from the Cold War to the War on Terror


Patrick Tyler - 2008
    foreign policy: events there influence our alliances, make or break presidencies, govern the price of oil, and draw us into war. But it was not always so--and as Patrick Tyler shows in this thrilling chronicle of American misadventures in the region, the story of American presidents' dealings there is one of mixed motives, skulduggery, deceit, and outright foolishness, as well as of policymaking and diplomacy.Tyler draws on newly opened presidential archives to dramatize the approach to the Middle East across U.S. presidencies from Eisenhower to George W. Bush. He takes us into the Oval Office and shows how our leaders made momentous decisions; at the same time, the sweep of this narrative--from the Suez crisis to the Iran hostage crisis to George W. Bush's catastrophe in Iraq--lets us see the big picture as never before. Tyler tells a story of presidents being drawn into the affairs of the region against their will, being kept in the dark by local potentates, being led astray by grasping subordinates, and making decisions about the internal affairs of countries they hardly understand. Above all, he shows how each president has managed to undo the policies of his predecessor, often fomenting both anger against America on the streets of the region and confusion at home."A World of Trouble "is the Middle East book we need now: compulsively readable, free of cant and ideology, and rich in insight about the very human challenges a new president will face as he or she tries to restore America's standing in the region.

Hell Hawks!: The Untold Story of the American Fliers Who Savaged Hitler's Wehrmacht


Robert F. Dorr - 2008
    Veteran authors Bob Dorr and Tom Jones combine masterfully crafted veteran interviews with the broader picture of the air war fought by the Thunderbolt men. You gain a new appreciation of just how tough their deadly task was, and the courage needed to fly close air support against the Nazi fighters and flak. This outstanding book raises the bar on aviation history as it brings alive the true story of an aerial band of brothers." - Colonel Walter J. Boyne, National Aviation Hall of Famer, former director of the National Air & Space Museum, and best-selling author Hell Hawks! is the story of the band of young American fighter pilots, and their gritty, close-quarters fight against Hitlers vaunted military. The "Hell Hawks" were the men and machines of the 365th Fighter Group. Beginning just prior to D-Day, June 6, 1944, the groups young pilots (most were barely twenty years old and fresh from flight training in the United States) flew in close support of Eisenhowers ground forces as they advanced across France and into Germany. They flew the rugged, heavily armed P-47 Thunderbolt, aka the Jug. Living in tents amid the cold mud of their front-line airfields, the 365ths daily routine had much in common with that of the G.I.s they supported. Their war only stopped with the Nazi surrender on May 8, 1945. During their year in combat, the Hell Hawks paid a heavy price to win the victory. Sixty-nine pilots and airmen died in the fight across the continent. The Groups 1,241 combat missions -- the daily confrontation of sudden, violent death -- forged bonds between these men that remain strong sixty years later. This book will tell their story, the story of the Hell Hawks.

The Western Front Diaries


Jonathan King - 2008
    The ANZAC's Western Front campaign had a greater impact than Gallipoli in almost every respect: five times more soldiers served and were killed there, more than five times as many battles took place, and it was there that an astounding 53 Victoria crosses were awarded to Australians.

Taps To The Soul


Kimberlee R. Mendoza - 2008
    Frightened, she finds comfort in the dark cell from another prisoner named Wesley. Eventually she is rescued, but he is presumed dead. She returns to the US saddened by her loss and unwilling to let her guard down. Sergeant Scolfield Denton hates the new girl, Specialist Mellor. He finds her vain and disruptive. He has been through enough and is still trying to recover from his time in Iraq. The last thing he needs to do is let a pretty girl distract him. Can the two of them recover from their past or will they miss the opportunity to have what they've wanted all along?

Self-Defense in Islamic and International Law: Assessing Al-Qaeda and the Invasion of Iraq


Niaz A. Shah - 2008
    Al-Qaeda’s declaration of Jihad does not meet the Islamic legal test. Similarly, the invasion of Iraq does not meet the international legal test. Dr Shah examines those causes attributed to Islam and non-Islamic causes of terrorism and argues that the theory of ‘reactive terror’ provides the most plausible explanation for so-called Islamic terrorism. The nature of conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq is changing and Muslim leaders (not including Al-Qaeda or pro Anglo-American governments) may, by consensus, declare Jihad if the occupying forces do not withdraw. Such declaration would be according to Islamic and international law.

Polearms of Paulus Hector Mair


David James Knight - 2008
    An enthusiastic practitioner of fencing, wrestling and other martial arts, he was determined to preserve the knowledge of the combat arts of his time. His dream is realized in this remarkable book by authors David James Knight and Brian Hunt.Mair collected a vast combat library, including works by Jorg Wilhalm, Antonius Rast, Gregor Erhart and Sigmund Ringeck, as well as copies of both the Codex Wallerstein and the Konigsegg-Talhoffe manuscript. Circa 1540, Mair produced the Opus Amplissimum de Arte Athletica, or Ultimate Book of the Art of Athletics, a massive compendium heavily influenced by the earlier works in his library but surpassing them in content and depth. Today only three complete manuscripts of his Opus survive in German and Austrian collections.In Polearms of Paulus Hector Mair, authors Knight and Hunt make their contribution to the endeavor that Mair began so many centuries ago. Working from both the German and Latin versions of Mair's Opus, they present chapters on combat with the poleax, halberd, spear and shortstaff, and lance and longstaff, with text in the original German and Latin, along with the English translation. The illustrations, taken from the Dresden codices, C93 and C94, have been meticulously restored to give a clear view of the techniques.This amazing volume, a labor of love of the arts of combat, belongs in the library of everyone with an interest in Renaissance martial arts.

India's Nuclear Policy


Bharat Karnad - 2008
    This concept, Karnad demonstrates, permits the Indian nuclear forces to be beefed up, size and quality-wise, and to acquire strategic reach and clout, even as the qualifier minimum suggests an overarching concern for moderation and economical use of resources, and strengthens India's claims to be a responsible nuclear weapon state.Based on interviews with Indian political leaders, nuclear scientists, and military and civilian nuclear policy planners, it provides unique insights into the workings of India's nuclear decision-making and deterrence system. Moreover, by juxtaposing the Indian nuclear policy and thinking against the theories of nuclear war and strategic deterrence, nuclear escalation, and nuclear coercion, offers a strong theoretical grounding for the Indian approach to nuclear war and peace, nuclear deterrence and escalation, nonproliferation and disarmament, and to limited war in a nuclearized environment. It refutes the alarmist notions about a nuclear flashpoint in South Asia, etc. which derive from stereotyped analysis of India-Pakistan wars, and examines India's likely conflict scenarios involving China and, minorly, Pakistan.

Fighter


Ralf Leinburger - 2008
    It is probably only those men and women who find themselves sitting in the cockpit of a fighter who are still able to experience any sense of aviation as a great adventure. Their elegant. dunamic fighters are worlds apart from the stolid airliners we are all so familiar with. They have the power to captivate even the most peace-loving individuals. This fascination is timeless and just as true of the eccentirc-looking "flying crates" of 1914, constructed of wire, wood and fabric, as of the technological marvels bristling wth weapons of today. Come with us on a journey into a world of brilliant designers and daring pilots–the world of the fighter past and present.

Warpath Across The Pacific: The Illustrated History Of The 345th Bombardment Group During WWII


Lawrence J. Hickey - 2008
    

The Two Thousand Yard Stare: Tom Lea’s World War II


Tom Lea - 2008
    Commissioned by Life magazine to paint the war as it was being experienced by U.S. and Allied troops, Lea went aboard a Navy destroyer in the North Atlantic to cover the fight against the German U-boats in late 1941; was on the carrier Hornet days before its sinking during the desperate air and sea battles off Guadalcanal in 1942; recorded the struggles of Army Air Forces transport, fighter, and bomber crews in England, North Africa, and China in 1943; and hit the bloody beaches at Peleliu with the assault waves of the 7th Marines in 1944. He was preparing to join forces poised to invade the home islands when the Japanese surrendered in 1945. In The Two Thousand Yard Stare, Brendan M. Greeley Jr. has collected virtually all of Tom Lea’s firsthand written accounts of his assignments for Life, including a previously unpublished diary and letters to fellow Texas writer J. Frank Dobie, along with Lea’s powerful sketches and unforgettable paintings. Greeley places them in context, along with photographs and informative details on the people, places, and wartime events encountered by Tom Lea. Thoroughly documented and filled with telling illustrations, this book will leave a stunning impression on those interested in the realistic depiction of war, in both images and words. Also a must-read for students, scholars, and collectors of Tom Lea’s work, The Two Thousand Yard Stare brilliantly captures the artistic skills and spirit of one of America’s most compelling painters and writers.

U.S. Naval Air Superiority: Development of U.S. Shipborne Jet Fighters Phantom - Phantom 11: Development of U.S. Shipborne Jet Fighters Phantom - Phantom 11 1943-1962


Tommy H. Thomason - 2008
    As these fighter designs reached their peak, a new propulsion technology was being developed that held great promise. When introduced, the first jet aircraft were underpowered, and in many ways inferior to propeller-driven aircraft of the time. Naval Air Superiority examines the Navy's internal struggle to adapt the jet engine to its style of warfare as well as the development and evolution of carrier-borne fighters, their airframes and engines, from the closing days of World War II through Vietnam.To operate a fighter from the pitching deck of an aircraft carrier requires a number of significant design considerations including requirements for catapult launching, arrested landings, payload, and weaponry. For the first time, Naval Air Superiority profiles the turbulent design and development stage of the Navy's carrier-based jet fighter program and discusses the evolution and development of aircraft with a flight envelope ranging from slow-carrier approaches to supersonic intercepts. This book looks at successful designs, such as the Fury, Banshee, Crusader, and Phantom II, to the also-rans, like the Fireball, Demon, Pirate, and Cutlass - aircraft developed when the Navy's needs were measured against contractor and political demands and against the limits of the evolving engine and aerodynamic technologies of the day.This book includes engine cut-aways, aircraft comparison diagrams, and details the safety improvements made to aircraft carriers to enable higher speed and highgross weight jet operations.

Reza War and Peace


Reza Deghati - 2008
    Now, he displays some of his most dramatic works in Reza War and Peace–a powerful and moving photo collection that illuminates current events and recent history in places of conflict we see represented in the news every day. These remarkable pictures convey torment and upheaval, but also the art, culture, and traditions of Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and other areas–as well as the photographer’s understanding of humanity and deep commitment to justice. Reza trains his lens not just on war and conflict, but also on friendship and loyalty, family life and love. The book follows Reza’s photographic career and is narrated in his own words, focusing our attention on the costs of war and the human condition. Sebastian Junger contributes an introduction, offering intimate insight into what it's like to work with his longtime friend and collaborator. Despite the challenging subject matter, Reza’s message is not despairing, but ultimately hopeful. For readers interested in world history, current events, and the human experience, this photographic tour de force is a must.

From Rocks to Rockets: Arms and Armies through the Ages


William Gilkerson - 2008
    His pen takes us from cave men with rocks, to modern bombs and rockets, and depicts the chaos throughout. First published in 1963, we are delighted to bring this amusing and glorious look at arms and armies through the ages to a new audience. There are laughs on every page, but also wry, though provoking observations, all expressed through Gilkerson’s wonderfully detailed drawings which will enthrall readers of all ages. A book to read and enjoy, and then share with friends.

Gateway of the Gods: The Rise and Fall of Babylon


Anton Gill - 2008
    It was here that the first city-states came into being, and with them many of the social, legal, and economic structures that we recognize today. Beginning with a survey of the early Mesopotamian dynasties, Anton Gill then chronicles the city's rise under the Amorite king Hammurabi who unified Mesopotamia under the hegemony of Babylon, its troubled fortunes in the centuries that followed, its golden age under a dynasty of Chaldean kings in the seventh and sixth centuries BC, and the life of its last great king Nebuchadrezzar II. Gill not only describes the political and military triumphs of Nebuchadrezzar's reign but also explores its many achievements in the cultural sphere—from art to mathematics, from economics to legal matters, and from astronomy to writing—as well as features of everyday life, from sex and shopping to food and drink customs.

The War Nerd


Gary Brecher - 2008
    But Brecher writes about war, too. War Nerd collects his most opinionated, enraging, enlightening, and entertaining pieces. Part war commentator, part angry humorist àla Bill Hicks, Brecher inveighs against pieties of all stripes — Liberian generals, Dick Cheney, U.N. peacekeepers, the neo-cons — and the massive incompetence of military powers. A provocative free thinker, he finds much to admire in the most unlikely places, and not always for the most pacifistic reasons: the Tamil Tigers, the Lebanese Hezbollah, the Danes of 1,000 years ago, and so on, across the globe and through the centuries. Crude, scatological, un-P.C., yet deeply informed, Brecher provides a radically different, completely unvarnished perspective on the nature of warfare.

Emergency Navigation: Find Your Position and Shape Your Course at Sea Even If Your Instruments Fail


David Burch - 2008
    . . provides the clearest understanding of general navigation principles we've seen yet."--BoatU.S."Thorough and authoritative."--Sea Kayaker"A definitive work of instant appeal to seamen of all levels of experience."--The Navigation FoundationEvery sailor knows that instruments can fail. Things get wet, break, fall overboard. Whether you're safe on your boat or drifting in a life raft, let David Burch show you how to find your way no matter what navigational equipment you have. Often relying on common materials like a small stick, a plastic bottle, even a pair of sunglasses, Burch explains how to make use of all available means--from the ancient skills of Polynesian navigators to the contrails of airliners overhead--to calculate speed, direction, latitude, and longitude and to perform all aspects of piloting and dead reckoning. Learn how toSteer by sun, stars, wind, and swellsEstimate current and leewayImprovise your own knotmeter or plumb-bob sextantFind the sun in a fogbankEstimate latitude with a plate and a knotted stringAnd more vital information

Amped: A Soldier's Race for Gold in the Shadow of War


Kortney Clemons - 2008
    For me, that's almost 1,500 pounds slamming into that socket.For any amputee, learning to walk with a prosthetic leg is a painful, grueling ordeal. Soon after army medic Kortney Clemons, who lost his right leg to a roadside bomb in Baghdad, began the process, he had more than walking in mind. He wanted to run, and run fast. Barely three years after the awful attack that changed his life forever, he aimed to join the elite corps of international athletes vying for gold in the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing. His account of his recovery from this catastrophic wound and his drive to become the first Iraq veteran to win Paralympic gold is one of the most remarkable, inspiring, and compelling stories in the history of sports.

Thinking about America's Defense: An Analytical Memoir 2008


Glenn A. Kent - 2008
    Offers the author's personal overview of analyses of dozens of historic national security issues drawn from his Air Force and RAND careers spanning the latter half of the 20th century.

Souls Under Siege: The Effects of Mulitple Troop Deployments- And How to Weather the Storm


Bridget C. Cantrell - 2008
    The most voracious enemy for today s troops and their families is time, attrition, and unpreparedness. These elements continue to eat away at every level of their lives. It is all in the makeup of living under siege, and those under siege need to find ways to hold their ground as long as the war lasts. They need to prepare well in advance for the inevitability of multiple deployments. It has been confirmed that warriors on their third and fourth tours of duty have much greater rates of mental health challenges than those on their first or second deployments. Time, and the wear and tear, has become a daunting enemy. For the families the weight of these deployments is magnified when they are ill-prepared for the tremendous emotional change and upheaval that may develop from these circumstances. Dr. Bridget C. Cantrell, Ph.D. is the author of Down Range to Iraq and Back and Once a Warrior: Wired For Life and she now brings you Souls under Siege: The Effects of Multiple Troop Deployments and How to Weather the Storm . It is a book that will help us all find ways to support and tend to those living with the pressures of multiple deployments. Its thrust is to not only expand awareness of the issues involved, but to also outline sensible tools for finding relief in these trying times. Souls under Siege is not a book to sit idle on your shelf. It will become a useful guide to be used over and over again.

Strategic Studies: A Reader


Thomas G. Mahnken - 2008
    The aim is to provide students with a wide-ranging survey of the key issues in strategic studies, and to provide an introduction the main ideas and themes in the field. The book contains six extensive sections, each of which is prefaced by a short introductory essay:The Uses of Strategic TheoryInterpretation of the ClassicsInstruments of War, Intelligence, and DeceptionNuclear StrategyIrregular Wars and TerrorismFurture War, Future StrategyOverall, this volume strikes a balance between theoretical works, which seek to discover generalisations about the nature of modern strategy, and case studies, which attempt to ground the study of strategy in the realities of modern war.This new edition will be essential reading for all students of strategic studies, security studies, military history and war studies, as well as for professional military college students.

Leathernecks: An Illustrated History of the United States Marine Corps


Merrill L. Bartlett - 2008
    Marine Corps from its inception to the present day. The combination of a wealth of art, a substantial text, and a balanced perspective make the work unique in the literature of the Corps. Many of its illustrations have never before been published or have appeared only in black and white. The history of the Marine Corps is one of the greatest military success stories of all time. The books details how and why a force that throughout the first century of its existence seldom exceeded the strength of an infantry regiment eventually attained a strength greater than that of many armies and developed what is arguably the world's most potent military mystique. Because the history of any institution is the product of the actions of the individuals who comprise it, we have included cameos of some of the individuals who made exceptional contributions to the Corps' rich heritage.

U.S. Army Weapons Systems 2009


U.S. Department of the Army - 2008
    Also included is a thorough discussion of Future Combat Systems (FCS), the system of systems that, when fully operational, will provide the Army and joint forces with unprecedented capability to see the enemy, engage him on our terms, and defeat him on the twenty-first century battlefield. Full-color photographs illustrate each weapon, making this the most comprehensive and up-to-date resource of its kind.

Secret Intelligence: A Reader


Christopher Andrew - 2008
    The terrorist attacks of 9/11, Madrid and London, the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the missing WMD, public debates over prisoner interrogation, and new domestic security regulations have all contributed to make this a 'hot' subject over the past decade.Aiming to be more comprehensive than existing books, and to achieve truly international coverage of the field, this book provides key readings and supporting material for students and course convenors. It is divided into four main sections, each of which includes full summaries of each article, further reading suggestions, and student questions:The intelligence cycleIntelligence, counter-terrorism and securityEthics, accountability and controlIntelligence and the new warfareComprising essays by leading scholars in the field, Secret Intelligence will be essential reading both for students and for anyone wishing to understand the current relationship between intelligence and policy-making.

Web


J.P. Mercer - 2008
    Sasha's life has been spinning out of control for years, but is she capable of three gruesome murders?After an attempt on her own life and her sister's involvement in murder, President Ingrid Sheppard suspects powerful people would stop at nothing, including framing Sasha, to prevent her from serving a second term in the White House. Desperate, Ingrid turns to two women for help: Sidney DeRoche and Liberty Starr.Sidney DeRoche is Ingrid's best friend and a renowned defense attorney. Can Sidney defend Sasha, her ex-lover who once broke her heart?Liberty Starr, a former agent/assassin for the government, is asked to come out of seclusion to protect the President and her family. Twists and turns pit Liberty against an old foe, a chameleon who might be better than she is. Will Liberty be able to find this other assassin before tragedy consumes the President and her sister, and the many lives they touch? Or will Liberty be the one who ultimately pays the highest price of all?

Dangerous Frontiers: Campaigning in Somaliland and Oman


Bryan Ray - 2008
    At that time tribal quarrels, generally over water, were taking place in the troubled strip of country between the Protectorate and Ethiopia; the Ogaden. It was the Scouts' difficult task to keep the warring clansmen apart. It gives a vivid account of a nineteen-year-old in command of Somali troops in a fascinating and unpredictable country.The second part of the book deals with the Author's second period of service with Muslims, a quarter of a century later. This time in the Southern Province of Oman - Dhofar. Here he commanded the Northern Frontier Regiment of the Sultan's Armed Force in a limited but fierce war against Communist Insurgents. It shows how the tide was turned against a brave enemy fighting on their home ground - the savage wadis and cliffs of the jebel.Dangerous Frontiers will appeal to a wide audience, including those interesting in military and world history and in those two little known areas - the Horn of Africa and Southern Oman. In both campaigns it reflects the mutual liking and respect that the handful of British officers had for their Muslim soldiers and the soldiers for their leaders. It is written with humor and an understanding of other cultures.

With 6th Airborne Division in Palestine 1945-1948


R. Dare Wilson - 2008
    Faced with the unenviable task of upholding the law in a lawless country, the individual British soldier had to face continual opposition from a hostile Jewish community. This story is described by General Wilson, then a Major, who served with the division during this period.The mission of British forces was simply "to keep the peace." To achieve this goal, the 6th Airborne Division conducted a variety of counter-insurgency operations in both urban and rural environments. These operations were designed to locate illegal arms caches, limit Jewish-Arab violence and capture dissidents who had attacked British positions. The destruction of the King David Hotel, the most famous terrorist attack of the Mandate period, is treated in great detail. With 6th Airborne Division in Palestine 1945 - 48 is a tribute to the British soldier. It is also an excellent case study in unconventional warfare. It will be of great interest to any student of the intricate problem that Palestine presents.

Vietnam Ironclads: A Pictorial History of U.S. Navy River Assault Craft, 1966-1970


John M. Carrico - 2008
    This volume combines years of meticulous research with many never-before-seen photographs taken by navy combat veterans, and from official government archives. Each type of riverine combatant is explained in its own chapter. The book begins with a historical overview providing insight into the unique challenges of America's twentieth century riverine assault force. Discover the interior details of an Armored Troop Carrier, Monitor, and Assault Support Patrol Boat. Also explore the only surviving river assault craft of the Vietnam War, a program 5 Command and Communications Boat. This book will appeal to any naval history enthusiast, scale modeler, or military veteran.

Eddie Adams: Vietnam


Eddie Adams - 2008
    Adams’ 1968 Pulitzer Prize–winning photograph cemented his reputation in the public eye and stands forever as an icon for the brutality of our last century: the image of Nguyen Ngoc Loan, police chief of Saigon, firing a bullet at the head of a Vietcong prisoner. Adams’ image fueled antiwar sentiment that ultimately changed the course of history.Adams’ life in the headlines took him to the remotest corners of this troubled, beautiful planet compiling a historic record of the days of our lives. His forty-five-year career covered thirteen wars and amassed some five hundred photojournalism awards. He was a man to whom Clint Eastwood said, “Good shot;” Fidel Castro said, “Let’s go duck hunting;” and the Pope said, “You’ve got three minutes.” This is the man behind the Pulitzer Prize–winning picture that changed the world in 1968.Through astonishing never-before-seen pictures, articles written by Adams, pages from journals, and other artifacts, one great journalist’s experience of the war is told in gripping detail.Edited by Alyssa Adams, with an essay by AP Bureau Chief Hal Buell, and contributions by Peter Arnett, Tom Brokaw, David Halberstam, George Esper, David Kennerly, Dirck Halstead, Tom Curley, Kerry Kennedy, and more, this is a classic of modern history and photography.

Dancing in the Sky: The Royal Flying Corps in Canada


C.W. Hunt - 2008
    This program, up and running in under six months despite enormous obstacles, launched Canada into the age of flight ahead of the United States.The results enabled the Allies to regain control of the skies and eventually win the war, but at a terrible price. Flying was in its infancy and pilot training primitive. This is the story of the talented and courageous men and women who made the training program a success, complete with the romance, tragedy, humour, and pathos that accompany an account of such heroic proportions. A valuable addition to Canada's military history, this book will appeal to all who enjoy an exceptional adventure story embedded in Canada's past.

America's Defense Meltdown


Winslow T. Wheeler - 2008
     It lays out for the new president, Congress and the "think-tank" community in Washington a description of the scope and depth of our national defense problems, and - more importantly - it proposes solutions derived from the nature of the problems, rather than the willingness - or lack thereof - among politicians and bureaucrats in the Pentagon and Congress to address them.