Best of
Military-History

1956

Defeat Into Victory: Battling Japan in Burma and India, 1942-1945


William Slim - 1956
    He then restored his army's fighting capabilities and morale with virtually no support from home and counterattacked. His army's slaughter of Japanese troops ultimately liberated India and Burma. The first edition of Defeat Into Victory, published in 1956, was an immediate sensation selling 20,000 copies within a few days. This is an updated version with a new introduction by David W. Hogan Jr.

Twenty Million Tons Under the Sea: The Daring Capture of the U-505


Daniel V. Gallery - 1956
    the first-hand story of Uncle Sam’s U-Boat killers.” — Chicago Daily News “The only thing that really frightened me during the war was the U-boat peril. . . .” — Winston Churchill German U-Boats were causing havoc for the Allied fleets across the oceans of the world. The Battle of the Atlantic had been ongoing since the beginning of the war and the Royal Navy, United States Navy and Allied merchant shipping were taking heavy casualties against these underwater terrors. The U-505 had been launched on 25 May 1941. Over the next three years she went on to sink a total of eight ships. But the upper hand that once had been held by U-Boats was beginning to weaken and tide began to turn in favor of the Allied navies. Daniel Gallery, in his brilliant memoir, explains how he led Task Group 21.12 in the battle against the U-Boat threat. Commanding the USS Guadalcanal he led his crew to sink three of these menacing submarines, but his greatest achievement was to capture the U-505 off the coast of Africa. He was the first American officer to capture an enemy warship since the War of 1812, and this victory gave the United States Navy not only a great victory but also the codebooks, Enigma machine and other secret materials found on board critically assisted the Allied codebreakers. “Excellent in several ways: it provides a fine quick survey of the whole Atlantic war, it describes the operation of the German U-boat service, and, most dramatically, it tells how an American task force under Admiral Gallery achieved the unique feat of capturing a German submarine.” — Publishers’ Weekly “One of the best non-fiction books about World War II.” — Raleigh News & Observer “One of the war’s most exciting memoirs.” — Chicago News “A first-rate adventure tale...suspense and excitement told with a seaman’s salty zest...excellent reading.” — Chicago Sunday Tribune “A masterful job that merits the attention of every lover of sea stories.” — Pittsburgh Press “Brimming with thrills.” — Philadelphia News “An engrossing tale. . . . Pungent, entertaining, informative.” — Navy Times “A humdinger of a sea story ... a highly readable book, trimmed from stem to stern with the writer’s irrepressible sense of humor.” — Chicago Sunday Times Daniel V. Gallery was a rear admiral in the United States Navy. He saw extensive action during World War II, fighting U-boats during the Battle of the Atlantic. After the war, Gallery was a prolific author of fiction and non-fiction. Twenty Million Tons Under the Sea was originally published in 1956 and he passed away in 1977.

U-Boat Killer


Donald Macintyre - 1956
    Tasked with guarding vital Atlantic convoys and later commanding 'Hunter/Killer' groups, author Captain Donald MacIntyre (1904-1981) became a near-legend during the war, with 7 destroyed German submarines to his credit, as well as several U-boat captures. He also survived a torpedo hit, and, after ramming a U-boat, successfully piloted the damaged ship back to safety.

Retreat With Honor (Battles & Leaders of the Civil War) (Battles & Leaders of the Civil War, Volume 4)


Robert Underwood Johnson - 1956
    THis series was originally conceived in 1883 by the editors of Century Company, who set out to provide an accurate, unbiased account of the war. It was authored by the commanders and their subordinates from both the Confederate and Union forces who actually fought, planned or were eyewitnesses to the events they describe therein. Volume 4 relates the events that led to the end of the war. It opens with a detailed description of the land and sea operations at the Battle of Charleston. Grant's Wilderness Campaign and Sherman's march to Atlanta are vividly portrayed. After mounting the final actions in Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee, this volume depicts the closing naval operations, Sherman's march through the Confederacy and climaxes with Lee's surrender at Appomattox.

Wing Leader (Fighter Pilots)


J.E. Johnson - 1956
    From the moment the author joins his first operational Spitfire squadron in August 1940, the reader is taken on an epic journey through the great aerial fighter actions of the war including the Battle of Britain, sweeps across the Channel and over France, Dieppe and Normandy; and finally, operations across the Rhine and into Germany itself.

The Turn of the Tide


Arthur Bryant - 1956
    

Duel Under the Stars: The Memoir of a Luftwaffe Night Pilot in World War II


Wilhelm Johnen - 1956
    The rest was merely a matter of seconds. The bomber fell like a stone out of the sky and exploded on the ground. The nightmare came to an end."In this enthralling memoir, the author recounts his experiences of the war years and traces the story of the ace fighter pilots from the German development of radar to the Battle of Britain.Johnen flew his first operational mission in July 1941, having completed his blind-flying training. In his first couple of years he brought down two enemy planes. The tally went up rapidly once the air war was escalated in spring 1943, when Air Marshal Arthur Harris of the RAF Bomber Command began the campaign dubbed the Battle of the Ruhr.During this phase of the war Johnens successes were achieved against a 710-strong force of bombers. Johnens further successes during Harriss subsequent Berlin offensive led to his promotion as Staffelkapitan (squadron leader) of Nachtjagdgeschwader and a move to Mainz. During a sortie from there, his Bf 110 was hit by return fire and he was forced to land in Switzerland. He and his crew were interned by the authorities. The Germans were deeply worried about leaving a sophisticatedly equipped night fighter and its important air crew in the hands of a foreign government, even if it was a neutral one. After negotiations involving Gring, the prisoners were released.Johnens unit moved to Hungary and by October 1944 his score was standing at 33 aerial kills. His final one came in March the following year, once Johnen had moved back to Germany.

I was chaplain on the Franklin


Joseph T. O'Callahan - 1956
    

Escort Commander


Terence Robertson - 1956
    Walker, known as Johnnie, was the most innovative and successful anti-submarine warfare commander of the Battle of the Atlantic. He commanded the 36th Escort Group, embarked in the sloop Stork, and with bravery and brilliance helped the Royal Navy save the Allied cause. The British Admiralty stated Walker “did more to free the Atlantic of the U-boat menace than any other single officer.” Terence Robertson's Destroyer Commander is the tale of one man's unfaltering courage and unswerving devotion to duty and to country.

The Battle of the River Plate: The Hunt for the German Pocket Battleship Graf Spee


Dudley Pope - 1956
    Through clever subterfuge and daring, the Graf Spee takes ship after ship, ultimately forcing the British Navy to send twenty ships in search of the elusive Spee.

Battles and Leaders of the Civil War Volume III


Robert Underwood Johnson - 1956
    

Battle Hymn


Dean E. Hess - 1956
    Hess is the subject of this inspiring autobiography, Battle Hymn, first published in 1956, which tells of his experiences as a U.S. Air Force colonel, including his involvement in the so-called “Kiddy Car Airlift” during the Korean War on December 20, 1950.With the airfield over capacity, Hess sent Korean orphans to an orphanage in Seoul. When the North Korean forces began to capture the city, Hess reportedly organized 15 C-54 Skymaster aircraft to airlift 950 orphans and 80 orphanage staff from the path of the Chinese advance to safety on Jeju Island. When Hess departed Korea in June 1951, a new orphanage on this island held over 1,000 Korean children.The book later served the basis for the 1957 film of the same name, where he was played by Rock Hudson.

Battles and Leaders of the Civil War Volume II


Robert Underwood Johnson - 1956
    

Lonely Warrior; The Action-Journal of a Battle of Britain Fighter Pilot


Jean Offenberg - 1956
    

Return Ticket


Anthony Deane-Drummond - 1956
    This contention is certainly borne out by the experiences of Anthony Deane-Drummond, so simply and yet so convincingly told in RETURN TICKET. Deane-Drummond was one of the first parachutists to land in enemy Italy on a raid in 1941, and was taken prisoner after his mission was completed. Twice he made ingenious and daring escapes;once from a prison and once from a military hospital. On each occasion he reached the heavily guarded Swiss frontier and on the second, he managed to cross it. Thence he traveled through war-time France and back to England.He then promptly joined the First Airborne Division and was dropped with that immortal body of men on Arnhem. There he was taken prisoner once more, and having spent 13 days and 13 nights hidden in a constricted wall-cupboard in a German guard-room, he escaped yet again, recovered in the house of a courageous Dutch family from this truly astonishing feat of endurance and crossed back into the British lines.As a stopry of ingenuity, courage and determination, this is difficult to equal.

Battles And Leaders Of The Civil War, Volume 1


Robert Underwood Johnson - 1956
    This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

A Military History Of The Western World, Vol. III: From The American Civil War To The End Of World War II


J.F.C. Fuller - 1956
    F. C. Fuller, a pioneer of mechanized warfare in GreatBritain, was one of this century's most renowned military strategistsand historians. In this magisterial work he spans military history fromthe Greeks to the end of World War II, describing tactics, battlelines, the day-to-day struggles while always relating affairs on thefield to the larger questions of social, political, and economic changein Western civilization. A masterpiece of scholarship and bitingprose, these volumes are available for the first time in a handsometrade paperback edition. This third volume outlines the age of industrialism and the rise of American imperialism, the Civil War, expansionist policies of Japan and Russia, and World Wars I and II, offering fresh insights into the relationship between military history and social change.